Ohfi. That speaking evil of one another doth not become brethren and Christians. A citizen of Sion is thus described : Ps. xv. 3, ' lie backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.' So there is an express law: Lev. xix. IG, ' Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among the peoi)le.' JRokel, saith Ainsworth,! signifieth a merchant or trafficker uj) and down with spices ; thence tiie word vakil, there used for one that wandereth from place to i)lace uttering slanders as wares. These pedlars will be always opening their packs. Thus I have heard of such and such a one, &c. ; these were not to be suffered in Israel. There are several kinds of evil-speaking : they may be all ranked under two heads — whispering and backbiting. IF/i ispering is a privy defamation of our brother among those that think well of him ; hackhiting is more public, before every one ])romiscuous]y. Now both may be done many ways, not only by false accusations, but by a divulging of their secret evils, by extenuating their graces, by increas- ing or aggravating their faults, and defrauding tliem of their necessary excuse and mitigation, by depraving their good actions through the sup})osition of sinister aims; by mentioning what is culpable, and enviously suppressing their worth. It were easy to run out upon this argument, but I contain myself. Well, then, if all this misbecometh brethren, do not give way to it in yourselves, nor give ear to it in others. (1.) Do not give way to it in yourselves; nature is marvel- lously prone to olfend in tliLs kind, therefore you must lay on the greater restraints, especially when the persons whom you would blemish profess religion: Num. xii. 8, ' Were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses ? ' Mark tiie Tra^o?, or emphasis of that expression: Wliat! against my servants against Moses? You should be afraid to si)eak against any one, much more against those whom God halh a mind to honour. This is the devil's proj)er sin ; he is ' the accuser of the Ijrethren,' Kev. xii. 10. He doth not commit adultery, break the Sabbath ; these are not laws to him ; but he can bear false witness, dishonour parents, accuse the brethren ; and yet what more common amongst us ? John baptist's head in a charger is a usual dish at our meals. When men's hearts are warm with wine and good cheer, then God's children are brought in, like Samson among the Philistines, to make them sport. Oh ! consider, God will surely recompense this into your bosoms ; either in this life — 'They that judge are judged,' Mat. vii. 1; men are bold with their names, because they were not tender in meddling with others ; or in the life to come, without rupentance. It is said of the wicked, Ps. Ixiv. 8, ' Their own tongue siiall fall upon them.' How unsupportable is the weight of the sins of this one niember ! (2.) Do not give way to it in others : your ears may be as guilty as their tongues ; tlierefore such whis[)erings should never be heard without some expression of dislike. Solomon commendeth a frown and the severity of the countenance : Prov. XXV. 23, ' As the north wind driveth away rain, so doth an
^ See Ainsworth in Lev. xix. IC.
JaS. IV. 11.] UPON TllK EPISTLE OF JAMES. 381
angry countenance a backbiting tongue.' They are discouraged when they do not meet with compliance. David would not have sucli to dwell in his house, Ps. ci. 5. Certainly our countenancing them draweth us into a fellowship of the guilt. Now if we must not receive these whispers against an ordinary brother, much less against a minis- ter ; there is express provision for the safety of their repute and credit : ' Against an elder receive not,' &c., 1 Tim. v. 19 ; partly because men are apt to hate him that reproveth in the gate, and so they are liable to be traduced ; partly because men in office are most observed and watched, see Jer. xx. 12, and Ezek. xxxiii. 30 ; and partly because their credit is of most concernment for the honour of the gospel : therefore we should not easily hear those that are ' talking of them by the walls and doors of the houses,' as it is in the prophet.
For he that speaketh evil of his brother, and Judgeth his brother. — In that word judgetli the apostle showeth what their censuring amounted to, a usurping of God's office, and a passing sentence upon their brethren ; and also what kind of evil-speaking he principally in- tendeth ; that is, for things merely indifferent, as observation of days, meats, and the like, see Eom. xiv. 3, 4. Observe hence : —
Obs. That censuring is a judging : you arrogate an act of power which doth not belong to you. When you are advanced into the chair of arro- gance and censure, check yourselves by this thought. Who gave me this superiority ? The question put to Moses may well be urged, in the behalf of our wronged brethren, to our souls : ' Who made thee a judge over us ?' Exod. ii. 14. Paul useth the same disuassion, Rom. xiv. 4, ' Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? ' &c.