Serm. CLX. The.Evil ofCorrupt Communication. 3 93 this kind as much perhaps, and as often as in any. He is a good and a happy Man indeed, that feldom or never offends with his Tongue. Ifany man, as St yames goes oni offend not in word, the fame is aperfeoman; that is, hehathattai- ned to an eminent degree of Virtue indeed, and is above the common rate ofMen, and may reafonably be prefumed blamelefs in the general courfe of his life and pra&ice; and able, as it follows, to bridle the whole Body ; that is; to order his whole Converfation aright. To govern the Tongue is a matter of great difficulty, and confequently of great wifdom, and care, and circumfpe&ion; and therefore one of the great endea- vours of a wife and good Man, fhould be to govern his words by the Rules of Reafon and Religion; and we fhogld every one of us refolve and fay, as David does, Pfal. 39. i. I will take heed to my ways, that I fin not with my tongue. For as the Virtues, fo the Vices of the Tongueare many and great. In refpe& ofthe. Virtues ofit, Davidcalls it, the be/I member we have; becaufe of all the Mein- bers and Inftruments of theBody, it is capable ofgiving the greaten glory toGod and of doing the greateft good and benefit to Men. And in refpe& of. the Vices of it, it may be as truly faid to be the worfl member that we have; becaufe it is capa- ble of doing the greateft difhonour to God, and the greateft imfchief and harm a- mong Men. So that upon all accounts, we ought to have a great careof the go- vernment ofour Tongue, which is capable ofbeing fo ufeful and ferviceable to thé belt and worft pùrpofes, according as we reftrain it and keep it in order, or let it lode to fin and folly. And among all the Vices of the Tongue, as none is more common, fo ,none is more mifbecoming, and more contrary to the modefty of a Man, and the gravity of a Chriftian, than filthy and obfcene talk; of the odious Nature, and the evil and mifchievous Confequences whereof, both to our felves and others, I defign by God's affiftance to treat at this time, from the words which I have read unto you, Let no corrupt communication, &c. That by corrupt or rotten Communication, is here meant filthy and obfccene talk, is generally agreed among Interpreters. By that which is good to the ufe of edify- ing, is meant filch difcourfe, as is apt to build us up in Knowledge and Goodnefs, to make the hearers wifer and better. That it may mintier Grace unto the hearers, that is, fuch kind ofdifcourfe as is acceptable to all ; not naufeous and offenfive to fober and virtuous perfons, not apt to grate upon chatte and modelt ears, and to put the hearers out of countenance. So that the Apoftle doth here ftri&ly forbid all lewd and filthy difcourfe a- mongft Chriftians; and enjoins them fo toconverfe with one another, that all their difcourfes may minifter mutual benefit and advantage to one another, and tend to the promoting of Piety and Virtue; and may likewife be grateful to the hearers, carefully avoiding every thing that may put them to the blufh, or any ways tre- fpafs upon Modefty and good manners, as all filthyCommunication does. This fort of Argument, tho' it be frequently mentioned in Scripture, yet it is very feldom treated of in the Pulpit, becaufe it is a matter hard to be handled in a cleanlymanner, and the Preacher mutt always take good heed to hirofelf, that his difcourfe be free from the contagion of thatVice, which he reproves and de- figns to corre& and cure. And therefore to diffuade and deter Man from this evil praftice, fo rife and common in the World, and that not only amongft the pro- phane and diffolute fort ofperfons, but thofe likewife who would feem to be more ftrift and religious, I hope it may be fufficient to all confederatePerfons, plainly to reprefent to them the heinous nature ofthe thing it felf, together with the evil and dangerous confequences of it, both to our felves and to others. And this I (hall endeavour to do in the molt general and wary terms, keeping all along, as much as is poflìble, aloof, and at a diftance from any thing that mighteither of- fend the chatte and modelt, orinfe& lewd and diffoluteminds, which like tinder are always ready to take fire at the leaft fpark. Having premifed this in general, my work at this time !hall be to offer fuch par- ticular Confiderations, as may fully convince Men of the great evil and danger of E e e this
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