31. But there is another industry worse than that, s ER M. when men are very bufy in devifing and compaffing XIV. mifchiefs; an induftry whereof the Devil affordeth a great inftance; for the curfed fiend is very diligent, Luke xxii. ever watching for occafions to fupplant us, ever 2 Cor. ii. plotting methods and means to do harm, ever driving' on his mifchievous defigns with unwearied activity; going to and fro in the earth; running about as a roar- Job i. 7. ing lion, looking for prey, and feeking whom he may devour. II. Pet. v. 8. And his wicked brood are commonly like him, being workers of iniquity*, of rovngol, painful men, oi Pfal. vi. S. mavagy, men that will do all things; who will fpare no pains, nor leave any ftone unturned, for fatisfying their lufts, and accomplishing their bad defigns. So indeed it is, that as no great good, fo neither can any great mifchief be effected without much pains and if we confider either the characters or the practices of thofe, who have been famous mifchief-doers, the pefts of mankind and disturbers of the world, we shall find them to have been no fluggards+. These two forts of vain and bad industry the Prophet Ifaiah feemeth to defcribe in thofe words; They Ifa. lix. 5. batch cockatrice eggs, and weave the fpider's web; of which expreffions one may denote mifchievous, the other frivolous diligence in contrivance or execution of naughty or vain defigns; and to them both that of the Prophet Hofea may be referred; They have Hof. viii. 7. fown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; guilt, Eccli. 2. remorfe, and punishment being the confequences of Prov. xxii. both. And of them both common experience doth & afford very frequent and obvious inftances, a great part of human life being taken up with them. For, How affiduously intent and eager may we obferve men to be at sports! How foon will they rife to go * Εργάται τῆς ἀδικίας. Luke xiii. 27. forth 8. Hof. x. 13. SER M. forth to them! With what conftancy and patience XIV. will they toil in them all the day! How indefatigable are they in riding, or running about after a dog or a hawk, to catch a poor beaft or filly bird! Jer. ii, 13. How long will men fit poring on their games*, difpenfing with their food and fleep for it! How long and ferious attention will men yield to a wanton play! How many hours will they contentedly fit thereat! What ftudy will men employ on jefts and impertinent wit! How earnest will they be to fatisfy their vain curiofity! How in fuch cafes do men forget what they are doing, that fport fhould be fport, not work; to divert and relax us, not to employ and bufy us; to take off our minds a little, not wholly to take them up; not to exhaust or tire our fpirits, but to refresh and cheer them, that they may become more fit for grave and ferious occupations! How painful will others be in bewing them out cifterns, broken cifterns, that will hold no water; that is, in immoderate purfuit of worldly defigns! How ftudiously will they plod, how reftlefsly will they trudge, what carking and drudgery will they endure in driving on projects of ambition and avarice! What will not they gladly do or fuffer, to get a little preferment, or a little profit? It was a common practice of old, and fure the world is not greatly mended since the Pfal. xxxix. Pfalmift did thus reflect, Surely every man walketb in a vain fhew; furely they are difquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them. 6. lfa. v. II. How many vigilant and ftout purfuers are there of fenfuality and riotous excess; such as those of whom the Prophet fpeaketh, Wo unto them that rife up early in the morning, that they may follow ftrong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! * Συνείρεσι καὶ οἱ φιλόκυβοι νύκτας ἡμέραι; ἄσιτοι καὶ ἄποτοι, καὶ ἡδο vūs ndom megies. Lib. Orat. 31. † Τῷ γὰρ ὄντι παίζοντα δεῖ παίζειν. Plut. How XIV. How busy (O fhame, O mifery! how fiercely bufy) S ER M. are fome in accomplishing defigns of malice and revenge! How intent are fome to over-reach, to circumvent, to fupplant their neighbour! How fore pains will fome take to feduce, corrupt, or debauch others! How active will fome be in fowing ftrifes, in raifing factions, in fomenting diforders in the world! How many industrious flaves hath the Devil*, who will fpare no pains about any kind of work, which he putteth them to! How many like those of whom the wife man faith, Their feet run to Prov. i. 16. evil, and are swift in running to mischief: they fleep not, vi. 18. except they have done mischief; and their fleep is taken away, unless they caufe fome to fall! iv. 16. Now with all thefe labourers we may well expoftulate in the words of the Prophet; Wherefore do ye Ifa. Iv. 2. fpend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which fatisfieth not? Such labours are unworthy of men, much less do they befeem Chriftians. It becometh us not as rational creatures to employ the excellent gifts of our nature, and noble faculties of our high-born foul, the forces of our mind, the advantages of our fortune, our precious time, our very care and labour, vainly or unprofitably upon any thing base or mean: being that our reafon is capable of atchieving great and worthy things, we much debase it by ftooping to regard toys, we do extremely abuse it by working mischief. Much more doth it mifbecome us as Chriftians (that is, perfons devoted to fo high a calling, who have fo worthy employments affigned to us, fo glorious hopes, fo rich encouragements propofed to us Eph. i. 18. for our work) to spend our thoughts and endeavours on things impertinent to our great defign, or mainly thwarting it. * Εννωήσομέν τινα ὁ διάβολος ἐπέταξε, πῶς ἐπίπονα, πῶς ἐμίμοχθα, δε Chryf, arde. 16. SERM. The proper matter and object of our induftry XIV. (thofe falfe ones being excluded) is true bufinefs; or that which is incumbent on a man to do, either in way of duty, being required by God, or by dictate of reason, as conducing to fome good purpose; fo that in effect it will turn to account, and finally in advantageous return will pay him for his labour of mind or body; that which the wife man did intend, Ecclef. ix. when he advifed, Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might; whatever thy hand findeth, that is, whatever by divine appointment (by the command or providence of God), or which, upon rational deliberation, doth occur as matter of our action; comprising every good purpose and reafonable undertaking incident to us. 10. But our business, according to the holy Apostle's intent, may be fuppofed efpecially to be the work of our calling; to which each man hath a peculiar obligation; and which therefore is most properly his bufinefs, or an emphatically, the bufinefs allotted to him. Now this bufinefs, our calling, is double; our general calling, which is common to us all as Chriftians, and our particular calling, which peculiarly belongeth to us, as placed in a certain ftation, either in the church or ftate. In both which vocations that we are much obliged and concerned to be induftrious, shall be now my business to declare. I. As to our general calling (that fublime, that heavenly, that holy vocation *), in which by divine grace, according to the evangelical difpenfation, we are engaged, that neceffarily requireth and most highly deferveth from us a great measure of induftry; the nature and defign of it requireth, the fruit and result of it deferveth our utmoft diligence; all floth is inconfiftent with discharging the duties, with en * Ἡ ἄνω κλῆσις. Phil. iii. 14. Κλῆσις ἐπυράνιος, Heb. iii. Ι. "Αγία x. 2 Tim. i. 9. Eph. i. 18. 2 Theff. i. 11. joying the hopes, with obtaining the benefits thereof. S E R M. For, XIV. It is a state of continual work, and is expreffed in terms importing abundant, inceffant, intenfe care and pain; for to be indeed Chriftians, We must work Phil. ii. 12. out our falvation with fear and trembling; we must by patient continuance in well doing feek for glory, and Rom. ii. 7. honour, and immortality. We mult walk worthy of the Col. i. 10. Lord, to all well pleafing, being fruitful in every good 18. work. We must be rich in good works, and filled with Phil. i. 11. the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift tog, 16. the praife and glory of God. We are God's workman- Eph. ii, 10. Ship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God bath before ordained that we should walk in them. 1 Tim. vi. John xv. 5, We have a foul to fave, and are appointed 's mεgi- I Theff. v. Toincir owτngías, to make an acquift of falvation. We have a mind to improve with virtue and wisdom, qualifying us for entrance into heaven, for enjoyment of God's favour, for converfation with angels. 9. I As Chriftians we are affumed to be fervants of Theff. i. God, and readmitted into his family, from which Rom. vii. 6. for our difloyalty we had been difcarded; fo that as vi. 22. Eph. ii. 19. he was our natural Lord, fo he is now fuch alfo by fpecial grace; who did make us, who doth maintain us, under whose protection and at whofe difpofal we fubfift; whence we are obliged to be faithfully diligent in his fervice: we must conftantly wait upon him in devotional addreffes; we must carefully ftudy to know his pleafure; we must endeavour exactly to Eph. v. 10. perform his will, and obey his commands; we muft Rom. x.2. ftrive to advance his glory, to promote his intereft, 28. to improve all talents and advantages committed to Matt. xxv. us for thofe purposes; we muft, as St. Paul ex-1 Cor. xv. preffeth it, always abound in the work of the Lord. 58. Luke xi. 27. Eph. vi. 7. We must also look upon ourselves as fervants of Col. iii. 24. Chrift our Redeemer; who by his blood hath pur-Cor. vii. chased us to himself, that we might be zealous of good 23. vi. 20. works; performing a fervice to him, which confift- Tit. ii. 14. eth in a faithful difcharge of manifold duties, and |