SERM. wisdom in real worth and use doth outweigh loads, if XIV. any loads can be, of freakish wit. To rate things otherwife doth argue great weakness of judgment, and fondnefs of mind. So to conceit of this way fignifieth a weak mind; and much to delight therein rendereth it so: nothing more debaseth the spirit of a man, or more rendereth it light and trifling1.

Hence if we must be venting pleasant conceits, we should do it as if we did it not, carelessly and unconcernedly; not ftanding upon it, or valuing ourselves for it: we should do it with measure and moderation; not giving up ourselves thereto, fo as to mind it, or delight in it more than in any other thing: we should not be so intent upon it as to become remifs in affairs more proper or needful for us; fo as to nauseate ferious business, or difrelish the more worthy entertainments of our minds. This is the great danger of it, which we daily fee men to incur; they are fo bewitched with a humour of being witty themselves, or of hearkening to the fancies of others, that it is this only which they can like or favour, which they can endure to think or talk of. It is a great pity, that men who would feem to have fo much wit, fhould fo little understand themselves. But farther,

6. Vain-glorious oftentation this way is very blameable. All ambition, all vanity, all conceitedness, upon whatever ground they are founded, are absolutely unreasonable and filly but yet those, being grounded on some real ability, or fome useful skill, are wife and manly in comparison to this, which standeth on a foundation fo manifeftly flight Tertul. and weak. The old philofophers by a fevere father were called animalia gloriæ, animals of glory; and by a fati

1 Ως μὴ συμβαίνειν κατὰ ταυτὴν ψυχῆς νῆψιν, καὶ εὐτραπελίας διάχυσιν. Baf. Conft. Mon. 12.

Πολλοὺς συμβαίνει τοὺς περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀσχολεμένους, τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λόγε διαμαρ τάνειν, τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς γελοῖα μὲν διαχεομένης, καὶ τὸ τῆς φρονήσεως σύννων και της πυκνωμένον καταλυέσης. Ibid.

Jocorum frequens ufus omne animis pondus, omnemque vim eripiet. Sen. de Tranq. c. xv.

*Η εὐτραπελία μαλακὴν ποιεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν, ῥαθυμὸν, ἀναπεπτωκυίαν. Chryf. in Eph. 17.

xoí. Timon:

nuiffimus

rical poet they were termed bladders of vanity: but they SERM. at least did catch at praise from praiseworthy knowledge; XIV. they were puffed up with a wind which blowed fome Kevйs oinos good to mankind; they fought glory from that which deferved glory, if they had not fought it; it was a fubftantial and folid credit which they did affect, resulting from fuccessful enterprises of strong reason and ftout industry but these animalcula gloriæ, these flies, these in- Rifus-tefects of glory, thefe, not bladders, but bubbles of vanity, ingenii fruwould be admired and praised for that which is nowife ctus. Cic.de admirable or laudable; for the cafual hits and emergencies of roving fancy; for ftumbling on an odd conceit or phrase, which fignifieth nothing, and is as fuperficial as the fmile, as hollow as the noise it causeth. Nothing certainly in nature is more ridiculous than a felf-conceited wit, who deemeth himself fomebody, and greatly pretendeth to commendation from fo pitiful and worthless a thing as a knack of trifling.

Orat. ii.

7. Laftly, it is our duty never fo far to engage ourfelves in this way, as thereby to lose or to impair that habitual seriousness, modefty, and fobriety of mind, that fteady composedness, gravity and conftancy of demeanour, which become Chriftians. We should continually keep our minds intent upon our high calling, and grand interefts; ever well tuned, and ready for the performance of holy devotions, and the practice of most serious duties with earnest attention and fervent affection: wherefore we should never suffer them to be diffolved into levity, or disordered into a wanton frame, indifpofing us for religious thoughts and actions. We ought always in our behaviour to maintain not only rò ☎pérov, a fitting decency, Phil. iv. 8. but also rò σeμvòv, a stately gravity, a kind of venerable 1Tim. iii. 8. majefty, fuitable to that high rank which we bear of God's friends and children; adorning our holy profeffion, Tit. ii. 10. and guarding us from all impreffions of finful vanity, tius aliWherefore we should not let ourselves be tranfported into quando any exceffive pitch of lightness, inconfiftent with, or pre-quam mijudicial to, our Christian state and bufinefs. Gravity and nuet automodesty are the fences of piety, which being once flighted, Quint, vi. 3.

Di&tuni po

perdet,

ritatem.

SERM. fin will easily attempt and encroach upon us. So the old XIV. Spanish gentleman may be interpreted to have been wise, who, when his fon upon a voyage to the Indies took his Strad. In- leave of him, gave him this odd advice; My fon, in the first place keep thy gravity, in the next place fear God: intimating, that a man muft firft be ferious before he can be pious.

fam. Fami

ani.

Heb. xiii. 20,21.

To conclude, as we need not be demure, fo must we not be impudent; as we should not be four, so ought we not to be fond; as we may be free, fo we should not be vain; as we may well stoop to friendly complaisance, so we should take heed of falling into contemptible levity. If without wronging others, or derogating from ourselves, we can be facetious; if we can use our wits in jesting innocently and conveniently; we may sometimes do it: but let us, in compliance with St. Paul's direction, beware of foolish talking and jefting, which are not convenient.

Now the God of grace and peace make us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well pleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

SERMON XV.

AGAINST RASH AND VAIN SWEARING.

JAMES V. 12.

But above all things, my brethren, fwear not.

AMONG other precepts of good life (directing the SERM. practice of virtue and abftinence from fin) St. James doth XV. infert this about fwearing, couched in expreffion denoting his great earnestness, and apt to excite our special attention. Therein he doth not mean universally to interdict the use of oaths; (for that in some cases is not only lawful, but very expedient, yea needful, and required from us as a duty;) but that fwearing which our Lord had expressly prohibited to his difciples, and which thence, queftionless, the brethren to whom St. James did write did well understand themselves obliged to forbear, having learnt fo in the first catechifms of Chriftian institution; that is, needlefs and heedlefs fwearing in ordinary conversation: a practice then frequented in the world, both among Jews and Gentiles; the which alfo, to the fhame of our age, is now fo much in fashion, and with fome men in vogue; the invoking God's name, appealing to his teftimony, and provoking his judgment, upon any flight occafion, in common talk, with vain incogitancy, or profane boldness. From fuch practice the holy Apoftle dehorteth in terms importing his great concernedness, and implying the matter to be of highest importance:

XV.

SERM. for, Ilgò wávrov, faith he, Before all things, my brethren, do not fwear; as if he did apprehend this fin of all other to be one of the most heinous and pernicious. Could he have said more? would he have faid fo much, if he had not conceived the matter to be of exceeding weight and confequence? And that it is fo, I mean now, by God's help, to fhew you, by propofing fome confiderations, whereby the heinous wickedness, together with the monftrous folly, of fuch rafh and vain swearing will appear; the which being laid to heart will, I hope, effectually diffuade and deter from it.

I. Let us confider the nature of an oath, and what we do when we adventure to swear.

It is (as it is phrased in the Decalogue, and otherwhere Exod. xx. 7. in holy Scripture) an affuming the name of our God, and Prov. xxx. applying it to our purpose, to countenance and confirm what we faya.

9.

Gen. xxxi. 50.

It is an invocation of God as a most faithful witness, concerning the truth of our words, or the fincerity of our 1 Sam. xii. meaning.

Judg.xi.10.

5.

Jer. xlii. 5.

It is an appeal to God as a most upright Judge, wheJob xvi. 19. ther we do prevaricate in afferting what we do not beMal. iii. 5. lieve true, or in promifing what we are not firmly re

1 Joh. v. 9.

Gen. xxxi. folved to perform.

53.

1 Sam.

It is a formal engagement of God to be the Avenger xxiv. 15. of our trefpaffing in violation of truth or faith. 1 Kings viii. 31, 32..

It is a binding our fouls b with a moft ftrict and folemn ii. 23. xix. obligation, to answer before God, and to undergo the 2. XX. 10. iffue of his judgment about what we affirm or undertake.

Neh. v. 12,

13.

Ruth i. 17. 2 Kings vi.

31.

2 Sam. iii.

Such an oath is represented to us in holy Scripture.

Whence we may collect, that swearing doth require 9. 35. xix. great modefty and composedness of spirit, very serious confideration and folicitous care, that we be not rude and 44. iii. 17. faucy with God, in taking up his name, and prostituting

13.

1 Sam. xiv.

XX. 13.

a Plurima firmantur jurejurando- -diis immortalibus interpofitis tum judicibus, tum teftibus. Cic. de Leg. ii. p. 326.

b Num. xxx. 2. Iãs ögnos sis xarágav redevrã rãs šπiogxías. Plut. in Capit. Rom. p. 491.