He Sorts of idle Talk. 9·7· I · When the tongue is like a vagrant beggar or mafi:erlcfs dog that is never in the way and nev out of the way, being lef~ to talk at random about.a".Yunprofitable l't;lattcr that comes Lefor~ it: Aned fuch will never wanI matter to talk of: every thmg they lee or hear is th• fubjeCl of their chat . And one word begctteth occafion and ma1ter for anmher, without l!nd. • ~~~~/i~~· ~· 8. 2· Another fort of idle ulk is the v~in difcourfes ( by word 01 wtiting) of fame learned men, 1n wh1ch they beflow an exceffive multttude of words about fome fmall impertinent thing · not to cdille, but to 01ew their wit: which Seneca reprehends at large. ' ~· 9· 3: Another fort of idle tallz is vain and immoderate Difputings, about the fmaller circum.. (lances ot Religion,or frequent di[courfes about fuch unedifying thing$ while greater matters Chould be talkt of, Tit. 3·9· But avoid foolijh qucflioni, and gencalogiu,and conumionJ,andjtriving.r about the Law{I they arc zmprofitabltand vain. 1 Tim. t. 5, 6,7. Now the tndoftht Cemmandment i.r charity out of ap~;: heart, and efa good Confcience, andfif faith mtftigt~ed; from whichfome havingfwerved 1 havt trrrnttl. ajide •mto vain jangli11g, ~efiring to be ttacberJ of the Law, undt'fjlanding neitbtr what,they [ay nor whereof they affirm. I T1m. 6. 20· 0 Timothy, ~eep that which is committed to thy truft, av9idini pro~ f.me a11d win bab/inY,s, and oppo(ltiOit of {cience.r fa/fly fo caUeJ, which fome profeJ!ing have erred concern· i11g the faith•. 2 Tim. 2· 16. But ftmn prophane and vain babling.r, for they wiUinc.,-eafe umo more rm:. ~ god/ineji. · T1t. z. 10, I I· 1bere art many unruly and vaintal~r.r--&c. lob. H.16. ~· 10. 4· Anorhor fort of Idle tall(. is the ufing of a necdltfs multitude of words, even about that Saith .H11go., which is g-ood and neceffary in it felf, but might better be opened in a briefer manner. Even in ::;~ 1:~~t~~~e preaching ~r praying words~ may be vain ; which is when they are not fuited to the matter and the and 2 rime hearers: for you mufi note that the fame words are neceffary to oJtt fort of htarer.r, which are vain as when fo.,.cCO anotiJtr fort. And therefore as Minifiers mull: take hted that they fuit their m&nner of fpeech to thi11g fhou1d be their audicors, fo bt6lrtrs mufi take heed Jell they cenforioufly and nfhly call that vain whi.ch is un.. fpoken; .but necdfary to them, or fuch as they: There may be prefent many ignorant perfons that the preacher is n~ver~~~me hruer acquainted with than you ; And the ignorant lofe that which is conciftly uuered : They mull ;or;IJ bt fpohave it ~t large, in many words, and oft repeated, or e1fe they underftand it n?t, or remember not .kt'n. ~hat wh1ch they underfiand. But yet a real excc::fs of words even about holy th:ngs mufi be avoided. ih.e Splfft!VIS Ecclef. 5· 23· Be not raj/J with thy mouth,, and let not thine heart be hafty t(J utter any thing before GqJ: b.:mifh~J an for God i1 in Heaven, and thuu upon earth ; therefo~e let tfJj wOYds bt few: for a dream come1h through the Orator for mullitude of hufintji, and afuols voice if k..nown by the multitude of fPo'(dJ. Two caufes of idle w 9 rds in fl-~ingHe prayer mull he avoided: I.Emptinefs and rajhnef.r. 2. Ajfe{Jation: that is, r.AffWarion tofi'Otds,as could fp"k ~~ if you lhould be heard fot faying fo mariy wotds ov<t and over, ( as the Papifts in their ]t[ 111 l'falttr ft~f 0~~~}!~ fay over the name Jefu nine times together, and thofe nine times, fifteen times over, befides all their s~ttll~M:anu· repetitions of it! in .the petitions them.ft:!ves between. So in. t~e Titles of the~· Virgin,in ~er Litany, al _ ofP" Y"' p. 52 5.) Hypotrtw rn all ages •nd Rehg1ons have tile fame tr~fltng way o( devouon ; as Chrdllhewetn rnnred ;\t of the very Heathen that ufed this way: Matth. 6. 7• But when ye pray ufe not ilain rtpetititnu, tK 1be Aw.,erp 1618 · Heathen do, for thry thi11k tlw thty jhaU be heard for their much Jieakjng: bt yt not thcrifure lik! un– p.1g. 507 ' to them. 2. There is an Ajfe{l~tion of length that caufeth idle wo1·ds in prayer: When men think that it is for the honour of their parts to fpend fo mHch time, and fpeak fo long together, or when their fu– perfiitious confciences in fc:crc:t tye thc:m to hold on fo long, and have not matter or ajftliion anfwerable lO fill up the time, no marvel if it be tilled up with words that are too much guilty of vanity. ~· 11· 5· Anothet kind of Idlt tall(_ is that which is purpofely conttived to humour idle fancies, and rt:create vitious minds, and.pafs away mens pretious time: fuch are abundance of Love-books, RtJ– mances, Plays and Play-books; volumes of Vani<y, and houts full of 1\udied vanity (and worfe ); And fuch is much of the talk of feigned fools and jeftets : Vices which I can hardly txpt<fs fo odious as I apptchend them. . 9· 12. 6. Another fortis a cuftom of inordinatt jejling: This vein or difpofition is fo 1\rong in fome, that when they have lifi to vent a jell, they cannot hold, but out it mufi come whatever jt cofr, and be it never fo frivolous and vain. Epb. 5· 4• • • ~· 13· 7· Another fott is foolijh talk, that hath not wit enough to make it edifying. Eph. 5· 4• And among Idle talkers how much of it isfoolijh! How weary would it make a man to hear the talk of many bableiS ? How infipid is it ? How fottilh ? Like the :alk of a mad man,. or a drunkenmaq, or a man in his fleep: It's far pleafanter not only to hear a b1rd chup, but a fwme grunt, than to hear much of their difcourfe. See, Prov. 10· 14• & 12. 11· & 28. 19· I l'tt. 2· 15· l'rov. I 5· 2, ~~· v· a 9· I+· Dired:.2. Vnderj!anda/fo thtaggravationso{idlew.,.tls, which oftbem art tbtg,.wcjl fins T::~&~;;.,. that thty may be mojl carefuUy ;voidtd. Though all idlt <Pords are fins, yet all are not equally finful; tions of 1r. The worO: are fuch as thefe that follow. 9· 1 5· 1. When Idle words art frtqumt, multiplied, a?d made their common tal~ an~. cufiom: which is the cafe offomt men, but of abundance of loqu~cwu women ; whofe natural d1fpoht!on Inch– nerh them thCICto. One that hath but little wit, and much felf-concoitednefs, and patlion, will have a torrent of wordt for 1 a drop offenfs: Ifthey meet but with a perfon fo patient and idle as to give them ""'"""' 3 the heating, they will fit a whole hour together with you, yea many houiS, to tell yo_u firfl how the great Perfian affairs go between them and their husbands or cht~dren or ferva1~ts ; and thc:n talk oftheu catrle,ho~fe, 'l.cJrd, was told Or land ; and then tell you of news, and enter mto a long d1fcowfe of other mens matters, whtch . !:\.~:f~',:,;~" they neithct underftand nor have any thing to do with: and next they talk of the weather; and then ~~:~:;,{>'hi~ for his gold and ricQ attirC', but when hetalkt of whllt h' undtrfiood Rot, tbe boys in tke iliop Jau&hC'd at him. l'IHfart_ dt ':tr41J1Tiil. Aifi.pag.lf4• ef
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