THE CHILDREN'S CORNER. The Children's Corner. THE COTTAGER'S CRADLE HYMN. HUSH, my babe, and cease thy weeping, Served him at a common inn. Though a palace shines not on thee, Riches, I have none to leave thee, But the God of love can give thee, Thou art more than wealth to me, May our gracious God protect thee, May thy spirit, then ascending, thy great Saviour to adore, Where the bliss is never ending, dwell with mine to part no more. THE SIN AND CRUELTY OF EVIL SPEAKING. SPEAK EVIL OF NO MAN.-Titus iii. 2. THE excellent thoughts on this subject, given beneath, were written by ARCHBISHOP TILLOTSON about one hundred and fifty years ago. They are worth reading yet by every man and woman and young person. Indeed, no one can read them without in his heart and conscience feeling that they are quite true. What a different world from what it is would this be if we had less of this besetting sin of Evil Speaking! One of the common and reigning vices of the age is calumny and evil speaking; by which men contract much guilt to themselves, and create much trouble to others; and from which, it is to be feared, few or none are wholly free. "In many things," saith St. James, "we offend all: if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man." (James iii. 2.) But how few have attained to this perfection? And yet unless we do endeavour after it, and in some good measure attain it, all our pretence to religion is vain: so the same Apostle tells us, "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." (James i. 26.) This vice consists in saying things of others which tend to their disparagement and reproach, to the lessening or taking away of their reputation and good name. And this, whether the things said be true or not. If they be false, and we know it, then it is downright calumny; and if we do not know it, but take it upon the report of others, it is however a slander; and so much the more injurious, because really groundless and undeserved. If the thing be true, and we know it to be so, yet it is a defamation, and tends to the prejudice of our neighbour's reputation and it is a fault to say the evil of others which is true, unless there be some good reason for it: besides, it is contrary to that charity and goodness which christianity requires, to divulge the faults of others, though they be really guilty of them, without necessity or some other very good reason for it. Again, it is evil speaking, and the vice condemned in the text, whether we be the first authors of an ill report, or relate it from others; because the man that is evil spoken of is equally defamed either way. THE SIN AND CRUELTY OF EVIL SPEAKING. And lastly, whether it be done directly and in express terms, or more obscurely and by way of oblique insinuation; whether by way of downright reproach, or with some crafty preface of condemnation: for so it have the effect to defame, the manner of address does not much alter the case: the one may be more dexterous, but it is not one jot less faulty: for many times the deepest wounds are given by these smoother and more artificial ways of slander; as by asking questions,-have you not heard so and so of such a man? I say no more; I only ask the question or by general intimations, that they are loth to say what they have heard of such a one, are very sorry for it, and do not at all believe it, if you will believe them : and this many times without telling the thing, but leaving you in the dark to suspect the worst. These and such like arts, though they may seem to be tenderer and gentler ways of using men's reputation, yet in truth they are the most malicious and effectual methods of slander; because they insinuate something that is much worse than is said, and yet are very apt to create in unwary men, a strong belief of something that is very bad, though they know not what it is. So that it matters not in what fashion a slander is dressed up, if it tend to defame a man, and to diminish his reputation, it is the sin forbidden in the text. One of the deepest and most common causes of evil speaking is ill-nature and cruelty of disposition; and by a general mistake ill-nature passeth for wit, as cunning doth for wisdom; though in truth they are nothing a-kin to one another, but as far distant as vice and virtue. And there is no greater evidence of the bad temper of mankind, than the general proneness of men to this vice. For, as our SAVIOUR says, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." And therefore meu do commonly incline to the censorious and uncharitable side: which shows human nature to be strangely distorted from its original rectitude and innocency. The wit of man doth more naturally vent itself in satire and censure, than in praise and panegyric. When men set themselves to commend, it comes hardly from them, and not without great force and straining; and if anything be fitly said in that kind, it doth hardly relish with most men: but in the way of invective, the invention of men is a plentiful and never-failing spring: and this kind of wit is not more easy than it is acceptable: it is greedily entertained and greatly applauded, THE SIN AND CRUELTY OF EVIL SPEAKING. and every man is glad to hear others abused, not considering how soon it may come to his own turn to lie down and make sport for others. To speak evil of others is almost become the general entertainment of all companies: and the great and serious business of most meetings and visits, after the necessary ceremonies and compliments are over, is to sit down and backbite all the world. 'Tis the sauce of conversation, and all discourse is counted but flat and dull which hath not something of piquancy and sharpness in it against somebody. For men generally love rather to hear evil of others than good, and are secretly pleased with ill reports, and drink them in with greediness and delight; though at the same time they have so much justice, as to hate those that propagate them; and so much wit, as to conclude that these very persons will do the same for them in another place and company. But especially, if it concerns one of another party, and that differs from us in matters of religion; in this case, all parties seem to be agreed that they do GOD great service in blasting the reputation of their adversaries: and though they all pretend to be christians, and the disciples of Him who taught nothing but kindness and meekness and charity; yet it is strange to see with what a savage and murderous disposition they will fly at one another's reputation and tear it in pieces: and whatever other scruples they may have, they make none to bespatter one another in the most bitter and slanderous manner. Another shrewd sign that ill-nature lies at the root of this vice is, that we easily forget the good that is said of others, and seldom make mention of it; but the contrary sticks with us, and lies uppermost in our memories; and is ready to come out upon all occasions: and which is yet more ill-natured and unjust, many times when we do not believe it ourselves we tell it to others, with this charitable caution, that we hope it is not true: but in the mean time we give it our pass, and venture it to take its fortune to be believed or not, according to the charity of those into whose hands it comes. Another cause of the commonness of this vice is, that many are so bad themselves, in one kind or other. To think and speak ill of others is not only a bad thing, but a sign of a bad Our blessed SAVIOUR, speaking of the evil of the last days, gives this as the reason of the great decay of charity among men ; "because iniquity shall abound, the love of many man. THE SIN AND CRUELTY OF EVIL SPEAKING. shall wax cold." (Matt. xxiv. 12.) When men are bad themselves, they are glad of any opportunity to censure others, and are always apt to suspect that evil of other men which they know by themselves. They cannot have a good opinion of themselves, and therefore are very unwilling to have one of any body else; and for this reason they endeavour to bring men to a level, hoping it will be some justification for them if they can but render others as bad as themselves. Another source of this vice is malice and revenge. When men are in heat and passion they do not consider what is true, but what is spiteful and mischievous; and speak evil of others in revenge of some injury which they have received from them, and when they are blinded by their passions, they lay about them madly at a venture, not much caring whether the evil they speak be true or not. Nay, many are so devilish, as to invent and raise false reports on purpose to blast men's reputation. This is a diabolical temper, and therefore St. James tells us that the slanderous "tongue is set on fire of hell:” and the devil bath his very name from calumny and false accusation; and it is his nature too, for he is always ready to stir up and foment this evil spirit among men: nay, the scripture tells us that he hath the malice and impudence to accuse good men before GOD; as he did Job, charging him with hypocrisy to God himself; "who," he knows, "does know the hearts of all the children of men." Another cause of evil speaking is envy. Men look with an evil eye upon the good that is in others, and think that their reputation obscures them, and that their commendable qualities do stand in their light; and therefore they do what they can to cast a cloud over them, that the bright shining of their virtues may not scorch them. This makes them greedily to entertain, and industriously to publish any thing that may serve to that purpose, thereby to raise themselves upon the ruins of other men's reputation: and therefore as soon as they have got an ill report of any good man by the end, to work they presently go to send it abroad by the first post : for the string is always ready upon their bow to let fly this arrow with an incredible swiftness, through city and country; for fear the innocent man's justification should overtake it. Another cause of evil speaking is impertinence and curiosity; an itch of talking and meddling in the affairs of other men, which do no wise concern them. Some persons love to mingle |