and with a double heart do they speak. There is no faithfulness in their mouth, their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre, they flatter with their tongue. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips; which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts". Deliver me not over to the will of mine enemies; for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. The mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitful, are opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred'. They speak mischief, and imagine deceits all the day long; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. The proud have forged a lie against me; yea the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me and ceased not, with hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth'. They speak not peace, but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, Aha, our eye hath seen it. This thou hast seen, O Lord, keep not silence; O Lord, be not far from me*. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue'. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked"; who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words". Send thine hand from above, rid me from the hands of strange children; whose mouth speaketh vanity; and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. Attend unto me, and hear me; I mourn in my complaint and make a noise, because of the voice of the enemy; for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me'. Behold they belch out with their mouth; swords are in 267 their lips; for who, say they, doth hear? For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride; and for cursing and lying which they speak'. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth'. Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and fraud; under his tongue is mischief and vanity". Let them curse, but bless thou*. O Lord, thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing". Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and speaketh the truth in his heart; he that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour; he that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not; who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips. I am purposed, that my mouth shall not transgress. Remove far from me vanity and lies. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips. Remove from me the way of lyingʻ. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut offs. He that worketh deceit, shall not dwell within my house; he that telleth lies, shall not tarry in my sight. I hate and abhor lying, but thy law do I love1. C Unto thee have I cried, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer prevent theek. I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings: I will pay thee my vows', which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble". My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; my tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long". I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. I will declare thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee". My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise, and with thy honour all the day'. I said, I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue, I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me'. All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding". Accept, I beseech thee, the free-will offerings of my mouth, O Lord'. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer'. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever". ARTICLE III. OF THE DUTIES WE OWE TO MANKIND. CHAP. I. OF LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOUR, IN OPPOSITION TO MALICE, HATRED, ENVY, AND THE LIKE. SECT. 1. To love our brethren of mankind is one of the most express dictates of the divine law. -2. It is peculiarly enjoined by our blessed Lord.-3. Without this we can have no claim to the character of his disciples.-4. Charity is therefore stated as essential to the Christian character. 5. Exhortations and motives to mutual love and acts of beneficence. P Psal. xxii. 22. 6. The joy of the Apostles in discerning the mutual love of the saints.-7. This truly Christian grace urged from the view of our relations to Christ, and to each other.-8. The complaints, declarations, and prayers of the Saints on this subject. Examples. SECT. 1. To love our brethren of mankind, is one the most express dictates of the divine law. of AND one of the scribes came and asked Jesus, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, master, thou hast said the truth; for there is one God, and none but he; and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The stranger that dwelleth with you, shall be unto you as one born amongst you; and thou shalt love him as thyself". For the Lord your God, is God of gods, and Lord of lords; he doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger in giving him food and raiment". Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. A man that hath friends, must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother f. father's friend, forsake not. but love covereth all sins". Thine own friend, aud thy Hatred stirreth evil doers; neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity'. Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who can stand before envy'? Better a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith ". Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore ". SECT. 2. It is peculiarly enjoined by our blessed Lord. Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself, shall not stand. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones. For I say unto you, It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. And whosoever shall give to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in nowise lose his reward". Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me. Whosoever shall receive one of such in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. Be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant ". These things I command you, that ye love one another'. If the world Prov. xxvii. 4. c Matt. xviii. 14. 1 Mark, ix. 37. |