The language of Canaan is,1 whereby a man endowed with the spirit of adoption, unfeignedly calleth upon the Name of God in Christ, and so consequently doth as it were, familiarly talk and speak with God. This language must needs be learned, that the tongue may be well governed. For man must first be able to talk with God, before he can be able wisely to talk with man. For this cause when men are to have communication one with another, they are first of all to be careful that they often make their prayers to God that he would guide and bless them in their speeches, as David did: Set a watch, O Lord, 2before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips. And again: O Lord open thou my lips, 3and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. where we may see, that the mouth is, as it were, locked up from speaking any good thing, until the Lord open it. And Paul having the gift of ordering his tongue in wonderful measure,4 yet desireth the Ephesians to pray for him, that utterance might be given him, ⟨p. 6⟩and good reason, because God ruleth the tongue.5
The language of Canaan is,1 whereby a man endewed with the spirite of adoption, unfainedly calleth upon the Name of God in Christ, and so consequently doth as it were, familiarly talke and speake with God. This language must needes be learned, that the tongue may be well governed. For man must first be able to talke with God, before he can be able wisely to talke with man. For this cause when men are to have communication one with another, they are first of all to be carefull that they often make their prayers to God that he would guide and blesse them in their speeches, as David did: Set a watch, O Lorde, 2before my mouth, and keepe the dore of my lippes. And againe: O Lord open thou my lippes, 3and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. where we may see, that the mouth is, as it were, locked up frō speaking any good thing, untill the Lord open it. And Paul having the gift of ordering his tongue in wonderful measure,4 yet desireth the Ephesians to pray for him, that utterance might be given him, ⟨p. 6⟩and good reason, because God ruleth the tongue.5
- 1Isa. 19.18. Rom. 15.6.
- 2Psalm. 141.3.
- 3Psalm. 51.17.
- 4Ephes. 6.19.
- 5Prov. 16 1.
