any involuntary defects: this being indeed to reproach mankind, unto which such things are incident; to reproach providence, from the disposal whereof they do proceed. Whoso mocketh the poor despiseth his Maker,' saith the wise man; and the same may be said of him that reproachfully mocketh him that is dull in parts, deformed in body, weak in health or strength, or defective in any such way.

Likewise we must not speak ill out of envy: because others do excel us in any good quality, or exceed us in fortune. To harbor this base and ugly disposition in our minds is unworthy of a man, who should delight in all good springing up anywhere, and befalling any man, naturally allied unto him; it is most unworthy of a Christian, who should tender his brother's good as his own, and rejoice with those that rejoice.' From thence to be drawn to cast reproach on any man is horrible and heinous wickedness.

Neither should we ever use reproach as a means of compassing any design we do affect or aim at: it is an unwarrantable engine of raising us to wealth, dignity, or repute. To grow by the diminution, to rise by the depression, to shine by the eclipse of others, to build a fortune on the ruins of our neighbor's reputation, is that which no honorable mind can affect, no honest man will endeavor. Our own wit, courage, and industry, managed with God's assistance and blessing, are sufficient, and only lawful instruments of prosecuting honest enterprises; we need not, we must not instead of them employ our neighbor's disgrace: no worldly good is worth purchasing at such a rate, no project worth achieving by such foul ways.

Neither should we out of malignity, to cherish or gratify ill humor, use this practice. It is observable of some persons, that not out of any formed displeasure, grudge, or particular disaffection, nor out of any particular design, but merely out of a kakoŋbela, an ill disposition springing up from nature, or contracted by use, they are apt to carp at any action, and with sharp reproach to bite any man that comes in their way, thereby feeding and soothing that evil inclination. But as this inhuman and currish humor should be corrected and extirpated from our hearts, so should the issues thereof at our mouths be

stopped the bespattering our neighbor's good name should never afford any satisfaction or delight unto us.

Nor out of wantonness should we speak ill, for our divertisement or sport. For our neighbor's reputation is too great and precious a thing to be played with, or offered up to sport; we are very foolish in so disvaluing it, very naughty in so misusing it. Our wits are very barren, our brains are ill furnished with store of knowlege, if we can find no other matter of conversation.

Nor out of negligence and inadvertency should we sputter out reproachful speech; shooting ill words at rovers, or not regarding who stands in our way. Among all temerities this is one of the most noxious, and therefore very culpable.

In fine, we should never speak concerning our neighbor from any other principle than charity, or to any other intent but what is charitable; such as tendeth to his good, or at least is consistent therewith. 'Let all your things,' saith St. Paul, ❝ be done in charity:' and words are most of the things we do concerning our neighbor, wherein we may express charity. In all our speeches therefore touching him, we should plainly show that we have a care of his reputation, that we tender his interest, that we even desire his content and repose. Even when reason and need do so require, that we should disclose and reprehend his faults, we may, we should, by the manner and scope of our speech, signify thus much. Which rule, were it observed, if we should never speak ill otherwise than out of charity, surely most ill-speaking would be cut off; most, I fear, of our tattling about others, much of our gossipping would be marred.

Indeed, so far from bitter or sour our language should be, that it ought to be sweet and pleasant; so far from rough and harsh, that it should be courteous and obliging; so far from signifying wrath, ill-will, contempt, or animosity that it should express tender affection, good esteem, sincere respect toward our brethren; and be apt to produce the like in them toward us: the sense of them should be grateful to the heart; the very sound and accent of them should be delightful to the ear. Every one should please his neighbor for his good to edifi

cation.' Our words should always be ev xápiri, 'with grace, seasoned with salt;' they should have the grace of courtesy, they should be seasoned with the salt of discretion, so as to be sweet and savory to the hearers. Commonly ill language is a certain sign of inward enmity and ill-will. Good-will is wont to show itself in good terms; it clotheth even its grief handsomely, and its displeasure carrieth favor in its face; its rigor is civil and gentle, tempered with pity for the faults and errors which it disliketh, with the desire of their amendment and recovery whom it reprehendeth. It would inflict no more evil than is necessary; it would cure its neighbor's disease without exasperating his patience, troubling his modesty, or impairing his credit. As it always judgeth candidly, so it never condemneth extremely.

II. But so much for the explication of this precept, and the directive part of our discourse. I shall now briefly propound some inducements to the observance thereof.

1. Let us consider that nothing more than railing and reviling is opposite to the nature, and inconsistent with the tenor of our religion: the which, as even a heathen* did observe of it, nil nisi justum suadet, et lene, doth recommend nothing but what is very just and mild;' which propoundeth the practices of charity, meekness, patience, peaceableness, moderation, equity, alacrity, or good humor, as its principal laws, and declareth them the chief fruits of the divine Spirit and grace: which chargeth us to curb and compose all our passions; more particularly to restrain and repress anger, animosity, envy, malice, and such like dispositions, as the fruits of carnality and corrupt lust: which consequently drieth up all the sources, or dammeth up the sluices of bad language. As it doth above all things oblige us to bear no ill-will in our hearts, so it chargeth us to vent none with our mouths.

2. It is therefore often expressly condemned and prohibited as evil. It is the property of the wicked, a character of those who work iniquity,' to whet their tongues like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words.' 3. No practice hath more severe punishments denounced to

* Ammian. Marcell.

it than this. The railer (and it is indeed a very proper and fit punishment for him, he being exceedingly bad company) is to be banished out of all good society; thereto St. Paul adjudgeth him: I have,' saith he,' now written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one not to eat.' Ye see what company the railer hath in the text, and with what a crew of people he is coupled but no good company he is allowed otherwhere; every good Christian should avoid him as a blot, and a pest of conversation: and finally he is sure to be excluded from the blessed society above in heaven; for neither thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God:' and, without,' (without the hea venly city) are dogs,' saith St. John in his Revelation, that is, those chiefly who out of currish spite or malignity do frowardly bark at their neighbors, or cruelly bite them with reproachful language.

4. If we look on such language in its own nature, what is it but a symptom of a foul, a weak, a disordered and distempered mind? It is the smoke of inward rage and malice: it is a stream that cannot issue from a sweet spring; it is a storm that cannot bluster out of a calm region. The words of the pure are pleasant words,' as the wise man saith.

5. This practice doth plainly signify low spirit, ill breeding, and bad manners; and thence misbecometh any wise, any honest, any honorable person. It agreeth to children, who are unapt and unaccustomed to deal in matters considerable, to squabble; to women of meanest rank, (apt by nature or custom to be transported with passion,) to scold. In our modern languages it is termed 'villany,' as being proper for rustic boors, or men of coarsest education and employment; who, having their minds debased by being conversant in meanest affairs, do vent their sorry passions, and bicker about their petty concernments in such strains; who also, being not capable of a fair reputation, or sensible of disgrace to themselves, do little value the credit of others, or care for aspersing it. But such language is unworthy of those persons, and cannot easily be drawn from them who are wont to exercise their thoughts about nobler

matters, who are versed in affairs manageable only by calm deliberation and fair persuasion, not by impetuous and provocative rudeness; the which do never work otherwise on masculine souls, than so as to procure disdain and resistance. Such persons, knowing the benefit of a good name, being wont to possess a good repute, prizing their own credit as a considerable good, will never be prone to bereave others of the like by opprobrious speech. A noble enemy will never speak of his enemy in bad terms.

We may farther consider that all wise, all honest, all in genuous persons have an aversation from ill speaking, and cannot entertain it with any acceptance or complacence; that only ill natured, unworthy, and naughty people are its willing auditors, or do abet it with applause. The good man, in the fifteenth Psalm, non accipit opprobrium, 'doth not take up,' or accept, 'a reproach against his neighbor:' but a wicked doer,' saith the wise man, 'giveth heed to false lips, and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.' And what reasonable man will do that which is disgustful to the wise and good, is grateful only to the foolish and baser sort of men; I pretermit, that using this sort of language doth incapacitate a man for to benefit his neighbor, and defeateth his endeavors for his edification, disparaging a good cause, prejudicing the defence of truth, obstructing the effects of good instruction and wholesome reproof; as we did before remark and declare. Farther,

6. He that useth this kind of speech doth, as harm and trouble others, so create many great inconveniences and mischiefs to himself thereby. Nothing so inflameth the wrath of men, so provoketh their enmity, so breedeth lasting hatred and spite, as do contumelious words. They are often called swords and arrows; and as such they pierce deeply, and cause most grievous smart; which men feeling are enraged, and accordingly will strive to requite them in the like manner, and in all other obvious ways of revenge. Hence strife, clamor and tumult, care, suspicion and fear, danger and trouble, sorrow and regret, do seize on the reviler; and he is sufficiently punished for this dealing. No man can otherwise than live in perpetual fear of reciprocal like usage from him, whom he is conscious of having so abused. Whence, if not justice or charity toward others,