Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing: my brethren, this ought not so to be.

Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD: Mal. 3:13.

yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it, that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea they that tempt God, are even delivered.

Then they that feared the LORD, spake often one to another; and the LORD hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, Matt. 12: 32 it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

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12:36.

Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before Luke 12: 8. men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the Angels

of God.

But he that denieth me before men, shall be denied before the Angels of God.

Matt. 15: 10

12: 33.

II. AN INDEX OF THE HEART.

-

ND he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear
and understand.

AN

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but
that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou
that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this
saying?

But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly
Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind. And
if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Declare unto us
this parable.

And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at
the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the
draught ?

But those things which proceed out of the mouth, come
forth from the heart, and they defile the man.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adul-
teries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

These are the things which defile a man: But to eat with
unwashen hands, defileth not a man.

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good: Or else
make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is
known by his fruit.

O generation of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good
things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart, bring-
eth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treas-
ure, bringeth forth evil things.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth Jas. 1: 26. not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

III. TO BE WISELY EMPLOYED.

NTO me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at Job 29:21.

UNTO
UN my counsel.

After my words they spake not again, and my speech dropped upon them.

And they waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Col. 4: 6.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, Eph. 4: 29. but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may

minister grace unto the hearers.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and

evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren; he that speaketh Jas. 4:11. evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the Law, and judgeth the Law: but if thou judge the Law, thou art not a doer of the Law, but a judge.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with Eph. 4: 25. his neighbor; for we are members one of another.

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good man- 1 Cor. 15: 33

ners.

For we hear that there are some which walk among you 2 Thess. 3: 11 disorderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies.

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for

ever.

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in

error.

Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous;

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

Let him eschew evil and do good; let him seek peace and ensue it.

For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.

Lev. 19: 16.

Ex. 23: I.

HOU shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among

Tthy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood

of thy neighbor: I am the Lord.

Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt

thou speak in a cause, to decline after many, to wrest judgment:

A tale-bearer revealeth secrets; but he that is of a faithful Prov. 11: 13. spirit concealeth the matter.

The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things I knew not.

They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul. For it was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne it; neither was it he that hated me, that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him.

But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

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1S: 8,

For I have heard the slander of many; fear was on every Ps. 31: 13. side; while they took counsel against me, they devised to

take away my life.

Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment, and a Eccl. 10: 11. babbler is no better.

The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

Let love be without dissimulation: abhor that which is Rom. 12 : 9. evil, cleave to that which is good.