388 neWisj^ouof GOD Part IL 



needs a Bridle, you will readily grant, if you read 

 what .the Apoftle St. James hath written of it. 

 Chap. iii. 6. The Tongue is a fire ^ a world of Ini- 

 quity : fo is the Tongue among our Members^ that it 

 defileth the whole Body, andjetteth on fire the courfe 

 of Nature^ and is fet on fire of Hell, For every 

 KindofBeaftSy and of Birds ^ and of Serpent Sy and 

 of things in the Sea^ is tamedy and hath been tamed 

 of Mankind \ but the Tongue can no Man tame^ it 

 is an unruly Evil, full of deadly Poifon, For the 

 better Government of the Tongue, I fhall note 

 fome Vices of Speech which muft carefully be 

 avoided ; firft of all. Loquacity or Garrulity, this 

 the Contrivance of our Mouths fuggefts to us; 

 our Tongues are fenced and guarded with a dou- 

 ble Wall or Mound of Lips and Teeth, that our 

 Words might not rafhly and unadvifedly flip out j 

 then Nature hath furnifh'd us with two Ears and 

 but one Tongue, to intimate that we mufl hear 

 twice fo much as we fpeak. Why Loquacity is to 

 be avoided the wife Man gives us a fufficient 

 Reafon, Prov, x. 19. In the multitude of words 

 there waiiteth not Sin, And, Ecclef. v. 7. In many 

 words there are divers vanities. To which we 

 may add another, of great Force with moft Men, 

 viz, that it hath been always efteem^d an EfFed: 

 and Argument of Folly, Ecclef, v. 3. yf FooPs 

 Voice is hiown by multitude of Words, And on the 

 contrary, to be of few Words is a Sign of Wif- 

 dom ; and he that is wife enough to be filent, tho' 

 a Fool, may pafs undifcover'd j befides all this, 



a talkative 



