Talkativeness
Selected
Talkativeness is utterly ruinous to deep spirituality. The very life of our spirit passes out in
our speech, and hence all superfluous talk is a waste of the vital forces of the heart. In fruit growing it often happens
that excessive blossoming prevents a good crop, and often prevents fruit altogether; and by so much use the soul runs wild
in word bloom, and bears no fruit. I am not speaking of sinners, nor of legitimate testimony for Jesus, but of that incessant
talkativeness of nominally spiritual persons – of the professors of purifying grace. It is one of the greatest hindrances
to deep, solid union with God. Notice how people will tell the same thing over and over – how insignificant trifles
are magnified by a world of words; how things that should be buried are dragged out into gossip; how a worthless non-essential
is argued and disputed over; how the solemn, deep things of the Holy Spirit are rattled over in a light manner – until
one who has the real baptism of divine silence in his heart, feels he must unceremoniously tear himself away to some lonely
room or forest, where he can gather up the fragments of his mind, and rest in God.
Not only do we need cleansing from sin, but our natural human spirit needs a radical death to its
own noise and activity and worldliness.
See the evil effects of so much talk:
First, it dissipates the spiritual power. The thought and feeling of the soul are like powder and
steam – the more they are condensed the greater their power. The steam that if properly compressed would drive a train
forty miles an hour, if allowed too much expanse would not move it an inch; and so the true action of the heart, if expressed
in a few Holy Ghost selected words, will sink into the minds to remain forever, but if dissipated in any rambling conversation,
is likely to be of no profit.
Second, it is a waste of time. If the hour spent in useless conversation were spent in secret prayer
or deep reading, we would soon reach a region of soul life and divine peace beyond our present dreams.
Third, talkativeness inevitably leads to saying unwise, or unpleasant, or unprofitable things in
religious conversations we soon churn up with the cream our souls have in them, and the rest of our talk is all pale skim
milk, until we get alone with God, and feed on His green pasture until the cream arises again. The Holy Spirit warns us that
“in the multitude of words there lacketh not sin.” It is impossible for even the best of saints to talk beyond
a certain point without saying something unkind, or severe, or foolish, or erroneous. We must settle this personally. If others
are noisy and gabby, I must determine to live in constant quietness and humility of heart; I must guard my speech as for others,
I must many a time cease from conversation or withdraw from company to enter into deep communion with my precious Lord. The
cure for talkativeness must be from within: sometimes by an interior furnace of suffering that burns out the excessive effervescence
of the mind, or by an over-mastering revelation to the soul of the awful majesties of God and eternity, which puts an everlasting
hush upon the natural faculties. To walk in the Spirit we must avoid talking for talk's sake, or merely to entertain. To speak
effectively we must speak in God's appointed time and in harmony with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
