Another excuses himself by saying, that as the affair was public he might surely be per mitted to mention it; as if charity was never violated except by discovering unknown vices; as if men were not forbidden to relish that malicious pleasure which arises from talking over the known imperfections of their neighbours.

7. Consider, into what an unhappy situation calumny puts an innocent person, who wishes to avoid it. What must a man do to preclude or to put down a calumny? Cherish good humour, paint pleasure in your face, endeavour by your pleasing deportment to communicate happiness to all about you; be, if I may speak so, the life and soul of society, and it will be said, you are not solid, you have the unworthy ambition of becoming the amusement of mankind Put on an austere air, engrave on your countenance, if I may speak thus, the great truths that fill your soul, and you will be taxed with pharisaism and hypocrisy; it will be said, that you put on a fair outside to render yourself venerable, but that under all this appearance very likely you conceal an impious irreligious heart. Take a middle way, regulate your conduct by times and places,weep with them that weep, and ejoice with them that rejoice,' and you will be accused of lukewarmness. Pick your company, confine yourself to a small circle, make it a law to speak freely only to a few select friends who will bear with your weaknesses, and who know your good qualities, and you will be accused of pride and arrogance; it will be said, that you think the rest of mankind unworthy of your company, and that you pretend wisdom and taste are excluded from all societies, except such as you deign to frequent. Go every where, and in a spirit of the utmost condescension converse with every individual of mankind, and it will be said you are unsteady, a city, a province cannot satisfy you, you lay all the universe under contribution, and oblige the whole world to try to tiate your unbounded love of pleasure.

we judge of vice and virtue, not according to the rules laid down in the gospel, but according to such as prevail in the world. It is not Jesus Christ, it is the world, that is our sovereign. We blush at what they censure, and we feel no remorse at committing what they think fit to tolerate. Ah! why are not legisla tors more indulgent when they condemn to racks and gibbets a wretch whom excess of hunger impelled to steal our property; why do they not inflict one part of their rigour on him, who, in cold blood, and with infernal malice, robs us of our reputation and honour! Let your speech be seasoned with the salt of charity.

Fourthly, The apostle intends to inspire us with a seasoning of severity, and to banish from our conversations a fourth vice, which we have named extravagant complaisance. When is complaisance extravagant? Are we going to pass encomiums on such untoward spirits as disturb all mankind: on such superstitious martyrs of truth and virtue as render themselves impertinent by affecting regularity, such as represent piety under an appearance so frightful that it cannot be taken for piety, and give it an air so hideous that it is impossible to love it? No, my brethren. In this article we deplore a frailty too common among the best Christians. We fall into a circle of bad company, we hear them blaspheme the name of God, attack religion, profane the most holy mysteries, and calumniate innocence. We tremble at this conversation, and from the bottom of our souls detest it; our spirit is stirred in us, we are like St. Paul, when he saw the Athenian idolatry, but we conceal our pious indignation, we dare not openly avow it, we even embolden the criminal by infirmity, though not by inclination.

A Christian ought to know how to unfurl the banner of Jesus Christ; and as, in times of persecution, a man was reputed ashamed of his faith, and guilty of idolatry by silence and sa-neutrality; as the casting of a single grain of incense on the altar of an idol was accounted an act of apostacy, so when the emissaries of vice attack religion on the practical side, a man ought to say, I am a Christian; he ought not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ; he ought to restrain the infidel, repress the libertine, resist the calumniator.

In fine, consider what punishment the Holy Spirit has denounced against calumny, and in what class of mankind he has placed slanderers. You, who by a prejudice, which is too general a rule of judging, imagine you possess all virtues, because you are free from one vice, to use the language of a modern author,* you, who poison the reputation of a neighbour in company, and endeavour thus to avenge your self on him for the pain which his virtues give you, in what list has St. Paul put you? He has classed you with misers, idolaters, debauchees, and adulterers, If any man be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, with such a one keep no company, no not to eat,'' Neither fornicators nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers (this is your place), nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God,' 1 Cor v. 11, and vi. 9. But

* Flechier.

Finally, perpetual voids are a fifth defect of conversation, and a fifth duty prescribed to us is a seasoning of solidity. It is Jesus Christ himself who furnishes us with this reflection, by informing us in the gospel, that we must give an account for every idle word. In order to profit by this declaration we must understand it, and in order to understand it, we must avoid two extremes equally opposite to the design of the Saviour of the world, we must neither give the passage a sense too rigorous nor too lax.

First, the words of Jesus Christ must not be taken in a sense too rigorous. He does not mean by idle words' those discourses, of which we do not immediately pe ceive the utility, but which, however, are unavoidable

in an intercourse with mankind. There are two ways of proving that our Saviour had not in view this sort of conversation.

truths that have been proved, and to impress on one another's hearts such precepts as have been enforced? Have we been visiting a dy1. It should seem, by examining the origin- ing person? Why not make such reflections al, that the passag ought to be rendered not as naturally occur on such occasions the matidle words. but wicked words. Many exposi-ter of our conversation? Why not embrace tors adopt this sense, and affirm, that the such a fair opportunity of speaking on the Greek word here used, answers to a Hebrew vanity of life. the uncertainty of wordly enword, which signifies both useless and wicked.* joyments, and the happiness of a pious de. We are certain the writers of the New Tes-parture to rest? Have we been reading a tament frequently use Greek words in a He- good book? Why not converse with our brew sense. As then the Hebrew word signi- companions on the formation we have derived fies wicked and useless, these expositors thought from it? Are we ministers of religion? Surethey had a right to translate the word wicked, ly there is great propriety in entertaining our not idle. Moreover, they add, that the ori- | friends with the subjects which we teach in ginal Greek word has this meaning, and is fre- publick, and investigate in our studies. Why quently taken in an active sense (forgive this should we not apply them to the benefit of technical term), and not always in a passive, such as surround us? Why not endeavour to in good authors; that is, it does not mean subdue that resistance which the wretched only that which is not directed to any good hearts of mankind make to the truths of reend, but that which actually defeats a good ligion? Were these rules observed, each comdesign Thus Cicero, speaking of the oppo- pany would become a school of instruction, nents of the Stoics, says, they accuse the doc- the more useful because the more natural and trine of their philosophers concerning fate, of easy, and knowledge and virtue would be mubeing an idle doctrine; he uses the same term tually cherished. that is used in the passage we are considering, and he means, by an idle doctrine, a doctrine which encourages idleness. For, say the enemies of the Stoics, if a blind fate produces our virtues and vices, all our efforts are useless, and we may waste our lives in idleness. By idle words,' then, Jesus Christ means to forbid, not words merely useless, but words which have a bad tendency, as those had which attributed the miracles of Christ to inagic.

There is a second way of restraining the meaning of Jesus Christ. Let us retain the term idle, used in our version, and let us explain this passage as we explain all other passages in Scripture which forbid idleness. When the Scripture enjoins us to labour. does it mean that we should be always at work! When it forbids us to be idle, does it mean to disallow relaxation and rest! Does it blame an honest recreation! No. It condemns only such as consume all their life in inaction. Thus here, Jesus Christ, by condemning idle words does not mean those innocent conversations which we have observed are necessary, but he means such as are made up of nothing but vanity and unprofitableness. Let us, however, carefully avoid giving a loose sense to the words of Jesus Christ. He allows vague and superficial conversation omy as he allows idleness. He means that, in general, our conversation should turn on grave and useful subjects.

We generally persuade ourselves that churches and closets are the only places where we ought to employ ourselves about solid subjects. Let us undeceive ourselves. We ought to attend to such subjects even while we are in pursuit of pleasure. For exam ple, are we returning from a sermon! Why not entertain one another with the subject we have been hearing! Why not endeavo to imint on one another's memories th

- Le Clerc in Hammond on Matt. xii. 26.

What! say some, would you prohibit all the pleasure of life? Must we never open our mouths but to utter sententious discourses? Would you condemn us to eternal melancho ly? Ah! this is a gross error. Pleasure is incompatible with piety; Is it? What! is piety so offensive to you that it spoils all your pleasure if it only makes its appearance?

After all, what pleasure can those vain conversations afford, which consume the greatest part of life? Had we been always sequestered from the rest of mankind, perhaps we might imagine that the confused noise made by a company of talkers about nothing might give pleasure; but who that has seen the world can fall into this error? What! superficial chat about the most common appearances of nature! Tiresome tittle tattle about the sun and the rain! Ill-timed visits, perpetually returning, always a burden to those who pay, and to those who receive them! Are these the pleasures which you prefer before a sensible useful conversation! Puerile mistake! It is the solid sense and utility of a conversation that make the pleasure of it. Let your speech be always seasoned with salt.'

Let us proceed to examine the other term, grace. St. Paul says, Let your speech be always with grace.' We have before intima. tec', that the apostle means by the word grace, agreeableness, gracefulness. The word grace, we allow. must often be taken in Scripture in a very different sense; but two reasons determine us to take it here in this sense. 1. The nature of the thing. It was natural for the apostle, after he had spoken of what sanctifies conversation, to speak of what renders it inmuating. 2. The word is often taken in this sense in Scripture. Thus the Wise Man says, Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain,' Prov. xxxi. 30. And thus the psalmist, Grace is oured into thy lips," Ps. xlv. 2.

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* Our author follows the reading of his own French version in Prov. xxi. 30. La grace trompe, et la

But what is this grace? I think we must have observed, that the disagreeableness of conversation generally proceeds from one of these five causes; either from extravagant raillery, or from proud decisions, or from bitter disputes, or from invincible obstinacy, or from indiscreet questions. Against these five vices we oppose five virtues, or to use the lan guage of the text, five sorts of graces, which render conversation charming: the grace of complaisance, the grace of humility, the grace of moderation, the grace of docility, and the grace of discretion. These we call the graces, the embellishments of conversation.

1. Extravagant raillery generally poisons conversation. Who can bear to be turned into ridicule? Who likes to have his own foibles exposed? Who would choose to be the subject of the wit of a company, especially when, not being able to return wit for wit, a man is obliged tacitly to own himself a genius inferior to those who attack him? Abstract reasonings are not necessary to make this article plain. We appeal only to the feelings of such as make a trade of rallying others. How is it, pray, that you cannot bear to be rallied in your turn? Whence that gloomy silence? How is it, that your vivacity is extinct, and your spirits damped, unless you, as well as the rest of mankind, love to be respected?

We would substitute complaisance in the place of extravagant raillery. Instead of making a little genius feel his insignificance, we should stoop to his size. Courtiers under-, stand this art well, and they know as well when to make use of it, either to obtain the esteem of a superior, or to acquire the friendship of an inferior, or an equai. See with what address they show you to yourselves by your bright sides. Observe with what dexterity they entertain you with what you are pleased and interested in. And shall Christian charity yield to worldly politeness?

quickly fancies that he perfectly comprehends, and can fully ascertain, the subject of his attention. He does not know what it is to doubt, and he pities those who do. On the contrary, a man of real knowledge xnows so well by his own experience the weakness of the human mind, and so thoroughly understands his own defects, that he keeps in himself a counterpoise for pride; he proposes his opinions only as problems to be examined, and not as decisions to be obeyed. This is what we call the grace of humility. A man ought to submit his judgment to the discussion of those to whom he proposes it; he should allow every one a liberty of thinking for himself, and presuppo-e, that if he has reason, so have others; that if he has learning others have it too; that if he has meditated on a subject, so have others. Even subjects, of the truth of which we are most fully persuaded, ought to be so proposed as to convince people that it is a love of truth, and not a high conceit of ourselves, that makes us speak, and thus we should exemplify the rule laid down by an apostle. Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves,' Phil. ii. 3.

3. A bitter spirit of disputing is a third vice of conversation. Yield instantly, yield even when you have reason on your side, rest satisfied with knowing the truth yourself, when they to whom you propose it wilfully shut their eyes against it. The reason of this maxim is this: When a man refuses to admit a proposition sufficiently demonstrated, the more you press him, the farther he will recede from you. The principle that induces him to cavil is pride, and not weakness of capacity; if you persist in showing him the truth, you will irritate his pride by confoundin it; whereas, if you give his passion time to co and subside, pe haps he will return of himself and renounce his error.

2. A second vice that poisons conversation is proud decision. What can be more intole- St. Paul was an excellent model of this rable than a man who stalks into company as grace of moderation unto Jer's he became as a genius of the first order, who tays down his a Jew, to them that were without law as withown infallibility as a first principle, who deli-out law, all things to all men,' 1 Cor. ix. 20. vers out his nostrums as infallible oracles, as Why? was it idleness or cowa lice? Neither: the decisions of a judicature so high that it for never was servant more zealous for the jawould be criminal to appeal from them? terest of his master, neve. did soldier fight What aggravates the injustice of this character with more courage for his prince. It was owis, that these peremptory people are generally ing to his moderation and charity. Unto the the most ignorant; and that their ignorance Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain is the cause of their positiveness. A little ig- the Jews;' to them that are without law as norant genius, who has never gone to the bot-without law, that I might by all means save tom of any one article of science, who knows neither the objections that lie against a subject, nor the arguments that support it, who knows nothing but the surface of any thing,

In

some.'

4. Obstinacy is incompatible with the grace of docility, a necessary ingredient in agreeable conversation. To persist in maintaining a proposition because we have advanced it, to choose rather to heap up one al surdity upon another than to give up the first, to be de

beaute s'evanouit.' Our translation reads, Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain;' but critics render the original word, gratia, gratiositas, vetustas, mo-ceived a thousand times rather than to say rum, sermonum, actionum, gestum So that Mr. S. may be justified in giving this sense to the text. the same sense. it would seem, is that famous passage in John i 17, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,' to be taken. Grace signifies here affability, sweetuess of deportment, propriety of behaviour, conformity between the good news he brought, and the graceful manner in which he delivered the message.

once, I am mistaken; what can be more contrary to good manners in conversation than these dispositions? It is a high enjoyment to open one's eyes to the light when it rises on us and to testify by a sincere recantation that we proposed our opinions rather with desire

to be instructed in what we did not know, than to display our abilities in what we did understand.

Finally, indiscreet questions are a fifth pest of conversation; questions which put a man's mind upon the rack, and reduce him to the painful dilemma either of not answering, or of betraying his secrets. Too much eagerness to pry into other men's concerns is frequently more intolerable than indifference; and to determine, in spite of a man, to be his confidant, is to discover more indiscreet curiosity than Christian charity. St. Paul reproved the widows of his time for this vice, and in them all succeeding Christians. Younger widows learn to be idle, and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busy bodies, speaking things which they ought not,' 1 Tim. v. 11. 13. The grace opposite to this vice is discretion.

Lastly, the judgment of God should be a prevalent motive with us. You have heard it from the mouth of Jesus Christ. You will be required to give an account in the day of judgment for every idle word. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,' Matt. xii. 36, 37. We judge of our conversations only by the impressions they make on our minds, and as they seem to us only as sounds lost in the air, we persuade ourselves they cannot materially affect our eternal state. But let us believe eternal truth; by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.' Dreadful thought! For which of us can recollect all the vain words he has uttered the last ten years? They are gone along with the revolutions of time, they expired the moment they were born. Yet they are all, all registered in a faithful memory, they are all, all written in a book; they will be all one day brought to our remembrance, they will be weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, and will contribute in that day to fix our eternal doom. O Lord! enter not into judg ment with thy servant! O God! cleanse thou me from secret faults;' Ps. cxliii. 2, and xix. 13. These are three motives to an

My brethren, the truths you have been hearing are of the number of those to which in general the least attention is paid. Few people have ideas of piety so refined as to include the duties which we have been inculcating. Few people put into the list of their sins to be repented of, the vices we have been reproving, few therefore are concerned about them. Yet there are many motives to engage us to use extreme caution in our conversations.mate us to practise the duty under consideraI will just mention a few.

First, vices of conversation are daily sins; they are repeated till they form a habit; by slow degrees they impair and destroy conscience; and in a manner the more dangerous, because the process is imperceptible, and because little or no pains are taken to prevent it. Great crimes have a character of horror, which throws us off at a distance. If we happen to be surprised into a commission of them through our own weakness, the soul is terrified, repentance instantly follows, and repetition is not very common: but in the case before us, sin makes some progress every day, every day the enemy of our salvation obtains some advantages over us, every day renders more difficult and impracticable the great work, for which we were created.

tion. We will add three rules, to help us the more easily to discharge it.

1. If we would learn to season our conver

sation, we must choose our company. This is often disputed; however, we affirm, conformity of manners is the bond of this commerce. Seldom does a man pass his life with a slanderer without calumniating. Few people keep company with libertines unless they be profligate themselves. Example carries us away in spite of ourselves. A pagan poet advanced this maxim, and St. Paul, by quoting, has consecrated it. Evil communications corrupt good mammers,' 1 Cor. xv. 33. Let us begin a reformation of our conversation by selecting our companies. Let us break with the enemies of God. Let us dread the contagion of poison, and avoid the manufacturers of it. As there is no sinner so obstinate as not to be moved by an intercourse with good men, so there is no virtue so well established as not to be endangered by an in

The

Secondly, by practising these vices of conversation we give great ground of suspicion to others, and we ought to be persuaded ourselves, that our hearts are extremely depraved. It is in vain to pretend to exculpate our-timacy with the wicked. selves by pretending that these are only words, that words are but air, empty sounds without effect. No, says Jesus Christ, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, Matt. xii. 34. Hence this saying of St. Chrysostom, The tongue often blushes to speak what the heart dictates; but the heart having no witness, gives itself up to irregular | passion. It is only owing to a superfluity of depravity within, that the tongue renders it visible. If then our reputation be dear to us, if we have at heart the edification of our neighbours, if we wish to assure our heart that we are upright in the sight of God, who continually sees and thoroughly knows us, let our conversation be a constant and irreproach-reader of this verse to him asked him many able witness.

Chrysostom tom. 1. Hom. 43. in Matth.

.

2. A second great secret in conversation is the art of silence. To talk a great deal, and to reflect on all that is said, are two things incompatible, and certainly we cannot speak wisely, if we speak without reflection. Book of Ecclesiasticus advises us to make a door and a bar for the mouth,' chap. xxviii. 25. The fool,' said the Wise Man, is full of words, Eccles. x. 14. I will take heed to my ways. that I sin not with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle. An ancient herinit abused this maxim; for, after he had heard the first verse of the thirty-ninth psalm, he refused to hear the second, saying, the first was lesson sufficient for him. The

years after whether he had learnt to reduce

this lesson to practice. Nineteen years, repli

ed the hermit, have I been trying, and have hardly attained the practice. But there was some reason in the conduct of this hermit, though he carried the matter to excess. In order to speak well, we must speak but little, remembering always the maxim of St. James, If any man seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, this man's religion is vain,' chap. i. 26.

In fine, the great rule to govern the tongue is to govern the heart. 'Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life, Prov. iv. 23. In vain do you strive to prevent effects, unless you remove the cause. It is in vain to purify the streams, while the spring continues polluted. It is in vain to attempt a few forced actions, like those mentioned by the psalmist, whose words were softer than oil, when war was in their heart,' Ps. lv. 21. It is extremely difficult to act long under constraint. The heart insensibly guides the tongue. Would you avoid rash judging, obscenity, calumny, fawning, all the

vices of which we have shown the enormity, begin with your own heart. There establish the love of God. Love piety, respect virtue, and talk as you will, you cannot but speak well.

Let us feel these motives, my brethren. Let us obey these rules. Let us practise these duties. Let us blush for having so long lived in the neglect of them. Henceforth let us dedicate our voices to the praise of our Creator. Let us praise God. To praise God is the noblest of all employments. To praise God is the incessant employment of all the angels in heaven. To praise God must be our eternal exercise. Let us this instant, on the spot, begin to reduce this new plan of conversation to practice. Let us cry, with blessed spirits, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts: and let these first fruits of holy conversation consecrate all the remainder of life. God grant us this grace. To Father, Son, and Spirit, be honour and glory for ever! Amen.

SERMON L.

THE DUTY OF GIVING ALM.

LUKE xi. 41.

Give ulms of such things as you have.

eat: buy wine and milk without money and without price,' Isa. Iv. 1.

OUR churches are houses of God: places where he bestows his favours in richest profusion. Indeed his omnipresence cannot be To-day,Christians, this house changes its apconfined; heaven, and the heaven of heavens pearance. It is no more a superb palace, the cannot contain him, the whole universe is the seat of riches and abundance. It is an almstheatre of his liberality. It is, however, in house. It is, if I may be allowed to say so, a his churches that he affords the most distin- general hospital, in which are assembled all guishing proofs of his presence, and opens his those poor, all those indigent widows and desmost magnificent treasures. Hence Solomon, titute orphans, all those famished old people, after he had erected that superb palace descri- who were born in your provinces, or who, bed in the first book of Kings, addressed this through the calamities of the times, have been prayer to God, May thine eyes be open to- driven to your coasts, and permitted to reside ward this house night and day, even toward here. What a sight! Today God takes the the place of which thou hast said, My name place of man, and man that of God. God shall be there. When thy people Israel shall asks, and man answers. pray toward this place, when they are smit- bestows. God sets before us heaven, grace, God begs, and man ten down before the enemy; when heaven is and glory; and from his high abode, where shut, and there is no rain; when there be in he dwells among the praises of the blessed, the land famine, pestilence and blasting; when he solicits your charity, and says to you, by they pray toward this place, when they spread our mouth,' Give alms of such things as forth their hands toward this house, then hear you have."

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thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place,' Kings What opportunity more proper can we have viii. 27. 29, &c. Let us not imagine all these to preach charity to you? For several weeks prerogatives were confined to the temple of these arches have resounded with the greatest Jerusalem. They are in our churches. Al- benevolence that was ever heard of." Your ways when we assemble in this place we con- preachers have fixed your attention on that duct you to the tribunal of God, and say to great sacrifice by which men are reconciled to you, in the language of eternal wisdom, Ho, God, so that if we be so happy to day as to every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and;

The Weeks of Lent.