·188 ~gainll thofe Thieves that would break your houfe, and rob you by the high-way. Thofe perfons that would tempt you to thelofs of Time, are robe taken as your enemies; and avoided. 1Oull here recite the names of ~hefe ~hieves, and Tirne.waficrs, that you may d.etell them, and fave your 1ime and [<mls from thm deceits. . · Tit. 4. The Thiel!es or Time,wafters to be watclfit!!y al!oided. 'Ihitf 1o ~· 50. 1h. 1. oNe of the greateft1ime-wafting fins is idlmeji, or JTuth. The fiothftrl fee their Time pafs away, and their work undone, and can hear of the neceffity of Redeeming it, and yet they have not beans fO fiir : when they are convinced that duty mult be done, they are flill delaying, and putting it otf from day to day, and faying llill, I will do it to p1orrow or hereafter. 1'tJ morrow is llill the flugg3rds workini? dl.y; and to day is his idle: day. Hefpendeth his Time in fruitlefs willies: He lyeth in bed, or fitteth idly, and .,.;1/mh, Would this were labouring: He feafleth his flefh, .andwifheth that this were failing : He followerh his flll'rrs and pleafures, and wijhtth that this were prayer, and a mortified life. He lets·his heart run after lull, o: pride, or Coveroufnefs, and wilbeth that this were heavenly mindednefs, and a laying up ;J treafure above. Thus the foul of the JT•ggard tkjimb and.bath nothing: bstt the foul of the diligent jhaU be made fat, PrQv. •3· 4· Prov. 21. 25. '1he difire of the flotbful kJUttb him; for his handt rcfoft to labour. Eve1y little oppolition or difficulty will put him by a duty: Prov. zo. 4· 'fhe jluggard rJJiU not plo'R' by rea[o1t of the celd: thtrefore fhalt he beg in barve/f, and have nothing: Prov. 22· 13• The flotbful man faith, 1'htre if a Lyo11 without : I foflU be flain in the ftreets. Prov. 26. • 4, I 5, 16. As tht door turnetb upon his bindget, fo dotb the JTothjitl upon hi< bed: 'Ihe jlotbful bidetb bi1 hand in hi1 brfom : it grievttb him to bring it agaiH· to hir moutb. And at lafi: his floth depraves his Reafon, aud bribeth it to plead the caufe of his neglig•nce: 1he j/uggard;, wifir in his Orl'lt conceit, tbaJt foven men that can render a rea[on : Time will flide on, and duty will be undone, and your fouls undone, jf impious flothfulnefs be predominant. Prov. I 5· Ip. 1he way of the jlotbful man ir as a hedge of ihorns ; but the way of the righteous ir made plain. You feem flill to go through fa mlny difficulties, that you wilt never make a fuccefsful journey of it. Yea, when he is in dut;•, the fl'tbfttl is J\tlllofing Time. He prayeth as if. he prayed not, and laboureth as if he laboured not ; as if the fruit of holinds pal\. away, as hallily as worldly pleafures. He is as flow as a Snail ; and rids fa little ground , and doth fo little work, and fO poorly Ieftficth oppofition, that he makes litde of ir, and all is but next to fitting llill and doing no– thing. It is a fad thing that men ll10uld not only lofe their time, in _finful pleafures; but they mull: lofe it alfo in reading, and hearing, and praying, by doing all m a heartlefs drowfinefs ! Thus he alfv that U jlotbjid in bu worft is ~rotber to hi~ that i1 a grt.JI waftir, Prov. 1 8. 9 • If be btgin in tbe Spirit, and for a Spurt. feem to be m earnell, , he flags , and tiret~, and cndcth in the jlcjb : Proverbs 12· 27· 1he flotbfut rofteth not tb&t which be took._ in hum– ing : but the fubjbnce of a diligent mau is pn::ci(IUJ. If he fee and confefs a vice , he harh not a be:Jrt w rife againU it , and rcfolutely refill it, and ufe the means by which it rnuft · be overcome. Prov. '4· 30, 3 J, 32>33, 3+· I went by tbe field of the JTothf•l, and by the Vineyard of the man void of 1mderjfanding; and lo it was aU grown over with 1horns, Glnd NettltJ b.;d covered the face thereof, and the jlo!'e waU thereof':'"' broken down. 1hen I Jaw ~nd eonfid~red it weU, I lookJd •p– oJt it and rccav.:d mjfructz.on. Yet a lz.ttle fleep, a Lzttle jlumbcr, a Jmle foldmg of the hands to jlrep. Sojhall thy poverty come asoHc that traveUcth, anJ thy want as an armed man. Shake off then this unmanly tluggitlmefs : Remember that you run for the immortal Crown : and therefore fee that you loft: no time, and look not at the things that are behind ; that is, do not caftan eyr, or lend an ear Phil.J-II,12'tb any perfonorthingthatwouldcall you back or flop you: Heaven is before you, Judg.I8. 9 • 1 3' 1 'h 'S· JP'e have fcen the Land, and behold it i1 1.:ery good: and are ye ftill} be notJlothful to go and to enter, and pojfe[s the Land, ( as the tive Danite Spies fa id to their br~thren ). Abhor a fluggith habit of mind: Go chterlully about what you have to do: and do 1t d1hgently and rrtth your might: Even about your lawful worldly buiinefs, it. is a Time-walling fi.n to be flothful: lf you are {ervants or labourers you rob your Maftcrs and thofc that hire you ; who hired you to work and not robe idle. \Vhatever you are, you rob God of your fervice, and your [elves of your precivus Time, and all that you might &t therein. h,s they that are lazie in their Cal.'ing1, that can tind no Time for holy du– tier: Ply )'OUr bufinefs the rdl of the day, and you may the better redeem fome time for prayer and teading Scripture. \Vork hard on the Week dayes, and you may the better fpencl the Lords day en– tirely tor your fouls. Idle perfons ( fervants or others) do call themfelves behind hand in their work, and then fay they have no rime to pray or read the Scripture : Sloth robbeth multitudes of a great part of thc:ir lives: Prov. 19. 1 5· Slothfulmfs c.tjleth into a deep jlrrp: and an idle {o~tljha!l Juffcr hu11ger. You cannot fay, No ma;~ hatb hirul yozt, when yOll are askt, Jf/hy fta#d yvu idle, Matth. 20. 3, 6. Sec how fl1arply Pa1tl rcproveth idlemfl, 2 ThctT. 3· dctetmining that thry that will 110 t wor~ jhould n.•t eat; and that they be avoided as unfit for Cfuiltian fccicty: And I Tim. 5· I3· he fharply nbuk1.tl1 foQ'lc Womw that learn to be idtc, w:mdri;;g ahoHt fr~m bo~fe to /Jgufl. Aud· · Rom.
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