More Stories For Children

  THE TONGUE.

THOMAS ADAMS, who wrote about two hundred years ago, is quoted as thus quaintly describing the "unruly member:"—

"To create so little a piece of flesh, and to put such vigor into it; to give it neither bones nor nerves, yet to make it stronger than arms and legs, and those most able and serviceable parts of the body, required a God.

"Because it is so forcible, therefore hath the most wise God ordained that it shall be but little; that it shall be but one: that so the pravity and singularity may abate the vigor of it. If it were paired, as the arms, legs, hands, feet, it would be more unruly. 

For he that cannot tame one tongue, how would he be troubled with twain!

"Because it is so unruly, the Lord hath hedged it in, as a man will not trust a wild horse in an open pasture, but prison him in a close pound. A doable fence hath the Creator given to confine it,—the lips and the teeth,—that through these bounds it might not break."

  THE TONGUE.

THE tongue is an unruly member, and but few govern it properly. Children should study to make a wise use of the tongue. Some use it too much.

Two icicles of nearly the same size were hanging from the eaves of the house. The warm sun was shining without and a warmer fire blazing within, consequently the icicles began to melt. One of them dropped fast, drop, drop, drop, drop; while the other dropped only at long intervals. It was noticed that the drops, which fell fast were quite small, while the drops of the other were large. A dish was placed under each of these icicles, and after two hours it was found, by actual measurement, that more water had fallen from the one that dropped so slowly than from the other.  Here is a lesson. It is not always those who talk the most, who say the most. Take two persons for instance. 

One will talk all day long just clatter, clatter, as you have before now heard a loose clapboard on the windy side of the house. The other will talk only when he really has something to say. Now, if at night you will carefully weigh what each has said (mind, I say weigh, not measure), you will find that he who has talked the most has said the least.

Then there are deceitful tongues, tattling tongues, swearing tongues, lying tongues, saucy tongues, scolding tongues, and oh! So many kinds. And what hateful things these are to carry about!

But children like short sermons, and so do I.  I will give you a text: Proverbs 15:4; and now see who will write the best sermon.

 H. A. ST. JOHN.

ONE sows, another reaps the ground,

God garners in the sheaves; 

He knows the heart where grace abounds,

Accepts the fruit, not leaves.