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##### Keep Up Heavenly Conversations

{Since the Heavenly Trade Is the Best Trade…

Exhortation and Counsel to Professors of Christianity

Keep Up Heavenly Conversations}

Another part of this heavenly trade is to keep up heavenly conversations. You must be keeping up heavenly conversations every day and upon every occasion. Much of earthly trading is carried out with earthly conversations. In this way, people bargain and negotiate for goods. Often many words are spent haggling, buying, and selling; so it is in this heavenly trade. Christianity is much advanced by spiritual use of people’s talk and conversations. It is in this way that those who feared God kept religion alive in evil times where other helps were lacking (Malachi 3:16; Proverbs 10:21).1037 By holy conversation, souls are fed and nourished in their holy faith (1 Timothy 4:6).1038 A great deal of good or hurt comes from people’s conversations. Oh, the mischief Christians do to each other by their vain, carnal, and earthly talk when they come together. “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV). “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus” (2 Timothy 2:16–17 NASB). In this manner Satan moves much of his merchandise, even by wisdom’s merchants, making them weaken, cool, deaden, and corrupt one another’s spirits. By the devil’s merchandise, people stir up, feed, and strengthen each other’s corruptions; they become temptations and provocations to one another to sin due to their sinful corruptions. It is sad to think how the work of God ceases and the work of Satan prospers in this way. People sometimes come warm from a sermon and are soon cooled by impertinent and vain conversations. People will come from private duty [prayer and so on] with their hearts enlivened and raised, but soon cooled again by Spirit-quenching (1 Thessalonians 5:19)1039 conversations. Oh, how much labor of the saints and servants of Christ and how much of the Holy Spirit’s striving is overturned and comes to nothing due to vain and rotten conversations! No wonder the apostle tells us, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell” (James 3:6 NKJV). Through the organ of an unsanctified tongue, Satan shoots his fireballs of temptation into the hearts of hearers. Are you afraid of that fire that burns down your houses? Beware of that fire that burns down souls to Hell. It is no small part of a Christian’s wisdom to speak a word in season and use his speech for edification, just as his whole lifestyle. When the apostle admonishes the Ephesians not to be foolish (Ephesians 5:17),1040 the next thing he advises is holy conversation (Ephesians 5:18–19).1041 People’s dialect [language variant] reveals what country they are from. Likewise, by their ordinary and desired speech, it is revealed whether people are citizens of Heaven or the world. It is said of Augustine that he went less willingly to a feast than to go to help one who erred to repent. “He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony” (John 3:31–32 ESV). [Likewise,] the heavenly trader will be speaking of heavenly things that he has learned from God. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45 NKJV). The tongue is just the indicator of the heart and pipeline from the heart; it tells people what things are inside the heart. The tongue draws out what is deep in the heart and gives it to other people. People used to find out what metals were hidden underground by the color of the sand that water washed away from mountains. If the stream is small, the spring is weak; an empty heart yields empty conversations. “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37 NKJV). “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little” (Proverbs 10:20 NASB). The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver in that it is enriching to those who are near it. “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18 ESV). The tongue of the wise sends out sound and wholesome words that strengthen the hearers. It is said of the Spouse: “Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon” (Song of Solomon 4:11 NKJV). “And the roof of your mouth like the best wine. The wine goes down smoothly for my beloved, Moving gently the lips of sleepers” (Song of Solomon 7:9 NKJV). Barren and carnal communications is doubtless one reason of the poor thriving of the community of Christians to this day. This starves Christianity both in your own soul and in the souls of those with whom you converse. The Christian community is not being maintained by gracious conversations and soul-edifying discourses.1042 Christian, lay this to heart: how can you bear the burden of the decay in godliness in this day that is due to your not improving this part of your heavenly trade?

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1037“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name” (Malachi 3:16 NASB). “The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom” (Proverbs 10:21 NKJV).

1038“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (1 Timothy 4:6 NASB).

1039“Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19 ESV).

1040“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17 NASB).

1041“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18–19 NASB).

1042discourse: in this context, a reasoned, extended series of connected statements. Or, if you will, at least a “paragraph” of remarks by a speaker. This editor wishes to take the liberty of noting the modern-day impatience of both readers and listeners against extended oral or written content. Such impatience leads to a shallow understanding of any topic, and is especially inappropriate relative to the great richness and interconnectedness of spiritual truths.

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