before they take hold of us and so get the mastery of our Souls For as wise Princes are wont in the calm of Peace to provide against the storms of Warre so must we in the calmest state of our Souls prepare and provide Antidotes against this inward turbulency of our minds To prevent then the sudden Commotions of this unruly Passion or to allay it when it hath broken the bounds of Reason or Discretion Si passio Domini ad meâ—â—riam revocetur nihil adeo duram quod non aquo animo toleretur Greg. Consider in the first place Christs bitter Death and Passion what or how great pains and torments he hath suffered how much he hath sustained for thee Trace him in thy meditations from the Garden to Golgotha and as Pilate said once out of pity to the Jews Joh. 19.5 Behold the man so say I to thee Behold thy Saviour who was and is God and Man in one Person behold him sweating great drops of Blood in his Agony in the Garden sustaining whippings and scoffings spittings and buffetings in the face and last of all a most shameful and painfull death on the Cross for thee to redeem thee from Hell and to bring thee to Heaven into which it was impossible for thee to climb being clogg'd with the weight and burden of thy many and grievous sins whose pardon he hath purchased by the merit of his death and sufferings When thou hast seriously pondered and considered these things then even when for some distasteful word thou feelest the heat of passion begin to enflame thy blood then bespeak thy self in the words of Saint Basil in his Morals 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What doest thou O Man art thou better then thy Master Hath Christ my Lord suffered such unsufferable pains so many reproches for me and shall I who am a Worm a poor contemptible Creature shall I who am a Cage of Uncleanness a Dunghill of Impurity fret and fume for some conceived spot of disgrace or ignominy thrown upon my name Shall not I suffer this and more for him for the profession of his Truth and glory of his Name for they who profess Christ they that live godly must look to suffer persecution at least that of the Tongue Mitescat savitia mansuescat Iracundia remittaâ—t sibi omnes culpas invicem suas nec exactor sit vindicta qui petitor est veniae Aug. Shall I by seeking revenge for some injury done me snatch the Scepter out of Gods hand or which is worse deny his Providence and Soveraignty as if he did sit still or sleeping in Heaven not regarding what is done here beneath on Earth God is the Lord to whom vengeance belongeth Psal 94.1 and Vengeance is mine Deut. 32.35 I 'le repay it saith the Lord. Meditate often on this and on thy Saviours sufferings the thought whereof will teach or move thee to be gentle and kind to others Eph. 4.32 forgiving them as God for Christs sake hath forgiven thee And thus by this means having gotten the mastery of thy Passion thou wilt have the better command over thy Tongue and free it as from bitterness and clamour and evil-speaking so from blaspheming Gods Name by Cursing and Swearing In the second place that thou mayst curb this unbrided Passion of Anger a Capital sin for that it is as I have shewed the cause of many other sins and most commonly that of Swearing Consider with thy self in private how oft thou hast offended God Psal 19.12 but who can tell how oft he offendeth and how oft he hath pardoned thee This consideration of thy many infirmities this knowledge of thy filthy sins will move thee to a mean esteem of thy self and he that out of a deep apprehension of his sins and a sight or sense of his infirmities has learn'd to contemn himself that man will not be easily provoked by a small injury and contempt from others Thirdly when thou art moved to Anger labour to suppresse this flame that it break not forth suppress it by silence For as fire under green wood if not blown will go out so anger in the breast kept in by the silence of the tongue will waste and spend it self to nothing An example of this we have in David Psal 39. Ps 39.2 He kept silence he kept his mouth as it were with a bridle whilst the ungodly who did provoke him was in his sight He spake nothing but refrain'd his tongue abstaining even from good words ver 3 which was a pain and grief unto him If we speak any thing at all when we are moved to anger by our Persecuting Reviling Enemies let it be in the phrase of our meekest Saviour upon the Cross Father Luke 23.34 forgive them for they know not what they do or in the Language of that Protomartyr Saint Stephen Acts 7.60 Lord lay not this sin to their charge Yet if thou beest a publick person and thy Injury great and notorious Qui illatam sibi sustinet injuriam contumeliam conviciantis nutrit audaciam Vid. Aqui. 2. 2. 72. Qu. then to prevent scandal lest by silence thou givest men an occasion to suspect the integrity of thy Conscience thou mayest vindicate thy Innocency by a just complaint to the Magistrate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil and from the Decree of Justice seek a Redress of thy Injury and in so doing thou committest thy cause unto the Lord in that thou Revengest not thy self but referrest thy cause to the publick Magistrate Gods Minister of Peace whose Office it is to see that they be righted who suffer wrong as also to encourage Vertue to punish Vice and suppress the growth of sin Fourthly and lastly to incite or move thee further to abstain from immoderate Anger let the examples and practise of the * De his ita Nazianzenus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Anticipant fidem moribus i. Justitiâ Temperantiâ indigent tantum Christianorum nomine quod Christum profitentes decet operibus id suis exhibentes Heathen ever run in your thoughts who by the dimme light of nature have gone further in the way of Piety then we Christians who live in the Sun-shine of the Gospel of Peace To repeate the Stories of them renown'd for their patience would be both impertinent and tedious I will commend to your Meditation but one and that of a true Roman I mean Cato who used to say That he could and did forgive all offenders but himself So be thou angry with the Malice but love i. e. wish well to the Person of thy Enemy that has offended thee forgive him by not studying an hasty Revenge of thy Injury and testifie thy hearty forgiveness of it by thy prayers to God to forgive him his sins and to heal him of his malice And thus if thou imitatest God who is good to his very Enemies thou wilt shew thy self to be a genuine Son of thy *
his thoughts to the height of absurdities no one thing would be found more absurd then that practice of the Romanists who as they pray to Saints and Angels attributing to them thereby Gods power and omnisciency who onely knows our severall wants and can help us in all our needs so to back this absurdity they have broach'd a new Impiety maintaining it lawfull as in prayer so in Swearing to invocate the creature As to swear by the Holy Evangelists by any Saint or Angel and the like Whereby they break the first Commandment in setting up a new Deity and so prove guilty of a Sin which they make light of and that is no less then blasphemy which Sinne is committed First when we attribute or ascribe to God what he is not Aqui. 2.2.13.2 1. Art Three degrees of blasphemy Secondly when we detract from him what he is and Thirdly when we ascribe or give what is due to him to the creatures and this we do when we swear by them as I shall prove after I have discovered the fountain or Originall and withall the foulnesse of the Papists errour herein This profane practice of the Romanists besides that it has no ground nor warrant from the Holy Scriptures which in matters of Religion must be the rule of our actions and besides that it is scandalous to the hearer who by our blasphemous and Idolatrous custome in this Sin may be induced to imitate and use the same forme in swearing besides these and many other the like reasons which I could alleage we must know to lay open this Sin and to make it more odious that it owes its beginning to certain hereticks called Osseni Lib. contra Nic. Serrà rium whom Scaliger will have to be all one or the same with the Esseni Of these as Epiphanius records li. 1. c. 19. one Elxai was notorious who lived in the time of Trajan and spread abroad the poison of this corrupt doctrine teaching that men ought to swear by Salt and Water by the Earth by Bread and by the Heaven by the Aire and by the Wind c. which Hereticall opinion is refuted at large in the forecited place by Epiphanius Like unto these were the Manichees whose Ringleader and Capt. was Manes or Manicheus whom Cyril justly calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Master and Contriver of Iniquity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril Hier. Catech. 7. a magazin of Impiety the common Inne or Store-house of all filthy absurdities and obscenities whose heresie contain'd a masse a venemous composition of old extinguisht heresies This Manes with his Followers taught what they of the Church of Rome maintain that it was lawfull to swear by the creatures as appeares by those words of St. Augustine Lib. 19. Cant. Faust c. 22. Jurabant saepissime nulloque mentis scrupulo per creaturas They says he used to swear by the creatures frequently Hereby we may see what grounds and how good Authors our adversaries in the Church of Rome have for their pernicious and dangerous practice yet to set a glosse upon it they have invented a prettie distinction as vain as they are vicious First they divide the creatures into two Classes or ranks Rationall and Irrational by the former they assert we may swear Absolutè absolutely without any restriction Such are the Angels and Saints in Heaven Aquin. 2.2 Qc. 89. They might as well have added men on Earth By the latter only Relativè Relatively In quantum divina veritas in iis manifestatur so far or forasmuch as the divine truth is manifestly revealed in them As when we swear by the Gospell it is say they by that God whose truth is manifested in the Gospel I say again this Assertion is vain and frivolous invented only to countenance and maintain their Invocation or prayers to Saints and Angels Omitting the former part of that fond distinction as unworthy of a refutation let us examine the second part of it which is to swear Relativè in relation to God This the Romanists affirm we may do which we absolutely denie and prove it thus To swear by the creature in relation to God is to invocate or call upon the creature religiously with reference to God this latter is expresly forbidden in Gods word as in the forenamed place Levit. 6.13 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God Him only shalt thou serve and swear by his Name So Isaiah 45.53 Every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall swear to me Which Text St. Paul citing Rom. 14.11 and following the Septuagints Translation fearing lest if he should do otherwise an offence thereby might be given to the Gentiles or Greeks who adhered to that translation useth these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confesse to God i.e. Swear by his name Est enim Jusjurandum vera ac aperta ejus Dei professio quem ut testem et perjurii vindicem appellamus Beza For an Oath is a true and open profession of that God whom as a witnesse of our sayings and a Revenger of perjurie we invocate This honour none can or may affixe to the creature Therefore swear not at all by it but in those cases premised by the Creatour But I meet with a seemingly-strong Objection from the Romanists which deserves a solution It is borrowed from the 42. of Gen. v. 15. where we read that Joseph swore to his Brethren that he would not let them goe back to their Father unless they would send for their younger Brother Benjamin and he seems there to swear by a creature namely by the King where he saies By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not goe hence except your younger Brother come hither It is not say they to be imagin'd that Joseph so good a Saint and so wise a man would have sworn by his King unless he had been fully perswaded in his soul and that by the spirit of God by whom he was alwaies governed that to swear by the creature was not a sin nor derogated any whit from Gods glory at which he ever aimed A plausible objection To which I answer first with the learned Zanchie Ab exemplo unius quamvis Sancti viri argumentum duci non posse contra apertum Verbum Dei Zanch. in Miscellan From the example of one particular man though for his piety never so much famed we may not draw a pattern for our practise against the express word of God Ex fide personas non ex personis fidem probamus Tertul. We must prove or try mens persons by the Faith or Doctrine of the word and not the Faith by mens persons i. e. Because God hath said or commanded it and not because such a one did it is a thing lawfull and good Supposing then that Joseph swore by Pharaoh his action must not be a rule or pattern for thy imitation The law of God as it is the way wherein we must walk
paths of the Seas all these recited by the Prophet David Ps 8.3 6 7 8. with many more not mentioned by him were made to serve us and all do in a manner thus call upon and bespeak every one of us God made us for thee Coelum terra omnia in illis creata 〈◊〉 ut amem te Domine serviaâ— tibi Maub Exercit. â—iet that thou shouldst serve and glorifie him who made us and thee O then let the consideration of thy unthankfulness to God thy Creator put thee to a blushing shame and let the memory of his mercies and blessings spur or incite thee to an active obedience and quicken thy dead or drowsie spirit to walk cheerfully and constantly in the waies of his Commandements do not dishonour nor disgrace him by a constant and wilfull breach of them by a frequent and rash taking of his name in vain Swear not The IV. Remedy by way of motive drawn from the irrational Creatures If all the fore-named Motives will not startle thy obdurate Conscience and drive thee to obedience of Gods Commands consider then the brute Beasts who wanting Reason which thou enjoyest and Speech which God gave thee to set forth his praises * Homo immedâ—atè est propter Deum omnia quâ—liabet habet propter Deum Raymund to advance and publish the glories of his Attributes yet they led only by the guidance of Natures Law offer no indignities no injuries to their Masters from whom they receive food and sustenance nay they have ever shewed themselves thankful to strangers from whom they received the least benefits or courtesies All which may serve to check thy ingratitude in dishonouring God by Rebelling against his precepts Lib. 7. c. 4â— Nat. H st The story in Aelian of Androcles and a Lion is remarkable he pull'd a thorne out of the Lions foot the Lion afterwards repai'd this courtesie by saving his life when he fell among thieves and cryed out for help Ael l. 8. c. 22. A parallel story to this we find in the same Historian of the Tarentine Woman and a Stork she cured one of the Storks young ones which had by a casualty broke its leg the Stork not long after in requital of her goodness dropped a rich Jewel into her lap as she sate in a solitary place bemoaning the death of her dear Husband a little before that time deceased The truth of these Stories I cannot warrant Let then the Scriptures to our shame be witness of mans ingratitude to God and of the brute Creatures thankful respect to their Masters and Benefactors Man for his sensuality and beastly lusts Ps 49.12 20 may be fitly ranked with and compared to the beasts that perish but they are above him admit him not as their equal if you respect their grateful dispositions The Oxe knoweth his owner Isa 1.3 i. e. will submit his neck to the yoke to toile and labour in the field when and so long as his Master pleases so the Asse knoweth his Masters crib or Manger i. e. willingly and readily stoops to any burthen sustains any blow because that is imposed and this comes from his hand by whom he is fed But Israel doth not know what great things I have done for them my people doth not consider how that for their Saviours sake or merits I have provided Heaven for them which shall be the reward of their service and where they shall rest everlastingly from their labours O Man think of Gods complaint here by his Prophet think of it with shame with an inward blushing confusion of spirit and for shame let not the brute beasts out-strip thee in thankfulness submit thy neck to Gods yoke which is easie and light obey his Commands and Swear not The V. Remedy A third consideration In the fifth place consider seriously in thy most recollected thoughts which may be a great remedy against Swearing what recompence God requires of us for all his benefits unto us It is Honour and Praise Praemium Dei est honor operis lauâ— gloria praemium creatura est utilitas Raymund And this duty we discharge when we declare and publish with joyful hearts and thankful tongues the Magnalia Dei those great things which he out of his great mercy hath done for us in our Creation Redemption Vocation together with the manifold and wonderful acts of his Providence over us For the least of which his mercies we could not be sufficiently thankful to God although we should live a thousand years ten hundred times told and spend every day and hour in that long period of time onely in Prayer and Thanksgiving Oh then let us wash our hearts from filthinesse and our tongues from all obscene pollutions Let our mouths be ever fill'd with Gods praises and let us chearfully redeem the time to this blessed work of thankfulnesse which because it is too large or too great to be done in this span-long life Sit illud meditatio frequens in hoc seculo quod perpetuum opus erit in futuro Aug. in Psal 148. it shall be ever doing in that which shall succeed hereafter and is everlasting For Thanks is the chief if not the whole work of the glorified Saints and Angels in Heaven who vent and spend as one sayes well all their burning fire of love in the flame of Gods praise The erect posture wherewith God has endowed man above his fellow-Creatures should put him in mind of his duty to God by way of thankfulness For as if the earth were not a fit object for our Contemplation our faces are set upward and our Souls too by so many foot carried up toward Heaven as our Bodies are erected to it By which frame of our Bodies we are taught this lesson to have our hearts alwayes fixed upon God in Prayer and Thanksgiving He that shall endeavour to follow Saint Pauls wholsome admonition Pray continually In all things give thanks 1 Thes 5.17 18. that man will seldome or never swear nor defile his Soul with the guilt or stains of idle and sinful discourses but being here on earth will live an Angelical life live like to an Angel and Saint in Heaven where there is only continual chaunting out cheerful Hymns which contain Gods praises and he that intends to bear a part in that Celestial Quire must lay aside his Cursing and Swearing and practise here betimes before death surprise him to sing that new Song which Saint John heard in his Revelation Chap. 5.9 10. and ever joyn with Saint Paul in his joyful and thankful Doxology 1 Tim. 1.17 saying Vnto the King immortal invisible and only wise God be honour and glory for ever and ever Again to incite us to use our Tongues to the praise or to exercise them in the praises of God let us consider to what end He gave us speech and utterance which he has denied to the other inferiour Creatures was it not
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Ep. ad Antioch Heavenly Father If thou imitatest him not but sufferest thy heart to burn with Anger and Malice I pronounce against thee thou art a Bastard and no true Son That then thou mayest truly retain the †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Ep. ad Magnes name and maintain by thy practise the duty of a good Christian follow the Prophet Davids advice Psal 37.8 Cease from Anger and forsake Wrath else shalt thou be moved to do evil thou wilt wrong thy Neighbour and injure thy good God by breaking his Commandements chiefly the third which concerns the hallowing of his Name which if thou beest a man of an angry and hasty disposition thou wilt often do when by Cursing and Swearing thou takest the same in vain Therefore in a devout imitation of thy Father which is in Heaven be thou as he is full of Compassion and Mercy slow to anger Psal 103.8 and of great goodness and if thou beest addicted or given to much Swearing besides the prevention of many other sins thou shalt by curbing thy angry Passion so bridle and restrain thy Tongue that it shall not so often as formerly nay seldom or never profane Gods holy Name The VIII Remedy To beware of intemperance especially in Drink The eighth Remedy is to beware of Drunkenness that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Basil calls it that common strumpet that bewitches mens hearts and besots their braines That hateful Night-bird which was wont to waite for the Twilight to seek nooks and corners to avoid the houting and wonderment of Girles and Boyes but now is grown audacious and as if it were some Eaglet that dares the bright Sun it flies abroad at high-noon in every Street and displaies its filthy Nakedness in open places without all fear or shame It is observed by Clemens Alexandrinus Clem. Alex. in Strom. that it took first footing in the most barbarous Nations the Scythians who were such lovers of it that it grew into their name and to Scythianize was all one and the same with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 idem quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inebrior Suid to be drunk I pray God that stain or reproach be not hereafter thrown upon us as it was upon those sottish Nations If His Majesties late * The 30. day of May 1660. Proclamation for the repressing of this foul sin were duly and strictly observed and put into execution it would not be so common among us But in that it is so frequent I wonder not that Oaths are so familiar in mens mouthes Quod in corde Sobrii est in linguâ Ebrii That which lodges with security in the Heart of a man that is sober discovers it self in his Tongue when he is drunk Hence is that saying of a wise and learned Author He that would Anatomize the Soul i. e. detect its inward and most benighted thoughts and intentions may do it best when wine and strong drink has benummed the senses The reason of this is given by Seneca Ep. 83. Non est animus in suâ potestate Ebrietate devinctus c. again Omne vitium Ebrietas incendit detegit i. e. Reason is not at its own Command so long as it is bound up by Drunkenness and fetter'd as it were with excesse of Meats and Drinks To confirm this besides our daily experience we have the expresse Warrant and Testimony of Gods word Whoredom Wine Hos 4.11 and new Wine take away the heart i. e. deprive a man of the use of Reason Nay which is more excesse of Wine or Drunkenness robs a man of Gods grace and assistance and banishes or drives his holy Spirit from us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil in Moral even as smoke does chase and drive away Bees as St. Basil observes Now what sin is there so horrid what abomination so prodigious and hainous which a Drunkard is not ready to act he being deserted by Gods holy Spirit void of Reason and Sense and left to the Ruling power of the Devil and the rage of his native lust which is well termed by Parisiensis origo seminarium omnium vitiorum the root source and seminary of all sin A man in such a desperate forlorn case or condition is like Sampson Judg. 10.19 when the locks of his haire were cut off and his eyes put out The Text sayes that not onely his strength went from him but that also the Lord had departed from him And as the Philistines did by Sampson so doth the Devil by a Drunken man he leads him in a string where he pleases makes him grind in the Mill of all kinde of Sins and Vices and like a Mill-horse leads him in a round from sin to sin from one wickednesse to another from Lying to Swearing from this to Stealing and from that to Perjury or Forswearing The Devil having moistned and steeped him in liquor shapes him like soft Clay into what mould he pleaseth Having shaken off his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as a Father calls it Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Rudder and Pilot his Stay and Prop which is his Reason the Tempter hurries him into the gulf of all licentiousness and uncleanness dashes his Soul upon what Rocks and Sands he listeth and that with as much facility as a man may push down the moistned burthen of his body tottering upon its unstable Porters his feeble legs A man who has thus unmanned or unmade himself devested of Reason which by Plato is term'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little Deity in the Soul of Man sitting there as it were in a Throne of Judicature prescribing what is good and forbidding what is bad A man I say if I may call him so that is drown'd in drink wanting the eye of Reason and the light of Gods Spirit both which he hath put out by his excessive liquor taken in such a one is the fittest agent for the Devil to work by he is now ready to act and attempt any sin or wickedness be it the sin of Cain or Absalom the killing of a Brother Father or Mother now he Sweares and Blasphemes who in his right wits and sober mood seems to be more Modest Chaste and Devoute And oft-times it so falls out by the just Judgement of God withdrawing his grace from those who are accustom'd to this Vice that the Oathes which fell from their tongues when they were drunk stick in their teeth when they are sober Thus one sin becomes the cause of another thus Swering for the most part accompanies and followes Drunkennesse They are two Sister-Vices whose Mother is our own corrupt nature the Devil their Father They like Hippocrates his twinns are born and live and die together they go as we say hand in hand and seldom part asunder Beware therefore of Drunkennesse Eph. 5.1 1 Pet. 2.21 and shew thy self alwaies a follower of
Soul and Body therefore God must be served by all The Heart or Soul must not say to the Hands Serve ye Him for the Heart must be like that of the blessed Virgin Luke 1.46 it must by thanksgiving magnifie the Lord and rejoyce with faith and love in God its Saviour Neither must the Hands say to the Eyes Serve ye Him for the hands must be ever stretched out to God in Prayer as David witnesseth his were Psal 88.9 and extended often by a liberal contribution to the poor Neither must the Eyes say unto the Feet Serve ye Him for they must be ever looking towards the Lord as the Prophet Davids were Psal 25.15 Psal 121.1.123.1 2.141.8 Neither must the Eares say unto the Tongue Serve thou Him for they must be presented or offer'd unto God in Sacrifice and they are then offered by thee when thou canst say with Samuel Speake Lord for thy servant heareth 1 Sam. 3.9 thereby testifying thy willing obedience and chearful attention to his holy Word either read in private or publickly preached As the Lord looks down from Heaven Speculator adest desuper Qui nos diebus omnibus Actusque nostros prospicit A luce primâ ad vesperam Prudent Psal 14.2 and his eyes are over the Righteous the eye of his Mercy and the eye of his Providence to protect their persons and to help them in their distresse and as his Eares are open to their Prayers so the eyes of the Righteous must ever look up to Heaven and their eares never be stopped but alwaies open to Gods Commands in his Word published by the voice of his Ministers Neither lastly must the Feet say to the rest of the Members God has no need of us for these too must be offer'd up to God as a lively Sacrifice Psal 1.1 by not standing in the way of sinners i. e. by not frequenting of scandalous and base houses but carrying thee to Church to the Congregation of Gods Saints so oft as thou art able and the Lawes of the Church require Then mayest thou truly say with the Prophet David Psal 26.12 My foot standeth right i. e. I have not wilfully swerved from the path of Gods Commandements in the Congregation I will praise the Lord. This is done by the Tongue which amidst the other Members of the body must not be defective or wanting to its service and duty being the onely and chief Instrument ordain'd by God to celebrate his Name to set forth his Glory and to proclaim his Praise And it discharges this Office when it expresseth and publisheth with joyful lips the goodness and greatness of its Maker for Spirituall and Corporall for Temporall and Eternall all undeserved Mercies When the Tongue ceases to do this it is then peccant and deficient in its proper and prime Office Et infans sit necesse est qui divina proloqui non potest Lactant. l. 4 c. 26. isque verè elinguis mutus est habendus ut sit omnium disertissimus And he is to be reputed a meer infant in Religion whose chief discourse is not of God and of his glorious works of Creation and Providence and may be said to be Dumb and Speechless although in a Worldly respect he hath a most Eloquent Tongue and polite language That then thou mayest praise God with thy Tongue and abstain wholly from profaning his glorious Name this shall be my last prescript for thy Tongues Diet wherewith I shall conclude and whereby thou mayest if thou strictly observest it put an end to thy inveterate and foul Custom of Swearing It is onely this Speak not much use not many words in thy daily and ordinary discourse Hippocr Aphor. 8. Sect. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I remember that Hippocrates in his Aphorisms reckons this amongst his many fatall or infallible signs of Death if the sick party having lost his hearing and understanding prattleth and talketh he knows not what And truly we may conclude that man to be void of the life of grace i. e. to want the knowledge and fear of God who like to those Psal 12.4 assumes to himself a bold Liberty of speaking when he lists and what he pleases behaving himself in the mean time like one that is deaf when he should modestly yield turns of Speech to those that are wiser and more able for discourse Let me bespeak such a Battus or Babler in the words of a wise Counsellor famous for his Christian-like Resolves Go to the Crane thou Prater read her Story and let her inform thee who flying out of Sicily puts little stones in her mouth or beak lest by her own obstreperousness she bewray her self and become a prey to the Eagles of mount Taurus the which by this kind of policy she flyes over with safety * Hence is that saying of the Jews 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si locutio argentum silentium Aurum Buxtorf Silence every where or in all places is a mans safeguard and a sure fence not to be broke through either by envy or malice As to speak too much argues folly and too little an unperceiving or dull stupidity so it is Wisdoms proper Character in discourse to be free from babling garrulity A worthy act hath he done who hath learn'd to bridle his Tongue and surely much evil and mischief hath he prevented who knows rightly where to speak and where to be silent Lib. 2. c. 20. Ruffinus records of Apollinaris Bishop of Laodicea who gloried in the quickness of his wit and delighted to contradict every thing that he heard that at last through much contention of strife of words he turned Heretick Ex contentione haeresin generavit True is that of the Wise man Prov. 10.19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin but he that refraineth his lips is wise For a wise man will hold his tongue till he see an opportunity Ecclus. 20.7 and when he opens his mouth it shall be to some purpose and sparingly If we talk with fools many words are too much if with a wise man a few are enough Verbum Sapienti it is a common rule Non multis opus est verbis sed paucis efficacibus it is Seneca's advice in one of his Epistles There is no use of many words Lib. 5. Epist 38. Ep. but of those rather which are few and efficacious which are good as the Apostle speaks to the use of edifying Eph. 4.25 and may minister grace to the hearers or conduce to their progress or encrease in Piety and Goodness The heart of fools is in their mouth Ecclus 21.26 but the mouth of the wise is in their heart saies that wise son of Sirach Fools when they open their mouths to speak they pour out all that is hid in the inward corners or remote recesses of their hearts But a wise man utters nothing from his mouth but what out of a mature Judgment he hath concluded and determined fit to be