Shlohavot, or, The burning of London in the year 1666 commemorated and improved in a CX discourses, meditations, and contemplations, divided into four parts treating of I. The sins, or spiritual causes procuring that judgment, II. The natural causes of fire, morally applied, III. The most remarkable passages and circumstances of that dreadful fire, IV. Counsels and comfort unto such as are sufferers by the said judgment / by Samuel Rolle ...

MEDITATION XXXVII. Upon the Tongue being a Fire, &c. James 3.6.

VVHen the Scripture would express how mischievous a Member an evil Tongue is, it saith, It is a Fire. Fire hath done a world of mischief one time or other, and so have evil Tongues; whereupon it is added, That the Tongue is a world of iniquity. There is a fire that is called Ignis fatuus (quod efficit tales;) because it makes fools of men, leading them out of their way: So Solomon, speaking concerning a young man seduced by a Harlot, saith, With her much fair speech she cau∣sed him to yield, Prov. 7.21. Fire from small be∣glnnings spreads it self very far, so do the evils of mens Tongues. So, Solomon speaking of a Fool, faith, The beginning of the words of his mouth is foo∣lishness, and the end of his talk is mischievous madness, Eccles. 10.13. They are high expressions which St. James useth concerning the Tongue, telling us, that it desileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of Hell.

By setting on fire the course of nature, we may un∣derstand those great Combustions which the tongues of men have made in the VVorld, of which there are three famous Instances that come to mind, suf∣ficient to demonstrate that, so as men may use and imploy their Tongues, by means thereof the whole VVorld may be put into a flame. How did the Princes of Succoth fire Gideon, by that upbraiding Question mentioned Judg. 8.5. Are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunnah now in thy hands, that we should give bread unto thine Army? To which he replyed, VVhen the Lord shall give Zeba and Zalmunnah into mine hands, then will I te••r your flesh with the briars of the wilderness, and with thorns: And we know he was as good as his word. Did not Nabals churlish Tongue kindle such a fire in Davids breast, as might have consumed all his family, if the greater pru∣dence of Abigail his wife had not seasonably extin∣guisht it, 1 Sam. 25.10. It was gone so far, that David had sworn, He would not leave of them that did pertain to Nabal by the morning-light any that pis∣sed against a wall, Vers. 22. And all this because of a provoking Answer he sent him, saying, VVho is David? Many servants nowadayes break away from their Masters, &c. Yea, the Tongue of David himself, (at what time he came with a lie in his mouth to Abimelech) proved no otherwise than a fire, which did consume at once four-score and five of the Lords Priests, 1 Sam. 22.19. By the same reason, that so great Combustions were raised by a few sparks falling from the Tongues of particular men, may the whole VVorld be destroyed by the fire of mens Tongues, such, and so great as it may be, which may give us an accompt, of what the Text saith concerning the Tongue, its setting on fire the whole

course of nature; Now, whereas he adds that he Tongue it's self, is set on fire of hell, me-thinks he speaks of a wicked Tongue, as if it were a sacrifice, a Holocaust to the Devil (as the Apostle saith in ano∣ther case; The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they s••crifice to Devils, and not to God, 1 Cor. 10.20.) For whereas the sacrifices which God did accept were kindled by sire from heaven, a depraved Tongue, is said to be kindled by a fire, worse then that which is common, viz. by fire from hell, as if it were in token of the Devils preparing, and challenging of it for himself.

Yet as ill a construction as calling the tongue a fire, may bear in one sense; yet in another accep∣tation of that Metaphor, the Tongue ought to be a Fire, and it is its excellency so to be. The holy Ghost came down upon the Apostles, in the form of fiery cl••ven tongues, Act. 2.3. God did touch the mouth of his prophet with a coal from his altar, in token that his iniquity was taken away, and his sin pur∣ged Isa. 6.7. There are words that may be used to enemies which would be like heaping coals of fire upon their heads, in that good sense that S••l••mon wish∣eth us so to do. May my tongue be such a sire as one of these, may it be a flame breaking forth, to vent, and express a fire of God that burns within: may it be a fire consuming the vices of others by faithful admonitions, and reproofs, in kindling and increasing zeal in others, by warm and affecti∣onate counsels; a fire refreshing the hearts of others by a due and seasonable application of divine and comfortable considerations. They whose tongues are a fire in the worse sense, viz. inflaming the world with contention, concupiscence, and other noisome lusts, shall have for their reward sharp arrows of the

Almighty with coals of Juniper, Psal. 120.4. Yea, the time is coming, when, in case they repent not, they shall cry out with Dives, Father Abraham, send ••••∣z••arus that he may dip the tip of hi•• singer in water, and cool my tongue, tormented in this flame, Luk. 16. As fire is one of usefullest things in the world, when well imployed; so is the Tongue of man; (therefore called his glory): but as that, when it exceeds it's bounds, is greatly pernicious, so are the Tongues of men; and therefore, look what care is taken to keep fire within our Chymnies, and other places proper for it, the like should be taken to set a watch before the door of our lips, that we offend not with our Tongues: no wonder S. James should say, that He who offendeth not in words, is a perfect man, ••ble to bridle the whole body. For, he that can master his tongue can master fire, which of all crea∣tures is most untameable.