Com. w . Of S'rrfpition, &c. Chap. 74 5 r, CHA'P.. VII. Thefecondgeneral branch, of thefin forbidden, viz. rain fpeech. Threeends offpeech. I. Edification. 2. Profit. 3. Grace and delight. of the means whereby this Corn- mandement maybe kept. ofSufpition. Rules about it. i. Forthe manner. Y W E come now to the fecondgeneral branch of the fin prohibited;viz.Vain ofvanüy of fpeech, which the Prophet David joyneth .with diflïmulation, when he Iaeeeh. faith, He badnot kept companywith vain perfns, nor had fellowfbip with the deceitful ; Pfalm a6.4, For as in the feventh Commandement is prohibited not only fornication , bat alto wantonnefs 5 fo here is forbidden not only lying and Ilandering, but alto vain and foolifh fpeaking. our Saviour in Mark 7. 22: fets down three heads of fin againff this Cons- Mark7.2a: mandement. t. gaaopnpfx, flander. z. ti*itpapia, pride, theoccafion of flattery and boafting : and 3. dgeae,,;,foolifltnefs,the root of vain fpeech and in Matt. Matth. ix 36. 12, heconcludes, That ofevery idle wordthere muff an account be given. So that to the former fins already handled, we mutt alfo add ¡,eagoaeyi:rv,foolilh talk, which S. Paul doth not diftinguifhfrom wopxorexfm ; but makes them all one ; though the world-abufing tearms, calls itVrbanitaa, Urbanity , fuch as is in men full of pleafant conceits andwitty jefts ; Chrift calls furls words d"pya prisen1á, idle word, ; and Job, Words of novalue. The Prophet denounceth a woe, aping them that draw lob 24.25. iniquity with cords of vanity 's and the prayer of Agar was, Removefromme vanity Efay 5.o8. and lyer. By which places we may gather- , that vain and foolifh words Prov 30.8. draw on lyes and all the Catalogue of fins forbidden in this Commande- ment. The Prophet David makes vain fpeech, ayt effential mark of a wicked man, Prat. 144,8, (whofe mouth talketh of vanity,4c.) And the Prophet Efay faith,that in vanity they Eloy 594 begin, there's the ftrft ftep, then they proceed to lyes, there's the fecund , and then further, to corrupt judgment and juf ice.Therefore David glorieth in tit is,that Pfalri 26. 4, be had not accompanied vainmen. And Solomon condemns vanity toffed to and fro a prov,a1.6.. ',tong mex. That is, when one asks avain queftion, and another makes a vain anfwer,and the third he gives a worfe judgment. And yob reckons this among{[ Job 31..5- his good deeds, That he had not walked in vanities, neither of fpeech nor anion. Saint Chryfofiome on Ephef. 4. faith, What Workman is there that bath any tool, which is vain,andfernes to nopurpofe ; there is no Inffrument but at one time or O- ther bath its ufe, and the Workman knows what safe to put it to. And therefore in this arsanimarum, the art of laving a mans foul, which is ars artium, the art of all arts, no man ought to have any thing about him which is in vain,or without force end and ufe,thereforethe tongue miaknot be a vain Inftruáient,or imploy- -ed to vanity; and fo he concludes, that ,24ticquid cff otiofum eft criminofuin,what- foever is idle is criminous. And for this ratite it is,tbatthe Apoffle bids Titusavoid Foóli/h andidle guefpions about genealogies, andvain janglings about the Law, for which heufeth noother rea- fon but this, thatthey arevain andunprofitable ; for if a man will draw the Apo- ides difcourfe into a fyllogifme, he muff make this themsjor,whatfoever is-vain 'is to be avoided, but filch fool ills queftions arevain, Ergo, avoid them. This fin we fllould be more careful to avoid,becaufethát man is, as it is in job, Tanquam pu(lus onagri, Like the wild Afs-colt, vain andfoolifb fromhis birth; andbe- Job tt: Sao fides as S.Peter faieh,weare brought up among men, in whom there is puelvla áva- cpop, vain converfation, fo that wereceive it by tradition ; and therefore it is one t Per. 108. of thofe things which Chrift came to redeem us from. For there is as lob faith, a forge of vanities in mans heart, (ye allforgelyei. ) Hence the- Apoftle exhorts us, Job 13.4. Not to walk aa the Gentiles did,no the vanity oftheir minds and thePfalmi4,nottoEphefq.17< k y f Ephef.4.29. lift upour heartsto vanity. Three coda of The Apoille tells us what this vain fpeech is,Ephef..4.29.he faith it is riy - - rpeeeh. or14, corrupt communication; and in the fame place he lets down what our fpeech t.etdifreatwn, Should be; viz. It muff either be i.,414 i, cod 1sk,ì,to edification: or a. ,, hi volts, 2' Feefi . tó profit or- for jáeev, for grace to the hearer, dtojat," anal Ttt z It
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