A Bridle for the Tongue, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Sheweth in divers particulars, how much men fail in this point.
THis then may inform us, how great a number of men there are, whoſe ſeeming ſhews of Religion will be found to be but vain, becauſe of their unbridled tongues: conſider how common this ſin is, and how many that profeſs themſelves Chriſtians, are guilty of theſe ſinnes in an high degree; and let us hence ſee what great cauſe we have to lament the great decay of Religion with the Prophet, Pſal. 12.1, 2. Help Lord, for the Godly man ceaſeth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men: and he proveth it is by this; They ſpeak vanity every one with his Neighbour; with flattering lips, and with a double heart do they ſpeak: and mark how general it is: every one ſpeaks vanity to his Neighbour: and if this be ſo had joyned with a ſeeming ſhew of Religion, what is open prophaneſs? The Prophet Jeremiah complaineth alſo, wiſhing his eyes were a fountain of tears, that he might weep day and night for his people, and bewaile the miſery that is coming upon them, and all becauſe of this ſin: they bend their tongues like their bowe for lyes. Jer. 9.3. they will not ſpeak truth, they have taught their tongues to ſpeak lyes ver. 5. their tongue is as an arrow ſhot out, it ſpeaketh deceit; one ſpeaketh peaceably to his neighbour, but in his heart he lieth in wait. ver. 8. ſhall I not viſit for theſe things, ſaith the Lord? So St. Paul, Rom. 3. when he inſiſteth upon the general corruption of nature, he quickly paſſeth it over, but he ſpends two verſes, viz. the 13 and 14. upon the ſins of the tongue; ſpeaking of wicked men, he ſaith, their throat is an open Sepulcher, with their tongues ther have uſed decit, the poiſon of Aſps is under their lips, whoſe mouth is full of curſing and bitterneſs: The Aſp doth morſu inficere, ſaith Grynaeus.the poyſon of Aſps is under the tongues of ſuch perſons:Aſpidum ictui vel rarum vel nullum remedium invenitur. Aelian. nat. hiſt. Compertum eſt ictu laeſos hujuſmodi vix horis quatuor ſuperfu iſſe. Pierii Hierogl. lib. 14. Puncto acus ſimile. Plin. Actuari de medic. compoſit. Gloſs. Interlinear. in Rom 3. now Naturaliſts obſerve of the Aſp that it poiſoneth a man ſecretly, with a kind of delight, and it is ſuch a poiſon as is incurable, killing a man in four hours; very fitly repreſenting the poiſon of the tongue; for ſuch a one woundeth his brother in ſecret, and he knoweth not who hurteth him; and he hardly admits of cure again: We have great cauſe to bewail the commonneſſe of this ſin in theſe Goſpel-times; a ſin ſo rife, even among thoſe that ſeem to be Religious, that we may lay it to heart, and beware thereof; and ſo much the rather, becauſe the ſins of the tongue are a ſpecial cauſe of procuring miſery upon a Land, and People. Conſider therefore
1. That when men come to the publike worſhip of God, to hear the word of God, &c. and yet take no care of their tongues, God eſteems them more like unto poiſonous creatures, then to men that have his Image upon them; more like to Aſps or venemous ſerpents then men: of ſuch the Prophet ſpeaketh, ſaying, They have ſharpned their tongues like a ſerpent. Pſal. 140.3. and his caſe when he was among them, was as bad as Daniels in the Lions Den: My ſoul, ſaith he, is among Lions, and I lie even among them that are ſet on fire; even the ſons of men, whoſe teeth are ſpears and arrows, and their tongue a ſharp ſword. Pſal. 57.4. and the Lord tells the Prophet Ezekiel, that briars and thorns were with him, ſuch as ſcratch and tear all that come near them; ond that he dwelt among Scorpions, the moſt poiſonful of all other creatures. Ezek. 2.6.
2. The Lord compareth men of evil tongues to all kind of deadly inſtruments; to a maul, to a ſword, to a ſharp arrow. Prov. 25.18. the one is ſufficient to knock a man on the head, the other to run thorow his body, and the other to pierce him to the heart; to ſigniſie to us, that while a man may goe about to avoid one, he may yet be in danger of being hurt by another before he is aware of it.
3. By theſe ſins of the tongue, men break no leſs then three commands of God at once. 1. The ſixth Commandement, Thou ſhalt do no Murder; men are apt to think if they lay not violent hands upon their neighbour, it is nothing: but our Saviour, Mat. 5.21, 22. ſets down three ſins as breaches of this command.Sunt Homicidae interfectores, fratrum, & ſunt Homicidae detractores eorum. Clem. Alex. Epiſt. 1. 1. cauſeleſs and unadviſed anger, though it break not out into words. 2. raſh and inconſiderate words. 3. railing and reviling ſpeeches; and theſe ſhall be in danger of Hell-fire: and how many poor ſouls have run this hazard, and yet never conſidered it! and beſides this, I ſhall add further, there is yet a fourfold murder of the tongue.
1. By commanding any to be unjuſtly ſlain and executed, as Saul commanded Doeg to fall upon the Prieſts of the Lord, who ſlew fourſcore and five perſons. 1 Sam. 22.17, 18. Thus David contrived the death of Uriah, and commanded Joab to ſet him in the front of the battle againſt the children of Ammon, where he was ſlain. 2 Sam. 11.15. thus Abſalon gave charge to his ſervants to kill Amnon. 2 Sam. 13.28. and Ahab and Jezebel to the Nobles and Elders of the City to put Naboth to death. 1 Kings. 21.10.
2. By giving counſel to any to procure the death of any one: thus Herodias taught her daughter to aſke the head of John Baptiſt in a Charger of Herod. Mar. 6.24.
3. By giving ill language, and reviling words, whereupon a fray is occaſioned, and murder enſueth.
4. By bearing falſe witneſs againſt any one, in caſe of life.
2. By the ſins of the tongue men break the eighth Commandement, which is, Thou ſhalt not ſteal. Though many men rob not their Neighbors of their Goods, yet of their good names; and this is a ſin of an higher nature than ſtealing their Goods; for the loſs of Goods may be valued, but the loſs of a mans good name cannot: a good name is better then precious ointment, Eccleſ. 7.1. Coſt y ointments are reckoned among the treaſures and happineſs of Princes; and he that robs a man of that, robs him of his choiceſt Jewels; the death thereof is an en evil death; the grave were better then it, ſaith the ſon of Syrach. Eccleſ. 28.21.
3. There is a plain breach of the ninth Commandement, Thou ſhalt not bear falſe witneſs againſt thy neighbour. Now a falſe witneſs ſins, 1. Directly againſt God, robbing him of his honou…, by ſpeaking an untruth, breaking his Law that forbids it. 2. He doth injury to the Judge whom he deceiveth by lying.Teſtis falſidicus tribus perſonis eſt obno…iu…, fa… Deo quem perſu…ando cante …, Judic: quem mentiendo follit, Inno enti quem falſo teſtimonio prodit. Iſidor. de ſum boni. lib. 3. cap. 59. 3. To an Innocent whom he betrayeth by bearing a falſe Teſtimony.
4. Theſe ſins of the tongue, are of ſuch a nature, that without Grace to repen… of them, and forſake them, they will exclude a man out of Heaven; the Apoſtle mentioneth a Reviler to be one that ſhall be ſhut out of Heaven. 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. and chap. 5. he ſaith that private familiarity with ſuch muſt be caſt off; and that men may ſee the danger of it, David propoſeth the queſt on, What ſhall be given unto thee, or what ſhall be done unto thee thou falſe tongue? and himſelf maketh anſwer by the ſpirit of God: Sharp arrows of the mighty, w th coals of Juniper. Pſal. 120.3, 4. that as they ſhoot at God, and his people, ſo God ſhall ſhoot at them; he ſhall give them coals of Juniper, becauſe it is obſerved to be the moſt hot and laſting fire; this ſhall be their puniſhment: expoſitors think this war ſpoken of Doeg, when David was at Nob, he was there under a pretence of worſhiping the Lord, for it was the Sabbath day, and Doeg would ſeem Religious; but as ſoon as he is gone to Saul, ſee what becometh of his ſeeming ſhew of Religion; he reporteth the matter concerning David and Ahimelech unto another end then they did intend it; wreſting their words to make Saul think there was a plot againſt him, when they intended no ſuch thing: And though for the matter it was the truth he did relate, as we may ſee in the ſtory: yet for this it is that the ſpirit of God calls him a falſe tongue. See his ſin and his doom. Pſal. 52. his ſin, ver. 1, 2, 3, 4. he boaſted himſelf in miſchief, his tongue deviſed miſchief, like a ſharp razor, working deceitfully, loving lying rather than to ſpeak Righteouſneſſe: Thou lov'ſt all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue: See his doom. ver. 5. God ſhall likewiſe deſtroy thee for ever: He ſhall take take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the Land of the living: and this ſhall be his Epitaph. ver. 7. Lo, this is the man that made not God his ſtrength, &c. but ſtrengthned himſelf in his wickedneſs.
Theſe things being ſo, what reaſon then have we to be the more careful to avoid theſe ſins! there being more ſins in a diſorderly tongue, then men are aware of; for even thoſe that take ſome care of othe ſins, yet fail much herein: there needs a great deal of grace to keep the tongue within compaſs; much power may be gotten over other ſins, when yet we may not ſeriouſly think of this: but let us carefully take heed hereof; for as far as this remains in any man, and is not watcht againſt, and pray'd againſt, and a man brought to be humbled under the ſight of it; ſo much vanity and emptineſs is in the Religion o… that man; his Religion is but an outward appearance; there's little trut… of Religion in ſuch a mans heart.