My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Ver. 18. Let us not love in word] Words are light and cheap; and there is a great deal of mouth mercy abroad. Julian the Apostate is not presently a friend to Basil, though he write unto him, φιλος φιλω, και αδελφος αδελφω, Thou art my friend and beloved brother. The Roman legions loved Otho the emperor, saith Dio the historian, and gave him all respect, ουκ απο της γλωττης, αλλα και απο της ψυχης, not from the teeth outward but from the heart root. See Trapp on " Jam 2:14 " See Trapp on " Jam 2:15 " See Trapp on " Jam 2:16 "