q. 86 The Life of Faith, 9. And hereby you ffreugthen the flefh as it isyour enemyfor the tiuse to come. When you have long tiled to pleafe it by idlenef,, it will get the vii` ory, and mil be pleafed 1h11: And then you are undone for ever, if grace do not yet cautè you to overcome it. For ifyou live after theffejh youfhzl die: but ifby the Spirit youmorti f e the deeds of the body, you (Pall live, Rom. 8.13. None arc freed from condemnation, nor are members ofChrift, but they that walknot after theflfh, but after the Spirit, Rom. 8. t. For the carnal mind it enmity again;? Gad, v. 7. ro. Idlenefs is afin much aggravatedby its continuance. A drunkard is notalwaies drunken, nor a [wearer is not alwaies fwearing, nor a thief is not al wales Healing ; but an idle perfon is almoit alwaies idle : whole hours and daies, ifnot weeks and years together. Owhat a continual courfe of tin do our richand gentile drones Hill live in ! As if they were afraid to do any thing, which whcndeath cometh,they could comfortably be found doing ! r a. And 0 what atime- rvaffing fin is Idlenefs I O precious time, how art thou- dclpifed by theft drowfie defpifers ofGod andoftheir fouls ! Owhat would thedefpairing fouls in Hell give for Come ofthat time which there Bedlams prate away, and game andplay away, and trifle and fool away, and flecp and loiter away ! And what would they give for a little of it themfclves,upon the fame terms, when it's gone, and when withing is too late ! r z. Idlenefs is a feltcontradilling fin : None are fo much afraid of dying as the idle (and I do not blame them if they knew all) and yet none more calf away their lives : They die volientarily continually : He that lofeth the ufe and benefit of life,'doth lofe his life itfelf: For what is it goodfor, but as a means to its ends? What difference between a man aile,p and dead, but only that one is more in expet`fation of ufefùlnefs when he awaketh> It is a pittiful (Ott to a man in his wits to fee the Bedlamworld afraid ofdying, and trembling at eve- ry fign of death ; and in the mean time letting as little by their lives, as if they were wor h no more, than to 1pend at cards, or disc, or Hage- playes, or drelfangs, or feelings, or Ludicrous complements. 1.3. You teach your fervants that life which yet you will )not endure
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