3. Words do much discover the temper of a man's heart. There are three operations of man by which he is discovered to be what he is — thoughts, words, and actions ; and all these we should make con- science of. Certainly in all these things there should be a diiference between the people of God and othei-s. To instance in what we are upon, the people of God should be observably different in their words and discourse from other men : Prov. x. 20, ' The tongue of the just is as choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is little worth ; ' where the tongue of the righteous is opposed to the heart of the wicked, and compared to silver, and the heart of the wicked to dross. Because their heart is little worth, their discourse will be accordingly, for the tongue showeth what is in the heart. So Prov. xv. 7, ' The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool 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 things, for the tap runneth according to the liquor wherewith the vessel is filled. One place more : Ps. xxxvii. 30, 31, ' The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment, the law of God is in his heart.' All men's discourses are vented accordingly as their hearts are busied and affected. A man that hath the law of God in his heart, and maketh it his work to suit his actions thereunto, will also suit his words to it, and edify those with whom he speaketh. Thoughts, words, and actions are the genuine products and issues of the heart. Grace in the heart discovereth itself uniformly in holy thoughts, holy words, and holy actions ; there- fore if our conference be not different from ordinary men's, it showeth the temper and constitution of our souls is the same.
4. Because our tongue is our glory : Ps. Ivii. 8, ' Awake, my glory ; awake, psaltery and harp;' Ps. xvi. 9, ' My heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth.' Compare Acts ii. 26, ' My heart is glad, and my tongue rejoiceth.' So Ps. xxx. 12, ' That my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent; ' that is, my tongue. But why is our tongue called our glory ? For a double reason, both which are pertinent to the case in hand —
[1.] Because thereby Ave can express the conceptions of our minds for the good of mankind. It was not given to us for that use for which the tongues of the brute beasts serve them, to taste meats and drinks only, or to taste our food. No ; but to converse with each other. Speech is the excellency of man above the beasts. Man is l^oiov irokt- TLKov, a sociable creature, and therefore fitted by God that we may entertain one another with discourse. Now it is a manifest abuse of this excellent faculty when, instead of propagating wisdom and know- ledge, we should only vent our corruption by it ; and should make no other use of it but 1o vent our scum and froth to the poisoning and infecting of other souls. This is to propagate the general taint, and to make one another more corrupt than we are by nature. Well might
VeR 4.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 203
the prophet complain : Isa. vi. 5, ' I am a man of polluted lips, and dwell amonoj a people of polluted lips.' By the lips the contagion of sin spreadeth from one to another, and so our glory is turned into shame. Therefore if men do not make conscience of their words, their tongues will run riot against all decency both of speaker and hearers.
[2.] The other reason why it is called our glory is because thereby we may express the conceptions of our minds, to the glory of God as well as the good of others : James iii. 9, ' Therewith we bless God, even the Father.' And this is proper to us, not only beyond the beasts, but even the angels. The beasts have tongues, but no reason ; the angels have reason, but no tongues ; but man hath reason, and a tongue wherewith to utter it, and so man is the mouth of the creation, who can not only think of God, but speak of God, his word and works. There- fore the chief use of the tongue is to glorify and praise God, to magnify his name, and delight our souls in the sweet commemoration of his excellencies and benefits : Ps. xxxv. 28, ' My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.' This is the great and noble use of the tongue, to give the Lord thanks for mercies received, or what he has done for the world, for the church, for our bodies and our souls. Now shall the mouth that is consecrated to Ood be filled with dung, and the tongue which was designed for so excellent and noble a use as to be God's harp be debased to so vile an office as to become Satan's trumpet, to stir up filthiness and unclean- ness in ourselves and others, pollute that tongue with lust and filthiness which should speak of the holy God ?