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
our speach is a goodly ornament The Apostles when they waited for the Holy Ghost in Hierusalem it descended upon them in the forme of fiery tongues then it is said that they spake as the holy Ghost gave them utteraÌ„ce in Apophthegmes or wise sentences And he that governeth his tongue wisely addeth doctrine to the lips that is so speaketh as that others be made wise thereby This wisedome is then shewed when a man can in judgement apply his talke and as it were in good maner make it fit to all the circumstances of persons times places thinges A foole powreth out all his mind but a wise man keepeth in till afterwarde A worde spoken in his place is like apples of golde with pictures of silver Now he that would have his speach to be wise must first of all him selfe become a wise man And the wise man of whome the holy Scriptures speake is a godly man and such an one as feareth God because this feare of God is the beginning and head of wisedome as on the contrarie the foole whereof the Scripture often speaketh is the ungodly person that maketh no conscience of any sinne And indeede such a one is the most senselesse foole of all He that shall ever and anon be casting him selfe into the fire and water and runne upon daungerous places to breake his legges armes necke and further shal take pleasure in doing al this is either a foole or a mad man Now the ungodly man as oft as he sinneth he indevoureth as much as in him lieth to pitch his soule into hel wheras he taketh pleasure in sinne he sports him selfe with his owne destruction Furthermore the man fearing God must have two things in his heart a perswasion of Gods presence and Awe The perswasion of Gods presence is whereby a man is continually resolved that wheresoeuer he is he standeth before God who doeth see even into the secrets of his heart This was in Cornelius Now therefore saith he we are in Gods presence to heare all things that are commaunded thee of God Awe in regard of God is that whereby a man behaveth him selfe reuerently because he is in Gods presence Awe is either in regard of sinne or of chastisements Awe in respect of sinne is when one is afraide to sinne fearing not so much the punishment as sinne it selfe because it is sinne For he feareth God indeede which is of this minde that if there were no Iudge to condemne him no hell to torment him no Divell nor conscience to accuse him yet he would not sinne because Gods blessed Majestie is by it offended and displeased and if he had it in his choyce whether he would sinne or loose his life he had rather dye then willingly and wittingly sinne against God This awe being in Ioseph was the cause that mooved him not to commit follie with Putiphars wife How then saith he can I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Awe in chastisements is when one humbleth him selfe under the mightie hande of God with all meekenesse and patience when God layeth his hande on him more or lesse When Shemi came foorth and cursed David and flung stones at him what did he truely he stoode in awe of God and therefore saide What have I to doe with you ye sonnes of Zerviah for he curseth even because the Lorde hath bidden him curse David who dare then say wherefore hast thou done so When a man is thus made wise that is righteous and fearing God he is so guided by the spirite of feare that he can not but speake wisely Salomon saith The lippes of the righteous knowe what is acceptable but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowarde thinges And againe The heart of the wise guideth the mouth wisely Contrarie to this is fond and foolish talke an example hereof we have in Luke where Pilate wanting the feare of God saith I finde no fault in Christ let us therefore chastise him and send him away CAP. V. Of Trueth and of Reverence in speach TRVETH of speach is a vertue whereby a man speaketh as he thinketh and so consequently he speaketh as every thing is so farre forth as possiblie he can It is made a note of a righteous man to speake the trueth from the heart and they that deale truely are Gods delight This is alwayes required in all our doctrines accusations defences testimonies promisses bargainings counsels but especially in Iudges and Magistrates sitting on judgement seate because then they stand in Gods steade who is trueth it selfe To this place belongeth Apollogie which is when a Christian called before a Magistrate and straightly examined of his religion confesseth Christ boldly and denieth not the trueth Contrary to this is Lying Cogging Glosing Smoothing dissembling As for example Gehazi after hee had received money and garments of Naaman the Syrian against Elisâ—â—es will he went and stoode before his master who saide unto him whence commest thou Gehazi who making it nothing to lye for a vantage smoothed it over finely and sayde thy servaunt went no whither To the like effect and purpose report is made of a rich man that had two chestes the one whereof he calleth all the worlde the other his friende In the first hee putteth nothing in the seconde he putteth all his substance When his neighbour came to borrowe money he useth to answere truely I have never a penny in all the worlde meaning his emptie chest but I will see saith he what my friend can doe looking thereby for interest by the money out of his other chest This vice is very common and it is a rare thing to finde a man that maketh a conscience of a lye Lying is when a man speaketh otherwise then the trueth is with a purpose to deceive Here note that there is great difference betweene these two speeches It is an untrueth and It is a lye The first may be used when a man speaketh falshoodes But in using the seconde we must be heedie and sparing for when a man is challenged for a lye three thinges are layde to his charge I That he speaketh falsely II. That he is willing to doe so III. That he hath a desire and purpose to deceive Quest. Whether may not a man lye if it be for the procuring of some great good to our neighbour or to the whole countrey where we are Answ. No Reasons are these I. Lying is forbidden as an abomination to the Lord. II. We are not to doe any evill that good might come thereof III. He which lyeth in so doing conformeth him selfe to the devill who is a lyar and the father thereof Object I. Such lying is for our neighbours good and not against charitie Answ. No for charitie rejoyceth in the trueth Object II. The holy Scriptures haue mentioned the lyes of the Patriarches Answ. We must not live by examples against rules of Gods worde Object III. Rahab
the thirde commandement was giuen that men might not take up the Name of God in vaine that is rashly and lightly And therefore lamentable and fearefull is the practise euery where For it is a common thing with men to begin their speech and to place the titles of Gods most high Majestie in the forefront almost of euery sentence by saying O Lorde O God! O good God! O mercifull God! O Iesu O Christ c. If a man be to say any thing he will not say Yea or Nay but O Lorde yea or O Lorde nay If a man be to reprooue his inferiour he will presently say O Lorde have mercie on vs what a sloubacke art thou what a lye is this c. An earthly Prince if he should haue his name tossed in our mouthes at euery worde would neuer beare it and how shall the euerliuing God suffer it nay how can he suffer it I say no more but thou with thy selfe thinke how for in the third commandement the punishment is set downe that he will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine And the Angels in reuerence to Gods Majestie couer their faces Isa. 6.2 Concerning our neighbour we are to consider whether the thing which wee are about to speake be good or evill This being weighed if it be good and so commendable then we are readily and cheerefully and that upon every occasion ro utter it especially in his absence whether he be a friend or a foe as S. Iohn writeth of Demetrius Demetrius saith he hath good report of all men and of the trueth it selfe yea and we our selves beare recorde and ye knowe that our testimonie is true As for the evill which any man shall knowe by his neighbour he is in no wise to speake of it whether it be an infirmitie or a grosse sinne unlesse in his conscience he shall finde him selfe called of God to speake A man is called to speake in three cases I. when he is called before a magistrate is lawfully required to testifie the evill which he knoweth by another II. when any is to admonish his brother of any fault for his amendement III. when the hurt or daunger that may arise of the evill is to be prevented in others As a man may say to one well disposed take heede of such a mans company for he is given to such or such a vice To this ende they of the house of Cloe doe certifie Paul of the disorders in Corinth And Ioseph certifieth his father of his brethrens slaunders In this case all treasons are to be revealed as tending to the ruine of the whole Common-wealth Thus Elisha revealeth the secret of the King of Syria And if it shall be thought convenient to mencion the evill which we know by any man it must be done onely in generall maner the person all circumstances which will descrie the person concealed Concerning things which are secret in our neighbour we are not to be suspicious but to suspend both speech and judgement Love suspecteth no evill Iudge nothing saith Paul before the time untill the Lord come who will lighten things that are hidde in darknesse and make the counsells of the heart manifest Augustine hath a good and a speciall rule to this purpose that there be three thinges of which wee must give no judgement Gods predestination the Scriptures and the Estate of men uncalled As touching a mans selfe he is neither to praise nor dispraise him-selfe As Salomon saieth Let another man praise thee and not thine owne mouth A straunger and not thine owne lippes Yet otherwhiles the times doe fall out that a man may use an holy kinde of boasting especially when the disgrace of the person is the disgrace also of the Gospell and of Religion and of God himselfe as Paul did But wherein saith he any vvill use boldnesse I speake foolishly I vvill use boldnesse They are Hebrevves so am I c. CAP. III. Of the manner of our speech and vvhat must be done before vvee speake THVS much of the matter of our speech Nowe followeth the manner In the manner of our speaking three thinges are to be pondered What must be done before we speake what in speaking what after we have spoken Before we speake consideration must be used of the thing to be spoken and of the end Iames requireth that men should be slowe to speake and swift to heare Salomon saith He that answereth a matter before he heare it it is follie shame to him The minde is the guide of the tongue therefore men must consider before they speake The tongue is the messenger of the heart and therefore as oft as we speake without meditation going before so oft the messenger runneth without his arrand The tongue is placed in the middle of the mouth and it is compassed in with lippes and teeth as with a double trench to shewe us howe we are to use heede and preconsideration before we speake and therefore it is good advise to keepe the key of the mouth not in the mouth but in the cupbourd of the heart Augustine saith well that as in eating and drinking men make choyce of meates so in manifolde speeches we should make choyce of talke Here are condemned idle wordes that is such wordes as are spoken to little or no ende or purpose And they are not to be esteemed as little sinnes when as men are to give account of every idle worde CAP. IIII. What is to be done in speaking and of wisedome WHEN we are in speaking two thinges are to be practised first care must be had of the speach that it be gratious secondly it is to be uttered with convenient bondes of trueth The speech is gratious when it is so uttered that the graces of God wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost are as it were pictured and painted foorth in the same for speach is the very image of the heart Contrarie to this is rotten speach that is all such talke as is voide of grace which is the heart and pith of our speach And by this it appeareth that no vice can be named but with disliking hereupon in Scriptures when by occasion a vice should be named in token of a loathing thereof the name of the vice is omitted and the name of the contrarie vertue used in the roome thereof as in these wordes For Iob thought It may be that my sonnes have sinned and blessed that is blasphemed God This being true then by proportion the visible representation of the vices of men in the worlde which is the substance and matter whereof playes and enterludes are made is much more to be avoyded Gods graces which we are to shewe foorth in our communication are these Wisedome Trueth Reverence Modestie Meekenesse Sobrietie in judgement Vrbanitie Fidelitie Care of others good name but let us consider of them in order Wisedome in
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