Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-08-26
Caln,age
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaae, d. d.

sermon the preacher rebukes the prev
nlent vice Of loose and censorious ut
terance. and especially OF SANDER in
business and social life. The text is
James III. y. Full OF deadly poison"
Never did inspired writer feather his
verbal arrows OF truth with more dra-
matte comparisons than the author OF
my text. lie seems TO take MS out
to the corral OF an eastern Bedouin
chief Meihinks | see the leader OF
this nomud tribe looking over his herd
Of fine limbed. high spirited. mettle-
some thorouglIbreds. Then he turns to
one Of his men and says. John.
think we will bride yondcr colt today
and break her " the saddle" Aye"
answers the man. THAT IL sooner
said than done Never did we have
higher strung. uglier four legged
beast than that colt. She will kick
and bite and snort and foam ut the
mouth whenever We go near her" us
that so:" answered the chief. Then
the sooner we break her the better"
see the ropes flung over the colts
neck see her attempt TO kick and
bite the hand that puts the bit Into
her mouth and the saddle upon her
back. see her eyes flash. | see her
rear. plunge and roll on the ground
ana aftcrward bolt. and for miles run
away over the hills. Then see her
gradually subdued until ut last that
nomad chief makes her his pet riding
mare. | see her finally under perfect
control. like Jobs mighty war charger.
smelling the battle from nfar. and as
l see NIL this transformation the author
Of my text says. Behold, we put bits
In the horses mouths that they may
obey US. and we turn about their whole
body, but the tongue can no
man tame"
Then the author places us upon the
deck of one of the Alcxandrian corn
ships. He pictures one of those awful
Mediterranean eurOclydons that played
such havoc with the shipping OF old.
and which destroys SO many ships OF
the present day. The wind Is blowing
a hurricane. The sails are whipped
into shrc,ls. But though that ship Is
tossing about In the mighty. hcaving
pillows, yet she Is under complete con
troll Of the steersman. who. with his
single hand. moves the rudder TO the
right or To the left Then the author
Of my text says, Behold also the
ships. which though they may be so
great. and are driven OF fierce winds.
yet are they turned about with very
small helm. whithersocver the gov
ernor listeth. but the tongue
no man can tame"
Then he takes us away up In the
mountains. lie gathers together few
dried grasses and strikes spark and
ignites them. No sooner are the
grasses aiire than the evening winds
fan them into great conflagration.
which sets all the forests OF those
mountains ablaze. Aye. for nights you
can see them burning. rs we have seen
the mountain fires burning up in the
Adirondacks or upon the berkshire
hills. Then he says. "rhe tongue Is
a little member" II IL almost as In
significant looking NJ n small spark.
But "behold how great matter lit
tie fire kindlcth" The damage which
the tongue or the spark can do Is In
finite. Then he compares the evils OF
the tongue 10 the awful ravages OF
physical disease-to those OF hideous
lcprosy or cholera or the bubonic
plaguc-"It dciileth the whole body"
Then. In the four words of my text.
he compares the evil tongue OF man TO
the poisonous fangs OF u kissing SER
pent The reason have drawn for
you all these different comparisons.
used In connection with the comparison
of my text. Is this: want you to
know that no symbol Is too demoniac.
no comparison IL too destructive or too
repulsive for the author 10 cite rs
criterion by which to Judge the fatal
effects Of the human tongue when It
Is evil. May God help me today to
show you some OF the dark dens and
caverrs In which this evil tongue OF
man, as n serpent's fangs. hides itself.
and where II Is most able TO strike Its
deadly poison Into the flesh and hearts
OF Its helpless victims.
A vindictive Tongue.
The evil tongue OF man. in the first
place. Is n vindictive tongue. II has
stored up among Its deadly poisons the
accumulated malice. not only Of days.
but OF weeks and months and years.
Like the North American savage OF
old. 1t never forgets a supposed injury
which some one has done against 1t.
II will go out OF its way hundred