A Golden Chain, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of silence.
VVIse and godly silence is as excellent a vertue as holy speech: for hee knoweth not howe to speake which knoweth not howe to hold his tongue. The rule of our silence must be the law of God. By meanes of which, wise consideration must be had, whether the thing which wee hauehave in minde be for Gods glorie, and our neighbours good: which done, we are answerably to speake or to be silent.
Here must be considered the things of which …ilence must be vsed, and the persons before whome. The things are many. First, if any truth be to the hinderance of Gods glorie, or of the good of our neighbour, it must be cōcealed.
The concealing of the truth is either in whole or in part. In whole, when the speaking of the least word is hurtfull:Aug. lib. ad Conser. As for example, the father and the sonne are both sicke at once: the sonne dieth first, the father asketh whether his sonne be dead or not: if it be said no, an vntrueth is tolde: if yea, then the fathers griefe is increased, and his death hastened: therefore silence is the best. In daies of persecution holy Martyrs hauehave chosen rather to suffer death then to reueale their brethren, that hauehave beene of their priuate assemblies with them.
The concealing of a thing in part is, when a man speaketh a little of the trueth, and concealeth the rest. Which is warranted in all good and lawefull proceedings, which manifestly tend to the glory of god. Whē Samuel is sent to annoint Dauid, he answereth the Lord and saith,1. Sam. 16. 1,2,3. Howe can I goe? for if Saul heare of it he will kill me. Then the Lord answered, Take an heyfer with thee & say, I am come to doe sacrifice to the Lord: and call for Ishai to sacrifice, and I will shewe thee what thou shalt doe, and thou shalt annoint vntounto me him whome I shal name vnthee. When Ieremie had shewed king Zedekiah howe he might escape death, then the king said vntounto him,Iere. 38. 24, 25,26. Let no man know of these wordes, &c. but if the princes vnderstand that I hauehave talked with thee, and they come vntounto thee, and say vntounto thee, Declare vntounto vsus what the king hath said vntounto thee, &c. then shalt thou say vntounto them, I humbly besought the king that hee would not cause me to returne to Iehonathans house to die there. And afterward he so answered, and the matter was not perceiued. The like practised by Paul, Acts 23.6.
Secondly thou art to conceale thine owne secrets. Sampson reuealing his owne secret, Iudg. 14. ouerthrew himselfe. If thou desire ease by reuealing, thē tell them but to few, and to such as are faithfull.
That which thou wouldest not hauehave knowne, tell no man: for howe shall another keepe thy counsell, when thou canst not doe it. Keepe thy friends secret likewise, if it be not hurtfull; and let ministers conceale the sinnes & wants that trouble the cōscience of such as are dying. Let magistrats conceale things done in the Senate, especially concerning warre, least they bee reuealed to the enemie.
If God bring any strange thing to passe, speake not boldly of it, but rather in silence wonder. Iob at the consideration of Gods maiesty in his works, saith,Iob. 36. 37. Beholde, I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand vponupon my mouth. Nadab and Abihu for offering incense with strange fire, before the Lord, were both destroyed with fire, which beeing done, Moses told Aaron that god would be sanctified in thē that come nere him, & be glorified before all the people:Leut. 10. 3. and then the text saith, but Aaron held his peace. When Peter had taught the Gentiles, and after returned to Hierusalem, they of the circumcision contended with him: he then rendreth a reason of his fact, which beeing made, they were silent. For so the text is, When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God. Act. 11.18When Gods iudgements befal men among vsus, if we speake any thing we must iudge charitably. Blessed is he that iudgeth wisely of the poore, the Lord shall deliuer him in the day of trouble.Psal. 41.1.
Thirdly, the infirmities and sinnes of our neighbour are alwaies to be concealed, vnlesse it be in the case before named, that we finde our selues called of God to speake.Prou. 17.4. He that couereth a transgression seeketh louelove. If god in mercy couer his sinnes, why shouldst thou reueale them? Salomon saith, It is the glory of a man to passe by an infirmitie.Prou. 19.11.
Fourthly, all vnseemely matters, al things vnknown, things which concerne vsus not, things aboue our reach are in silence to be buried.
The persons before whome silence must bee vsed, are these. I. Malitious enemies of religion:Mat. 7.6. Mat. 27.14. GiueGive not that which is holy vntounto dogs: neither cast your pearles before swine. This was among the rest one cause of the silence of Christ before Caiphas and Pilate. II. Before Magistrates in their open courtes: where such as come before them are not to speake till they be bidden. Then Paul after that the gouernour had beckened vntounto him that he should speake, answered. Act. 24. 10.III. In the presence of our elders and betters, who must hauehave leaue and libertie to speake first, and must of others be heard with silence.Eccl. 32.8. Iob. 32.6. Eccl. 7.5.11. The practise of this was in Elihu to Eliphaz and Bildad. A company of men (as some say) is like to the Alphabet, in which are vowels, halfe vowels, & mutes; vowels are old men, learned, wise, expert: halfe vowels, are young men and women, who are then only to speake when they are asked: mutes, are the same parties, who being not occasioned, are in silence to heare their betters.Tit. 2.9. And here all seruants and childrē must remember when they are iustly reproued, to be silent and not to answer any thing againe. IV. Fooles and pratlers are not to be answered, vnlesse it be to let them see their folly.