SWEARINS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 507, 16 November 1909, Page 3

SWEARINS.

At All Saints’ Church on Sunday night, the vicar preached from the text, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: keep the door of my lips,” During the course of bis remarks the Rev. Mr Woodward said to-day swearing had become a habit. A young man fancied that in uttering certain fearful and disgusting words he was manly and would be admired by his fellow creatures; another swore when giving way to temper or under the influence of drink ; another swore because he had been brought up to swear—-his father had cursed before him, and so he could scarcely utter a sentence without some blasphe--1 mous word in it. But, continued Mr Woodward, the greatest evil of modern times is that not only men swear, but women also, and even worse than that, young girls! Foxton in this respect was no exception to the rule. The other day, said the preacher, I was told of a case in a neighbouring town where a little girl ot 18 months old was taught to say the most blasphemous word—and thus the first words the baby lips were taught to frame were defiled blasphemous words. The little lips opened to curse their Maker ! What an atmosphere for the child to grow up in ! What a tragedy of life ! The speaker then urged that those who had formed this bad habit should try very hard to give it up. It was simply using the lips that God had given us and the power of speech to blaspheme a Heavenly Father, to wound the Sacred Heart of a Holy Redeemer —to grieve the spirit of the Living God. The habit was degrading—it was bad in a man, but it was awful in a woman. Woman by nature stands on a higher spiritual level than man—when she became degraded she sank lower than the lowest man. We men, continued the preacher, look up to women for the high and spiritual things of life and from them we learn something of purity, love, and true Godliness. Bad language could be given up —by habitual selfexamination, by absenting ourselves from all loose and dangerous company, and above all, by continual prayer to Almighty God for His assisting Grace. No prayer could be better than the words of the text: “ Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips.” St. James tells us : “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.” A young man once came over to a tried and faithful servant of God and asked him how he ought to live. The old man opened the Book of Psalms and began to read : ‘ T said I will take heed to my ways that I offend not in my tongue.” “Stop,” said the young man, “that is enough fur a whole life: let me go home and practice it.” That, observed the Rev. Mr Woodward, is the lesson that I want to strike ' home tonight : “That I offend not in my tongue”—that ray lips never more become defiled by blasphemous and indecent language —that we use the faculty of speech for God’s Glory, and not to dishonour Him. The gift of speech is a wonderful power that God has given us. Are we going to misuse that power by defiling our lips in blaspheming our Maker ? Surely not that—for God is too loving, too holy, too high and lofty for us —mere atoms —to blaspheme. No! Rather let our lips show forth His Praise, His Power, His Glory: “L,et the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer !”