A Christian Directory

§. 55. Th. 6. Another Time-wasting sin is idle Talk: What abundance of precious Time doth¹ this consume: Hearken to most mens discourse, when they are sitting together, or working together, or travelling together, and you shall hear how little of it is any better than silence: (and if not better, it is worse): So full are those persons of Vanity who are empty, even to silence, of any ⟨p. 291⟩thing that is good, that they can find and feed a discourse of nothing, many hours and days together, and as they think, with such fecundity and floridness of style, as deserveth acceptance if not applause: I have marvelled oft at some wordy Preachers, with how little matter they can handsomely fill up an hour! But one would wonder more to hear people fill up, not an hour, but a great part of their day, and of their lives, and that without any study at all, and without any holy and substantial Subject, with words, which if you should write them all down and peruse them, you would find that the sum and conclusion of them is nothing! How self-applaudingly and pleasingly they can ex tempore talk idly and of nothing a great part of their lives! I have heard many of them marvel at a poor unlearned Christian, that can pray ex tempore many hours together in very good order and well-composed words: But are they not more to be marvelled at, that can very handsomely talk of nothing ten times as long, with greater copiousness, and without repetitions, and that ex tempore, when they have not that variety of great commanding Subjects to be the matter of their speech? I tell you, when Time must be reviewed, the consumption of so much in idle talk, will appear to have been no such venial sin, as empty careless sinners now imagine.

§. 55. Th. 6. Another Time-wasting sin is idle Talk: What abundance of precious Time doth¹ this consume: Hearken to most mens discourse, when they are sitting together, or working together, or travelling together, and you shall hear how little of it is any better than silence: (and if not better, it is worse): So full are those persons of Vanity who are empty, even to silence, of any ⟨p. 291⟩thing that is good, that they can find and feed a discourse of nothing, many hours and days together, and as they think, with such foecundity and floridness of style, as deserveth acceptance if not applause: I have marvelled oft at some wordy Preachers, with how little matter they can handsomly fill up an hour! But one would wonder more to hear people fill up, not an hour, but a great part of their day, and of their lives, and that without any study at all, and without any holy and substantial Subject, with words, which if you should write them all down and peruse them, you would find that the sum and conclusion of them is nothing! How self-applaudingly and pleasingly they can ex tempore talk idly and of nothing a great part of their lives! I have heard many of them marvel at a poor unlearned Christian, that can pray ex tempore many hours together in very good order and well-composed words: But are they not more to be marvelled at, that can very handsomly talk of nothing ten times as long, with greater copiousness, and without repetitions, and that ex tempore, when they have not that variety of great commanding Subjects to be the matter of their speech? I tell you, when Time must be reviewed, the consumption of so much in idle talk, will appear to have been no such venial sin, as empty careless sinners now imagine.