Secondly, The kinds of it are two in the text — whispering and backbiting.
1. Whi.spering, which is privy defamation of our brother, to bring him into disfavour and disresjjcct with those that formerly had a better opinion of him. Herein whispering differeth from backbiting, because the whisperer stingeth secretly, but the other doth more openly attack our credit. Now this whispering is a great sin : —
[1.] Because it is here reckoned among the sins which reigned among the heathen, and God hath expressly forbidden to his people : Lev. xix. IG, ' Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people.' You see tale-bearing and crimination is expressly against God's word ; and if your hearts stand in awe of the word of God, how dare you indulge it and allow it in yourselves ? It is
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observed that the Hebrew word roJcel properly signifieth a merchant or a trafficker up and down with spices and other things ; whereupon o-akil, the word there used, is a tale-bearer, that accuser that makes merchandise of words, and like a pedlar goeth from place to place to open his pack, and utter his wares, to hear and spread abroad crimina- tions of other men. This is made the property of very wicked men : Jer. xi. 4, ' Every neighbour will walk with slanders.'
2. It is against natural equity, because they do that to others which they would not have done to themselves, Mat. vii. 2 ; and therefore storm and take great offence when God, by a righteous pro- vidence, permitteth others to retaliate with them, and pay them home in their own coin, as usually he doth ; for they who are not tender of the credit and reputation of others, their names are cast out of God's protection, and permitted to the strife of tongues.
3. They are a cause of much mischief in the world, as —
[1.] Grief to the party wronged : Prov. xviii. 8, ' The words of a tale-bearer' — we read in the margin ' of a whisperer' — ' are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly ; ' that is, they equally hurt as a sharp sword that is thurst into us, and causes pain and anguish. By ' the chambers of the belly,' is understood the heart. Now whether the heart of the hearer, or the heart of the party injured? Why not both ? The hearer ; the words pierce into his heart, and breed hatred, or at least suspicion of his friend. The party injured; when he comes to the knowledge of it, they breed his grief and vexa- tion.
[2.] They are a cause of much debate and strife: Prov. xxvi. 20, * Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out : so where there is no tale-bearer (or whisperer) strife ceaseth." Where strife is compared to fire, and the whisperer's informations or criminations, to the wood or matter that feedeth the fire ; the extinction, or putting out of the fire, to the ceasing of strife and contention, which is caused by the absence of the whisperer ; that is, when he is not admitted by either party : Prov. xvi. 28, ' A fro ward man soweth strife, and a whisperer separateth choice friends.' Husband and wife, parents and children, masters and servants, princes and subjects, intimate friends. Now ' He that soweth discord between friends or brethren is an abomination to the Lord,' Prov. vi. 19. Therefore, how can one that feareth God, allow himself in speaking evil privily against his neighbour ?
[3.] There is a greater mischief than this, and that is, it many times tendeth to the destruction of another's life: Ezek. xxii. 9, 'In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood.' Usually the vapours of slander descend in the showers of persecution ; and the devil was first a liar, and then a murderer. By whispers men are stirred up to hate others, and then pursue them with all manner of hostility and dis- pleasures. As Doeg the Edomite first accused, and then, by the com- mand of Saul, slew Abimelech the high priest, and all his family, destroying the whole city of the priests called Nob, as you may see 1 Sam. xxii. 9. David, when he professeth the uprightness of his government, would allow no such in his court, but would severely punish them : Ps. ci. 5, ' Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off.' These ways of whispering and detraction, by which
2S0 THE TENTH SERMON. [ROM. I. 29, 30.
men are wont to gain confidence, favour, and employment from princes, should not only miss of their aims with him, but be severely punished when he met with them.
But here ariseth a question, whether all private complaints and in- formations against others come under the name of whispering ?
I answer — No, with these cautions: —
1. If the party be duly admonislicd ; for before we go any further, the rule is, Mat. xviii. 15, ' First tell him his fault between him and thee alone.' Private admonition must always precede crimination to others ; therefore if you forbear privately to admonish the offender in love, and seek not to reclaim him from his sinful course, you cannot be excused from sia