confirm the account by relating from whom they heard the odious tale. Thus a hundred or a thousand make themselves partakers in the guilt of the first lie, and of all the scandal that flows from the fabrication. But it is not merely when circulating falsehood, that the guilt of scandal is incurred: it is incurred to a dreadful extent, by persons who circulate what may be substantially correct. The backbiter pleads in excuse for his mischievous conduct, "The account I give is true." It may be so; but it is not all the truth, or it is truth misrepresented, or it is truth which he has no business to repeat.

It is not all the truth. Perhaps a brother has fallen into sin. The slanderer hears of it, and away he goes, and like a trusty messenger, bears the news through the whole circle of his acquaintance. It is true that the sin has been committed; but there are perhaps circumstances connected with it, which so far extenuate the guilt, as to call for pity to the of fender rather than the severity of censure. All these circumstances however the slanderer takes care to omit. Perhaps the offender fell the victim of a temptation so sudden and so strong, that, thus tempted, his slanderer would have fallen into crimes ten times as great; but of this the slanderer says nothing. Perhaps he has deeply and bitterly repented of his momentary error; but of this the backbiter too is silent. He tells not half the truth.

The backbiter pleads, "The account is true." Yes, but it is truth misrepresented. Perhaps a Christian provoked and irritated, has uttered some harsh and hasty expression respecting another Christian, whom in his cooler moments he esteems and loves. The backbiter hears it, and away he goes to the person against whom these harsh words were directed, and tells him what his friend has said; but he does not tell him that these words were merely uttered in an unguarded moment, and lamented or retracted almost as soon as spoken. All this, and every thing else which would show the harsh words not deserving of a moment's notice, he omits. He sows strife and discord, and leaves the persons to whom he bears his tales, to esteem a real friend a cool and deliberate enemy.

Or if all be true, he is still a backbiter; for it is truth which he has no business to repeat; and which he would not repeat in the hearing of the person concerned. The word of God

by no means represents the guilt of scandal, as consisting exclusively or principally in lying. Whether the statement be true or false, if it be calculated to injure the reputation or comfort of another, he who circulates it, except only in cases where duty requires the disclosure, is a backbiter. There are cases indeed, in which a disclosure of what is thus known or heard becomes a duty. Thus, to disclose to a parent the misconduct of a child, may be of high importance. Regard to the honour of religion, and concern for the welfare of a fallen brother, frequently render it the duty of one member of a Christian church, to disclose the criminal conduct of another: but such disclosure should not be made indiscriminately, but to some whose office it is to see that Christian discipline and order are regarded; and disorderly conduct is checked by due reproof. The common practice of spreading a brother's or a sister's shame, by telling his fault to any or every member of a Christian society, is a flagrant sin; frequently far worse than the crime it discloses. All the guilt of scandal and backbiting attaches to this shameful practice.

There is another common kind of scandal, in which less is said, but frequently more mischief done. The persons guilty of it, are justly denominated whisperers. By half sentences, sly insinuations, and affected silence, they disclose the malicious feelings of their hearts; and frequently convey ideas more false and unfavourable respecting the person they dislike, than would be suggested by the open slanderer.

It should be considered, that they who encourage talebearers by listening to them, really become partakers of their sins. Were slanderers universally spurned as un worthy of notice, who would be a slanderer? but when a tale-bearer's accounts are readily received, though he who hears them may not circulate them, yet by hearkening to them he inspires the slanderer with fresh confidence, and prepares him more readily to go and repeat them elsewhere.

One short rule well observed will save you from an immense mass of sin: it is merely, when you can say no good of any one, unless duty requires you to speak, say nothing. To impress you with the abhorrence of this most common, yet odious and mischievous, sin, consider,

That the tattler is always a liar. They who live in the habit of tale-bearing, are sure with some truths to utter many

falsehoods. Consequently, all that is odious in lying should impress you with the evils of backbiting.

or murder.

Backbiting is as expressly forbidden by God as adultery
"Let evil-speaking be put away from you, with
Speak evil of no man.'
Backbiting is the source of innumerable evils.

all malice."" 66

"A whisperer separateth chief friends."" "The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds."* "Where there is no tale-bearer the strife ceaseth."y Individuals, families, and churches have been ruined by scandal. Wars have been kindled, nations desolated, and myriads murdered, through tale-bearing.

Tale-bearing and backbiting are peculiarly the sin of those who have lost the power of religion, and are perishing in their iniquity. Thus the Holy Spirit describes some backsliders as "having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith ;" and adds, "and withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busy-bodies, speaking things which they ought not."z

ranked in the Scriptures In the first chapter of the the dreadful picture of the "Filled with all unright

Backbiting is a sin which is with the most atrocious crimes. Romans, it is a conspicuous line in wickedness of an apostate world. eousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; WHISPERERS BITERS, haters of God."a

and s is a sin of a diabolical description. A Chrisof hel der the influence of a religious feeling, can take n hearing or in circulating evil. Where pleasure is sound in hearing of iniquity, or in publishing a brother's shame, the heart must plainly be under the influence of malice, or envy, or resentment, or some disposition akin to that of devils, who take delight in sin. In the epistle to Titus, aged women are cautioned against being false accusers. The original is more impressive: it is me diabolous-not devils. The passage may suggest, that none approach nearer the likeness of devils than backbiters; and none so like him as professors of religion that are back biters. This infernal dispo-. sition of slanderers is frequently seen, in the manner in which (u) Eph. iv. 31. (v) Tit. iii. 2. (w) Prov. xvi. 28.

(y) Prov. xxvi. 20.

(z) 1 Tim. v. 12, 13.
(b) Titus ii. 3.

(x) Prov. xviii. 8, (a) Rom. i. 29-31.

they attack persons most eminent for piety and usefulness. Baxter was represented as a murderer, Doddridge as unjust and time-serving, Whitfield as all that was vile. Even their Lord was represented by slanderers as a glutton and drunkard. This infernal disposition still exists. There are professors of religion who will represent the principal agents in our Bible and Missionary Societies, who are sacrificing time, property, ease, and perhaps health and life, to the diffusion of religion, as designing, self-interested men, whose object is to finger some of the money that passes through their hands. Do not such persons show the disposition of him who was the accuser of Job? Is there not reason to warn them to be not-devils?

§ 12. Besides those sins of the tongue which have been mentioned, there is another against which the Christian should watch with peculiar care. It is profaneness. By this is not here meant the profaneness of the swearer or of the blasphemer, but the light and irreverent use of the name of God in common conversation, and more especially in professed devotion. It is indeed to be hoped, that of those who profess religion, few will profane that venerable name by such irreverent expressions as, Good God! O Lord! Lord have mercy on my soul! and expressions like these, lightly uttered in common discourse. But how often in professed prayer, both public and private, and in singing, is that holy name profaned; when God is addressed with solemn sounds upor so to thoughtless tongue.

ind the This so common sin is a great sin, as it is a he is c lation of the third commandment, "Thou shalt name of the Lord thy God in vain.”

It is a sin which, if indulged in, subjects the sinner to the dreadful charge of hypocrisy. Thus the blessed Jesus described those, who, when he dwelt upon earth, lived in its indulgence, "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." ." It is a sin that deprives the soul of the blessings devotion would obtain, and would render those hours which should be your best hours, your most wicked and your worst.

13. The immense multitude of sins which an ungoverned

164

AN UNGOVERNED TONGUE.

tongue commits, is a reason for watchful care. It has been truly observed, that "the tongue is a most convenient instrument of iniquity, always ready for use. The sins of the tongue are perpetrated with ease and delight, every day, and in every place where even a solitary individual can be found to listen. Hence transgressions of this kind are multiplied wonderfully. The thief steals, and the cheat defrauds, occasionally only; but the slanderer will slander every day." The formal worshipper will every day, and perhaps several times in the day, insult his God by the mockery of prayer. The careless singer frequently every sabbath, and perhaps often in the week, mocks the Most High.

Above all is the importance of mortifying the sins of the tongue, inculcated in the awful description given in the word of God, of an ungoverned tongue. It is wilder than the most savage and murderous beasts. "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame." Nothing short of divine power can bring it into due subjection. It is venomous as the most venomous serpent. "It is an unruly evil," evil as it were in its essence, "full of deadly poison,' "The poison of asps is under their lips." It is like fire, when properly managed, highly beneficial; but when no longer under restraint, most terrible and destructive. The tongue is a fire, and not merely iniquitous, but a world of miquity. "It defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."h How awful a description! How awful the last idea in ti! set on fire of hell. Hell inflames the reviler; instigates the slanderer; prompts the liar. Dreadful thought! Let none imagine the daily and countless sins of the tongue inconsiderable sins; while poisonous as asps, they diffuse their deadly venom, and defile the whole body; and destructive as fire, kindled by hell itself, they destroy the immortal soul, and spread desolation, and misery, and woe.

§ 14. There is one sin, which it may be thought almost ridiculous to name, and which perhaps, for that very reason, has more need of being mentioned. It is the sin of consulting persons that profess to foretell future events. I have

* Dwight.

(e) James iii. 7, 8. () James iii. 8.

(g) Rom. iii. 13.

(h) James iii. 6.