SERMON IV.

The good and evil tongue.

[From Bishop TAYLOR'S Sermons.]

EPHES. IV. 29.

i

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth; but that which is good to the ufe of edifying, that it may minifter grace unto the bearers.

HE that had an ill memory, did wifely comfort himself, by reckoning the advantages he had by his forgetfulness. For by this means, he was fecured against malice, and ambition; for his anger went off with the short notice and observation of the injury ; And he faw himself unfit for the bufineffes of other men, and for managing the cares and intrigues that vex the hearts of mankind. He also remembred this, that his pleasures in reading books were more frequent, while he remembred but little of yesterday's study, and to morrow the book is new, and

with its novelties gives him fresh entertainment, while the retaining brain lays the book afide, and is full already. Every book is new to an ill memory, and one long book is a library, and its parts return fresh as the morning, which becomes a new day, tho' by the revolution of the fame fun. Befides these, it brought him to tell truth for fear of fhame, and in mere neceffity made his speech little and his difcourfings fhort; because the ftorehouse of his memory was foon exhaufted, and the fountain of his knowledge grew quickly dry, and left running thro' forgetfulness.

He that is not eloquent and fair spoken, hath fome of these comforts to plead, in excufe of his ill fortune, or defective nature. For if he can but hold his peace, he shall be fure not to be troublesome to his company, nor marked for lying, or become tedious with multiplicity of idle difcourfe. He fhall be prefumed wife, and often is fo. He shall not feel the wounds of contention, nor be put to excufe an ill-taken faying, nor figh for the folly of an irrecoverable word. If his fault be that he hath not spoken; that

can at any time be mended: but if he finned in fpeaking, it cannot be unspoken again. Thus he escapes the difhonour of not being believed, and the trouble of being fufpected. He fhall never fear the fentence of judges, nor the decrees of courts, high reproaches, or the angry words of the proud, or the contradiction of the difputers of this world.

By thefe, and many other advantages, he that holds his peace, and he that cannot fpeak, may please themselves; and they may at least have the rewards and effects of folitariness, if they miss some of the pleafures of fociety.

But by the use of the tongue God hath diftinguished us from beafts; and by the well or ill using it, we are diftinguished from one another. And therefore tho' filence be innocent as death, harmless as a rofe's breath to a distant paffenger; yet it is rather the state of death than of life. Language is the band of human intercourse, and makes men apt to unite in focieties. By voices and converfation, by questions and answers, by counsel and reproof, by prayers and praises, we serve God's glory, and the neceffities of

men.

men. And by the tongue, our tables are made to differ from mangers, our cities from defarts, our churches from herds of beafts and flocks of fheep. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, fpoken by the tongues of men and of angels. And the bleffed fpirits in heaven cease not night and day from finging glory to him that fitteth on the throne, and to the lamb for ever and ever. And then our employment shall be glorious as our state, when our tongues fhall to eternal ages fing praises to our Redeemer.

And therefore, fince nature hath taught us to fpeak, and God requires it, and our thankfulness obligeth us, and our neceffities engage us, and charity fometimes calls for it, and innocence is to be defended, and we are to speak in the cause of the oppreffed, and open our mouths in the cause of God, and it is always a seasonable prayer that God would open our lips that our mouth may fhew forth his praise; it concerns us to take care, that nature be changed into grace, neceffity into choice, that while we fpeak the greatnefs of God, and minifter to the needs

of

of our neighbour, and do the works of life and religion, of society and prudence, we may be fitted to bear a part in the fongs of angels, when they fhall rejoice at the feaft of the marriage fupper of the lamb.

But the tongue is a fountain both of bitter waters, and of pleasant; it sends forth bleffing, and curfing; it praises God, and rails at men; it is fometimes fet on fire, and then it puts whole cities in combuftion; it is unruly, and no more to be restrained than the breath of a tempeft; it is volatile and fugitive; reason should go before it, and when it does not, repentance comes after it ; it was intended for an inftrument of the divine praises, but is perverted to the purposes of fin and fhame.

We are all naturally lovers of speech, more or lefs; and God reproves it not, provided that we be also wife and material, useful and prudent in our discourses. For fince fpeech is for converfation, it ought to be charitable and profitable; it should be without fin, but not without profit and grace to the hearers; and then it is as God would have it. And this is the precept of my text: