A Bridle for the Tongue, Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAP. I. Jam. 1.26. If any man among you ſeem to be Religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this mans Religion is vain.
THe Apoſtle having ſhewed, that every good and perfect gift cometh down from God. ver. 17. and that theſe ſpiritual gifts are conveyed by the preaching of the Word: He cometh in the next place to preſs it as a duty incumbent upon all to wait upon the preaching of the Gofpel, as the means that God hath appointed for the obtaining of Grace. ver. 19. he ſaith, let every one be ſwift to hear: that is to hear what God ſaith unto him in his word; and ſlow to ſpeak; that is, againſt that word that meeteth with the moſt ſecret corruptions of his heart: in ver. 21. he ſheweth the manner how we ſhould come to the Word, preſſing all to come with due preparation thereunto: ſhewing alſo how we ſhould carry our ſelves in hearing, and after hearing, not ſatisfying our ſelves with bare hearing; but to mind an after duty, to receive with meekneſſe the engraffed word; or ſo to receive it, that it may become an engraffed word, and be able to ſave our ſouls; for it is not the bare knowing and receiving the Word into the ear, that will make men happy; but he that is a doer of the work, as well as a hearer of the word, that man ſhall be bleſſed in his deed. ver. 22 26.
Here the Apoſtle ſpeaks againſt ſome that did ſeeme to be Religious, and yet did not take any care to keep their tongues in order, whence we may take notice, that here is,
1. A ſuppoſition, that ſome may ſeem to be Religious, and yet want the truth of Religion in heart, life, and converſation. This ſeeming to be Religious, you may know what he meaneth by it, by the verſes foregoing: they ſeemed to deſire to hear the mind, and to know the will of God,Sometime the word foreign he thinketh or he ſeemeth, is a meer expletive particle without any ſignification. Mar. 10.42. Mat. 20.25. Hoord. in Eph. 4.30. as if they would ſerve him, when their hearts were not brought over to him: the Apoſtle compareth them to thoſe that having beheld their faces in a Glaſs, going away, do ſtraight way forget what manner of men they were, ſhewing the danger of being ſuch formal hearers, and no more: by a ſimilitude, comparing them to men that come into a Barbers ſhop, or ſome other place, where there duplicate page duplicate page hangs up ſome pure Chryſtal-Glaſs, wherein they look and view themſelves, but never mark what is amiſs in them, much leſs take any care to amend it; ſuch be they that come to hear Sermons, where the clear and pure Glaſs of Gods word laies before them the uglineſs of their ſins, and the deformity of their lives, but they have no care to reform and redreſs any thing, and ſo going away as bad as they came, are never the better for coming:Crook's Hypocr. Part. 1. Chap. 15. one calls them Religious, becauſe they make a ſhew of Religion; yet Hypocrites, becauſe this is but a ſhew without the life of Godlineſs.
2. Here is a ſin that many are guilty of, that yet ſeem to be Religious; and that is, the not bridling of the tongue; it is a Metaphor taken from unruly Beaſts, becauſe by putting Bits and Bridles upon them, and into their mouths, we turn them about as we pleaſe: hereby he gives us a hint how diſorderly a creature an unbridled tongue is, when it is not kept in the bounds that God hath ſet for it; The tongue is an unruly evil, that no man can throughly tame. Jam. 3.8. the tongue is the helm or rudder of the whole man; at this Helm ought every Chriſtian carefully to ſit, that he may bridle the whole body: The Holy Profeſſors of the Word, muſt endeavor thereby, not only to reform their actions, but alſo to reform their ſpeeches, and moderate their tongues,Turhull in hunc locum. that they fall not into thoſe vices whereunto the Godleſs tongue is given.
3. You may take notice, that thoſe who have a ſeeming ſhew of Religion, who yet take no care of their tongues, their Religion is but ſeeming, there is no truth nor reality of Religion in them: ſo that he that cometh to the Word, and taketh no care to bridle his tongue, he deceiveth his own heart; that is, ſaith Aquinas, by thinking this ſhall not be counted any great fault:Aquinas ad loc. and this is the greateſt deceit of all other, when men deceive themſelves, or their own hearts deceive them: this is the greateſt danger, becauſe the heart is the greateſt Impoſtor; therefore ſaith Moſes, Deut. 11.16. Take heed leſt your own hearts deceive you.
4. This ſheweth the vanity and emptineſs of ſuch mens Religion; there is no power at all in it, ſuch Religion is vain: the word here tranſlated Religion, is in the Greek foreign ſignifying Worſhip, comprehending both foreign, and foreign, as Pareus Pareus.hath noted: the Latin word is Religio, and the word is uſually rendred in Engliſh, Religion; and whoſoever cleave unto God with a ſincere faith and worſhip, call upon, and ſerve one God lawfully, they are rightly termed Religious, ſaith Bullinger: Bullinger decad. 4. Serm. 5.Now Religion where it is in power, it will bind the tongue to the good behaviour, and the whole man, ſo that nothing be ſpoken or done to the diſhonour of, or as may be unbeſeeming the profeſſion of Religion: One ſaith,Torſhels. Hypocr. that many men have a form, they receive a Mark, but refuſe a deep ſtamp and impreſſion; the Mark is a ſeeming to be Religious; the deep ſtamp is the bridling of the tongue, &c. And he that bridleth not his tongue, that man's Religion is vain, Se alcuno fra voi ſi penſa eſſèx Religioſo, e non r…ffrena la ua lingua, ma dif …iail fuo cuore (i. e. in ganna) la Religion di Costui e vana. Ital. Some will have Religio to be derived a Relinquendo, becauſe we leave falſe Gods, all errors, and earthly deſires, and ſeek after the true God and Heavenly things: But M. Cicero ſuppoſeth that Religio is ſo called a Relegendo, of Selecting, or putting apart; becauſe they that be Religious, do carefully chuſe all things which ſeem to belong to the ſervice of God; but he is confuted by Lactantius. Jnſtit. lib. 4. cap. 28. Jerom and Austin following him, derive Religion a Religando, of tying or binding: Jerome hath this expreſſion. This bundle tyed up with the Religion of the Lord which is one. Hieron. Comment. in Amos. 9.whatſoever ſhews of Religion he maketh: That is vain. 1. That is to no end; that is to no end that bringeth no profit with it. Pſal. 127. 1. Rom. 6.21. 2. That which deceiveth a mans hope and expectation, that bringeth forth a Lye, 1 Cor. 3.20. Pſal. 62.10. ſuch is the Religion of ſuch a man, it is both unprofitable, and that which doth deceive his expectation.
CHAP. II. A point of inſtruction raiſed.
FRom the words thus opened, we may gather this point of doctrine.
Doct. THat when men make a ſeeming ſhew of Religion in the outward performance of the duties of Gods Worſhip and Service, and in the mean time take no care to keep their tongues within the bounds that God in his word hath ſet down: thoſe ſeeming ſhews of Religion are vain; that mans Religion is vain, there is nothing of Religion in ſuch a man. God ſets this down as one note, how a perſon truly gracious may be known, viz. that he labours to keep his tongue in due order; the queſtion is put, Pſal. 15. Who is the Citizen of Heaven, or who is he that is truly Gracious? and he anſwereth ver. 2, 3. He that ſpeaketh the truth from his heart, he that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor is apt to believe ſuch reports as are raiſed againſt his neighbour: and Pſal. 34.12, 13. he giveth the command, keep thy Tongue from evil, and thy lips from ſpeaking guile: and backs it with a promiſe of life, that is eternal life: the regulating the tongue is ſet down as a rule for his practice, that would enjoy God hereafter: and the Pſalmiſt ſaith, Pſal 39.1. he would keep his tongue as with a bridle, or put a muzzle upon his mouth,Chaſam, obturare, claudere, obſtruere, dicitur que de o…e ac naribus inſtrumentum quod in ore jumenti ponitu…, ne comedat vel mordeat. Lorine, in Pſal. 39.1. Si inter arbores viteſque aretur, fiſcelis bestias capiſtrari, ne germinum tenera praecipant. Plin. nat. Hiſt. lib. 18. Ambroſ. Serm. 2. in Pſal. 108. that he might not offend with his tongue, nor do any thing that might unbeſeem Religion; this courſe he took, and becauſe he found it an hard matter for himſelf to accompliſh, he goes to God, beſeeching him to do it for him. Set a watch O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips. Pſal. 141.3. This he did, ſaith Ambroſe, Quia fortaſſe aliquando aliquid locutus erat incautius: becauſe perhaps he had ſpoken ſomething ſomewhat unwarily; and this is the whole ſeries of his reſolution. Pſal. 101. that as he will not allow this ſin in himſelf, ſo he will not ſuffer it in any about him. ver. 5, 7. This David reſolveth to do as a Magiſtrate, and in his own houſe. God under the Law took order, that if a falſe witneſs did riſe up againſt any man to teſtifie againſt him that which is wrong; then both the men, between whom the controverſie was, ſhould ſtand before the Lord, before the Prieſts and the Iudges which ſhould be in thoſe daies, and the Judges ſhould make diligent enquiry; and if the witneſs hath teſtified falſly againſt his brother, then ſhould they do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother, that the evil might be put away from among them. Deut. 19.17, 18, 19, 20. Conſider likewiſe, what Solomon gives in charge, Prov. 4.23, 24. Firſt he begins with the heart, the root of all: keep thy heart above all keeping, then he cometh to the Tongue: put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverſe lips put farre from thee: and God himſelfe by his ſpirit gives ſingular teſtimony of Job, both in the firſt and ſecond chapters of Job, Job 1.22. Job. 2.10.that he did not yet ſin with his lips: it is an hard matter to keep the tongue in order in great calamities; yet Job in all that miſery did not ſin with his tongue, he charged not God fooliſhly.