Obs. 3. From that full of deadly poison. A wicked tongue is venomous and hurtful : as Bernard observeth, it killeth three at once — him that is slandered, his fame by ill report; him to whom it is told, his belief with a lie ; and himself with the sin of detraction. Bless God when you escape those deadly bites, the fangs of detraction ' A good name is a precious ointment,' and a slanderous tongue is a ' deadly poison ; ' nothing will secure you but the antidote of innocency ; but if it be your lot, bear it with patience ; there is a resurrection of names as well as persons. Though you are poisoned by the tongue of detrac- tion, yet remember he'is wont to give a cordial ' in whose mouth there is no guile,' 1 Peter ii. 22. It may also dissuade men from the sin ; we would not poison one another ; slander is poison.
Ver. 9. Thereioith we bless God, even the Father ; and therewith we curse men, that are made after the similitude of God.
Here he showeth the good and bad use of the tongue ; the good to bless God, the bad to curse men ; and the absurdity of doing both with the same tongue : you i)ut the same member to the best and worst use. Things employed in worship, because of their relation are wont to be accounted holy ; certainly too worthy to be submitted or debauched to mean, at least, to the vilest, uses and purposes ; that were a monstrous and unbeseeming levity.
I shall o])en the phrases in the points.
Obs. 1. The proper use of tiie tongue is to bless God : Ps. li. 15, 'Open ray mouth, and I will show forth thy praise.' If God give speech and abilities of utterance, he must have the glory; it is the rent we owe to him. This is the advantage we have above the creatures, that we can be distinct and explicit in his praises : Ps. cxlv. 10, ' All thy works, 0 Lord, shall praise thee, and thy saints shall bless thee.' The creatures offer the matter, but the saints pub- lish it. The whole creation is as a well-tuned instrument, but man maketh the music. Speech, being the most excellent faculty, .should be consecrated to divine uses : ^ Eph. v. 4, ' Nor filthiriess, nor foolish speaking, but giving of thanks,' eu^^/'^o'Tta, thankfully remembering your sweet experiences. It is a Christian's work, and his recreation : ' While I have breath I will praise the Lord,' saith the psalmist. God gave us these pipes and organs for that purpose ; your breath cannot be better spent. Acts ii. 4, when they spake with other
' See Nazianzcn. Orat. ii. in Pascha.
JaS. III. 9.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 295
tongues, they spake ' the wonderful works of God.' Well, then, go away and say, ' I will bless the Lord continually ; his praise shall be always in my mouth,' Ps. xxxiv. 1. This is to begin heaven upon earth. Some birds sing in winter as well as in spring. Stir up one another, Eph. v. 18, as one bird setteth all the flock a-chii-ping.
Obs. 2. From that God, even the Father ; that is, of Christ, and in him of us : you had the same speech, chap. i. 27. The note is. We bless God most cheerfully when we consider him as a father. Thoughts of God as a judge cannot be comfortable. Our meditations of him are sweet when we look upon him as a father in Christ. The new song and the new heart do best suit,^ Every one cannot learn the Lamb's new song, Kev. xiv. 3. Praise cometh from us most kindly when it cometh from us like water out of a fountain, not like water out of a still ; out of a sense of love, not out of a fear of wrath. Wicked men can howl, though they cannot sing. Pharaoh in his misery could say, ' The Lord is righteous.'
Obs. 3. From that and thereiuith we curse men. The same tongue should not bless God and curse men, it is hypocrisy. Acts of piety are counterfeited when acts of charity are neglected: Ps. 1. 16, with 19, 20, 'What hast thou to do to take my covenant in thy mouth? seeing thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit: thou speakest against thy brother, and slanderest thine own mother's son.' Hypocrites are most censorious, but true piety maketh men meek and humble. It is storied of Cranmer, that he never miscalled a servant, or used words of disgrace and contempt to them. Keligion begetteth a grave awe and reverence. The seraphim never revile, but only praise God : Jude 9, ' He durst not bring a railing accusa- tion against the devil.' Some are of a wicked temper, can only curse, like dogs, non pro feritate, sed pro consuetudvne latrant, that bark not so much out of fierceness as custom. They know not how to pray, their mouths are so inured to cursing and evil-speaking. Others there are that can curse and bless at the same time : ' They bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly,' Ps. Ixii. 4 ; others that curse and rail under a pretence of 'piety and zeal. The evils of the tongue, where they are not restrained, cannot consist with true piety. Obedience is counterfeit where it is not uniform. One table cannot be kept with the violation of another. Oh ! check yourselves, then, when you are about to break out into passion. Shall I pray and brawl with the same tongue ? and divert from worship to railino- ? With this tongue I have been speaking to God, and shall it presently be set on fire of hell ?