Idleness
IDLEITBSS.
" He that keepeth company with banqueters shameth his father."
And in another place, "He that loveth pastime shall be a poor man: and he that loveth wine and oil ty."
And again, shall not be rich."
Phil.
Grood Mr. Theologus, talk no more with him: but let us draw near unto the wind-up of this matter; and tell us, in a word, which be the chief causes of drunkenness.
Theol. The causes are these: ill company, alehouses, idleness, a wicked humour.
Phil. Which be the true remedies?
Theol. The remedies are these: avoiding of ill company, shunning of ale-houses, labour in our callings, a good course of life, Phil. Well sir, you have waded far enough in this point: let us now come to the eighth sign of condemnation, which is idleness.
IDLENESS.
Theol. Concerning idleness, this I say briefly, that it is the mother of all vice, and the stepdame of all virtue: yea, it is the very beldame* of all enormities: it is the mother of whoredom, the mother of pride, the mother of theft, the mother of drunkenness, the mother of ignorance, the mother of error, the mother of poverty, the mother of slandering and backbiting, prattlingand gossipping, brawling, scolding, quarreling, and what not?
Idleness was one of the principle sins of * Chief mother.
IDLENESS.
Sodom, as the prophet Ezekiel testifieth, xvi. 49, "
Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her, and in her daughters."
Solomon is very plentiful in this matter; for, saith he, "The sluggard lusteth and hath not,"
Prov. xiii. 4.
And again, "The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can give a sensible reason," xxvi.
16.
That is, he taketh himself the wisest of many, because he spareth his body, when others take pains, he saith, "Yet a little sleep, yet a little slumber, yet a folding of the hands: and his poverty cometh like a traveller
(that is unawares), and his necessity likean armed man" (that is strongly).
Then he foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh, Eccles. iv. 5.
For, he hidethhishandin hisbosom : and it wearieth him to put it to his mouth again,
Prov. xxvi. 15.
In another place the Holy Ghost Sjuth, "The slothful man wiQnot plough, because of winter: therefore he shall beg in summer, and have nothing," xx. 4.
Again, "The slothful man is brother to him that is a great waster," xviii. 9.
Moreover, it is said, that "The sluggard tttmeth himself upon his bed, as the door doth upon the hinges," xxvi. 14; that is, he keepeth his bed, as if he were fastened to it.
And, because the spirit will abound in this point, it is further written of the slothful man that he saith, v. 13, "An huge lion is in the way: I shall be slain in the streets."
That is, when any good matter is in hand, as preaching, praying, reading, giving to the poor, &c. then he draweth back, he shrinketh into the shell, he fmdeth one let* or other, one excuse or other.
Then profit and pleasure, business and * Hindrance.
IDLENESS.
idleness, matters at home and matters abroad, company, and a thousand occasions will He in his way, as so many lions, to let and hinder him.
So then, we see how lively and plentifully the holy scriptures do paint out the lazy lubbers of this world, and sons of idleness, which are as hardly drawn to any good thing as a bear to the stake.
As for the duties of religion, they go as lively and as cheerful about them as a thief goeth up the ladder, to be executed for his theft.
Phil.
I do plainly see that this sin of idleness is a very gross evil, and the root of many vices: yet, for all that, there be a great number which think they were born to live idly, as many young gentlemen, and such like, which imagine they came into the world for no other purpose but to hunt and hawk, card and dice, riot and revel, and to spend their days in pleasure and vanity.
Again, there be many lazy lozels,* and luskishf youths, both in towns and villages, which do nothing all the day long but walk in the streets, sit upon the stalls, and frequent taverns and alehouses.
Many rich citizens, especially women, do ordinarily lie in bed till nine of the o'clock, and then, forsooth, rise and make themselves ready to go to dinner ; and, after they have well dined, they spend the rest of the day, and a good part of the night also, in playing, prattling, babbling, cackling, prating, and gossipping.
Fie of this idle life!
Many profane serving men also do falsely suppose that they were born only to game, riot, swear, whore, ruffle it, and roist it out, and to spend their time in mere idleness.
But of all these, well said the heathen philosopher * Idle lubbers, or clowns. t Lazy.
LDLEITEBS.
" HU pariter indignamtur et dis et homines qukquU otiossus"—both Grod and man (Aristotle), do hate the idle person.
Theol.
It is a lamentable thing to see so many men and women live so idly and so unprofitably as they do.
For, alas! there be too many which foUow no honest calling, hve to no use, nobody is the better for them.
They do no good, neither to the church or commonwealth.
They are like drone bees : they are unprofitable burthens of the earth.
God hath no use of them; the church no good, the commonwealth no benefit, their neighbours no profit, the poor no relief. They imagine they came iato the world to do nothing but eat and drink, and sleep, and rise up to play.
They think they shovdd spend their time in dicing and dancing, in whoredom and bravery, in gluttony and belly -cheer; in masting themselves, like hogs of Epicurus* herd; in pampering their paunches, and cramming their bellies ; in fatting themselves like boars in a frank,t till they be well brawned
; and, as Job saith, till their bones nm fiill of marrow, their faces strout with fatness, and they have collops in their flank.
Oh, what a beastly life is this !
Fie upon it'; fie upon it.
It is more meet for epicures than Christians ; for swine, than for men ; for Sardanapalvis,J and Heliogabalus,§ and such like beUy-gods, than for the professors of the gospel.
But of all such. Job " They spend their days in pleasaith enough, sure, and suddenly go down to hell."
Phil, But may it not be allowed unto lords * An ancient philosopher, who taught that ease and pleasure were the chief good, t A swine stye.
X A luxurious king ofABSjria, burned to death in his palace.
S A gluttonous Boman Empczor.
IDLENESS.
and ladies, gentlemen and gentlewomen, and other great ones, to live idly, since they have wherewithal to maintain it.
Theol. God doth allow none to live idly, but all, great and small, are to be employed one way or other, either for the benefit of the church or commonwealth, or for the good government of their own households, or for the good of towns and parishes, and those amongst whom they do converse, or for the succour and relief of the poor, or for the furtherance of the gospel, and the maintaining of the ministry, or for one good use or other.
To these ends, our wits, our learning, our reading, our skill, our policy, our wealth, our health, our wisdom, and authority, are to be referred; knowing this, that one day, we shall come to give an account of our bail-wick,* and to be reckoned with, for the employment of our talents.
For this cause, Job saith, v. 7, " That man is born to travail as the sparks fly upward."
And Grod hath laid this upon Adam, and all his posterity, "In the sweat of thy brow, thou shalt eat thy bread."
Some do set down four causes, why every man should labour diligently in his calling:—First, to bear the yoke laid upon all mankind; by the Lord; secondly, to get the necessaries of this life ; thirdly, to live unto the profit of human society ; lastly, to avoid evil thoughts and actions.
St. Paul findeth great fault with some in the church of Thessalonica,^ 2.
Epis, iii. because they walked inordinately, that is, idly, and out of lawful calling: and therefore concluded, that such as would not labour should not eat.
So then, we do plainly see * stewardship.
rOLEKESS.
that God alloweth idleness in none.
For when we are idle, as hath been shewed before, we lie open to the devil and his temptations; and he getteth within us and prevaileth against us.
While David tarried idlj at home in the beginning of the year, when kings used to go forth to the battle, he was soon overtaken with those two foul sins of adultery and man-slaughter.
So long as Sampson warred with the Philistines he could never be taken or overcome: but after he gave himself to idleness and pleasure, he not only committed fornication with the strumpet Delilah, but also was taken of his enemies, and his eyes miserably put out.
These examples do shew what a dangerous sin idleness is ; therefore, the Holy Ghost sends us to school, to the little creature, the ant, to learn of her both to avoid idleness, and also to use wisdom and prudence in our actions, "Go to the ant, O sluggard, behold her ways, and be wise: for she having no guide, task-master, nor ruler, prepareth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in harvest," Prov. vi. 6.
And in good sooth it is wonderful to observe, what infinite pains and imwearied labour, that silly creature taketh in summer that she may be well provided for against winter.
Let us, therefore, learn wisdom from her example; and let us set before our eyes the looking-glass of all creatures.
Let us consider how the birds fly, the fishes swim, the worms creep, the heavens turn, the element-s move, the sea ebbeth and floweth incessantly: yea, the earth itself, which is the most heavy and unwieldy creature of all other, yet never ceaseth his working, bringing forth his burden in summer, and laboming inwardly all the winter, in
IDLENESS.
concocting and digesting his nourishment for the next spring.
Thus we see how all creatures are diligently and painfully exercised in their kinds ; and therefore it is a great shame for us to live idly, carelessly, and dissolutely.
Let us therefore learn, once at last, to fly sloth, and every one to live faithfully, diligently, and industriously in our several callings.
So shall ,we both keep Satan at the staves' end, and also much sin out of our souls which, otherwise, idleness will force in upon us.
Phil.
I must needs confess that idleness is a gross vice in whomsoever it is found.
But specially, in my judgment, it is most odious in magistrates and ministers.
Theol. That is so in truth; for they ought to be the guides, governors, shepherds, and watchmen over the people of God.
And therefore, for them to neglect their duties and charges is a most horrible thing, since it concerneth the hurt of many.
Therefore, well saith the heathen " A magistrate or a poet (Homer, Iliad ii.), minister may not be lazy and slothful, to whom the nursing of the people is given in charge, and of whom many things are to be cared for," What a lamentable thing, therefore, is it when magistrates are profane, irreligious, popish, vicious, and negligent in the duties of their calling?
And how much more lamentable is it when ministers neglect their studies, slack preaching and prayer, and give up themselves, some to covetousness, some to pride, some to husbandry, some to other worldly affairs, and some to spend their time idly in taverns, ale-houses, gaming, rioting, and lewd company?
Would to God, therefore, that both these kinds of pubhc persons
IBLEirESS.
would cast off idleness and sloth; and with diligence, faithfulness, care, and conscience, perform the duties of their places.
For it is an excellent thing for anv to be a good man in his place: as a good magistrate that nileth well, that govemeth wisely, which favoureth good men and good causes, and defendeth them; which also setteth himself against bad men and bad causes, and punisheth them sharply and severely ; which, moreover, maintaineth virtue, even of a very love he beareth unto it in his heart; and punisheth vice of a very zeal and hatred against it; and not for his credit only, or to please some, or because he must needs do it, and can do no less, or for any such sinister respect ; but even of a love to God, a care of his glory, a conscience of duty, and a fervent zeal against sin.
So, likewise, it is a notable thing for a minister to be a good man in his place; to be studious in the law of God; diligent and painful in preaching; and that of a love to God, a zeal of his glory, deep pity and compassion towards the souls of the people, seeking by all means possible to win them imto God; carrying himself in all his actions amongst them wisely, religiously, unblameably, and inoffensively.
So again, it is a worthy thing to be a good rich man, which doth much good with his riches, which keepeth a good house, relieveth the poor, ministereth to the necessity of the saints, and giveth cheerfully, and with discretion, where need is.
So also, it is a commendable thing to be a good neighbour, or a good townsman; by whom a man may live quietly, peaceably, joyfully and comfortably.
And lastly, to be a good poor man: that is, humble, lowly, dutiful, painful,
LDLEITESS.
ready to help, and ready to please.
Oh, I say this is a most excellent and glorious thing, when every man keepeth his standing, his range, and his rank; when all men, with care and conscience, perform the duties of their places ; when the husband does the duty of an husband, and -the wife of a wife; when the father doth the duty of a father, and the child of a child; when the master doth the duty of a master, and the servant of a servant; when every man setteth God before his eyes in doing those things which especially belong unto him.
For herein consisteth the honour of God, the glory of the prince, the crown of the church, the fortress of the commonwealth, the safety of cities, the strength of kingdoms, and the very preservation of all things.
Antil. You have said well in some things.
But yet I do not see, but that rich men and women may live idly, since they have enough wherewithal to maintain it ; for may not a man do with his own what he list ?
Theol. No, verily.
For you may not take your own knife, and cut your own throat with it: neither may you take your own axe, and kill your own child with it.
Therefore, that reason is naught.
Albeit therefore wealthy men and women have great plenty of all things, so as they need not to labour; yet let them be profitably employed some other way.
Let them exercise themselves in one good thing or other.
If they can find nothing to do, let them give themselves much to private prayers and reading of the scriptures, that they maybe able to instruct and exhort others.
Or else let ladies and gentlewomen do as that good woman Dorcas did: that is, buy cloth, cut it out, work it, make shirts, shifts, coats, and gar-