p. 95 | Sins of the Tongue by C. A. OSGOOD

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 7, 1871

Sins of the Tongue.

By C. A. OSGOOD

The psalmist said, “I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue.” Sins of the tongue have become very common. Most people have formed the habit of committing these sins. They sin thus many times every day. These sins are recorded in God’s book. Our Saviour said, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” We see, then, how necessary it is for us to “take heed” that we be very careful not to sin in this manner.

There are those who “speak wickedly concerning oppression;” they sympathize with those who oppress their fellow-men; they express their sympathies in words. “They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the Heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.” They speak of God’s people on the earth, in language of contempt. They speak loftily concerning their Creator. They say, “How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?” Yes; men scoff at God’s existence and knowledge, scoff at the idea that prayer avails anything. They scoff exceedingly at the thought that our Lord will come again soon. How many proud words are uttered, words to recommend the goodness and worth of those who utter them, when these persons possess no true goodness or moral worth!

Those who use language that is not truthful, sin grievously against God and man. God is displeased with falsehood. “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” Satan is the father of lies. He supports his throne by mischief and deceit; and those who use deceitful words imitate him, and help forward his cause. They do great injury in the world. God’s testimony against falsehood is, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Little falsehoods, as truly as great ones, God abhors. Oftentimes they do great injury. How many of them are spoken with but little thought. Peter tells us to “lay aside all guile and hypocrisies.” Nathanael was approved of by the Lord, because he was an Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile. The one hundred and forty-four thousand who shall be translated at the appearing of Christ are spoken of thus: “In their mouth was found no guile.” Those who love and make lies will be left outside of the holy city, with all other abominable characters.

How many sin by using unkind words, when speaking of, or to, others. Sometimes this is done with a design to wound the feelings of others, sometimes thoughtlessly. In either case, it is a violation of that blessed rule, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

How abundant is the testimony in the word of God against this practice. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind one to another.” “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, speaketh evil of the law.” But why does he speak evil of the law? Evidently because the law is intended to protect our neighbors’ rights. Evil speaking is encroaching upon his rights, and thus the law which protects those rights is reproached. Unkind words are the cause of great trouble in families, in communities, in churches. Sad, indeed, it is that anything of this sort should enter such a sacred place as the church. Oh! how should those who love the truth, and love the appearing of Jesus, love one another with pure hearts, fervently!

There is “jesting and foolish talking, which are not convenient,” that are sinful. Time is too precious, the end of all things too near, the dangers to which we are exposed so many, and the work to be done in us, and by us, so great, that it seems like madness to jest. Our Saviour has said, “For every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment.” How few believe the sayings of Jesus! Multitudes of professed Christians, and even some Seventh-day Adventists, use many words in jest; many words which are of no use, convey no meaning, are only a substitute for profane expressions which others use. Jesus said, “Swear not at all; neither by Heaven, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea, Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil.” By these words of our Saviour we are to understand, that our communications to each other should be free from everything like profane expressions, by-words, or words which convey no idea to the hearer; that all these are evil, or in other words, sinful.

I have mentioned some of the ways by which people sin with their tongues. We are in great danger of indulging in sin in some of these ways. Indeed, some of the readers of the REVIEW are faulty in these respects now. Let us take heed to our ways, and put a muzzle upon our tongues, not only when the wicked are before us, but at all times. And may “the words of our mouths, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in the sight of the Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.” C. A. OSGOOD.