486 THE REASONABLEXESS OF PERSONAL REFOUMATlOlf.
and bodies. Their light and their lusts are struggling together. Sin and conscience are combating one with another ; the one to destroy, the other to save the man. Darest thou join with thy lusts against thy lifjht, and think not to be brought in as a party and confederate with the devil ? The stopping of the mouth of thy conscience, fully proves both thy consent and concealment : and if proved consent and concealment make thee not a party and accessary, it will be very strange.
Plutarch, in his book de AmicHia, relates a story of a Persian, who scuffling in the dark with a magician, against whom he had a grudge ; and not being able to conquer him himself, called upon his friend who stood bv him with a naked sword ready to strike, but durst not, for fear of killing his friend : The Persian cries out, ' Strike, strike, however thy stroke fall ; thrust at an adventure. I care not, so thou kill the magician, though thou kill him through mine own body.'
]Much so stands the case here, with a little variation. Thou art furiously set upon the enjoyment of thy lusts; nothing will quiet thee, but their satisfaction. Thy reason and conscience will oppose it and struggle hard with thee, to with-hold thee from them. But thou carest not in the rage of thine insatiable appetite, though thy reason and conscience both fall in the combat, rather than thy lusts should not be satisfied. Oh, what brutes ! yea, what monsters, can sin turn men into !
§ 7. If men have not quite extinguished both reason and con- science by debauchery, and divested themselves of humanity; one would think, no motion or address can possibly be made to them more fair, rational, and inoffensive, than this, that they would be pleased but to consult themselves, and hearken to the native and unconstrained voice of their own reason and conscience, before they engage themselves in matters of great concernment, upon which both their present and eternal welfare do depend ; or, if they are already engaged, yet at least to lend an ear to what they have to offer for their recovery, before it be too late.
You are not here urged and pressed, to hearken to the voices of your enemies that hate you, or to the counsel and advice of mere strangers, who know not your affairs ; but to hearken to yourselves, to be your own arbitrators and judges, to draw up the award with your own hand. It is a strange and an hard case indeed, and scarce to be supposed, that men should fall out with themselves at such a rate, that they had rather hear the voice of their mortal enemy the devil, and listen to his advice and counsel, than to the voice of their own reason and conscience.
We all account it madness in Balaam, to beat his innocent ass, and threaten to kill her for shunning the sword of the angel, that opposed his passage in a sinful and dangerous expedition ; but how many use both their reason and conscience woi'se than asses, because they dare not go forward, and desperately carry them into the very midst of
THE REASONABLEXESS OF PETcSONAL REFORMATION. 487
dano^ers and miseries, which they plainly foresee, and warn them of?''
What injuries have thy reason or conscience done thee, man? What affronts have they given thee ; that thou wilt not suffer them to speak, or offer one word, though never so pertinent, seasonable and necessary ? There is a civility due from us to mere strangers ; yea, to strangers of an inferior rank and quality. The least we can do, is to give them a patient hearing ; and not interrupt them, whilst they speak nothing but what is rational, pertinent, and necessary, especially if it be to their own good and advantage. It is strange, men should not think themselves as much obliged to pay civiUty and respect to their own reasons and consciences, as they daily pay to mere strangers and inferiors. Give them but a patient hearing, and they will both tell thee ;
' We are thine appointed guardians, and have our commission from God, to advise, direct, and counsel. We are thy faithful and in- ward friends ; yea, we are thine ownself, and the best and noblest part of thyself too. At our hands God will require thy blood, shouldst thou perish by our silence or treachery. We cannot be both silent and innocent, both are in such hazard. Do not abuse u?, and stop our mouths from crying out, stop, stop ; when we see thee departing from the paths of honesty, honour, and safety, and taking the direct road to that gulph of misery, in which ^ew (if any) foot- steps are found of such as return again, that are far engaged therein.
' Suffer us but fairly and friendly to expostulate the matter with thee. What design can we have against thy true interest ; whilst thine, and ours, cannot possibly be opposite; or disjunct, but one and the same interest .?'
Well then, that which thy reason and conscience offers, being so weighty, fair, and just, and what thine own interest plainly lies in ; I will not be so uncharitable, as to suppose thou wilt either refuse to hear, or reject what they have to say, in the following cases and debates.
Wherein the true censure and judgment of right reason and con- science^ are given upon profane sioearingy and blaspheming the name of God : As also their replies to several pleas offered in de- fence or excuse thereof
§ 1. tjTOD bestowed on man the noble faculty of speech, (a pe- culiar favour and privilege) for two ends and uses. (1.) That by the use of his tongue, he may glorify his Maker, and sound forth the praises of his Redeemer. (2.) That we might therebv be
488 THE EEASOXABLEXESS OF PERSOXAL REEORMATIoy.
able to communicate our minds one to another, in all our necessary and convenient interests and concernments, whether civil or religioir.'. This member, (the tongue) though small in quantity, is found to be mighty in efficacy ; and whilst it is kept under the rule and govern- ment of gi-ace, the M^ords that drop from it, are as apples of gold in pictures of silver. Gracious words are bread to feed, and water to refresh the souls of others. A sanctified tongue is as a tree of life. Conversion, edification, and consolation, are the delicious fruits of the lips.
But the tongues of some men break loose from under all the laws and rules both of reason and religion, and serve only to vent the froth and filth, which abound in the heart, as in a fountain of pollution: For out of' the ahiindance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. The tongue moves hghtily, but falls heavily ; it strikes soft, but wounds deep. It would not spare men of the highest rank and eminence, did not the fear of capital punishments teach them so much wit, to keep their tongues in prison, that they may keep their bodies out of prison. And though, for this reason, they are afraid of making too bold with the names of men ; yet having no fear of God at all, thej fall upon his great and dreadful name, tossing it to and fro, without any respect or reverence.