Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/spurgeon/ps15.3

Text File | 1993-03-25 | 14KB | 241 lines

                           EXPOSITION.

        After the positive comes the negative. "_He that
backbiteth not with his tongue_." There is a sinful way of
backbiting with the heart when we think too hardly of a
neighbour, but it is the tongue which does the mischief. Some
men's tongues bite more than their teeth. The tongue is not
steel, but it cuts, and its wounds are very hard to heal; its
worst wounds are not with its edge to our face, but with its back
when our head is turned. Under the law, a night hawk was an
unclean bird, and its human image is abominable everywhere. All
slanderers are the devil's bellows to blow up contention, but
those are the worst which blow at the back of the fire. "_Nor
doeth evil to his neighbour_." He who bridles his tongue will not
give a license to his hand. Loving our neighbour as ourselves
will make us jealous of his good name, careful not to injure his
estate, or by ill example to corrupt his character. "_Nor taketh
up a reproach against his neighbour_." He is a fool if not a
knave who picks up stolen goods and harbours them; in slander as
well as robbery, the receiver is as bad as the thief. If there
were no gratified hearers of ill reports, there would be an end
of the trade of spreading them. Trapp says, that "the tale-bearer
carrieth the devil in his tongue, and the tale-hearer carries the
devil in his ear." The original may be translated, "endureth;"
implying that it is a sin to endure or tolerate tale-bearers.
"Show that man out!" we should say of a drunkard, yet it is very
questionable if his unmannerly behaviour will do us so much
mischief as the tale-bearer's insinuating story. "Call for a
policeman!" we say if we see a thief at his business; ought we to
feel no indignation when we hear a gossip at her work? Mad dog!
Mad dog!! is a terrible hue and cry, but there are few curs whose
bite is so dangerous as a busybody's tongue. Fire! fire!! is an
alarming note, but the tale-bearer's tongue is set on fire of
hell, and those who indulge it had better mend their manners, or
they may find that there is fire in hell for unbridled tongues.
Our Lord spake evil of no man, but breathed a prayer for his
foes; we must be like him, or we shall never be with him.

              EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

        Verse 3.--"_He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor
doeth evil to his neighbour_." Lamentation for the gross neglect
of this duty, or the frequent commission of this sin. What tears
are sufficient to bewail it? How thick do censures and reproaches
fly in all places, at all tables, in all conventions! And this
were the more tolerable, if it were only the fault of ungodly
men, of strangers and enemies to religion; for so saith the
proverb, "Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked." When a man's
heart is full of hell, it is not unreasonable to expect that his
tongue should be set on fire of hell; and it is no wonder to hear
such persons reproach good men, yea, even for their goodness. But
alas! the disease doth not rest here, this plague is not only
among the Egyptians but Israelites too. It is very doleful to
consider how professors sharpen their tongues like swords against
professors; and one good man censures and reproaches another, and
one minister traduceth another; and who can say, "I am clean from
this sin"? O that I could move your pity in this case! For the
Lord's sake pity yourselves, and do not pollute and wound your
consciences with this crime. Pity your brethren; let it suffice
that godly ministers and Christians are loaded with reproaches by
wicked men--there is no need that you should combine with them in
this diabolical work. You should support and strengthen their
hands against the reproaches of the ungodly world, and not add
affliction to the affected. O pity the world, and pity the church
which Christ hath purchased with his own blood, which methinks
bespeaks you in the words, "Have pity upon me, have pity upon me,
O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me." #Job
19:21|. Pity the mad and miserable world, and help it against
this sin; stop the bloody issue; restrain this wicked practice
amongst men as much as possibly you can, and lament it before
God, and for what you cannot do yourselves, give God no rest
until he shall please to work a cure.--^Matthew Poole,
1621--1679.

        Verse 3.--"_He that backbiteth not_," etc. Detraction or
slander is not lightly to be passed over, because we do so easily
fail in this point. For the good name of a man, as saith Solomon,
is a precious thing to every one, and to be preferred before much
treasure, insomuch that it is no less grievous to hurt a man with
the tongue than with a sword: nay, ofttimes the stroke of a
tongue is grievouser than the wound of a spear, as it is in the
French proverb. And therefore the tongue must be bridled, that we
hurt not in any wise the good name of our neighbour; but preserve
it unto him safe and sound as much as in us shall lie. That which
he addeth touching evil or injury not to be done to our
neighbour, is like unto that which we have seen already
concerning the working or exercising of righteousness. He would
have us therefore so to exercise all upright dealing, that we
might be far from doing any damage or wrong to our neighbours.
And by the name of neighbour, is meant every man and woman, as it
is plain and evident. For we are all created of God, and placed
in this world that we might live uprightly and sincerely
together. And therefore he breaketh the law of human society (for
we are all tied and bound by this law of nature) that doth hurt
or injury to another. The third member of this verse is, _nor
that reproacheth another_, or, that maintaineth not a false
report given one against another; which latter particle seemeth
to be the better, since he had spoken before expressly, touching
the good name of another, not to be hurt or wronged with our
tongue. To the which fault this is next in degree, wherewith we
are too much encumbered, and which we scarce acknowledge to be a
fault, when we further and maintain the slanders devised and
given out by another against a man, either by hearing them or by
telling them forth to others, as we heard them. For why? It
seemeth for the most part to be enough for us if we can say, that
we feign not this or that, nor make it of our own heads, but only
tell it forth as we heard it of others, without adding anything
of our own brain. But as oft as we do this we fail in our duty
doing, in not providing for our neighbour's credit, as were
requisite for the things, which being uttered by others ought to
be passed over in silence and to lie dead, we gather up, and by
telling them forth, disperse them abroad, which whether it be a
sin or no, when as we ought by all means possible to wish and do
well unto our neighbour, all men do see. And therefore thou that
travellest towards eternal life, must not only not devise false
reports and slanders against other men, but also not so much as
have them in thy mouth being devised by others, neither by any
means assist or maintain them in slandering; but by all honest
and lawful means, provide for the credit and estimation of thy
neighbour, so much as in thee lieth.--^Peter Baro, D.D., 1560.

        Verse 3.--"_He that backbiteth not with his tongue_." The
Hebrew word _râgal_ <07270> signifieth to play the spy, and by a
metaphor to _backbite_ or _slander_, for _backbiters_ and
whisperers, after the manner of spies, go up and down dissembling
their malice, that they may espy the faults and defects of
others, whereof they may make a malicious relation to such as
will give ear to their slanders. So that _backbiting_ is a
malicious defamation of a man behind his back ... And that the
citizen of heaven doth and ought to abhor from _backbiting_, the
horrible wickedness of this sin doth evince. For first, #Le
19:16|, where it is straightly forbidden, the "_tale-bearer_" is
compared to a pedlar: "Thou shalt not walk about with tales and
slanders, as it were a pedlar among thy people." So much _râkïyl_
<07400> signifieth. For as the pedlar having bought his wares of
some one or more goeth about from house to house that he may sell
the same to others; so _backbiters_ and _tale-bearers_, gathering
together tales and rumours, as it were wares, go from one to
another, that such wares as either themselves have invented, or
have gathered by report, they may utter in the absence of their
neighbour to his infamy and disgrace. Likewise #Ps 1:20|, it is
condemned as a notable crime, which God will not suffer to go
unpunished; #Eze 22:9|, it is reckoned among the abominations of
Jerusalem, for which destruction is denounced against it; and #Ro
1:29,30|, among the crimes of the heathen, given over unto a
reprobate sense, this is placed: they were "_whisperers and
backbiters_."--George Downame.

        Verse 3.--"_He that backbiteth not_." He that is guilty
of backbiting, that speaks evil of another behind his back, if
that which he speaks be false, is guilty of lying, which is
prejudicial to salvation. If that which he speaks be true, yet he
is void of charity in seeking to defame another. For as Solomon
observes, "Love covereth all sins." #Pr 10:12|. Where there is
love and charity, there will be a covering and concealing of
men's sins as much as may be. Now, where charity is wanting,
their salvation is not to be expected. #1Co 13:1|, etc.; #1Jo
3:14,15|.--^Christopher Cartwright, 1602-1658.

        Verse 3.--"_Backbiteth not_." This crime is a conjugation
of evils, and is productive of infinite mischiefs; it undermines
peace, and saps the foundation of friendship; it destroys
families, and rends in pieces the very heart and vitals of
charity; it makes an evil man party, and witness, and judge, and
executioner of the innocent.--^Bishop Taylor.

        Verse 3.--"_Backbiteth_." The scorpion hurteth none but
such as he toucheth with the tip of his tail; and the crocodile
and basilisk slay none but such as either the force of their
sight, or strength of their breath reacheth. The viper woundeth
none but such as it biteth; the venomous herbs or roots kill none
but such as taste, or handle, or smell them, and so come near
unto them; but the poison of slanderous tongues is much more rank
and deadly; for that hurteth and slayeth, woundeth and killeth,
not only near, but afar off; not only at hand, but by distance of
place removed; not only at home, but abroad, not only in our own
nation but in foreign countries; and spareth neither quick nor
dead.--^Richard Turnbull.

        Verse 3.--"_Backbiteth_." The word here used comes from a
root signifying _foot_, and denotes a person who goes about from
house to house, speaking things he should not (#1Ti 5:13|); and a
word from this root signifies _spies_; and the phrase here may
point at persons who creep into houses, pry into the secrets of
families, divulge them, and oftentimes represent them in a false
light. Such are ranked among the worst of men, and are very unfit
to be in the society of saints, or in a church of Christ. See #Ro
1:30|.--^John Gill.

        Verse 3.--"_Nor taketh up a reproach against his
neighbour_." The saints of God must not be too light of hearing,
much less of believing all tales, rumours, and reports of their
brethren; and charity requireth that we do not only stop and stay
them, but that we examine them before we believe them. Saul, the
king, too light of belief in this point, believed the slanderous
and false reports of David's enemies, who put into Saul's head
that David imagined evil against him. Yea, David himself showed
his great infirmity in that, that without due examination and
proof of the matter, he believed the false report of Ziba against
Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan; of whom to David the king,
persecuted by Absalom his son, Ziba reported falsely, that he
should say, "This day shall the house of Israel restore unto me
the kingdom of my father." The example of whose infirmity in
Scripture reproved, must not we follow; but let us rather embrace
the truth of that heavenly doctrine which, through God's Spirit,
here he preacheth, that we believe not false reports against our
neighhours.--^Richard Turnbull.

        Verse 3.--Despise not thy neighbour, but think thyself as
bad a sinner, and that the like defects may befall thee. If thou
canst not excuse his doing, excuse his intent which may be good;
or if the deed be evil, think it was done of ignorance; if thou
canst no way excuse him, think some great temptation befell him,
and that thou shouldst be worse if the like temptation befell
thee; and give God thanks that the like as yet hath not befallen
thee. Despise not a man being a sinner, for though he be evil
to-day, he may turn to-morrow.--^Williams Perkins, 1558-1602.

        Verses 3,4,5.--They that cry down moral honesty, cry down
that which is a great part of religion, my duty towards God, and
my duty towards man. What care I to see a man run after a sermon,
if he cozens and cheats as soon as he comes home? On the other
side, morality must not be without religion, for it so, it may
change as I see convenience. Religion must govern it. He that has
not religion to govern his morality, is not a dram better than my
mastiff-dog; so long as you stroke him, and please him, and do
not pinch him, he will play with you as finely as may be, he is a
very good moral mastiff; but if you hurt him, he will fly in your
face, and tear out your throat.--^John Seldon, 1584-1654.

                       HINTS TO PREACHERS.

        Verse 3.--The evils of detraction. It affects three
persons here mentioned: the backbiter, the suffering neighbour,
and the taker-up of the reproach.

        Verse 3.--"_Nor taketh up a reproach_." The sin of being
too ready to believe ill reports. Common, cruel, foolish,
injurious, wicked.