$40 CHRISTIAN MORALITY, Each of us should be careful to maintain our public cháraetét+ as a christian, with a due sense of the dignity of it. Christians should be ashamed to, debase the powers of their nature, to prat-, tise any thing that is sordid and unworthy ; nor make the mem- bers of their flesh, nor the faculties of their mind, slaves to that which is ridiculous or foolish. Howunbecoming is it to see a christian spoil his countenance, and disfigurea htmian face, bypractising all the wildandwanton grimaces of folly and Madness ! To see man, who is made after the image of the Sonof God, distort his body in the most antic postures, and give up all the honours of his nature to base and senseless merriment ! Surely the duties of christianity lead us to nothingbelow the dignity of roan, Here I would not be mista- ken, nor dodo I pretend that the gospelrequiressuch a constant solemnity of countenance and language, as though we were all preachers, or always preaching. There is no need toput on serious airs at all times: We are not bound to banish mirth when we become christians. Laughter is a natural action, and the faculty was not given to mankind in vain, nor is the exercise of it forbidden for ever. , The chief ends of it seem tobe these two ; either to recreate animal natureby expressions of mirth, or to put follyout of coun- tenance. There Maybè times to recreate nature, táunbend the spirits from business, and to indulge mirth among our friends. The wise man assures us, there is a time to laugh, aswell as tomourn. Thereare times proper for weeping; and some persons may, have times for dancing too ; Er. iíí. 4. And in the 19th verse of the xth chapter the same divine writer says, a feast is made for laughter. At the mutual entertainment of friends we may be merry, and not sin. Our holy religion only 'demands this óf ús, that we confine our mirth within the limitsof virtue, and take heed lest when we give a loose tothe sprightly powers of animal nature we should transgress theriles of piety, or trespassupon things sacred. Another purpose forwhich laughterwas made, is to reprove and punish folly, and put vice out of countenance. There are seasons wherein a wise man or a christian may treat some cri- minal or silly characters with ridicule and mockery. Elijah the prophet condescended thus tó correct thepriests and worshippers of Baal ; but this sort of conversation must byno means be the businessof our lives, andthe daily work andlabour of our thoughts and our tongues. It is the heart of a fool that is in the house of mirth, for he would dwell there continually; Et. vii. 4. If we are always affecting to throw out some turns of wit upon every occurrence of Life, and tackon a jest to everything that is spoken,
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