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
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
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
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