Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 2 · Commandment 9 · Exercitation 11
EXERCITAT. XI. How a man ſhould rule his tongue, in ſpeaking of himſelfe or his neighbour. Commandement IX:
Pſal. 39.1. I ſaid I will take heed to my wayes that I ſinne not with my tongue.
FOr the obſerving of this commandement; Firſt, we muſt know both how to ſpeake of our ſelves, and of others; Secondly, when to hold our peace and not to diſcover other mens ſecrets.
Concerning the firſt, it is a good rule which the Schoole-men ſet downe concerning the judging of our neighbour, and it is this; Vt bona ejus certa, meliora; certa mala, minora; dubia bona, certa; dubia mala, nulla judicemus.
This rule may bee cleared after this manner in theſe foure; Firſt, there is God; Secondly, the child of God; Thirdly, the devill; and laſtly, the wicked: And looke how theſe foure behave themſelves concerning the offences of the children of God, and then ſee how the child of God behaveth himſelfe about his owne offences, and this will cleare this rule.
Firſt, for God;Certa bona meliora aflimat Deus. thoſe good things which hee ſeeth in his children, hee never extenuateth them but inlargeth them. Example, Iob. 1.8. Haſt thou not conſidered my ſervant Iob, how that there is not the like of him in all the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and eſcheweth evill; but when hee commeth to ſpeake of their ſinnes after they were pardoned;Certa mala minora. ſee how ſparingly he ſpeaketh of them. Example, David was a man according to Gods owne heart, and turned not aſide from any thing that he commanded him all his dayes, ſave onelyonly in the matter of Vrijah the Hittite. 1. King. 15.7. hee ſpeaketh neither here directly of his adultery nor of his murther.
Certa bona majora facit.Then come to the child of God, when he ſpeaketh of other mens vertues he enlargeth them. Example. Luc. 7. the elders of the Iewes that came to Chriſt; ſ…e how they lay out the vertues of the Centurion, He is worthy for whom thou ſhouldſt do this, for he loveth our nation and hath built us a Synagogue; but when the child of God looketh upon other mens ſinnes, hee either paſſeth them by or ſpeaketh but ſparingly of them.Certa mala minora facit. 2. Sam. 1.23. David paſſed by the faults that were in Saul, and prayſed his vertues, but this is eſpecially to bee obſerved when they are dead.
Bona dubia in melius.Thirdly, if the good that is in his neighbour bee doubtfull then he interpreteth it to the beſt ſenſe; when Chriſt ſaid to Iudas, that which thou doeſt doe quickly; the Diſciples expounded this to the beſt ſenſe, thinking that he had bidden him buy ſomething for the feaſt.
Dubia mala nulla admittit.Laſtly, thoſe evils which ſeeme doubtfull, hee turneth them to nothing. Prov. 25.23. As the North wind driveth away the clouds, ſo doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
Now let us ſee how the devill behaveth himſelfe in theſe things, when hee ſpeaketh of the good which is in the children of God he doth extenuate it;Certae bona minora facit diabolus. Doth Iob ſerve thee for nothing, haſt thou not made an hedge about him; and about his houſe, and about all that he hath on every ſide. Iob. 1.9. as if hee ſhould ſay, Iob is but a mercenary, and ſerveth thee for himſelfe, and for thoſe things which thou giveſt him.
Certa mala majora facit.But when hee ſpeaketh of their ſinnes, ſee how this accuſer doth exaggerate their faults; we ſee the example of this in Ioſhua the high-prieſt. Zach. 3.1. he objected to the Lord, how Ioſhua ſtood before him in ſoiled and torne garments, as if hee ſhould ſay, is this a good high-prieſt to ſerve thee? but the Lord ſaid unto him, increpat te Iehova, hee is but titio, or a firebrand newly drawne out of the fire, and therefore no marvell that hee is not better dreſſed.
Thirdly,Certa dubia facit. he maketh things which are certaine to bee doubtfull; the Lord ſaid, That day that thou eateſt of the forbidden tree, thou ſhalt certainely die: but the devill turneth this in a doubtfull ſpeech, non moriendo morieris, it may be ye die, and it may be ye die not.
Laſtly, he maketh things that are true to be falſe,Vera facit falſa. when the Lord commanded the young Prophet that he ſhould not eate bread at Bethel, yet the devill falſified this commiſſion in the mouth of the old Prophet, and ſaid, that he had a warrant that he might eat bread at Bethel.
Fourthly,Bona ſua majora facit impius. let us ſee how the wicked behave themſelves here; they are full of their owne praiſes, the Phariſee ſaid, I faſt twice in the weeke, and I give my tithes: but when he ſpeaketh of his owne ſinnes, he extenuateth them and maketh them nothing; I am not an extortioner, &c. Luc. 18. Iudas ſaid, is it I maſter? Ioh. 13.Mala ſua minora facit. and the whore wiped her mouth and ſaid, ſhe did it not. Prov. 30.
Againe ſee how they behave themſelves towards the children of God;Certa bona dubia facit. when the Phariſee ſaw the Publican ſtanding a farre off, caſting downe his eyes, knocking on his breaſt; yet how uncharitably doth he judge of him?
Laſtly, come to the child of God;Bona ſua minora facit. and ſee how hee judgeth of himſelfe; when the child of God ſpeaketh of his owne goodneſſe, he extenuateth it. 1. Cor. 15. I am the leaſt of all the Apoſtles, and as one borne out of time. So Prov. 30.2. Surely I am more brutiſh than any man, and the knowledge of man is not in me; Paul ſaith of himſelfe, I was a blaſphemer, and perſecuted the Church; & ſo Gideon ſaid, My familie is [attenuate or] poore in Manaſſeh, and I am the leaſt of my fathers houſe. Iudg. 6.15.
The ſecond thing is to put a bridle to the tongue and not to diſcloſe the ſecrets of others; to moderate our ſpeeches, and to ſpeake little. Eccleſ. 5.1. Pſal. 141.3. Keepe the dore of my lippes. Qui divaricat labia ſua. Prov. 16.30. A metaphor from a whore, a man ſhould not have a whoriſh mouth,foreign. the tongue ſhould be reſtrained with a bit or bridle; a man ſhould not bee a man of lips, that is, of much talke, vir labiorum; Iob. 11.2. or foreign, a fooliſh ſpeaker; but moſt of all he muſt put a bridle to his tongue, and keepe it from foreign, that his tongue walke not through the earth, as David ſaith. Pſal. 70.9.foreign. the mouthes of ſuch muſt be ſtopped, foreign. Tit. 1.11. and put to ſilence. 1. Pet. 2.15.
Secondly, the tongue is to be bridled that it diſcloſe not other mens ſecrets which ſhould not bee revealed. Prov. 11.3. The Iewes uſed to write upon the back of the letters,foreign nun, cheth, ſhin, which ſignified niddui hherem, and ſhammatha, which were the three ſorts of excommunication amongſt them; and thereby they ſignifie that he who openeth letters or revealed ſecrets concredited to him, deſerveth theſe three ſorts of excommunication. When Alexander the great was reading a letter, Epheſtion lookt upon the letter, but Alexander tooke his ſignet and ſet upon his lips, teaching him that hee ſhould keepe it as ſecret as if it were a ſealed letter. If the fault bee criminall which thou knoweſt of another, thou art bound to reveale it; if it be judicially enquired, thou art bound to reveale it; if the fa…t be intended and not acted concerning the State, thou art bound to diſcloſe it.
Concluſion.The concluſion of this is: The tongue is an unruly evill. Iam. 3.…. and therefore had need to be well lookt unto; For death and life are in the power of the tongue. Prov. 18.21.