Shall we not put our lips under our Lord's control, that the answer of our tongue may be from Him? While we seek daily to subject our hearts to Him, shall we not in a peculiar and a direct manner subject our tongues, to Him? for while a subjected heart may keep the mouth from speaking evil, if the tongue is to speak well and to be employed for all its noble uses it must be immediately moved by God, our lips must be touched with a coal from the altar, our speech must be chastened and purified, inspired and impelled, by Him. FOOTNOTES: [280] Prov. xxv. 15. [281] Prov. xiii. 2. [282] Prov. xviii. 20. [283] Prov. xviii. 21. [284] Prov. x. 14. [285] Prov. xii. 18. [286] Prov. xviii. 6, 7. [287] Prov. xii. 13. [288] Prov. xiv. 3. [289] Prov. xv. 23. [290] Prov. xxi. 23. [291] Prov. xxi. 28. [292] Prov. xvii. 20. [293] Prov. xviii. 4. [294] Prov. xxii. 11. [295] Prov. xxii. 18. [296] Prov. xix. 1, 22. [297] Prov. xxiii. 16. [298] Prov. xii. 16. [299] Prov. xxix. 11. [300] Prov. xix. 7. All the Proverbs in this selection are in the form of a distich. This affords a fair presumption that this verse with its three clauses is mutilated; and the presumption is confirmed by the fact that the third clause adds nothing of value, even if it be intelligible at all, to the sense. There is good reason, therefore, for believing that this third clause is the half of a distich which has not been preserved in its integrity; all the more because the LXX. have a complete proverb which runs thus: ὁ πολλὰ κακοποιῶν τελεσιουργεῖ κακίαν, ὃς δὲ ἐρεθίζει λόγους οὐ σωθήσεται. "He that does much evil is a craftsman of iniquity, and he that uses provoking words shall not escape." Perhaps in the Hebrew text which was before the Greek translators מְנַדֵּף appeared instead of מְרַדֵּף, and הָיָה לֹא instead of לֹא־הֵמָּה. [301] Prov. xxvi. 21. [302] Prov. xxx. 32, 33. [303] Prov. xii. 18. [304] Prov. xii. 17. [305] Prov. xix. 28. [306] Prov. xix. 5, rep. ver. 9. [307] Prov. xxi. 28. [308] Prov. xxv. 18. [309] Prov. xxvi. 23-28. [310] Prov. xiii. 5. [311] Prov. xii. 19. [312] Prov. xii. 22. [313] Prov. xx. 17. [314] Prov. xxvi. 2. [315] Prov. xxviii. 23. [316] Prov. xxix. 5. [317] Prov. xi. 13 and xx. 19; xxv. 2, 23. _Cf._ "Whoso discovereth secrets loseth his credit and shall never find friend to his mind" (Eccles. xxvii. 16). [318] Prov. xviii. 8, rep. xxvi. 22. [319] Prov. xvi. 28. [320] Prov. xxvi. 20. [321] Prov. xvii. 9. [322] Prov. xi. 9. [323] Prov. xii. 6. [324] Prov. xv. 28. [325] Prov. xvi. 28. [326] Prov. xxvi. 18, 19. [327] Prov. xviii. 13. [328] Prov. xxix. 20. [329] Prov. xxiii. 9. [330] Prov. x. 19. [331] Prov. xiii. 3, 16. [332] Prov. xiv. 23. [333] Prov. xiv. 33.