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third perfon that is in danger to be infected by the company or ill example of another; or may be greatly prejudiced by repofing too much confidence in him, having no knowledge or fufpicion of his bad qualities: but even in this cafe we ought to take great care, that the ill character we give of any man be fpread no further than is neceffary to the good end we defigned in it.

Besides thefe more obvious and remarkable cafes, this prohibition doth not I think hinder, but that in ordinary converfation men may mention that ill of others which is already made as publick as it well can be; or that one friend may not in freedom fpeak to another of the mifcarriage of a third perfon, where he is fecure no ill ufe will be made of it, and that it will go no further to his prejudice; provided always, that we take no delight in hearing or fpeaking ill of others: and the lefs we do it, though without any malice or design of harm, still the better; because this fhews that we do not feed upon ill reports, and take pleasure in them.

Thefe are all the ufual cafes in which it may be neceffary for us to fpeak evil of other men. And thefe are fo evidently reasonable, that the prohibition in the text cannot with reafon be extended to them. And if no man would allow himself to fay any thing to the prejudice of another man's good name, but in thefe and the like cafes, the tongues of men would be very innocent, and the world would be very quict. I proceed, in the

III. Third place, To confider the evil of this practice, both in the caufes, and the confequences of it.

1. We will confider the caufes of it. And it commonly fprings from one or more of thefe evil roots.

If, One of the deepest and most common caufes of evil-fpeaking, is ill-nature, and cruelty of difpofition; and, by a general miftake, ill-nature paffeth for wit, as cunning doth for wifdom; though in truth they are nothing a-kin to one another, but as far diftant as vice and virtue.

And there is no greater evidence of the bad temper of mankind, than the general proneness of men to this vice: for (as our Saviour fays) out of the abundance of the heart the mouth Speaketh. And therefore men do commonly

incline to the cenforious and uncharitable fide; which

fhews

But

fhews human nature to be strangely distorted from its original rectitude and innocency. The wit of man doth more naturally vent itself in fatyre and cenfure, than in praife and panegyrick. When men fet themselves to commend, it comes hardly from them, and not without great force and training; and if any thing be fitly faid in that kind, it doth hardly relish with most men. in the way of invective, the invention of men is a plentiful and never failing spring. And this kind of wit is not more eafy, than it is acceptable: it is greedily entertained, and greatly applauded; and every man is glad to hear others abufed, not confidering how foon it may come to his own turn to lie down, and make fport for others.

To speak evil of others, is almost become the general entertainment of all companies: and the great and ferious business of most meetings and visits, after the neceffary ceremonies and compliments are over, is, to fit down and backbite all the world. It is the fauce of converfation; and all difcourfe is counted but flat and dull which hath not fomething of piquancy and sharpness in it against fome body. For men generally love rather to hear evil of others than good, and are fecretly pleafed with ill reports, and drink them in with greedinefs and delight though, at the fame time, they have fo much juftice, as to hate thofe that propagate them; and fo much wit as to conclude, that these very perfons will do the fame for them in another place and company.

But efpecially, if it concerns one of another party, and that differs from us in matters of religion; in this cafe, all parties feem to be agreed, that they do God great fervice in blafting the reputation of their adverfaries. And though they all pretend to be Chriftians, and the difciples of him who taught nothing but kindness, and meeknefs, and charity; yet it is ftrange to fee with what a favage and murderous difpofition they will fly at one another's reputation, and tear it in pieces: and whatever other fcruples they may have, they make none to befpatter one another in the most bitter and flanderous

manner.

But if they hear any good of their adverfarics, with what nicety and caution do they receive it? how many

objections

objections do they raise against it? and with what coldnefs do they at laft admit it? "It is very well (fay they) "if it be true; I fhall be glad to hear it confirmed: I 66 never heard fo much good of him before. You are a "good man yourself, but have a care you be not de❝ceived."

Nay, it is well, if, to balance the matter, and fet things even, they do not clap fome infirmity and fault into the other fcale, that fo the enemy may not go off with flying colours.

But, on the other fide, every man is a good and fubftantial author of an ill report. I do not apply this to any one fort of men, though all are to blame this way: Iliacos intra muros peccatur, & extra. To fpeak impartially, the zealots of all parties have got a fcurvy trick of lying for the truth.

But of all forts of people, I have obferved the priests and bigots of the church of Rome to be the ableft in this way, and to have the strongest faith for a lufty falfhood and calumny. Others will bandy a false report, and tofs it from one hand to another; but I never knew any that would fo hug a lie, and be so very fond of it. They feem to be defcribed by St. John in that expreffion in the Revelation, Whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Another fhrewd fign that ill-nature lies at the root of this vice, is, that we eafily forget the good that is faid of others, and feldom make mention of it; but the contrary sticks with us, and lies uppermoft in our memories, and is ready to come out upon all occafions: and which is yet more ill-natured and unjust, many times when we do not believe it ourselves, we tell it to others, with this charitable caution, that we hope it is not true: but, in the mean time, we give it our pass, and venture it to take its fortune to be believed or not, according to the charity of thofe into whofe hands. it comes.

2dly, Another caufe of the commonnefs of this vice is, that many are fo bad themselves in one kind or other. For to think and fpeak ill of others, is not only a bad thing, but a fign of a bad man. Our bleffed Saviour, fpeaking of the evil of the last days, gives this as the reafon of the great decay of charity among men, Matth. xxiv. 12. Because iniquity fhall abound, the love of many

fhall

fball wax cold. When men are bad themselves, they are glad of any opportunity to cenfure others, and are always apt to fufpect that evil of other men which they know by themselves. They cannot have a good opinion of themfelves, and therefore are very unwilling to have fo of any body elfe; and for this reafon they endeavour to bring men to a level, hoping it will be fome juftification of them if they can but render others as bad as themselves.

3dly, Another fource of this vice, is malice and revenge. When men are in heat and paffion, they do not confider what is true, but what is fpiteful and mifchievous; and fpeak evil of others in revenge of fome injury which they have received from them; and when they are blinded by their paffions, they lay about them madly, and at a venture, not much caring whether the evil they speak be true or not. Nay, many are fo devilih, as to invent and raise falfe reports, on purpose to blast mens reputation. This is a diabolical temper; and therefore St. James tells us, that the flanderous tongue is fet on fire of hell: and the devil hath his very name from calumny and falfe accufation; and it is his nature too, for he is always ready to ftir up and foment this evil fpirit among men: nay, the fcripture tells us, that he hath the malice and impudence to accufe good men before God, as he did Job, charging him with hypocrify to God himself, who (he knows) does know the hearts of all the children of men.

4thly, Another cause of evil-speaking, is envy. Men look with an evil eye upon the good that is in others, and think that their reputation obfcures them, and that their commendable qualities do ftand in their light; and therefore they do what they can to caft a cloud over them, that the bright fhining of their virtues may not fcorch them. This makes them greedily to entertain, and industriously to publish any thing that may ferve to that purpose, thereby to raise themselves upon the ruins of other mens reputation: and therefore, as foon as they have got an ill report of any good man by the end, to work they presently go to fend it abroad by the firit post: for the ftring is always ready upon their bow to let fly this arrow, with an incredible fwiftnefs, through city

and

and country; for fear the innocent man's justification fhould overtake it.

5thly, Another caufe of evil-fpeaking, is impertinence and curiofity; an itch of talking and meddling in the affairs of other men, which do no ways concern them. Some perfons love to mingle themfelves in all business, and are loth to feem ignorant of fo important a piece of news, as the faults and follies of men, or any bad thing that is talked of in good company. And therefore they do with great care pick up ill stories, as good matter of discourse in the next company that is worthy of them: and this perhaps not out of any great malice, but for want of fomething better to talk of, and because their parts lie chiefly that way.

6thly, Laftly, Men do this many times out of wantonnefs, and for diverfion. So little do light and vain men confider, that a man's reputation is too great and tender a concernment to be jefted withal; and that a flanderous tongue bites like a serpent, and wounds like a fword. For what can be more barbarous, next to fporting with a man's life, than to play with his honour and reputation, which to fome men is dearer to them than their lives?

It is a cruel pleasure which fome men take in worrying the reputation of others much better than themselves, and this only to divert themselves and the company. Solomon compares this fort of men to distracted perfons: As a madman (faith he) who cafteth fire-brands, arrows, and death; fo is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, (the LXX render it, fo is the man that defameth his neighbour), and faith, Am not 1 in fport? Such and fo bad are the caufes of this vice. I proceed to confider, in the

2. Second place, the ordinary, but very pernicious confequences and effects of it; both to others, and to ourselves.

Ift, To others; the parties I mean that are flandered. To them it is certainly a great injury, and commonly a high provocation, but always matter of no fmall grief and trouble to them.

It is certainly a great injury, and, if the evil which we fay of them be not true, it is an injury beyond. imagination, and beyond all poffible reparation. And

though