Common Places, Part 2 · Chapter 11 · Section 4
Of Idleneſſe, and other intiſements vntounto wickednes.
19 But now that we may the eaſilier auoid In 2. Sam. 11.the cauſes of this wickeneſſe, let vsus ſée by what ſteps Dauid was carried into adulterie. The circumſtances of place and time muſt be obſerued. In the afternoone he ſlept quietlie in his withdrawing place. This was an argument of a careleſſe and idle man. Iſboſeth, when he on that wiſe ſlept in an afternoone, was ſlaine. Dauid, when he liued idle after the ſame maner, was well néere ouerthrowne. But if he had earneſtlie meditated of Gods lawe, and of Gods benefits, which he had abundantlie beſtowed vponupon him; of the warre which then he made, and of the danger of the Common-weale, he ſhould neuer hauehave fallen into theſe miſchéefes. So great a matter was it to be idle. And aſſuredlie, idlenes is condemned by the iudgement of all wiſe men. Idleneſſe condemned by the iudgement of the wiſe. Seneca.Seneca, when he paſſed by the manor houſe of one Vacia a citizen of Rome, that was an idle and ſlothfull man; Héere (ſaith he) is placed Vacia. He did meane, that a man idle and vnprofitable for the Common-weale, was in a maner buried there. But this I alſo adde, that ſuch maner of dead carcaſes, both hauehave a verie foule ſauor, and doo alſo bring foorth rottenneſſe and woormes. Not all kind of idleneſſe condemned.I knowe indéed that there is a certeine honeſt kind of idleneſſe, whereby good men being become the better prepared, are woont to returne to execute their offices, either priuate or publike. After this maner Chriſt did oftentimes ſpend the whole night in praiers alone vponupon the mount; but ſo, as he returned in the morning to preach. Manie times was he in ſecret places, but yet ſo, as he inſtructed his diſciples. There is alſo an other idleneſſe that is holie and commendable, whereby we kéepe the ſabboth holie from ſinne: that muſt we alwaies hauehave in eſtimation.
But we condemne a dull and ſlothfull idleneſſe, Cato.whereby mens minds and wits are dulled. Cato, in his originals, verie well wrote; that It behooueth an excellent man to yéeld no leſſe account of his idleneſſe, than of his buſineſſe. And Chriſtians muſt conſider, that they be thoſe excellent men, and that they ſhall one daie be called to that account. Ezechiel, in the 16. chapter; This (ſaith he) was the iniquitie of Sodome thy ſiſter, verſe. 49.pride, fulneſſe of bread, abundance, and idleneſſe. And albeit that idleneſſe doo nouriſh otherwiſe manie euils; yet dooth it not nouriſh anie thing either more, or more eaſilie than luſt. This alſo did the Poets ſée, Ouid.and Ouid among others, who ſaith;
Demand is made wherefore and whie,
Aegiſtus waxt an adulterer;
The reaſon followeth by and by
He was an idle loyterer,
And in an other place;
If thou flie idleneſſe, Cupid hath no might,
His bowe lieth broken, his fire hath no light.
Ambroſe hath an excellent ſimilitude of the crab and the oiſter: Ambroſe. An excellent ſimilitude of the crab and the oiſter.The crab (ſaith he) moſt willinglie eateth the meate of oiſters: but for ſo much as thoſe be well fortified with moſt ſtrong ſhels on both ſides, ſo as they cannot be broken by force, he craftilie watcheth, while they open themſelues to the ſunne. Then, while they open themſelues, and take the aire, the crab putteth a ſtone into the mouths of them that gape, ſo as they cannot bring togither againe their ſhels: afterward he ſafelie enough thruſteth in his clawes, and féedeth of the meate. So (ſaith he) when men be giuen to idleneſſe, and open their minds to pleaſures, the diuell commeth and putteth in filthie cogitations: ſo that, when they are not able to drawe backe their ſhell, wherewith they were armed before, they are deuoured.
20 Dauid walked careleſſe and at harts eaſe. But princes are not created, to lead their life in idleneſſe: for they are ſubiect to that lawe, which in old time was ſaid vntounto Adam; Gen. 3, 18. By what precept idleneſſe is forbidden.In the ſweate of thy face thou ſhalt eate thy bread. In déed they doo not plough nor delue, yet ought they to be vigilant, and to ſtudie for the Common-wele, to examine cauſes, to giuegive ſentence, to write good lawes. And not alonelie kings would be idle, but biſhops alſo, and moonkes eſpeciallie of all me… ▪ Thoſe at the beginning liued of their labours: afterward, they being wearie (as I thinke) of good works, found the meanes (as idle men) to be mainteined with ſtipends of the church. But when, by godlie men, they were ſet on worke; Surelie (ſaie they) it is not lawfull, ſith this is not according to the goſpell. Matt. 6, 34.For Chriſt warned that We ſhould not be carefull for the morrowe, Ibidem. 26.but ſhould conſider the lillies of the feeld, & the birds of the aire. But againſt them Auguſtine diſputed, Auguſtine.in his booke De opere monachorum; If ye will (ſaith he) imitate the birds and the lillies, whie doo ye not alſo imitate them in this point? The lillies doo not eate or drinke, the birds doo not laie vp till to morrowe; but ye doo eate and drinke, and doo carefullie laie vp in ſtore. And he rightlie expounded that ſaieng of the Lord; Be not carefull for the morrowe: for he ſaith, that the Lord forbiddeth onelie a penſiue carefulneſſe ioined with infidelitie; as though we are not mainteined by the prouidence of GOD, but by our owne proper induſtrie.
Dauid, when he was idle, fell into adulterie. 2. Sam. 11. Dani. 4, 30.Nabuchadne-zar alſo, when in peace he gaue himſelfe to idlenes, he became proud; Is not this (ſaith he) that great Babylon? As though he had gotten that ſo great a power of his owne ſelfe, not of God. Eccl. 33, 26.Manie euils (ſaith Eccleſiaſticus) hath idleneſſe taught. So then we muſt ſpeciallie beware of this euill: For our enimie the diuell goeth about roring and ſeeking whom he may deuoure. If he alwaies lie in priuie watch, readie bent and prepared to our deſtruction; it is méet that we alſo ſhould perpetuallie watch, and be euer readie to reſiſt. Latimer biſhop of Worceſter.D. Latimer, ſometime biſhop of Worceſter in England, and afterward a moſt conſtant witneſſe and martyr of Chriſt, when he would exhort biſhops to doo their dutie, among other things ſaid; that There was not a diligenter biſhop in England than the diuell: for that he did alwaies teach, admoniſh, inſtruct, and adorne his church. Wherefore he exhorted them, that if they would not followe God, they ſhould at the leaſt-wiſe imitate the diuell. Howbeit, he cried to them that were deaſe: for manie biſhops at that time were ſo ſet, as they would neither followe the diuell, nor yet God. Wiſelie did Ierom admoniſh, in his treatiſe to the huſbandman; Be thou alwaies dooing ſomewhat, that the diuell, when he commeth, may alwaies find thée occupied.
21 Dauid, walking vponupon the houſe top, ſawe a faire woman bathing of hir ſelfe. But what néeded Dauid, with ſuch curious eies, to behold what was doone out of his houſe? Or why did that ſéelie woman bath hir ſelfe abroad without couert, where ſhe might be ſéene naked of men? In that ſhe waſhed hir ſelfe, ſhe was not to be blamed: for there were manie legall impurities, which it behooued at that time to waſh awaie, by ſuch purifications. Howbeit, ſhe ſhuld hauehave waſhed hir ſelfe within, and vnderunder couert. Dauid ſawe, and was caught. To ſée (they ſaie) is the firſt entrie of louers. Howbeit, I may more trulie ſaie, To behold a woman is the firſt entrie to deſtruction.that To ſée is the firſt entrie of them that periſh. For Dauid looked not vponupon this woman with a ſingle eie, but with an vncleane and euill eie. He ſtraitwaies caſt from him the wholſome word of God; Thou ſhalt not commit adulterie. Exo. 20, 14.Than the which word, there is not a more preſent or better remedie, if at anie time we féele our ſelues tickled with carnall pleaſures. This wicked act of Dauid will ſéeme the more heinous, if we compare it with that moſt chaſt yoong man Ioſeph. A compariſon betwene Dauid and Ioſeph.He was a yoong man, Dauid was old: he was a batcheler, Dauid a huſband; yea and that of manie wiues, that there might be no want to fulfill pleaſures: he was prouoked, and that of his miſtreſſe, who might after a ſort hauehave commanded him; Dauid of his owne accord prouoked, and that his owne ſubiect, whoſe chaſtitie he ſhould by all meanes hauehave defended. The woman was beautifull, and well fauoured.
Of beautie.But yet we muſt not thereby gather, that beautie is an euill thing. For a fit ioining togither of the parts, with a pleaſantneſſe of colour, which they define to be beautie, is the cunning workmanſhip of the Creator, and the image of God; neither can it doo anie harme, except it light vponupon vnchaſt eies. A ſimilitude.Euen as the light of the ſunne, although otherwiſe it be pleaſant and gratefull, yet is it gréeuous vntounto bleared eies. But we are corrupted, not onelie by the corruption of originall ſinne; but alſo by other ſinnes drawne vntounto vsus by vſe and cuſtome. Chryſoſt.Chryſoſtome; in his firſt homilie vponupon the 51. pſalme; By this example (ſaith he) all men ought to be mooued, Diſhoneſt ſights muſt be auoided.that they approch not vntounto diſhoneſt ſights, where harlots are ſhewed, and all geſtures of vile luſt expreſſed. For that is ridiculous, which ſome men doo anſwer; that they are not mooued by thoſe ſights. For what (ſaith he) are they made of iron, of ſtone, or of adamant? Be they wiſer, or ſtronger, or holier than Dauid? If a ſparke be caſt into haie, will it not take fire? Our fleſh (ſaith the prophet) is haie, Eſaie. 44, 6.and may eaſilie be ſet on fire: and for that cauſe the holie Ghoſt ſetteth foorth vntounto vsus the fall of Dauid, that we by his example might beware of the like contagion.
The phyſicians, if by chance they light vponupon a man that is gréeuouſlie and dangerouſlie diſeaſed, are woont to bring their diſciples; that they may the more eaſilie vnderſtand both the force of the diſeaſe, and the waie how to cure the ſame. King Dauid was to be cut, ſo as we ought attentiuelie to conſider, by what art he is cured of the Lord. Firſt let vsus ſée by what meanes he was driuen to fall. He refrained not his eies: We muſt refraine our eies.wherefore he hauing forgotten himſelfe, was eaſilie carried headlong into miſchéefe. So in the booke of Geneſis, the ſonnes of God, which were deſcended of Seth, when they ſawe the daughters of men, Gen. 6, 2.borne in verie déed of the poſteritie of Caine, they began to louelove them beyond meaſure; and ſo being blinded, began to degenerate from their former godlineſſe, which they had reteined euen from their great grandfather Seth. Paule, vntounto the Corinthians, 1. Co. 11, 10commandeth women to hauehave their head couered in the holie congregation, at the leaſt-wiſe bicauſe of the angels. And euen as women ought to ſhadowe their face, that they be not ſéene: ſo on the other ſide, men ought to temper themſelues, that they doo not ouer-curiouſlie behold them. Of which matter Tertullian wrot manie things verie well, in a little booke intituled De virginibus velandis. And Solomon thus wiſelie admoniſhed; Luſt not after hir beautie. Prou. 6, 25.Alſo Gregorie the firſt; They (ſaith he) which abuſe the outward eie, be worthie to hauehave the inward eie ſhadowed. Iob. 31, 1.I hauehave made a couenant (ſaith Iob) with mine eie, that I will not thinke vponupon a virgine. He ſaith not onelie, that I would not looke vponupon, but that I would not admit into my mind an imagination of hir. This ſéeing Dauid did not, he caſt himſelfe into the danger, which all godlie men ought to take héed of.