The Cure of Idlenefs. 455 ~· 29• 4• Thofe pcrfons that live in idle compa~ry ha~e fpecial c~ufe to fear this fin: For fuch will cntJnglc you in idlene/f, and greatly hinderyou from confciOnable dJll~ence. , 9· 30. S· Thofe Servant! that Jive in great mens houfes, and are kept )DOte for pomp and (ta~c than fervicc, having little to do, ihould fpeeially take heed of the fin of idlmefi. Many fuch . take tt fot their bappinefi to live idt.J:, and take that for the befi Service wher~ they have leafi w01k: But have you nothing to do for your felvu, for foul nor body ? If you have l<1furc from your Majlm femce, }'Oll Chould thankfulty·improvc it inGodJ fervice and your own. . . . . . . ~· 3•· Direcr. 3· Stttltyour fclvu in a lawful CaUinfi, ",bieh wrll k,eep you undtr • neeiflity of or- Dire{/. 3; dinary and orderly employmwt. As we cannot fo eafily bung ?ur mmds ro a dofe attendance upon God, in the Week days when we have our common bufiocifes to d1vert us, as we can do on the Lords Day which is putpofely fet apart for it, and in which we have the ufe of hi~ fiated Ordi".ances to af!ifr us; even fo a man that is out of a fl:ated courfe of labour, cannot avo~d tdlemfs [o well as he that hath his ordinary rime and comfc of bufinefs .fo keep him ftill at work. It is a dangerous life to live out of a Callin•. . ~. 32~ Dit<Cl. 4· 1al(! bud of txecfi of meat and drink and jlttp: For thefe drown the fenks, and Direfl. 4• dull the fP\rits, and load you with • burden of flefh or hu'!"""• and gteatly undtfpofe. the body to all diligent ufefullaboutS. A full Belly and drowfie Bram arc unfit for work. It wtll f«m worll, enough to fuch, to cmy the lo>d of jlcjh or flegm, which they have gathered. A pampeted body i! mote difpofcd to lujl and wantonne(s than to work. • ~ ~· 33· Direcr. 5• A man-li~ Rcfoluti,~n, il an tjfeflual eourfe agaittjl Jl•rb. Rtfolve and· ~t will be Dire{/. 5• dom. Give no1 way to a fiothful dtfpofiflon. Be up and domg: you can do tt tf you Wlil but r~~ folve: To this end, be never without Gods quickning motives (beforc~mentioncd) on your minds~ Think what a fin and fhame.ir is to wafie your Time ; to live like the dead ; to bury a rational foul in fle!h; to be a flavc to fo b>fe a thing as !1oth ; to neglect all Gods wotk while he fupporteth and maintaineth you, and looketh on; to live in floth, with fuch mifenble fouls, fo neer to judgement and Eternity. Such thoughts well fet home will make you fiit ! when a drorrjie [o~tl makes <n idle. h~ ~~ ~· 3+· Direcr. 6. 1a~' pltafurc in yo~<r ..ork, and then you will n01 be j/Y~hful in it. Your very Dire&. 6. Horfe will go he>vily where he goeth unwiUingly, and will go freely when be goeth thither where he would be. Either your work is Good or bad: If it be bad avoid it : If it be good why !hould you not uke pleafure in it ? It !hould be pleafant to do good? ,.-. . ~· 35· Dite&. 7· 1o thil tttd be furt to do all your n>orlt., M that which G,d req~<irtth of you, ;: a #nd that which · be bath promifed to re1vard; and believe hH ~cctp_ranct of y()ur me;~neft·l•buztrs which 1ft • 7• are done in obedience to bi4 will ! Is it not a delightfitl thing to ferve fo great and good a mafier, and to do that which God aecepteth and promifeth to reward >This interell of God in your lowcfi and harddl and fervilefi l.ibour, doth make it honourable, and {hould make it fweer. ~ ~· 36. Dire&. 8. Sufftr not yoNr fanci'S to run after fenfu•l vain tkligiJts; for thefe Tl'iU mak,tyou D'rt{l 8 wttJry of yourcallhtf!/· No wonder if foolijh youths be idle, whofc minds are tet upon their {portJ f ~ · ' 11or is it wonder that Jen[uttl 'Gentlemen live idly, who glut themfdv~s wid1 corrupting plt:afurcs. The idlentji of fuch fenfualills is more untxcu[abJe than other mens, bccaufe it is noi the labour. it{t/f that they are againfi, but only fircl> labour as is hone}! and profitable: fot they can bcfiow more labour in playing, or dancing, or running or.~unting or any vanity, than their work required : And it is the folly and ficknefs of their lnind1 that is the caufe, and not any difability in their bodies : The bufuft inevil, areJluthfitlleft to go,d. . ~· 37· Dire&. 9· MorriJit rht JltJI>, and ~ep ir in an obeditnl dependance on rbt foul, and you n>iU Dir.a.,. >tot be capriv•rcdby jloth. for idlmcfs is but one way of Fltfb·pleajing: He that is a fenfual Oave to his ftejh, will pleafc: it in the way that it motl ddireth ! One m1n in Fornication, and another in ambition, and another in Eafe: But he that bath ovetcome and mortified toe jlefb, hath maflmd tbil with the refi of its Concupifctnce; . ""?' 9· 38. Direcr. IO· Remtmber fliU rbat1imt i<jhort,and Death ma~Jbafte, and judgemtnt wiU be jl!!f, Direa; 10; and that aUmuJl be judged Jccordi1rg to wb::t they bat~e doHe in the body; and that your foulJ are pretioui, and Heaven UGlorioJM, and HcD if terrible, and 111orJt Jl varioHs and great, awl. hinderances ar• m<~nJ; and that it U not idlenefi, but labour that H eomfurtable in the reviews of timt; and this will powerfully expel! yout floth. 9· 39· Due&. It• Call your filvu d•ily or frtquently to aceounr bow J,OU ffitndy'ur.time, •nJ A>hai Direa. ;,, wol'l{_you do, and how yrm do ''· Suffer not one hcur or moment fo to p•fs, iS you 'annat give your Confcienccs a jufi: account of it. ~· 40· Ditecr.t2· La(lly, Warcb again}! tbt j/orhfulntfJof rhofi 1bar are under your eb"'gesarrr-tU v;..ta; t:i~ M aKai;;ftyouronm: ,.$omeperfons of honottr and greatnc[sare diligent thernfelvcs, and befiow .thtir rime for theService of God, their King and Counrrey, and their fouls and Farnili~s : .(and I would we had more fuch: ) Bur if in themean time, their Wives and ,Child.rtll and many of their S:rvants fpend mofi of t?e day. and year in idhnrfi, and they ar~ guilty of it, for want of .a through endeavour ro reform 1t, ~~e1~ burden w1l~ be found greater a,t tan than they imagined• . In a word, though the labonr ~nd d1hgence of abelieving S•iMt, and not that. of aCovetoJH lf'orldJinf,, is it that tends to Cave the foul, and diligeHec in doing evil is but a making hal\e to H.JJ .; yet floth in it felf is fo great a nouri!her of vice, and deidly .an enemy t~ all that's good l and idlenifs is fuc~ a, courfi and [warm of fin, that all your underfiandmgs, refolutton and authotity, !hou!d be ufed to cure it in your {elves and others; N nn
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