The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-06-14

with severity upon the tongue and the
wrongs it infiicts. David had had ex-
periences Of his own He knew how
cruel and vengefuI the false and lying
tongue, and how piercing and fiery an
instrument it was in the hands OF one
outwardly religious but inwardly a
devil or a brute. David knew such
base, hypocriticaI fellows in his day.
He opens upon this class in the End.
3rd and 4th verses. He SAYS OF such:
Thy tongue deyiseth mischiefs: like
a sharp razor, working deceitfuliy.
Thou lowest evil more than good: and
lying rather than speak righteousness
Thou ovest all devouring words. O
thou deceitful tongue" There Is the
description Of the false and cruel in
strument OF torture-the tongue. What
Is the end Of such a vile creaturee He
"boasteth himself OF mischief" but
what is the conclusion OF the whole
matter? In verse 5th, the end is Civ
en-"God shall likewise destroy thee
forever" He has had his little day OF
sin and spite and mischief. but eterni-
ty comes and God shall pluck thee
out Of thy dwelling place, and root thee
out Of the land of the living" De-
~ceitfulness n cruelty deserve a bad
end. They are weapons Of evil, OF
low, fallen natures. Mans w~ickedness
finds a ready instrument in a malici-
Gus, reckless, keen tongue. His hatred
OF that which is really good
and Of good report: his prone
ness to sinful courses; his con-
slant "devising of mischiefs,' using
the tongue as a means of affection.
like a sharp razor, working deceitful-
ly"': his positive love of the bad and
hateful, make him TO love lying rath-
er than to speak Righteousness" He
woundeth, he cutteth, he ~slandereth.
because his tongue lis an hurtly evil.
full of deadly poison" as ST. James
says, and lis a little member, and
boasteth great things" The same au-
thor says that the tongue is a world
of iniquity." How expressivet 1t can
infame a family, a church, a
ity, a society, a state, even a world.
ut is set on fire of hell" SAYS ST.
James, and so it is. No or
liar will ever see Heaven, for he is
born of the devil and to the devil he
will go. Old Burkitt truly saws that
the fire of such a tongue is blown up
by the breath of hell" It will take the
deepest repentance, the completeSt re-
| generation, the supremest faith, the
NOSE powerful cleansing of the blood of
JESUS ~ saw Sd1h d lulIld viper
and transfom him into an humble
Christian here and a genuine ''inheritor
Of the Kingdom of Heaven" Wicked
fellows of this kind, who SANDER and
insult and traduce and expectorate
venom and malice and lies, are found
in all vOcations and professions, in the
pulpit as we'll as in the pew, who Iov-
eth and maketh a lie" David says in
the Sth verse-"I trust in the mercy
of God forever and ever" This only
will cover the defenceless head"
shield and save from "the snare of the
fowler protect the good and faithful
from the f~alsehoods and malice of
false and cruel men, and from the
Vaccinations and lies and malice of
our adversary, the devil. David finds
refuge in the ninth verse-"I will wait
on Thy name: for it is good before Thy
saints" It both rebounds to the glory
of God and the benefit of His faithful
few. Il will praise Thee forever"