that perjuries and blafphemies and false witness, and the like crimes, fhould certainly be punished; and therefore our Saviour only mentions them, without adding exprefsly, that they should be punished; for that was well known and believed upon the authority of the law: but then he adds, But I fay unto you; which words are very emphatical, and denote the doctrine delivered to be new, and founded upon our Saviour's own authority, I fay unto you. The fame form is used in the fifth of St. Matthew, where our Saviour, in virtue of his commiffion received from God, evidently is explaining and enlarging the old law: "Ye have heard it hath been faid by them "of old time, Thou fhalt not kill: But I fay unto "you, Whofoever is angry with his brother without "a caufe, fhall be in danger of the judgment. Ye "have heard it was said by them of old time, Thou "fhalt not commit adultery: But I fay unto you, "Whofoever looketh on a woman to luft after her, "hath committed adultery with her already in his "heart." The fame is repeated in other inftances; in all which you may obferve, that our Saviour enlarges our duty, and debars us from the least approaches to vice, and obliges his difciples to the greatest purity, to the ftricteft and fevereft virtue.

To the fame purpofe poffibly does he fpeak in the text: "Evil things, you know, proceed from an "evil heart; and your law teaches you, they shall "be rewarded accordingly: But I fay unto you, that "not only these evil things, but every idle word "shall be brought into judgment." The only difference in this cafe is, that in the fermon on the mount the enacting words are more full, yw de xéywo

:

which,

, in the text they are only Aéyw de up though they must be rendered alike in English, yet the former, according to the idiom of the Greek tongue, is an expreffion of greater weight and au thority but the difference is not fo great, but that we may suppose our Saviour to use both upon the fame account, to diftinguish the doctrine delivered upon his own authority from the old received doc trines of the law. Allowing this, it follows, that we have in the text a rule implied for the government of christian converfation, which is of the greateft purity, and reftrains us not only from all evil, but from all appearance of evil, in our conversation; from every thing which is inconfiftent with the gra vity and ferious demeanour required in a Chriftian; from fuch faults as bear no greater proportion to the evil things before mentioned, than anger does to murder, or a wanton look to adultery.

The text then thus understood leads us to inquire, what are the faults and levities of fpeech, which are not great enough to be numbered with the evil things before mentioned, and yet have fomething in them mifbecoming a difciple of the Gospel; fomething that is inconfiftent with that temper and frame of mind, which are the ornament of a Christian spirit, and the refult of a just sense and reverence of the high calling wherewith we are called for, though it is not our duty always to be meditating upon the surprising mystery of redemption wrought by Chrift, or converfing with heaven through prayer, and exalted thoughts of the wonderful things of God; yet fince this muft neceffarily, aš we are Chriftians, be great part of our employment,

we should, even at other times, when we are taken up in our worldly affairs, or in friendly conversation, preserve a decorum, and maintain a confiftency in our character; that though we are hot talking directly of the Gofpel, yet our converfation may be as becometh the Gospel of Chrift. For, confider that you are a difciple of the cross, à candidate for heaven, an adopted fon of God, a brother of Chrift, and an heir of glory; and then confider what fort of be haviour and converfation beft become those who fuftain so great a character. Should fuch an one fpend his time and thoughts to utter foolish jefts, to entertain idle minds with idle talk, till they are lost in a forgetfulness both of God and themselves, and every thing else that concerns either their prefent of future intereft? Should fuch an one be the minister of idlenefs and looseness, and ferve to no better purpose in the world, than to furnish entertainment to the indifpofition that loose and profligate men have to ferious thought and reflection?

The part of a common wit or jefter does not well become a man; much lefs will it become a Chriftian: it is below the dignity of reason; ftill more fo, when reason is improved by grace. And to this purpose is St. Paul's prohibition in his Epistle to the Ephefians; where, among other things, he forbids them all foolish talking and jefting, which are not convenient. What our tranflation renders jefting, the original ftiles surgarenía, which Ariftotle reckons among his virtues; and defines it to be the habit of jefting handfomely. So that what paffed in the heathen world for a virtue is forbidden to a Chriftian; and it is probable, that by idle words our Saviour meant the

jefts which were fo much delighted in, and were under so good a character. And this gives a reason why our Saviour spoke as introducing a new law, But I fay unto you, that every idle word shall be brought into judgment; because the preachers of morality had taught the contrary before, and placed the jefter, the man of idle words, among their heroes, and honoured his talent of raifing laughter with the title of a virtue.

There are, no doubt, seasons of relaxation both from business and religion; and innocent diverfion maintains the vigour of the mind, as moderate exercife does the frength of the body: but, as exercise must answer the strength and parts of an human body, fo muft your diverfion be anfwerable to the temper, and frame, and character of a Chriftian: otherwise exercise deftroys the man, and diverfion corrupts the Chriftian.

We are made by nature, that is, by God, to be fociable creatures; and therefore in seeking society, in cultivating friendships with each other, we follow the inftinct of nature; and what time we spend in difcourfe and mutual converfe, if it ferves no other purpose than to maintain a good friendship and acquaintance, yet cannot be faid to be mispent ; because in propagating love and good will among ourselves, we serve one end of nature, and are doing the work which our Father hath given us: and when company meet, he that can talk entertainingly upon common fubjects, and divert their minds with inoffenfive wit, has an excellent talent; and if men are endowed with an happy conception, with a liveliness of expreffion to represent their own ideas to others,

their converfation may be agreeable without exceeding the limits of virtue or innocence.

But a common jefter, one who is fent for to com pany to make sport, acts a part much below the character of a man, or a Chriftian: for jefting, though it may be an innocent diverfion, can never be an honeft employment; it will not bear being made a profeffion; and therefore when men makę it their business, it must needs be an unlawful call ing; and the jefter will lie expofed to the threatening of the text, to be called into judgment for every idle word he speaks. And if you again fet before you the dignity and character of a Chriftian, you. will eafily difcern, how fuitably and with what a grace a Chriftian acts, when his whole business is to make himself laughed at. I faid of laughter, it is mad, fays the wife King of Ifrael. This only dif ference there is, and let the jefter have the benefit of it, the madman's folly and extravagance proceed from misfortune, the jefter's from choice: and this choice will render him accountable for his extrava'gancies; and whether he has not the beft title to apply the text to himself, you must judge from what has been faid. His talent certainly lies in idle words, and therefore he falls under the letter of the text; his business is poor and fordid; he ferves to no other purpofe in the world than, like the fool in -á great houfe, to make fport; and whether in this the fuftains the character of a difciple of Chrift, let -all who have learnt Chrift judge.

Confider likewife whether he can justify himself against the apoftolical rule of converfing as becomes the Gospel of Chrift. If you fay that he means no