The record-union., 1892-04-02
!" HOLD YOUR TONGUE"
Words That Strike Home With Un-
usual Force.
A Sermon by Rev. J. b. siIcox that
Should be Read by Everybody
Who Possesses Tongue.


Following is the full text of sermon
on Hold Your Tongue" delivered al
the congregational Church last Sunday
evening by the pastor, Rev. j. B. Silcox
In announcing his theme, the reverend
speaker said:
vi, "a iioi0 my 'oiis 'oA
But the tongue can no man tame. It's an
al HF9ly evil full of deadly poison.-James
Aanthus, a heather philosopher, in
sl.eu ms friends to banquet, and or
1eTeo MS servant Esop, to prepare 9
dinner of the best the market could sup
Ply. When the guests assembled around
the panqueting board the first course or
Inc Dill OF fare was tongue. The next
course was tongue. Every course down
70 dessert was tongue, prepared in vari-
GUS forms and served with different
sauces. When the host demonstrated with
MS servant and said, Ibid / not order
You to provide the best that the markets
could supply" 1Hsop replied, Have
not obeyed you? Is there anything bet
Ter than the organ of truth, the instru-
1ment OF worship, the vehicle Of praise p
Ine next day Aanthus, wishing a change
OF diet, ordered Esop to prepare a din
supply. When the guests assembled the
second day, to their amazement they
found that the bill of fare, from soup tc
dessert. was tongue. For" said 4ftsop.
the tongue is the worst thing in the
world. 1t is the instrument Of strife-the
organ OF lies and blasphemy."
The Apostle James and Esop agree in
thelf views on the tongue. AIsop says
1t is the organ of truth and the organ OF
lies; the instrument of praise and the in
strument of blasphemy. James says:
Herewith we bless God, even the
Father, and Herewith curse we men.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth bless
ing and curSing.'
When / sat down to prepare this ser
mon and opened the Bible to find what it
had to say on the subject, | was amazed
al the almost innumerable passages bear
ing on the use and abuse of the tongue.
People say that l preach sensational SER
mons and select sensational topics. In re-
ply haveto say this: l getmy themes from
the Bible and life around me, and try to
discuss my themes III the light of revealed
truth. do not undertake to advance a
single idea that L have not first learned
from the Bible. All / know about God
and man is what / have learned from
this book. If it is sensational for me to
preach on Hold Your Tongue,rit is SEN
sational for Job and James to write on
HAVE GOOD COMPANY AND FIRST-CLASs
BACKING,
And don't care whether people call ii
sensational or sentimental. Ifthey don't
want to hear this sort of thing. other
churches are open and will be glad to see
you.
The fact is, the Bible is a sensational
book. Wherever its truths have been
preached with clearness and force they
have made big sensation. When Paul
and his co-workerS entered certain city
the enemies of the Gospel cried out
The men who have turned the world
upside down are come hither alsor'
The preaching of Gods truth was not in
tended to have soporific or somnolent
effect on men. 1t is the very opposite.
1t is declaration of war against all that
is coarse, and base and vile. 1t is trum-
pet to arouse men. 1t wakes up mans
intellect and reason and conscience to
consider things eternal. Don't imagine
that man is devout because he is dull.
With plainness of speech | speak to
You tonight on the duty of holding your
tongue. In making war on the sins OF
the tongue l draw my ammunition from
this old arsenal-the Bible. | propose
that you shall hear more Bible truth on
this subject than you have been accus-
toned to hear. l will quote extensively
from the Bible tonight. When | am
through you will say that my words are
tame and commonplace compared with
the words of the Bible on the subject.
1T Is THE BIBLE THAT Is BOLD
And sensational, not the preacher. ASH
go along | want you to notice what the
Bible says. Against the wicked words
OF man hold up the holy word of God.
Against mans lying words l hold UP
Gods true word. Against mans filthy
word put Gods pure word / find a
great variety of tongues spoken of in the
Bible. l read of deceitful tongue, fro
ward tongue, lying tongue, a whole
some tongue, naughty tongue, per-
verse tongue, stammering tongue, a
back biting tongue, an unruly tongue
There are truly diversity of tongues. /
read of the tongue of the dumb, the tongue
of the learned, the tongue of the Just, the
tongue Of the crafty. | read of tongues
bent like bows, tongues shot out like
arrows and tongues whetted like swords.
] find that the Bible compares the tongue
10 the wild beast, to the serpent, to viper,
to fire, TO bad fountain, to sword. to
maui, to an arrow. / read of the flat
terry of the tongue, the iniquity of the
tongue and of the poison of the tongue.
] hear David praying God to deliver
him from
THE DECEITFUL TONGUE
In Job / read of being hid from the
scourge of the tongue. From Solomon's
Proberbs l learn that death and life
are in the power of the tongue The
Apostle James declares Every kind of
beast and bird and serpent and things in
the sea hath been tanned of mankind.
But the tongue can no man tame. 1t is
an unruly evil.n
These passages should impress us with
the importance of the subject under dis
cussion. The government of the tongue
is one of the highest religious duties Inn
posed on us by our Creator. 1t is duty
that needs to be enforced on mems atten-
ton with sledge-hammer arguments.
The power OF man over his own tongue
is a good test of his religion. James saws:
IF any man among you seem to be re-
ligious and bridleth not his tongue. but
deceiveth his own heart, this mans re-
ligion is vain" David and job
reached the highest attitudes of holiness
when they held their tongue, and sinned
not with their lips. This point is made
emphatic and clear by the Apostle James
when he says: IF man offend not IN
word, the same is a perfect man. and