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A30279
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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.
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Burgess, Daniel, 1645-1713.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing B5706; ESTC R214159
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35,920
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118
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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.
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-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