one; since it is profaning a gift by which God has already brought us near HIM, and has given us the power and the hope to draw nearer and nearer through all eternity.

Reflect only, for example, how much is contained in these three duties: To speak the truth, to praise God, to use words of kindness to one another; yet these are all duties of the tongue, only or chiefly. First and foremost of them all, of course, comes this to speak the truth. The Church teaches us in one of her Collects to pray, that we may constantly do so and I suppose many of us must have sometimes been struck by that prayer, and have thought how simple and easy a rule it sounds in itself, and how shameful to us, that we have not kept it better in times past. Of course, I say, Truth is the root and ground of all duties of speech, because the very purpose and end for which speech has been bestowed upon us by Almighty GoD is to represent things as they are; to bear witness to God's truth; to tell other persons truly what they ought to think, and how to feel. Therefore, whoever swerves from the truth goes against the very purpose and end of speech: it is impossible that any of such a man's words should please ALMIGHTY GOD. And, on the other hand, GOD is Truth; and whenever we speak the truth, though it be in a small matter, we are so far like GoD, and at an unspeakable distance we follow one at least of His glorious perfections.

Then it may do us good to recollect how entirely all the other good qualities of our discourse are lost, when it is known to be without this one, of entire truth: we may praise GOD in the best possible words, His own words in the Holy Psalms and Hymns of the Church: we may speak in the kindest and most charitable way to our neighbours; but if it be any how known that truth is not at the bottom of what we say, all men presently feel that it is worse than nothing. It is like a lamp put out: all its light, and warmth, and meaning, is at once done away, though in outward form it continue just the same. We all of us feel this in some instances; as in that which the Apostle St. James so clearly sets before us : 'If a brother or sister be naked, or destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto him, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful for the body: what doth it profit?" The words which are most precious and encouraging to the afflicted, and

make the speaker most amiable, if they be true, and come from the heart,-are felt at once to be mere mockery, and hateful instead of lovely, when they turn out to be mere words. Men feel this most in their doings and sayings with one another; but as the Apostle there points out, it is just the same in our doings and sayings with GOD. As kind words without kind actions are unprofitable, so faith, and praise, and confession, and all reli gious words, without works of obedience, are dead, being alone. Every one sees this, in a general way; but when it comes to the comparison of our own words with our own deeds, not in respect of one another, but in respect of our GoD, then we do not so plainly discern the foolishness and guilt of it; because it is almost or altogether a matter out of sight: and so he that speaks not the truth to his GOD whom he hath not seen, thinks less of it, than if he speak not the truth to his brother whom he hath seen. Yet all of us, surely, when we do come to think of it, understand that if we speak false to our MAKER, our words can do us no good: nay, in such a case the best words do us in a manner most harm. For the nearer the words seem to bring us to HIM, the more profane and wicked is it, not even to try to mean what we say.

But supposing us really to speak the truth, then, indeed, high and glorious is the thought of a creature praising its CREATOR, a soul forgiven and justified praising its SAVIOUR. For this is offering up not what we have but what we are, our very inward selves, to be a sacrifice of thanksgiving. It is answering, as we best may, to the goodness, and holiness, and glory of HIM, who both blesses us, and gives us power to thank HIM for the blessing. It is the employment of Angels and glorified Spirits in heaven: they rest not day and night, praising HIM who is thrice holy. It is the employment of saints on earth, the Church's employment when she draws nearest to her GOD. Then it is that she teaches us to say, We praise THEE, we bless THEE, we worship THEE, we glorify THEE, we give thanks to THEE, for THY great glory. And all this is the work of the tongue. No wonder that God's most favoured servants have ever rejoiced to cry out with David, "My heart is ready, my heart is ready, I will sing and give praise with the best member that I have."

And as the Truth pours such a glorious light on what even frail

imperfect men say in the way of praising Gon, so is it the very charm and heavenly bond which makes our intercourse and conversation a true blessing. There is no need to say much of this, because God has made us such, that we cannot help feeling it at once. To have kind, and good, and helpful words spoken to us, and to be quite sure that they are meant, and that there is no fear of their ever ceasing or changing ;—this is no small part of what we expect of the happiness of Heaven: and this is what we feel in part, in some very faint, and low, and humble measure, when we are among kindred and friends whom we know we can trust, and whom God's overflowing mercy permits us, as now and then it uses, to forget our own undeserving so far, as to have for a time full enjoyment of ourselves and of one another—a kind of earnest of the Communion of Saints.

Whoever will consider these things, will be able, perhaps, the better to understand some part of our Blessed LORD's meaning, when He said, "By thy words thou shalt be justified." And surely, what we hear every day, and too often what we speak, is enough to make us feel deeply the fearfulness of the other saying which He added, "By thy words thou shalt be condemned." The multitude of falsehoods which are told in business, or by persons under authority to those set over them, or by those who have any how done wrong, and are afraid of being found out and punished: how great, think you, will be the quantity of sin which all these heaped together will be found to amount to at the last day. Then, there are all man's unkind and calumnious words; their perverse interpretations of what those have done or said, whom they happen not to like; the angry railing reproaches of some, the bitter provoking hints of others; and, in a word, our reckless way of dealing with our brethren's characters, when we speak of them, as if it were no harm at all, no matter how we provoke or corrupt them. Corrupt them, I say; for this again is one of the greatest sins of the tongue, when men literally do the devil's work with it, uttering vile words, and bringing forth evil things out of the evil treasure of their heart; such words and such thoughts, as both come of a bad Spirit, and tend to make others like him. And often, indeed, men invent and utter them on purpose, to ensnare those who are weak enough to listen to

them; saying, in other words, what was said to Eve, "Ye shall not surely die;' why should you be so much afraid of lewdness, of theft, of drunkenness, of any other pleasant sin?"

All these are offences of the tongue; and besides all these there are the too common sins of irreverent and blasphemous words, cursing and swearing, taking God's name in vain, disrespectful mention of any kind of holy things. How natural this is, the practice even of too many very young children bears witness; how ordinary, we may judge by going into any crowd almost, whether it be work or diversion for which they are met. Now then let it be borne in mind, that every such irreverent word,—as well as the untrue, and unkind, and corrupting words, which we before spoke of,-is set down in GoD's Book, and will be exhibited against us at the Last Day, to our utter ruin, if not blotted out by timely penitence and amendment; and then let a man bethink himself how he may bear that burthen, how that account of himself will sound in his ears.

In another way, too, the sentence of our LORD seems very clear to be understood, and impossible to be denied by any one. "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned;" that is, by the words of thine own solemn promises and engagements; thy vow in holy Baptism, and again in Confirmation, and again, most particularly perhaps, in the holy Eucharist; this vow, these good promises, will rise up against thee in the Great Day, and condemn thee, if thou be found then to have gone on wilfully breaking and despising them. And not only our solemn vows and promises, but every good prayer and psalm we have ever uttered, more especially before God in private or public devotion; this also will tell to our confusion, if we shall have prayed one way, and lived another. Yes, and even in ordinary talk and discourse we are continually uttering thoughts, which if we do not act upon them, will help to make our last judgment heavier; they will prove us not to have sinned ignorantly, not to have wanted either warning, or a head to understand that warning, had we but a heart to receive it.

So it is, then, that persons who do not right, Christians who do not actually keep the commandments, must needs be judged and condemned at the Last Day out of their own mouths. For if we speak right and good words, then this will but the more

condemn us for contradicting them. And if our words themselves be bad, as well as our actions, they will stand as a separate sin in our account, and receive a sentence and penalty of their own.

What a vivid, what a fearful impression, ought this to give us . of our constant, daily danger! Words are the things which will justify or condemn us; by our words we must live and die; and we too often let them pass our lips as carelessly, as much like a matter of course, as the air we breathe; as though we could not help them. It is a danger continually recurring, for we are almost always speaking, or considering how to speak, when we are awake, and in company. And when the word is once spoken, it is like an action done, it is gone out from us, and gone for ever : whether it were for good or for evil, it cannot be recalled. It may be repented of, and sorrowed for, and never repeated, and the mischief of it may be somehow done away, but it never can be recalled. And too often its effects may remain, even when we have repented of it. Moses repented most earnestly of his unadvised speech to the children of Israel, when he smote the rock, as it seems, without due reverence; but his repentance could not obtain him leave to enter into the promised land. David repented all his life long of his corrupting words which he used to the wife of Uriah, and of his murderous words by which he contrived Uriah's death; but his repentance could not restore innocence to the one, nor life to the other.

These are overwhelming thoughts when a man seriously recollects himself, how often he has sinned by words. But let us not forget that by GoD's exceeding mercy they may be made lasting for good as well as for evil. If a cup of cold water, given in the name of CHRIST, shall in no wise lose its reward, surely the good and kind words also, which are spoken in CHRIST's name, words of serious, unaffected humility, words of charity to men's souls and bodies, words of loyal devotion to GOD, words which sincerely put away sin, and keep it a distance from us; all these, though in their own nature they pass away and are over in a moment, yet by His grace they are in a manner made lasting, and have substance given them. "A word spoken in due season," says the Wise man, "how good is it!" The good words of obedient Christian men are, as it were, turned into deeds; and who knows what may come of them, in the world where all things will be true