[4.] Proud and arrogant speaking, when all our discourse is a self- boasting. Pride in the heart loveth to vent itself, sometimes by the eyes (we read of haughty eyes and a proud look), but usually by the tongue ; all their discourses are to set off themselves, and to usher in something of themselves ; or if religion be talked of, it is to commend their own knowledge, their own notions, their own zeal for Christ : 1 Sam. ii, 3, ' Talk no more so exceeding proudly ; let not arrogance come out of your mouth ; ' Acts v. 36, ' Boasting himself to be some- body.' A proud ostentation of our own worth and excellency is a sort of dross, from which an holy tongue must be purged and refined,
[5.] Cursing and swearing. I join them both together, because usually they proceed from the same root. Cursing is a wishing some evil upon ourselves, and swearing is a solemn appeal to God; and usually profane and bold spirits, that make little conscience of truth, are very apt to both, to wish direful imprecations upon themselves,
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and to take OocTs name in vain upon all occasions. Now the name of God should not- be worn threadbare, but used upon just and great occa- sions. Surely those that have true grace will not make light of God, but use his name, or anything by which he is brought to our remem- brance, with great reverence. To make a byword of his dreadful name is to contemn and slight him to his face. If his people must take heed how they use it in prayer and praise, must not you take heed how you use it in ordinary speech ? You propagate your sin, for you bring his name into contempt with others. You pray, ' Hallowed be thy name ; ' and will you profane it in common talk ?
[p.] Another evil is scorning and deriding at the power of godliness, and that strictness which is necessary to save our souls. When you see others make conscience of sin, you make a mock of it : Prov, xiv. 9, ' Fools make a mock at sin.' When others live self-denyingly and mortifiedly, you deride and speak evil of them : 1 Peter iv. 4, ' Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.' And will God take it well that his best subjects should be mocked for their fidelity in serving him ? Hatred of the power of godliness is so natural to us, that we cannot sufficiently be cautious against making godly and holy men contemptible.
[7.] Idle discourse and foolish garrulity, which tendeth not to the glory of God or the good of our neighbour, and serveth for no good use. For these we must be judged: Mat. xii. 36, 'I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account there- of at the day of judgment,' Light words may weigh heavy in God's balance, and these argue a vain frame of heart. Now a temperate use of honest mirth, or the use of wit, is not these idle words, but when men give up themselves to such a frothy vanity that they cannot be serious, but reflect upon the personal imperfections of others, or use impious jests, or abuse scripture to express the conceptions of a vain wanton mind. There must be a guard upon our speech, that in the general it tendeth to the profit of others. This is a taste of that profane discourse which is forbidden to christians, and any of this, if allowed, argueth a rotten and unrenewed heart, and is unsavoury to godly ears, and con- tagious and infectious to ordinary hearers : 1 Cor. xv. 33, ' Evil com- munications corrupt good manners ; ' and doth make the heart more vain, while the corruption that is in it doth strengthen itself by getting vent ; for when the fire that is kindled in our bosoms flieth abroad in these sparks of discourse, our reverence of God is loosened and weakened, and we lie more open to Satan.
2. For external profit. The commerce of the world is driven on by money, that is profitable for worldly uses ; so is the discourse of a good man as choice silver, very profitable to others : Eph. iv. 29, ' Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.' Surely for many reasons should we thus employ our tongues. So it is said, Prov. xv. 7, ' The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the foolish doth not so.' Men usually discourse as their hearts are. A man of a frothy spirit will bring forth nothing but vain and frothy discourse, but a gracious man will utter holy and gracious
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things. Now we should be more careful to use our tongues to edifying, for these reasons —
[1.] Our tongue is our glory : Ps. Ivii. 8, ' Awake, my glory ; awake, my psaltery and harp ; ' Ps. xvi. 9, ' My heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth.' Compare it with Acts ii. 26, ' Therefore did my heart re- joice ; and my tongue was glad.' So Ps. xxx. 12, ' To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not he silent ; ' that is, my tongue. But Avhy is our tongue our glory ? Because thereby we express the conceptions of our minds. It was not given us to taste meats and drinks ; for that use the tongues of the brute beasts serve them. Speech is the excellency of man above the beasts ; but Christianity giveth us an higher reason, because thereby we may express the conceptions of our minds to the glory of God and good of others : James iii. 9, ' Therewith bless we God, even the Father.' That is our glory, that we can not only think of God, but speak of God, his word and works.