31. But the psalmist's additional words, "Refrain your lips that they
speak no guile," refer, as I have said, primarily to confession of
the doctrine; but there is another thought: When one is prompted to
anger and to complaint about injury and wrong, in his impatience and
irritation he cannot speak fairly concerning the matter of offense,
but invariably exaggerates. So it is with anger and retaliation. One
receiving but a pin-point wound will fly into a passion and be ready
to break the offender's head. The individual that suffers a single
adverse word immediately proceeds to abuse and slander in the extreme
his opponent. In short, an angry heart knows no moderation and cannot
equally repay, but must make of a splinter, even a mote, a great
beam, or must fan a tiny spark into a volcano of flame, by
retaliating with reviling and cursing. Yet it will not admit that it
does wrong. It would, if possible, actually murder the offender, thus
committing a greater wrong than it has suffered.
32. So wicked and unjust is human nature that when offended it stops
not with equal measure in retribution; it goes beyond and in its
anger and revenge spares neither the neighbor's honor nor his body
and life. James 1, 20 says: "The wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God"; that is, it suffers not a man to abide in his
faith and good conscience. But official indignation, which is God's
wrath, does not so. It seeks not the destruction of man, but only the
punishment of the actual fault. Man's anger and revenge, so wicked
and insatiable are they, return ten blows for one, or even double
that number, and repay a single abusive word with a hundred.
33. So Peter admonishes you to restrain your tongues, to curb them,
lest they suddenly escape your control and sin with wicked words,
doing injury double that you have received. Guard your lips that your
mouth utter not guile or falsehood through your anger, and that it
may not calumniate, abuse and slander your neighbor contrary to truth
and justice and in violation of the eighth commandment. Such conduct
is, before God and man, unbecoming a Christian and leads to that most
disgraceful vice of slander, which God supremely hates. It is the
devil's own, whence he has his name of liar or slanderer--diabolus,
or devil.