The Government of the Tongue, Imprimatur – Table of contents
Imprimatur,
RAD. BATHVRST. Vice-Cancel. Oxon. Januarii 24. 1675.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE TONGVE
THE Government OF THE TONGUE. By the Author of THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, &c.
Death and Life are in the power of the Tongue, Prov. 18. 21.
The fifth Impression.
At the THEATER in OXFORD. M. DC. LXVII.
THE PREFACE
THE Government of the Tongue has ever bin justly reputed one of the most important parts of human Regiment. The Philosopher and the Divine equally attest this; and Solomon (who was both) gives his suffrage also; the perswasions to, and encomiums of it taking up a considerable part of his Book of Proverbs. I shall not therefore need to say any thing, to justifie my choice of this subject, which has so much better authorities to commend it: I rather wish that it had not the super addition of an accidental fitness grounded upon the universal neglect of it, it now seeming to be an art wholly out-dated. For tho some lineaments of it may be met with in Books, yet there is scarce any footsteps of it in practice, where alone it can be significant. The attemt therefore of reviving it I am sure is seasonable, I wish it were half as easy.
2. Indeed that skill was never very easy, it requiring the greatest vigilance and caution, and therefore not to be attain'd by loose trifling spirits. The Tongue is so slippery, that it easy deceives a drousy or heedless guard. Nature seems to have given it some unhappy advantage towards that. 'Tis in its frame the most ready for motion of any member, needs not so much as the flexure of a joint, and by access of humors acquires a glibness too, the more to facilitate its moving. And alas, we too much find the effect of this its easie frame: it often goes without giving us warning; and as children, when they happen upon a rolling Engine, can set it in such a carriere, as wiser people cannot on a sudden stop; so the childish parts of us, our passions, our fancies, all our mere animal faculties, can thrust our Tongues into such disorders, as our reason cannot easily rectify. The due managery therefore of this unruly member, may rightly be esteemed one of the greatest mysteries of Wisdom and Vertue. This is intimated by St. James, if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body, Ja. 3.2. 'Tis storied of Bembo a primitive Christian, that coming to a friend to teach him a Psalm, he began to him the thirty ninth, I said I will look to my waies, that I offend not with my Tongue; upon hearing of which first verse, he stopt his Tutor, saying, This is enough for me if I learn it as I ought; and being after six months rebuk'd for not coming again, he replied, that he had not yet learn'd his first Lesson: nay, after nineteen years he profest, that in that time he had scarce learn'd to fulfill that one line. I give not this instance to discourage, but rather to quicken men to the study, for a lesson that requires so much time to learn, had need be early begun with.
3. But especially in this age, wherein the contrary liberty has got such a prepossession, that men look on it as a part of their birth-right, nay do not only let their Tongues loose, but studiously suggest inordinaces to them, and use the spur where they should the bridle. By this means conversation is so generally corrupted, that many have had cause to wish they had not been made sociable creatures. A man secluded from company can have but the Devil and himself to temt him; but he that converses, has almost as many snares as he has companions. Men barter vices, and as if each had not enough of his own growth, transplant out of his neighbors soil, and that which was intended to cultivate and civilize the world, has turned it into a wild desert and wilderness.
4. This face of things, I confess, looks not very promising to one who is to solicite a reformation. But what ever the hopes are, I am sure the needs are great enough to justify the attemt. For as the Disease is Epidemic, so it is mortal also, utterly inconsistent with that pure Religion, which leads to life. We may take St. James's word for it, If any man seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, that mans religion is vain, James 1.26. God knows we have not much Religion among us: 'tis great pity we should frustrate the little we have, render that utterly insignificant, which at the best amounts to so little. Let therefore the difficulty and necessity of the task, prevail with us to take time before us, not to defer this so necessary a work till the Night come; or imagine that the Tongue will be able to expiate its whole age of guilt by a feeble Lord have mercy on me at the last. Tho indeed if that were supposable, 'twere but a broken reed to trust to, none knowing whether he shall have time or grace for that. He may be surpriz'd with an Oath, a Blasphemy, a Detraction in his mouth: many have bin so. 'Tis sure there must be a dying moment; and how can any man secure himself, it shall not be the same with that in which he utters those, and his expiring breath be so emploied? Sure they cannot think that those incantations (tho hellish enough) can make them shot-free, render them invulnerable to deaths darts; and if they have not that, or some other as ridiculous reserves, 'tis strange what should make them run such a mad adventure.
5. But I expect it should be objected, that this little despicable Tract is not proportionable to the encounter to which it is brought, that besides that unskilful managing of those points it do's touch, it wholly omits many proper to the subject, there being faults of the Tongue which it passes in silence. I confess there is color enough for this objection, but I believe if it were put to votes, more would resolve I had said too much, rather then too little. Should I have enlarged to the utmost compass of this Theme, I should have made the volume of so affrighting a bulk, that few would have attemted it; and by saying much, I should have said nothing at all to those who most need it. Mens stomacs are generally so queasie in these cases, that 'tis not safe to over-load them. Let them try how they can digest this; if they can so as to turn it into kindly nurishment, they will be able to supply themselves with the remainder. For I think I may with some confidence affirm, that he that can confine his Tongue within the limits here prescrib'd, may without much difficulty restrain its other excursions. All I shall beg of the Reader, is but to come with sincere intentions, and then perhaps these few Stones and Sling used in the name, and with invocation of the Lord of hosts, may countervail the massive armor of the uncircumcised Philistin. And may that God, who loves to magnifie his power in weakness, give it the like success.
THE CONTENTS.
Sect. 1. Of the Use of Speech. p. 1.
Sect. 2. Of the manifold abuse of Speech. 7
Sect. 3. Of Atheistical Discourse. 12
Sect. 4. Of Detraction, 39
Sect. 5. Of Lying Defamation. 49
Sect. 6. Of Vncharitable Truth. 62
Sect. 7. Of Scoffing and Derision. 133
Sect. 8. Of Flattery. 134
Sect. 9. Of Boasting. 155
Sect. 10. Of Querulousness. 174
Sect. 11. Of Positiveness. 188
Sect. 12. Of Obscene Talk. 204
The Close. 206