lust and sensuality in spite of the decays of nature, which call for other thoughts. I am almost afraid of calling these idle words,' because the expression does not reach to the heinousness of the crime: for nothing is more contrary to the modesty and purity of our holy religion, nothing more offensive to God and all virtuous minds, nothing more destructive of morality, or that tends more to introduce looseness and brutality, than this lewd wit, which sets at nought every thing that is chaste and pure, whose present glory is shame, and whose future reward shall be confusion.

If men have a knack of clothing their unchaste thoughts in cleanly language, yet it cannot justly be pleaded in mitigation of their crime. This possibly may be to sin more like a gentleman, but it carries an aggravation with it that cannot easily be forgiven. To improve on vice, and to take off that mark of infamy which God has set on it, is the highest abuse of your reason and sense. To make lewdness agreeable, to recommend it by an artful address and a pleasant wit, what is it but to convey the poison in a precious mixture, that may tempt and deceive the palate to admit the destruction? Modesty is the outguard of virtue, and gives notice of the first approach of vice; and when lewdness is so dressed up as to pass unsuspected, it proves but the more dangerous enemy within; and therefore we must expect to give a severe account for the time and words we spend in this diversion; and you may imagine how filthiness and lewdness shall escape, when God shall sit as Judge, who is all righteousness and holiness, and of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.'

DISCOURSE XXXVI.

PART II.

Fourthly, by idle words' we may understand useless and insignificant words; words which are spent to no great end or purpose either good or bad.

This sense will comprehend a great part of the conversation of the world, which aims at nothing but present amusement: and it is worth our while to inquire, what guilt a man contracts by these idle words.' All words that are in any respect injurious to God or man, or contrary to truth or good manners, are out of this question, which is stated on words merely impertinent; where the subject of discourse is mean and trifling, and not capable of yielding any profit or improvement to ourselves or others. Now to discover whether useless, though innocent, conversation comes within the judgment of the text, we must consider these following particulars :

First, the scope of our Saviour's argument in this place. Secondly, the end and design of speech, which is the gift of God to mankind for if we use our speech to serve any purpose contrary to the end designed by God in giving us speech, we manifestly abuse his gift, and for such abuse must be answerable.

Thirdly, the nature of man in general, and the different degrees of sense and understanding that different men are endowed with this consideration must have place in this question, because the tongue cannot speak better than the understanding can conceive; which infers a proportion between the abilities of our mind and the soundness of our speech: the latter must be judged by the former; for a man cannot be obliged to utter more wisdom than God has given him.

First, as to the scope of our Saviour's argument: it is evident that he descends from the greater to the less evils of speech; from blasphemy he comes to the other evils which are generated in the heart, and from thence derived to the tongue : a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things.' What the evil things are, which are bred in the heart, our Saviour on another occasion tells us out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.' These then are the evil things intended. But as a farther obligation on us to keep the door of our lips with all care, our Saviour adds,' But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of

judgment.' Now the form with which these words are introduced, looks as if they were intended as an addition and improvement to the old doctrines of the law. The Jews knew that perjuries and blasphemies, and false witness, and the like crimes, should certainly be punished; and therefore our Saviour only mentions them, without adding expressly, that they should be punished; for that was well known and believed on the authority of the law: but then he adds, 'But I say unto you ;' which words are very emphatical, and denote the doctrine delivered to be new, and founded on our Saviour's own authority, I say unto you.' The same form is used in the fifth of St. Matthew, where our Saviour, in virtue of his commission received from God, evidently is explaining and enlarging the old law: "Ye have heard it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill: But I say unto you,' Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment. Ye have heard it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you,' Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." The same is repeated in other instances; in all which you may observe that our Saviour enlarges our duty, and debars us from the least approaches to vice, and obliges his disciples to the greatest purity, to the strictest and severest virtue.

To the same purpose possibly does he speak in the text: "Evil things, you know, proceed from an evil heart; and your law teaches you, they shall be rewarded accordingly :

But I say unto you,' that not only these evil things, but every idle word shall be brought into judgment." The only difference in this case is, that in the sermon on the mount the enacting words are more full, eyù dè déyw vμïr, in the text they are only Aéyw de vuir which, though they must be rendered alike in English, yet the former, according to the idiom of the Greek tongue, is an expression of greater weight and authority: but the difference is not so great, but that we may suppose our Saviour to use both on the same account, to distinguish the doctrine delivered on his own authority from the old received doctrines of the law. Allowing this, it follows that we have in the text a rule implied for the government of Christian con

versation, which is of the greatest purity, and restrains us not only from all evil, but from all appearance of evil, in our conversation; from every thing which is inconsistent with the gravity and serious demeanor required in a Christian; from such faults as bear no greater proportion to the evil things before mentioned, than anger does to murder, or a wanton look to adultery.

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The text then thus understood leads us to inquire, what are the faults and levities of speech, which are not great enough to be numbered with the evil things before mentioned, and yet have something in them misbecoming a disciple of the gospel; something that is inconsistent with that temper and frame of mind which are the ornament of a Christian spirit, and the result of a just sense and reverence of the high calling wherewith we are called for though it is not our duty always to be meditating on the surprising mystery of redemption wrought by Christ, or conversing with heaven through prayer, and exalted thoughts of the wonderful things of God; yet since this must necessarily, we are Christians, be a great part of our employment, we should, even at other times, when we are taken up in our worldly affairs, or in friendly conversation, preserve a decorum, and maintain a consistency in our character; that though we are not talking directly of the gospel, yet our conversation may be as becometh the gospel of Christ.' For, consider that you are a disciple of the cross, a candidate for heaven, an adopted son of God, a brother of Christ, and an heir of glory : and then consider what sort of behavior and conversation best become those who sustain so great a character. Should such a one spend his time and thoughts to utter foolish jests, to entertain idle minds with idle talk, till they are lost in a forgetfulness both of God and themselves, and every thing else that concerns either their present or future interest? Should such a one be the minister of idleness and looseness, and serve to no better purpose in the world than to furnish entertainment to the indisposition that loose and profligate men have to serious thought and reflexion?

The part of a common wit or jester does not well become a man; much less will it become a Christian: it is below the dignity of reason; still more so when reason is improved by

grace. And to this purpose is St. Paul's prohibition in his Epistle to the Ephesians; where, among other things, he forbids them all foolish talking and jesting, which are not convenient.' What our translation renders jesting, the original styles eurpañeλía, which Aristotle reckons among his virtues, and defines it to be the habit of jesting handsomely.' So that what passed in the heathen world for a virtue is forbidden to a Christian; and it is probable that by 'idle words' our Saviour meant the jests which were so much delighted in, and were under so good a character. And this gives a reason why our Saviour spoke as introducing a new law,' But I say unto you,' that every idle word shall be brought into judgment; because the preachers of morality had taught the contrary before, and placed the jester, the man of‘idle words,’ among their heroes, and honored his talent of raising laughter with the title of a virtue.

There are no doubt seasons of relaxation both from business and religion; and innocent diversion maintains the vigor of the mind, as moderate exercise does the strength of the body; but as exercise must answer the strength and parts of a human body, so must your diversion be answerable to the temper, and frame, and character of a Christian: otherwise exercise destroys the man, and diversion corrupts the Christian.

We are made by nature, that is, by God, to be sociable creatures; and therefore in seeking society, in cultivating friendships with each other, we follow the instinct of nature; and what time we spend in discourse and mutual converse, if it serves no other purpose than to maintain a good friendship and acquaintance, yet cannot be said to be mispent; because in propagating love and good will among ourselves, we serve one end of nature, and are doing the work which our Father hath given us and when company meet, he that can talk entertainingly on common subjects, and divert their minds with inoffensive wit, has an excellent talent; and if men are endowed with an happy conception, with a liveliness of expression to represent their own ideas to others, their conversation may be agreeable without exceeding the limits of virtue or

innocence.

But a common jester, one who is sent for to company to