5. Because our speeches are regarded by God ; nnd therefore j'ou must consider not only what is fit for you to utter and others to hear, but what is fit for God to hear. You are indeed to consider all three. What is fit for you to utter: "Will this become saints? What is fit for man to hear as tending to his profit, at least not to his hurt. But this is not all ; in the close of the day, when you are making your examen, have you spoken such words as are fit for God to hear ? Ps. cxxxix. 4, ' There is not a word in my tongue but thou knowest it altogether.' There is not a word we speak, vain or serious, idle or to purpose, but the Lord considereth it perfectly : Mai. iii. 16, ' Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written.' He taketh notice of every word that is spoken for or against him. Eeason will tell us that this certainly belongeth to the infinite perfection of God's nature; but if it were soundly believed, it would make men more cautious. If you have spoken wantonly, filthily, foolishly, the Lord heareth, and you must give an account of it to him. Now tell me, should we not make conscience of our words ?
6. Because the well ordering of our words is a great point of Chris- tianity, and argueth a good degree of grace : James iii. 2, ' He that oftendeth not with his tongue is a perfect man ;' that is, hath made a good progress in religion ; for so many ways do we offend with our tongues, that to restrain the irregularities of them showeth that we have a good sense of our duty, or a great awe of God upon our hearts, and are able to resist other temptations, and guide our actions according to the
204 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [Ser. IY.
christian rule. Now, that you may not think it an arbitrary thing, let nie tell you there is an absolute complete perfection, and there is a perfection of sincerity. lie doth not mean it in the first sense, for he saith there, ' In many things we offend all.' The best have much to blame and accuse themselves of. But in the latter sense, he is a true and sincere christian, one that hath profited in the doctrine of Christ, and desireth to do all the will of God. But what doth the apostle say of other manner of christians, that have gotten no manner of government of their tongues, but let them loose to all kind of vanity and folly, censuring, detraction, and evil speaking, &c. ? James i. 26, ' If any man seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, that man's religion is vain ; ' that is, though he maketh show of living religiously, or serving and worshipping of God, he doth but deceive himself if he thinketh his religion shall stand him in any stead. Well, then, life and death are in the power of the tongue ; upon the good or ill use of it dependeth not only our temporal but eternal safety.
II. In making conscience of our words, we should specially take heed of filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting.
There ai'e many evils of the tongue, but these are those which we have now under consideration. For the first, ' filthiness,' men will easily grant that this is an evil, but think not so of the second and third. Natural conscience and reason may cause us to blush at filthi- ness, but is apt to patronise and plead for fooling and jesting, as strains of wit and pleasantness, and not matters of sin and crime ; therefore Ave must go over them particularly, and show that they are sins which become not sincere christians.
1. Filthiness is when we speak of obscene things in an obscene man- ner, without any respect to modesty and christian gravity or sobriety. Now this is a great evil, for filthy speakers bring the s])iritual miserere upon themselves, or that disease whereby men vomit their excrements by their mouth ; nothing is more beastly than their speeches. But they that can speak filthy words without blushing will commit filthy deeds without shame or restraint ; for by their filthy talk they have polluted their own minds, and prepared themselves for the sin.
[1.] It is a sin most inconsistent with any reverence and fear of God : Ps. xix. 9, ' The fear of the Lord is clean.' Because there is sharaelessness and boldness in it : Isa. iii. 9, ' They declare their sin as Sodom ; they hide it not.' Now it is a grievous temper and state of heart to know no shame, for this is to contemn and despise God. Others disobey him ; but such despise him, and seem to have cast off all honesty, and glory in their shame, as if it were a credit to them to defy the holy God and the restraint of his laws.
[2.] It is a grief to the Holy Spirit, as it obstructs that purity and cleanness of heart which he would work in us : Eph. iv. 29, 30, ' 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. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.' Tlie Spirit is represented both as the Holy S})irit, and as the Spirit of peace, and so opposite both to filthiness and clamour. His habitation must be clean and quiet ; therefore clamour, wrath, and bitterness must be put away.