| Show THE EVIL OF unbecoming I 1 vioris WORDS S on what subject we may have to speak we must always remember that v m e shall have to give a righteous teo s account for every word we litter I 1 A 1 christian should never speak but in I 1 a manner manner that will be approved ot of god according to the rule laid down by st peter it if any man speak let him speak as the words ot of god 1 I 1 peter 1 let every speech f yours be seasoned with the salt ot of the gospel the very words of st paul on the subject are the following let your speech be always la in grace seasoned with salt that you may know how to anomer every man let the word ot of christ dwell in you abundantly in all wisdom let no speech proceed from your mouth but that which is good to the edification of faith that it may administer grace to tile the hearers addressing himself to his beloved disciple timothy he exhorts him to be an example to the faithful in word in in charity in faith to lo elma profane and vain babbling for illey glow much towards ungodliness their Tie ir speech sp readeth like a caner cancer lays he speaking of some christians who used comming expressions therefore christians must be exceedingly careful not to let slip any indecent nor intentions intent intentionally iona ly any words that can bear a double meaning for though one should not use such words with wit ii bad intention yet they nay prove hurtful to 10 those who hear them an immodest word mord falling into a weak heart spreads itself like a ai drop crop of oil falling on a piece of cloth ray cay it sometimes Bonie times seizes on the heart in such a manner as to fill it with a thousand unclean thoughts and wicked temptations tor for as the poison of the body enters through the mouth so go tile the poison of the heart enters through the ear and the cie tongue which originates that poison acts the part of a murderer let none dare to excuse themselves for scurrilous speech on tile the ground that mat they intend no harm the poison dropped from tile the tongue may not indeed have done its dead deadly y work owing to some seme powerful antidote which it met in tile tho minds and hearts of the bearers yet the tongue the mainspring of which ulay may be the vanity of saying something witty was not destitute of malice capable 0 of death our lord the searcher marcher of clearts hearts has fias said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak eth As those who have hae eaten a kind of of herb called angelica are said to have afterwards a sweet and agreeable breath so 0 thoe in whose hearts the angelical virtue of chastity reigns supreme have no other words in their mouths but such as are clean modest and chaste with regard to obscene or indecent things the apostle will not allow they be so much as named among christians assuring us that nothing 0 much good manners as e eill if discourse immodest words when uttered under disguise in a jocose and even refined manner become infinitely more poisonous us for as the sharper the dart Is the more easily it penetrates the bady sa so the more painted and polished aa obscene word is the lie deeper it sinks into the heart and it if such a word p aeed ched JL from the lips ot of one who in beliz gion or social position is bound to leal lead in the tha way of 0 virtue its malice is in ill fied and its sin the greater if those who use such language as wa are af alluding luding to could hear the cri and condemnations conden matis which behind their backs are pronounced upon their foolish jests their vanity would not be much flattered thereby whenever a top fop approaches with his unbecoming slang or jests we ought at once to convince him by some sign of disapprobation that our ears are offended and we me shou hoad d shun the company of persons who bo use unbecoming words word sas as bees shun the company of hornets for as the sweat the breath and spittle ol of people that are bitten by mad dogs become infectious especially for children and persons of delicate constitution so BO will the intercourse with vicious and dissolute people prove seriously derl deri mental to those whose virtue is still tender and feeble the echo catholic amerlean american millennial Milen nial star |
