Casuistical morning-exercises the fourth volume /

1. Men do Bite one another by keen and venomous Words. When Men do whet their Tongues like a Sword, and bend their bows to shoot their Arrows, even bitter words, Psal. 64.3. The Tongue (unbridled) is a fire, a world of Iniquity, it sets on fire the course of Nature, and it is set on fire of Hell, Jam. 3.6. What flames of Strife have the Tongues and Pens of Men kindled and continued in the World!

Sometimes by Censuring their Brethren, they are time-servers, proud, covetous, superstitious; or they are conceited, peevish, factious: Especially if any one be really scandalous, by imputing it presently to all his Party, as if they were all such, which is the most Unjust and Uncharitable Inference imaginable; for what Party of Men is there on Earth, wherein there are none that are foolish, false and wicked? In short, there is no Vice more common and mischievous, not only among different Parties, but with all sorts of People, than in their ordinary Conversation to let fly their censorious Arrows against others; insomuch as it's very rare to speak of any one behind their back, without some reflection upon them, which is not only a biting, but a back-biting one another, and so the more base and mischievous.

Sometimes Men Bite one another by plain Slandering one another, charging them with Crimes which they abhor; thus One Party reckons all their Opposites to be presently Enemies to the King and to the Church, who on the Other side are as ready to count them Enemies to God and to his People, monopolizing Godliness to One Party, and Loyalty to Another: Nay, each is ready to appropriate all Religion and good Conscience to themselves, and to unsanctify and vilify all of the contrary mind. A common course of Hypocrites, first to degrade a godly Man into ungodliness, that so they may have room to hate him. Though the same Law, and the same Law-giver forbids us to bear false witness against our Neighbour, that forbids the Worshipping of a graven Image.