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The confequences of a backbiting tongue are frequently very dreadful. It rarely fails to be a peace breaker; it ftirs up envy and revenge; fets neighbour again t neighbour, and brother a gainst brother. When a perfon is reproached he often is tempted to exert all the power of malicious invention to retort the injury. It has brought on diels, blood hed and murder. Many chur ches and focieties have been totally ruined hereby. Many fightings, and defolating wars, hath it produced. It has def. troyed kingdoms and scattered nations. And what is worst of all, it has funk thoufands and tens of thousands of fouls to hell.

A few directions to caution us against this atrocious vice fhall conclude this difcourfe.

First, let us maintain a life of brotherly love. Love your neighbour as yourself. He who obferves this rule will never be guilty of this offence. No man will reproach or speak evil of himself. When we are tempted to this fin, let us put our felves in the place of the perfon whom we would backbite, and afk ourfelves, whether we would be well pleafed, if another fhould talk in the fame manner of us. This conduct would

prove a fovereign antidote again ft this evil.

Secondly, let us watch narrowly whether intereft or paffion does not influence us to speak against our neighbour. Selfish nefs will prompt us to commit this fin, and difpole us to juftify our iniquity. Let us guard against selfishness as a dangerous thing, and the fource of innumerable mifchiefs.

Thirdly, let us ever bear upon our minds an habitual fenfe of the malignant, and dangerous nature of this impiety. It had a great hand in putting to death the Lord of glory. He was called a deceiver, a devil, a blasphemer, a friend of publicans and finners, therefore he was not fit to live; away with him; crucify him, crucify him. This had an high hand in the death of the apoitles; it ftyled them, peltilent fellows, movers

of fedition, turners of the world upfide down, &c. and thus contirbuted largely to their death. It has had a full part in the murder of all the martyrs in all ages. These things thould engage chriftians to avoid this abomination.

Fourthly, frown upon and difcountenance this fin in others, and it will be an excellent prefervative against it in yourselves. "As the North wind, faith Solomon, driveth away rain, fo “doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue." Better we never had tongues than employ them for fuch destructive purposes. "Whofbever privately flandereth his neighbour, him "will I cut off, faith the Lord.” "If any man among you "feemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, that "man's religion is vain." Wherefore let us all be exhorted to avoid this evil of backbiting as we would wish to escape hell, and to have the gates of heaven opened unto us.

SERMON XVIL

The Excellencies and Evils of the Tongue.

James, iii. 6. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity ; ja is the tongue among ft the members, that it defileth the whole body, and fetteth on fire the course of nature, and it is fet on fire of belt.

HERE is an awful description of an unruly and ungoverned tongue. St. James in this epiftle fets himself to correct ma. ny evils which had taken place among the chriftians to whom he wrote, and for the instruction of the churches in all future ages. Some in these early days had imbibed the fatal error, that if they had but faith, they might indulge themselves in the most licentious practices. Therefore the apoftle having corrected various vices in the preceding chapters, comes in this to reprove the fins of the tongue. He propofes, the exceeding great difficulty of bridling this unruly member. Hence he declares, that he who offendeth not in word is a perfect man and able to bridle the whole body. As if he had faid, the perfon who can govern this member, can eafily govern all others. This truth he illuftrates by two fimilitudes. By the fmall bits in a horfe's mouth we turn his whole body and ren

der him obedient to our will; fo he that ruleth his tongué holds all his other members in fubjection.-" Behold also the "fhips, which, tho' they be fo great, and driven of fierce winds, "yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whitherfoever the governor lifteth." As the helm governs the ship, altho' toffed by tumultuous waves, so a well bridled tongue eafily governs the whole body. These small things can per form great matters, fo the tongue is capable of accomplishing mighty deeds, both good and bad.

Having spoken of the great power of this little member, he then proceeds to show the mischievous evils, it produces, when ungoverned. "Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth." A small spark blows up a magazine or confumes a city. Thus this little member, the tongue, often throws a parish, a town, or a whole nation into flames.-Then the apoftle introduces an hideous picture of the tongue in the words of our text." And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; fo is the "tongue amongst the members, that it defileth the whole body, " and fetteth on fire the courfe of nature, and is fet on fire of "hell." The images here are bold and the coloring ftrong. A lecture upon fuch a disagreeable portrait can never be very pleafing to speaker or hearer; yet it is neceffary at times for our edification and reformation, to attend to fubjects that are rather grating than acceptable.

First he tells us "the tongue is a fire." The iffues resemble this furious element in many particulars. A fmall fpark will kindle much fuel, fo this little member can do much mischief. A raging fire is ungovernable, fo is this. Fire bears away all before it with its destructive flames, fo likewife this. Fire is very useful when confined to its proper place, fo the tongue is a most important member, when held under proper regu lations.

Secondly, it is "a world of iniquity." This may admit of two conftructions. Either that it inflames an unhappy world Elled with iniquity. Or the tongue itfelf is a world of fin. As the world is a collection of natural bodies, fo the tongue is an aggregate of evils.

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Thirdly, "fo is the tongue among the members that it defileth the whole body." It infecteth the whole man with fin. often the cause of fins being committed by the other members. Tho' fin has its origin in the foul, yet it extends through the whole man, therefore the foul and body is morally pollu. ted.

Again, "it fetteth on fire the courfe of nature." By the course of nature is understood the tenor of a perfon's li e. This is all impregnated and inflamed with iniquity. There is no ftate nor age free from the evils of the tongue. Some vices are abated by age, but thefe often reach through the whole time of aman's life.

Laftly, "it is fet on fire of hell." This expreffion is full of horror. Must fire be brought from the infernal furnace to enkindle the tongue for the deftruction of the fouls and bodies of men? An unbridled tongue is fet on fire of hell, and Satan blows up the flame. How mould all then fet a watch before the door of their lips? The more unruly this member, the greater ought to be our exertions for its government. The more mifchief it is apt to create, the more it fhould be watched and restrained within proper limits. Before we proceed further to be particular in confidering the evils of the tongue, we may take a brief view of its excellencies, the ends for which it was given, and the duties of it.

Fira, in regard to its excellency. I fhall not speak of that which is natural, which we hold in common with the brutes, but of that which is moral. The tongue of man is his glory

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