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out of our Mouth, that we may not grieve the Holy Spirit, and feparate him from us, then it follows, that we are also to deny our felves the Entertainment of all corrupt, impertinent, and unedifying Books. For if vain and idle Words are not to proceed out of our Mouths, we must be under the fame Neceffity of not letting them enter into our Hearts.

IF we would know what Books are to be avoided, as corrupt and grievous to the Holy Spirit, we must look back to the Rule of our Communication; for as that Communication is there said to be corrupt, that does not edify and minifter Grace to the Hearers, fo must we look upon all those Books as corrupt, which do not improve and confirm our Hearts in Virtue, or, in the Apostle's Words, fuch as do not edify and minifter Grace to the Readers. Now this Book-entertainment is as certainly forbidden by the Apostle, as Cheating is forbidden by the eighth Commandment: For if I am not to fay foolish and impertinent Things my felf, because fuch a Communication grieves and removes the Holy Spirit of God, I am as certainly forbid the reading the corrupt and impertinent Sayings of other People. The Books which moftly corrupt our Hearts, and fill us with a Spirit of Folly, are fuch, as almost all the

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World allow themselves to read, I mean, Books of Wit and Humour, Romances, Plays, and other Productions of the Poets. Thus a grave orthodox old Gentleman, if he hears that his Niece is very good, and delights in Reading, will fill her Clofet with Volumes of Plays, and Poems on feveral Occafions, on purpose to encourage her to spend her Time well. There is not perhaps a more furprizing Infatuation in the Conduct of Chriftians, than with regard to thefe Books.

A FATHER Would be very much trou bled to fee his Daughter in Converfation pleased with the lewd Remarks of a Rake ; he would be afraid that she had loft the Virtue of her Mind, if fhe could relish fuch a Turn of Converfation. Yet this fame Father fhall help his Daughter to a Volume of Occafional Poems, for her Clo fet-Entertainment, full of fuch grofs Immodefties, as hardly any Rake would venture to express in any Conversation. It is perhaps a Collection of the Poet's fineft, ftrongeft, and most finifh'd Thoughts in Lewdness and Immodefty. Every Wantonnefs of Imagination, every Transport of Paffion, every Extravagance of Thought, which ever feiz'd him in his Life, is there preferved for the Meditation of the Chritian Reader; as if Prophanefs, Blafphemy,

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the groffeft Defcriptions of Luft, and the wildeft Sallies of impure Paffions, were made good and useful for a Chriftian, by being put into Rhime and Measure. And what thews this Infatuation in a yet higher Degree, is this, that it is ftill a prevailing Opinion in the World, that the reading virtuous Books is a great Means of improving in Virtue; whereas one would fuppofe, that the Books I have mentioned could only be allowed upon a Belief, that there was neither Good nor Harm to be got by Reading.

BUT however, let us remember that though the Way of the World which is thus inconfiftent, may allow this polite kind of Entertainment, yet this is no Rule or Security for our Conduct, fince we are no more to make the Spirit of the World our Guide, than we are to make the Riches of the World our Happiness. The Doctrines of the Scriptures are the only Rule by which we are now to live, and the Rule by which we shall hereafter be judged. Now if we will allow our felves in the reading prophane, impure, and impertinent Books, which have every thing in them that can pervert our Understandings, and corrupt our Hearts, though the Scripture forbids all unedifying Difcourfe, as a Thing that grieves the Holy Spirit, it must be

faid, that we act as contrary to Scripture, as if we indulged and pleafed our felves in Malice and Revenge.

You read a Play, I tell you that you read Ribbaldry and Prophanefs, that you fill your Mind with extravagant Thoughts, lewd Intreagues, vain Fictions, wanton Ideas, and impure Defcriptions. If you ask me where is the Sin of this, you may as well ask me where is the Sin of Swearing and Lying: For it is a Sin not only against this or that particular Text, but it is a Sin against the whole Nature and Spirit of our Religion; it is a Contradiction to all Holiness, and to all the Methods of arriving at it. For if evil unedifying Communication be forbidden in Scripture, and for this Reason, because it grieves the Spirit of God, then the Entertainment of fuch Books is certainly forbidden. For certainly the wild Rant, the prophane Speeches, filthy Jefts, and impure Paffions, which there abound, are an evil Communication in the highest Degree, and must therefore highly grieve and feparate the Holy Spirit from us. Can therefore any Practice be forbid upon a more dreadful Penalty than this? For without the Spirit of God, we are but Figures of Chriftians, and must die in our Sins. If therefore we can prove it to be a fmall Matter to grieve the

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the Spirit of God, then we may allow that it is but a fmall Offence, to please our felves in reading thofe corrupt Books. Our Bleffed Saviour faith, Out of the Heart proceed evil Thoughts, and that these are the Things that defile a Man; muft it not therefore be a great Defilement to take evil Thoughts into our Hearts? Need we any other Motive than this, to watch and guard the Purity of our Minds? He that, notwithstanding this Doctrine of our Saviour's, dares to fet apart Times for the reading the evil and impure Thoughts that are in thefe Books, does as plainly despise the Doctrine of Chrift, as he that murders, defpifes the Doctrine of the Sixth Commandment.

You will fay perhaps, that you only read thefe Books now and then, for Amufement, and only to divert your Spirits, and that most of the Time which you devote to Reading, is spent in reading Books that may improve your Piety. If this be your Cafe, you can fay that for your felf which very few can; for the Generality of Readers make other Books their chief and moft conftant Entertainment. But to fpeak now to your Excufe, you only read fuch Books now and then, for your Amusement, and to divert your Spirits; that is, you entertain your Mind with evil Thoughts, you read, relish, and digeft, the Lewdness, Propha

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