390 The Wisdom of GOD Part li- 

 on the contrary, may fpeak what is materially 

 true and yet lie, when he fpeaks what he thinks 

 not to be true. The Tongue was made to be the 

 J7idex of the Mind, Speech the Interpreter of 

 Thought, therefore there ought to be a perfedt 

 Harmony and Agreement between thefe twos fo 

 that lying is a great Abufe of Speech, and a per- 

 vertino- the very End of it, which was to com- 

 municate our Thoughts one to another j it hath 

 alfo an ill Principle for the moft part, proceed- 

 ing either from Bafenefs of Spirit^ or Cowardice^ 

 as in them that have committed a Fault, and 

 deny it for fear of Punifliment or Rebuke ; and 

 therefore the ancient Perjians^ as Xenopkon tells 

 us in his Kyp« TTsttS^eia, made it one of the three 

 thingc they diligently taught their Children, 

 which were linT^&iVy 59 To|<^'«r, ?^ aMi^v&tV to 

 Ridc^ to Shoot y and to /peak thel'ruth: Or from 

 Ccvetoufnefs^ as in Tradefmen, who falfly com- 

 mend their Commodities, that they may vend 

 them for a greater Price; or from Vanity and 

 Vain-glory^ in them who falfly boaft of any Qua- 

 lity or Adion of their own. It is odious both 

 to God and Man ; to God, Trov, vi. 17. A lying 

 Tongue is one of thofe fix or feven things that are 

 an Abomination to him ; to Men, as Hojner wit- 

 nelTeth in the Verfe preceding the fore-quoted. 



