A Bridle for the Tongue, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Rules laid down for the better ordering the Tongue.
LEt us now look to it, that Rule 1 our ſpeech be not only not ſinful, but that it be good; he that forbids lying, requireth truth to be ſpoken: The mouth of the righteous ſpeaketh wiſdom, and his tongue talketh of judgement; the law of Go… is in his heart, none of his ſteps ſhall ſlide, Pſal. 37.30, 31. Where the law God is in the heart, and the love of it in the ſoul, it will be known by Gracious ſpeeches: The wiſe man gives this as a mark of one truly good, The lips of the wiſe diſperſe knowledge, but the heart of the fooliſh doth not ſo. Prov. 15.7. The Metaphor is taken from ſeeds▪ men that ſcatter and diſperſe their ſeed, that ſo it may come up and bring forth fruit: So a wiſeman ſoweth inſtruction that it may do good: the heart of the fooliſh is oppoſite to it, to ſhew that it is the Forge of all evil whatſoever; therefore there is no good in the mouth of ſuch a man: When St. Paul forbids corrupt communication to proceed out of our mouths, he enjoyneth that what we ſpeak be good to the uſe of edifying, that it may Miniſter grace unto the hearers. Eph. 4.29. that thereby we may do good not only to our ſelves, but alſo to others: and Coloſ. 4.5, 6. he requireth us to walk in wiſdom to them that are without, and to let out ſpeech be alwayes with grace, ſeaſoned or poudered with ſalt; ſo to carry our ſelves in our ſpeeches to others, that we may win them to Holineſs; this is to walk wiſely to them that are without; for if the tongues of thoſe that profeſs Religion are as looſe and bad as others, this will make them take offence at our profeſsion; let us then ſhew our ſelves to be of another ſpirit; and if we would rule our tongues aright, according to Gods word, let our ſpeeches be ſuch as are for the matter good, and ſuitable to the will and mind of God revealed in his word; this is the ground why the mouth of the righteous ſpeaketh wiſdom, becauſe the law of God is in his heart, and he brideleth himſelf in whatſoever is forbidden in the word of God.
Rule 2 The matter that we ſpeak muſt be to the edifying of our ſelves and others; there is an edifying in ſin, and ſo men make on another more like the devil; but it is not this that is meant, but an edifying one another in grace in our moſt holy faith, and in the wayes of God: We muſt pleaſe our neighbour for his good to edification. Rom. 15.2. as in direction, counſel, exhortation to that which is good: Let us conſider one another to provoke to love and to good works. Heb. 10.24. not forſaking the aſſembling of our ſelves together, &c. but exhorting one another. Conſider what was ſpoken of the dayes of the Gospel, Zech. 8.21. The Inhabitants of one City ſhall go to another, ſaying, Let us go ſpeedily to pray before the Lord & to ſeek the Lord of hoſts; I will go alſo. Here is not one inviting another to a Stage-play, to a Stewes, to the Ale-bench, but to the congregation of the Lords people, to the houſe of God; and this doth every man by his own example; for ſaith he, I will go alſo. Now if we live in ſuch times where Religion is ſpoken againſt, & men think it vain to ſerve the Lord, yet then ſhould we be careful of giving men counſel, and exhorting men to theſe dutyes. Malach. 3.13. We may obſerve that thoſe that are apt to let looſe their tongues to ſpeak againſt God, yet are loth to be known to be ſuch, or to be accounted ſo; when God laies it to their charge, your words have been ſtout againſt me, yet they ſay, what have we ſpoken ſo much againſt thee? they are no ſuch men, not ſo ill-bred as to ſpeak againſt God; but in ſuch a time as this, you may ſee what were the words of thoſe that feared the Lord; when others take all occaſions to ſpeak againſt him, theſe men take all opportunities to ſpeak for God and his wayes; while others deſire to have others as bad as themſelves, theſe ſpeak often one to another, labouring to bring ſouls home to God; and theſe ſhall be mine, ſaith the Lord, in the day when I make up my Jewels. ver. 17.
Rule 3 We muſt be ready to declare to our friends and neighbours, our experiences of the ſweetneſs, comfort and benefit we have had in the wayes of God: Thus do Gods people; Philip when he had found Chriſt, he findeth Nathaniel, and tells him of the Meſsiah; and the woman of Samaria when ſhe had ſome ſmall hints of Chriſt, ſhe runs into the City, and calleth for the men of the City. Job 4. So Peter being converted from his ſin of denying his Maſter, he muſt ſtrengthen his brethren, that is, he muſt ſhew how willing the Lord Chriſt is to receive thoſe repenting ſinners that do return unto him; and St. Paul had comforts for this very end, that he might comfort others that were in trouble, wherewith he himſelf was comforted of God. 2 Cor. 1.4. So David. Pſal. 66.16. Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my ſoul.
Let your words be weighty and Rule 4 ſerious, not vain, frothy, and empty words. Paul ſpake wiſdom among ſuch as were perfect,The Apoſtles were, enriched with the gift of Tongues in the day of Pentecoſt, not only for variety of languages, but for elegancy of ſpeech, by which they were enabled foreign to ſpeak Apothegms, Act. 2.4. which comprehend much in a little: they ſpake as the ſpirit gave them utterance. yet not the wiſdom of this world; it was the words of wiſdom, not the wiſdom of words. 1 Cor. 2.7. The mouth of the wiſe bringeth forth wiſdom, the heart of the wiſe teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning io his lips. Prov. 16.23. As he ſeeth what meat goeth into his mouth before he eateth it, ſo he pondereth the matter of his words before he ſpeaketh: Now let us ſee how ſhort the moſt of thoſe that would be accounted Chriſtians do come of this duty; the abundance of idle diſcourſe that cometh from them, and nothing that is good to the doing good, either to their own ſouls, or to the ſouls of others, plainly ſheweth: Let them conſider what God requireth from Parents and Maſters of Families. Deut. 6.6, 7. And theſe words which I command thee this day ſhall be in thine heart, and thou ſhalt teach them diligently to thy children, and ſhalt talk of them when thou ſitteſt in thy houſe, and when thou walkeſt by the way, when thou lyeſt down, and when thou riſeſt up: If the words of God were more in mens hearts, then would they ſh…w themſelves more in mens tongues; their words would be more gracious and tend more to do good then they do; therefore God commandeth that his words be laid up in our hearts; that which we have learnt out of Gods word we ſhould often ſpeak of, that ſo it may do good to our ſelves and others; and if you talk more of God and his word, and labour not after the advancement of Religion more in your familyes, and take no more care of your children and ſervants to inſtruct them for the good of their ſouls, your caſe will be ſo much the more ſ…d after all theſe warnings. Alas! many men take no more care of their children and ſervants then of their beaſts, putting no difference between them and brute creatures: Oh let us not live as beaſts only minding our bodies; we take care that our beaſts have Meat and Water, Straw and Provender; and if we have no care of the ſon's of our children, we take no more care of them then we do of our beaſts: God requireth this duty ſhould always be done by us; not one day ſhould paſs without ſome ſavory diſcourſe of Heaven, among thoſe with whom you have moſt to do: Men of the ſame Countrey meeting in a ſtrange Land, are glad to ſit and talk of their Countrey; and ſhall Chriſtians be aſhamed or loth to talk of their Countrey? if Heaven be our Countrey, let us ſhew it by our diſcourſing of it: Our Saviour when he was upon earth took all occaſions to do good to the ſouls of men and women before his death; when the woman of Samaria cometh to Jacob's Well for water, he teacheth her, that living water was to be had in Himſelf; and when others come to him for bread, he ſheweth them that He is the bread of Life; and after his paſſion, he ſpake unto thoſe to whom he ſhewed himſelf alive, of the things appertaining to the Kingdom of God. Act. 1.3.