There is great danger of
falling into foolish and sinful conversation
"...If you apply yourselves
diligently to this work, you will not want employment, when you
are at leisure from your common secular business. In this way,
you may find something in which you may profitably employ
yourselves these long winter evenings. You will find something
else to do, besides going about from house to house, spending
one hour after another in unprofitable conversation, or, at
best, to no other purpose but to amuse yourselves, to fill up
and wear away your time. And it is to be feared that very much
of the time that is spent in our winter evening visits, is spent
to a much worse purpose than that which I have now mentioned.
Solomon tells us, “That in the
multitude of words, there wanteth not sin.” (Proverbs 10:19) And
is not this verified in those who find nothing else to do for so
great a part of the winter, but to go to one another’s houses,
and spend the time in such talk as comes next, or such as any
one’s present disposition happens to suggest? Some diversion is
doubtless lawful; but for Christians to spend so much of their
time, so many long evenings, in no other conversation than that
which tends to divert and amuse, if nothing worse, is a sinful
way of spending time, and tends to poverty of soul at least, if
not to outward poverty:
“In all labor there is profit;
but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury!” (Proverbs
14:23) Besides, when persons for so much of their time have
nothing else to do but to sit, and talk, and chat in one
another’s chimney corners, there is great danger of falling into
foolish and sinful conversation, venting their corrupt
dispositions, in talking against others, expressing their
jealousies and evil surmises concerning their neighbors;
not considering what Christ hath said, “Of every idle word that
men shall speak, they shall give account
in the day of judgment. (Matthew 12:36) "
- Jonathan Edwards
