FOOLISH TALKING AND JESTING Described and Condemned In A DISCOURSE ON Ephes 5. 4. Neither Foolish Talking nor Jesting which are not convenient By DANIEL BURGESS LONDON Printed for Andrew Bell and Jonas Luntley at the Pestle and Mortar over against the Horse-shoe-Tavern in Chancery-Lane 1694. TO ROBERT GROVE Esq Of Fernes in VViltshire AND TO Madam TRYPHENA His Consort My Honoured Friends I Do not set here your Names designing to Celebrate your rare Christian Vertues These have long shone brightly in your Country and their Fame hath rung very loudly in this City You have good report of all Men and of the Truth it self So that it would be no News if it should be here told what your Praise is in the Churches Wherefore I Meditate what is more Expedient what doth better Become me and will less Displease you Intending no more than to make you a small Present of these Pages as an Acknowledgment of your Favours Their Subject is unto Most a Hard-Saying with too Many an Obsolete one and whereof not a few will say Who can bear it Nor should I have thought it an Argument grateful to your own Palats but that I do very well know under what Shadow you Sit and whose Fruit it is that is sweet to your Taste Whereby I am certified that you will as much more Value this Discourse as you less Need it than others do for the Regulation of your own Speech I shall Congratulate my Self the good Nature of my Readers if it be he who really Needs it not that Casts the first Stone at it But I will reverence the Doctrine that I Preach and Talk no more to you in this Porch With a special Flame my Prayer ascends for your Selves and your blessed Branches The good Lord continue still to teach you the Way that you are to Chuse and to make your Souls dwell at Ease in Grace till they shall triumph in Glory May your Seed after you inherit the Earth and be such Blessings unto their Country as your Holy Ancestors have been and as you your selves are this Day Thus pray very many but none more sincerely than Your true Honourer Daniel Burgess Bridges-Street near Covent-Garden Jan. 22. 1693-94 FOOLISH Talking and Jesting Described and Condemned Ephes 5. 4. Neither Foolish Talking nor Jesting which are not convenient THE Foot of the foregoing Chapter is the Head of this The same Precepts which there conclude do here begin Being of extraordinary moment they are resumed and farther pressed Few Words may suffice for Mint and Anise but the weightier Things of Religion as they are more opposed must be more urged Weighty indeed are these Precepts great be the Duties required and great the Sins forbidden The Duties are Imitation of God in our Love unto Offending Men. And Conformity to our Redeemer in the Kindness of our Behaviour towards them The Heavenly Father multiplies to pardon and so must we if we will be his Children It is said of him Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity And it should be said of us What People are like unto you that forgive one another as God forgiveth you Our blessed Redeemer laid down his Life for us and looks that at his Call we give our Lives for each other I John 3. 16. His Love passeth all Vnderstanding and ours is not right till it set the World marvelling at it This is the Gospel where-ever be the Christians The Sins forbidden are the mighty ones following Fornication and all Vncleanness the Hecticks than consume and carry apace from the deep Ditch into the bottomless Pit Covetousness the Wen and Wolf in the Heart more painful and mortal than any in the Flesh Filthiness or filthy Speaking the Ileos the Miserere mei the Disease which brings up the worst of Excrements through the Mouth which vomits the Ordure of Ribaldry Foolish Talking the Rupture of Speech from Reason Language like to that of Balaam's Ass without Reason and much worse because against it also Lastly Foolish Jesting the falling Sickness of Wit it 's Phrenzy and Sportiveness in Games of pernicious Folly These all are of the same base Blood all with the same rare Emphasis and self-same Arguments prohibited These we are commanded Not once to name that is to abhor unto extremity utterly to detest So the Royal Psalmist and so our Apostle elsewhere is known to have used this pungent Phrase of Not naming Psal 16. 4. 1 Cor. 5. 1. Of these we are told They become not Saints that is they are not only in themselves unrighteous Things but are in all Eyes as unseemly ones for Saints as Feeding on Carrion and Lodging in Kennels would be for Kings Children It is added They are Inconvenient that is Intolerable though the Men of Athens saw nothing very culpable in some of them and fancied there was a Spirit very commendable in others In short They are pestilent Vices and inconsistent with Christian Graces Indeed Pagan Moralists made some of them to be egregious Vertues and the rest to be but very small Faults But the Gospel of Christ makes them such Vices as not only strip us of every Ornament but of our very Raiment And leave us nothing but Shame and Nakedness of our unsanctified Natures Hugely do Men differ from Swine in their Natures and Dignities but no less do Saints differ from unsanctified Men in their Qualities and Relations A Saint hath passed a second Birth After Redemption by infinite Price he is regenerated by infinite Power Made Partaker of the Divine Nature and adopted into the Favour and Family of Heaven In a word He is one dearly cleansed and richly adorned More than Heaven and Earth is worth hath been laid out to Justify and Sanctify him Wherefore if he be sick to see what sensual Creatures are sick of Lust to enjoy if he be ashamed of their Glory if their Meat be his Poison it is no more matter of wonder than that Doves will die rather than fetch Meat from the Dung and Filth in which unclean Birds delight It is the Filth of the two last named Vices Foolish Talking and Jesting that I essay to discover The Snakes which lay in the Dunghils of the other are more in sight and are of less specious Colours Insomuch that until they do get them Cloven-feet Men attain not unto obscene Tongues Much less do they further violate the Seventh Commandment But sadly it must be said the Sins which I set me to detect and shame are gotten into universal Use and almost Catholick Credit also Their Dunghil is covered with the Snow which I shall labour to remove Their Serpents pass for Fish even in Religious Mens Markets To give the worst its due Our Age it self doth not by a general Vote abrogate all the Ten Commandments It runs not down every Divine Testimony with a Nemine Contradicente There are Laws made void by many loose Professors which are valiantly that is practically propugnated by their Betters But
Talk Against which Scorners in their Chair shaking with Laughter will wrest what is said Wherefore let Christian Readers attend what follows Very possible indeed it is that Religious Talk may be drawn forth to a sinful Length What is most laudable for the Matter may be culpable for the Measure and is so and is not for Edification but against it when Religious Prudence doth not gage it When no Care is taken that Company be not Glutted as well as that they be not Starved But alas in our day real Defects are reputed Excesses generally All Talk-of-another-World Men would have confined to holy Days and consecrated Places Yea and to Church-men and Bed-ridden ones Those that are one jot wiser and can relish a little when they can tend for it do conclude that what exceedeth Laodicean's Use is Long and what is Long is Tedious and what is Tedious to their Lusts may be justly enough Odious to their Hearts But every Man is not a Thief at whom Dogs do bark or whom the Children in the Street call so Nor is every Religious Talker a Sinful Oppressor of his Hearers though he be named so by the Weak and the Wicked among them Nor is all that they will call so Cant and Nonsense Nor is it sure that 't is Vain-Glory and not Godly-Zeal doth act him because it 's audaciously said so by them Or that it is not his Duty to exceed their Desires and his Wisdom and Kindness to do it because they do think otherwise In short They that Fear God will Speak often of him one to another and very much Even to an Excess of Carnal Mens Patience Wittingly they will not extend their Talk of him beyond what they believe to be for his Glory and their Good And if through inadvertence they sometimes do slip and fall into a peccant Prolixity they will truly upon Reflection Humble their Souls And beseech their God to take away that Iniquity among others of their holy things Nor is it to be doubted but his rich Grace will Pardon their Failings Accept their Services Vindicate their Names and in due time Abase and Shame their Reproachers But Upon the whole it appears that we are Foolish when we make not Conscience of Keeping Silence as well as of Breaking it And that it 's our Duty to Pray the Holy Spirit to teach us alway both to Open our Mouths and to Shut them with Discretion 7. Vncharitable Talk is Foolish Uncharitable is what Positively or Negatively violates the Royal Law of Love Love of Men for the Sake of God true Love of all Men and best Love of good Men exemplified and required by the God of Love He talketh Uncharitably whose Talk flows not from Love and tends not unto Kindness Who either speaks Evil of his Neighbour when no just occasion is offered or speaks not well of him when opportunity is given A Folly most manifest a Sin most mighty For a Practice it is most Opposite to the Nature and Inconsistent with the Tenor of Christianity Contrary to the principal Laws and Destructive of the precious Fruits of its Spirit and Grace Insomuch that if this Talk be not Foolish to Renounce the Gospel and our Baptism must be to be Wise The Holy Ghost expresly and frequently maketh this Talk the Property of the Wicked and the Character of the Damned Yea and charges those that hope for Heaven not to Eat with a Man of such a Tongue 1 Cor. 5. 11. Declaring thereby that as such are excluded from Heaven they are to be Excommunicated from the Church on Earth That they are Dogs to be Kept out of God's Lower House and Upper one Nor need we lift up our Hands with any Wonder if we open our Eyes with any Care and look into the filth of an Uncharitable Mouth It 's a Superfluity of Naughtiness that maketh Silent of the Good and Eloquent of the Evil of our Neighbours It 's no less than Contempt and Hatred of God and Men that is the true Cause and Spring And like Cause like Effects This Talk fights against God and murders Men and of all Men the Talkers themselves It is a World of Iniquity full of Iniquity as the World of things Visible and Invisible It Defiles the Body turns all the Members into Weapons of Unrighteousness makes Hands and Feet Swords and Spears Sets on fire the Course of Nature horribly destroys the whole Course of our Lives takes away the Wheel of Humane Conversation Quenches every relickspark of Love Infuses more Hatred Kindles more Malice Inflames Wrath Founds a Hell of Revenge and Makes the very Heaven and Earth of Friendship to pass away Hence is it that Earth as Hell is full of Weeping Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth Of Strife and Clamor of Tumult and Care of Suspicion and Fear of Trouble and Danger of Vexation and Regret No Peace to them that are Uncharitably spoken of no Peace in them that speak Uncharitably of them In them who turn the sweetest Instrument of Kindness into the sharpest Weapon of Bitterness Who by that excellent faculty of Speech which distinguisheth them from Bruits do make themselves far more Noxious Creatures By that which next to God's Glory was given us for our Neighbour's Good do to God's Dishonour do them all manner of Evil By that which God gave us to Counsel and Comfort them do Defame and Disquiet them Turning the great Gift of Tongues into the worst of Curses A Folly which we call Atheistical by Scripture-Authority Swords are in their Lips i. e. They Talk Uncharitably Who say they shall hear us i. e. They deny the Deity Psal 59. 7. And vain are the Fig-Leaves wherewith fond Fools would cover their Shame e. gr We speak ill of none but of ill Men. No But a higher than the Kings of the Earth faith Speak Evil of no Man They speak ill of us of whom we speak ill It may be so but your Saviour when he was Reviled reviled not again And his Sheep do not bark at Dogs when Dogs bark at them We speak no more ill than we know of Men. So much the less is your Sin but it 's a very great one when your Charity covers not a Multitude of your Neighbours Sins We cannot but speak ill when we are Angry No It is the Unregenerate Tongue that no Man can tame Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty and Power and there is putting away of Evil Speaking and of Anger Of both the ill Child and Mother of Ishmael and of Hagar We speak but such ill words as bleak no Bones How know you that but it 's too much if you break your Neighbour's Peace in his Mind and your own Peace in the highest King's Court. We mean no hurt in the Ill we speak Pity but you spake well if you meant so You construe others ill Words in ill Senses and so will others construe yours Men that are Good do shun the very Appearance of Evil. They be our
both for Spiritual Warfare and for Secular Merchandise The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word Jesting is originally of no ill Signification the Abuse hath brought it into disrepute as the anciently honorable Name of Tyrant and very many others Our Wisdom will be neither to be Frighted with the harsh sound of its Name among our selves nor be Charmed with its Magnificent Titles found in Pagan Moralists But less regardful of its Denomination ever to mind its Nature End and Vse By them forming our judgments of it Briefly then All that are Hatched of Forbidden words are Foolish Jests such as are Irreligious are more Mad than Facetious And if Eating and Drinking without aiming at God's Glory be foolish Jesting without that Design cannot be Wise Holy Intention is essential to all Moral Good and is the savour of it If the Salt of Jests be without that savour they be good for nothing but to be cast out But we will be more particular 1. Profane Jesting is Foolish Prating loosely about things that are Holy Trifling with the Names whereat Heaven and Earth trembles Making Sport with the aweful Word by which we must be judged A certain Effect of worst Causes and as sure a Cause of worst Effects For nothing less than a Reign of Sin can make a Play of Religion Nor can it be but Playing with Religion must needs heighten Sins Dominion Only Contempt of Sacred Things can breed jocular Familiarity and that worse than Devilish Familiarity greatens the Contempt I say worse than Devilish for though Profane Men Believe and Jest Devils do Believe and Tremble If Profane Wits believe not that there is a God they are blinder than Heathens If they do believe there is one they are on this account more mad than Devils And who save mad and blind Men can think it valuable Wit to make God and Men one 's Enemies for Merriment expose one's self to Everlasting Fire for a fit of Laughter Once a Merry Atheist never a Sober Christian saith Dr. Hammond 2. Vnclean Jesting is Foolish The Holy Ghost hath named Obscenity very Folly and called words of Smut Rotten and Corrupt What an extream Phrenzy then is it ever so wittily to commit this Folly to Spue forth worse than Street-Dirt and name it a Fine Sport But hereunto rise none save highest Graduats in the University of Wickedness Wherefore I advance but this single Thought God's Law in old time required cutting off of the Hand which did an Indecent Act to save the nearest Relation's Life Deut. 25. 11. And hereby we may easily judg of his Wrath against the Mouth that utters Unclean words for nothing but an once to Disport and Debauch its Hearers 3. Vnnatural Jesting is Foolish That which makes merry with the Sins and sporteth with the Miseries of Men. That plays upon their Misdeeds and taunts at their Parts their infirm Bodies or mean Conditions and particular Disasters A Practice so horrid that it would be as Impossible as Unrighteous did not Men together put off the Humane and put on Diabolical Nature For Humanity will Compassionate not Patratragediate on a Stray or a Faln-beast and it cannot draw mirth from the Misery of a Man There is a Beast and none of the gentlest neither which they say sheddeth Tears over them whom it Devours But a gentle one it is and a most merciful Creature compared to this Kind of Jester For there is a Clemency in those that wound us Modestly nor is he near so much the Tyrant that doth us our wrongs as he who Mocks at us for them The first gives the Wound but it 's this Second that makes it Smart and Kill In short he is rather a Stock than a Man that deplores not Evil but more a Devil than a Man that derides it And his monstrous Mirth is seldom long from a Hell above Ground 4. Immoral Jesting is Foolish In all things the Wisdom that is from above requires good Manners Whereinsoever they are not found good Conscience is lost It 's Asleep Blind or Dead The fifth Commandment is without Restriction 't is not said Honour thy Father and Mother in all Talk except Raillery Or Speak not Evil of Dignities in any Discourse but Drolling Or Honour all Men unless while you are Jesting Wherefore they make an unwise Bargain who sell God and Mens Peace for the Musick of their Jest For the tickle of their Fancies in prejudicial and disgraceful Gibes For the luscious but prodigious Pleasure of a Wasp to Sting others and Kill it self 5. Vnprofitable Jesting is Foolish I mean That which is not as truly intended and desired for a Whet to our Minds as our Eating is intended for Nourishment and Sleeping for Refreshment to our Bodies That wherein Religious Profit is not designed nor any thing more than the transient Pleasure of a Laugh and Giggle A Sorry thing and below any Ambition save that of Children who prefer their Toy above the Tower of London as the Proverb speaks It would be ask'd what Understanding is in them should Men use other Whetstones without Thought or Care whether their Instruments were sharpned at all by them and for nothing but an unaccountable Delight taken in Grinding for nothing A practice which would soon so sensibly and notoriously grind them to the Dust and Depth of Poverty and Scorn among Men. Awake Conscience and say whether all Jesters grind to fetch an Edg or no! Particularly I appeal to God's Register in the Hearts of such as grind in the Game of Chess That operose Syntax of Jests by which let them say whether they find their Minds more Sharpned or Blunted for Business Civil or Sacred Wondrous it seems that the Board whereon Men Strain their Thoughts as hard as the Mechanick on his Shopboard or the Lawyer or Divine on his Desk should be taken for a Recreation of them any more than carrying of Sacks of Corn on one's Back should be reputed a Sport for the Body's Refreshment But Witchcraft there is in all Error Candles-Ends and Coals be Sweet-meats when Girls are in a Pica And Rowling in the Dirt doth a wanton Boy 's heart good Wracks are Recreations if Men fancy them such This Game saith one is not only Lawful but it may be the most Ingenious and Delightful that ever was invented I hope he Dreamed not that the more Ingenious the more Lawful and the more Delightful to his Fancy the more undoubtedly Harmless and Innocent in it self He knows how Witty the worst of Creatures is and how Sweet abundance of Forbidden Fruit Well but after that he droppeth these more memorable words Many precious Hours have I profusely spent in this Game and It is a Time-waster It hath had with me a Fascinating Property I have been Bewitched by it When I have Begun I have not had the Power to Give over I will not Vse it till I find I can Refuse it Reason and Religion shall order my Recreation It hath not done with me
Destruction Prov. 10. 19. And Death and Life are in the Power of the Tongue Prov. 18. 21. T. 4. Heaven and Earth are at a huge Distance God and this Rebel-world are of most contrary Minds For my Text declares that God cannot bear the Talks which they cannot leave No but addict themselves to and affect and prize as the Melody of their lives His Soul hateth their Foolish Talks and their Souls loath this Text and all its Parallels Who then can please Men and be the Servant of Christ Gal. 1. 10. Without becoming a Fool in the World's Repute who can become Wise in God's Esteem 1 Cor. 3. 18. Holy Lips are a Thread of Scarlet Cant. 4. 3. This Thread in God's Sight is a rich Ornament in the World's Eye it 's only fit for a Fool 's Coat In short we cannot have God's Approbation but we must bear the World's Blame The World thinks every Man's Folly wonderful when he forsakes what God pronounceth abominable Luk. 16. 15. 1 Pet. 4. 4. T. 5. Diamonds have their Clouds The truest Israelites have somewhat of the Botch of Egypt Horrid Spots are ever and anon found on very Nazarites Lips For foolish Talks and Jests are detestable and yet there is not a just Man on Earth that is perfectly free from them Though every Saint be pressing on toward Perfection there is not any one hath already attained it Phil. 3. 12 14. There is not one upon Earth that never offendeth in word O by what Grace is it that an Vsher an Owen a Baxter is saved T. 6. The Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots need Bridles in their Months The Phrase that I use is Christ's own Cant. 1. 9. Believers are so called for Spiritual Strength and Beauty Egyptian Horses were the best of the World and doubtless Pharaoh's were the best of Egypt for Spirit and Shape Believers are compared to these and yet have they no Tongue but needs Discipline For so much is demonstrated by the Ephesian Saints being thus cautioned Cautioned in the Text and Context against the detestable Sins of the Tongue A Principle of Grace in the Heart excuses not a Bridle in the Mouth Without which a very Moses will speak unadvisedly with his Lips a Job will curse his Birth-day a David's Fire will burn and break out a Jeremy will abdicate himself from his Ministry Jer. 20. 9. T. 7. Wisdom is a valuable Commodity For it seems that there is not a word that can be safely spoke without it Foolish ones be Treason and Poyson and without a Stock of Wisdom in our Hearts all we speak must be Foolish That is traiterous against God and poisonous to our Selves and our Neighbours Silence we would not be willingly condemned to there are few but would rather be deprived of the Motion of their Hands and Feet than of their Tongues Nor indeed can a holy Manor Angel chuse to be Dumb. All the Creatures beside are Mutes and but tuned instruments They are Angles and Men that are to make the Musick They are the Orators of the University of the Creation Miserable are they whose Mouths must necessarily speak and yet their Hearts cannot prudently indite T. 8. Thoughts be not free For if the Words of the Mouth are not why should the Words of the Heart be so If Foolish Talk with Men be detestable Sin why not Foolish Talk with our selves also Thoughts be nothing but unfledged Words Words not yet taking wing and flying forth What we commonly name a Word is a Thought flown abroad a Spark ascended from the fire of the Heart's Coal True Foolish Oral-Talks and Jests do sin against our Neighbours which mental ones do not But the Fox is an unclean Beast while it hides in its Hole as well as when it cometh forth for its Prey And secret Sins are certain Sins as any The old Law pronounced the Swan Unclean though Feathers of Snow hid its black Skin The Viper is not more detestable than the Cockatrices-Egg Evil Thoughts grieved God to his Heart Evil Thoughts made him repent that he had made Man T. 9. Foolish Actions be gross Shames For if Foolish Words be Detestable Works much more Because in them Sin is obeyed and served by the whole Man And if I may so speak the Devil is denied nothing you can grant him Also in them is the most Wilful of all Sin for as our Words are much more easily restrained than our Thoughts so our Actions are much more easily restrained than our Words Besides in them is the most Laborious Sin In wicked Thoughts and Words Men offer Satan what costs them next to nothing Minds being volatile as Air and Tongues as active as Fire But the Work of the Hands ordinarily requireth some Sweat of the Brows Again in Sins of Action is commonly a powerful Contagion no Language is so perswasive to Good or Evil as the Language of Practice Evil Communication much corrupteth good Manners but I think not more than Evil Manners corrupt good Communication T. 10. It 's little Wonder that Peace is grown so scarce For if Foolish Talks and Jests be what hath been said the wonder is that any Peace at all is left among us Because every where these are eaten as Men eat Bread no Conscience is made of them And it were a Marvel if such Poisons made no stirs in our Souls if such Enemies of all righteousness raised no Wars in our Consciences and no Variances with one another Surely we must less grieve the holy Comforter before he very much comfort us with Peace in our selves and with each other T. 11. It is not True that All Men say For generally All do say that this Talk which God pronounces Abominable is very Innocent and Useful And its daily Practice is very consistent with true Godliness God declares it to be a Plague of Leprosy and he is a rare and singular Man that will not take it for very Comeliness and Beauty If any Spot a Beauty-Spot T. 12. Rods are for the back of Fools Severe Reproofs are due to Foolish Talkers For it seems their Sin is detestable as well as Drunkards and Whoremongers And it should be considered by Ministers and Parents that neither of them ought to Whisper and but Mutter against that which God doth Thunder Or to tempt their Pupils to believe that Folly of Words is None or but Small by making their Reproofs of it Such T. 13. Hony may be Poisoned For what more grateful than Jesting yet what more Mortal than Foolish Jests The Natural Historian tells us of an Hony in Africa lusciously sweet but perpetually distracting all that eat of it being by the Bees gathered from poisonous Flowers Just like it is the Foolish Jocularity so much admired in our day the Haut-goust of all Discourses the Comedy of every Playful Chat. So valued that it 's proverbially said They will rather lose their Friend and Soul also than their Jest Most poisonous are the Weeds whence this Hony is gathered
§. 3. What makes Foolish-Talking and Foolish-Jesting so Detestable as our Doctrine speaks A Needless Question this were but that if any where here Wicked Love like Sacred will Believe no Evil. Against these their Darling Sins and Dalilahs Men will not believe their Eyes These Plagues of Leprosy have been all along proved as well as pronounced such Nor have the Arguments been too short for the Censures but the Discoveries have justified the Invectives Nevertheless Measure pressed down and running over shall be given I may be Vile in some Eyes for having laid so much already but I shall say more and I will yet be more Vile if by any means I may gain some And bring them to a wiser Heart and purer Language In Foolish Talking and Jesting Sins of common occurrence to all Men and of daily occurrence to every one it shall be briefly said what in general All Men do and in special What Good Men do 1. All Men Sin In the fore-described Talks and Jests they really and may I not say confessedly Sin And consequently in the same they do the worst that Creatures can do Sin is Man's Worst done against God They Contemn the Supream King's Authority and deny him to be Lord over their Tongue They Vsurp his Government and Deposing God set up themselves to Reign in His stead Subjecting their Lips to their own Lusts instead of the Divine Laws And should Dust and Ashes so set up themselves They Deny God's Propriety in them constructively saying their Tongues and therefore their Whole Persons are their own The Clay is its own and what hath the Potter to do with it Hellish Conceit They Believe not his VVisdom but say in Effect they have found out a better Language than the Holy Tongue which he hath taught Thus wiser is Darkness than Light and thus do things of Yesterday take themselves for more Prudent than the Ancient of Days They Disown his Goodness constructively saying they be Cruel Laws he hath laid on their Lips As if Reason and Religion bloodily galled their Mouths And as though our heavenly Law-giver loved us so very little as we love our selves They Confess not his Mercies and Benefits but deny themselves to be so much in his Debt as to owe him the rule of their Mouth Alas what have they that they have considered themselves to have received of God And do they owe any Debt of Gratitude Is Life and the Means of Eternal Bliss such a Matter as that for them one 's Lips should be still praising the Giver They believe it not They Despise Divine Promises and Threats and interpretatively tell the World that Earth out-bids Heaven Makes firmer or greater Promises for Vain words than the Gospel makes unto Savoury ones And thunders more fearful Threats against Edifying Discourse than the Gospel doth against Corrupt Communication For alas is Hell such a Little-Ease And is Heaven so great a Preferment No not in their sight They Reject God's very Intreaties and say in a manner Though he doth Pray and Beseech them to Speak Wisely they will not grant him No that wondrous Condescention shall not move them that miraculous Good shall not overcome their Evil. For why if All-mightiness will court Worms must they presently be won Nay they are not To turn Grace into Wantonness they are Wise but for Grace to turn from Wantonness they have no Knowledg They give the Lie to Eternal Truth Virtually saying that the Fountain of Truth is the Father of a Lie when he faith that an unbridled Tongue can have but a Vain Religion What cannot they with the same Mouth bless and curse Cannot their Fountain send forth sweet Water and bitter They will not believe themselves to be Leopards because of these Spots of their Lips They put the Son of God to open Shame Telling him in the Rhetorick of Practice that they cannot think the Blood shed of his Heart to have deserved his Lording it over their Mouth No and if he expect to command the Doors thereof he shall fail of it What is Redemption such a Kindness that the Redeemed must never speak but as the Redeemer pleases They have other Thoughts They do Despite to the Spirit of Grace Telling him that though they hear of his Divine Essence and Wonderful Office yet if his Striving with them be to circumcisetheir Lips they shall strive against him and not so easily part with those Fore-Skins Indeed his Coming to fit us for Heaven was friendly done but he exacts too much they think if he look to have so perpetual Acknowledgments They Reproach the Divine VVord and the Seals of it They make them ill spoken of and cause Men to ask To what End is your Reading the Word and so much Hearing of it Of what Use is your Baptism and who is ever the better for the Lord's Supper The Mouth utters the Heart and who among you is any cleaner than Infidels in the Mouth They Imitate Satan and Please him As he so they are Evil-Speakers A Likeness to him which cannot but highly please him it doth so extraordinarily serve his Interest and manifest his Empire They Murder their own Souls For Sin 's Wages is Death Tongues set on Fire of Hell must bear Fire in Hell And they who will not here with holy Waters cleanse them shall not there have a Drop of Water to cool them They endanger the Lives of all that come into their Companies For Poison may be drank in at the Ears and these fill the Ears of their Companions with it They Rob and Steal perpetually Rob God of his Glory themselves of the Reward that there is in using our Tongues to glorify him and their Friends of innumerable good things These they rob one while of their Purity imparting to them a Filth which costs many a Prayer and Tear to scour it out other-whiles of their Patience which is their Souls very Mansion-house but always of their Golden Hours and convertible unto glorious Uses They bear false VVitness against Holiness For they take forbidden Words and Jests into their Mouths purely to please themselves Nor stick they to say that this is the main Pleasure that they know under the Sun Which is plainly enough to say God's Commandments are very grievous and Christ's Yoke is an uneasy one and it is in Breaking of his Commands that we can find any Comforts They wage a wilful VVar against God and Men and themselves Sin fights against all and it 's wilfully that Men do Sin Without God Tempting without Satan Compelling without any Creature Forcing The worst Flattery and all Force used with them is their own In Foolish Talks and Jests it is most freely that Fools shoot their Bolts and at no fewer Marks or lesser But it remains to be said that in these twain 2. Godly Men do most aggravatedly sin They incurring these Guilts do present us with the most prodigious Sights They committing these Sins are as follows in these Particulars
and most wild and mad are the operations of it It destroys habitual Seriousness and Gravity inducing a Wantonness and Levity Prejudicial if not Deadly to all Christian Temper and Business So St. Chrysostom on our Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It makes effeminate the Soul and impatient of severe Thoughts T. 14. Idle Company is a Swine-Sty Wherein is nothing to feed but much to turn the Stomach of a good Man For sooner are the Men of it to be found without Tongues than without Talk and much sooner without any Talk than without Foolish And what is so loathsom as hath been foreshown I judg of others by my self saith the blessed Author of the Christian Directory I fly from a vain Talkative Person as from a Bed that hath Fleas or Lice I would shut my Doors against him as I would stop my Windows against Wind and Cold in Winter T. 15. The Snuffers of the Sanctuary ought to be of pure Gold Who ever would effectually Reprove and Reform others ill Ways must Keep a good Tongue in his Head For if Foolish Talks and Jests be so detestable as we have heard he that shall use them will have too ill a Name to do any good Service Because the best Meat is loathed when uncleanly Cooks dress it and best Admonitions be nauseated when they are by Infamous Mouths delivered Wisely the Spartan Princes required such good things as were spoke by any ill Man to be taken up and repeated by some very good one as fearing that the useful Documents would not look like themselves coming out of a Foot 's Mouth Rhetorick gilds the Mouth and gives it a rare gloss but it is Grace that scowrs it clean and fits it for use T. 16. Holy-Tongues are God's Silver Trumpets Gracious Discourse is the Musick of his Delight For if the contrary be so detestable this must needs be as delectable It is not for nothing that the Holy Scripture giveth it such Eulogies Naming it Bread to Feed Silver to Enrich Health to make Strong and Useful Hony to Delight and give Pleasure Wells of Water to Refresh and Cleanse Scarlet to Adorn and make Honorable Glory to Exalt and Magnify God's Glory For our Natural Faculties and our Supernatural Graces without Holy Discourse are Mutes We commend not God to others nor draw others unto God by all our Knowledg and Wisdom all our Hope and Love and Joy in Christ Jesus without holy Discourse Wherefore It is only the Devil and his Angels would have us Dumb and refrain from it Nor is it to be doubted but that such as stile it Cant and Nonsense and fain would make an end of it if it were in their Power they would disturb the Heavenly Quire also break up that Meeting silence Angels and Glorified Spirits make an end of the Song of God and of the Lamb destroy together our Hosanna's here and their Hallelujah's above Of the Duties which might be hence pressed I commend these principal though I have room but for short Exhortations and must leave it to your selves to make just Enlargements Duty 1. Learn the Weight of Words Great is the Moment of your least Talk Light Words do make heavy Troubles here and heavy Accounts for hereafter None weigh light in God's Ballance The Psalmist saith of some Their own Tongue shall fall on them Psal 64. 8. A fearful Weight a Man would be easier under a Mountain of Lead Origen conceited that the Tongue of Dives was eminently his tormented Part in Hell because it had been eminently his Sinning Part on Earth And St. Austin in his Confessions cried out That his Tongue had been the Furnace which had Vomited forth his impure Fires D. 2. Vnlearn false Rules of ordering your Words The Philosopher saith of Youth but it 's true of every Age 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They Speak and Act more by Custom than by Reason More as others do than as all ought to do The Precept of my Text cannot be obeyed if this be not considered that the Most Mens Talks and Jests are nothing but Faults and the Best Mens be not Faultless That Most Mens are stark Naught and the Best Mens are very Imperfect And he that will be a Christian 〈…〉 Christ Jesus his Pattern As his 〈…〉 so his Pattern He must 〈…〉 contrary Precepts and 〈…〉 addict himself unto Christ's 〈…〉 late ones Out of this 〈…〉 out of the Christian World D. 3. Buy rich Furniture 〈…〉 Discourse While Heads have 〈…〉 Tongues will have Talks but 〈…〉 Hearts be Wise Tongues Talk must 〈◊〉 Foolish The Lips of the Wise disperse Knowledg but the Heart of the Foolish doth not so Prov. 15. 7. The Heart is the Shop whence the Tongue takes all its Wares If that be poor and empty of things of Value this may and will vend abundance of Wares but no Goods Buy the Truth then as its Divine Author counsels you In short Go to the Price of true Wisdom Do not expect it for nothing though Grace offers you a good Bargain for you may have it for Asking though not without God of his Wistom and Holiness will not Give unless you Ask Pray and Continue 〈…〉 Prayer Men of their 〈…〉 and worse will 〈…〉 their Teaching on any 〈…〉 from Asking Wherefore 〈…〉 come out of the Prison of 〈…〉 break the great Bar of 〈…〉 Ask Wisdom of God and 〈…〉 ask it and give neither 〈…〉 rest till you sweetly Understand the Mystery of Christ and the Laws of his Kingdom Till you fear not being asked the meaning of any Article of the Apostles Creed any Petition of the Lord's Prayer any Commandment of the Ten or being put to give an account of the Nature and Use of Holy Bapism and the Lord's Supper When these you Know then be Instructive till you Know these let your Tongues be perpetually Inquisitive To be Dumb is no Wisdom it is only to hide Folly He is Wise who Opens the Door of his Mouth first to call Wisdom in and afterwards to send it out D. 4. Enact a Law of 〈…〉 Lay a Command on your 〈…〉 come behind your Thought 〈…〉 the first Judges of your 〈…〉 God and Men will not so oft 〈…〉 them when you your selves 〈…〉 Judg them before you do 〈…〉 To think before we speak is 〈…〉 vent abundance of God's Wrath 〈…〉 Man 's and abundance of our 〈…〉 Repentance When we do so 〈◊〉 Prevent many and Lessen all the Faults of our Speech For then if Bad yet it is our Best and to speak the best a Man can is some Praise He that useth it shall find among equal Judges as much Pity as Blame for his very Faults Besides the Holy Ghost is offended at the contrary Haste And He is much pleased with this sort of Slowness to Speak Insomuch that by means of his Holy Aids Children Speak better when Deliberate than Doctors when they are Rash Want of Discretion banes the Talk of Millions but want of its Exercise as truly banes the
Talk of Thousands 〈…〉 Keep a strict Hand upon the 〈…〉 of the Tongue Upon 〈…〉 I mean Love and Hate 〈…〉 What you ought and as Much 〈…〉 Joy and Grieve 〈…〉 Fear none but right Matters 〈…〉 due Measures This will make 〈…〉 to your Mind to School your 〈…〉 But Diseases of the 〈…〉 be very Mortal to our Underâ—tandings Their Fumes put out the Eye of its Judgment and Kill the Heart of its Attention to our Acts. So that in what we call a Passion the Tongue is as an Horse in a Chafe not to be curbed as a Ship in a Tempest not to be managed D. 6. Set up full Purposes against Vicious Talks Full ones are such as the Understanding approves the Conscience commands the Will chuses the Memory prompts all Powers conspire unto You are Christians and have such Purposes against Sin in general But many I fear are incautelous Christians and have not such Purposes against foolish 〈…〉 and Jests in particular These 〈◊〉 ones do honour God and 〈…〉 will honour them They be the 〈…〉 ward Votes and Laws of our 〈…〉 Souls and they will stand up 〈◊〉 what is their own And 〈…〉 Provision for their Execution as 〈◊〉 doth not ordinarily suffer to be fruitless Great is the Power of a Hoyâ— Purpose D. 7. Follow Resolutions with Prayers When the black Ignorance is dispelled and base Reluctance of our Hearts is conquered the Falseness and Inconstance remains to be feared And as neither Hearts nor Tongues are to be safe kept but by Divine Power the Custody of neither is to be expected without Holy Prayer D. 8. Give your Selves the Joy of every Victory Let him that hears your Prayer have the Praise which is entirely his own but take you the Comfort which he allows and requires when through his Grace you 〈…〉 speak This Day being 〈…〉 I Reviled not I Suffered 〈…〉 not Being tempted 〈…〉 Wits unto Levity I 〈…〉 argued them into 〈…〉 c. When thus you 〈…〉 the Grace of your Lord 〈…〉 in the Lord and in his 〈◊〉 Joyfully Praise the Giver 〈…〉 and Worker and Triumph 〈◊〉 his Goodness This exquisite Pleasure will cherish Care and sweeten Endeavours and Prayers for more such Victories D. 9. Let nothing Supersede the Watch of your Lips Prayer engageth to Watchfulness and not excuseth it Spiritual Conquests also excuse not Care but together encourage and engage unto them For after them Satan most rages and Christians Souls like as their Bodies when in highest places are most liable to Tempests In short no Beasts are at all times more apt to Stray and to do Injury than our Lips No Fire more easily breaks out and 〈…〉 hurt than the Tongue It is 〈…〉 and Iniquity at any time to 〈◊〉 over watching so wild Cattel and 〈◊〉 let them go without Yokes and 〈…〉 To give over looking to 〈◊〉 Fire of which all know we can 〈…〉 be too Careful D. 10. Exercise an Holy Revenge on your selves For the Sin of your Tongues sharply Reprove and Shame your Selves Let Repentance have its Perfect Work Humble your Souls deeply and give not over hastily Spare not the Rod and give not over for the crying of Flesh and Blood Unto them this Work is grievous but by this Sorrow of the Countenance Heart and Tongue are made better And sooner shall faulty Oxen go better without the Goad and wildest Children be reclaimed without the Rod than an Extravagant Tongue without this Rebuke D. 11. Associate with none but Men of a pure Language Who knows not 〈…〉 most-Omnipotency of chosen 〈…〉 any It is certain that in 〈…〉 Company God deserts 〈…〉 and Satan is let loose on them 〈…〉 that they have is very much 〈…〉 tower They are as it were 〈…〉 and Satan the Potter 〈…〉 them into any sort of 〈…〉 unto Dishonour Hypocrites can 〈…〉 Endure but the Heart of a 〈…〉 doth Prefer the Lip and Language of Canaan And they are Wisely Good who willingly go near none from whom they cannot come Wiser and Better Prov. 14. 7. D. 12. Make your Friends your Monitors Give them your Leave yea Intreaty to tell you when you speak amiss Raise their Posse for your Defence It will be no contemptible one unless when you have engaged them against your Sins you side and take part with your Sins against them A wonder it is there should be any need to urge this Practice We make other Admonition the Condition of Friendship and cannot 〈…〉 Friend see our Feet in a wrong 〈◊〉 and doth not haste to give us notice We should reckon his Silence of our Error a Proclamation of his Unfaithfulness and Guile D. 13. Remember into what an Ear every Word of yours droppeth The Divine aweful One hears all you say as plain as if there were no Tongue in the World stirring but yours And when the Thoughts hereof are stirring in your Mind Experience can tell you how they facilitate the Rule of your Tongue In the hearing of a wise Man no Fool will prate foolishly but a drunken One. Especially if as the wise Man is endued with VVisdom to despise him he be also armed with Authority to punish him What Mouths should we have if we duly minded how open God's Ear is now unto us and how quickly his Mouth will be opened to judg us D. 14. Esteem it glorious Martyrdom to bear Reproach for the Purity of your 〈…〉 Language of one 〈…〉 to the Natives of 〈…〉 you are born from Heaven 〈…〉 Citizens of that 〈…〉 and speak its Language 〈…〉 no avoiding of cruel Mockings 〈◊〉 the People of this Earth These 〈…〉 enough to endure no but you 〈…〉 as a Treasure And 〈…〉 that you are dignified with them counting them to have more 〈◊〉 the Crown than the Cross in them The Zeal of Socrates made him speak 〈◊〉 hot as to scald his vicious Hearers the Wildfire of their Scoffs cast on him moved him not Famous is his Saying That if VVild-Asses kicked him he would never commence a Suit against them And shall the Saints do no more than Socrates D. 15. Be Salt to all on Earth in whom you have any interest Smartly Reprove the Vices of their Speech Put forth your utmost Authority and Power to purge them away Give your best Counsels with Intreaties for holy Language Follow with swee 〈…〉 Encouragements as many as 〈…〉 the favour to be reformed by you 〈…〉 many as receive the Divine Law from your Mouth What a Charity is it to cure such a Leprosy as that of Foolish Talking and Jesting A Labour of Love that God will not forget A Service in which you will find unknown Reward The Blessing of many Souls will come upon you and your 〈…〉 will prosper God will cast more Salt into your Heart and put more good Words into your Mouth For to faithful Sowers he will minister Seed Liberal Souls he will make Fat Sweetly will he amend us all when all do dutifully correct one another Would you be made Clean cleanse your Company D. 16. Finally Bless God for your Truth while you are short of the Perfection that you seek He that seeks not Perfection is not sincere but he that indeed is sincere through the Grace of the Gospel he is a perfect Creature 〈…〉 Man in Christ and 〈…〉 he hath no 〈…〉 on him the Lord 〈…〉 unto him but honours 〈…〉 stiles him a Perfect Man 〈…〉 in him as a Jewel and an Apple 〈…〉 Eye Deals with him most 〈…〉 withholding no good thing 〈…〉 and making every thing 〈…〉 or good to him as though no 〈…〉 were found in him while much 〈…〉 finds and knows there is vastly 〈◊〉 than he can find in himself and his daily Cry is Who shall deliver me from this Body of Sin and Death So that as the Husband-man may with Joy look on his Corn-fields and bless God for the Riches thereof though there be thousands and Ten thousands of offensive Weeds therein no less may you joyfully praise God for his rich Saving-Grace having the Testimony of your Consciences that in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity not slothfully but with all diligence given you obey my Text. Although full often the Good that you 〈…〉 speak you do not and the 〈…〉 you would not that you do speak 〈◊〉 rather Not you but Sin that 〈…〉 in you speaketh it O bless the 〈…〉 that you are not under the Law 〈…〉 Grace Not under the 〈…〉 of personal perfect and 〈…〉 but under the Law 〈…〉 of Repentance Faith and 〈…〉 Obedience That you have a 〈◊〉 Righteousness of Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 to you and shall not be rejected for the Imperfection of the Righteousness inherent in you It is not the least use to be made of my Doctrine to bless God for our blessed Pair of Advocates For his Holy Spirit who works in us Evangelical Perfection and his Holy Son who hath redeemed us from Damnation for want of Legal Perfection and of Absolute Inoffensiveness in our Talks He makes an ill Use of it indeed who scares himself into Desperation either 〈…〉 Attainableness of sincere 〈…〉 to it or of the Acceptableness 〈…〉 to our Supream Judg. Against 〈…〉 I give Warning in my 〈…〉 Words as supposing them 〈…〉 keliest to pass unregarded 〈…〉 already published Directions 〈…〉 to Holy Discourse I 〈…〉 no more added than the 〈…〉 Alarms Whosoever shall keep 〈…〉 Law and yet offend in the one 〈◊〉 of my Text he is guilty of 〈◊〉 And if any Man seem to be Religious and bridleth not his Tongue but deceiveth his own Heart this Man's Religion is vain FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nec Sermones Stultitiae Syriac Stultiloquia Aethiopic Arabic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrat l. 3. See Dr. Barrow in Loc. See Dr. Barrow on Prov. 10. 18. A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dura Lex in speciem sed ex cujus rigore liqet qantopere Deo placet Verecundia qantum abominatur Impudentiam Calv.