A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soul of man With the…A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soule of man With the…

But besides all these, there is one thing which¹ seemeth to be the most proper Corrupter of this Ornament of Speech, and that is a Lye. For a• every thing is then most Regular when it retains the purity of its first office and institution: So on the other side it is most depraved, when it deviates from that service, whereunto it was principally ordained. Thus a Picture, though it be never so much in the frame abused, cracked, spotted, or made any other way unvaluable; yet if the resemblance which it bears, be express and lively, we still call it a true Picture: whereas if that be a false and deceitful resemblance (be all other adventitious Ornaments never so exquisite) we still account it False and Corrupt: So it is with the Speech of man, which though of never so great Weakness and Insufficiency in other respects; yet if it retain that one property of shaping it self to the Conceits of the Mind, and make level and proportionable the words with the thoughts, it may still be said to be (though not a good) yet in some respect a Regular Speech, in that it is conformable to the first institution: But be all other Excellencies never so great; yet if it be a false Image of our Intentions, Nature is diverted from her prime End, and the Faculty quite depraved, as for saking its original office: and indeed, other Moral Duties of the Tongue do necessarily presuppose this adequation and conformity to the thoughts, which I speak of, without which they are but Hypocrisy, and come within the compass of the noted Corruption, a Lye: for every Hypocrite is a ⟨p. 513⟩Liar. I confess there are Sins of Speech greater than a Lye, in the intention and degrees of their own Guilt: But herein is the difference: the Tongue may in it (whether Morally religiously considered) bear a double Irregularity (wherein it differs from other powers.)

But besides all these, there is one thing which¹ seemeth to be the most proper Corrupter of this Ornament of Speech, and that is a Lye. For a• every thing is then most Regular when it retains the purity of its first office and institution: So on the other side it is most depraved, when it deviates from that service, whereunto it was principally ordained. Thus a Picture, though it be never so much in the frame abused, crackt, spotted, or made any other way unvaluable; yet if the resemblance which it beares, be expresse and lively, we still call it a true Picture: whereas if that be a false and deceitfull resemblance (be all other adventitious Ornaments never so exquisite) wee still accompt it False and Corrupt: So it is with the Speech of man, which though of never so great Weaknesse and Insufficiency in other respects; yet if it retain that one property of shaping it selfe to the Conceipts of the Mind, and make levell and proportionable the words with the thoughts, it may still be said to be (though not a good) yet in some respect a Regular Speech, in that it is conformable to the first institution: But be all other Excellencies never so great; yet if it be a false Image of our Intentions, Nature is diverted from her prime End, and the Faculty quite depraved, as for saking its originall office: and indeed, other Morall Duties of the Tongue do necessarily presuppose this adequation and conformity to the thoughts, which I speake of, without which they are but Hipocrisie, and come within the compasse of the noted Corruption, a Lye: for every Hipocrite is a