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room for the duties of religion, no doubt but you are very guilty but your guilt does not arife from the nature of your converfation, but from your mifapplication of time, from the neglect of your proper business and duty; and your guilt will be the fame, if you mifpend your time, though you difcourfe upon fubjects ever fo great and momen

tous.

But, lastly, let us confider the nature of man in general, and the different degrees of fenfe and understanding that different men are endowed with, This confideration must have place in this question, because the tongue cannot speak better than the understanding can conceive; which infers a proportion between the abilities of our mind, and the foundness of our speech; the latter must be judged by the former; for a man cannot be obliged to utter more wisdom than God has given him.

Now to discourse profitably upon the most profitable fubjects requires a good fhare of reafon, a clear conception, and a diftinguishing judgment: without these qualifications men do but expose the nobleft fubjects they take in hand; and, in proportion, there are but few men thus qualified. I afk therefore, what must the reft do? Would you have them choose great and noble fubjects, which they do not understand? Or would you have them hold their tongues? The firft, I think, they ought not to do; the laft, I am fure, they will not do. It remains then that they must talk of fuch things as lie level to their capacities, that is, of mean and every-day fubjects: for thefe men are fitted for fociety, and have a relish of converfation, as well as

brighter fpirits, and they ought not to be excluded from it; and therefore they must be allowed to follow their genius, which is not likely to lead to any very useful or improving topics of difcourfe. It is fit, you may fay, that these people fhould learn, and that others should inftruct them; fo say I too : but to be always under inftruction is not very diverting, and not many will fubmit to it; and when men of the fame ftamp meet together, who fhall be the inftructor?

I think it would be a good compofition, if we could prevail so far with the meaner people, as to reftrain them from envious and malicious discourse, from lewd and filthy jefting, which are great ingredients in their conversation: for, fince God has defigned them for fociety as well as you, and given them no great share of understanding, you can neither reftrain them from fociety, nor exact more wisdom from them than they have received.

This confideration will likewife reach the case of wifer men you must not despise your weak brother. Charity obliges you to be civil and courteous to him ;- and when a man of understanding is joined in fociety with a weak man, the discourse must be according to the meaneft capacity; and it is fometimes a piece of charity to fubmit to the ⚫ converfation of men of much less ability than yourfelf.

From all these confiderations together then it appears, that the converfation of the world, upon common and trivial subjects, is not blameworthy. It is a diverfion in which we must not spend too much time; if we offend in this refpect, we fhall

be anfwerable for the neglect of weightier matters; but otherwife, if we tranfgrefs not the bounds of innocence and virtue, we truft in Chrift that our harmless, though weak and unprofitable words: fhall not rife up in judgment against us.

DISCOURSE XXXVII.

PART I.

EPHESIANS iv. 28.

Let him that ftole fteal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

THE words now read to you make up a complete fenfe, without depending upon what goes before, or comes after. They contain a confirmation and explication of the eighth commandment: for what the Apostle enjoins concerning labour, and working with our hands, is no more than the neceffary confequence of the command, Thou shalt not feal. For fince all men are equal fharers in the wants and neceffities of life, and the things which should fupply these wants are unequally divided, so that some have more than enough, and fome much lefs; it follows, that the neceffities of the one must be fupplied from the abundance of the other. Steal you muft not, and give perhaps he will not.

The only

way then by which you can come at the things you want, is by purchase or exchange; and the only

thing a poor man has to exchange, is the work and labour of his hands: and therefore it follows as a consequence of the law, that fince you must not steal, you must work, and purchase by your labour and industry the things which are neceffary for your fupport and fubfiftence. In all that rich men do, they want the help and affiftance of the poor; they cannot minifter to themselves either in the wants, or conveniencies, or pleasures of life: fo that the poor man has as many ways to maintain himfelf, as the rich man has wants or defires; for the wants and defires of the rich must be served by the labour of the poor. But then the rich man has often very wicked defires, and often delights in finful pleasures; and though to ferve the rich be the poor man's maintenance, yet in these cases the poor man must not serve him; and therefore the Apostle adds, that he must labour, working with his hands the thing which is good. His poverty obliges him to serve man, and therefore he must work with his hands; and his reafon and religion oblige him to ferve God, and therefore he muft work only the thing which is good.

Labour is the bufinefs and employment of the poor, it is the work which God has given him to do; and therefore a man cannot be fatisfied in working merely as far as the wants of nature oblige him, and spending the reft of his time idly or wantonly for if God has enabled him to gain more by his labour, than his own wants, and the conveniencies neceffary to his ftation, require, he then becomes a debtor to fuch duties as are incumbent on all to whom God hath difpenfed his gifts libe

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