SERM. them; it is the fruit and reward of fuch actions, which LIII. are not performed with ease.

External respect and a femblance of honour, for the fake of public order, may be due to an exterior rank or title: but to pay this, is not to honour the perfon, but his title; because it is fuppofed, that men of real worth and use do bear it; or left, by refufing it to one, the whole order may seem disrespected: but yet true honour, or mental esteem, is not due upon fuch accounts; nor is it poffible to render it unto any person, who doth not by worthy qualities and good deeds appear to merit it.

Nor can a Gentleman without induftry uphold his real interests against the attempts of envy, of treachery, of flattery, of fycophantry, of avarice, to which his condition is obnoxious: to preferve his wealth and estate, which are the supports of his quality, he must endure care and pains; otherwife he will by greedy harpies and crafty lurchers be rifled or cozened of his fubftance; it will of itself go to wreck, and be embezzled by negligence.

He cannot without induftry guard his perfonal welfare from manifold inconveniences, moleftations, and mifchiefs; idleness itself will be very troublesome and irkfome to him. His time will lie upon his hands, as a peftering incumbrance. His mind will be infested with various distractions and diftempers; vain and fad thoughts, foul lufts, and unquiet paffions will fpring up therein, as weeds in a neglected foil. His body will languish and become destitute of health, of vigour, of activity, for want of due exercise. All the mifchiefs, which naturally do fpring from floth and ftupidity, will feize upon him.

4. Thus, upon various accounts, a Gentleman is engaged to bufinefs, and concerned to exercise industry therein we may add, that indeed the very nature of gentility, or the true notion of a Gentleman, doth imply fo much.

For what, I pray, is a Gentleman, what properties hath he, what qualities are characteristical or peculiar to him,

whereby he is diftinguished from others, and raised above SERM. the vulgar? Are they not especially two, courage and LIII. courtefy? which he that wanteth is not otherwise than equivocally a Gentleman, as an image or a carcafe is a man; without which, gentility in a confpicuous degree is no more than a vain show, or an empty name: and these plainly do involve industry, do exclude flothfulnefs; for courage doth prompt boldly to undertake, and resolutely to dispatch great enterprizes and employments of difficulty it is not seen in a flaunting garb, or strutting deportment; not in hectorly, ruffian-like fwaggering of huffing; not in high looks or big words; but in ftout and gallant deeds, employing vigour of mind and heart to achieve them: how can a man otherwife approve himself for courageous, than by fignalizing himfelf in fuch a way?

And for courtefy, how otherwise can it be well difplayed than in fedulous activity for the good of men? It surely doth not confift in modifh forms of addrefs, or complimental expreffions, or hollow profeffions, commonly void of meaning, or of fincerity; but in real performances of beneficence, when occafion doth invite, and in waiting for opportunities to do good; the which practice is accompanied with fome care and pain, adding a price to it; for an eafy courtesy is therefore small, because easy, and may be deemed to proceed rather from ordinary humanity, than from gentle difpofition; fo that, in fine, he alone doth appear truly a Gentleman, who hath the heart to undergo hard tasks for public good, and willingly taketh pains to oblige his neighbours and friends.

5. The work indeed of Gentlemen is not so gross, but it may be as fmart and painful, as any other. For all hard work is not manual; there are other inftruments of action befide the plough, the fpade, the hammer, the fhuttle: nor doth every work produce sweat, and visible tiring of body: the head may work hard in contrivance of good defigns; the tongue may be very active in difpenfing advice, perfuafion, comfort, and edification in virtue; a man may beftir himself in going about to do good: thefe

SERM. are works employing the cleanly industry of a GentleLIII. man.

6. In fuch works it was, that the trueft and greatest pattern of gentility that ever was, did employ himself. Who was that? Even our Lord himself; for he had no particular trade or profeffion: no man can be more loose from any engagement to the world than he was; no man had lefs need of business or pains-taking than he; for he had a vast estate, being heir of all things, all the world being at his disposal; yea, infinitely more, it being in his power with a word to create whatever he would to serve his need, or fatisfy his pleasure; omnipotency being his treasure and supply; he had a retinue of angels to wait on him, and minifter to him; whatever fufficiency Ifa. liii. 11. any man can fancy to himself to difpenfe with his taking pains, that had he in a far higher degree: yet did he find work for himself, and continually was employed in performing service to God, and imparting benefits to men; nor was ever industry exercised upon earth comparable to his.

Gentlemen therefore would do well to make him the pattern of their life, to whofe industry they must be beholden for their falvation: in order whereto we recommend them to his grace.

SERMON LIV.

OF INDUSTRY IN OUR PARTICULAR CALLING,

AS SCHOLARS.

I

ROM. xii. II.

Not flothful in business.

PROCEED to the other fort of persons, whom we did SERM. propound, namely,

II. Scholars; and that on them particularly great engagements do lie to be induftrious, is moft evident from various confiderations.

The nature and defign of this calling doth fuppofe induftry; the matter and extent of it doth require industry; the worth of it doth highly deserve industry. We are in special gratitude to God, in charity to men, in due regard to ourselves, bound unto it.

LIV.

1. First, I say, the nature and defign of our calling doth suppose industry: There is, faith the divine Preacher, Eccles. ii. a man whofe labour is in wisdom, in knowledge, and in 21. equity. Such men are Scholars; fo that we are indeed. no Scholars, but abfurd ufurpers of the name, if we are not laborious; for what is a Scholar, but one who retireth his person, and avocateth his mind from other occupations, and worldly entertainments, that he may oxoxáZE, vacare ftudiis, employ his mind and leisure on study and learning, in the fearch of truth, the queft of know- 'H spíae γραμματέως ledge, the improvement of his reafon. Wherefore an ἐν εὐκαιρίᾳ idle scholar, a lazy student, a sluggish man of learning, is exons. nonfenfe.

Ecclef. xxxviii. 24.

SERM.

What is learning, but a diligent attendance to inftrucLIV. tion of masters, skilled in any knowledge, and conveying their notions to us in word or writing?

What is ftudy, but an earnest, steady, persevering application of mind to fome matter, on which we fix our thoughts, with intent to fee through it? What in SoloNov. ii. 2. mon's language are these fcholaftic occupations, but inclining the ear, and applying our heart to understanding? than which commonly there is nothing more laborious, more straining nature, and more tiring our fpirits; whence it is well compared to the most painful exercises of body and foul.

--5.

The Wife Man, advising men to feek wisdom, the which is the proper defign of our calling, doth intimate that work to be like digging in the mines for filver, and like fearching all about for concealed treafure; than which there can hardly be any more difficult and painful Prov. ii. 4, task: If, faith he, thou seekeft her as filver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand.Otherwhere he compareth the fame work to affiduous watching and waiting, like that of a guard or a client, Prov. viii. which are the greatest inftances of diligence; Blessed, faith he, (or Wisdom by him faith, Bleffed) is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the pofts of my doors.

34.

Wherefore, if we will approve ourselves to be what we are called, and what we pretend to be; if we will avoid being impoftors, affuming a name not due to us, we must not be flothful. Farther,

2. The matter and extent of our business doth require industry from us: the matter of it, which is truth and knowledge; the extent, which is very large and comprehenfive, taking in all truth, all knowledge, worthy our study, and useful for the defigns of it.

Our business is to find truth; the which, even in matters of high importance, is not easily to be discovered; being as a vein of filver, encompaffed with earth and mixed with dross, deeply laid in the obscurity of things, wrapt up in false appearances, entangled with objections,