SERM. with falvation. Which that it may (to the glory of God XII. and good of his Church) more furely come to pass, let us convert this promise into a prayer, and fay with Solo2 Chron. vi. mon, Now therefore arife, O Lord God, thou and the ark of thy firength: let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with falvation, and let thy faints rejoice in goodness.

41.

Amen.

SERMON XIII.

NOT TO OFFEND IN WORD AN EVIDENCE OF

A HIGH PITCH OF VIRTUE.

JAMES iii. 2.

If any man offend not in word, he is a perfect man. THIS fentence ftands in the head of a difcourfe concerning the tongue, (that doubtful engine of good and evil,) wherein how excellent benefits, and how grievous mischiefs, it, as rightly or perverfely wielded, is apt to produce, how it is both a sweet inftrument of all goodness, and a sharp weapon of all iniquity, is pofitively laid down, and by fit comparisons illuftrated. But fecluding all relation to the context, the words may well be confidered fingly by themselves: and as fuch they inftru&t us, afferting a certain truth; they direct us, implying a good duty. They affert that man to be perfect, who offends not in fpeech; and they confequently imply, that we fhould ftrive to avoid offending therein: for to be perfect, Deut. xviii. and to go on to perfection, are precepts, the obfervance Lukevi. 40. whereof is incumbent on us. We shall first briefly ex- Matt. v. 49. plain the affertion, and then declare its truth; afterwards 2 Cor. xiii. we fhall prefs fomewhat couched in the duty.

13.

xix. 21.

11.
Heb. vi. 1.

To offend originally fignifies to impinge, that is, to Eris i a ftumble, or hit dangerously upon somewhat lying cross our way, fo as thereby to be caft down, or at least to be difordered in our pofture, and ftopt in our progress:

SERM. whence it is well transferred to denote our being through XIII. any incident temptation brought into fin, whereby a man is thrown down, or bowed from his upright state, and interrupted from profecuting a steady course of piety and virtue. By an ufual and appofite manner of fpeaking, Pfal.xxxvii. our tenor of life is called a way, our converfation walking, our actions steps, our observing good laws uprightness, our tranfgreffion of them tripping, faultering, falling.

23, 24.

Jam. i. 4.

22.

6.

Luke i. 6.

By not offending in word, we may easily then conceive to be understood such a constant restraint, and such a careful guidance of our tongue, that it doth not tranfgrefs the rules prescribed unto it by Divine law, or by good reason; that it thwarteth not the natural ends and proper ufes for which it was framed, to which it is fitted; fuch as chiefly are promoting God's glory, our neighbour's benefit, and our own true welfare.

By a perfect man is meant a person accomplished and complete in goodnefs, one of fingular worth and integrity, a brave and excellent man, who, as to the continual tenor of his life, is free from all notorious defects, and Acts xiii. heinous faults; like David, fulfilling all God's will, and Pfal. cxix. having refpect to all God's commandments; like Zachary and Elizabeth, walking in all the commandments and ordiGen. vi. 9. nances of the Lord blameless. Thus was Noah, thus was Abraham, thus was Job perfect. This is the notion of perfection in holy Scripture: not an absolute exemption from all blemish of foul, or blame in life; for fuch a perfection is inconfiftent with the nature and state of man here, Prov. 11. 9. where none with modesty or with truth can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my fin; where every Job ix. 20. man muft confefs with Job, If I juftify myself, mine own

xvii. 1.

Job i. 1.

20.

mouth shall condemn me; if I say, I am perfect, it shall Ecclef. vii. prove me perverfe. For, There is not, as the Preacher affures, a juft man upon earth, that doeth good, and finneth not; and, In many things we offend all, is our Apoftle's affertion, immediately preceding my text; which words may serve to expound these. In many things, saith he, we offend all; that is, there is no man abfolutely perfect:

but if any man offend not in word, (that is, if a man con- SERM. ftantly govern his tongue well,) that man is perfect; per- XIII. fect in fuch a kind and degree as human frailty doth admit; he is eminently good; he may be reasonably prefumed upright and blameless in all the course of his practice; able, as it follows, to bridle the whole body, that is, qualified to order all his actions juftly and wifely. So that in effect the words import this; that a conftant governance of our speech according to duty and reason is a high inftance and a special argument of a throughly fincere and folid goodness.

The truth of which aphorifin may from several confiderations appear.

11.

A fool tra

a word, as

of a child.

1. A good governance of speech is a ftrong evidence of a good mind; of a mind pure from vicious defires, calm from diforderly paffions, void of dishonest intentions. For fince speech is a child of thought, which the mind always travaileth and teemeth with, and which after its birth is Ecclus.xix. wont in features to resemble its parent; fince every man naturally is ambitious to propagate his conceits, and vaileth with without a painful force cannot fmother his refentments; a woman fince especially bad affections, like ftum or poison, are in labour impetuous and turgid, fo agitating all the spirits, and fo fwelling the heart, that it cannot easily compose or contain them; fince a diftempered conftitution of mind, as of body, is wont to weaken the retentive faculty, and to force an evacuation of bad humours; fince he that wanteth the principal wisdom of well ordering his thoughts, and mastering his paffions, can hardly be conceived so prudent, as long to refrain, or to regulate their dependence, speech; confidering these things, I fay, it is scarce poffible, that he which commonly thinks ill, fhould conftantly either be well filent, or fpeak well. To conceal fire, to check lightning, to confine a whirlwind, may perhaps be no less feasible, than to keep within due compass the exorbitant motions of a foul, wherein reason hath loft its command, fo that qua data porta, where the next paffage occurs, they should not rush forth, and vent themfelves. A vain mind naturally will bubble forth or fly

34.

SERM. out in frothy expreffions; wrath burning in the breast will XIII. flame out, or at leaft fmoke through the mouth; rancorous impofthumes of fpite and malice will at length discharge purulent matter; luft boiling within will foon foam out in lewd discourse. If the fountain itself is polluted, or infected, how can the ftreams be clear or wholeMatth. xii. fome? How can ye, being evil, Speak good things? faith our Lord; for from the abundance of the heart the mouth Speaketh. A good man, addeth he, out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things: énbárra wonga, he cafteth forth ill things, as a fountain doth its waters by a natural and neceffary ebullition. It is true, that in fome particular cafes, or at fome times, a foul heart may be disguised by fair words, or covered by demure reservedness: fhame, or fear, or crafty defign, may often repress the declaration of ill thoughts and purposes. But fuch fits of diffimulation cannot hold; men cannot abide quiet under fo violent constraints; the intestine jars, or unkindly truces, between heart and tongue (those natural friends) cannot be perpetual, or very durable: no man can hold his breath long, or live without evaporating through his mouth those steams of paffion which arise Píal. xxxix. from flesh and blood. My heart was hot within me, while I was mufing, the fire burned; then Spake I with my tongue, faith David, expreffing the difficulty of obstructing the eruption of our affections into language. Hence *Andgòs xa- it is, that speech is commonly judged the truest character ραπτὴρ ἐκ of the mind, and the surest test of inward worth; as that which discloseth the hidden man of the heart, which un1 Pet. iii. 4. 'locketh the closets of the breaft, which draws the foul out of her dark receffes into open light and view, which rendereth our thoughts visible, and our intentions palpable. Hence, Loquere, ut te videam, Speak, that I may fee you, or know what kind of man you are, is a saying which all men, at firft meeting, do in their hearts direct one to another: neither commonly doth any man require more to ground a judgment upon concerning the worth or ability of another, than opportunity of hearing him to

3.

λόγου γνω

ρίζεται.