Morning, November 29
Go To Evening Reading
“Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people ...
Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon
him.”
Leviticus 19:16, 17
Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison; for it injures the teller,
the hearer, and the person concerning whom the tale is told. Whether
the report be true or false, we are by this precept of God’s Word forbidden to spread it. The reputations of the Lord’s people should be very precious in our sight, and we should count
it shame to help the devil to dishonour the Church and the name of
the Lord. Some tongues need a bridle rather than a spur. Many glory
in pulling down their brethren, as if thereby they raised themselves.
Noah’s wise sons cast a mantle over their father, and he who exposed him
earned a fearful curse. We may ourselves one of these dark days need
forbearance and silence from our brethren, let us render it cheerfully
to those who require it now. Be this our family rule, and our personal
bond— Speak evil of no man .
The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin, and prescribes
the way in which we are to do it. It must be done by rebuking our
brother to his face, not by railing behind his back. This course is
manly, brotherly, Christlike, and under God’s blessing will be useful. Does the flesh shrink from it? Then we
must lay the greater stress upon our conscience, and keep ourselves
to the work, lest by suffering sin upon our friend we become ourselves
partakers of it. Hundreds have been saved from gross sins by the timely,
wise, affectionate warnings of faithful ministers and brethren. Our
Lord Jesus has set us a gracious example of how to deal with erring
friends in his warning given to Peter, the prayer with which he preceded
it, and the gentle way in which he bore with Peter’s boastful denial that he needed such a caution.