459 / 514
Stx
RM.
XXVIr1
CHRISTIAN MORALITY, VIZ. CHASTITY,
&C.
451
stars
or foolish
fires
they
betray
us
into foul and miry pits
of
pollution,
or lead
us
to
deep and dangerous pollutions.
Avoid all
impure representations, pictures, and.
images
:
Turn,
your
eyes from
immodest
sights,
and your
ears
from
polluted language, whether
it
be
in discourse,
or
writing, a lewd
jest, or
a
wanton
song.
Let
them
not
entertain
you,
though they
may be
attended and adorned
with never
so
many colours ,of
wit,
and
charms
of
music.
Romances and
'novels,
and invented stories
of
forbidden
love,
have
painted
over
these impurities
with
shining
eloquence, and
awakened the
'same foolish
passions in
the
reader.
O
how
unhappily
has the
art
of
verse, which
was
first
consecrated
to the 'service
of
the temple, been
prostituted
to
the vilest purposes,
to give gay
colours
to
temptation, and
gild
over the foulest
images
of
ini
quity
!
And
what
a
multitude
of
souls may
date the com-
mencement
of
their guilt and ruin
from the time when
they began to
frequent
the poisonous
entertainments
of
the
stage
!
Their
ears
which were
shocked
at
first with
some
of
the coarse
and
foul expressions
of
modern co-
medy,, by
degrees are
hardened
to
bear the
most
offensive
language
:
Their
`modesty
and
blushing dies and vanishes
by
degrees, till
at last
they
learn
to relish the grossest
pol-
lutions
of
the
theatre, and perhaps
put
the fable
into
practice.
As
faith and salvation
come by hearing,
so
iniquity
and
everlasting death
come
sometimes
by
hearing
too.
And
what
we
would
not
hear, surely
we
should
not
speak.
Let
us
then set
a guard
upon
our
tongues,
lest
they
border upon
forbidden language.
No
filthiness,
no
foolish talking, no
corrupt
communication must
proceed
out
of
our
mouths.
Eph.
iv.
-29.
and
v.
4.
We should
not
affect those speeches
of
a
double
meaning, which
lead the
thoughts
away to
lewd
and wanton conceits,
and
make
foul
impressions upon the
mind. 'Let your ears
hate
to be
treated
with
Stich
indecencies,
nor let
our lips
dare to
treat
others
so.
2.
Do not make
too
rich provisions for the feeding
of
the flesh;
indulge not yourselves
in the delicacies
of
the
taste,
nor
in
the luxury
of
excessive sleep
:
Both
of
these
may incline
animal
nature
to licentious
desires: Stand
afar
off from
gluttony and
excess
of
wine,
nor
pamper
the body
beyond
'the
just
support, and
due
refreshment
2Q
2