BY THY WORDS Acquitted; BY THY WORDS CONDEMNED.
“Out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure
of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man, out of the evil
treasure, bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idle
[unprofitable or pernicious] word that men shall speak, they shall give account
thereof on a day of judgment. For by thy words thou wilt be acquitted, and by
thy words thou wilt be condemned.”-Matt. 12: 34-37.
REALIZING that we,
the Church, are at the present time under the inspection of our kingly
Bride-groom, who is now present (Matt. 22:11) to gather out of his Kingdom [in
its present embryo or formative condition] “all things that offend” (Matt.
13:41), and to gather unto himself his jewels, his bride (Mal. 3:17), we cannot
too carefully consider the principles upon which this judgment and this
selection are made.
The above words of our Lord indicate that the heart and the mouth are under
very special scrutiny, the former representing the individual character, and
the latter being an index of the character. It is in this same view of the
matter that those words of wisdom were penned,-“Keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward
mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” (Prov. 4:23, 24.) The indication
is clear that a right condition of heart is necessary to right words; for “out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” as experience testifies to
every man. It is therefore just that our words should be a criterion of
judgment in the Lord’s estimation, as he tells us they are. True, honied words
are sometimes only the masks of deep hypocrisy; but the mask is sure to drop
off some time, as soon as selfish policy renders a change of tactics necessary.
The fact therefore remains that the words, the entire course of conversation
and conduct, are an index of the heart.
Our first concern, then, should be for the heart-that
its affections and dispositions may be fully under the control of divine grace;
that every principle of truth and righteousness may be enthroned there; that
justice, mercy, benevolence, brotherly kindness, love, faith, meekness,
temperance, supreme reverence for God and Christ, and a fervent love for all
the beauties of holiness, may be firmly fixed as the governing principles of
life. If these principles be fixed, established, in the heart, then out of the
good treasure of the heart the mouth will speak forth words of truth,
soberness, wisdom and grace.
Concerning our Lord Jesus, whose heart was perfect-in whom was no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth, it was said, “Grace is poured into thy
lips;” and again, “All bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words
that proceeded out of his mouth.” (Psa. 45:2; Luke 4:22.) Moses, personating
Christ, foretold the blessed influences of the Lord’s words, saying, “My
doctrine shall drop as the rain; my speech shall distil as the dew, as the
small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.” (Deut.
32:2.) And Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and
they are life.” (John 6:63.) So wise, just and true were the Lord’s words,
that, though his enemies were continually seeking to find some fault, it is
said, “They could not take hold of his words before the people; and they
marveled at his answers and held their peace.” (Luke 20:26.) And others said,
“Never man spake like this man.”-John 7:46.
Thus our Lord left a worthy example to his people, which the Apostle urges all
to follow, saying, “Let your speech be always with grace [with manifest love
and kindness], seasoned with salt [a purifying and preservative influence].”
(Col. 4:6.) And Peter adds, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of
God,”-wisely, and in accordance with the spirit and Word of the Lord. Again, it
is written, “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile
[deceit].” “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from
troubles.” “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious words: but the lips of
a fool [an unwise, reckless talker] will swallow up himself. The beginning of
the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is mischievous
madness.” “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter
any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let
thy words be few.”-Psa. 34:13; Prov. 21:23; Eccl. 10:12, 13; 5:2.
Job, in the midst of all his afflictions, was very careful not to sin with his
lips. (Job 2:10; 31:30; 1:21, 22.) He knew that his words would be taken by the
Lord as an index of his heart, and he was careful to keep both the heart and
the words right, saying, “What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and
shall we not receive evil [calamities, troubles-for discipline or refining]?...
The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
There was no spirit of rebellion in a heart out of whose abundance came such
words of loving submission, patience and faith under severe testings, and that,
too, without a clear apprehension of the divine wisdom in permitting them.
The Psalmist puts into the mouth of God’s consecrated and tried people these
words of firm resolution:-“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 [who
tempts and tries the righteous] is before me.”-Psa. 39:1.
How necessary to the stability of Christian character is such a resolution, and
the self control which develops under a firm adherence to it. In an unfriendly world we can expect to receive only the
reproaches of our Master; for the servant is not above his Lord. The world, the
flesh and the devil oppose our way: there are fightings within and fears
without, and many are the arrows and fiery darts aimed at the righteous. But
what is the safe attitude of the soul under afflictions and severe testings? Is
it not in silence before God, waiting and watching first to see his leading,
his will, in every matter before presuming to touch things that often involve
so much? So the Psalmist suggests, saying, “I was dumb with silence: I held my
peace, even from good [even from doing or saying what seemed good in my own
sight]; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me, and in my
self-communing there burnt a fire [description of a fiery trial]. Then spake I
with my tongue”-not to the revilers, nor to others, but to the Lord.
Yes, it is always our blessed privilege to carry our
sorrows and vexations to the Lord;
“For he knows How to steal
the bitter from life’s woes.”
He does it, as the Psalmist suggests (vs. 4-6), by
showing us, through experience, the vanity of all earthly things and their
utter inability to satisfy the soul’s cravings, or to comfort the wounded
spirit. Then comes the thought that the present life, with its cares,
vexations and sorrows is passing away, that our days are but as a handbreadth,
and however vexing our experiences, they will soon be
over; and if we permit them to do so they will only work out in us the
peaceable fruits of righteousness, and develop in us strong and noble
characters, disciplined to thorough self-control, thoughtful consideration,
patient endurance of affliction and loving loyalty and faithfulness and trust
in God. Then the assurances of the blessed rewards of righteousness in
the life to come begin to have a new and deeper significance, and we are made
to realize that this is not our continuing city, but we seek one to come. Thus
the heart is separated from earthly things, and made to realize the superior
worth of heavenly things. Nothing but the Lord himself can satisfy the longings
of the soul, which, tempest-tossed and tried, comes to realize-
“How vain is all beneath the skies,
How transient every earthly bliss,
How slender all the fondest ties,
That bind me to a world like this!”
Thus chastened and comforted, we learn to look beyond the present to the glory
that shall by and by be revealed in the faithful overcomers, who, by patient
continuance in well-doing in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
seek for the prize revealed to faith alone. Thus disciplined and blessed under
fiery trials by going to the Lord for comfort and help, the child of God begins
to realize what it means to be dead to the world and alive toward God, with a
keen appreciation of his love and goodness and grace; and being thus separated
from the world, and more firmly united to Christ, the language of the heart is,
as the Psalmist further suggests, “And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is
in thee.” (Vs 7.) Thus
“E’en sorrow, touched by heaven, grows bright
With more than rapture’s ray,
As darkness shows us worlds of light
We never saw by day.”
Such is the blessed result of bridling the tongue under circumstances of trial
and vexation, and humbly taking all our cares to the Lord in prayer, to the end
that, when we speak, our speech may be with grace, seasoned with salt, and that
under all circumstances we may speak as the oracles of God.
Considering our Lord’s words above quoted-that we must give an account for
“every idle [unprofitable or pernicious] word”-in view of the fact that the present
is our (the Church’s) judgment day, we see what great importance attaches to
our words. All our words are taken by the Lord as an
index of our hearts. If our words are rebellious, or disloyal, or frivolous, or
flippant, or unkind, unthankful, unholy or impure, the heart is judged
accordingly, on the principle that, “out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh.” Thus our words, in all the varied circumstances of our
daily life, are bearing testimony continually before God of the condition of
our hearts. So our Lord’s words imply: and in this view of the case how timely
is the admonition,-“Be not rash with thy mouth; and let not thy heart be hasty
to utter anything before God [And remember that “all things are naked and
opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”-Heb. 4: 13]; for God [our
Judge] is in heaven [upon the throne], and thou upon earth [under trial before
the bar of God]: therefore let thy words be few.” Let them be thoughtful and
wise, as uttered before God, and not rash, hasty and illy considered.
Again, in harmony with the Lord’s statement of the responsibility incurred by
our words, it is also written, “He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life:
but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” (Prov. 13:3.) What
a fearful responsibility attaches to the tongue that wags in an evil, or even
in a flippant way, which is also dishonoring to God! And how necessary is the
injunction of the Apostle Peter, “Be sober and watch unto prayer!”-I Pet. 4:7;
1:13; 5:8.
The Psalmist puts this prayer into the lips of all who feel this
responsibility, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: keep a guard at the door
of my lips. Permit not my heart to incline after any evil thing.” “Let the
words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O
Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” “My lips shall utter praise when thou hast
taught me thy statutes. My tongue shall speak of thy word; for all thy
commandments are righteousness. Let thy hand help me; for I have chosen thy
precepts. I have longed for thy salvation [from all sin, and for the perfection
and beauty of holiness], O Lord; and thy law is my delight.”-Psa. 141: 3, 4;
19:14; 119:171-174.
That, as imperfect beings, we may always be perfect in
word and deed is not possible. Despite our best endeavors we will sometimes err
in word as well as in deed, yet the perfect mastery of our words and ways is
the thing to be sought by vigilant and faithful effort. But,
nevertheless, for every idle word we must give an account in this our day of
judgment. If, in the daily scrutiny of our ways, which
is the duty of every Christian, we discover that in any particular our words
have been dishonoring to the Lord, we should remember that, “If any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I John 2:1); and
in the name of our Advocate we may approach the throne of grace, explain to our
Heavenly Father our realization of the error, our deep regret at our failure to
honor his name and his cause by a holy walk and conversation, and humbly
request that the sin be not laid to our charge, but that it may be blotted
out through his gracious provision for our cleansing
through Christ, humbly claiming that in his precious blood is all our hope and
trust.
Thus we should render up our account for every idle word; and by our
words of repentance, supplemented by the merits of Christ applied by faith,
shall we be acquitted. Otherwise the idle words, dishonoring to the Lord, will
stand against us and condemn us, and we will be obliged to suffer the
consequences. The first consequence will be self-injury, for every evil thought
or word indulged hardens the character and inclines it the more toward
unrighteousness. The second consequence is a bad example to others, and the
stirring up of evil in them. “A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous
words stir up anger.” (Prov. 15:1.) Thus, as the result of unwise or unkind
words, we may stir up about us difficulties which will become the agents of
retributive justice to teach us the lesson of self-control, and consideration
for the feelings and opinions of others. It is often the case that the Lord (or
the devil) is blamed for sending trials which are simply the natural results of
our own mistakes. And those who fail to locate the root of the trouble (in themselves)
pray in vain for the Lord to remove miraculously what they themselves could
obviate by obedience to the Word, and vigorous self-discipline. “If we would
judge [and correct] ourselves, we should not be judged; but when we are judged
we are chastened of the Lord [largely by the experiences through which our own
faults put us], that we should not be condemned with the world.” (I Cor. 11:31,
32.) But even should it be admitted that the difficulties are not directly
caused by God, or the devil (“Every man is tempted [tried] when he is drawn
away of his own lusts [desires] and enticed”), the natural tendency is to blame
the matter on some one else, and to think that our loss of patience, our hasty
word or act was the fault of another. How many deceive and encourage themselves
with the thought: “If every body else had as reasonable and generous a nature
as I have, our family or church gathering or community would be a veritable
heaven upon earth!” Beloved, let us examine ourselves, let us be very
humble, lest the very words of self-congratulation and self-satisfaction which
we consider in our hearts (if we do not utter them aloud) bring our
condemnation. “If ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners
also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you,
what thank have ye [what merit is there in it]?” (Luke 6:33-38.) It is only
when we “endure grief, suffering wrongfully,” that our suffering is
acceptable to God as a sacrifice of sweet incense. “What glory is it if, when
ye be buffeted for your faults, ye take it patiently? but if, when ye do
well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God; for
even hereunto were ye called.” (I Pet. 2:19-21.) Beloved, let us see to it that
our sufferings are for righteousness’ sake only, and let us not charge God or
our neighbors for tribulations resulting from the indulgence of our inherited
or cultivated faults.
“In many things we are all faulty. If any one does not err in word, he is a
perfect man, able to control the whole body.” (Jas. 3:2.) But such a man does
not exist. We all need and must continually plead the merit of our Redeemer and
Advocate, while we strive daily to bring every thought into captivity to the will
of Christ, and to perfect holiness in the fear (reverence) of the Lord.
In view of this fact, which we trust all of the Lord’s people will endeavor
more and more fully to realize, viz., that we now stand before the bar of
judgment, we inquire, in the words of Peter, “What manner of persons ought ye
to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” God-likeness
certainly cannot include any harmful gossip, any unclean or unholy
conversation, any disloyal or rebellious words. Let such things be put far away
from all who name the name of Christ in sincerity and truth. And let us
remember daily to settle our accounts with the Lord, to make sure that no
record of idle words, unrepented of, and consequently unforgiven, stands
against us. “Let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ.”
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Thus out of the good treasure of the heart we shall be able to speak the words
of truth and soberness, to honor our Lord by a godly walk and conversation, to
subdue the evil tendencies of our fallen nature, and to have our conversation
“honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evil doers,
they may, by your good works which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of
visitation.”-Phil. 1:27; 4:8; I Pet. 2:12.
If daily we render up our accounts to God and seek his
grace for greater overcoming power with each succeeding day, we shall be
acquitted in judgment and stand approved before God through Christ, having the
testimony of his holy spirit with our spirits that we are pleasing and
acceptable to him.