The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

SERMONS. 35l^oifterous intention of revenge and cruelty \ How oftenhave the words and countenance of a friend cooledthe boilings of paffion, made a perfon to controulhis criminal defires, to alter his purpofe, and prefervehis innocence ! How beautiful, how forcible and falutaryare fuch right words, how ftudioufly to be fpoken,how faithfully to be remembered !" A wholefometongue is a tree of life ;—a word fitly fpoken islike apples of gold in pictures of fdver ;—the wordsof the wife are as goads, and as nails faflened in fureplaces by the mafters of the aflemblies ;let thereforeno corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,but that which is good to the ufe of edifying ; be yefilled with the Spirit, fpeaking among yourfelves mutually', let the word of Chrift dwell in you richly,in all wifdom teaching and admonifliing one another."Were we difpofed to fo falutary an exercife, wecould be at no lofs for materials to converfe upon,which have a direO: tendency to our mutual improvementin the fpiritual life,—to warm our hearts withthe love of God, and with the love of one another,us to the practice of righteoufnefs.to give us the command of our paffions, and to bendMight we not difcourfeon the nature and beauty of every Chriftian virtue,the obligations to the practice of it, derived fromthe light of nature, and the farther obligations to it,from the Gofpel of Chrift? By this means, would wenot learn to have clear and precife notions of everyvirtue, and would we not be the better able to recommendvirtue, in all its particular branches, to thechoice and purfuit of one another ? Would not fcriousconverfation on fuch fubje^ts, cherifh the devout affections,infpire us with the love of God, and teach usrefignation to his will ? Did we in the fear of God," fpeak often one to another," concerning the compaffionand love of Chrift to a perifhing world, wouldnot our hearts burn within us, whilft we meditatedand fpoke of him ? Would net our faith in him