world of opportunity. It is not necessary for anyone to be idle. Something for everybody to do. Kind words are to be spoken, the hungry are to be fed, the naked are to be clothed, the sick and those in prison are to be visited, if we expect to stand at the last day among those to whom it will be said, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world." Matt. 25: 34. Those and those only who have done something for the least of Christ's disciples will stand in that great company. While those who have done nothing will stand on the left hand and hear the awful denunciation, "Depart, for I never knew you." Those who go out looking for those who are going down hill will be the ones who will ascend to the highest heights of joy in the beautiful city of God, to walk the golden streets and play upon golden harps the songs of redemption through a never-ending eternity. The highest joy we have ever imagined will be to realize in that bright city that we helped some one that was going down hill.

Go and see who you can find
Needing your help to-day,
And with a willing mind
Lead them in the upward way.

CHAPTER II.

THE UNRULY MEMBER.

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. St. James 3: 8.

THE beasts of the forest and the fowls of the air, although wild in their nature, have been tamed by man, but the human tongue no man can tame. It is beyond the power of man to tame it, but not beyond the power of God. But with God all things are possible. Matt. 19: 26. Some wonderful things have happened as the result of the tongue being untamed. Before proceeding to discuss the evils of the wrong use of the tongue, we will take the liberty to say that it is an essential member of man's body, who is fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalms 139: 14. Without the use of the tongue man would be powerless to perform many things that are required of him. With the tongue we can speak the truth and sing the praises of God. We think that perhaps the tongue holds the highest office of any member of the human body. The possibilities of the tongue are very great, either for good or evil. When the tongue is tamed by him who created it, it is the instrument for great good. When untamed, it is an instrument for great evil. Therefore, to have the tongue tamed is a matter of vital importance to ourselves and those with whom we associate. More mischief has been done, more unholy fires have been kindled by an improper use of

the tongue than any other one thing that can be mentioned. In view of this fact we cannot be too careful to make every possible sacrifice to have the tongue tamed. How can it be tamed? Not by man, for the text declares that no man can tame it. There are many things man cannot do that God can do. Every man that has ever tried it has demonstrated the truth under consideration. Did you ever try by your own skill or reason to tame the tongue of an angry man or woman? We have an account of the fact that the great and reverend Charles H. Spurgeon once tried his skill to stop an old woman's tongue from wagging like a lamb's tail when sucking, and he with all his wisdom failed because she refused to take his prescribed remedy. It is said of Spurgeon that he dressed plainly and to suit his own comfort and convenience. An old lady who was a member of his church, and like many of the good sisters of the present day, talked about the style of her pastor's dress. His coat tail was too long to suit her fancy. She went so far as to tell him to his face that his coat was too long, and he said, "Well, my dear sister, you take the shears and trim it to your own fancy." He stood like a sheep dumb before his shearer while the work was done. When she was through he said to her, "Now, my dear sister, I really think you need a little trimming. Will you let me shear you?" She consented before understanding what he really meant, and he said, "Poke out your tongue, please." In consequence of her failing to accept the proposition he failed to tame her tongue.

All along down the line of human history men

have failed. While men have failed and men and women's tongues have continued to clatter, there is a power that can tame the tongue. The tongue is like a wheel that is turned by waterpower. It goes around in the right or wrong way according to the fountain that is moving it. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Matt. 12:34. The reason that men cannot tame the tongue is because they cannot make men's hearts right. That work belongs to God and God alone. When the heart is corrupt the tongue will speak corrupt things, and when the heart is right the tongue will speak right things. You will remember that Jesus said, "A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, neither can a good tree bring forth evil fruit." Matt. 7; 18. The stream is the same nature of the fountain. "By thy words thou shalt be judged." Matt. 12: 37. We will be judged by our words because our words are an expression of the heart. When we hear men using blasphemy and vulgarity, we are naturally impressed with the fact that the profanity and vulgarity is in the heart, else it would not be spoken by the tongue. When the tongue is put into motion by the fountain and power of iniquity it is perhaps the greatest instrument in all the world for the accomplishment of evil; but when actuated by the right spirit it is doubtless the greatest instrument for good that we possess.

It is said that once a certain nobleman commanded his servant to go out and procure the best thing that could be found on the market and place it on the table. The servant with an obedient step went out and brought back a lot of tongues and prepared them for

dinner. The next day he commanded the servant to go out and procure the worst thing the market contained, and he returned with another lot of tongues and placed them upon the table in an unprepared state, demonstrating the fact the tongue is the best and the worst according to the way it is prepared for use. The tongue untamed writes many words that the hand cannot obliterate. We naturally suppose, judging from an experimental standpoint, that we have made more mistakes and produced more confusion by allowing our tongues to run without the proper motive power behind them than from any other one source. Perhaps nearly all the confusion that arises, from the children. on the playground at school to the great wars between nations, is the improper use of the tongue speaking the wrong thing at the wrong time and in the wrong way. Reader, were you ever in a difficulty on the playground at school? If you say yes, I will next ask you what caused it. Your answer will be, somebody said something I did not like; somebody told a falsehood. Did you ever see or know of a difficulty among neighbors? Yes. What was the cause? The wrong use of somebody's tongue. Men whose tongues are set on the fire of hell are the ones who stir up strife and cause war between nations.

If all the evil that has been produced by the wrong use of the tongue could be fully realized it would cause many of our race to blush with shame and cry for mercy. What is God's law with regard to the use of the tongue? "Speak evil of no man," is the language of inspiration and the best rule in the universe by which the tongue should be governed.