contrary curfes avoided or incurred, by a conduct to which we very often pay too little attention; the use or abuse of the tongue.

This is evidently the sense of the apostle in the text. Turn the words' in short, which way you pleafe, the good effects of restraining, and the pernicious ones of indulging a licentious tongue, are so plainly afferted as to demand your ferious and conftant attention. And this affertion of the apostle is founded on exprefs declarations of fcripture, and on the natural tendency, and neceffary confequences of fuch an evil practice; a tendency to embitter and fhorten this prefent life, and to make the next eternally miferable.

This is not only declared in the text, but in other places of scripture.

We are there told, over and over, that everlasting damnation is to be the punishment of all offences against God, without repentance; and the not refraining our lips from evil and guile is evidently fuch; thus, ly

66

ing lips are faid to be an abomi"nation unto the Lord;" and "tak

ing God's name in vain" is pronounced to be fuch an offence as God will not pardon. So likewife are calumny and flander, proud boafting and blafphemy; all words of hatred and contention; or which any way tend to the breach of union and charity amongst men. And as they are thus declared to be high of

fences

fences againft Almighty God, fo must they receive a punishment in the world to come.

But befides that, there is a temporal judgement denounced against thofe, who shall be guilty in any of thefe refpects. Thus of the evil

"

"and deceitful perfons," it is faid, they fhall not live out half their

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days;" and that "God will send a

flying roll into the house of the "falfe fwearer to confume it.", Nor is it frange that fuch judgements fhould attend fuch practices. Eternal damnation, is the neceffary confequence of all fin unrepented of; and therefore must be the portion of those who commit this fin, as well as any other. And as to the temporal

evils that are threatened, viz. fhortness

U 2

and

and unhappiness of life, no wonder if they befal those who are guilty of it; fince they are the natural confequences, and must inevitably follow, without any particular divine infliction.

For if to live at variance and enmity with our neighbour; bearing continual hatred and ill-will toward him; provoking his anger, and fearing the effects of his displeasure which we have thereby created in him, be unhappiness; then hath he his share of it, who refrains not his tongue "from evil, and his lips that they i fpeak no guile;" who vilifies and abuses others behind their backs, and gives them provoking language to their faces. Provoking as this may be, yet is it not comparable to that

eily, fair faced hypocrite,

whose

"words are fmoother than oil; and

แ

yet be they very fwords;" which, the brighter they are, make the rea dier passage to the heart: who fmiles in your prefence, and ftabs your re putation in your abfence: "who

fcatters fire-brands, arrows, and death, and faith, am I not in

fport?" Gruel diverfion is that

which is purchased by the death of others.---Fame is the object of many, but the lot of few: but reputation and character, is the life of all; none are happy with the lofs of it; and millions owe their daily support to it. Millions therefore are engaged in one common cause, to avenge a murdered reputation. Nor let the open alfaffin, or the fecret poifoner of a good name, hope to escape unpunished. A