454 Who are to Watch •mojl againft Idlenep. . ~· 26. Direct. 2. Thofe ptr{onl ~nuft ht_ txtraordinary r~>atchfulagainft thi< fin of lditncfi whofe <on– jlttutions, unhappy educau.om? condt~ton oflife ~r company, domojt jfrongly ttmpt them to it. lr is a fm that fomc have but little temptation to.m compartfon of others: and Come have need of a great deal of care and rc:fo1ution r~ _cfcape it. I· T.ho~c a~c m?~ fubjetl: t? th~s fin who have: a ftegmaticJt confti~ tution, or du_imp of ffitrtts, 01 other bodtly mdtfpohtton to chenlh It : Such therefore lhould Hrive rh more: againfl it, anfnot give way to any floth which they are able to refill. Though their bodies are like a dull or tired Horfe, they mufi ufe the rod and fpur the more. Such heavy perfons arc more given alfo to flcep than oth<rs are; and yet they may rdifiit and rife early if they wiU, though thee have agreatedluggrflmefs than others to o~ercome•. So though they are more undifpofcd to labou~ than more acbve perfons.are, yet rf they wrll do theu bell they may go as far as their l!rength of bod wrll enable them. And thiS they firould the rather flnve to do (unltfs they have a difrafe that 1 . ~ . hour is hurtful to) becaufc that cu.J1ume doth much to the encrealing or dmeafing_their bodily undifp~-· ~~~-~~~'; !i~- fednefs, and .labour 1s the moll dlectual means to cure them of that fle{hly htavmefs which un~tteth dil1~tqun1them for theii labour. dama!eis ~!~~(j~,pj~~repalfe : & cum jlJe ; Q!J:am me i11 parvis reprehendis ? dicerec, refpoditft, At dt confuetuJ 0 nou;!parva rer. ·~. 27. 2 . Thofe that have been unhappilybml up inldlentji have great caufe to Rtptt 11 of their lintul life that's pall, and to>bc doubly diligent to Overcome this fin : If their Parents have fo far been their enemies, they fhould not continue enemies to themfdves: Though ufually the Children of the Rich an~ P~o•d have_this fvrrheir P.eculiar orig~nal fin, and are v~ry unhappy in their Parenr 3 ge and Education m companfon of the Ch1ldrcn of wife and humble and mduftrioiM Parents, yet their own underjla11diHg and wiUingntjf, by the help of grace may overcome ir. If your Parents had trained you up to live by ficaJing, could not you ]eaye Jt if you wiU, when you come to know that God forbiddcth it? fo though they have bred you up in idlentf/, and done rl~cir part to undo you both In foul and body, to make your foull a fly for jiu, and your bodus a si<J11[ul of di[ca[is, yet if you . , . will do your part you may be rcco,vered, at leafi as to your {rmli ; and cujfome may conquer the Ctll~m.ttolu :n fruits of c1tjiome. You ctntnot do wor[e than to go on, and fpcnd the reH of your life in fin. If ~~~/~3;e~:~~ you had beenHi\I-born or rnurdere4 i~ ~our Infancy, i~ had been noJi.n for you .r~ have lain idle in certain Play- - ~he comrnol'l Earth : But to teach a bvJffg foul to be Jdle, and to tram up the ltvmg to a Confor– t:h c:un~ be- mity to the dead, ( favc only that they tat, and ftend and fin, and cury their Ornaments on their fore .4ttlfa, backs, when the dead have theirs for a ftanding Monument,) thi-s was great cruelty and treachery '0. 1 ~ewf,hhc: · in your Parents: But you muH not therefOre be as cruel and lreachtrom againfi your felves ag11ty o t e1r • Bodies in their fll:crcifes, he l:Vi of[ndcd to fee li•ch lhlc~ 2aive bodies no better implo~d, and commlnded them to he exercifed in lht oti"g ~nd ctler miJ 1 tary ac'h :' which (when they could nut do, he (omma.11~eJ that they Otou!d have no meat but what they ' ot by hur.tmg at :~ gr.::tt d.JlbJ1ce ;md fo exercifcd them till they became ex-ceJlent Soldters. P• 35J· 9· 28. 3• Thofc that abound;,. r~>tafrh; and havt no necd 10 lab,ur for any bodily proviGons, firould be fpccially watchful againil this Gn; NeceUity is aconllant fpnrr to the poor ( except thofc that Jive upon begging, who are the fecond rank of I.Jie perfons in the Land.) But the Rich and Proud are under a continual temptation to live: idt_y. for they neednot to rife early to labour for their bread: They nml not work hard for Food or Rayment: They have not the crycs of their hungry Children to. rowze them up ; They have plenty for themfdves and family withont l•hour, and therefore they chink they may take their cafe. But it is a fad cafe wnh poor fouls, when the Commands of God do go for nothing with them : or cannot do as much to make them d1ltgent as pov~rty or wam could do; And when Gods Servict feemeth to them unworthy of their labour, itl comparifon of their own : It: ~ay be God may bring you unto a neceJ!ity of labouring for your daily bread ; if you fo ill requite him for your plenty. But it's bmer that your idleHtjJ were cured by r.race, than by nwffity: for when you labour only for your own fupplies, your own {upplitJ arc yom rtw3rd: Bm when you labour in true obedience to God, it's God that will reward you, Co/.3 .23,24• I do with very much love and honour think of the ind~tftriouslivuof fomt Lord1 and Ladiu that I koow, wh9 hate idlenefs and vanity, and fpend their time in diligmt labourJ fuitable ro their places: But it is matcer of very great !hamcand forrow, to think and fpeak of the lives of too great a number of our gallants! To how Ni r,, bonu• little pnrpofe they livt in the World ! If they take a true account of their lives (as God will make ~!tltor, pr~ .. them wifh they had done, when he calls them to account), how many hours, think you, will be found, ~~s f,:~~~~~: to have been (pent in any h.onei1Jabo~1r, or diligent work that. is _worthy. of.a Chri~ian, or.a me~ber impr<>bus, po- of the Common~wealth? m companfonof all the reO: of theu_ t1me, wh1~h IS fpenr 1n be:~, mdrefl:ng, tator ll1enuus, in ornaments, in idle talk, in playing, in eating, in idle wandermgs and VIfits, and in domg nothmg, prof~orau~ or much worfe. How much of the day doth idlentfi confume in comparifon of any profitable worl;_? dax otA<>t-or 0 that God would make fuch know in time, how dreadful a thing it is thus ro imjtate Sodom, that :ri~0~~~~:1~: was punifh.ed with the vengeance of ttern.zl fire, (Ezek. 16. 49· Jud. 7·) infiead of imirating _Chri~ .. dcinde fcabie As for ;dte btggars they read not Books, and tl;terefore I !hall not write for them : They an: m th1s ~rn.uu~ Gal~ more happy than the idleGentry, chat the Law compeUtth them to work, and leaverh them not to lt~=~,v;;c'!~~fthemfelves. :let Equitem. lirA[• . C•Uoq. P'' ·1iJ· See mort of thls eh. $. ;~nd re:~:d luk. r6. ;and ]lm. f.
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