SERM. So that he adviseth us nothing, but what he did himCCXIII. felf; nor imposeth any thing upon us, from which he himself defired to be excused. And furely we have great reason to be in great love with this pattern, when that very goodness which he propounds to our imitation, was all laid out upon us, and redounds to our benefit and advantage; when our falvation and happiness are the effects of that goodness and compassion which he exercised in the world. He did it all purely for our fakes: whereas all the good we do to others, is a greater good done to ourselves. SERM. So that here is an example and experiment of the thing in the greatest and most famous instance that the whole world can afford. The best and happiest man that ever was, the Son of God and the SAVIOUR of men, and who is the most worthy to be the pattern of all mankind, " went about doing good," and governed his whole life, and all the actions of it by this principle, that " it is more blessed to give, than to re"ceive. Let the same mind be in us that was in "JESUS CHRIST: let us go and do likewife." SERMON CCXIV. EPHES. iv. 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth; but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the bearers. A S discourses against sin and vice in general are of great use, so it is likewise very necessary to level them against the particular vices of men, and to endea CCXIV. し endeavour by proper and intrinfical arguments, taken SERM. from the nature of that vice we treat of, to diffuade and deter them from it; because this carries the difcourse home to the confciences of men, and leaves them no way of escape. For this reason, and in com-pliance with their majesties pious proclamation, for the discountenancing and fuppreffing of profaneness - and vice, I have chosen to treat upon this subject, of corrupt and filthy communication, as being one of the reigning vices of this wicked and adulterous generation; of the evil whereof the generality of men are less sensible than almost of any other, that is so frequently and so exprefly branded in scripture. And to this purpose I have pitched upon the words which I have read unto you, as containing a plain and exprefs - prohibition of this vices. Let no corrupt commu"nication," te I remember St. Austin in one of his epistles tells us, that Tully, the great master of the art of speaking, fays of one of the great orators, Nullum unquam verbùm quod revocare vellet, emisit. "That no word e"ver fell from him, that he could wish to have re"called!" This I doubt is above the perfection of human eloquence, for a man always to make such a choice of his words, and to place them so fitly, that nothing he ever faid could be changed for the better. But the greatest faults of speech are not those which offend against the rules of eloquence; but of piety, and virtue, and good manners: and who can fay that his tongue is free from all faults in this kind, and no word ever proceeded from him which he could wish to have recalled. "In many things," says St. James, chap. iii. 2. we offend all;" and in this kind as much perhaps, and as often as in any. He is a good and a happy man indeed, that feldom or never offends SERM. with his tongue. " If any man," as St. James goes CCXIV. on, "offend not in word, the fame is a perfect man;" that is, he hath attained to an eminent degree of vire tue indeed, and is above the common rate of men, and may reasonably be prefumed blameless in the general course of his life and practice; " and able," as it follows, " to bridle the whole body;" that is, to order his whole conversation aright. To govern the tongue is a matter of great difficulty, and confequently of great wisdom, and care, and circumspection, and therefore one of the great endeavours of a wife and good man, should be to govern his words by the rules of reason and religion; and we should every one of us resolve and say, as David does, Pfal. xxxix... will take heed to my "ways, that I fin not with my tongue." For as the virtues, so the vices of the tongue are many and great. In respect of the virtues of it, David calls it the best member we have; because of all the members -and inftruments of the body, it is capable of giving -the greatest glory to God, and of doing the greatest -good and benefit to men. And in respect of the vices of it, it may be as truly faid to be the worst member that we have because it is capable of doing the greatest dishonour to God, and the greatest mischief and harm among men. Sothatupon all accounts, we ought to have a great care of the government of our tongue, which is capable of being so useful and serviceable to the best and worst purposes, according as we restrain it and keep it in order, or let it loofe to fin and folly. And among all the vices of the tongue, as none is more common, so none is more misbecoming, and more contrary to the modesty of a man, and the gravity of a Christian, than filthy and obscene talk of the odious nature, and the evil and mischievous consequences CCXIV. sequences whereof, both to ourselves and others, ISERM, design by God's affistance to treat at this time, from the words which I have read unto you, "Let no cor"rupt communication, &c." 1 That by corrupt or rotten communication, is here meant filthy and obscene talk, is generally agreed among interpreters. "By that which is good to the " use of edyfying," is meant such difcourse, as is apt to build us up in knowledge and goodness, to make the hearers wifer and better. That it may minif"ter grace unto the hearers," that is, such kind of discourse as is acceptable to all; not nauseous and offenfive to fober and virtuous persons, not apt to grate upon chaste and modest ears, and to put the hearers out of countenance." So that the apostle doth here strictly forbid all lewd and filthy discourse among Christians; and enjoins them so to converse with one another, that all their difcourses may minifter mutual benefit and advantage to one another, and tend to the promoting of piety and virtue', 'and may likewise be grateful to the hearers, carefully avoiding every thing that may put them to the blush, or any ways trespass upon modefty and good manners, as all filthy communication does. 2.10 This fort of argument, though it be frequently mentioned in fcripture, yet it is very feldom treated of in' the pulpit, because it is a matter hard to be *handled in a cleanly manner, and the preacher must always take good heed to himself, that his difcourse be free from the contagion of that vice, which he reproves and designs to correct and cure. And therefore to diffuade and deter men from this evil practice, fo rife and common in the world, and that not only among the profane and diffolute fort of perfons, but SERM. but those likewise who would seem to be more strict CCXIV. and religious, I hope it may be fufficient to all considerate persons, plainly to represent to them the heinous nature of the thing itself, together with the evil and dangerous consequences of it, both to our selves and to others. And this I shall endeavour to do in the most general and wary terms, keeping all along, as much as is possible, aloof and at a distance from any thing that might either offend the chaste and modest, or infect lewd and diffolute minds, which like tinder are always ready to take fire at the least spark. Having premised this in general, my work at this time shall be to offer such particular confiderations, as may fully convince men of the great evil and danger of this practice; and I hope may effectually prevail with them to leave it, and break it off. And they shall be these following. I. That all filthy and corrupt communication is ⚫ evidently contrary to nature, which is careful to hide and fupprefs, whatever in the general esteem of the fober part of mankind hath any thing of turpitude - and uncomeliness in it; and wherever nature hath thought fit to draw a vail, we should neither by words nor actions expose such things to open view. Qua natura accultavit, says Tully, de Offic. Lib. 1. cadem omnes, qui fanâ funt mente removent ab oculis, "Those things which nature hath thought fit to hide, all, 1 men that are in their wits endeavour to keep out of fight," Nos autem naturam fequamur, fays the fame excellent moralift, ibid. Et ab omni quod abhorret ab oculorum auriumque approbatione fugia"Let us," says he, "follow nature, and flee every thing that is offenfive either to the eye or " ear of men." And this is so plain a lesson of nature, that an actor in a play will never fall into that abfur mus, 66 |