of his Duty to God remaining in him, can take any Pleasure in hearing God's holy Name abufed, and his Majefty affronted, in fuch a foolish Manner. The Name of God is too awful and tremendous to be fo lightly used. To treat the Name of the Majesty on high in fo indecent and irreverent a Manner, muft fhock every pious Ear. No Difcourfe can be pleasing, that is inconfiftent with good Manners, or destructive to Virtue. But no Man is pleased to hear his own Name made a Jest of in Conversation; and if he thinketh at all, must be much lefs pleased to hear the Name of God fo ufed. And it is certain, that a Man's Virtue can have no fure Foundation to rely on, who can wantonly abuse the Name of God. And the Virtue of thofe, who can take Pleasure in hearing fuch wicked and profane Difcourfe, must be in manifeft Danger of being deftroyed. For if we delight in hearing God's Name abused, we hall by Degrees, take Pleasure to do it ourselves; and thereby expofe ourselves to

the

the Vengeance of him, who will prove a confuming Fire to the Wicked.

The last Excufe for the Practice of this Vice, is, that Men make Ufe of it to confirm the Truth of what they fay. But Experience fheweth this to be a Miftake. No Men have lefs Credit given to what they fay, than common Swearers have. The Excufe at best is a foolish one ;: for it is a tacit Confeffion that the Man thinketh his own bare Word is not worthy of Credit. But what Reafon have we to believe, that what he wears is true? He maketh no Confcience of blafpheming God's holy Name; and why should he make a Confcience of telling a Lie? If the common Swearer hath any Advantage in View, why fhould I think that he will not tell me a Lie, with as little Concern, as take a rash Oath? And if a Man will fell himself to the Devil for Nothing, why fhould I believe that he would make any Scruple to do it, when he hath the Profpect of reaping any Benefit by doing fo?

It

It is plain then, that none of thefe Excufes can warrant a Man in the Practice of this Vice. And would Men confider the Greatnefs of the Crime, and the Greatness of the Danger, they would avoid a Custom fo odious and vile; and not draw upon themfelves the Curfe of God, by their impious and profane Abuse of his great and awful Name.

SERMON

IN my Morning's Discourse upon these

Words, I laid before you most of those Excufes which are made Ufe of for the profane Abuse of God's holy Name, by common curfing and fwearing. Thefe all, upon Confideration, appear to be fo weak and frivolous, that one would think no Man could be in earnest, when he alledged them as a fufficient Warrant for a Practice fo vile and impious. If to the Folly and Weakness of these Excufes, we add the Greatness of the