The rules of a holy life. Or A treatise containing the holy order of…

Secondly, let thy conversation and discourse be without judging, Math. 7. 1. lam. 3. 17. It is time exceeding ill-spent, that is spent in censuring of others. And the rather should we take heed of judging, if we consider how the holy Ghost hath matched that sin in that place of James, we must be without judging, without hypocrisy: as if he would signify, that great Censurers are commonly great Hypocrites; and as ⟨p. 211⟩any are more wise, they are more sparing of their Censures.

Secondly, let thy conuersation and discourse be without iudging, Math. 7. 1. lam. 3. 17. It is time exceeding ill-spent, that is spent in censuring of others. And the rather should we take heed of iudging, if we consider how the holy Ghost hath matched that sin in that place of Iames, wee must bee without iudging, without hypocrisie: as if he wold signifie, that great Censurers are commonly great Hypocrites; and as ⟨p. 211⟩any are more wise, they are more sparing of their Censures.

Thirdly, thou must not walk about with tales; take heed of Tale-bearing: He goeth about as a slanderer, that revealeth a secret, though it be true he speaketh. It is a marvellous evil custom, that many have to fill up their discourse with the report of the frailties of others, which they by some means or other, come under-hand to know: This is an evil frequently condemned in Scripture, and yet most usually practised; ⟨p. 212⟩as if it were lawful to speak of any thing which they know to be true: Thou shalt not walk about with Tales, nor stand against the blood of thy neighbour: A strange connection, by which the Lord imports, that this Tale-bearing is a kind of murder; and it is true in the case of many a man; thou wert as good lay violent hands upon him, as with that licentiousness of words to divulge tales concerning him,