may be the lesse The last grace which is to be used in speech is care of our neighbours good name which is farre better to him then great riches Here is condemned the tale-bearer which of an euill mind telleth a thing of another to bring him into hatred or to reuenge himselfe or to get something which otherwise he could not obtaine This talebearing is of divers sortes One is when men whisper abroade secretly the fault of another whereas they shoulde rather admonish the partie as Cham when he had seene his fathers nakednesse ranne straight and tolde his breethren The second when they adde to or change the thing said or done as it serveth for their purpose Some of the witnesses which came against Christ charged him to say I will destroy this Temple which is made with hands and in three dayes builde another without handes Where first they chaunge his meaning for Christ spake of the temple of his bodie Secondly they adde to the wordes For Christ saide not I will destroy this temple but destroy yee this temple Therefore the Holy Ghost noteth them with the name of false witnesse bearers The thirde when men surmise and tell that which was never done When Ieremie was going out of Ierusalem to the lande of Benjamin and was in the gate of Benjamin Irijah tooke him and saide Thou fleest to the Chaldeans Then saide Ieremie that is false I flee not to the Chaldeans but hee would not heare him The fourth is the coloured tale-bearing when one speaketh evill of another with fine prefaces and preambles feigning that he is very sory that his neighbour hath done such or such a thing that he speaketh it not of malice but of a good minde that hee is constrained to speake that he speaketh not all he could speake that the partie to whome the tale is tolde must keepe it secret Luther writeth of this fault very well This vice saith he whereby wee tell abroad the things which we heare of others and take them in worse parte is very rife and of great force to sowe discordes the rather because it often sheweth it selfe under the pretence and name of counsell and good advise And it is a notable visard for a talebearer to transforme him selfe into an angell of light and under zeale for Gods glorie to backbite anll accuse his neighbour of heresie errour and wicked life Therefore the Prophets meaning is that we should conceale the evils that be in our neighbour and not speake them to others though he be an enemie and deserve it at our handes and onely speake of those good things in him which seeme to preserve concord for this we would that men shoulde doe unto us Yea and let us take heede that we judge not or condemne any mans saying or doing rashly Augustine saieth that this was the care which his mother had towards her enemies To doe this is a notable point of just dealing but indeed there is no man utterly without this fault in this life such is our wretched state in this worlde For though some are of this minde that they desire not to have other mens wants tolde them and will not take all in worse part yet if they be told and taken in worse parte of others they can willingly heare them neither will they checke the teller but suffer bad surmises to take place with them But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicham excelled in the contrarie vertue who chose rather to hazard his life then to suspect evill by Ismaell This tale-bearing is the common table talke in England and it is wonderfull to see how those who are otherwise godly are overtaken with it but men must learne to stande more in awe of Gods commaundement and also to consider that the same thing a man speaketh of another commeth home againe by his owne dore Wherfore when men shall enter any evill communication of others we are to interrupt it by other talke as not regarding it Here remember that when governours and Magistrates shall use harde wordes not in the way of defamation but for the reprooving of a vice it is not to slaunder as O foolish Galathians O generation of vipers And Christ tearmeth Herod Foxe CAP. VIII Of the bondes of Trueth THVS much of grace in speech Now followeth bondes of trueth whereby the trueth of our talke is testified and confirmed There are three A simple assertion an asseveration an othe A simple assertion is either a simple affirmation as yea yea or a simple negation as nay nay they are to be used only in our familiar and common talke Let your communication be yea yea nay nay and whatsoever is more commeth of evill If the trueth which we affirme or denie be doubtfull or contingent then such clauses as these It is so or it is not so as I thinke as I remember as I take it are to be added If one shall say It is so and afterwards it proove otherwise hee receiveth discredite because he spake an untrueth But if he shall say I thinke it is so though it fall out otherwise yet he saveth his credite because he deceiveth not but onely is deceivrd An asseveration is when one doeth vehemently affirme or deny any thing This is not to be used at euery worde but then onely when a trueth of greater importance is to be confirmed When the false prophets among the Iewes and the Priestes would not beleeve that Ieremie was sent of God what saith he not simply The Lord hath sent me but In trueth the Lorde hath sent me Our Saviour Christ when he used to speake any waightie matter used to say Amen Amen Verily Verily which is a plaine asseveration for Amen is more then a simple affirmation and it is lesse then an othe as the very sence of the worde doth import which is no more but Truely Certenly The thirde is an othe which must not be made by any thing in heaven or earth but onely by the Name of God alone It must be used as the last refuge and remedie of all For when any trueth of great importance is to be confirmed and all signes evidences proofes witnesses faile among men on earth then wee may lawfully fetch the Lorde as a witnesse from heauen who is the knower of all trueth And in this case an othe may be taken either publikely before a Magistrate or privately among private persons if it be done with reverence and consideration as it was betweene Iacob and Laban CAP. IX What is to be done when wee have spoken AFter a man hath spoken his minde very fewe wordes more are to be added He that hath knowledge spareth his words In many words there can not want iniquitie but he that refraineth his lippes is wise He that speaketh many wordes speaketh either false things or superfluous or both as when a river overfloweth the water gathereth much slime so many wordes many faultes When a vessell
and the mydwives of Egypt in saving the spies and in preserving the Israelites infantes used lying and are commended for their factes Answ. They are commended for their faith not for any lying As trueth is required in speech so also reuerence to God and man Reuerence to God is when we so speak of God and use his titles that wee shew reuerence our selues and mooue reuerence in others If thou wilt not keepe saith the Lorde and doe all the wordes of this Lawe that are written in this booke and feare the glorious and fearfull Name THE LORD THY GOD then the Lorde will make thy plagues wonderfull Here take heede of all maner of blaspheming which is when men use such speeches of God as doe either detract any thing from his Majestie or ascribe any thing to him not beseeming him A sinne of all to be detested Reasons I. A blasphemer is viler then the rest of the creatures for they praise God in their kinde and shew foorth his power goodnesse and wisdome but he dishonoureth God in his wretched speech II. Hee is as the madde dogge that flyeth in his masters face who keepeth him and giueth him bread III. Custome in blasphemies sheweth a man to be the child of the deuill and no child of God as yet A father lying on his death bed called the three children to him which hee kept and tolde them that onely one of them was his owne sonne and that the rest were onely brought up by him therfore unto him hee gaue all his goods but which of these three was his naturall sonne he would not in any wise declare When hee was deade euery one of the three children pleaded that hee was the sonne and therefore that the goods were his The matter being brought before a Iudge could not be ended but the Iudge was constrained to take this course hee caused the dead corpes of the father to be set up against a tree and commaunded the three sonnes to take bowes and arrowes and to shoote against their father and to see who could come neerest the heart The first and seconde did shoote at their father and hitte him the thirde was angrie with both the other and refused to shoot This done the Iudge gaue sentence that the two first were no sonnes but the third onely and that he should haue the goods The like triall may be used to know who be Gods children Such persons with whome blaspheming is rife are very deuils incarnate and the children of the deuill who rend God in pieces and shoote him through with their dartes as it is said of the Egyptian when hee blasphemed that hee smote or pierced through Gods Name Againe here wee must be warned to take heede of that customable swearing and also of perjurie It is a very strange sinne for the perjured person doeth not onely sinne himselfe but withall he endeavoureth to intangle God in the same sinne with himselfe Further take heede least thou doest either make or recite the jestes which are contrived out of the phrases of Scripture which are very many and verie usually rehearsed in companie The oyle wherewith the tabernacle and the arke of the testament and the Priestes were annointed was holy and therefore no man might put it to any other uses as to annoint his owne flesh therewith or to make the like unto it Pilate a poore Painyme when he heard the name of the Sonne of God was afraid and we much more ought to tremble at the word of God not to make our selves merry with it And therefore the scoffing of Iulian the Apostata is very fearefull who was wont to reach Christians boxes on the eare and with all bidde them turne the other and obey their masters commandement Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also And he denied pay and like reward to his souldiers that were Christians because he saide he would make them fitte for the kingdome of heauen considering that Christ had said Blessed are the poore in spirite for theirs is the kingdome of heaven Here also men must learne to take heed of all manner of charmes and inchauntments which commonly are nothing else but words of scripture or such like used for the curing of paines and diseases both in men and beastes As for example the first words of S. Iohns Gospell In the beginning was the Worde and the Worde was with God c. are used to be written in a paper and hung about mens neckes to cure agues But the truth is such kinde of practises are deuilish Patrones of charmes holde that in such wordes as are either diuine or barbarous is much efficacie But whence is this efficacie From God from men or from the deuill If it shall be saide from God we must knowe that the worde used in holy maner is the instrument of God to convey unto us spirituall blessings as faith regeneration repentance but it doeth not serve to bring unto us corporall health Well then belike wordes take vertue from the speaker and are made powerfull by the strength of his imagination Indeed of this opinion are some Phisitians as Avicenna and Paracelsus who thinke that phantasie is like to the sunne which worketh on all things to which his beames doe come and the latter that by imagination miracles may be wrought But this opinion is fonde and the reasons alledged for it are without weight For imaginations are no things but shadowes of things And as an image of a man in a glasse hath no power in it but only serves to resemble represent the bodie of a man so it is with the phantasie and conceit of the minde no otherwise And if imagination haue any force it is only within the spirits and humours of a mans owne bodie but to give force to worke in the bodies of others it can not no more then the shadow of one bodie can ordinarily cure the body of another on which it lighteth Wherefore words used in the way of bodily cure be they in they in them selues never so good are no better then the deuils sacraments and when they are used of blinde people he it is that comming under hand worketh the cure by turning himselfe into an Angell of light deludes them But it were better for a man to die a thousand times then to use such remedies which in curing the body destroy the soule Lastly avoid all imprecations and cursings either against men or other creatures For God in judgement to punish such cursed speaking often brings to passe such imprecations as may appeare in the Iewes who at the arraignment of Christ cryed saying His blood be upon us and upon our children which imprecation is verified upon them till this day At Newburge in Germany a certaine mother cursed her sonne saying Get thee away I would thou mightest never come againe alive the very same day he went into the water and was drowned
the brain before neesing when a man hath neesed the danger is past as learned Phisitians teach therfore there is no cause of the using such words then more then at coughing Our answeres must be soft that anger be neither kindled nor increased A soft answere putteth away wrath but grievous words stirre up anger Nabal by 〈◊〉 language provoked David to wrath but Abigail by the contrarie appeased him Gedeon spake gently to the men of Ephraim when they were angry against him and appeased them For the text saith When he had thus spoken then their spirits abated towards him Therefore Salomon saith well A joy commeth to a man by the answere of his mouth but how good is a word in due season Now if any shall raile on us our duty is not to raile againe Blesse them that persecute you Blesse I say and curse not Be curteous not rendring evill for evill neither rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that ye be thereunto called that you should be heires of blessing This thing was notably practised by David Psal. 109.4 For my friendship they were mine adversaries but I gave my selfe to prayer And therefore in this case either silence is to be used or at the most onely a just and manifest defence of our innocencie to be made Ezechias commaunded the people to be silent and not to say any thing to the speech of Rabsachai now flattering now threatning When Eli spake hardly of Anna badde her put away her drunkennesse she answered Nay my lorde I am a woman troubled in spirite I have neither drunke wine nor strong drinke but have powred out my soule before the Lorde Thus Ioseph cleareth him-selfe saying I have done nothing wherefore they should put me in the dungeon And Daniel to Nabuchodonosor Vnto thee O King have I done no hurt And our Saviour Christ when the Iewes saide unto him Say wee not true that thou art a Samaritane and hast a devill answered I have not a devill but I honour my father and yee have dishonoured me And Paul beeing to make an apologie for himselfe begins thus Men and brethren I have in all good conscience served God untill this day Now when a man hath thus cleared him selfe though his owne worde in his owne behalfe take no effect yet let him patiently commit his cause to God who in time will manifest the trueth and bring it to light As David did Iudge me O God saith he for I have walked in mine innocencie And againe The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him but the Lorde will not leave him in his hande nor condemne him when he is judged Meekenesse in reproofes is when any shall admonish his brother of any fault for his amendment with the like moderation that Chirurgeons use who beeing to set the arme or legge that is forth of joynt handle it so tenderly that the patient shall scant feele when the bone falles in againe This counsell Paul giveth Breethren if any man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one or set him in joynt againe with the spirite of meeknesse This was practised by Abraham towardes Lot when their heardmen were at variance saying Let there be I pray thee no strife betweene thee and me neither betweene mìne heardmen and thine for we are brethren And this is done foure wayes First when wee reproove a man generally as Nathan did David by a parable Secondly when in the roome of a reproofe we put an exhortation In the exhortation insinuating an oblique reproofe as when a man shall sweare in his talke I shall not need alwaies to say Yee doe verie ill to sweare and so to dishonour God But I wâ—ll lappe it up in the forme of an exhortation as pilles are lapt in sugar by saying Yea and nay yea and nay shall serue among us Rebuke not an Elder but exhort him as a father and young men as breethren saieth Paul to Timothie Thirdly when the reproofe is propounded in a mans owne person as though hee were faultie which reprooveth Paul practised this Novv these things breethren saieth hee I have figuratively applyed to mine owne selfe and Apollos for your sakes that yee might learne by us that no man presume above that which is vvritten Fourthly when the fault is directly reprooved but yet partly with prefaces that wee doe it of love that wee wish well to the partie that wee speake as considering our selves that wee also are in daunger of the same fault and partly by framing the reproofe out of the worde of God that the partie may see him-selfe rather to be reprooved by God then by us after this manner the inferiour may admonish his superiour especially when there is no other way of redresse and hee is to listen yeelding himselfe tractable Naaman is advised by his servant who said Father if the Prophet had commaunded thee a great thing wouldest thou not have done it how much rather then when he saieth to thee Wash and be cleane Then went hee downe and washed him-selfe seven times in Iordan When any shall in this manner be admonished of a fault they are to yeeld themselves tractable and thankefull and heartily glad of so good a friend Notable is the speech of the Psalmist Let the righteous smite me it is a benefite let him reproove me it is the chiefe ointment let it not be wanting to my head And Salomon saith A reproofe entreth more into him that hath understanding then an hundreth stripes into a foole And Open rebuke is better then secret love CAP. VII Of Sobrietie Vrbanitie Fidelitie and care of others good name SOBRIETIE in judgement is when a man either suspendeth his opinioÌ„ of his neighbours sayings or doings or else speaketh as charitably as he can by saying as little as may be if the thing be euill or by interpreting all in better parte if the speech or action be doubtfull Therefore doe thus despise not thy neighbour but thinke thy selfe as badde a sinner and that the like defectes may befall thee If thou canst not excuse his doing excuse his intent which may be good or if the deede be euill thinke it was done of ignorance if thou canst not no way excuse him thinke some great temptation befell him and that thou shouldest be worse if the like temptation befell thee and giue God thankes that the like as yet hath not befallen thee Despise not a man being a sinner for though he be euill to day he may turne to morrow Here is condemned all headie and rash judgement whereby men make things either worse then they are or else they take and turne all things to the worse parte Thus the deuill dealt with Iob saying Doeth Iob feare God for naught c. but stretch out thine hand now and touch all that he hath to see
being smitten maketh a great noise it is a token that it is emptie and so the sound of many wordes shewes a vaine heart The Gentiles have said that God gave a man one tongue and two eares that hee might heare more and speake lesse Valerius Maximus reporteth of Xenocrates that being in the companie of some that used railing speeches held his tongue and being asked why he did so answered That it had repented him that he had spoken but it never repented him that he had helde his peace And the proverbe is He that will speake what he will shall heare what he would not To the framing of our speech Ambrose requireth three things a yoke a ballance and a metwand a yoke to keepe it in a stayed gravitie a ballance to giue it weight of reason a metwand to keepe it in measure and moderation This rule must be practised carefully for the avoiding of chiding brawling and contention Let nothing be done by contention Philip. 2.3 Let students and schollars learne to practise this for what shall another mans opinion hurt thee though in reasoning he be not of thy minde in every point Here take heede of the spirit of Contradiction whereby some by thwarting and contradicting euery man at length prooue either obstinate Heretikes or lewde Atheists and make no bones to contradict the holy Ghost and to call the scriptures in question and dispute that there is no God Nowe if a man speake necessarie thinges though he continue his speech till midde-night as Paul did it can not be called immoderate or superfluous talke CAP. X. Of Writing ALL this which is set downe 〈◊〉 concerning speech must as well be practised in writing as in speaking Whereby are condemned ballads bookes of loue all idle discourses and histories being nothing els but inticements and baites unto manifold sinnes fitter for Sodom and Gomorrah then for Gods Church And it must be followed as well in speaking of Latine or any other tongue as English which students haue not marked for whereas they will not sweare in English yet in Latine they make no bones of it saying Mehercule mediùs fidiùs aedipol per deos immortales And whereas they holde but one God in judgement yet in their Latine exercises they speake of Iupiter and of the immortall gods after the manner of the heathen What a shame is this that a Christian and that in Christian schooles should either be ashamed or not use to speake as a Christian but as Atheists do If thou haue many tongues and knowest not howe to use them well hee which hath but his mother tongue ordering it aright is a better linguist then thou CAP. XI Of Silence WIse and godly silence is as excellent a vertue as holy speech for hee knoweth not howe to speake which knoweth not howe to holde his tongue The rule of our silence must be the lawe of God By meanes of which wise consideration must be had whether the thing which we haue in mind be for Gods glory and our neighbours good which done wee are answearably to speake to be silent Here must be considered the things of which silence must be used and the persons before whome The things are many First if any trueth be to the hinderance of Gods glorie or of the good of our neighbour it must be concealed The concealing of the trueth is either in whole or in parte In whole when the speaking of the least worde is hurtfull As for example the father and the sonne are both sicke at once the sonne dieth first the father asketh whether his sonne be dead or not if it be said no an untrueth is told if yea then the fathers griefe is increased and his death hastened therefore silence is the best In dayes of persecution holy Martyrs haue chosen rather to suffer death then to reueale their brethren that haue bene of their priuate assemblies with them The concealing of a thing in part is when a man speakes a little of the trueth and concealeth the rest Which is warranted in all good and lawfull proceedings which manifestly tend to the glorie of God When Samuel 〈…〉 David he answereth the Lord and saith 〈◊〉 â—an I goe for if Saul 〈◊〉 of it he will kill me Then the Lord answered 〈…〉 with thee and say I am come to 〈◊〉 sacrifice to the 〈◊〉 and call for 〈◊〉 to sacrifice and I will 〈◊〉 thee 〈…〉 had shewed King Zedekiah how he might escape death then the King said unto him Let no man knowe of these wordes c. but if the princes understand that I have talked with thee and they come unto thee and say unto thee Declare unto us what the King hath said unto thee c. then shalt thou say unto them I humbly besought the King that he would not cause me to 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 house to die there And afterward he so answered and the matches was not perceived The like was practised by 〈◊〉 Actes 23.6 Secondly thou art to conceale thine owne secrets Sampson revealing his owne secret Iudg. 〈◊〉 overthrewe himselfe If thou desire ease by revealing then â—ell them but 〈◊〉 fewe and to such as are faithfull That which thou wouldest not haue knowen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for howe shall another keepe thy counsell when thou canst not doe it Keepe thy friendes 〈◊〉 likewise if it be not hurtfull and let ministers conceale the sinnes and wantes that trouble the conscience of such as are dying Let Magistrates conceale thinges done in the Senate especially concerning warre least they be reuealed to the enemie If God bring any strange thing to passe speake not boldely of it but in silence wonder Iob at the consideration of Gods Majestie in his workes saith Beholde I am vile what shall I answere thee I will lay my hande upon my mouth Naâ—â—b and Abehu for offering incense with strange fire before the Lord were both distroyed with fire which beeing done Moses told Aaron that God would bee sanctified in them that come neere him and be glorified before all the people and then the text saith but Aaron helde his peace When Peter had taught the Gentiles and after returned to Hierusalem they of the circumcision contended with him he then rendreth a reason of his fact which being made they were silent For so the text is When they heard these thinges they helde their peace and glorified GOD. When Gods judgementes befall men among us if wee speake any thing we must judge charitable Blessed is hee that judgeth wisely of the poore the Lorde shall deliver him in the time of trouble Thirdely the infirmities and sinnes of our neighbours are alwayes to bee concealed unlesse it be in the case before named that wee finde our selues called of God to speake He that covereth a transgression seeketh love If God in mercie cover his sinnes why shouldest thou reveale them Salomon saith It is the glorie of a man to passe by an infirmitie Fourthly all unseemely matters