October 20

That I sin not with my tongue.—Psalms 39:1.

It is the wise man's advice, Keep thy heart with all diligence, or above all keeping; and he gives the satisfying reason for it, for out of it are the issues of life. Such as the spring is, so will the streams be. The heart is the spring whence all the natural life and vital spirits flow through the body; and, in the Scripture sense, it is the spring of all our actions and conversation; for it sends out emissaries through all, through the eye, the hand, and all the senses and organs of the body, but through none more constantly and abundantly than the tongue; and therefore Solomon, after these words, immediately adds, Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. The current of the heart runs in that channel; for it is the organ of societies, and is commonly employed in all the converse of men. And we can still, when all the other members are useless, use our tongues in regretting their unfitness for their offices; as sick and old persons are wont to do. Thus David here, as it seems, under some bodily sickness, labors to refrain his tongue, and lest it should prove too strong for him, he puts a curb upon it: though it did not free him from inward frettings of his heart, yet he lays a restrain upon his tongue. The Apostle James does amply and excellently teach the great importance of ordering the tongue in all a Christian's life. But we are ever learning, and never taught. We hear how excellent a guard this is to our lives, to keep a watch over our tongues; but, I fear, few of us gain the real advantage of this rule. We are far from the serious thought that a religious person had of this Scripture, who when he heard it read, withdrew himself for many years to the study of this precept, and made very good proficiency in it.

In all the disorders of the world, the tongue hath a great share. To let pass those irruptions of infernal furies, blasphemies and cursing, lying and uncharitable speeches, how much have we to account for unprofitable talking! It is a lamentable thing, that there is nothing, for the most part, in common entertainments and societies of men together, but refuse and trash; as if their tongues were given them for no other end than to be their shame, by discovering their folly and weakness! So likewise that of impatient speech in trouble and affliction, which certainly springs from an unmortified spirit, that hath learned nothing of that great lesson of submission to the will of God. But for all the disorders of the tongue, the remedy must begin at the heart. Purge the fountain, and then the streams will be clean. Keep thy heart, and then it will be easy to keep thy tongue. It is a great help in the quality of speech, to abate in the quantity; not to speak rashly, but to ponder what we are going to say. Set a watch before the door of thy lips. He bids us not build it up like a stone wall, that nothing may go in or come out, but he speaks of a door, which may be sometimes open, ofttimes shut, but withal, to have a watch standing before it continually. A

Christian must labor to have his speech as contracted as can be, in the things of this earth; and even in divine things, our words should be few and wary. In speaking of the greatest things, it is a great point of wisdom not to speak much. That is David's resolution, to keep silence, especially before the wicked, who came to visit him, probably, when he was sick: while they were there, he held a watch before his lips, to speak nothing of God's hand on him, lest they should have mistaken him. And a man may have some thoughts of divine things, that it were very impertinent to speak out indifferently to all sorts even of good persons. This is a talkative age, and people contract a faculty to speak much in matters of religion, though their words for the most part be only the productions of their own brain; little of these things in their hearts. Surely, speeches of this kind are as bad as any, when holy things are spoken of with a notional freedom, where there is nothing but empty words. They who take themselves to solitude, choose the best and easiest part, if they have a warrant so to do; for this world is a tempestuous sea, in which there are many rocks, and a great difficulty it is to steer this little helm aright amidst them. However the Apostle James makes it a great character of a Christian's perfection: If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. But where is that man? Seeing we find men generally, and most of all ourselves, so far from this, it can not choose but work this, to stir up ardent desires in us, to be removed to that blessed society where there shall be never a word amiss, nor a word too much.