MORAL. 410 Men must be pure to judge. Idle talk breeds detraction. JOB 6, God rightly conveyed in sense to David, busied about 25 external wars, when It says, Thou shall not build a temple, 1 Chron. for thou art a man of blood. Now he builds God's Temple, 22,8; who is devoted to correcting and forming the minds of his 28, 3. 3, 17. neighbours. For we are God's Temple, who are framed to 1 Cor. life by His indwelling, as Paul bears witness, saying, For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. But a man of blood is forbidden to build a temple to God, in that he who is still devoted to carnal practices, must needs blush to instruct the minds of his neighbours spiritually. Therefore it is well said, Wherefore have ye detracted from the words of truth, when there is none of you that is able to convict them? As if it were in plain words; 'With what rashness do ye blame all ye hear, who knowing nothing of the causes of my stroke, still utter words that deserve blame.' It goes on, Ver. 26. Ye only set in order speeches to upbraid, and ye speak words against the wind. 57. There are two sorts of speech, which are very troublesome and mischievous to mankind, the one which aims to commend even froward things, the other which studies to be always carping even at right ones. The one is carried downward with the stream, the other sets itself to close the very channels and streams of truth. Fear keeps down the one, pride sets up the other. The one aims to catch favour by applause; anger, in order that it may be manifested in contention, drives forward the other. The one lies grovelling at command; the other is always swelling high in opposition. Accordingly, blessed Job convicts his friends of being of this kind, when he says, Yc do but set in order speeches to upbraid. But he proceeded to make known whence it is that men come even to the effrontery of unjust upbraiding, when he added, And ye speak words to the wind. For to 'speak words to the wind' is to talk idly. For often when the tongue is not withheld from idle words, a loose is even given to the rashness of foolish reviling. For it is by certain steps of its descent, that the slothful soul is driven into the pitfall. Thus while we neglect to guard against idle words, we are brought to mischievous ones, so that it first gives satisfaction to speak of the concerns of others, and afterwards the tongue by detraction carps at the life of those of whom it speaks, and sometimes even breaks out into open revilings. Silence prevents sins that may bring Judgment. 411 VIJ. 17, 14. Hence the incitements are sown of angry passions, jars BOOK arise, the fire-brands of animosity are kindled, peace is altogether extinguished in men's hearts. Hence it is well said by Solomon, He that letteth out water is a beginning Prov. of brawls. For to let out water is to let the tongue loose in a flood of words, contrary to which he at the same time declares in a favourable sense, saying, The words of a man's Prov. mouth are as deep waters. He then that letteth out water is a beginning of brawls, for he who neglects to refrain his tongue, dissipates concord. Hence it is written contrariwise, He that silenceth a fool, softeneth wrath. 18, 4. Prov. 26, 10. 11. 1, 26. 58. But that every one that is given to much talking Vulg. cannot maintain the straight path of righteousness, the Prophet testifies, in that he saith, For an evil speaker shall Ps. 140, not be led right upon the earth. Hence again Solomon Prov. saith, In the multitude of words there wanteth not. sin. 10, 19. Hence Isaiah saith, And the cultivation of righteousness, silence; so pointing out that the righteousness of the interior is desolated, when we do not withhold from immoderate talking. Hence James saith, if any man among James you think himself to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Hence he says again, Let every man be swift to hear, James slow to speak. Hence he adds again, The tongue is an ib. 3, 8. unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Hence 'Truth' warns us by his own lips, saying, Every idle word that men shall Matt. speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 12, 36. For an idle word is such as lacks either cause of just occasion, or purpose of kind serviceableness. If then an account is demanded for idle speech, it is very deeply to be considered what punishment followeth after that much talking, wherein we sin even by words of pride. 59. Furthermore, be it known that they are lost to the whole estate of righteousness altogether, who let themselves go in mischievous words. For the mind of man, like water, both when closed round is collected on high, in that it seeks anew the source whence it descended, and when let loose it comes to nought, in that it dissipates itself to no purpose down below. For the mind is as it were drawn out of itself in so many streams, as it lets itself out in superfluous 1, 19. 25. MORAL. Prov. 25, 28. 412 Too close silence deepens bitter thoughts. JOB 6, words from the strict control of silence. And hence it has no power to turn back within to the knowledge of itself, in that being dissipated without in much talking, it loses the strength of interior reflection. Therefore it lays itself bare in every part to the inflictions of the plotting enemy, in that it does not hedge itself about with any defence for its safe keeping. Whence it is written, He that hath no rule over his own spirit in his talk, is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. For because it is without the wall of silence, the city of the mind lies open to the darts of the enemy, and when it casts itself forth of itself in words, it exhibits itself exposed to the adversary, and he gets the mastery of it without trouble, in proportion as the soul that he has to overcome combats against its own self by much talking. 60. But herein be it known, that when we are withheld from speaking by excess of fear, we are sometimes confined within the strait bounds of silence beyond what need be. And whilst we avoid the mischiefs of the tongue without caution, we are secretly involved in worse. For oftentimes while we are overmuch restrained in speech, we are subject to a mischievous degree of much talking in the heart, that the thoughts should be hot within, the more that the violent keeping of indiscreet silence confines them, and most often they let themselves take a wider range in proportion as they reckon themselves to be more secure, in that they are not seen by censors without. Whence the wind is sometimes lifted up in pride, and, as it were, regards as weak those persons whom it hears engaged in talk. And when it keeps the mouth of the body shut, it never knows to what degree it is laying itself open to evil by entertaining pride. For it keeps the tongue down, but it sets the heart up. And whereas it never takes heed to itself from inattention, it censures all the world more freely to itself, in proportion as it does it at the same time the more secretly. And most frequently oversilent people, when they meet with any wrongs, are driven into bitterer grief, the more they do not give utterance to all that they are undergoing. For if the tongue declared with calmness the annoyance inflicted, grief would flow away from our consciousness. For closed wounds give The lips need a door well kept, not a bar. 413 VII. more acute pain, in that when the corruption that ferments Book within is discharged, the pain is laid open favourably for our recovery. And generally whilst over-silent men fix their eyes on the faults of any, and yet hold in the tongue in silence, they are, as it were, withdrawing the use of the salve, after the wounds have been seen. For they the more effectually become the cause of death, that they refused by speaking to cast out the poison which they might. And hence if immoderate silence were not a thing to blame, the Prophet would never say, Woe is me, for I have held my peace. Is. 6, 5. Vulg. 61. What then have we here to do, saving that the tongue must be heedfully kept in under the poise of a mighty control, but not that it must be indissolubly chained, lest either being let loose it run out into mischief, or being bound up, it be also slack to render service. For hence it is said by one, A wise man will hold his tongue till he sees opportunity, that when he accounts it convenient, strictness of silence being laid aside, by speaking such things as are meet, he may devote himself to answer the end of usefulness. Hence Solomon saith, A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. For the seasons for changes are to be weighed with discretion, lest either when the tongue ought to be restrained, it let itself out to no purpose in words, or when it might speak to good purpose, it keep itself in from sloth. Which the Psalmist considering comprehended in a brief petition, saying, Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; and a door Ps. 141, of guard on my lips. For a door is opened and shut. He 3. then who prayed not that a bar should be set to his lips, but a door, openly shewed that the tongue ought both to be held in by self-control, and let loose on grounds of necessity, that both the voice should open the discreet mouth at the fitting time, and on the other hand silence close it at the fitting time. And because neither the friends of Job, nor all heretics, whose likeness they bear, know how to observe this, they are said to 'utter words to the wind.' In that the sayings which the weightiness of discretion does not establish firmly, the breath of levity carries along. LIT. BOOK VIII. He explains part of the sixth Chapter, from verse 27, and the whole of the seventh and eighth Chapters. In the course of this exposition, from verse 11, to the end of the eighth Chapter, he speaks at length on the sin of hypocrisy. 1. We have already in the preceding book considered the ALLEG. point, that blessed Job is making known to us the force of his humility, when he says, Ver. 27. Yea ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye strive to overthrow your friend. For he shews what great weakness he considers himself to be of, who calls himself' fatherless.' But because charity even when wounded cannot quit love, he at once complains that they would have him overthrown, and yet witnesses that he is their friend. Whose words, as we have often said already, in such wise specially apply to himself, that yet by them, in the Spirit of Prophecy, we have at the ** sen- same time set forth the sentiment of the faithful People, in see l. the voice of the Church Universal. Which same People, xxiii.§. while encountering the opposition of heretics, both regards tentia.' 31. itself as weak in humility, and yet never abandons the greatness of keeping love entire. For the People of Holy Church, as it is the child of a dead Father, is not unfitly called 'fatherless,' in that henceforth indeed through faith it follows His life of Resurrection, but does not as yet see Him by His appearing. Now heretics' overwhelm the fatherless,' when they bear hard upon the lowliness of the faithful People, by clamorous and false charges, and yet he is a 'friend,' whom they set themselves to 'overthrow,' in that God's faithful People never cease with loving affection to call to the Truth, the very persons whom they suffer as persecutors. But herein it is necessary to be known, that holy men neither dread from weakness to be exposed to falsehoods, nor in being harmed ever hold their peace as to the Truth. Whence it is added; |