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their fin; fo it is not unlike that (according to Gods ordinary way of punishing) it was alfo a natural effect of their excefs.

8. It is a moft unfuitable thing to fuch great finners as we are, who have forfeited all our mercies, and are called fo loud to penitent humiliation; when we fhould turn to the Lord with all our hearts, with fafting, weeping and mourning, to be then pleafing our fleshly appetites with curiofities and excess, is a fin that God once threatned in a terrible fort, Ifa.22.12,13. Fafting is in fuch cafes a duty of Gods appointment, Joel 2.12. Luke 2. 37. 1 Cor. 7.5. Cornelius his fafting and alms deeds came up before God, Aas 10. 30. Daniel was heard upon his saft, Dan. 9. 3. Chrift fafted when he entered folemnly on his work, Matth. 4. And fome Devils would not be caft out without fafting and prayer: And is luxury fit in fuch a cafe?

9. Laftly, Remember what was faid before, that others are empty, while we are full: Thousands need all that we can fpare: And they are members of Chrift, and of the fame body with us: And fo much as we wafte on our appetite, or pride, fo much the less we have to give. And be that feetb bu Brother in need, and futtetb up his bowels of compaffion from him (when he cannot deny fuperfluities to himself) bow dwelleth the Love of God in bim! When the poor we shall have alwaies with us, that we may alwaies have exercife for our love: And he that glutteth his own flesh to the full, and giveth the poor but the leavings of his luft, if it were a thousand pound a year that he giveth, muft look for fmall reward from God, however he may do good to others.

More particular Directions may be as followeth.

Dire&. 1. Uaderftand well bow much the fl.sh in this lapf:d fate is our enemy; and how much gulofty doth ftrengthen it against us; and how much of the work of grace lyeth in refiting and overcoming it; and what need we have to ferve the Spirit, and not to be helpers of the Aeth: And the true confideration of these things may do much, Gal. 5. 17,18,19,22,23. Rom. 8. 6,7,8,9,10,13.

Direct. a. Set your felves to the work of God according to your

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feveral places, and live not idly: And then mark what helpetb or bindereth you in your work. If you play not the loitering hypocrites, but make your duties the serious bufinefs of all your lives, you will quickly find how inconfiftent a bruitish appetite, and a full bely, and a curious, coftly, and time-wafting pampering of the flesh, is with fuch a Chriftian life.

Direct. 3. Study well the life of Christ, and the example of the ancient Saints.Remember what dyet was in ufe with Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob; with the Apoftles, and holiest fervants of Chrift. And that it was Solomon the most voluptuous King of Ifrael, that was told by his Mother, that it is not for Kings to drink wine, but for them that are of a forrowfulbeart: And that the defcription of the luxurious then was riotous eaters of flesh, Prov.31.5. & 23. 20. And that it was the mark of flethly Hereticks, to feaft themselves without fear, Jude 12. And that they were deftroyed by Gods wrath, though they had their defire who murmured for want of fleth, after many years abftinence in a wilderness; and it's called, Asking meat for their luft, Pfal. 78. 18. I doubt many of our fervants now, would be difcontented, and think their bellies too hardly used, if they had no better than the milk and honey of the Land of Promife; yea or the Onions and flesh-pots of Egypt.

Dire&. 4. Think what a bafe and finish kind of fin it is, to be a flave to ones guts or appetite: And how far it is below,not only a Chriftian, but a man, and what a fhame to humane

nature.

Direa. 5. Look often to the grave, and obferve thofe skulls into which once the pleasant meats and drinks were put; and thofe jaws that were fo oft employed, in grinding for the belly: And remember how quickly this will be your cafe, and think then whether fuch a carkafs deferve fo much care, and coft, and curiofity, to the neglect and danger of an immortal foul.

Dire&. 6. Lay a conftant Law upon your appetite, and ufe it not to be pleafed without cause and benefit; but ufe it to a wholefome, but not a ful, a coftly, a curions, or a delicious food: And ufe will make intemperance to be loathfome to you, and tem

perance to be sweet.

Dire&. 7. Learn fo much reafon as to know truly what is

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most conducible to your health, both for quantity and quality; and mark what difeafes and deaths are ufually caufed by excels: It is more reasonable to be temperate for prevention of difcafes, than under the power and feeling of them; when pain and fickness force you to it, whether you will or not. If you will not obey God fo carefully as your Phyfician; yet obey the preventing counfels of your Physician, before you need his curing counsel.

Direct. 8. Neglect not the manly and the facred delights which God alloweth: I mean, the pleasures of boneft labours, and of your calling, and of reading and knowledge, of meditation and prayer, and of a well ordered foul and life, and of the certain hopes of endless glory. Live upon thele, and you will cafily (pare the flethly pleafures of a Swine.

CHAP. XVII.

How to conquer floth and idleness by the Life of Faith.

THE

"HE third fin of Sodom, and of abused Profperity, is Idleneß, Ezek, 16. 49. Concerning which I fhall first tell you the nature and figns of it, and then the evil of it; and then give you more particular Dire&ions againft it: Bat this alfo but briefly, becaufe I have done it more largely in my Chriftian Directory.

I. That you may know who are guilty of this fin,and who not, I fhall first premise these Propolitions.

1. Nothing but difability will excufe any one from the ordinary labours of a lawful calling. Riches or honours will excufe none. They are the fubjects of God, as well as others that have lefs: And he that hath moft, hath moft to use, and moft to anfwer for: To whom men commit much, of them they require the more, Luke 12. 48. & 19. 23. Greatness and wealth is fo far from excufing the forbearance of a calling, that it will not allow any one the omiffion of one hours labour and diligence in his calling. If God give the Rich more wages than others,it's unreasonable to think that therefore they may do lefs work,

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: 2. Yet when meer neceffity compelleth the poor to labour more than elfe they were obliged to do, even to the detriment of their health, or shortening of Gods Worship, the rich are not bound therefore to imitate them, and to incurr the fame inconveniencies; because they have not the fame neceffities. As in their dyet, the rich is not allowed to take any more for quantity or quality, than is truly for their good, any more than the Poor but they are not bound to live as thofe poor do, who want that either for quantity or quality, which is truly for their good, fo is it alfo in this safe of labouring.

3. The labours of every ones calling must be the ordinary business of bi life; and not a little now and then inftead of a re creation. Ifit be a mans calling, he must be confiant and laborious in it.

4. Yea no interpofed recreation or idleness is lawful, but that which either is neceffitated by disability, or that which is needfull to fit the mind or body for its work: As whetting to the

mower.

5. All mens callings tye them not conftantly to one kind of labour; but fome may be put to vary their employments every day: as poor men that live by going on errands, and doing other mens business, under feveral Mafters, feveral waics: And as many rich people whofe occafions of doing good may often

vary,

6. The rich and honourable are not bound to the fame kind of labour as the poor. A Magiftrate or Paftor is not bound to follow the Plow; nay, he is bound not to do it ordinarily, left he neglect his proper and greater work. Some mens labours are with the band, and fome mens with the bead.

7. Every man should chufe that calling which is moft agrocable to his mind and body: Some are ftrong, and fome are. weak: fome are of quick wits, and fome are dull: All should be defigned to that which they are fittest for.

8. Every one should chufe that calling (if he be fit for it) in which he may be most ferviceable to God, for the doing of the greatest good in the world: and not that in which he may have moft cafe, or wealth, or honour: God and the publick good muft be our chicfeft ends in the choice.

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9. And in the labours of our calling, the getting of riches 0002

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muft never be our principal end: But we must labour to do the moft publick good, and to please God by living in obedience

to his commands.

10. Yet every man muft defire the fuccefs of his labour; and the bleffing of God on it, and may continue his work as best tendeth to fuccefs. And though we may not labour to be rich, Prov. 23. 4. as our principal end; yet we must not be formal in our callings; nor think that God is delighted in our meer toil, to fee men fill a bottomless veffel; but we mult endeavour after the most fuccessful way, and pray for a juft profperity of our labours: and when God doth profper us with wealth, we must take it thankfully (though with fear) and ufe it to his fervice, and do all the good with it that we can, 1 Gor. 16. 2. Lay by as God bath profpered every man, Ephef. 4 28. Let bin work with his bands the thing that is good, that he may bave to give to him that needeth, Jimes 1. 9. Let the brother of low degree rejoyce'in that he is exalted.

11. The lowness of a mans calling,or baseness of his employment,' will not allow him to be negligent or weary of it, or uncom fortable in it: Seeing God must be obeyed in the loweft fervices, as well as in the highest sand will reward men according to their faithful labour, and not according to the dignity of their place: And indeed no fervice fhould-be accounted low and base, which is fincerely done for fo great and high a Master, and hath the promife of fo glorious a reward, Col. 3. 23, 24.

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12. The greater and more excellent any mans work and calling ir, bu idleness and neligence is the greater fin. It is bad in a Plow-man, orany day-labourer; but it is far wirfe in a Minifter of the Gospel, or a Magiftrate: Because they wrong many and that in the greatest things, and violate the greatest trust from God; Chrift biddeth us pray the Lord of the barvest to Labourers into bi barveft, Luke 10.27.and not proud, covetous, idle drones, that would have honour only for their wealth and titles: And he faith, that the Labourer is worthy of bis bire, but not the loiterer, Among the Elders that rule the Church, it is especially the labourers in the word and d ̧ûrine that are worthy of double honour. Dr. Hammond noteth on 1 Thef. 5. 12. that the Bishops whom they are required to know and honour, were thofe that laboured among them, and

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