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that know him; it can hardly have a good Word in all the End of the Town where

he dwells through him. Thus, say the The Proverb common People that know him, * A Saint that goes of abroad, and a Devil at home. His poor Family finds it fo, he is fuch a Churl, fuch a Railer at, and so unreasonable with his Servants, that they neither know how to do for, or fpeak to him, Men that have any Dealings with him, + It is better to deal with a Turk than with him, for fairer Dealing they fhall have at their Hands. This Talkative (if it be poffible) will go beyond them, defraud, beguile, and over-reach them. Befides, he brings up his Sons to follow his Steps; and if he finds in any of them a foolish Timroufness, (for fo he calls the firft Appearance of a tender Confcience) he calls them Fools and Blockheads, and by no Means will employ them in much, or fpeak to their Commendations before 'others. For my Part, I am of Opinion, that he has, by his wicked Life, caufed many to stumble and fall; and will be, if God prevents not, the Ruin of many more.

Faith. Well, my Brother, I am bound to believe you; not only because you fay you know him, but also because, like a Christian, you make your Reports of Men. For I cannot think that you fpeak these Things of Ill-will, but because it is even so as you fay.

Chr. Had I known him no more than you, I might perhaps have thought of him as at the firft you did: Yea, had he received this Report at their Hands only,

that

that are Enemies to Religion, I fhould have thought it had been a Slander. (A Lot that often falls from bad Mens' Mouths upon good Mens' Names and Profeffions:) But all these Things, yea, and a great many more as bad, of my own Knowledge, I can prove him guilty of. Besides, good Men are afhamed of him; they can neither call him Brother nor Friend: The very naming of him among them, makes them blufh, if they know him.

Faith. Well, I fee that Saying and Doing are two Things, and hereafter I fhall better observe this Diftinction.

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Chr. They are two Things indeed, and are as diverfe as are the Soul and the Body; for as the Body without the Soul is but a dead Carcafs, fo Saying, if it The Carcas be alone, is but a dead Carcafs alfo. The of Religion. Soul of Religion is the practic Part: Pure James 1. 27. Religion, and undefiled, before God and the Sce Ver. 2, 3, Father, is this, To vifit the Fatherless and 24, 25, 26. Widows in their Affilion, and to keep himSelf unspotted from the World. This Talkative is not aware of; he thinks that Hearing and Saying will make a good Chriftian; and thus he deceiveth his own Soul. Hearing is but as the Sowing of the Seed; Talking is not fufficient to prove that Fruit is indeed in the Heart and Life; and let us affure ourselves, that at the Day of Doom, Men fhall be judged See Matt. 13. according to their Fruit: It will not be 23. faid then, Did you believe? But were you Doers or Talkers only? And accordingly fhall they be judged. The End of the World is compared to our Harvest; and H

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Lev. 11. Deut. 14. * Faithful convinced of

Talkative.

you know Men at Harvest regard nothing but Fruit. Not that any Thing can be accepted, that is not of Faith, but I fpeak this to fhew you how infignificant the Profeffion of Talkative will be at that Day.

Faith. This brings to my Mind that of Mofes, by which he defçribed the Beast that is clean. *He is fuch an one that parteth the Hoof, and cheweth the Cud; the Badnes of not that parteth the Hoof only, or that cheweth the Cud only. The Hare cheweth the Cud, but yet is unclean, because he parteth not the Hoof. And this truly refembleth Talkative; he cheweth the Cud, he feeketh Knowledge, he cheweth upon the Word; but he devideth not the Hoof, he parteth not with the Way of Sinners; but as the Hare, he retaineth the Foot of a Dog or Bear, and therefore he is unclean.

7.

Chr. You have fpoken, for ought I know, the true Gospel Sense of those 1 Cor. 13. 1, Texts. And I will add another Thing: 2, 3. ch. 14. Paul calleth fome Men, yea, and those great Talkers too, Sounding Brass, and +Talkative Tinkling Cymbals; that is, as he expounds like to Things them in another Place, Things without Life, that found giving Sound. Things without Life, that is, without Life. without the true Faith and Grace of the

Gofpel; and confequently, Things that

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fhall never be placed in the Kingdom of Heaven among thofe that are the Children of Life: Though their Sound, by their Talk, be as it were the Tongue or Voice of an Angel,

Faith. Well, I was not fo fond of his Company at first, but I am as fick of it now. What fhall we do to be rid of him?

Chr. Take my Advice, and do as I bid you, and you fhall find that he will foon be fick of your Company too, except God fhall touch his Heart and turn it.

Faith. What would you have me to do?

Chr. Why go to him, and enter into fome ferious Difcourfe about the Power of Religion; and ask him plainly, (when he has approved of it, for that he will) whether this Thing be fet up in his Heart, House, or Conversation.

Faith. Then Faithful ftept forward again, and said to Talkative, Come, what Cheer? How is it now?

Talk. Thank you; well, I thought we fhould have had a great deal of Talk by this Time.

Faith. Well, if you will, we will fall to it now; and fince you left it with me to state the Question, let it be this: How doth the Saving Grace of God discover itself, when it is in the Heart of Man?

Talk. I perceive then that our Talk must be about the Power of Things: Well, tTalkative's it is a very good Question, and I fhall be falfe Discovewilling to answer you. And take my ry of a Work Answer in brief, thus: First, Where the of Grace. Grace of God is in the Heart, it causeth there a great Outcry against Sin. Secondly,

Faith. Nay, hold, let us confider of one at once: I think you fhould rather fay,

+ The Crying out against Sin, no Sign of Grace,

It fhews itfelf, by inclining the Soul to abhor it's Sin.

Talk. Why, What Difference is there between crying out against, and abhorring

of Sin?

Faith. Oh! a great deal: + A Man may cry out against Sin, of Policy, but he cannot abhor it but by Virtue of a godly Antipathy against it: I have heard many cry out against Sin in the Pulpit, who yet can abide it well enough in the Heart, Gen. 39. 15. Houfe, and Converfation. Jofeph's Mi

Great

ftrefs cried out with a loud Voice, as if fhe had been very holy; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed Uncleannefs with him. Some cry out against Sin, even as a Mother cries out againg her Child in her Lap, when fhe calleth it Slut and naughty Girl, and then falls to hugging and kifling it.

Talk. You lie at the Catch, 1 perceive, Faith. No, not I, I am only for fetting Things right. But what is the fecond Thing whereby you would prove a Discovery of a Work of Grace in the Heart?

Talk. Great Knowledge of Gofpel Myfteries.

Faith. This Sign should have been first; but firft or laft, it is also false; for Knowledge, great Knowledge, may be Knowledge no obtained in the Myfteries of the Gospel, Sign of Grace. and yet no Work of Grace in the Soul. Yea, if a Man have all Knowledge, he may yet be nothing, and fo confequently be no Child of God. When Chrift

Cor. 13.

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