EPI S'T.IX. A fr.ll buc give : whereas idlwcllc neith<r gets nor [Jvcs_; nothiog is either more ftui:ldfe ofgood, or more fruitful! of cvi\1; _for we doe tll whil<s we doe nothing, and 1 ,fe whiles we gaine not. Thdluggard ts fenfclelle; and fo much more dcfper~te, beCluf< he cannot compl rinO': but(t"hough he fede it not) nothini! ismore pre. cious then time, orthJt !hall abiJe'a recl.ning more flriCl and fearefull: yea this is the mea[ure of all our all ions, which ifir were not abufed,our accounts could not be but even with God: [, Go<l <'fleem.s it (what ever our price be) that he plagues the lolleuf a fi1ort time,with a revenge beyond all times. H6utes have win~s, and every moment flie up to the Au:hor<>ftime, and carry newes o_four ufage-; All our prayers cannot in:reat one of them e1therto rerurne, or fhckcn Ius pJCe: the mtf.fpenceofc. very minute is a new record again{\ us in heaven. Sure, if we thought thus, we would 13 dilmiffe them with ber_rer rrports, and not fufferthem ctther to goe away empty, or "!Jden with dangerous mtclhgence: how happy IS tt that every houre fi10uld convey up not oncly the mcfiage,bmthe frui" ofgood, and flay with the Anci'nt ofday eo, to fpeakc for us before his glorious throne ~ Know this, and I Gull take no care for your pJin<S, nor you for paflime. None ofour profitablelabours fi1all be tranfient; buteven when we have forgotten them, lb:ll welcome us into Joy : we think we have kftthem behiudcus; but they arcforwardcrthen our foulcs, and expeCl us where we fi1ould be. And if there were no crowne for thefe toilcs,yct without future rc~><:ds there is a tedioufneffe in doing norhing. To man cfpecially, motion is naturall:there is neither mind,nor eye,nor joyntwhich moveth not:lndascompany makes a way 010rt, hourcs ncvergoc away fo merrily, as in the fdlowlbipofworke. How c did that induflriousHeathen draw out water by night, and knowledge by day, and thouoht both !hortjever labouring,only that he might hbour ~ Ccrtainely ifidlcnes wcr/cnaCled by authority,there would not want fomc,which would paytheir mull!, that they might worke: and thofc fpirits arc-likefl·to heaven, which move alwayes, and the frecfl from thofc corruptions which are incident to nature. The running flreame clenfeth it fdfe, whereas {landingponds breed weeds, and mud, Th<fc medications mull hearten us to that we mall do·~: whiles we are chccrefull, our llhours "fillll flrive whethcr to yecld us more comfott, or others more profir, To Sir J oa N H A R R I N <f T o N. 0 EPr s T. IX. Difcuflingrhisqu,fiion: ·whtther A manandwiftaftrr {'mt ]tarts m11tuaU & IM~ing {ruiti111 ~Jtach lthu,may upon (O~flnt ,whtthtrfor ftcu!tJr ,or rtligiota ct~u(ts )VQJV Andptrfirmt a ptrpttuaO {tp'1Aiiln from eacb others hed,.nd•bfoluuly renounce •/1 rarnaO knowltdgt ofuthoth'Tfor evtr. I Wifi1 nor my fclfe any other advocate, noryou any oth<r adverfary, then S. Paul, who never gave (I fpeakc boldly) a direct precept, ifnot in this : his exprctfe , charge whereupon I infifled, is, Dofraud not one another, except with confem ' for a time,that you may give your [elves tofalling and prayer ; and then againecome together, tlmSatantempt you not fm yoor ioconriacncie. Every word, (if you I " eigh it wdl) oppofcs your part, and pleads for mine. By confent of all D ivines, ancient and modernc [ d_cfrauding] is refraining fro~ mat~imoniall converfation: E fee what a word the Spmt ofGod hath chofcn for tbts abfltoencc; never but taken · in ill part. But there is no fraud in confeot, as ChryfofiDmt,Athan".ftus,Thtophylac1 eg. pound ir: true; therefore S. Paol addcs(unleffe with confent) that I may omit to'fay, that in fJying (unleffc with confenr) he implies, both that there may be adefrauding witbout it, and with confent a defraudin• bur not unhwfull : but fee what be addes, (for arime)confent cannot make this d~frauding lawful!, except it be temporary: No defrauding without confent, no c<011fcnt for a perpetuity. Howlong then, and wherefore~ Not for every caufe~notfor any length of time,but ondy for a while and for devouon(ur v•cew,&c.)Not that you may pray only, (as chryfofl•mtnotcs . Jufily) but that you might (give your fdvcsro prayer.) la our mariagc fociety(faith he, againfl that paradox ol Himrn)"e may pray,and woe to us ifwe doe not; bur we cannot ( v.cart o,.tiiRi.) But we m: bidden to pray continually : Yet not I hope, cG g ~ vcr 341
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