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3S4
CHRTSTI.IN MORALITY,
biZ.
rSRRM.
XtiIrr.
II.
Gravity
and sobriety
in
our
speech
is
another
part
of that
honourable
conduct and character
which'- we
ought
to
maintain, and
to which
the
holy apostle
invites
us.
In
the second
chapter
of
Titus, ver.
7, 8.
you
have
this direction of the apostle to
Titus
the
evangelist;
how
he ought
to behave himself,
and what
he
speaks
to
him chiefly as
a minister,
may
be
given as
a
rule
to
aIl
Christians whom he
must
instruct
in
all things,
skewing
thyself
a
pattern
of
good works ; in
doctrine,
or
in
dis-
course;
skewing
uncorruptness,
gravity, and sincerity;
sound
speech
that,
cannot
be
condemned,
that
he
that
is
of
the contrary
part
may
be
ashamed,
having
no
evil
to
say
of
you.
He
gives all
the christians
at
Ephesus the
same
advice,
Eph.
iv.
29.
Let
no
corrupt
communication
proceed
out
of
your
mouth,
but
that
which
is
good
to
the
use
of
edjying,
that it
may
minister
grace
unto the
hearers.
'Talk
of
something
that
may improve.
one
an-
other
in knowledge, in
virtue, in religion
:
And
let
each
of
us
be-ashamed
to
think
that
we
have
been an
hour or
two in
each other's company, and
have
neither
spoke
nor
heard
any thing
that
is
worth remembrance. How
often;
.after a
visit
among
friends, must
we
take up
this
just
and
shameful, complaint.
"
Alas
!
I
have said
nothing for
their
improvement,
nor heard
any thing for
my
own
!"
In
Eph.
v.
4.
the
apostle there
secludes some
sort
of
conversation
from the lips
of
christians.
Neither
filthi-
ness,
nor
foolish
talking, nor
jesting,
Which
are
not
conve-
nient, which are
we
avnxov7u,
not agreeable
to
our
profes-
sion. Foolish talking and
jesting are
here forbidden,
as
well as
filthiness.
By
foolish talking,
we
may suppose
such
sort
of
language to
be.
intended,
from which
it
is
impossible any
profit or advantage
should arise to a
wise
or a
good man.
And
by
jesting, the apostle here
designs
such sharp and biting
jests
that
wound the
reputation
of
a
person,
concerning
whom
they
are
spoken. Such
a
turn of
wit,
as
the original word
signifies,
that at
the same
time wounds
a
good name,
and
gives
a
bitter
reproach.
Not
that
every
thing pleasantly spoken
is
supposed
tó be
unlawful
;
or
that
the apostle any where forbids all
man-
ner of
mirth and
jesting
in
conversation
;
for there
are
proper
times and
seasons for such
sort
of
discourse
And there
may be
valuable ends
in
it too, when
it
is
inno-
cently
used, on
purpose
to
recreate nature, and refresh