fwearing, nor damning is annexed to it : fuch as, O God! O Lord! O Chrift! E Gad! O Je! and God bless us! Chrift blefs us! and the like, when they are spoken in a light, unmeaning, customary manner : For, as GOD's name is facred and glorious, fo every common use of it, is an irreverent abuse of it, and is exprefsly forbidden in the third commandment, "Thou shalt not "take the name of the Lord thy GOD in " vain," &c.

2. As the next important ufe of the tongue, is to promote the good of our fellow creatures; fo, whatever tends directly, or indirectly to hurt or injure our neighbor,' in any of his interests, is a vile, unchristian, diabolical abuse of it. Indeed, all the above-mentioned abufes of it, are against christian charity: For, though they directly and immediately tend to difhonor GOD, yet they mediately and indirectly tend to corrupt and ruin our neighbor. Indeed, whatever fin comes the length of the tongue, is, and neceffarily must be defiling to all around us, who are difpofed to receive infection. But the abufes of the tongue, which are most immediately repugnant to christian charity, are the following: (1.) Direct lying, or untruth: For, as the tongue and fpeech were given to be a true and regular index and interpreter of the mind; fo a man who fpeaks not truth, is

like a clock whose hand points to the wrong hour, or like a compass whofe needle deviates from the true pole, useless and worth nothing. Befides, as truthisthe foundation of all right intercourfe between men, fo there could be no living in fociety, or transacting bufinefs with our fellow creatures, if falfehood prevailed univerfally. Indeed, truth is fo sacred, valuable and important a branch of chriftian morality, and fo effentially neceffary to the well-being of human fociety, that it fhould never be violated, even in jeft, or upon the flightest and most trivial occafions.

(2.) Diffimulation: Either by wilfully concealing neceffary truth, or fpeaking in a doubtful, ambiguous, enigmatical manner, with a defign to deceive or mislead our neighbor.

(3.) Double-dealing; being fair to our neighbor's face, and otherwife behind his back.

(4.) Mifreprefenting a story or fact, which is one of the moft mifchievous kinds of lying and back-biting; for, by omitting one single word or circumstance of a ftory or fact, it may be quite altered, to the unspeakable prejudice of our neighbor and of the truth.

(5.) Deceitful promifing: Caufing our neighbor to rely on a promife, which we either do not intend to perform at all, or

which we have no hope of being able to perform punctually, at the time and in the manner proposed: This makes unfpeakable confufion in the trading world, and in every other department of life, and tends effectually to ruin our character, and very often our neighbor's too, who is led to deceive others on the ftrength of our promise.

(6.) Bearing falfe witness against our neighbor; either by telling known and malicious lies, to the prejudice of our neighbor, in the way of calumny, flander and back biting; or by unneceffarily abetting, propagating and fpreading the flanders of others, whom we have reafon to fufpect of malice against him: Much more, by taking away his life, intereft, or good name, by perjury.

(7.) Speaking the very worst that we can, of our neighbor, confiftent with truth, with a defigned concealing any good qualities he poffeffes, on purpose to hurt his character or intereft, or to impede his usefulness: For, we may do unfpeakable hurt often, even by speaking improper and unseasonable truths: But nothing fhort of christian charity, and prudence can direct in this matter wh

(8.) Divulging and blabbing out fuch fecrets as our neighbor may have, in confidence, entrusted us with, either with a malicious defign to hurt him, or through

mere imprudence,and a tattling difpofition.

(9.) All fuch abufive, ignominious names and infulting language, either of or to our neighbor, as tends to break christian charity, ftir up anger, and occafion quarrels and law-fuits; which befides their provoking nature and unhappy confequences, prove the want of charity, meeknefs, humility and patience, and are a fcandal and disgrace to our common chriftianity.*

(10.) All sporting with, and mocking at the sins and natural infirmities of our neighbor, and fpeaking leffening, degrading things of him, on account of the latter.

(11.) Vain, idle, unedifying converfation, which neither tends to comfort or improve either ourselves or others, especially if it is continued long, to the deftruction of our own or our neighbor's precious time: For, we are told, we fhall " give an account of every idle word we fpeak at the day of judgment."

(12.) Propagating evil, pernicious principles and doctrines, which tend to poison our neighbor's mind, and to pave the way for a vicious practice.

(13.) Flattering our neighbor in his follies and vices, and thereby feeding his pride and ftrengthening his hands in folly and wickednefs; more efpecially, with the deteftable view of getting fome favor from * Matth. v. ai," -26.

him, or advantage over him, as the reward of this iniquity.

(14.) Abusing our neighbor's confidence in us, by giving him bad or ruinous advice, when we hope to benefit by his complying with it.

(15.) Corrupting our neighbor, and feducing him or her to fin, and thereby committing the very worst kind of murder, both upon the foul and body of our neighbor.

(16.) By filthy fongs, or corrupt and profane fpeeches, polluting and debauching the minds and hearts of our neighbors, and inducing them to the love and practice of fin.

(17.) Inftead of comforting the fick, afflicted and diftreffed, laughing at and infulting their miferies, and thereby doubling the burthen of their forrows.

3. The fins of the tongue are the moft numerous clafs of all our fins, except those of the heart; and indeed, they will never be much léffened, until the heart is renewed and fanctified by divine grace.

4. As the fins of the tongue are the most destructive, as well as the most numerous, we had need to fet a double guard over the motions of this unruly member, feeing that in no way are we like more to difgrace our chriftian profeffion, than by an unbridled tongue.

5. The right ufe and government of the tongue, is one of the least doubtful proofs