Thoughts, and in my book of" Self-denial." In a word, (for I must not commit the fault which I am reproving,) account not a course of idle talk for a small sin. Never suffer so loose and slippery a member as your tongue to be unguarded; and never speak that of which you dare not say, as Psal. xix. 14. "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be now and always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." But especially above others, these persons should watch against vain words: 1. Preachers, who are doubly, sanctified persons, and whose tongues being consecrated to God, must not be sacrilegiously alienated to vanity: which is worse than sacrilegious alienation of the places, or utensils, or revenues of the church. Hate it therefore more than these. 2. Ancient people, whose words should be grave and wise, and full of instruction to suppress the levity of youth: childhood and youth are vanity; but age should not be so3. 3. Parents and masters who should be examples of gravity and staidness to their families; and by their reproofs and chastisements should repress such faults in their inferiors. 4. Those that are better qualified than others, with knowledge and utterance, to use their tongues to edification. Vain speech is a double sin in them. 5. Those that are noted for persons of holiness and religion for it is supposed that they pray and speak much against idle talk, and therefore must not themselves be guilty of it. "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vaina." 6. Those that are ignorant, and need much the edifying speech of others. 7. Those that live among wise and holy persons by whom they may be much edified. 8. Those that are among tattlers, where they know they have more need to watch their tongues, than their purses among cut-purses. 9. Those (women especially) that are naturally addicted 21 Tim. iv. 12. Job xii. 12. Eccles. xi. 10. to overmuch talk, who therefore should be the more watchful, as knowing their disease and danger. 10. Both empty and angry persons, who carry a continual temptation about them. All these should be specially watchful against idle talk. And for the time, 1. Specially when they are among those that may receive most hurt by it. 2. And when you are going to holy duty, or newly come from it, &c. Tit. 5. Special Directions against Filthy, Ribald, Scurrilous Talk. Direct. 1. The chief Direction against this filthy sin, is general; ' to get out of a graceless state, and get a heart that feareth God,' and then you dare not be guilty of such impudency: God is not so despised by those that fear him. Direct. 11. Cease not your holy communion with God in his worship, especially in secret, and be not strange to him, and seldom with him. And then you dare not so pollute those lips, that use to speak seriously to God. What! talk of lust and filthiness with that tongue, that spake but even now to the most holy God! God's name and presence will awe you, and cleanse you, and shew you that his temple should not be so defiled, and that he hath not called you to uncleanness but to holiness; and that a filthy tongue is unsuitable to the holy praise of God: but while the rest of your life is nothing but a serving the devil and the flesh, no wonder if ribaldry seem a fit language for you. Direct. 111. Cleanse your hearts of vanity and filthiness; and then your tongues will be the more clean.' It is a vain or unchaste heart that makes an unchaste tongue. Direct. IV. Remember what a shame it is to open and proclaim that filthiness of thy heart which thou mightest have concealed.' Christ telleth us how to expound thy words, "that out of the abundance of thy heart, thy mouth speaketh ." And what needest thou tell people that it is the rutting-moon with thee? and that lust and filthiness are the inhabitants of thy mind? If thou be not so far past all shame as to commit fornication in the open streets, why wilt thou there talk of it? b Luke vi. 45. Direct. v. Remember that filthy talk is but the approach to filthy acts.' It is but thy breaking the shell of modesty, that thou mayst eat the kernel of the vomiting nut. This is the tendency of it, whether thou intend it or not. Canst thou be offended with him, that believeth thou dost that villany in secret, which thou talkest of openly? or that taketh thee to be preparing thyself for a whore? If the deed be bad, thy making a jest of it cannot be good. Direct. vi. Remember that thou biddest defiance to godliness and honesty:' "Corrupt communication grieveth the Spirit of God." Canst thou expect that the Holy Ghost should dwell and work in so filthy a room, and with such filthy company? Darest thou go pray or read the Scripture, or speak of any holy thing with those lips that talk of filthy ribaldry? Dost thou find thyself fit to go to prayer, after such discourse? Or rather dost thou not allow all that hear thee to think that thou renouncest God and godliness, and never usest any serious worship of God at all? And if thou do pretend to worship him with that filthy tongue, what canst thou expect in answer to thy prayers, but a vengeance worse than Nadab and Abihu's d? "Shall sweet water and bitter come from the same fountain * ?” Dost thou bless God and talk filthily with the same tongue, and think he will not be avenged on thy hypocrisy ? e Direct. VII. Consider how thou biddest defiance to common civility.' Thou dost that which civil heathens would be ashamed of: as if thou hadst a design to reduce England to the customs of cannibals and savages in America, that go naked, and are past shame. Direct. VIII. 'Observe what service thou dost the devil, for the corrupting of others' as if he had hired thee to be a tutor in his academy, or one of his preachers, to draw the minds of the hearers from modesty, and prepare them for the stews. Especially people can scarce have more dangerous wildfire cast into their fantasies, than by hearing rotten, filthy talk. And wilt thou be one of Venus's priests? Direct. Ix. Remember how little need there is of thy endeavour.' Are not lust and filthiness so natural, and the minds of all unsanctified and uncleansed ones so prone to it, that they need no tutor, nor instigator, nor pander to C Ephes, iv. 29, 30. v. 4. d Lev. x. 1-3. James iii. 11. their lusts? This fire is easily kindled: the bellows of thy scurrility are needless to make such gunpowder burn. Direct. x. Presently lament before God and man the filthiness that thy tongue hath been guilty of, and wash heart and tongue in the blood of Christ; and fly from the company and converse of the obscene, as thou wouldst do from a pest-house, or any infectious, pestilential air.' And if thou hear such rotten talk, reprove it, or be gone, and let them see that thou hatest it, and fearest God. Object. But, saith the filthy mouth, I think no harm: may we not jest and be merry?' Answ. What! hast thou nothing to jest with but dung, and filth, and sin, and the defilement of souls, and the offending of God? Wouldst thou be unclean before the king, or cast dung in men's faces, and say, 'I think no harm, but am in jest?' Object. But, saith he, those that are so demure, are as bad in secret, and worse than we.' Answ. What! is a chaste tongue a sign of an unchaste life? Then thou mayst as equally take a meek and quiet tongue to be a sign of an angry man: or a lying tongue to be a sign of a true man. Would the king take that excuse from thee, if thou talk treason openly, and say, 'Those that do not, are yet in secret as bad as I?' I trow he would not take that for an excuse. Tit. 6. Directions against Profane Deriding, Scorning, or Opposing Godliness. To prevent the replies or excuses of the scorner, I must here tell you, 1. That by godliness I mean nothing but an entire devotedness to God and living to him: the doctrine and practice which are agreeable to the holy Scripture. I mean no fancies of mistaken men, nor the private opinions of any sect; but the practice of Christianity itself. 2. And yet I must tell you, that it is the common practice of these scorners to fasten more upon the concrete, than the abstract, the person, than the bare doctrine, and to oppose godly persons as such, when yet they say that they oppose not godliness. The reasons of this are these: (1.) Because they dare be bolder with the person, than with the rule and doctrine of God himself. If they scorn at the Bible, or at godliness directly, as such, they should so openly scorn at God himself, that the world would cry shame on them, and conscience would worry them: but as godliness is in such a neighbour, or such a preacher, or such a man, so they think they may reverence it less, and that what they do is against the person and not the thing. (2.) In men they have something else to pretend, to be the matter of their scorn. Godliness in men is latent, invisible, unproveable as to the sincerity of it, and obscure as to the exercise. If he that scorneth a godly man say, 'He is not godly, but an hypocrite;' in this world there is no perfect justification to be had against such a calumny; but the probable evidence of profession and a godly life is all that can be brought. But godliness, as it is in Scripture, lieth open to the view of all, and cannot be denied there, but by denying the Scriptures themselves. (3.) Godliness as in the rule or holy Scripture is perfect, without any blemish that may give a scorner a pretence: but godliness in men is very imperfect, and mixed with sins, with faults which the world may oft discern, and the godly themselves are most forward to confess and therefore in them a scorner may find some plausible pretence. And when he derideth these professors of godliness as being all hypocrites, he will not instance in their virtues, but in their faults; as in Noah's drunkenness, and Lot's incest, and David's adultery and murder, and Peter's denying Christ: yet so as the dart shall be cast at piety itself; and the conclusion shall not be, to drive men from drunkenness, adultery, or any sin, but from serious godliness itself. (4.) Godliness as in the rule, is to them a more unobserved, dormant thing, and doth not so much annoy them: for they can shut their Bibles, or make nothing of it, but as a few good words: but godliness in the godly, existent in their teachers and neighbours, is more discernible to them, and more active, and more troublesome to them, and so more hated by them. In a dead letter, or dead saint, that troubleth them not, they can commend it; but in the living they are molested by it: and the nearer it is to them, the more they are exasperated against it. The Word is the seed of godliness; which least offendeth them, till it spring |