(3.) The beauty of our way of life arises from the heavenly frame and holy order of our spirits; there is a spiritual lustre and beauty in the life of saints. “The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour”; they shine as the lights of the world. But whatever lustre and beauty is in their lives comes from the excellency of their spirits, as the candle puts a lustre upon the lantern in which it shines.
It is impossible that a disordered and neglected heart will ever produce a well-ordered way of life. Since, as the text observes, the issues, or streams, of life flow out of the heart as their fountain, it must follow that the life will be such as the heart is. Hence “abstain from fleshly lusts . . . having your conversation honest”, or beautiful, as the Greek word implies (1 Pet 2: 11,12). So “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts” (Is 55:7). His way notes the course of his life, his thoughts the frame of his heart; therefore since the way and course of his life flows from his thoughts, the frame of his heart, he will forsake both or neither. The heart is the womb of all actions; these actions are virtually contained in our thoughts. These thoughts, having become affections, are quickly made up into suitable actions and practices. If the heart is wicked, then, as Christ says, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries . .” (Mt 15:19). Mark the order: first, wanton or revengeful thoughts, then unclean or murderous practices.
And if the heart is holy and spiritual, then, as David speaks from sweet experience: “My heart is inditing a good matter, I speak of things which I have made . . . my tongue is as the pen of a ready writer” (Ps 45:1). Here is a life richly beautified with good works; “I speak of the things which I have made”; others are in the making, “my heart is inditing”, but both proceed from the heavenly frame of his heart.
Put the heart in a right frame, and the life will quickly show that it is so. I think it is not very difficult to discern, by the duties and conversation of Christians, what frames their spirits are under. Take a Christian in a good frame, and how serious, heavenly and profitable his conversation and duties will be! What a lovely companion he is while this continues! It would do anyone’s heart good to be with him at such a time. “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgement. The law of his God is in his heart” (Ps 37:30,31).
When the heart is with God, and full of God, how dexterous and ingenious will he be in spiritual discourse, making use of every occasion and advantage to some heavenly purpose! Few words run to waste then.
Why else does the conversation and duties of many Christians become so frothy and unprofitable – their communion both with God and one another become as a dry stalk – but because their hearts are neglected? Surely this must be the reason for the lack of this Christian fellowship – and verily it is an evil to be greatly bewailed that it has become a sapless thing. The attracting beauty that was wont to shine from the conversations of the saints upon the faces and consciences of the world is in a great measure lost, to the unspeakable detriment of religion. If that beauty did not allure and bring them in love with the ways of God, at least it left a testimony in their consciences to the excellence of those men and their ways.
Time was when Christians did act in such a way that the world stood gazing at them, as the word in 1 Peter 4:4 means. Their life and language were of a different strain from others; their tongues showed them to be Galileans, wherever they came; but now, since vain speculations and fruitless controversies have become so common, and heart-work and practical godliness have been so much neglected among professing Christians, the case is sadly altered; their discourse is become like other men’s. If they come among you now, they may (to allude to Acts 2:6) “hear every man speak in his own language”. And truly I have little hope to see this evil redressed, and the credit of religion again repaired, till Christians fall to their old work; till they ply heart-work more closely; when the salt of heavenly-mindedness is cast into the spring, the streams will run clearer and sweeter.
An edited extract from Flavel’s little work, A Saint Indeed, which can be found in The Works of John Flavel*, vol 5, and is based on the verse, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov 4:23). Apologies from the Editor for getting the articles out of order: the section printed in May was the fourth; it should have been the third, which is printed here. March’s article, the second, spoke of it being the great business of a Christian’s life to keep their heart.