Foolish Talking and Jesting Described and Condemned

In this very popular but needful work on foolish talking, Burgess begins with Ephesians 5:4, “Neither foolish talking nor jesting, which are not convenient.” He explains what foolish talk is, and how it can be profane, hypocritical, rash, unsuitable, unseasonable, excessive and uncharitable. Then he explains that foolish jesting is profane, unclean, unnatural, immoral, and immoderate. Finally he ends his treatise with sixteen truths to draw out of the text, and sixteen duties that God presses believers to understand from the text. His goal is that Christians may speak and converse with an end to glorify God and the Savior Jesus Christ, and not follow the way of the foolish jester who is a beast in the eyes of a holy God.

This treatise deals with difficult doctrinal truths that Christians often do not want to hear concerning the manner of their speech. It was necessary in Burgess’ day, and he pressed the issue often in his congregation. In our age of post-modernism, liberalism and “free speech” in the media, it is even more important today.

This work is not a scan or facsimile and has been made easy to read with an active table of contents for electronic versions.