"I, Paul, beseech you by the meekness of Christ.” 2 Cor. x. 1. These too are contrary to the spirit of the third commandment, when made without just cause; much more when employed to persuade men to that which is sinful.

VII. IMPRECATIONS.

Imprecations are prayers, by which we seek evil to ourselves or others. They are conditional or unconditional. If unconditional, they are mere curses. The general spirit of the gospel and of its precepts is counter to them. "Bless, and curse not." "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." When directed towards others, if they partake of the spirit of railing, this adds to their sinfulness. Jude 9. There may be solemn occasions when we may conditionally imprecate evil upon ourselves, as did the royal Psalmist. Ps. vii. 3-5. All imprecations, however, are sinful, when our appeal is to Satan; when they are made to establish a falsehood; to express malignant passions against others, and when there is no solemn occasion for them.

VIII. SUPERSTITIOUS OBSERVANCES.

These are so numerous, and vary so much with the country, and even the neighbourhood where they prevail, that a detail of them would fill a volume. Sailors are superstitious about having a minister of religion on board their vessels; and about sailing on Friday. Some farmers are superstitious about almost every thing they do. Some will hardly sow flax, except on Some persons are alarmed if they spill

Good Friday.

salt on the table; if they sneeze when putting on their shoes; or if they have a burning sensation in the left ear. All these and like things are senseless, are calculated to make life miserable, and to reduce us to slavery to perpetual apprehensions.

IX. GENERAL IRREVERENCE.

Our Saviour and his apostles very carefully guard us against all needless introduction of the name of God into common conversation. "Let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matt. v. 37. "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." James v. 12. It may greatly encourage us to pay a strict regard to these injunctions, to know that those who keep at the greatest distance from all irreverence and needless appeals to God, other things being equal, probably suffer least in their reputation for veracity. And in general, we should avoid every thing that seems to us inconsistent with profound and awful reverence for the Divine Majesty.

The Westminster Assembly say: "The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the not using of God's name as is required; and the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious, or wicked mentioning, or otherwise using his titles, attributes, ordinances, or works, by blasphemy, perjury; all sinful cursings, oaths, vows, and lots; violating of our oaths and vows, if lawful; and fulfilling them, if of things unlawful; murmuring and quarrel

ling at, curious prying into, and misapplying of God's decrees and providences; misinterpreting, misapplying, or any way perverting the word, or any part of it, to profane jests, curious or unprofitable questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines; abusing it, the creatures, or any thing contained under the name of God, to charms, or sinful lusts and practices; the maligning, scorning, reviling, or any ways opposing of God's truth, grace, and ways, making profession of religion in hypocrisy, or for sinister ends; being ashamed of it, or a shame to it, by uncomfortable, unwise, unfruitful, and offensive walking, or backsliding from it."

THE THREATENING ANNEXED TO THIS COMMANDMENT.

This is expressed in terms well-suited to fill the mind with awe: for "the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." The threatening is delivered in a figure of speech, common to all languages, wherein much more is implied than is expressed. When the apostle Peter, exhorting the early Christians to holiness, says, "The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles," he means to say, that we have spent far too much time in that wicked course of life. This threatening clearly implies, 1. That we shall have a solemn and awful reckoning with God-a reckoning in which his creatures shall have all their conduct investigated with the scrutiny of omniscience, shall all be found innocent or guilty, and shall all be condemned or acquitted. 2. In that awful account, we shall answer to God for all irreverence of thought, or feeling, or speech, or action. 3. God will by no means

clear the guilty, and in particular, by no means clear those who shall then be found guilty of breaking this commandment. 4. No mercy shall be shown to men whose souls shall then be found defiled with the guilt of this sin. Yea, THE LORD WILL NOT HOLD HIM GUILTLESS THAT TAKETH HIS NAME IN VAIN. Such a one may perhaps hold himself guiltless; he may esteem himself a fine fellow; he may think that he graces his profanity with the air of a gentleman; he may imagine that he is quite above all responsibility even to God. Moreover his fellows may hold him guiltless; may make light of his sin; may call him brave and elegant. But Jehovah, the lawgiver of heaven and earth, will not acquit him. To God he is responsible, and in God's sight he is criminal. If the profane man, at the last day, stands alone, still God will reckon with him. If hand has joined in hand, and he is surrounded by a crew of the ungodly, their numbers shall not protect him. Pr. xi. 21. If he is poor, and steals, and takes the name of his God in vain, Prov. xxx. 9, still his poverty shall not screen him. If he is rich and gifted and honourable in men's esteem, and violates this command, his pomp shall be brought down to the grave, yea, he shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isa. xiv. 11, 14. In all cases the violation of this commandment has many aggravations. It is committed immediately against God. It is in the teeth of the expressed letter of the law. It is outbreaking. It is suited to lead others astray. It admits of no reparation. It is against the law of nature. It is against all the religious instruction we have ever received. It is against the laws of common politeness. If open, it is against every man's convictions of right.

It is exceedingly impudent. It is heaven-daring. It is an expression of deep malignity against God. Ps. cxxxix. 20.

While indeed the profane person, who shall repent, shall obtain forgiveness, profaneness is a sin which greatly disinclines men to turn to God. To the penitent, the offence is not unpardonable. But how hard it is to bring a man to cry for mercy, when for a long time he has been insulting the Father of all mercies and the God of all grace.