IN the third chapter of Ecclesiastes the Preacher says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose." He illustrates this by enumerating antithetical situations, among which we find "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
"A time to keep silence"! How many of us, stopping to ponder this, find in it a rebuke to some hasty expression of opinion, some wordy outburst of anger, some outcry of wounded personal sense, some thoughtless betrayal of another's confidence, some unnecessary speech that pushed along the rolling ball of gossip and increased its bulk! There are probably few, indeed, who are not sharply self-accused of having erred in one or more of these ways. It may have been through no more than a wish to keep the conversation going that we have unintentionally introduced a topic redounding to our neighbor's discredit. Sometimes a tactless remark touches a sore spot in the hearer's consciousness and causes the smarting of an old wound. Occasionally we may be betrayed into an inaccuracy of statement through temporary forgetfulness, excitement, or confusion. Each slip recognized and repented of makes us more earnest in guarding thought and tongue, that we may at all times be found loving our neighbor as ourselves.
We do not so often err through maintaining silence. There are occasions, to be sure, when lack of moral courage has kept us from bravely speaking up on the right side, occasions when our silence may have been construed as consenting to some error. We have all realized the truth in the proverb, "A word spoken in due season, how good is it," when someone's kindly encouragement has pulled us out of the ditch of blundering, and given us heart to retrieve a situation that a moment before seemed hopeless; when a word of praise for the one commendable thing inspired us to bring the rest of our conduct into line; and where, because someone was brave enough to speak in defense of the absent, the trend of unkindly criticism changed, and all present breathed a purer atmosphere.
And what a contagiously joyful thing is genuine enthusiasm for the Christ-life, an enthusiasm so far removed from mere emotional effusiveness that it is not repressed through fear of its being mistaken for such, but speaks inwardly "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody" in the heart, and outwardly in "giving thanks always for all things"! All along the line of the day's journey there is grateful response to gratitude, and the singing heart sets other hearts to singing. Brother, neighbor, clerk, workmate, playmate, friend—each one with whom we come into contact does something for us, and the spontaneous acknowledgment of that service is itself a joy. Just as "the gift without the giver is bare," it is a question whether any service can be paid for without the accompaniment of truly grateful thanks. And this often turns a perfunctory duty into a golden deed of friendship, through which we glimpse the eternal kinship of divine ideas, and the activity of the divine Principle, Love, expressed in those ideas, as the sun is expressed in golden rays of light.
Mrs. Eddy has written (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 205), "Befogged in error (the error of believing that matter can be intelligent for good or evil), we can catch clear glimpses of God only as the mists disperse, or as they melt into such thinness that we perceive the divine image in some word or deed which indicates the true idea, —the supremacy and reality of good, the nothingness and unreality of evil." When the audible rendering of thanks can aid in dispersing the mists and giving us these gleams of glory, surely then is not "a time to keep silence"!
Every now and then there is evidence that the "whisperer," mentioned in Proverbs as one who "separateth chief friends," is at work; there is a disturbing sense of disunity among coworkers, a shadowy distrust, a suspicion of mental reservations, instead of frank and friendly understanding. Such a state of affairs may have been brought about through a malicious purpose, through envy or jealousy indulged first in someone's consciousness. Has it been our own? But more frequently the harm is done by unguarded speech and its repetition in ways already indicated. Without stopping to inquire too particularly, if at all, into the cause of the trouble, this is the time to realize the presence of God as Love and Mind, the unity of all divine ideas in that Mind, and the powerlessness of mortal opinions to influence, secretly or openly, in opposition to spiritual facts.
A misguided zeal in "uncovering error" may stir up a great deal of error to no purpose, and out of a molehill of suggestion throw up a mountain of ill feeling. Wisdom and humility do not rectify error in this way. When an accusation is made, it were well silently to search one's own heart to find whether there is a basis for the charge. It may be that here the uncovering will take place, and that the accusation is in reality a heaven-sent rebuke to an error we have been harboring. The occasion is rare where a situation can be improved by telling anyone what another has critically said about one. In "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 356), "The pent-up elements of mortal mind need no terrible detonation to free them;" and she adds, "They should be stifled from lack of air and freedom."
If "whisper" and its derivatives in the Bible are examined, they will be found mainly used with reference to the secret, cowardly suggestions of error. In Isaiah this "whisperer" is brought low—the snake-talker is in the dust. Shall we listen to anything from beneath? Has the dust a message for the child of God? No! Evil suggestion cannot be heard by one who is walking uprightly; it cannot enter his consciousness.
A true sense of loyalty would do much to cut down the output of unnecessary speech. Critical gossip does not evince loyalty toward employer, partner, family, or friend; indeed, indulgence of it is the expression of that base element of the carnal mind known as treachery.
The courts of our land recognize the sacredness of the confidence reposed by the accused in his spiritual adviser, a client in his lawyer, a patient in his physician; and questions which would violate professional ethics in these relations are usually disallowed. In the Manual of The Mother Church this rule is embodied in Article VIII, Section 22. It would be well if those seeking healing in Christian Science would observe the same Christly discretion regarding their own affairs, since these often involve the affairs of others; well if they would mercifully refrain, whenever possible, from discussing their neighbors' business. It would vastly speed the healing of our diseases and the solving of our problems if we would observe our dear Leader's tender adjuration found on page 8 of "No and Yes": "We should endeavor to be long-suffering, faithful, and charitable with all. To this small effort let us add one more privilege— namely, silence whenever it can substitute censure. Avoid voicing error; but utter the truth of God and the beauty of holiness, the joy of Love and 'the peace of God, that passeth all understanding,' recommending to all men fellowship in the bonds of Christ."
