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he fhall go no more out and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is the new Jerufalem, which cometh down out of Heaven, from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. And oh glorious words that follow! what fhall we not be moft willing to do, or to fuffer for the fake of them? And I will grant to him, to fit with me in my Throne: even as I alfo overcame, and am fet down with my Father, in his Throne.

SERM.

SERMON XIV.

Preach'd before the QUEEN,
Novemb. 1706. at St. James's.

The danger of talking much, and wildom of the contrary.

Proverbs 10. 19.

In the multitude of words there wanteth not fin: but he that refraineth his lips, is wife.

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Here is hardly any one inftance, in the whole conduct of humane Life, in which Men are more apt to offend, and yet feem to be less fenfible of their offending, than in the management of their Tongues. For

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Prov. 18.

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tho', as St. James tells us, the Tongue Serm.14 is fuch an unruly evil, as no man can c. 3. v.6. perfectly tame, tho' it is full of deadly poifon, fetteth on fire the whole courfe of nature, and defileth the whole Eccl. 5.13. body, tho' honour and shame, death and life are in the power of it: yet is there nothing more common, than to fee Men extremely negligent and careless, rafk, hafty and inconfiderate, in their ufe of it. So far are they from obferving that most excellent precept of Jam.1.19. being flow to speak, that they are ge nerally a great deal too lavish and prodigal of their Tongues: and, when once they are engag'd in talk, and ever fo little heated with it, they very often let fly at random, and foolishly blirt out every thing, that comes uppermoft, how much foever it may tend, to the difhonour of God, the prejudice of their neighbour, or the eternal ruine of their own precious and immortal Souls.

The Wife Man, being well aware of this, takes occafion frequently, in this Book of Proverbs, to caution us against much talking: by reprefenting to us, on the one hand, the great

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danger which we fhould bring our felves into, by it: and, on the other Serm.14. hand, the great wisdom and advantage, of abstaining from it. Thus, in the 29. ch. 20. Seeft thou a man that is hafty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him; and again, ch. 17.27. He that hath knowledge fpareth his words; and, to name no more, in the words of Text, my In the multitude of words there want, eth not fin, or, as the Septuagint verfion has it, in talking much thon (balt felf not avoid fin: If allow you an unbounded liberty of perpetual talking, you will certainly fay many fuch things, as are inexpedient and unlawful for you to fay, or, as it is yet higher in the Original, in the multitude of words fin shall not ceafe: it fhall not ceafe indeed, but rather it fhall abound, and in much talking there fhall be a continual danger of much finning. But he that refraineth his lips is wife; He who keeps his Tongue within due bounds, confiders before he speaks, and fpeaks, not much, but seasonably, and to the purpose: this Man acts, in this refpect, as becomes, not only a pru

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By words here we are not to understand all words in general, but on-, ly thofe of our common Converfation: for, in many cafes, there is no danger at all of finning in ufing mawords, as in the cafe of all fet and premeditated Difcourfes: nay, in fome cafes, it is a neceffary duty to speak much; fpeaking being the very businefs and profeffion of a great part of mankind. And therefore this Apophthegm of the wife Man's must not be taken univerfally, but in a restrain'd and limited fenfe, as relating only to thofe Men, who are perpetually chattering in company, who use many needlefs words, and may, in Solomon's Language, more properly be call'd Prov.10.10.prating fools, than Men of and business.

argument

From the words thus explain'd, I fhall take occafion to represent to you

First, The great difficulty, or rather impoffibility, of talking much and talk

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