Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-06-03
H POWER OF
THE TONGUE
Sunday School Lesson for June 8, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper
Specially Arranged for This Paper

mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul
from troubles. PROV. 2l:S.
TIME-U is believed the epistle was
written between a, u. 40 and so.
Place. believed to be at Jerusalem.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Philosophers have striven to discOv
err what faculty most clearly separates
mar from the brute; as, that man Is
the only animal that laughs. or the
only animal that cooks, or the only an.
;mal that stands upright. Most think
ers, however, agree that the power OF
speech, with all that has grow u OF
It, is the clearest and most important
distinction Of mankind, and the surest
indication of the superiority that God
has conferred upon the human race.
The passage We are to study Is one OF
the finest in the Bible, and Is the
crown of all writings upon the sub.
ject.
VS.. l., "a. Why did James urge his
teachers, as in "SChOOlmasters')? /.
because the young church met that
danger continually tSce Acts 1924;
] Cor. 1:l2; li:2G; Cal. 2:12). In the
Jewish church the function of the rab.
hi was jealousy guarded, but the lib.
crty of progressing (teaching) in
Christianity Was liable to become H.
,cn8c. And Tho more the idea pre-.
vailed that faith. without correspond
ing obedience, was all that Is needful,
the more men would eagerly press for
ward to tcach.'-AllOrd. This thought
joins our present lesson with the last.
To Illustrate perfect speech, to
what does James compare the tongue?
To u horses bit or bride, which,
though small, turns and governs the
whole body OF III" great animal; and,
similarly, to II ships helm or rudder,
which, though SC small in comparison
with the great ship, and so weak in
comparison with the fierce winds, yet
turns the ship, IN the face of the
winds, whitl"rSOcNcr the governor
Or. V. "~stc"rsman"J listeth Or. V.
"willeth'). Even 50 dixie the bride
and the ruddrrJ the tongue is Il little
member, and boast"th great things,
"varnts great words, which bring
about great acts OF mischie1."-AlfOrd
What is the point oil the compari.
son? h power of the tongue in the
guidanc" and direction of life-our
lives and those of others. And
1--WE N" never to forget that the
'tonEIc includes the pen = Deems.
What is the next comparison used
by james? The to%nguc-that world
OF OF lnlqulty-is a fire, sprung from
the frees OF GcliCnna. II is Il little fire.
to the eye; but a little fire can kindle
a great forest. SO the tongue can ruin
the whole bOdy-nay, the whole life,
in its revolving course from the cradle
to the grave" The tongue is called a
world ot iniquity because "all kinds of
evil that are in the world m" exhibited
th"I" in miniaturc."-l}nrncs.
What is the point of this compari.
son? II pictures the destructive power
OF the tongue, as the first two compari.
Sons pictured the tongues guiding
power. Little words, mere puffs of
air, arc insignificant as small sparks;
but aa the flame and smoke may
spr' ad every where, SC the baneful Of.
feet of evil speech may penetrate all
lie.
What is James * comparison of
the tongue? To an untamed beast; all
other living things have been mastered
by mankind-thc four divisions of ami,
mall, .,n.,ljn, " , .,
zoology. namely, quadrupcds, birds,
reptiles and fishes. But the tongue is
an exception, No man can tame It;
only God, who made it, can keep II
under control. 1T Is an unruly (rest.
lcsaI evil, full of deadly poison" and
so to be classed with the animals most
hated and feared, the serpents.
What IL the point of this compari
son? rs the first emphasized the
guiding power of the tongue and the
second its destructive power, SO this
comparison emphasizes it's unrs
strained power.
II the tongue cannot be tanned, are
we to blame for II ungoyernet
speech? Yes, as James himself says
". 100. These things ought not so t.
be- IF We be truly Christ's, though
'reviled' by the unruly tongues o.
others, we shall, like him. 'revi!e no
again q Peter 2:23). And az tn,
whole body is the Lords to be sancti
fled to him q Cor. 6:l9, 20), so partic
ularly must the tongue be kept from
'cvil'spcaking, lying and slandering,
and used rightly for the service 0
God. Thus may We truly offer tn,
calves of our lips (Hos. 1922. NOR,
acceptable than the blood of victim,
slain on a thousand affairs ."-Ellicott.