SERM. being injurious, offenfive, or burdenfome to others; for LII. their living they must either follow fome trade, or they muft fhark and filch, or they must beg, or they must ftarve.

And the reft are obliged to do fomewhat conducible to public good, that they may deferve to live; for a drone should not be among the bees, nor hath right to devour the honey. If any man doth pretend, or presume, that he hath nothing to do but to eat, to fleep, to play, to laugh, to enjoy his ease, his pleasure, his humour, he thereby doth as it were disclaim a reasonable title of living among men, and sharing in the fruits of their industry; he, in St. Paul's judgment, fhould be debarred of food, for 2 Theff. iii. this, faith the holy Apoftle, we commanded you, that if any man would not work, neither fhould he eat.

10.

Such an one in the body of men, what is he but an unnatural excrefcence, fucking nutriment from it, without yielding ornament or use? What is he but a wen deforming and encumbering the body, or a canker infesting and corrupting it?

As no man (at least with decency, convenience, and comfort) can live in the world, without being obliged to divers other men for their help in providing accommodations for him; so justice and ingenuity, corroborated by divine fanctions, do require of him, that in commutation he, one way or other, fhould undertake some pains redounding to the benefit of others.

So hath the great Author of order diftributed the ranks and offices of men in order to mutual benefit and comfort, that one man fhould plough, another thrash, another grind, another labour at the forge, another knit or weave, another fail, another trade, another supervise all these, labouring to keep them all in order and peace; that one fhould work with his hands and feet, another with his head and tongue; all confpiring to one common end, the welfare of the whole, and the supply of what is useful to each particular member; every man fo reciprocally obliging and being obliged; the prince being obliged to the husbandman for his bread, to the weaver for his clothes,

to the mason for his palace, to the smith for his fword; SERM. those being all obliged to him for his vigilant care in proLII. tecting them, for their fecurity in purfuing the work, and enjoying the fruit of their industry.

So every man hath a calling and proper business; whereto that industry is required, I need not much to prove, the thing itself in reafon and experience being fo clearly evident for what business can be well dispatched, what success can be expected to any undertaking, in what calling can any man thrive, without induftry? What bufinefs is there that will go on of itself, or proceed to any good iffue, if we do not carefully look to it, steadily hold it in its course, conftantly push and drive it forward? It is true, as in nature, fo in all affairs, Nihil movet non motum, nothing moveth without being moved.

Our own interest should move us to be industrious in our calling, that we may obtain the good effects of being fo in a comfortable and creditable fubfiftence; that we may not fuffer the damages and wants, the disappointments and disgraces enfuing on floth: but the chief motive should be from piety and conscience; for that it is a duty which we owe to God. For God having placed us in our station, he having apportioned to us our task, we being in transaction of our business his fervants, we do 1 Cor. iv. owe to him that neceffary property of good fervants, without which fidelity cannot subfift; for how can he be looked on as a faithful fervant, who doth not effectually perform the work charged on him, or diligently execute the orders of his mafter?

2.

St. Paul doth enjoin fervants, that they should in all Col. iii. 22. Eph. vi. 5. things obey their masters, with confcientious regard to 1 Cor. vii. God, as therein performing service to God, and expecting 22, 23. recompenfe from him: and of princes he saith, that they, in difpenfation of justice, enacting laws, impofing taxes, and all political administrations, are the minifiers of God, Rom. xiii. πрoσxaρτepoυvтε5, attending constantly upon this very thing : and if these extremes, the highest and lowest of all vocations, are services of God; if the highest upon that score be tied to fo much diligence, then furely all middle places,

6.

SERM. upon the fame account of conscience toward God, do exact LII. no lefs.

If he that hath one talent, and he that hath ten, must both improve them for God's intereft; then he that hath two, or three, or more, is obliged to the fame duty proportionably.

Every one should confider the world as the family of Eph. iii. 15. that great Paterfamilias, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, and himself as an officer or fervant therein, by God's will and defignation constituted in that employment, into which Providence hath caft him; to confer, in his order and way, fomewhat toward a provifion for the maintenance of himfelf, and of his fellowMatt. xxiv. servants. Of a fuperior officer our Lord faith, Who is that faithful and wife fervant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them their meat in due feafon? So the greatest men are as ftewards, treasurers, comptrollers, or purveyors; the reft are inferior fervants, in their proper rank and capacity.

45.

Luke xii. 42.

33.

And he that with diligence performeth his refpective duty (be it high and honourable, or mean and contemptible in outward appearance) will please God, as keeping good order, and as being useful to his service; so that, upon 1 Cor. xiv. the reckoning, God will fay to him, Well done, good and Matt. xxv. faithful fervant, thou haft been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. But he that doeth otherwise (behaving himself carelessly or fluggishly in his business) will offend God, as committing diforder, and as being unprofitable.

21.

He committeth disorder, according to that of St. Paul; 2 Theff. iii. We hear there are fome, which walk among you disorderly, not working at all. His fentence and doom will be, acMatt. xxv. cording to our Lord, O thou wicked and flothful fervant

11.

26, 30.

Caft the unprofitable fervant into utter darkness; which words are spoken in relation to one, who being a flatterer, or fluggard in his calling, did not improve the special talent intrusted with him for God's fervice.

In fine, if we are confcientiously induftrious in our vo

cation, we shall affuredly find the bleffing of God thereon; SERM. and that he thereby will convey good fuccefs, comfort, LII. competent wealth, a fair reputation, all defirable good unto us; for as all these things are promised to industry, fo the promise especially doth belong to that industry, which a man doth exercise in an orderly course of action in his own way; or rather in God's way, wherein divine Providence hath fet him.

An irregular or impertinent laboriousness, out of a man's calling or sphere; a being diligent in other men's affairs, invading their office, (as if I a priest will be trading, a layman preaching,) may not claim the benefit of those promises, or the bleffings of industry: but a husbandman, who, with confcientious regard to God, and confidence Prov. x. 4. in him, is painful in tilling his ground, may expect a good xiii. 11. crop; a merchant, who (upon the fame principle, with the like difpofition) earnestly followeth his trade, may hope for fafe voyages and good markets; a prince carefully minding his affairs may look for peace and profperity to his country; a fcholar ftudying hard may be well affured of getting knowledge, and finding truth; all, who with honeft diligence conftantly do pursue their business, may confidently and cheerfully hope to reap the advantages fuitable to it from the favourable bleffing of God. So that we have all reason to obferve the Apostle's precept, Not to be flothful in business.

I fhould apply this doctrine to our own cafe, urging its practice by confiderations peculiar to our vocation: but having already paffed the bounds of time, I reserve the doing it to another opportunity.

23.

Heb. xiii.

Now the God of peace fanctify you wholly, and make 1 Theff. v. you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleafing in his fight, through our 20. bleffed Saviour Jefus Chrift; to whom for ever be all glory and praise. Amen.

SERMON LIII.

OF INDUSTRY IN OUR PARTICULAR CALLING,
AS GENTLEMEN.

ROM. xii. II.

Not flothful in business.

SERM. I HAVE largely treated upon the duty recommended in LIII. this precept, and urged the obfervance of it in general, at

a distance: I now intend more particularly and closely to apply it, in reference to those persons who seem more efpecially obliged to it, and whofe obferving it may prove of greatest confequence to public good; the which application may also be most suitable and profitable to this audience. Those persons are of two forts; the one Gentlemen, the other Scholars.

I. The first place, as civility demandeth, we affign to Gentlemen, or persons of eminent rank in the world, well allied, graced with honour, and furnished with wealth: the which fort of perfons I conceive in a high degree obliged to exercise industry in business.

This at first hearing may feem a little paradoxical and ftrange; for who have lefs bufinefs than Gentlemen ? who do need less industry than they? He that hath a fair eftate, and can live on his means, what hath he to do, what labour or trouble can be exacted of him, what hath he to think on, or trouble his head with, but how to invent recreations and pastimes to divert himself, and spend his waste leisure pleasantly? Why should not he be allowed to enjoy himself, and the benefits which na