Yni-ianrc 1Yi th the decisions of the will, life would soon he intolerable, and must ere long cn111e to Rn end. Even so, we cannot tamper with the law of truth in speech wit.hottt doing our part towards poisoning the currents of thought, feeling, and action which tJ,,1Y through society, and 80 far as we bear false witness of any kind with the view of ~aining adYant:i.gc at :mother's cost, we arc aiding the infernal work of setting men at ,·nriance with each otlll'r, by loosening the bonds of mutual confidence which should unite them all! 2. Q the tongue is duly lwidled, the whole body will be under com- mand. So the Apostle James declares (Jas. iii. 2). Our whole being is to be in subjection to God, body, soul, and spirit. And that means that we are to guard our lips. If we arc successful here, that indicates so far a mastery over ourselves. We can hridle the whole body if we can but cmb the tongnc. "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to spcnk." A man may do very much to make or mar himself according a, he bas learned the right go,·ernment of the tongue. 3. If the tongue is not bridled, we hai•e no religion at all,! 80 the same apostle (Jas. i. 26). Let us lay that word to heart. \Yhate,·er may be the outside profession, if we do not govern our tongue for God, if we use it for gossip, trifling, scandal, slander, our very profession of Christ's name is a cheat and a lie. 4. The thought of the coming fud_qment should lead us to govern otir tongue (Matt. xii. 37). One would think that such words as these would make men more careful how they use the tongue I Are we so governing our words that we shoula confront without shame all those that we ba'l'e ever spoken, when set in array berore us? " \Ve must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." How will backbiters, slanderers, and retailers of gossip meet the eye of the Great Jutlge of all? Y. How ARE WE TO LEARN OBEDIE~CE TO THE PRECEPT OF THE TEXT? 1. Let ns awake to the importance, as before God, of remembering his perfect knowledge of our words (Ps. cxxxix. 4). Let us cultivate the impres,ion such a thought is calculated to produce. 2. Let us resolve and act (see Ps. xxxix. 1). So said David. Let such a resolution be formed and carried out. 3. Much may be done by auxiliary means, in the way of lessening the temptation to offend with the tongue, Very much of the habit of idle gossip results from unintelligenci,. Some have nothing to talk about, and for want of :. well-stored mind, they fall a-slar.dering their neighbours. Over and above other means which are more directly religious of reducing the evil of an unbridled tongue, there is this serviceable one: furnish the mind with so much valuable knowledge, that you will be so occupied with useful talk that you have no time for idle words. 4. Let there also be devout attention to the more spiritual aspects .of the case. Let the earnest prayer go up (Ps. cxli. 3), and, remembering the Saviour's words, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," let us earnestly plead with God for daily rene,i-al in the spirit of our mind, since, when the heart is right, the words cannot be wrong. Maybe some of us used to think concerning the ten commandments, "All these have I kept from my youth up." But, alas, so far from that, unless we are con• ,erted and renewed, we shall never keep even this one. Under its severe tests we have broken down thousands of times, and have abundant reason to cry, "God be merciful to me the sinner!" A tree is known by its fruit. The righteousness of the Law uever will be fulfilled in ns as it must be if we are to enter heaven, unless onr hearts are so sanctified, and so imbued with the spirit of love, that by never violating charily in th~ thoughts we think, we never violate it in the words we speak. May God thus sanctify us! "Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law."
Ver. 21.-The tenth commandment. The religion of the hewrt. This commandment is in some respects the most manifestly sweeping and searching of all. It even more folly than the others illustrates Heh. iv. 12. If any reader bas thought that in making such heart-work of the preceding, we have gone beyond the scope of the Decalogue, this verse should serve to correct such an impression, for it deals verbally with the unexpressed wi;;hes of the soul, and lays a restraint upon them. We will first of all- ]. lKQUIBE INTO TB.£ GROUND WHICH THIS PRECEPT COVERS, l!ecognizing the neighbourly relation between man and man, and people and people, and implying the dut_y of each individual and of each nation cherishing a kindly feeling for another, it not only forbids the violation of neighbourliness by any outward act of unkindness and wrong, but even the desire out of which such unneighbourly acts might arise. "'l'hou Cir, v. 1-33,] 'NIE MOK OF DEUTEnONOMY. 105