[A Moral Admonition, that We are to Abstain from Vain Talking, Obscene Talking, Jesting, Drunkenness, Lasciviousness, and Luxury.]
X. Now we exhort you, brethren and fellow-servants, to avoid vain talk and obscene discourses, and jestings, drunkenness, lasciviousness, luxury, unbounded passions, with foolish discourses, since we do not permit you so much as on the Lord’s days, which are days of joy, to speak or act anything unseemly; for the Scripture somewhere says: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling.” 71 Ps. ii. 11. Ps. ii. 11. Even your very rejoicings therefore ought to be done with fear and trembling: for a Christian who is faithful ought neither to repeat an heathen hymn nor an obscene song, because he will be obliged by that hymn to make mention of the idolatrous names of demons; and instead of the Holy Spirit, the wicked one will enter into him.
[10] Παραινοῦμεν δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ σύνδουλοι, φεύγειν τὰς ματαιολογίας καὶ τὰς αἰσχρολογίας καὶ τὰς εὐτραπελίας, μέθας, λαγνείας, θρύψεις καὶ τὰς ἀμέτρους ὀργὰς σὺν ταῖς μωρολογίαις, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς κυριακαῖς ἡμέραις τῶν εὐφροσυνῶν ὑμῶν ἐπιτρέπομεν ὑμῖν ἄσεμνόν τι ἢ φθέγγεσθαι ἢ πράττειν. Λέγει γάρ που καὶ ἡ γραφή: «Δουλεύσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ.» Καὶ τὰς ἀγαλλιάσεις οὖν ὑμῶν μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου γίνεσθαι χρή. Ὁ γάρ τοι χριστιανὸς ὁ πιστὸς οὐδὲ ᾠδὴν ἐθνικὴν ὀφείλει λέγειν οὔτε ᾆσμα πορνικόν, ἐπεὶ συμβήσεται αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς ᾠδῆς εἰδώλων μνημονεύειν ὀνόματα δαιμονικά, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος εἰσφρήσει ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ πονηρόν.