Matthew 12:37

JUDGED BY WORDS

‘By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’

Matthew 12:37

Consider our responsibility for the gift of speech. It is to God that we have to answer for our speech, and every misuse of this gift is an offence against Him.

I. Words of beauty.—A man ought to see to it that he does nothing with his tongue which will break the harmony of this world’s prayers or insult the God of beauty, to Whom the homage of creation is unceasingly offered. Think of that magnificent hymn, the Benedicite, in which we call upon all God’s works to praise Him with endless praise. And yet where does the discord come in, in this the hymn of Creation? Is it not from man, who ought to be the very leader of the choir? Surely when there are so many spasmodic efforts being made to add to the beauty of the world it is somewhat ironical that there should be so very little care for beauty in language. No one can walk many yards in one of the crowded thoroughfares of a city, or even in a country village, for all that, without hearing words apparently chosen simply because they are vile and ugly.

II. Words of truth.—Our words are uttered not only in the presence of the God of beauty, they are uttered in the hearing of the God of truth. We ought to think most earnestly about this division of the subject, because there must be a deep-seated tendency in human nature to abuse this gift of language, to use it in the service of untruthfulness. We are startled from time to time by revelations of gigantic frauds and wholesale impostures built up by lies. Coming nearer home, are we not obliged to make a wide distinction between things which we hear and things which we see? Why are not we more aggressive? Why do not we take up weapons for Christ? This religious shyness is so very indigenous to the English people. In our hatred of hypocrisy we have gone to the other extreme. The man who makes no secret of his principles is the man who in the end suffers the least persecution and is not tempted really so much to deny his Lord.

III. Words of comfort.—Our words are uttered also in the face of Him Who is called the God of all comfort. How much can be done by words to help and cheer and advise. How much can be done to pull down, damage, and destroy. As we think of our ordinary conversation, what are we to think of these idle, those do-nothing words? Do they help the wayfarer into the way of life? Wit and humour and merriment and brightness have all their part, and a very great part they have in contributing to the fulness of life and making its burden easier; but how very rare wit is, and how dismal are some of the attempts at humour! Any fool can make a joke out of Scripture. Nothing is easier, and few things are more wrong. Frivolous conversation, as it has no solid background of support, speedily lapses into the mere abuse of speech.

Surely we ought to do something for the recognition of a greater sense of responsibility as regards our words.

—Canon Newbolt.

Illustration

‘We scatter seeds with careless hand,

And dream we ne’er shall see them more;

But for a thousand years,

Their fruit appears

In seeds that mar the land,

Or healthful store.

‘The deeds we do, the words we say,

Into thin air they seem to fleet,

We count them ever past,

But they shall last—

In the dread Judgment they

And we shall meet.’