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XI.

and uniform guidance of our reafon and confcience, s E R M. than to fhuffle and shift, wandering after the various, uncertain, and inconftant opinions or humours of men? What matter is it, what clothes we wear, what garb we appear in, during this pofture of travel and fojourning here; what for the prefent we go for; how men efteem us, what they think of our actions? St. Paul at leaft did not much stand upon it; for with me, faid he, it is a very small thing (ixáx50, the 1 Cor. iv. 3 leaft thing that can come under confideration) to be judged of you, or of human day (that is, of this prefent tranfitory, fallible, reverfible judgment of men). If we mean well and do righteoufly, our confcience will at prefent fatisfy us, and the divine (unerring and impartial) fentence will hereafter acquit us; no unjuft or uncharitable cenfure shall prejudice us: if we entertain bafe defigns, and deal unrighteoufly, as our confcience will accuse and vex us here, fo God will fhortly condemn and punish us; neither fhall the most favourable conceit of men ftand us in stead. Every man's work shall become manifeft; for the 1 Cor. iii, day fhall declare it; because it shall be revealed by fire; 13. and the fire (that is, a fevere and ftrict enquiry) shall try every man's work, of what fort it is. I cannot infift more on this point; I fhall only fay, that confidering the brevity and uncertainty of our prefent ftate, the greatest fimplicity may justly be deemed the truest wifdom; that who deceives others, doth cozen himfelf moft; that the deepest policy, used to compass, or to conceal bad defigns, will in the end appear the most downright folly.

I might add to the precedent difcourfes, that Philofophy itself * hath commended this confideration as a proper and powerful inftrument of virtue, reckoning the practice thereof a main part of wifdom; the greateft proficient therein in common efteem, So

* Τῦτο ἔχει ἡ τελειότης τῦ ἤθες τὸ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν ὡς τελευταίαν διεξά yur. Anton, lib. 7.

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XI.

SER M. crates, having defined philofophy, or the ftudy of wildom, to be nothing elfe but μελέτη θανάτε, the Study of death; intimating alfo (in Plato's Phædon) that this ftudy, the meditation of death, and preparation of his mind to leave this world, had been the conftant and chief employment of his life: that likewife, according to experience, nothing more avails to render the minds of men fober and well compofed, than fuch spectacles of mortality, as do imprefs this confideration upon them. them. For whom doth not the fight of a coffin, or of a grave gaping to receive a friend, perhaps, or an ancient acquaintance; however a man in nature and ftate altogether like ourselves; of the mournful looks and habits, of all the fad pomps and folemnities attending man unto his long home, by minding him of his own frail condition, affect with fome ferious, fome honeft, fome wife thoughts? And if we be reasonable men, we may every day fupply the need of fuch occafions, by reprefenting to ourselves the neceffity of our foon returning to the duft; dreffing in thought our own hearses, and celebrating our own funerals; by living under the continual apprehenfion and fenfe of our tranfitory and uncertain condition; dying daily, or becoming already dead unto this world. The doing which effectually being the gift of God, and an especial work of his grace, let us of him humbly implore it, faying after the holy prophet, Lord, fo teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Amen.

SERMON

SERMON XII.

Of Induftry in general.

ECCLES. ix. 10.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy

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II.

XII.

N St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans, among di- s ER M. vers excellent rules of life, prefcribed by that great master, this is one, Toad un inungol, Be not flothful in bufinefs, or to bufinefs; and in the 2d Epi- Rom. xii. ftle to the Corinthians, among other principal virtues, or worthy accomplishments, for abounding wherein the Apostle commendeth those Christians, he ranketh all diligence or industry exercised in all affairs and näsa omudke duties incumbent on them: this is that virtue, the 2 Cor. viii. practice whereof in this moral precept or advice the royal Preacher doth recommend unto us; being indeed an eminent virtue, of very general use, and powerful influence upon the management of all our affairs, or in the conduct of our whole life.

Industry, I fay, in general, touching all matters incident, which our hand findeth to do, that is, which difpenfation of Providence doth offer, or which choice of reafon embraceth, for employing our ac

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SER M. tive powers of foul and body, the wife man doth reXII. commend; and to preffing the obfervance of his ad

vice (waving all curious remarks either critical or logical upon the words) I fhall presently apply my dif courfe, propofing divers confiderations apt to excite us thereto; only firft, let me briefly defcribe it, for our better apprehenfion of its true notion and na

ture.

By industry we understand a serious and steady application of mind, joined with a vigorous exercise of our active faculties, in profecution of any reasonable, honeft, useful design, in order to the accomplishment or attainment of fome confiderable good; as for instance, a merchant is industrious, who continueth intent and active in driving on his trade for acquiring wealth; a foldier is induftrious, who is watchful for occafion, and earnest in action towards obtaining the victory; and a scholar is industrious, who doth affiduoufly bend his mind to ftudy for getting knowledge.

Industry doth not confift merely in action; for that is inceffant in all perfons, * our mind being a restless thing, never abiding in a total ceffation from thought or from defign; being like a fhip in the sea, if not fteered to fome good purpose by reason, yet toffed by the waves of fancy, or driven by the winds of temptation fomewhither. But the direction of our mind to fome good end, without roving or flinching, in a straight and fteady course, drawing after it our active powers in execution thereof, doth conftitute industry; the which therefore ufually is attended with labour and pain; for our mind (which naturally doth affect variety and liberty, being apt to loath familiar objects, and to be weary of any conftraint) is not easily kept in a conftant attention to the fame thing; and the fpirits employed in thought are prone to flutter and fly away, fo that it is hard

* Ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ φύσιν ἔχουσα τοῦ κινεῖσθαι διαπαντὸς, οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἠρεμεῖν, ἔμπρακλον τὸ ζῶον τᾶτο ἐποίησει ὁ Θεός, &c. Chryf. in Air. Or 35.

to

to fix them: and the corporeal inftruments of action S ER M. being strained to a high pitch, or detained in a tone, XII. will foon feel a laffitude fomewhat offenfive to nature; whence labour or pain is commonly reckoned an ingredient of industry, and laboriousness is a name fignifying it; upon which account this virtue, as involving labour, deferveth a peculiar commendation; it being then most laudable to follow the dictates of reason, when so doing is attended with difficulty and trouble.

Such in general I conceive to be the nature of induftry; to the practice whereof the following confiderations may induce.

1. We may confider that industry doth befit the constitution and frame of our nature; all the faculties of our foul and organs of our body being adapted in a congruity and tendency thereto our hands are fuited for work, our feet for travel, dur senses to watch for occafion of pursuing good and eschewing evil, our reason to plod and contrive ways of employing the other parts and powers; all thefe, I fay, are formed for action; and that not in a loose and gadding way, or in a flack and remifs degree, but in regard to determinate ends, with vigour requifite to attain them; and especially our appetites do prompt to induftry, as inclining to things not attainable without it; according to that aphorifm of the wife man, Επιθυμίαι ὀκνηρὸν ἀποκτείνασιν-The defire Prov. xxi. of the flothful killeth him, for his hands refufe to labour; 25. xiii. 4. that is, he is apt to defire things which he cannot attain without pains; and not enduring them, he for want thereof doth feel a deadly smart and anguish wherefore in not being induftrious we defeat the intent of our Maker; we pervert his work and gifts; we forfeit the use and benefit of our faculties; we are bad husbands of nature's stock.

2. In confequence hereto industry doth preserve and perfect our nature, keeping it in good tune and temper, improving and advancing it toward its beft

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ftate.

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