^ ' Sanctius his animal mentisque cajjacius altgc, Deerat adhuc, et quod dominari in cetera po.ssit, NatuB homo eat." — Ovid. Met., lib. i. - ' Quia per peccatum deseruit luniio cum bub quo esse debuit, eubditus est iia supra quae ease debebat.' — Auff. Tract, in Johan. » See Dr Alting, Problem. ThtoL, pars 1, quaest. 61, 62.
JaS. III. 7, 8.] UPON THE EriSTLE OF JAMES. 293
tlie field, Ps. civ. 20-23, yet this subjection is not with such willino;- ness as formerly on the creatures' part, Rom. viii. 20, nor with such easiness on ours, it being a matter of more difficulty and toil. Besides that, there are many creatures which, by their swiftness and fierceness, do wholly escape the terrors of man's sovereignty.
From the 8th verse observe :—
Obs. 1. The tongue is hardly tamed and subdued to any right use. I say hardly ; for he doth not say none, but no man can — no human art and power can ever find a remedy and curb for it. And in this life God doth not give out absolute grace so as to avoid every idle word. The note is useful to refute the patrons of free-will ; it cannot tame one member ; and also perfectists. Do but consider the offences of the tongue, and you will see that you have cause to walk humbly with God. If he should but charge the sins of your own tongue upon you, what will become of you ? But if it cannot be tamed, what shall we do ? why do you bid us bridle it ? I answer — (1.) If we have lost our power, God must not lose his right. Wealmess doth not exempt from duty ; we must bridle it, though we cannot of ourselves. (2.) Though we cannot bridle it, yet God can : Mat. xix. 26, it is a hard matter for ' a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God ; but with God all things are possible.' Difficulty and impossibility as to the creature's endeavours are left, that we may fly to God. The horse doth not tame himself, nor the camel himself, nor man himself ; i man taraeth the beast, and God tametli man ; thou tamest a lion, and thou didst not make it : God made thee, and shall he not tame thee ? Imago Dei domat feram, saith Augustine ; domahit Deus imaginem steam. The work is done by the next liighest power. (3.) To those that attempt it, and do what they are able, God will give grace ; he never faileth a diligent, waiting soul. When God hatli given you to OeXelv, ' to will,' he will give you to ivepyeiv, ' to do; ' the first motions are from him, and so is the accomplishment ; offer yourselves to his work. (4.) Though we cannot be altogether without sin, yet we must not altogether leave off to resist sin. Sin reigneth where it is not resisted ; it only remaineth in you where it is opposed. But you will say, What is our duty? I answer — (1.) Come before God humbly ; bewail the depra- vation of your natures, manifested in this untamed member. This was one of the sins which Austin confessed, he said his tongue was fornax mali, an ^tna that was always vomiting up distempered fires and heats. Complain of it to God : ' 0 wretched man ! who shall deliver me ? ' (2.) Come earnestly ; this was one of the occasions upon which Austin in his Confessions 2 sobbed out his Da quod jiibes, et juhe quod vis — Lord, give what thou commandest, and command what thou wilt. He spake it upon the occasion of lust, and he spake it upon the occasion of the evils of the tongue. Your applica- tions to grace must be the more earnest and frequent ; cry for a re- medy : ' 0 Lord, keep the door of my lips,' Ps. cxli. 3.
Obs. 2. From that an unruly evil. There is an unbridled license
^ ' AttenJite similitudinem ab ipsis bestiis quas domamus. Equus non se domat, camelus non se domat, aspis non se domat ; sic et homo non se domat, sed ut dometur equus, bos, camelus, elepliantus, leo, aspis, quaeritur homo; ergo Deus quseratur ut dometur homo.' — -Aug. Scrm. 4, dc Verbis Domini, torn. x.
^ August. Confess, lib. x. See Cornel, a Lapide in hunc locum.
294 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [JaS. III. 9.
and violence in the tongue: Job xxxii. 19, ' Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent, it is ready to burst like new bottles.' When the mind is big with the conception, the tongue is earnest to utter it : Ps. xxxix. li, ' My heart was hot within me ; while I was musing, the fire burned.' Therefore in the remedy we should use not only spiritual care, but an holy violence : ' I will keep my mouth as with a bridle,' ' I will lay my hand upon my mouth,' Ps. xxxix. 1, And you had need look to the heart ; it cometh from ' the abundance of iniquity,' naughtiness must have some vent for its excrement and super- fluity ; and from the heat of wrath get a cool spirit ; and from the itch of vainglory let man's honour seem a small thing, 1 Cor. iv. 3 ; and from the heiglit of discontent, full vessels will plash over. Meeken the heart into a sweet submission, lest discontent seek the vent of murmuring.