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| Chapter III. Silence should not remain unbroken, nor should it arise from idleness. How heart and mouth must be guarded against inordinate affections.
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Chapter III.
Silence should not remain unbroken, nor should it arise
from idleness. How heart and mouth must be guarded against
inordinate affections.
9. What then?
Ought we to be dumb? Certainly not. For: “there
is a time to keep silence and a time to speak.”43
If, then, we are to give account for
an idle word, let us take care that we do not have to give it also for
an idle silence. For there is also an active silence, such as
Susanna’s was, who did more by keeping silence than if she had
spoken. For in keeping silence before men she spoke to God, and
found no greater proof of her chastity than silence. Her
conscience spoke where no word was heard, and she sought no judgment
for herself at the hands of men, for she had the witness of the
Lord. She therefore desired to be acquitted by Him, Who she knew
could not be deceived in any way.44
Yea, the
Lord Himself in the Gospel worked out in silence the salvation of
men.45
David rightly therefore enjoined on
himself not constant silence, but watchfulness.
10. Let us then guard our hearts, let us
guard our mouths. Both have been written about. In this
place we are bidden to take heed to our mouth; in another place thou
art told: “Keep thy heart with all
diligence.”46
If David took
heed, wilt thou not
take heed? If Isaiah had unclean
lips—who said: “Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am
a man, and have unclean lips”47
—if a
prophet of the Lord had unclean lips, how shall we have them
clean?
11. But for whom was it written, unless it
was for each one of us: “Hedge thy possession about with
thorns, and bind up thy silver and gold, and make a door and a bar for
thy mouth, and a yoke and a balance for thy words”?48
Thy possession is thy mind, thy gold
thy heart, thy silver thy speech: “The words of the Lord
are pure words, as silver tried in the fire.”49
A good mind is also a good
possession. And, further, a pure inner life is a valuable
possession. Hedge in, then, this possession of thine, enclose it
with thought, guard it with thorns, that is, with pious care, lest the
fierce passions of the flesh should rush upon it and lead it captive,
lest strong emotions should assault it, and, overstepping their bounds,
carry off its vintage. Guard thy inner self. Do not neglect
or contemn it as though it were worthless, for it is a valuable
possession; truly valuable indeed, for its fruit is not perishable and
only for a time, but is lasting and of use for eternal salvation.
Cultivate, therefore, thy possession, and let it be thy tilling
ground.
12. Bind up thy words that they run not
riot, and grow wanton, and gather up sins for themselves in too much
talking. Let them be rather confined, and held back within their
own banks. An overflowing river quickly gathers mud. Bind
up also thy meaning; let it not be left slack and unchecked, lest it be
said of thee: “There is no healing balsam, nor oil, nor
bandage to apply.”50
Sobriety of mind
has its reins, whereby it is directed and guided.
13. Let there be a door to thy mouth, that
it may be shut when need arises, and let it be carefully barred, that
none may rouse thy voice to anger, and thou pay back abuse with
abuse. Thou hast heard it read to-day: “Be ye angry
and sin not.”51
Therefore
although we are angry (this arising from the motions of our nature, not
of our will), let us not utter with our mouth one evil word, lest we
fall into sin; but let there be a yoke and a balance to thy words, that
is, humility and moderation, that thy tongue may be subject to thy
mind. Let it be held in check with a tight rein; let it have its
own means of restraint, whereby it can be recalled to moderation; let
it utter words tried by the scales of justice, that there may be
seriousness in our meaning, weight in our speech, and due measure in
our words.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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