chief provifion by which he fulfilleth his fleshly luft. An idle fervant thinketh that the best place, in which he shall have moft cafe and fulness. An idle Parent will caft all the burden of his ́,childrens teaching, upon the Schoolmaster and the Paftor. An idle Minifter thinketh himself beft,where he may have no more 'labour, than what tendeth to his publick applause, and when he hath the most wealth and bonour, and leaft to do, he taketh that to be the flourishing profperity of the Church. And indeed if our calling were like the fouldiers to kill men, and not liker the Surgeons to cure them, we might think it is the best time, when we have leaft employment.

But the faithful fervant will be moft thankful for that ftate of life, in which he doth molt good: And as he taketh doing good, to be the fureft way of getting and receiving; fo he taketh the good of another as his own; and anothers neceffity is his neceflity: He knoweth that he is best, who is likest unto God; and that is he that is the most abundant in love, and doing good; Like the Sun that never refteth from moving or giving. light and heat. The running fpring is pure, when the ftanding water is muddy and corrupt: The ceffation of motion quickly mortifieth the blood: He that faid as to works of charity, Benot weary of well doing; for in due time, you shall reap, if you faint not, Gal. 6.9. hath faid fo too, as to our bodily labour in our common callings in the world, 2 Thef. 3.13.

I know that a fervant may be glad of a place where he is not oppreffed with unrcasonable labour, and where he hath competent time for the learning of Gods Word: And a poor man may be glad when he is freed from neceffity of doing that which is to his hurt: But otherwise no man but a fleshly bruit will wish or contrive for a life of idlenefs.

Object. Is it not faid, Bleffed are the dead, for they reft from their labours? Rev. 14.13. Anf. True: but mark that their works follow them: And what are the works which follow you? And note, that it is not work or duty that they fhall reft from: (For they reft not crying, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, c.) But it is only their labours; that is, the painful fort of work and fuffering, proper to this finful life. The bleffed indeed are freed in Heaven from this; because they were not freed fmit on earth, as the ungodly and flothful fervant arc.

7. Laftly,

7.Laftly, Idleness is feen by the work that is undme, Pro.24.30. The Auggards Vineyard is overgrown with weeds. If your fouls be unrenewed, and your affurance of falvation, and evia dences yet to get, and few the better for you in the world, and you are yet unready for death and judgment, you give too full a proof of idleness. The diligent woman, Prov. 31. 16, &c. could thew her labours in her treasures, her Vineyard, the cloathing and provifions of her family, &c. fhew yours by the good which you have done in the world, and by the preparation of your fouls for a better world. Let every man prove bis own work, that he may have rejsycing in bimfelf alone, and not in another, Gal. 6. 3, 4. What cafe are your children in? Are they taught, or untaught? What cafe is your foul in your fruit muft judge you.

III. The mifchiefs of this Sodomitical Idleness, and the résfons against it, are (briefly) these.

1. It is contrary to the active nature of mans foul, which in activity exceedeth the fire it felf. It is as natural for a foul to be active, as for aftone or clod of earth to lie fill: And this aЯive nature animateth the paffive body, to move it, and use it in it's proper work. And fhould this heavenly fire be imprifoned in the body, which it should command and move? Pfal 104. 23. Man goeth forth to bir work and to bis labour till the evening.

2. It is contrary to the common courfe of nature. Doth the Sun fhine for you as well as for others? or doth it not? Dǝth all the frame of nature continue in its courfe (the air, the waters, the fummer and winter) for you as well as for others, or not? If not, then you take not your felves beholden to God for them: And if you have no ufe for the Sun and other creatures, you have no ufe for life: for by them you live. But if yea, then what is it that they ferve you for? Did God ever frame you fo glorious a retinuue, to attend you only to fleep, and laugh, and play, and to be idle? what, is all this for no higher an end or rather do you not by your idleness forfeit life, and all thefe helps and maintainers of your lives?

3. It is an unthankful reproach and blafphemy against the

God

God of Nature; yea and againft the Lord your Redeemer; to think that the wife Almighty God, did make fo noble a thing as a foul, and place it in fo curious an engine as the body, where fpirits, and blood, and heart, and lungs, are never idle, but in conftant motion; and that he hath appointed us fo glorious a retinue as aforefaid, and all this to do nothing with, or worse than nothing? To fleep, and rife, and dress your felves, and talk, and eat, and drink ; to tell men only that you are not dead, left they should miftake, and bury you alive? what is it but to put a fcorn on your Creator and Redeemer,to live as if he had created and redeemed you for no better and nobler ends than these?

4. You do as it were pray for death, or provoke God to take away your lives. For if they be good for nothing elfe but idlenefs, and beaftly pleasures, why should you expect to have them continued? or at least, why should he not ufe you as Nebuchadnexxar, and take away your reafen, and turn you into beasts, if the life and pleasure of a beaft be all that you defire? Could not you cat, and drink, and sleep, and play, without an intellectual foul? Cannot the birds make their nefts, and breed, and feed their young, and fit and fing, without an intelle&ual nature? Cannot a swine have his case, and meat, and luft, without reason? what should you do with reason for fuch afes ?

5. You show a stupid sensuss heart, that can live idly, and have So much so do; and have fo many fpurrs to roufe you up: To live continually in the fight of God, to have a foul fo ignorant, fo unbelieving, fo unholy, fo unfurnished of faith and love, fo unready for death, fo uncertain of falvation; nay in fuch apparent danger of damnation, and to be ftill uncertain of living one day or hour longer; and yet to live idly in fuch a cafe, as if all were well, and your work were done,and you had no more to fear or care for: O what a mad, what a dead, what a fottish kind of foul is this! to fee the graves before your eyes; to fee your neighbours carryed thither; to feel the tokens of mortality daily in your felves; to be called on and warned to prepare, and yet under this to live as if you had nothing to do, but to fhew your felves in the neateft drefs, and as a Peacock, to fpread your plumes for your felves and others to look upon,or

to

to pamper a carkass for worms and rottennefs! O what a deplorable cafe is this! The Lord pitty you, and awaken your understandings, and bring you to your wits, and you will then wonder at your own ftupidity.

6. Idleness is a fin which is contrary to Gods univerfal Law : The Law which extended to all times and places. Adam in innocency was to labour: He that had all things prepared for his fuftenance by God, was yet himself to labour: He that was Lord of all the world, and was richer than any of our proud ones whofoever, was yet to drefs and keep the garden. Cain was a tiller of land, and Abel was a keeper of cattel, when they were heirs of all the earth. Noab alfo was Lord of all the world, and richer than you, and yet he was an Husbandman. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were Princes, and yet keepers of theep and cattle: It is not a bare permiffion, but a precept of diligence in the fourth Commandment [Six daies shalt thou labour, and do all that thou haft to do.] Chrift himself did not live idly, but before his Miniftry they faid, Mark 6. 3. Is not this the Carpenter? And afterward how inceffantly was he doing good to mens bodies and fouls? And what laborious lives did his Apoftles live? See a Cor. 6.5.& 11.23. Aus 18. 3. And are you exempt from the univerfal Law?

7. Tu shew a base and fleshly mind. The nobleft natures are the most adive, and the bafeft the moft dead and dull. The earth is not bafer than the fire, in a greater degree than an idle foul is bafer than one that is active, and spendeth themselves in doing good. Methinks your Pride it felf fhould keep you from proclaiming fuch a dead and earthen difpofition.

8. Idleness is of the fame kind with fornication, gluttony, drunkenness, and other fuch beaftly fins: For all is but finful fleshpleafing, or fenfuality: The fame fleshly nature which draweth them to the one, doth draw you to the other; and they do but gratifie their flesh in one kind of vice, as you do in another. And it's pitty that Idlenefs fhould be in fo much lefs difgrace than they. And truly if you cannot deny your flesh it's cafe, I cannot fee if the temptation lay as ftrong that way, how you should deny it in any of thofe lufts; fo that you feem to be vertually fornicators, gluttons, drunkards, &c. and ready, to commit the acs.

you

9. And hereby you ftrengthen the flesh as it is your enemy for the time to come. When you have long used to please it by idleness, it will get the victory, and must be pleafed ftill: And then are undone for ever, if grace do not yet caufe you to overcome it. For if you live after the flesh you shall die: but if by the Spirit you mortifie the deeds of the body, you shall live, Rom. 8.13. None are freed from condemnation, nor are members of Chrift, but they that walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, Rom. 8. 1. For the carnal mind is enmity against God, v.7.

10. Idleness is a fin much aggravated by its continuance. A drunkard is not alwaies drunken, nor a swearer is not alwaies fwearing, nor a thief is not alwaies ftealing; but an idle perfon is almost alwaics idle: whole hours and daies, if not weeks' and years together. O what a continual courfe of fin do our rich and gentile drones ftill live in! As if they were afraid to do any thing, which whendeath cometh, they could comfortably be found doing!

.. 11. And O what a time-wafting fin is Idleness! O precious time, how art thou defpifed by thefe drowfie defpifers of God and of their fouls! O what would the defpairing fouls in Hell give for fome of that time which thefe Bedlams prate away, and game and play away, and trifle and fool away, and fleep and loiter away! And what would they give for a little of it themselves, upon the fame terms, when it's gone, and when wifhing is too late!

12. Idleness is a felf-contradicting fin: None are fo much afraid of dying as the idle (and I do not blame them if they knew all) and yet none more caft away their lives: They die voluntarily continually: He that lofeth the use and benefit of life, doth lofe his life it felf: For what is it good for, but as a means to its ends? What difference between a man afleep and dead, but only that one is more in expectation of usefulness when he awaketh? It is a pittiful fight to a man in his wits, to see the Bedlam world afraid of dying, and trembling at every fign of death; and in the mean time fetting as little by their lives, as if they were worth no more, than to spend at cards, or dice, or stage-playes, or dreflings, or feaftings, or ludicrous complements.

13. You teach your fervants that life which yet you will`nst endure