whose ear (no less than his eye) is in every place; and that every utterance of the lips is recorded in "the book of His remembrance!" O, for the blotting out, then, of "the hand-writing that is against us" in that book! O, for an interest in the abundant mercy of Him who has said,-"I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins!" Who that attempts to retrace the history of the communications of his own lips, will not acknowledge the necessity of an interest in the sacrifice of expiation which was offered on Calvary? What can authorize the feeling of repose and tranquillity in the prospect of the day of account, but a believing reliance on

the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who "was made sin for us, though he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him?"

No doubt, then, it may be presumed, can remain on your minds, with regard to the peculiar and inexpressible importance of the Government of the Tongue. You are prepared, I trust, to direct your willing attention,

SECONDLY, To the principles on which we should aim at acquiring that control.

First, Let our chief anxiety be directed to the fountain of thought and of language.

Hopeless will be the effort to purify the streams, unless the source be pure.

Unreasonable will be the expectation of valuable fruit, unless the tree be good. In the discourse of our Saviour to which I have already adverted, this subject is placed in the clearest and the strongest light. "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good: or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit. How can ye, being evil, speak good things?-A good man, the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things." Who, then, is the good man, whose heart contains a good treasure of the materials requisite for edifying discourse? It is the man who is prepared to speak

out of

of God, and of Christ, and of heaven, because he delights to think of God, and of Christ, and of heaven. It is the man who is "spiritually-minded," being "born of the Spirit," and "led by the Spirit," as one of " the children of God."Wonder not, then, that it should have been said by the Saviour, "Ye must be born again!'

To those who have the hope and the evidence of this renewal of the mind, I would say :Let the keeping of the heart be the care of every day. Let it be right with God, and let it be right with man) Let the love of God dwell there, and it will be your delight, with your lips, "to bless his name,— abundantly to utter the memory of his great goodness, to speak of the glory

of his kingdom, to make known his mighty acts, to testify of his righteousness, and to show forth his salvation." Let that love of man, also, which thinketh no evil, dwell there, and evil-speaking will, in no instance, defile your

lips. From those lips shall ever flow the words of kindness, because the law of love is written on the heart.

Secondly, Let us avoid and detest all those abuses of the Tongue, by which the power of speech would be perverted, and its utility counteracted. These abuses include

1. All that is inconsistent with Truth.

He who asserts a falsehood, or promotes deception, or violates the confi

dence reposed in him for veracity,