The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-06-01
5l7e
Sn50osl:- School
INTERNATIONAL LESSON CON.
MENTS FOR JUNE 8.

Subject: The Power of the Tongue,
James 3:1-12 - Golden Text,
Prov. 1:23--Com1nit Verses 81
1O--Commentary on Lesson.
TIME.-A. d. 60. PLACE
Jerusalem.
EXPOSITION.--T. Be Not Many
Teachers, 1-5. James does mt saw
that no Christian should be teach.
er, but that the body of believers
should not be a multitude of teach-
ars, every one desiring to teach 9TH
ers and no one willing to learn from
others. On the contrary every man
should be swift to hear, slow to
speak (ch. 1:19). God sets teachers
in the church q Cor 1929. Teach.
ers are one of the gifts of the ascend.
ed Christ to His church (Eph. AID.
The Holy Spirit bestows the gift OF
teaching upon whomsoever He viii
q Cor. 12:8-11). The position Of
the teacher is one no man has right
to take upon himself If the Holy
Spirit bestows that gift upon us we
are to exercise it, but even then In
all humility, and be more swift to
learn from others than to instruct
will be multitude of learners (dis-
ciples) rather than a multitude Of
teachers, ready, it is true, to share
with others what they have them
selves been taught Of God, but even
more eager in all teachableness to
learn from others what God has
taught them (Phil 2:3). There was
perhaps never day in the history Of
the church when this word of James
was more needed than to-day. This
man, according to tradition, was one
VINO spent SO much time in PRAYER
that his knees were found to be cali
loused like those of a camel by HIS
much kneeling, yet this God-taught
ana holy man puts himself right
alongside the rest of US and says, I'm
many things we all stumble, How
unllke the utterances of MANY to-
day who call themselves "holv." but
who, while they are quite ready to
maintain that the most of believers
stumble grievousIy, are not willing
TO confess that they themselves Stun
Die In anything much less Sin manv
things" They do stumble all the
same-"we all'' do (cf. / Kings s.:
40; Rom. $40; l John 2:1O). This.
however is not saying that it is nee
essary for us to go on day after dav
SHINING, in the sense of consciously
doing that which we know when do
ing 1t to be contrary to the will of
God. This none of us need do and
none born of God will do Il John g:
:. The tongue is the hardest part
Oh the body to bring under control
and the last to yield to the con-
strain1ng grace of God. When that
member is brought into complete ac-
cord with the will of God we NAV
rest assured that the grace of God
uas nnlsned its work. A mans
words, not merely his set speeches,
put MS unprecedented utterances as
well, show what he is in his inmost
soul Matt. 1890.
IL. The Tongue is Fire. World
OF Iniquity, GLE. The tongue is in
deed fire. 1t inflames anger ana
families and societies and nations are
set In a confagration in consequences
OF an untimely word (see Prov. Is:
l; Judges 12:1-6; 2 Sam. 1919: 20.l
z Chron. 10: 1916; CT. 1911.
Inc tongue infiames lust and withers
the purity Of the maiden and con-
sumes the strong man physically.
mentally and morally prov. 1921
49,. The tongue infiames jealousy
ana destroys the beautiful tie that
Dinds together man and wife and
leaves the home in ruins Tba
tongue kindles unbelief (Tit. III.
Gen. 3:1-6), and thus burns away
the foundations of individual charac-
Ter, OF commercial integrity, of social
purity and of national security. The
tongue indeed is a fire, "a world Of
inlquity among our members" There
is nothing mischievous and vile that
the tongue cannot do. A little Are
VIII kindle a vast amount of wood.
"A little IRE in a broken lamp set All
chicago ablaze and left it in ruins.
a little word has set many home.
CITY and nation ablaze, and often
times that fire will burn on through
an eternity. The fires of hell are
Kindled by the idle words that set
men thinking wrong about God and
Cnrisr and sin and the Bible. The
destructive critics to-day by their
professediy scholarly but really per-
verse and subversive words are kind
ing 1res of unbelief and sin. Men
are usually careful how they handle
nre' put most of us are careless about
now we use our tongues. James tells
us piainly the origin of this fire. It
"a hAO VI NELL. whence
come the words that inflame the i'm
aagination and passions, from French
literature? No, hell. Whence come
the words that are undermining the
faith in the credibility Of the Bible
narratives, of those who do not think
Tor themselves, but bow at the shrine
OF culture, from German scholarship?
NO, hell. If any one questions
James statement that the sstongue
can no man tame" he has evidently
never tried it himself. But while no
man can tame the tongue, God can.
the best thing any of us can do with
MS own tongue is to bring it to God
and surrender its control to Him.
How James heaps up illustrations to
show the misunderstanding power of
the tongue ". 8, r. VI. But is
there any doubt that he is right?
Has not sharp tongue poisoned the
life Of many husband, wife or
child? Has not the obscene tongue
poisoned the imagination Of many
boy and man? Has not the infidel
tongue poisoned the waters of life?
1t defletA the whole body"