e old Greek philosophers condemned each of his pupils to
five years' silence, that he might learn self-control; and Holy Writ
tells us plainly that a man full of words shall not prosper upon the
earth.

Another which we must guard against is the _discontented word_.
Everywhere around we hear people murmuring, and finding fault. Nearly
everyone whom we meet has some complaint. It is almost a miracle to
find a man who says, "I am well, very happy, and quite contented." Let
the skies be ever so blue, the eyes of the murmurer can discover a
rising cloud. Let to-day be ever so bright and prosperous, the
discontented forsees trouble to-morrow. The greatest and the best of
men appear in his eyes to be full of faults and weaknesses. Everyone
has his price, he says, no man serves God for nought. In a word, he
can see no good in God's world, no beauty in God's creatures, no
blessings in his own life. He can tell you all his misfortunes, but
ask him what good things God has done for him, and he cannot remember.
My brothers, guard against the discontented tongue. It is a grievous
sin against God, and it makes its owner and all around him wretched.
Let the praises of God be in your mouth, and the two-edged sword of
faith in your hand, and you will make your way through all
difficulties, and triumph over all troubles. Count up God's mercies
and blessings every day, and you _cannot_ murmur. Sing the _Te Deum_
oftener, and you will have no time for the miserable ditties of the
discontented. Imitate the bees, who gather sweetness from the common
things of life. Look up to God's bright sky, and not down into the
gloomy cavern of your own heart. Pray to be lifted out of self, and
filled with thoughts of God's love and mercy, then you will be able to
say--

"My heart leaps up when I behold
The rainbow in the sky!
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die."

And next, let us guard against the _untruthful word_ of every kind.
There are hundreds of ways in which men sin against the truth, and yet
the world does not call them by the terrible name, the most shameful of
all names--a liar. The world is very fond of giving wrong names to
certain sins. A man appears in the morning with pale face, and shaking
hand, and lack-lustre eye, and the world says he has been spending a
festive evening, whereas the _truth_ is he has been drunk. The man who
leads an