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FAITHFUL BEGUILED BY TALKATIVE.

but ignorantly live in the works of the law, by the which a man can by no means obtain the kingdom of heaven.

FAITH. But, by your leave, heavenly knowledge of these is the gift of God; no man attaineth to them by human industry, or only by the talk of them.

TALK. All that I know very well: for a man can re. ceive nothing except it be given him from heaven; all is of grace, not of works: I could give you an hundred scriptures for the confirmation of this.

Well then, said Faithful, what is that one thing that we shall at this time found our discourse upon ?

TALK. What you will: I will talk of things heavenly or things earthly; things moral or things evangelical; things sacred or things profane; things past or things to come; things foreign or things at home; things more essential or things circumstantial; provided that all be done to our profit.

Now did Faithful begin to wonder; and stepping to Christian (for he walked all this while by himself) he said to him, but softly, What a brave companion have we got! surely this man will make a very excellent pilgrim.

At this Christian modestly smiled, and said, This man, with whom you are so taken, will beguile with this tongue of his twenty of them who know him

not.

FAITH. Do you know him then?

CHR. Know him? yes, better that he knows himself.

FAITH. Pray what is he?

CHR. His name is Talkative; he dwelleth in our town; I wonder that you should be a stranger to him; only I consider that our town is large.

FAITH. Whose son is he? and whereabouts doth he dwell?

CHR. He is the son of one Say-well, he dwelt in Prating-row; and is known, of all that are acquainted

CHRISTIAN KNOWS AND EXPOSES HIM..

143

with him, by the name of Talkative in Prating-row; and, notwithstanding his fine tongue, he is but a sorry fellow.*

FAITH. Well, he seems to be a very pretty man.

CHR. That is, to them that have not a thorough acquaintance with him; for he is best abroad, near home he is ugly enough: your saying, that he is a pretty man, brings to my mind what I have observed in the work of the painter, whose pictures show best at a distance, but very near more unpleasing.

FAITH. I am ready to think you do but jest, because you smiled.

CHR. God forbid that I should jest (though I smiled) in this matter, or that I should accuse any falsely.I will give you a further discovery of him: this man is for any company, and for any talk; as he talketh now with you, so will he talk when he is on the ale-bench; and the more drink he hath in his crown, the more of these things he hath in his mouth: religion hath no place in his heart, or house, or conversation; all he hath lieth in his tongue, and his religion is to make a noise therewith.f

FAITH. Say you so? then I am in this man greatly deceived.

CHR. Deceived! you may be sure of it: remember the proverb, "They say, and do not:" but "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."(a) He talketh of prayer, of repentance, of faith, and of the new-birth; but he knows but only to talk of

Are we not forbid to speak evil of any man? Titus iii. 2. Is not Christian guilty of this No; for where the glory of God, and honour of the gospel is at stake, and there is danger of a brother's being deceived by a mere talkative, loose, wicked professor, here it is right, and the nature of things require it, that we should detect and expose such in a becoming spirit.

† Such professors there are now, as there always were. The blessed cause is wounded by them, and the most glorious truths through them are brought into contempt. There is more hurt to be got by them, than from the utterly ignorant and profane. Shun and avoid such.

(a) Matt. xxiii. S. 1 Cor. iv. 20.

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TALKATIVE'S TRUE CHARACTER.

them. I have been in his family, and have observed him both at home and abroad; and I know what I say of him is the truth. His house is as empty of religion as the white of an egg is of savour. There is

there neither prayer, nor sign of repentance for sin; yea, the brute, in his kind serves God far better than he. He is the very stain, reproach, and shame, of religion, to all that know him:(a) it can hardly have a good vord in all that end of the town where he dwells, through him. Thus say the common people that know him-" A saint abroad, and a devil at home." His poor family finds it so he is such a churl, such a railer at, and so unreasonable with his servants, that they neither know how to do for, or speak to him. Men that have any dealings with him say it is better to deal with a Turk than with him; for fairer dealings they shall have at his hands. This Talkative, if it be possible, will go beyond them, defraud, beguile, and over-reach them. Besides, he brings up his sons to follow his steps; and if he finds in any of them a "foolish timorousness," (for so he calls the first appearance of a tender conscience,) he calls them fools and blockheads, and by no means will employ them in much, or speak to their commendations before others. For my part, I am of opinion that he has by his wicked life caused 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 say you know him, but al

* Read this and tremble, ye whose profession lies only on your tongue, but who never experienced the love and grace of Christ in your souls. O how do you trifle with the grace of God, and with the holy word of truth! O what an awful account have you to give hereafter to a holy, heart-searching God! Ye true pilgrims of Jesus, read this, and give glory to your Lord, for saving you from resting in barren notions, and taking up with taiking of truths; and that he has given you to know the truth in its power, to embrace it in your heart, and to live and walk under its sanctifying influences.. Who made you to differ?

(a) Rom. ii. 23, 24.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAYING AND DOING. 145

so because like a Christian you make your reports of men. For I cannot think that you speak those things of ill-will, but because it is even so as you say.

CHR. Had I known him no more than you, I might perhaps have thought of him as at the first you did: yea, had he received this report at their hands only, that are enemies to religion, I should have thought it had been a slander, (a lot that often falls from bad men's mouths, upon good men's names and professions :) 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 ashamed of him; they can neither call him brother nor friend: the very naming of him among them, makes them blush, if they know him.

FAITH. Well, I see that saying and doing are two things, and hereafter I shall better observe this distinction.

CHR. They are two things indeed, and are as diverse as are the soul and the body; for, as the body without the soul is but a dead carcase, so saying, if it be alone, is but a dead carcase also. The soul of religion is the practic part: "pure religion and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."(a) This Talkative is not aware of: he thinks that hearing and saying will make a good Christian; and thus he deceiveth his own soul. Hearing is but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient to prove that fruit is indeed in the heart and life: and let us assure ourselves that at the day of doom men shall be judged according to their fruits;(6) it will not be said then, "Did you believe?" but, "Were you doers, or talkers only ?* and accord

Though sinners are redeemed, and their sins washed away by the blood of Christ though by faith they are fully justified, though the gift of God is (a) James i. 22-27 (b) Matt. xiii. 23.

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MERE TALKERS, UNCLEAN.

ingly shall they be judged. The end of the world is compared to our harvest; and you know men at harvest regard nothing but fruit. Not that any thing can be accepted that is not of faith; but I speak this to show you how insignificant the profession of Talkative will be at that day.

FAITH. This brings to my mind that of Moses, by which he described the beast that is clean :(a)--he is such an one that parteth the hoof, and cheweth the cud; 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 resembleth Talkative; he cheweth the cud, he seeketh knowledge! he cheweth upon the word; but he divideth 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.

CHR. You have spoken, for aught I know, the true gospel sense of those texts. And I will add another thing: Paul calleth some men, yea, and those great talkers too, "sounding brass and tinkling cymbals ;" that is, as he expounds them in another place, "things without life giving sound."(b) Things without life;" that is, without the true faith and grace of the gospel; and consequently things that shall never be placed in the kingdom of heaven among those 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 so fond of his company at first, but am as sick of it now. What shall we do to

be rid of him?

eternal life, through Jesus Christ: yet none are partakers of these invaluable blessings, but those who have living faith in Christ. And this faith, which is the gift of God, manifests itself by its obedience to the will of God, and in bringing forth fruits to the glory of God. Therefore, let no one deceive himself for faith without works is dead, and a dead faith never begets living hope upon a risen Saviour: nor will it avail, when he shall appear as the Judge.

(a) Lev. xi. Deut. xiv.

(b) Cor. xiii. 1—3. xiv. 7.