· of the Tongue. 441 vnlelfe i~be v'pon a weightic and iull occa!i· !\ on, fo as we may pbioely fee that glory will rodound to him thereby: aut:! for tlus caufe the third commandement · wa~ giuen , that men mightnortak! vpthenamecfGtJdinvaine~ E:.od.zo.J. rhatis,ralhly and lightly. And therof6te lamentable and fearefull is the practife euery where. For it'isa eo,mon thing with men to begin theirfpeech; and to place titles of Gods molt high maielHe in the fore-front a! moll ofeuery fontencc,by faying, 0 Lord! 0 God!OgoodGod! Omercifi•OGod! 0 le[m!0 Chrijf! &c. Ifam.mbe to fay any thing he will not fay,Yeo,or 1\0y;but,OLord yea: or, 0 Lordnay. 1 fa man oc:e to reprooue his inferiour,he will prefently fay,0Lordh•~e B mercie DnVI, what aflowback,artthou? wh«t a lieu thu, &c. An earthly Prince, ifhe lhould haue his name fO ro!fed io our mouthes ateuery word, wouldAeucr beare it., and how fhall rhecuer·liuiog God fufforit? nay howcan he fufforit I I fay no more, but thou with thy felfe rhinke how : for in the third comman dementthe punilhrncnr is fer downe ~That he will not holdhim gt~i!tl•ffi that tnk!th hu nttme in vaWie. And the Angels in rouerence to Gods maielliecouertheirfaces, !fo. 6••• Coocerningour neighbour, we are to con– fider whether the thing which we are about to fpeake, begood or euill. This being weighed, if it be good, and fo commendable,then we are readily and cheer- C fully,& thatvpon euery occa!ion tovtter it, efpecially inhis abfence,whether he befriend ora foe: as S.lohn w dcerh ofDtmttrim, Dej.loh, 13 , 11Utriru(faithhe) h•thgoodreport ifallmm,Md Q{the tmth itfllfo: ye11, andwee ourfilue.r beare record, andyek,.notv thttt oHr teflimon~ iJ trHe. As for the euill which auy !hall know by his neighbour,he is in no wife to fpeakeofit, whe– ther itbe an iufitmirie or agroffe Gnne, vnleae in his confcience he lhall finde himfelfecalled of God to fpeake. A man is called to (i>eake in three cafes : Firfl, when he is called before a MagiC!rate and is lawfi1lly required to tcllifie the euili whichhe knowerh by another. I[. When any is to admonilh his brother of any fault for his amendment. I I I. When the hurt or dao- 0 gcrrhat may arife ofthe euill is tobepreucn– red in others. As a man may f•y to one well difpofed,Take hecdeoffuch amans company: for he is giuen to fuch or ft1ch a vice. To thisend, they ofthehoMji ofCloedocer. tifiePaulof the difordcrs in Curh,h. And /o. c jiphcmified hu father if hu bmhrensforrmd:r. : 1 • or.J. In this cafe all rreafons are to be reuealedas Gen. 31. tending to the ruine of the whole coAlmon– •· . Wealth. Thus Elijba rtlleaies theJicret ifthe • Kmg. king ofSyra. 6 " 8 · And if it lhall'bee thought conuenient to !Jlemionthe euill which we knowbyany rn'an 1 lt mull be done onely in general! manner: the perfou, and all circumllanccs which willdef. cry tht:: pcrfon,concealed. Conccrniug things which are fecr~r in our neighbour, we are not to be fufpiriow~, but to fufpend both fpeech and iudgcmenr. Louefo.f– peftcth no etJill./udgenothing(fairh 'Pauljbifore the time, vnti/Jthe Lord come, who wiN lighten things thllt are hid indar~ne!Je, 4nd m41ze the counfi/s if the heart manifcft• .Augujlmc bath a good and fpeciall rule to this purpofe, that there be three things of which we mull giue no iudgcmcnt:Gods preddtination,thc Scrip– tures,and rhceltate ofmen vnralled. Asrouchinga mans felfe, bee is neithc~to praife nor difpraife himfclfe.As S•wmonfaith, Let another prllift thee 1 andnot thine ownemouth: 11j/raJ1ger,andnot thineowne Iippes. Yet other– whiles the times doe fall out that a man may vfe an holy kinde ofboalling, efpecially when the difgrJce of the perfoA is raedifgrace alfo· ofthe Gofpell, and ofreligion, and of Gtxl himfelfe: as 'Paul did. Butwherein(faith he, 2. Cor.r r ·21 .)anywillvfib,ldnejfe(IJPeak!fooltjh– ly) /wiN v_(e boidnes.Theyare Htbrcwes,foaml, &c. CHAp. II I. OfthemannerifourfPeech, and~VhAI mufi be done before we jpeak£. THus much ofthe matter of our fpeech : Now followeth the manner. In rhe man– ner ofour fpeaking threethings are to be pon– dered : what mufl: be don~ before we fpeake, whatin fpeaking1 what after we haue fpoken. Before we fpeake,conlideration muft bev– fed ofthe thing to be fpoken, and ofthe end. la11m requires thatmenjhouidbejl01'9 tojpeak.f, •ndfwifi to heare. Sawmon faith,He that anfive. reth amlltter btforehe he~tre it, it Ufolly r&- jh411U to him. The minde is the guide of the tongue: therfore men mullcon!ider befarethey fpeak. The tongue is the meffenger ofthe heart, and therefore as oft as we fpeake without medi· tCor. 13·1'· t Cor,4, 1• AIJg lib• 10-COn" f:!T.•J· Prou.t7. .. lam.J.J9 Pro~:~.ti. 'l· achry. foR horn ~:..ad pop. An• tiocb. ration going before, fo oft rhe meffenger runs without his arrond. The tongue is placed in the middleofthe mouth,' and it is e<>mpa!li:d in with lips and teerh as with adouble trench, to lhewvs,ltow to vfe heed and preconlidera– rion before we (i>eak•: and therfore it isgood aduife,to keepe the key ofthe mouth not in rhe moutb , but in the cupb&rd of the mouth. .Augujlinefaitb )<lell,thatas ineating and drin· king men make choifeofmeates: fo in mani- L 'b d fold fpeeches welhould makechoife ofralke•./ n:,.' & 0 Here arc condemned idle words, that is, gr.lt. fuch words as are fpokcn to little ornoend,or purpofe. And they are nor to be elleemed as little finnes, when as men {/,re togiP.eacroHnt of "''"J 1die wmi, Matth,tz.J6. CHAP. IV. What u to b,,&neiii{Peaking; and ofwifichme. VVHen we are in ~1eaking, two things are to be practifed: firU, care mufl: be had ofthe fpcech, th~t it beegrncio,u: fep p a condly,J
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