as Opportunity is offered them, to correct this Fault among thofe they converse with.

And, in Truth, if thofe who are free from this Sin themselves, would but have the Charity, or the Courage (as it fairly comes in their Way, and when they may do it without Offence, or Breach of good Manners), to discountenance it among those they have Dealings with, a good Step would be made towards the bringing it out of Fahion. For there is fo little to be faid for this naughty Cuftom, even by those that use it most, that, if their Friends and Acquaintance would take a little Pains with them, there might be Hopes of their Cure.

I hope I may go a great way towards the setting the Hearts of all ferious and confidering Men against this Vice, by fhewing this, That, taking all Things together, there is no Sin in the whole World, that doth afford more Arguments against itself, or for the Practice of which a Man can fay lefs in his own Excufe or Juftification, than this Sin of profane Swearing. And if the Cafe be thus with it, who but a Fool or a Madman would ever ufe himself to it?

Now, for the making out this Point, there needs no more but to confider these following Things, which are all undeniably plain:

Firft; That it is a grievous Sin in itself.

Secondly; That it is attended with very mifchievous Circumftances.

Thirdly; That it is contrary to all good Manners, and good Breeding.

Fourthly; That it highly differves and destroys those Ends that a Man means to serve by it.

Fifthly; That what is pleaded in its Juftification, ftill makes it more unjustifiable.

And, Laftly; That it is a Fault that is very eafily avoided; which still renders a Man the more inexcufable for continuing in it.

Of each of these Things in their Order.

First of all; It is a very grievous Sin in itself. No Man can doubt of that, that is, in the least, inftructed in the Doctrine of Chriftianity. There is not any one Sin more plainly, more exprefly forbid, by the Law of our Saviour, than that of Swearing: I fay unto you, faith he, Swear not at all; neither by Heaven, nor by the Earth, nor by Jerufalem, nor by your Heads. All thefe Forms of Oaths, which are used in Converfation, are wholly forbid to Chriftians: Not only thofe folemn ones where the Name of God is fworn by, but even the leffer ones, where God is not named, but only the Creatures; all Sorts of Swearing in Converfation are prohibited by our Saviour. Nay, his Apoftle St. James lays

fuch

fuch a Stress upon this Command of our Saviour's, that he fays, Above all Things, my Brethren, Swear not; neither by Heaven, nor by Earth, nor by any other Oath. Surely, that cannot be a flight Sin, that the Apostle is fo vehement in his Caution against; Above all Things, my Brethren, Swear not. Why, he could not have faid more against Murder, and Adultery, and Sacrilege, and Perjury. Not that I think that every Oath a Man fwears in his common Difcourfe, is a Sin of fo horrid a Nature, as those I have now mentioned; but this is that I would remark from hence, That Swearing is as directly and exprefly forbid to Christians, as any of these Sins, and, confequently, muft be a great Sin: And therefore, for my Part, I do wonder how any Man can call himself, or think himself a Christian, that lives in the Practice of it. It is a Thing fo ftrictly forbid, and, withal, fo much in a Man's Power to refrain, that I cannot believe a Man can have any Reverence of his Saviour, or any Regard in the World to his Authority, that can live in a Practice fo directly contradictory to his most facred and exprefs Laws. Why, a religious Turk will forbear wholly the Ufe of Wine (though there be more Temptations to it than that of Swearing) because his Prophet hath forbid it. A devout Papift will not eat Flesh on a Fasting-day, be he never fo much tempted to it; though yet that is not a Commandment of

God,

God, but only an Ordinance of their Church. But yet we can live in the daily Practice of Swearing, which is as exprefly forbid by our Saviour as any thing in the World, and pretend all the while to be Chriftians. But it may be faid, Are there not many Sins that Chriftians are too often guilty of, which yet, for all that, do not hinder them from being good Chriftians? Ianfwer; Sins of Ignorance are indeed confiftent with our Christianity; nay, and so also are Sins of Infirmity: But then, I much question, whether the Practice of Swearing can fall under either of these Notions: A Sin of Ignorance it cannot be, because we all know that it is a Sin. And as for Sins of Infirmity, they are chiefly committed in two Inftances; that is to fay, either in the Failure of a Man's Performance; as for Example, when a Man doth not his Duty fo well as he should do in any Cafe, or when he doth it not fo often as he should do; or, fecondly, when, through Inconfideration or Surprize, he falls into fome Sin, which, if he had been careful over his own Mind, he would have avoided. These, I fay, are Sins of Infirmity: But no Man that understands Things, Things, can take that for a Sin of Infirmity, which is not barely an Omiffion of our Duty, but a downright Tranfgreffion of a known Prohibition. No Man can take that for a Sin

I

of

tion;

of Infirmity, which is not barely an Irregularity or Disorderliness of our Paffions and Appetites, but it is a Sin of the Acof the Action, I fay, which every Man hath at his Command, though he hath not the Motions or Paffions of his Mind always in his Difpofal. And, laftly, No Man can take that for a Sin of Infirmity, which is not one fingle Action, or an Action only now-and-then, upon extraordinary Temptation, committed; but is a Habit of Action, a Cuftom, a Practice, a Course, that is as frequently repeated, as there are Temptations to it. No Man, I fay, can think fuch a Practice as this to be a Sin of Infirmity, but muft acknowledge it to be a Course of wilful Sin: And if fo, then, I am fure, the Cuftom of Swearing in our Converfation, is as much a wilful Sin, as any other whatsoever. But how then it can confift with a Man's Christianity, that is to fay, with the State of Grace and Regeneration, or the Hopes of Salvation in another World, let all fuch as are concerned, look to it.

But to go on with the Sinfulness of this Practice: We may be apt to look upon it as a flight Matter, and to be therefore only evil, because our Saviour hath forbid it. But, really, there is a great deal more in the Thing: The taking of God's Name