downright Reproach and Contumely; fo that I think, in handling it, to confider properly our Saviour's Intent, we muft do what we can to guard Men against all Expreffions of the least Slight or Difrefpect towards their Neighbour, as being the ufual Beginnings of greater Strife, Quarrels, and even Murder itself.

To guard us then against all Disrespect and Slight, or even Incivility to our Neighbour, there are a few Things I would offer to your Confideration.

1. That this Slight and Disrespect towards our Neighbour proceeds commonly from bad Causes; fuch as (1) a Pride and Haughtiness in ourselves; and a Conceitedness as to our own Opinions and Ways. (2) At least, a Want of due Confideration of our Neighbour's Cafe; perhaps that which we are offended at in him is owing to the Uneafinefs of his Circumftances; the Pains and Diseases of his Body; the Fatigue of Bufinefs; the Stiffness `of his natural Temper; or fome little Mistake or Overfight, fuch as are very incident to all Mankind. Or (3) it is owing to our own hafty and impatient Temper, which could not bear with the leaft Provocation or Contradiction.

2. Let us confider, that as all Difrespect to our Neighbour proceeds from bad Caufes, fo it is attended with very bad Confequents and Effects. There is no Man fo dull, but that he can prefently apprehend every the leaft Difrespect put upon him; for Self-love teacheth us all to have fo good an Opinion of our felves, as to think that we deferve all manner of Refpect. One of the firft Confequences then of these flighting Difrefpectful Words is, that it begins to alienate our

Neighbour's Affection from us, as Perfons that are unjust to him, and take no Care to pay him the common Refpects and Civilities due to him. This Alienation of Affection, when brooded upon by our warm and angry Refentments, produces all thofe Thoughts of Hatred, which are often attended with actual Revenges, by taking all Opportunities to wreck our Malice against thofe, who did thus flight and disrespect us.

3. Let us confider, that all flight and disrespect towards our Neighbour, is exceeding inconfiftent with the Laws of Chriftianity, which require a Spirit of Love, Charity, Humility, Meekness, and Patience; that we fhould honour all Men; that we should curb our Tongues, and govern our Paffions; that we fhould be courteous and condefcending, and become all Things to all Men, that by all means we may gain fome. Chriftianity requires not only the having of thofe Duties, that we may use them now and then when there is occafion for them; but it requires that we wear them continually about us; that they be our daily Garb; and that thefe Virtues appear in all our Actions. So St Peter advises, that we be cloathea with Humility, 1 Pet. v. 5. And St Paul, Let all your things be done with Charity, 1 Cor. xvi. 14. 4. Let us ferioufly confider the good Confequences of the contrary Virtue, I mean, true Love and Refpect to our Neighbour, manifefted by all Exprettions of Chriftian Friendship and Civility; how it smooths Mens Tempers, calms their Paffions, difpofes them for receiving any good Impreffions we would make upon them; how it contributes to keep up Peace and good Neighbourhood, and a Spirit of Love and Friendship aI 3

mong

mong Men; than which, there is nothing more neceffary towards the Happiness of the World.

And as we are thus to treat our Neighbour with all Love and Refpect to his Face; for the very fame Reasons we are to take Care to ufe the fame Refpect to him behind his Back; for Backbiting has a great Tendency to the Breach of this Sixth Commandment, as uncivil provoking Language. For, though it is poffible thefe Provocations may not come fo readily to our Neighbour's Knowledge; yet confidering how liable they are to be aggravated by Mifreports, they are perhaps the more dangerous of the two; and therefore the best Rule in this Cafe is, to speak no worse of any Person than we would to himself, either fuppreffing our Resentments, or at least, governing them in fuch a manner, that more Fuel may not be added to the Fire of Contention, or Opportunity given to go on to higher Degrees of Tranfgreffion of this Commandment.

So much for flight affronting Words, which our Saviour mentions as the firft Ebullitions of the inward Anger. He goes on,

III. In the Third Place, To the higher Proyocations of Contumely and Reproach: Whofoever fhall fay, Thou Fool, fhall be in danger of Hellfire. Our Saviour brings in this as an higher Degree of Anger and Hatred; for to fuppofe fuch Words fpoken not from a Spirit of Anger, but from a Spirit of Love, to reprove a Man for his Faults, and with a Defign to reform and reclaim him; it would alter the whole Nature of the thing, and excufe it from being the high Crime our Saviour here defcribes. Thus St Paul addreffes the Galatians, Gal. iii. 1. O foolish Ga

latians!

latians! And our Saviour frequently calls the Pharifees, Fools and Blind, Matt. xxiii. 17, 19. The Contumelious Words then, muft. proceed from Anger and Hatred, to make them fall under the high Sin and Punishment in the Text. And befides, as I told you formerly, in the Explication of the Words, the Word Fool has an harfher Meaning in the Hebrew, than in our English Dialect; for there it is a Word of the greatest Reproach and Contempt, like that of Rake-bell, or Hell-bound; and from hence I gather, that this laft Degree of angry Words is of the bittereft and moft provoking Sort. Our Saviour having thus exprefly diftinguifhed this higher from the leffer Sort of Provocations, it is fit that we make a Stand here, and confider a little the Nature of Opprobrious Language, before we adventure it, being, as we fee, fo extremely Odious to Almighty God.

upon

1. In all civilized Nations, this fcurrilous, opprobrious Language is exploded, it is every where defervedly reckoned a Piece of ill-breeding; and nothing does more diftinguish a Gentleman from a Clown (or a Gentlewoman from a common illbred Creature) than that the one has an inoffenfive obliging Way of expreffing himself, and can reprove, admonith, argue, and difpute in a genteel, civil, meek and calm Way; but the other runs out into downright Scandal and Outragiouf

nefs.

2. That the Ways of Meeknefs, Patience, good Humour, Cheerfulness, and Obligingnefs, are much more agreeable to right Reaton, than thofe of Anger and Fiercencfs, may appear from hence: that when Men are in the belt Temper

of Mind, when moft under the Sway of Religion and Devotion, when they are most in their right Wits, when they are freeft from the Intoxication of Drink, or Paffion, then are they most apt to be upon their Guard against all fcurrilous and opprobrious Language: On the other Hand, when is it they are most apt to give into this rude Way of Speech, but when they are least at their own Command; when drink drowns Reafon, when through Heats of Anger, they forget themselves, have their Reafon muddied, their Memory loft, their Paffions put into a precipitate Race down Hill, that they cannot stop them; in short, when the hard-mouth'd Beaft runs away with the Man, and carries him into a thousand Dangers before he is aware of them?

3. Is it not a clear Demonftration of the Unreasonableness of this Temper, that the weakest of Mankind are moft apt to give into it? Children, and the undiscreeteft fort of Women, will fall a wrangling for a meer Trifle, and value themfeives upon faying the bitterest and most fcoundrel Things, and upon having the laft Word at them: Whereas the wifer and graver fort of Mankind would be ashamed to act the leaft Part in fo fhameful a Contention.

4. But it is not only the Weakness, Rudeness, and Unmannerlinefs of this contumelious Behaviour, that may justly expofe it to wife Men; let us confider the great Danger, and the innumerable evil Confequences that infeparably attend it. It is compared in Scripture to the Lashes of a Scourge, the Wounds of a Sword, the Cutting of a fharp Razor; and indeed they all fall fhort (for the Smart of them) of contumelious Language,

It