prayer, which is long. But Christ spake no vain words when he "prayed all night"." Nor are we bid pray in vain, when we are bid "pray continually, instantly, and importunately i." Nor did Paul speak idly when he preached till midnight. Godliness is not vain "which is profitable to all things'." Indeed as to their own salvation, the wicked may make our preaching vain: but the word of God returneth not empty. The oblations of the disobedient are vain", and the "prayer of the wicked, abominable to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight"." Some think all preaching vain, of that which they know already, whereas they have most need to hear of that, lest they condemn themselves by sinning against their knowledge. 6. Some think it vain if the same things be often preached on, or repeated though yet they never received and obeyed them: or if the same words be oft repeated in prayer, though it be not from emptiness or affectation but fervencyP. 7. Unbelievers think our boasting in God is vain. 8. And some malicious adversaries charge it on ministers as preaching in vain, whenever the hearers are not converted".

On the other side many that are godly mistake in thinking, 1. That all talk is vain which is not of absolute necessity to some great use and end'. 2. And that all mirth and pleasant discourse is vain. Whereas the Holy Ghost saith, "A merry heart doth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones." "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken "." King Abimelech saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah his wife: laughing (as the Hebrew is), or playing (as the Chaldee, and Samaritan, and Septuagint) or jesting (as the Syriac, Arabic and vulgar Latin).

Observe these qualifications, and your mirth and sporting talk will not be idle. 1. Let it be such and so much as is useful to maintain that cheerfulness of mind and alacrity of spirits, which is profitable to your health and duty: for if bodily recreations be lawful, then tongue-recreations are

lawful when they are accomodate to their end. 2. Let your speech be savoury, seasoned with salt, and not corrupt and rotten communication: jest not with filthiness or sin. 3. Let it be harmless to others: make not yourselves merry with the sins or miseries of other men. Jest not to their wrong. 4. Let it be seasonable, and not when another frame of mind is more convenient, nor when graver or weightier discourse should take place. 5. Let it be moderate and not excessive, either wasting time in vain, or tending to habituate the mind of the speakers or hearers to levity, or to estrange them from things that should be preferred. 6. See that all your mirth and speech be sanctified by a holy end; that your intent in all be to whet your spirits and cheer up and fit yourselves for the service of God, as you do in eating and drinking, and all other things. 7. And mix (with cautelous reverence) some serious things, that the end and use be not forgotten, and your mirth may not be altogether as empty and fruitless as that of the unsanctified is. Sporting, pleasant, and recreating talk is not vain, but lawful upon these conditions. 8. Still remembering that the most holy and profitable discourse must be most pleasant to us, and we must not through a weariness of it, divert to carnal mirth, as more desirable, but only to natural honest mirth as a necessary concomitant to exhilarate the spirits.

Idle or vain words then, are such as are unprofitable and tend not to do good. I here forbear to speak of those idle words which are also worse than vain, as mentioned before among the sins of the tongue. Idle words are, 1. Either simply such which tend to no good at all. 2. Or comparatively such; which are about some small or inconsiderable good, when you should be speaking of greater things: the former sort are always idle and therefore always sinful: the latter sort are sometimes lawful in themselves, that is, when greater matters are not to be talked of: in its season it is lawful to speak about the saving of a penny, or a point, or a pin; but out of season, when greater matters are in hand, this is but idle, sinful talk.

Also there is a great deal of difference between now and

y Jam. v. 13. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.

Otiosum verbum est quod justæ necessitatis aut intentione piæ utilitatis caret. Gregor. Moral.

then an idle word, and a babbling, prating custom, by which it becometh the daily practice of some loose-tongued persons, so that the greater part of the words of all their lives are merely vain.

The particular kinds of idle talk are scarce to be numbered. Some of them are these.

1. When the tongue is like a vagrant beggar or masterless dog that is never in the way, and never out of the way, being left to talk at random about any unprofitable matter that comes before it; and such will never want matter to talk of every thing they see or hear is the subject of their chat and one word begetteth occasion and matter for another, without end.

2. Another sort of idle talk is the vain discourses (by word or writing) of some learned men, in which they bestow an excessive multitude of words about some small impertinent thing; not to edify, but to shew their wit: which Seneca reprehends at large.

3. Another sort of idle talk is vain and immoderate disputings, about the smaller circumstances of religion, or frequent discourses about such unedifying things while greater matters should be talked of. "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and vain"." "Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved, have turned aside unto vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm b." "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and opposition of sciences falsely so called; which some professing, have erred concerning the faith." "But shun profane and vain babblings; for they will increase unto more ungodliness d." "There are many unruly and vain talkers," &c.

4. Another sort of idle talk is the using of a needless multitude of words, even about that which is good and necessary in itself, but might better be opened in a briefer

Tit. iii. 9. d2 Tim. ii. 16.

b 1 Tim. i. 5-7.

c 1 Tim. vi. 20, 21.

e Tit. i. 10. 11.

manner. Even in preaching or praying words may be vain ; which is when they are not suited to the matter and the hearers for you must note that the same words are necessary to one sort of hearers, which are vain as to another sort. And therefore as ministers must take heed that they suit their manner of speech to their auditors, so hearers must take heed lest they censoriously and rashly call that vain which is unnecessary to them, or such as they there may be present many ignorant persons that the preacher is better acquainted with than you: and the ignorant lose that which is concisely uttered: they must have it at large, in many words, and oft repeated, or else they understand it not, or remember not that which they understand. But yet a real excess of words even about holy things must be avoided. "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few: for a dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool's voice is known by the multitude of words "." Two causes of idle words in prayer must be avoided : 1. Emptiness and rashness. 2. Affectation: that is, (1.) Affectation to words, as if you should be heard for saying so many words over and over, (as the Papists in their Jesus Psalter' say over the name 'Jesu' nine times together, and those nine times, fifteen times over, beside all their repetitions of it, in the petitions themselves between ". So in the titles of the blessed Virgin, in her Litany, p. 525.) Hypocrites in all ages and religions have the same trifling way of devotion; as Christ sheweth of the very heathen that used this way: "But when ye pray use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking: be ye not therefore like unto them." (2.) There is an affectation of length that causeth idle words in prayer; when men think that it is for the honour of their parts to spend so much time, and speak so long together, or when their superstitious consciences in secret tie them to hold on

Job xxxv. 16. Saith Hugo, there is a time when nothing, and a time when something should be spoken; but never a time when all should be spoken.

* Eccl. v. 23. The Spartans banished an orator for saying, He could speak all day of any subject. Erasın.

h See the Manual of Prayers printed at Antwerp. 1658. p. 507.

Matt. vi. 7.

so long, and have not matter or affection answerable to fill up the time, no marvel if it be filled up with words that are too much guilty of vanity.

5. Another kind of idle talk is that which is purposely contrived to humour idle fancies, and recreate vicious minds, and pass away men's precious time: such are abundance of love-books, romances, plays and playbooks; volumes of vanity, and hours full of studied vanity (and worse) and such is much of the talk of feigned fools and jesters: vices which I can hardly express so odious as I apprehend them.

6. Another sort is a custom of inordinate jesting: this vein or disposition is so strong in some, that when they have a list to vent a jest, they cannot hold, but out it must come whatever it cost, and be it never so frivolous and vain.

7. Another sort is foolish talk, that hath not wit enough to make it edifying'. And among idle talkers how much of it is foolish! How weary would it make a man to hear the talk of many babblers! How insipid is it! How sottish! Like the talk of a madman, or a drunken man, or a man in his sleep: it is far pleasanter not only to hear a bird chirp, but a swine grunt, than to hear much of their discourse ".

Direct. 11. Understand also the aggravations of idle words, which of them are the greatest sins, that they may be most carefully avoided.' Though all idle words are sins, yet all are not equally sinful: the worst are such as these that follow.

1. When idle words are frequent, multiplied, and made their common talk and custom which is the case of some men, but of abundance of loquacious women: whose natural disposition inclineth them thereto. One that hath but little wit, and much self-conceitedness, and passion, will have a torrent of words for a drop of sense". If they meet but with a person so patient and idle as to give them the hearing, they will sit a whole hour together with you, yea many hours, to tell you first how the affairs go between them and 1 Eph. v. 4.

* Eph. v. 4.

n

m See Prov. x. 14. xii. 11. xxviii. 19. 1 Pet. ii. 15. Prov. xv. 2. 14. Megabyzus, a great Persian lord, was told by Appelles, that while he was silent they reverenced him for his gold and rich attire, but when he talked of what he understood not, the boys in the shop laughed at him. Plutarch de Tranquil. Ani, p. 154.