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A42543 A bridle for the tongue, or, A treatise of ten sins of the tongue ... shewing the nature of these sins ... with the causes and aggravations of them, and remedyes against them : together with many considerations, rules, and helps for the right ordering of the tongue ... / by William Gearing ... Gearing, William. 1663 (1663) Wing G432; ESTC R8445 179,256 504

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sometime useful and excellent such speeches as are according to the rules of Art which are laid down in Rhetorique which delivereth rules of elegant speech and what is according to Art must needs be lawful useful and commendable 1. Because the Arts are gathered out of the creatures by the wisdom of God which is in the creatures or from the divers actions and affections of the creatures working according to the severa ends they are directed unto which ends are good as may appear by the examination of particular Arts as Logick natural Philosophy Astronomy c. This elegant kind of speaking God hath given to some men more then others according to the wisdom and passionateness of affection bestowed on them indeed this kind of speech is the most excellent of all other and we shall observe that the most lofty writings of the Scriptures are written in this stile as the book of the Canticles is a continual Allegory and why was David called the swee-singer of Israel was it not for that the Psalms of all other Scriptures are most full of Metaphors Allegories Hyperbolies c. So the Songs that are in Scripture and the Books of the Prophets do abound with these figurative sentences 2 Because the Arts do not contradict each other for what is true in one Art is not falsifyed by another Art and what is true in Logick Grammar c. is not false in Rhetorick or Theology 3. All Arts are subservient to Divinty She is the Mistriss the rest are the handmaids therefore this is to be noted that we are not alwayes bound to strict propriety of speech but have liberty allowed us out of the word of God to adorn our speeches with figurative sentences He is rightly eloquent saith Cicero who observing a decorum and tempering his stile according to his person can speak fitly fully and fluently of all things temperately of mean things and weightily of matters of importance As for prolixity and shortness of speech either may be used commendably in their time as Mariners sometime sail with large spread and sometime with narrower gathered sails we should affect rather to be great doers then great speakers It is said of our Saviour he began first to do and after to teach Act. 1.1 Didac Stell de contemp mundi It is a monstrous thing for a man to have his tongue larger then his hand God hath made the tongue of man less then his hand and closed it up in his mouth teaching him thereby to use but few words and many deeds speak little and do much and Solomon tells us that in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin Prov. 10.19 Emyssen saith there is as much difference between saying and doing as between leaves and fruit He that sayes onely is like the Figtree in the Gospel which brought forth leaves only He that doth also is like Aarons rod which brought forth blossoms and Almonds Blossoms as leaves and Almonds as fruits that man only knoweth to speak well that hath learnt to do well The Scripture mentioneth three Tongues which are in every well disposed man 1. The tongue of the heart loqui veritatem in corde suo for a man to speak the truth in his heart Psal 15.2 2. The tongue of the mouth non agere dolum in lingua sua ver 3. 3. The tongue of our works the works which I do saith Christ they bear witness of me Joh. 10.25 God little regardeth words without works for he is not as Mercury to whom Tongues only are offer'd in Sacrifice Better it is with the Lacedemonians to do well then with the Athenians to speak well Yet the speaking little so much commended in Scripture is not to be understood of few words only but that we should not speak many unprofitable words for in matters of speech the quality not the quantity is to be regarded but the two extreams are to be shunned for too much to play the sullen refusing to contribute to familiar discourse in good company seemeth to have a distast or a disdain so to talk alwaies not affording any opportunity to others to speak savoureth of vain glory and vanity Multa non multum Multa dicendo nihil dicunt August so that Balaams Ass spake more to the purpose then such men do Speech is often like unto coyn which passeth for currant not in regard of the mettall only but of the stamp that is set upon it Now the designe of this Treatise which I humbly dedicate to your honours is to set forth the evils of the Tongue and more particularly of ten sins of the Tongue to shew the nature of those sins the several branches the mischiefs and aggravations of them with remedyes against them whereunto I have added divers considerations rules and helps for the government of the tongue shewing also wherein the right ordering of the Tongue consisteth all which is fitted to the times as the ingenuous Reader will well discern Right Honourable I Have made bold to send this slender Treatise into the world under your honours name and patronage which I have presumed to do understanding the goodness of your dispositions to be such that I cannot in the least doubt but that you will pardon my boldness and cherish this small spark and evidence of my unfeigned affection to your Honours My Lord Judges and Magistrates are fingers of that great hand that governeth the world the Gods of the earth to be dispensers of Gods mercy to good men and executioners of his judgements upon evil-doers Compassion is the handle Justice the edge and Mercy the point of the Magistrates sword the Magistrate is a common servant for the common good and wealth of all and he is a happy man indeed that liveth least for his own and most for the good of others it is the right use of authority when Governours respect not their own ends in publique actions nor wear the sword of Justice in their own sheath as I hear your Lordship doth not Whereas many in high places make Tacitus their Gospel studying Lucian more than the old Testament and Macchiavel then the New your Lordship knows that there is no Nobility like to the New-birth in Christ no Beauty like to the beauty of the Daughter of Sion who is all glorious within no Honour to the Service of God no Glory to the Cross of Christ no Gain like Godliness no Treasure to that which is laid up in Heaven no cloathing to the righteousness of Christ no Ornament to the ornament of Humility and Meekness no Crown to that of Immortality no kingdom to the Conquest of our Selves no Learning to the knowledge of Christ no Wisdom to that of the Spirit no Joy to that of a good conscience no Life to a Heavenly conversation The Lord grant that you may alwayes account it to be more honour to you to be a servant of God then a Judge over men as Theodosius the Emperour esteemed it more honour to be
all your reproaches shall be wiped off from them St. Paul 1 Cor. 6.2 would have all men consider what an honor God reserveth for his people at that day know ye not that the Saints shall judge the world Christ is the great Judge himself to him the Father hath given the power of judging and He will first absolve the people of God and then they shall sit upon his Throne with him and shall approve the sentence against all wicked men and shall glorify the Lord for it as the whole Bench at the Assizes approve the Sentence that the Judge gives upon the Malefactors Consider then it is a sin of a very high nature for you to take liberty thus to slander the people of God see the great honour that is reserved for the Saints Psal 149.5 ad finem Let the Saints be joyful in glory c. Let the high prayses of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands to bind their Kings with chains and their Nobles with fetters of iron to execute upon them the judgement written This honour have all his Saints at the last day there shall be as much difference between a child of God and a great worldly Tyrant as there is between a poor prisoner at the Bar now and his Judge upon the Bench. 4. As in speaking against them you speak againg God so herein you are found to be blasphemers of the spirit of God in them 1 Pet. 4.14 it is He that is evil spoken of on your part when ye reproach the people of God for the name of Christ the Apostle sets it down as an encouragement to the people of God not to fear any reproach that is cast upon them by the wicked for saith he while ye are thus reproached if you walk answerable to your Profession you glorify the spirit but those that speak evil of you do blaspheme the spirit and can you speak evil of the spirit of God and yet have the spirit and having not the spirit of Christ ye are none of his 5. Consider the punishment of Dives or the rich glutton in Hell not a drop of water allowed him to cool the tip of his tongue Luk. 16. and as some Divines observe it was because he had let his tongue loose so unto this sin of evil-speaking against Gods people he fared deliciously every day and cared not for a poor child of God and most commonly prophane feasts are made up with mad mirth taunts and reproaches against the people of God But sometimes it so comes to pass that they that reproach Christ his wayes and people do themselves become an object of reproach and contempt to others even in this world as one writeth of the Emperour Charles the fifth Convitiis Christum oppugnans fraudibus ingens Regum ille terror Carolus Ipsis ridiculus pueris furiosus excors Totus repente corruit While Charles that terror of Kings subtilly and reproachfully fighteth against Christ and his Members being driven out of Germany by Maurice Duke of Saxony he lies distracted in a Monastery and becomes ridiculous to children crying out often of Metz and Maurice of Maurice which had beaten him and Metz which he had lost 6. Reproachers and slanderers of Gods people shall be shut out of Heaven at the last day God will then say to such as unto Miriam How were you not afraid to speak against my servant Numb 12.8 If David would not admit a slanderer into his house Psal 101.5 much less will God admit any such to come into his glorious Kingdom But some are ready to say Object we do not speak against such and such men because they be Saints or righteous or the people of God but formalists and hypocrites Resp But to such I answer How dare you to judge them and pass sentence against them as hypocrites and such like oh know it is against Religion you speak else why make you more adoe about the miscarriages of such then of your own companions you conceal the same and worse actions in your selves and in your own companions and agree well enough and take no notice at all of them but if one that looketh after the wayes of God fail never so little he is the object of your reproach 2. As for the Vertues and Graces which are eminent in them and worthy of commendation and imitation from you you conceal them and leave them unspoken of but if you espy the least vice or imperfection in them you presently reproach them for it as notorious hypocrites and in this respect a Slanderer may be compared to a Swine that coming into a Garden where he seeth sweet Flowers and stinking ordure neglecteth the Flowers and runs presently to the Dung or to him that snuffeth a candle with his bare fingers for although his fingers be defiled thereby yet the candle gives the clearer light even so he that traduceth the vertuous defileth his own conscience but maketh him a great deal the more glorious 3. How comes it to pass that your hearts rise against those that profess Religion and own the ways of God meerly because they do so and because they go not on with you in sinful wayes and open prophanesse for if they did so you would hide their sins as your own this cleerly sheweth the ground of your hatred and malice is because of Religion 4. When you speak evil of Gods wayes and of all the people of God because of the miscarriages of some that make profession of Religion this plainly sheweth that it is from an enmity against the wayes of God and Godliness far be it from me to plead for or to uphold any men in any miscarriages that own the profession of Religion but I desire men would in the fear of God take heed of this sin lest they be found speakes against God himself there is more danger in this sin then men imagine for it is so cross to true Grace that the guilt of this sin may justly question whether a man hath any true grace or not See the title that the Lord giveth to such men Isai 57.3 Draw neer hither ye sons of the sorceresse the seed of the Adulterer and the Whore they were of those spurious Israelites that seemed to be Religious but were not so in truth now see their sin ver 4. Against whom do ye sport your selves against whom make ye a wide mouth and draw out the tongue Consider how unbeseeming to Religion this is it being the very same sin that we are speaking of SECT 6 Of the causes of slandering others in general and of the people of God in special NOw the general and ordinary causes for which men slander and speak evil one of another are these 1. Out of a desire to avenge themselves of such as have done them wrong or whom they suppose to have done them wrong and when they cannot avenge themselves otherwise they will smite their Neighbour with a slanderous tongue 2.