in the

endure in them: For why thould they be more careful and difigent in the work which you command them, than you work which God commandeth you? Are you the better Ma fters? or, will you find them better work? or, will you pay them better wages? I know God needeth not your fervice, as you do theirs But he commandeth it, for other ends, though he need it not. And should any be more careful to please you, that are but worms and duft, than you fhould be to please your Maker? If an idle life be beft, why do you blame it in your fervants? If it be not, why do you live fuch lives your felves?

14. By Idleness you fhew that when you do labour, it is but for your carnal felves, and that it is not God whom you ferve in your daily callings. He that will labour when he is poor, and feeleth the neceffity of it, and will give over all, and live idly, and playfully when he is rich, doth fhew that he laboureth not in obedience to God (or elfe he would continue it) but meerly to fupply his bodily wants. You have your reward then from your felves, and you cannot in reafon expect any from God. But true Believers have another rule, by which they live, Col. 3. 23, 24. Whatsoever ye do, do it beartily, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inberitance, for ye ferve the Lord Chrift.

15. Idleness is a forfeiture of your protection, and of your daily bread. God is not bound to keep you to play, and loiter, and do nothing. You have not a plenary right to your meat, if you live in wilful idleness. I fhewed you Gods Commands before. Gods Promife of profperity, is, Thou shalt eat the labour of thy bands, Pial. 128. 2. (And if many in England that have moft, fhould eat no other than the labour of their hands, it would care their fulnefs.) The diligent woman, Prov, 31.27. doth not eat the bread of idleness. And Paul maketh it a ChurchCanon, 2 Thef. 3.6. 10, 12 and commandeth and exhorteth us, in the Name of the Lord Jefus Christ, that all work with quietnefs, and eat their own bread; and that the Church withdraw themselves from every Brother that walketh diforderly; and that if any would not work, neither should be eat.

16. The idle rob themselves and others: You rob your felves of the fruit of your own labours; and you rob your Masters,

or your Families, or whomfoever you should labour for, Prov. 18.9. He that is flothful in bis work, is Brother to bim that is a great wafter, Prov. 21. 25. The defire of the fl,thful killesb bim, because bis bands refuse to labour; that is, 1. The sluggishneß of the wifher famifhetk him: And 2. The bunger or defire tormenteth him when he hath not the thing defired, Ecclef.10.18. By much floth the building decayeth ; and by idleness of the bands, the boufe droppeth through, Prov. 19.15. Slothfulness caftetb into a deep sleep; and an idle foul shall fuffer bunger. And he that provideth not for bis own (kindred and relations) but especially for thofe of his family, bash denyed the Faith, and is worse tban an Infidel, 1 Tim. 5. 8. Hath no one need of you? hath no one hired you? hath no one any right to your labours, that you are fo long idle? If none have need of you, what do you in the world?

17. The idle are drones and burdens of the Commonwealth: And the beft ordered Governments have made Law's again& them, as they did against other pernicious crimes, 2 Thef. 3.8. Paul laboured day and night, that he might not be chargeable to any. And you think because you have enough, that other men muft labour for you, but you may live idly without any blame. You live then upon the labours of others,but who livech upon yours? Yea I have known fome lazy perfons, that because they are profeffors of zeal in Religion; or because they are Minilters or Scholars, live idly in their callings, and take their cafe, and think that all others that have riches are bound to maintain them (like the Popish begging Fryers) and they fay, He is covetous that cher sheth not them in idleness; and he that giveth not to them, doth them wrong when Paul.commandeth that they should not eat: And when we ask them how they live, they fay, Upon the providence of God: And when the tenderness of people caufeth them to contribute to relieve thefe drones, they hypocritically admire the providence of God, who provideth for them, and live in idleness, and call it living upon providence.

18. Idleness depriveth you of the great delight of doing good. There is no fuch pleafure in this world, as is found in fuccefful doing good: No man knoweth it but he that tryeth it, (and that without any conceits of merit, in commutative

Juftice.)

Juftice.) To do good in Magistracy for the piety, peace and fafety of the people; to do good as Minifters, for the faving of fouls, to do good as Parents, to educate a holy feed; to do good as Phyficians, to fave mens lives, &c. It is a pleasure exceeding all voluptuoufnefs. And this the idle wilfully reject.

19. You lose all the reward of well doing at the last, and fall under the doom of the unprofitable fervant, Mat. 25. who must be caft into outer darkness. You must answer for all the talents of time, and health, and strength, and parts, to him who will judge all according to what they have done in the body: And where fhall the idle then appear?

20. Idleness will deftroy your bealth and lives: Nothing but fulness (which is its companion) doth bring fo many thoufands unfcafonably to the grave. And do you neither love your fouls, nor your lives? Are you only for your prefent cafe?

21. Idleness breedeth melancholy, and corrupteth the fantafie and mind, and so unfiteth you for all that is good. Therefore the Idle that will do no good,are fain to devise some vanity to do; fome game, or play, or drefs, or complement, &c. or else they would grow addle-brained, and a fhame and burden to themfelves. The constant labours of a lawful calling is one of the beft cures of melancholy in the world, if it be done with willingness, fuccefs and pleasure.

22.Laftly, Idleness is theNursery of a world of vices.It is the field of temptation, where Satan foweth his tares while men are fceping. When they are idle, they are at leifure for luftful thoughts; for wanton dalliance; for idle talk, for needless fports, and playes, and vifits; for gaming, and riotous feafting, drinking and excefs; for pride, and an hundred vain curiofities: Yea for contentions and mischievous defigns: Needlefs and finful things must be done, when neceffary duties are laid by.

And if they are poor, idleness prepareth them to murmure and be difcontent, and fall out, and contend with one another; to defraud others, and to fteal. Thefe and more are the natural fruits of Idleness.

But here I muft annex two Cautions.

1. That none make this a pretence for a worldly mind and life; nor think that Religion is a fruit of Idleness, nor fay

as

as Pharaoh did of the Ifraelites, when they would go facrifice to God, Te are idle, Exod. 5. 17. It is Idlenefs that maketh moft men ungodly: They are convinced that it is better to meditate on Gods Word, and call upon his Name, and give all diligence to make our calling and election fure: But they are idle, and fay, There is a Lion in the way; what a weari mafs is it? we thall never endure it As if their fouls and Heaven were not worth their labour, and as if they would go to Hell for cafe; and as if the feast of joy and glory were not worth the labour of eating or receiving it..

2. Make not this a pretence to opprefs your fervants with unmercifal labours, beyond their ftrength; or fuch as fo weary them, and take up all their time, that they have not leifure fo much as to pray. It is Gods great mercy to fervants, that he hath feparated the Lords day for a holy reft; or elfe many would have little reft, or means of boliness. Some think that others can never labour enough for them, because they pay them wages and yet that they are bound to do nothing themfelves, even becaufe God hath given them more wages and wealth than he hath given to others.

More particular Directions are as followeth,

1. Give up your felves by abfolute fubjection to God as his fervants; and then you can never reft in an idle unferviceable life.

2. Take all that you have, as Gods talents, and from his truft; and then you dare not but prepare in the use of them, for your account.acadied why to fatong at

3. Live as thofe that are certain to die, and fill uncertain of the time, and that know what an eternal weight of joy or mifery dependeth upon the fpending of your prefent time: And then you dare not live in Idlenefs. Live but as men whofe fouls are awake, to look before them into another world, and you will fay (as I have long been forced to do) O how thort are the daies! how long are the nights! how swift is time! how flow is work! how far am I behind-hand! I am afraid left my life will be finifhed before the work of life; and left my time will be done, while much of my work remaineth undone..

4. Ask

4. Ask your felves what you would be found doing if death now furprize you? and whether work or idleness will be beft in the review? to nola by

5. Try a laborious life of well-doing a while, and the ex perience will draw you on.

val bra,albi 915 6.Try your felves by a fanding refolution, and engageyour felves in neceffary business, and that in a fet and flated courie that neceffity and refolution may keep you from an idle life. 7. Forfake the company of the idle and voluptuous, and accompany the laborious and diligenters and tour salbi

5

8 Study well how to do the greatest good you can, that the worth of the work may draw you on For they that are of little ufe, for want of parts, or skill, or opportunity, are more liable to be tempted into idlenes, as thinking their work is to no purpose: when the well-furnished perfon doth long to be exercifing his wisdom and vertue in profitable well-doing. de zaichen oder 51000 518 vadi teda tɔy bas blend b

Stugand 13s Pavia CHAP. XVIII, dead and deb

How by Faith to overcome unmercifuluefs to the needy.

HE fourth fin of Sadım, and of Profperity, mentioned, Ezek. 16. 49.is, They did not strengthen the band of the poor and needy. Against which at the prefent I fhall give you but thefe brief Directions.

Dired. 1. Love God your Creator and Redeemer, and them you will love the pooreft of your Brethren for his fake. And love will cafily perfwade you to do them good.

- Direct. 2. Labour moft diligently to cure your inordinate felf-love, which maketh men care little for any but themielves, and fuch as are useful to themselves: And when once you love your neighbours as your felves, it will be as cafte to perfwade you to do good to them as to your felves, and more eafie to diffwade you from hurting them than your felves: (becaufe fenfuality tempteth you fronglier to hurt your felves, than any thing doth to burt them.)

Dired. 3. Overvalue not the things of the world; and then yon will not make a great matter of parting with them, for anothers good. I Dire&. 4. Q99 a