A golden chaine: or The description of theologie containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods word. A view whereof is to be seene in the table annexed. Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences.

CHAP. XII. An exhortation to keepe the tongue.

THus haue I in part set downe howe the tongue is to bee gouerned: and I hartily desire, that all Christians would put these rules in practise. Rea∣sons. I. If any man seeme to be religious, and restraine not his tongue, hee deceiueth himselfe, and his religion is in vaine.* 1.1 II. The man of an euill tongue, is a beast in the forme of a man; for his tongue is the tongue of a serpent, vnder which lieth nothing but venim and poison:* 1.2 nay he is worse then a serpent: for it cannot hurte, vnlesse it bee present to see a man, or to bite him or to strike him with his taile: but he which hath not the rule of his tongue, hurteth men as well absent as present, neither sea nor land, nor any thing can hinder him. And againe, his throat is like a graue that hath a vent in some part, and there∣fore sendeth forth nothing but stincke and corruption. III. As the holy men of God when they preached,* 1.3 had their tongues, as it were, touched with a cole from the altar of God: and as godly men when they speake graciously, haue their tongues enflamed with the fire of Gods spirit: so contrariwise, whē thou speakest euill, thy tongue is kindled by the fire of hell:* 1.4 and Sathan comes from

thence with a cole to touch thy lipps, and to set them on fire to all manner of mischeife. Chrysostome saith,* 1.5 that when men speake good things, their tongue is the tongue of Christ: but all manner of vngodly and cursed speaking is the deuils language. IV. The moderating of the tongue is a matter of great diffi∣cultie. S. Iames saith,* 1.6 The whole nature of beasts & of birds, and of creeping things, &c. but the tongue can no man tame: it is an vnruly euill. Pambus, one without learning came to a certain man to be taught a Psalme: who when he had hard the first verse of the 38. psalme, I said, that I will keepe my waies that I offend not in my tongue, would not suffer the next verse to be read, saying, this verse is e∣nough, if I could practise it. And whē his teacher blamed him, because he saw him not in sixe moneths after, he answered that he had not yet done the verse. And one that knew him many yeres after, asked him whether he had yet lear∣ned the verse. I am forty yeres old (saith he) & haue not yet learned to fulfil it. Now thē, the harder it is to rule the tongue, the more care is to be had therein. V. The strange iudgements of God for the abuse of the tongue,* 1.7 especially in blasphemies & periuries are many & feareful. Three men conspired togither against Narcissus Bishop of Ierusalem, a man that led a godly and blamelesse life, and they charged him with a most hainous crime: all three confirme their accusation by oath. The first wisheth, if it were not so, that he were burnt. The second, that he might die of the iaundise. The third, that hee might loose his eies. Afterward in processe of time, the first had his house set on fire in the night: and he with all his family was burnt. The second had the iaundise from the head to the sole of the foote, and died thereof. The third seeing what was befallen these twaine, repented, and confessed the conspiracie against Narcis∣sus, and yet for all that he lost his eies.

Againe, in the daies of Q. Marie,* 1.8 as Iames Abbes was led by the Sheriffe to execution, diuerse poore people stoode in the waie and asked their almes: hee then not hauing any money to giue them, did put off all his apparell saue his shirt, and gaue it vnto them, to some one thing, to some another: in the giuing whereof he exhorted them to be strong in the Lord, and to stand steadfast in the trueth of the gospell. While he was was thus instructing the people, a ser∣uant of the Shiriffes going by, cried out aloude, and blasphemously said: Be∣leeue him not good people, he is an hereticke, and a mad man out of his witte: beleeue him not, for it is heresie that he saieth. And as the other continued in his godly admonitions, so did this wicked wretch blow forth his blasphemous exclamations, vntill they came vnto the stake where he should suffer. But im∣mediatly after this martyr was bound to the stake and fire put to him, such was the fearefull stroke of Gods iustice vpon this blasphemous railer, that he was there presently in the sight of all the people stricken with a frensie, where∣with he had before railingly charged that good martyr of God: who in his furious rage & madnes, casting off his shooes and the rest of his cloaths, cried out vnto the people, & said, thus did Iames Abs the true seruant of God, who is saued, but I am damned: and thus ran he about the towne of Burie, still cry∣ing, that Iames Abbes was a good man and saued, but I am damned.

Againe,* 1.9 children sitting in companie togither, fell into communication of God, and to reason what God was. And some said one thing, some another:

among the rest, one saide, He is a good old father: to which an other, named Dennis Benfield, replied with a most outragious blasphemy: What, he (said she) is an old doting foole. But shortly after this yong gyrle was so stricken, that all the one side of her was blacke, and she became speechles••e, and died.

* 1.10Againe, one Leaver a ploug-man, rayling, said that he saw the euill fauou∣red knaue Latimer when he was burned: and also in despite, said, that he had teeth like an horse. At which time and houre, as neere as could be gathered, the sonne of the said Leaver most wickedly hanged himselfe.

* 1.11Againe, in the time of K. Edward, a young gentleman of Cornwall beeing in companie with other moe gentlemen together with their seruants, beeing about the number of twentie horsemen, among whome this lustie yonger en∣tred into talke, and beganne withall to sweare, and vse ribauld speech, beeing gently reprooued, the yong gentleman tooke snuffe, and saide to the reproo∣uer, Why takest thou thought for me? take thought for thy winding sheete: well, quoth the other, amend, for death giueth no warning: for assoone com∣meth a lambes skinne to the market, as on old sheepes skinne. Gods woundes (said he) care not thou for me: raging still in this manner worse and worse in wordes, till at length passing on their iourney, they came riding ouer a great bridge, standing ouer a piece of an arme of the sea, vpon which bridge this gentleman-swearer spurred his horse in such sort, as he sprang cleane ouer with the man on his backe, who as he was going, cried, saying, Horse and man and all to the deuill.

* 1.12Againe, there was a seruing man in Lincolnshire, who had still in his mouth an vse to sweare Gods pretious blood, and that for very trifles: beeing often war∣ned by his friendes to leaue the taking of the Lords bloode in vaine, did not∣withstanding still persist in his wickednesse, vntill at the last it pleased God to acite him first with sicknesse, and then with death: during which time of the Lords visitation, no perswasion could mooue him to repent his foresaid bla∣spheming, but hearing the bell to toll, did most hardly in the very anguish of his death, start vp in his bedde, and sware by Gods blood this bell tolled for me. Whereupon immediatly the bloode aboundantly from all the ioynts of his bodie, as it were in streames, did issue out most fearefully from mouth, nose, wrestes, knees, heeles, & toes, with all other ioynts, not one left free, & so died.

These and such like iudgements must be as warnings from heauen to ad∣monish vs, and to make vs afraid of the abuse of the Tongue: especially when it tendeth to the dishonour of God. And we are to imitate the example of Po∣licarpe the Martyr, who when he was bidden to take his oath, & curse Christ, answered, Fourescore and sixe yeares haue I beene his seruant, yet in all this time hath he not so much as once hurt me: how then may I speake euill of my King and Soueraigne Lord, which ••••th thus preserued me? VI. Lastly, God hath honoured thy tongue with the gift of speech and vtterance: and the great excellencie of this gift thou shouldest perceiue, if thou werest stricken dumme for a time. Therefore let thy tongue be applied to the honouring of God, and to the good of thy neighbour.

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iam. 1.26.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 140.3.
• * 1.3

  Isa. 6.6. Mat. 3.11.
• * 1.4

  Iam. 3.6.
• * 1.5

  Chrys. hom. 79. in Mat.
• * 1.6

  Iam. 3. 7, 8. Hist. Tripar. l. 8. c. 1.
• * 1.7

  Gods iudgement for the abuse of the tongue. Euseb. l. 6. c. 8.
• * 1.8

  Fox Act. Mon.
• * 1.9

  A••t. Mon. Foxe.
• * 1.10

  Idem.
• * 1.11

  Idem.
• * 1.12

  ••eter Stubbes booke printed 158••.