What Sloihfulnifs u moft jinful. Tit. 1. DireEliom againft Idlme/s a11d SlotiJ. y. 1 , HEre I mufl ~ew .you what Idlenefi and .S.lotiJ is, an_d ~~at ar~ rhc Sig~J ~fit:. and theb what <:.!odl give you D~reChons how to conquer 1r. Slotb hgmheth elmfly the u:difpofir:on of rh~ ~nU ldlcn:fs miudand body ; and Idlemfi f~nitleth the atiHal nrglea or omifiion of our duties. Sloth is a~ ls. averfiufi to l;:bour, tlmmgh a csma/ 'love of eafi, or indu/genct._'o t~e ficjh. This avrr{enefJ to l_abour is finful, when it is a voluJttary back._wardnefl tu tb,Jt lab~,tr whzc~ !I our dut;•: Slutb_(hewcth Jt fdr, 1 , In lleeping u1 fi'om our duty, and caufi.ng us to deby 1t, or orn1t Jt ; and 2-lnm~~mg us to d0 tt jlowly and by the halvCJ: And both thefe cifccts are calkd Idlmeji, which is the omtffi"" or negligent performance of our dutiu through a fieJb.·p:eafirtg bac~rvardnefs to labJ~tr. . . . .. . 9· r. By this you may fee, I· That Jt lS notjloth or finful Idtentf! to om1t a labour wh1ch we are \t{::n H it unable to perform : As tOr che jicft, and aged, and wc~k to be avert~ to labour through rhe power net. of an wtrefijliblt di{tafe or wtaknefi •. Or when N11ture IS already weaned by as much labot.1r as 1t ca.n bear. 2 Or when Reafon allowech and requireth us to forbear our ufual Libour for our he:dth, or for fome other fufficient caufe. 3· Or when we are unwillingly rdlrained and hindered by others: as by imprifonmenr, or denya1 ot opportunity : as if the MagiHrau; forcibly hinder a Preacher, or Phyficion, or L'lwyer from that which othcrwife he fhould do. 4· Or if a miflake or finful error only -keep a man from his labour, it js (iJ fin. but not tbU fin of jl1th: So alfo if any fenfual vice o'r plca(ure bdides this love of cafe take him otf. 5-If it be a backwardnefs only to fuch labour as is 110 dut)' to Uf, it is but a NalurJl and not a vitiuuJ jl1tb. But Vvluma'J aver[emjf to tbe labour of our d"'Y tbtallgh indulgence of f/cjhly e'!fe, is rhe finful f/oth or Lazim]1 ~hich we fpeak of. , ~· 3· SloJIJ ·and Idlmrfs thus dtCcr1bed ts a fin m all : but a far greater (m m fome th~n m others. The :~gguv...:. And you may thus know what j111th it is thar is the mofi (inful. 1. The mnre florh is jitbjctred in om ol Jt. • the mind it ftlf, .and th~ 1cfs it is fubjeded in the Body, the g~eate~ is the {in. 1-'or the ,;1~nd is r.he ~'0~:: ~::~o~ nobler part, ~nd lmmcdtate f~at flf fin. 2· ~he finallcr·the ~odzly r:lijltmpertor temptation! are ~hJCh Is , 1ui fc:Ct:nur frduce the mmd, the greater lts the fin : For H OH:ws the mmd to be the more conupted and tamted otium, omm.. with the difcafe of fluth. He that is under an unrefifliblt indi[pojilion of borly, tinneth not at all ( un- buS :'l~cuf:t~e . lefs as he voluntarily. cont!a~ed that' d!feafe) .: ·But if the borlits indi[pofition to l~bour. be grt.J! , ~~~~~~~~~~~but yet not tmtrjijizb!e, tt IS a fin to y1eld to tt: butfo much the fmaUtr fin ( c~tttr~ panbUf) as the lt< L:zat.in bodily eli{cofe is greater. He that hath fotne fcorbmic.Jl l:~ffiwde, orfiegmatic~ heavine[I and dr,/ncji, Sol. doth fin if he tlrivc not- againfi it as muCh as he can, and as in reaton he 01ould : Iris not evny Num folun~ bodily i11di[pojition !hat will cxcufe a man from all labour; as long as he is able to labour non\•irh· ~qua~ ~Juno Aanding that difeafe: But if the di[eafe be _tr,rtat, fo that he refilled1 his la!Etude with a gre:1t deal ~~~~~~~: ? ~~~n· ofhbour, the fin is the lcfs : But he that hath a body found and able, that hath no di[elljt to indifpofe ne& b lio him, finneth moft of atl if he be j/Jthful, as Chewing the moll corrupted mind. 3. He is moll: fin- & ~igo ~ f~tlly jll)thful who is moll volUntarily jlotbful. As he that tJtdeavonrtth leafl: againH it ; and he that on~:11a fac~o moH loveth it, and would not lea\re it: and ~e that is leaf\: troubled_ at it, and lea/1 repente!:h and ~;~f~f;p~~ n lamenteth it, and contriveth to accommodate h1_s floth. 4• The lloth IS ( c.ttel'is p.zribu.r) the worH, they a,hJ which mojl pnvailetb to the dffiiffion or negligent pertormancc of our duty : Bur ·that ftoth which hint why he doth but iudijpofe us, but is f'O far conqueredby our refifiance, as not to keep us from 011 r duty, woul~ \lraw or not mucb and ofien, is the frnalkr tin. 5· Thais rhe moll finfu1 floth ( c.£ttriJ pal'ibJM) which water. is aga1nfi: the grearrjt dutiu: ~6 be backward to the mofl holy duties (as praying, and hearing, or reading the word of God, eo..c.) or to dttties of publick confequencc, is a greater fin rhan to be laZily backward to a common toilfome work. 6,' That is the mof\ finful Jlotb and idlmrji,which is committed againfi th~ gre.Jteft molivts to labour. and diligence : Therefore ( in that rtfpect) a poor manJ floth is more hnful than a ric!J mam, becaufe he is under rhe prdfure of Ntceffity: And in .. another rejfclJ the rich mans Cloth is worn, becanfe he burycth the greatefi Talents, and is idle wheri he bath the greatell Wllgu. A man that hath many children linncth more than another by his idlme[r becauf" he wrongeth them all whom he mufi provide for: A Magifiratc or PJflor of the Church, cloth fin more incomparlbly than common people, if they be fiothful ; becaufe they betray the fouls of men, Qr fin againtl: rhe good ofmany: As it is a greater fin to be lazy in quenching a tire in {he:: City, than in a common n~edlefs butindS: 10 it is a greater tin to be fiothful in the workjug om our falv.J– tion, andm.zkjng our caVing and eltliion Jure, when God, and CIJrijl, and Heaven, and Hell are the mo– tivu to row1e us up to duty, a~.d when the time is fojhort, in whid1 all our work for eterniry muff be done, I fay, it is a far greater fin, than to be fiothful when only corporal w.Jift.r or benefit~ are the motives which we refift. Yet indeed the wili of God is rdifi:cd in all> who fOJbiddc:th us to be Jlothful i• bufincf!, Rom. 12· 11. , ~· 4• SltXIJ is a thing that is eafily difcerned : The figns of it are, r. When the very tbJu~zht of !he Gg1~ of lahour is troublefome and unpleafing, and rafi feems [weft. 2. When duty ts om1Ut:d hereby aud Jeft Sloth. und~ne. 3· W~en the ea~c parr of duty.is culled ?ut, and the hatder part is C1ll afide. 4 . When the ;udA'cment- wtll not bel1eve, that labouous duty IS a duty at all. 5· When that which ycu do is done with an ilJ will, and wirh a confl~nt weni~c:fs of mind, an.d there .is no alacriry or plcafpr; In your w~rk. 6. When you do no more 1.n m~ch t.u~e, t.han yo~ m1ght do m lefs, if you had a willing ready mmd. 7· When the backward mmd IS fh1ftmg 1t offwuh excufes, or tlndiOg fornc:rhing elfe to do, or at lcall delaying it. S. When you choofe a condition of &rearer i:afe and fmalkr labrur, befo1c
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