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
Talk that is Rash it perpetually doth Surely this is no Wisdom that can be Justified of her Children If it be any it is most Earthly yea Sensual and Devilish They that do make it their Custom do first make their Consciences take abundance of Opium I have Purposed that my Mouth shall not Offend Psal 17. 3. Set a Watch O Lord before my Mouth Keep thou the door of my Lips Psal 141. 3. 4. Vnsutable Talk is Foolish What is not aptly tempered for them to whom it is ministred Talk wherein proper Argument Language and Method are not selected Wherein the Talker becometh not all things unto all Men. Wherein he treats New-born Babes with Strong Meat and Strong Men with ABC and Milk Paints the Glass of his Language to the lost of Light among the Unlearned that do need brightest Sunshine and neglects Decency it self in his Speech unto the Judicious Talk wherein Superiors are not entertained with condecent Reverence Equals with Affability Inferiors with Courtesy all Men with Discretion and Kindness and Modesty Prosperous Men with Congratulation Afflicted ones with Compassion and every Man with the best in out Store for his true Benefit and innocent Delight This I name Unsutable This that is not seasoned with the Salt required by the Holy Ghost With Prudence seasoning it as may be best for our Designs that are good He that is neither Profane Hypocritical or Rash must necessarily be Wise And he that is Wise must necessarily see that all such Talk is Foolish That the Beginning of it is Foolish and the End as Mischievous That from hence it is very much from hence that our Tongues are Servants so Unprofitable and our Discourses do so little mend each others Minds Hearts and Lives That Speech though made for an Engine to turn about all the Human World maketh no more Conversion unto Good in the very Christian Church Though set by God as the Rudder to Steer all our Affairs and the Spring to set going all Wheels of Action to stir up Thoughts to kindle Affections put to work our Hands and to walk our Feet yet doeth none of these mighty Works in the way of Wisdom and Righteousness or extremely few Unto the Unsutableness of it we must ascribe the lost Labor of very much Preaching the Sacred Word And the general Fruitlesness of all Conference By the means thereof it is that Exhortations which otherwise might be taken in and welcomed are with Contempt and Choler dismissed Reproofs which otherwise might Heal being received as Salt though not as Sugar do Exasperate and turn Men from Bad to Worse and from Worse to worst of all And in short all Converses wherewith the Lips of the Wise might otherwise Feed their Companions do but at best Divert them The Fruit of the Lips becoming as the Artificial Fruits made of Wax on which most People will Gaze but none do ever Feed Yet the Folly of this condemned Talk would be somewhat more Venial were it capable of being hatched of any but a Cockatrice's Egg. Of proceeding from any Causes but the very Worst And such as the Unsutable Talker will not dare own He is not easily brought to confess Ignorance and plead that he knows not how to Speak properly or Keep silence and hear those that can Incogitance and Forgetfulness are thin Excuses and if often put on will soon be worn out Sloth and unwillingness to go to the pains of proper and pertinent Speech is an Apology of Ink and will make a Negro more Black The Plea of Pride and a Lust to show his own Knowledge without encreasing other Mens is a Man's pleading that it pleases him to be a Devil Cowardice and fear of being barked at by Dogs if he should frame his Discourse for the Edification of Men is a flat renunciation of Holy Baptism nor will it be pleaded till a Creature is destitute and at his last shift To say it is my Custom thus to transgress with my Mouth and I cannot break an ill Way being become my own is to plead a Necessity of Perseverance to Damnation Covetousness and Ambition are equally gross Pleas and till they have the Grace to Repent few have the Impudence to Boast and none have the Modesty to Confess that their Talk is to Honor themselves Sacrilegiously and Enrich themselves Feloniously That is by robbing their Maker to exalt their Names and by robbing their Neighbour to advance their Estates Will any urge the Example of some admired Sophi and argue that let it do ever so little good or none at all yet it is this Apollo's Argument Way and Style He is strait-way confounded with as few words as those wherein he can be told That unto us Christians there is but one God and one Lord Jesus Christ We can call no Man Master nor be followers of a St. Paul further than he follows his Master and ours To conclude who is he that will plead He hath not the Spirit of Christ Is not acted by that Wise and Holy one who only Knows and effectually Teaches to sute and please every Man unto his Edification That is who will plead that He is not a Christian Not any that is more a Christian than a Statue of Stone is a Man or the Paint on a Sign-Post that is called so is an Angel Lord forgive the Iniquity and heal the Disease of this Vnexcusable Talk Let the words of my Mouth be Milk to Babes and Meat to stronger Christians and justly Tempered for both 5. Vnseasonable Talk is Foolish That which is ever so well suted to Mens Capacity Taste and Need ought as well to be suted to their Opportunity Vacancy and Seasons of advantagious receiving it Are there some things which are never out of Season Surely Talking is none of them But is of those which Divine Wisdom pronounceth to be beautiful only in their Season Times there are wherein we must be every one apart and our Closet-door shut Every Man being there both the Speaker and Hearer and the whole Congregation there presented before God Times there are wherein dutiful Contemplation and Action brook not Talking and Hearing And wherein the Best of them are by no means Good but the Wisest monstrously Foolish In Nature so it is that things most Beautiful and Beneficent out of their Season are Ghastly and Malignant Roses and Lillies in the depth of Winter would be Prodigies and Sun-shine at Midnight would make fearful Outcries among us It is no otherwise in Morality what is Pious and Vertuous at one time is Profaneness and Vice at another Prayer in the Season of other Duty is not God's Delight and Giving of Alms when in want wherewith to pay our Debts is not Bounty but Felony Thus must it be said the unseasonable Calves of our Lips are the Sacrifice of Fools And all their Fruits not brought forth in due season are the Clusters of Sodom Words have been elegantly named the Children of our Minds but when they come
Inferiours of whom we speak ill and if we wrong them we recompence them A Rare Restraint and most Unfrequent Restitution But what if made both of ' em It is he that is void of Understanding that despiseth any Neighbour He only who dares despise his Maker dares to mock the Poor Nor can any Hands heal some Wounds that are given by Tongues We speak ill of some Men as constrained to it by the Love of God How good is it to be sure that we are not in an Errour when we presume that we do well It is possible to speak wickedly for God And it 's sure though you do speak for him it is wickedly if you speak without his Call and speak not according to his Rule You dishonour and displease him your King if without his Warrant you inflict a deserved Punishment on your Fellow-Subjects Nor will he take such an Usurpation of undue Power for a token of your Love And supposing that you have indeed his Commision and thereby a just right to Sentence your Neighbour making him that has done ill to hear ill alike Criminal you will be found if you transgress his Laws of Equity Humanity and Pity If you say more than you Know if what you Know you speak maliciously without Compassion and to ill Purposes What a Malefactor was Achan and what a Storm raised he to the Publick What a Lover of his God was Joshua how True how Zealous But with what words doth Joshua fall upon Achan My Son What Balm more benign what Oil more gentle I pray thee How courteous is the Mouth of Love to the most Unlovely And that from the Seat of the highest Authority Give Glory to God and make Confession What Pity is here and Bounty Pity of a perishing Creature and Bounty in instructing and exhorting that he might not perish Why hast thou Troubled us No Railing Accusation a Blow no harder than might serve to awaken Conscience The Lord will Trouble thee No Insultation no Imprecation Not the Curse of God take thee c. O imitable Example and worthy of all Acceptation In short as much as our Age does abound in this Uncharitable Talk and the rather because it doth so it must be said He that utters it is a Fool. Slander is as truly Sin and Folly as either Murder or Adultery Nor is Bearing false Witness the only Kind of Slander though it be the most gross Affixing of reproachful Names upon innocent Persons is Slandering So is Aspersing their Actions with Scornfully-expressed-Censures So is Perverting their Words by affected Misconstructions So is Representing their Words or Deeds but partially suppressing some part to blemish the whole So is Instilling sly Suggestions apt to breed unworthy opinions of them So is Reflecting on them ever so covertly with design to fasten a reproach by it So is Aggravating their faults oat of measure and making Beams of their Motes So is Charging of them with the ill Consequences of their Judgment which they themselves aver they do not see and protest they do much abhor And so is the Aiding and Abetting and being foster-fathers unto any Slanderous Reports Nor are Slanderous Ears much less odious to God or Wise Men than Slanderous Tongues Those Receivers seem as bad as these Thieves And it 's more than probable that all the Guilty would strait-way find themselves to be Uncharitable could they but bring their Minds to reflect better upon their Principles and Ends. To consider what it really is that makes Evil-speaking the far greatest part of their Talk as Talk is out of question the much biggest Imployment of their Life They would find that either an in-rooted Ill-will or a rash Anger an old Spite or a newly raised Spleen brought their Neighbours Faults into their Mouths That either Contempt of Men as thought hugely below them or Envy at them as supposed someway above themselves was the common Parent of their disparaging Talk That ever and anon Coveting hath brought them to Slandering and they have for no other reason disgraced others but that they might enrich themselves That not unfrequently Wantonness hath given the rise to their Calumny nor have they for any thing but Sport murdred Men in their Credit Yea and that sometimes there has certainly been a much more abstruse cause pure Malignity and Love of Inhumanity without any formed Reason which has made them bite their Neighbours meerly to gratify their currish Humours just as other Mad-dogs do A Disposition that is more common than is well thought of or Prayed against One Planted in corrupt Nature watred by the Example of all the World and Encreased by Mens own assiduous Use But Of Vncharitable Talkers come not into the Secret O my Soul unto their Assembly mine Honour be not thou Vnited I proceed to enquire nextly §. 2. What is Foolish Jesting Foolish-Talking or Jesting saith the Text that is or Jesting which is Foolish And it may be the Sense designed is somewhat more q. d. Detest ye Foolish-talking of all Kinds even Jesting it self that Admired and Beloved one that Alamode and Sugared one Abhor Foolish Talk the Meat yea and Jests that are the Sawce It is surely predicated of both that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not Pertinent or conducible to any good Purpose but only serve very ill ones Are insufferable therefore in Jesus Christ's School as hath been aforesaid By Jesting all Men understand Speech framed and intended for Mirth Talk is the Business of the Lips Jests are their Play Speaking is their Trade Jesting is their Game In That they do but make a Noise in This they make Musick That is the Employment This the Recreation they give their Hearers And as of other Recreations it must be said of Jests No doubt but some are Lawful yea Needful and unto some Men they are a Duty say the gravest Casuists When it is that they are our Duty and Wisdom and when our Folly and our Sin is to be judged by the same Rules Lawful Recreation is some Action not forbidden apt to exhilarate the Fancy or exercise the Body so as to whet the Sithe of both for Sacred and Civil Work And Lawful Jesting is some innocent Expression apt to raise drooping Spirits and sharpen blunted Minds so as to mend their Plight for all good Service All is one whether it be by its Beauty or its Rarity whether by its Perspicuity or Abstrusity an Expression so instilleth Pleasure and reneweth Vigor Thus may an holy Isaac Sport with his Rebecca Laugh as the Hebrew Play as the Chaldee Jest as the Syriack and Arabick speak All that can be said for Melancholy-Christians of another Mind is that their Error erreth upon the Right hand He that is no otherwise a Jester is far from being a Fool and he that is contradictiously Morose therein is not Wise Broken Spirits dry our Bones and unfit us to fight the Lord's Battels Merry Hearts do good like generous Medicines and strengthen
They are Persons chosen to Glory Rejecting him who Elected them thereunto Putting God out of the Throne who of most free Grace hath appointed unto them a Kingdom In foolish Talk they turn to the foolish God of this World and forsake him who is God and their God They are Redeemed-Captives slighting him who died not for the VVorld as he died for them Refusing to let him give Law to so much as their Lips They are Creatures raised from the Dead despising him that Quickned them As not vouchsafing to obey him in very Words and as far as very Scribes and Pharisees do They are Pardoned Malefactors dishonouring the most Gracious King that hath Forgiven them Ten thousand Sins Yea Ten thousand times Ten thousand sinful Thoughts Words and Works They are Adopted Heirs Provoking to wrath their Adoptive Father Uttering in his Presence and in Mens Hearing also Words that he cannot away with They are Cleansed-Lepers making themselves unclean again Defiling anew the Temple of God and in that which is named the very Glory of it The Tongue is so called They are such as being Night and Day accused in the Court of Heaven have but one Intercessor and yet are Incensing him against them Walking contrarily unto him in whose Lips no Guile was found and the Grace of whose Lips all Men admired They are Comforted Souls grieving their holy Comforter Making him by their offensive Breath to keep far off from them and to carry it as kindest Friends use to do when our Words much displease them They are Men that live by Hope and yet sin against the only VVord whereon they do or dare to hope Their Possession is nothing to their Reversion it is in Hope that they rejoice Hope of the Glory promised in that Covenant which promiseth none at all but to them that obey the Gospel in Word and Deed. They are Sworn-Men breaking their Oaths and Vows unto God Their Vows Sacramental and less solemn ones many to speak as well as act by God's Rule and for his Glory They are Seers and Children of Light sinning against Light and Knowledg Against Light more Heavenly and of a nobler kind than any unregenerate Men are endued with They are strong Men and invincible by VVorld and Devil throwing themselves down under Divine VVrath The Grace first infused into every Convert makes him certainly able to walk acceptably with God according to the Grace of the New-Covenant O what a Sight is it when not a Child falls of Weakness but a Giant throws himself down a Precipice They are Professors of Purity wallowing in Mire What Protestant-Christian professeth not to take Christ's Word for the Rule of his Words as well as Thoughts and Actions Or who doth doubt but foolish Talks and Jests are hereto most repugnant They are Petitioners unto Heaven Men that give themselves unto Prayer no more able to live without Praying than without Breathing and yet do by contrary words chase away the Spirit deaden the Grace and lessen the Gift of Prayer Extream Madness to disable themselves for that by which they fetch from Heaven all they want They are Men often Reproved kicking against the Pricks thereof They have a hundred Rebukes for every one that an unregenerate Man hath The Holy Ghost their Conscience their Pastor their Pious Companions must be supposed ever and anon checking them They are such as have been enriched by Diamonds and yet prefer Bits of Glass Where is any Godly Man but he has sometimes heard and sometimes spoke a good Word which for all the World he would not but have spoke and heard After this to take up Foolish Talks is after Gold tried to prefer Counters They are Children that have been Burnt and yet fear not the Fire I take it for granted that Foolish Talks and Jests have cost all good Men dear at one time or other Have blotted their Evidences expell'd their Comforts raisedtheir Fears torn their Hearts And what will they sin more that worse things may come They are such as Revive what they have took abundance of pains to Kill Sure there is no sincere Convert but what has laboured hard among his other Spiritual Enemies to mortify those flying Serpents that proceed from the Lips and to spoil the breed of them They are Men that most of all deceive Expectation They have a good Treasure and all People look that their Tongues should bring forth good things From Dogs we expect but Barking and from Monkeys nothing wiser than Laughing In the Mouth of a Saint it 's expected there should be the Tongue of an Angel It is at least monstrous if Doves gaggle as Geese or Sheep bark as Dogs They are finally Lambs that murder more than VVolves Indeed Sin especially Sin of the Tongue is a catching Disease But from none is it so very deeply and dangerously taken as from Men of real or reputed Religion Their Sins are the most deadly Examples as it were so many Warrants for other Mens Sins If they sin audaciously many conclude they may then sin by Authority 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eurip. Hecub There be those whom the Foolish Talk of another's Mouth shall not hurt but if it come out of yours it shall debauch Do we not daily find it Some Mens Names are Swords and Bucklers for other Mens Sins But to conclude §. 4. What are the Truths to be inferred and what the Duties to be pressed from this Doctrine Of the Truths that I hence infer these are all I shall offer having already trespassed against the Brevity intended Tr. 1. Our Tongues are not our own No but our Lips are under Law as well as our Hearts and Hands For if God be not Lord over them how comes he to give the Law in my Text unto them And in the Day of Judgment to Justify and to Condemn according to our Words Mat. 12. 37. It is not more sure that God hath made Man's Mouth than it is that he hath made a Law for it T. 2. Metals are known by their Sounds Hearts are discovered by Talks to be Silver or Brass For God the Judg of them declareth that he doth hereby judg them And accounteth foolish Talkers and Jesters to be Men of impure Hearts as truly as Fornicators and the Covetous which are Idolaters If Mouths speak of Wisdom and Tongues talk of Judgment it argues that the Law of God is in the Heart Psal 37. 30. But if the Tongue be not bridled it is sure the Heart is not sanctified and the varnished Religion is vain Jam. 1. 26. In Nature and Morality it 's a sure Rule Stinking Breath is from foul Stomachs T. 3. Words be Treasonable By the Gospel-Law they are so For my Text makes all foolish Ones to be Mortal Sins i. e. To be worthy of Death Mens Proverb saith VVords are but VVind but the Divine Proverb saith They do blow Life or Death He that keepeth his Mouth keepeth his Life but he that openeth wide his Lips shall have
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.