il.

Besides, keep your lips, he says, that they do not deceive. There are
probably many who give good words, and say _good morning_ to their
neighbor, but they think in their heart, The devil take you. These
are people who have not inherited the blessing; they are the evil
fruit of an evil tree. Therefore St. Peter has introduced a passage
which refers to works, even to their root,--that is, what springs
from within out of the heart.[5] Furthermore, the passage in the
prophet says:

[Footnote 5: "A guileful heart makes guileful tongue and lips. It is
the workhouse where is the forge of deceits and slanders, and other
evil speakings; and the tongue is only the outer shop where they are
vended, and the lips the door of it. So then such ware as is made
within, such and no other can be set out. That which the heart is
full of, runs over by the tongue."--_Leighton_.]

V. 11. _Let him turn away from evil and do good, let him seek peace
and pursue after it, for the eyes of the Lord behold the righteous._
The world considers this as satisfaction when one man does injustice
to another, that his head should be cut off. But this brings one none
the nearer to peace. For no king, even, ever attained to be in peace
before his enemies. The Roman empire was so powerful that it struck
down all that set itself against it; still for all this it could not
be preserved. Therefore this method is of no avail toward reaching
peace, for though a man should prostrate and silence his foe, ten and
twenty rise up again after it, till at length he is compelled to
yield. But he who seeks after the true peace, and moreover would find
it, let him restrain his tongue; let him turn away from evil and do
good: this is a course different from that which the world pursues.
To turn from evil and to do good is, that when a man hears evil
words, he be able to overlook the wickedness and injustice. Seek thus
after peace, so shall you find it; when your enemy has wasted his
breath and done all that he can, if you hear him, but rail and rant
not back, he must subdue himself by his own violence. For thus Christ
also on the cross subdued his enemies, not by the sword or by
violence. Therefore is it a saying, which should be written with
gold, where it says, "Striking back again makes hatred, and whoever
strikes back again is unjust." Thence it must follow that not to
strike back again makes peace. But how can this be? Is it then a
thing not human? Certainly