Solitude and Silence: Ambrose of Milan: Silence Before God

Ambrose of Milan (d. 397) taught that silence before God is not emptiness but fullness. In "On the Duties of the Clergy" he wrote: "Let no one think that there is little merit in bridling the tongue and restraining the speech. For the wise man has said, 'The tongue of the wise is known for its restraint.' But silence is also an art, for the Psalmist says, 'I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.…