The tongue, saith James, is an unruly member full of deadly poison, it setteth on fire the whole frame of nature, and is set on fire of hell, Jam. 2. The tongue, how much mischief will it stir up […] a very little time? How many blows and wounds doth it cause? How many times doth it (as James saith) curse man? How oft is the tongue made the conveyer of that hellish poison that is in the heart, both to the dishonour of God, the hurt of its neighbours, and the utter ruin of its own soul? And do you think the Lord will sit still (as I may say) and let thy Tongue run as it lists, and yet never bring you to an account for the same? No, stay; The Lord will not always keep silence, but will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thine eyes, O sinner. Yea, and thy Tongue, together with the rest of thy members, shall be tormented for sinning. And I say, I am very confident▪ that though this be made light of now, yet the time is coming, when many poor souls will ⟨p. 60⟩rue the day that ever they did speak with a tongue: O, will one say, that I should so disregard my tongue. O that I, when I said so and so, had before bitten off my tongue! that I had been born without a tongue! my tongue, my tongue, a little water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame; even that flame that my tongue, together with the rest of my members, by sinning have brought me to. Poor Souls now will let their tongues say any thing for a little profit, for two pence or three pence gain. But, O what a grief will this be at that day, when they together with their tongue must smart for that which they by their tongues have done while they were in this world. Then you that love your souls, look to your tongues, lest you bind your selves down so fast to hell with the sins of your tongues, that you will never be able to get loose again to all eternity. For by thy words thou shalt be condemned, if thou have not a care of thy tongue. For I say unto you, that for every idle word that men shall speak, he shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment, Matth. 1•. 36.
The tongue, saith James, is an unruly member full of deadly poyson, it setteth on fire the whole frame of nature, and is set on fire of hell, Jam. 2. The tongue, how much mischief will it stir up 〈…〉 a very little time? How many blows and wounds doth it cause? How many times doth it (as James saith) curse man? How oft is the tongue made the conveyer of that hellish poyson that is in the heart, both to the dishonour of God, the hurt of its neighbours, and the utter ruine of its own soul? And do you think the Lord will sit still (as I may say) and let thy Tongue run as it lists, and yet never bring you to an account for the same? No, stay; The Lord will not alwayes keep silence, but will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thine eyes, O sinner. Yea, and thy Tongue, together with the rest of thy members, shall be tormented for sinning. And I say, I am very confident▪ that though this be made light of now, yet the time is coming, when many poor souls will ⟨p. 60⟩rue the day that ever they did speak with a tongue: O, will one say, that I should so disregard my tongue. O that I, when I said so and so, had before bitten off my tongue! that I had been born without a tongue! my tongue, my tongue, a little water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame; even that flame that my tongue, together with the rest of my members, by sinning have brought me to. Poor Souls now will let their tongues say any thing for a little profit, for two pence or three pence gain. But, O what a grief will this be at that day, when they together with their tongue must smart for that which they by their tongues have done while they were in this world. Then you that love your souls, look to your tongues, lest you bind your selves down so fast to hell with the sins of your tongues, that you will never be able to get loose again to all eternity. For by thy words thou shalt be condemned, if thou have not a care of thy tongu. For I say unto you, that for every idle word that men shall speak, he shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment, Matth. 1•. 36.
