The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 37
CHAP. XXXVII. Inſtruction fourth.
Inſtruct. 4 THe conſideration of the continuall operation of God's Providence,Aul. Gell. Noct. Attic. lib. 4. cap. 12. muſt teach every man to be diligent in ſome calling or other, and to be induſtrious therein. The very Athenians, Aegyptians, and Romans ſeverely puniſhed all idle perſons, as Gellius tells us. The Godly that are truly humble, refuſe no honeſt kind of labour. Abel keepeth ſheepe, Jacob and Moſes do the like, Sarah will bake cakes, Rebekah takes a pitcher and draweth water; Gideon will threſh, and Eliſha put his hand to the plough, and the honourable woman will put her hand to the diſtaffe. The wiſe man hath allowed a time for every thing elſe, but for idleneſſe no time at all. Jacob's ladder had ſtaves,Generoſos animos labor nutrit. Senec. ad Lucil. Epiſt. 31. Vita otioſa umbratilis & ſolitaria, nec ad ſanitatem facit. Plutarc. Mor. 1. upon which he ſaw none ſtanding ſtill, but all either aſcending or deſcending by it. Man is born to labour as the sparks flie upwards. Excellent is the example of Alfred ſometime King of England, who flouriſhed about eight hundred ſeventy two yeares after Chriſt, and two hundred years before the Conqueſt, who was very vigilant, laborious, and powerfull, and often prevailed againſt the Pagans, and reſtored divers Cities to their immunities, being taken out of the hands of his enemies: among other things he is famous for this, that dividing the day nauturall into three even parts, he ſpent eight hours in reading, writing, and praying, eight hours in hearing and determining matters of State belonging to his place, and but eight for the proviſion of his body by meat, drink, ſleep, and other neceſſaries. King Alphonſus doing …omething with his hand, and labouring ſo, as ſome which beheld him found fault, ſmiled and ſaid: Hath God given hands to Kings in vain? Some ſay, that the Grand Seignour of the Turks, is by his Law daily to do ſome bodily worke with his hands to grace labour. The old Aegyptians were wont once a year to call their Citizens together, and have every man give account to their governours, how he got his living; if they found any vagabonds and drones that lived by the ſweat of other mens browes, and uſed no lawfull labour themſelves,Quid vultis ut Dominus me otioſum inveniret? Calvin. they preſently baniſhed them. It was a worthy ſaying of Mr. Calvin when his Friends found him continually macerating himſelf with painfull ſtudies, demanding of him why he had ſo little care of his health; What will ye that may Master at his coming ſhould find me idle? It is the ſinne of many of the Gentry, to whom God hath given means and ability of doing good, to ſpend their whole life either in doing nothing, or that which is worſe than nothing. Ah what confuſion will overwhelm prophane time ſpenders at the day of judgment, when God ſhall ſhew them the bill of their miſſpent life. Item, So much time ſpent in ſwaggering. Item, So many nights ſpent in whoring Item. So much ſpent in Carding, Dicing, and gaming. Item, So much ſpent in eating and gurmundizing, rioting and drunkenneſſe, Item, So many choyce hours ſpent in ſwearing, lying, ſcoffing at holineſſe, and in fooliſh and rotten communication. So much time ſpent at the glaſſe in frizzeling and poudering, in ſinging, complementing and dancing. Certainly at the ſight of all theſe dreadfull Items, they ſhall then wiſh (but all in vain) that they had one hour to ſpend in weeping for their former folly.
Albeit there ought to be a difference in the manner of the employment between thoſe that are Nobly deſcended, and men of meaner rank,Dr Sanderſ. Serm. ad. populum in 1 Cor. 7.24. yet no man ſhould live idly. If God hath made thee a man of authority in the Country where thou liveſt, and bleſſed thee with a large eſtate, thou oughteſt to keep thy family in good order; to be liberal to the poor, hoſpitable to Gods Miniſters & others; to endeavour to preſerve love and peace among the neighbours: he that doth this he may, muſt needs be acknowledged a profitable member in the Commonwealth; many prodigall young Gallants alleadge their birth and their noble extraction; But was any man of higher birth than Adam, Mart. Bucer. de Regno Chriſti. lib. 2. cap. 24.who laboured before he had ſinned? Who higher born than Cain and Able the ſons of the abſolute Monarch of the whole world? yet one of them is a tiller of the ground, the other a Keeper of ſheep. Would ſuch men ſearch their Pedigrees, they would find their Worthy Anceſtors raiſed their houſes either by valiant exploits they did in the field, by adventures at Sea, diligent attendance at Court, or by induſtriouſneſſe of ſome particular calling; and though they inherit the Lands and Titles of honour, yet if they alſo inherit not their vertues, they are but the degenerate off-ſpring of generous Anceſſtors.
One obſerveth, how induſtrious every Creature in the world is, and doth his office. The little Nightingale in the forreſt maketh an Organ of her throat; ſometimes her notes are warbling, ſometime ſhe ſtretcheth them out at length: the Swallow is buſie in her maſonry: the Bee toileth all the day in her innocent thefts, the Spider draweth out the long train of her webs,foreign. Euripid. and maketh more curious works with her feet, than the moſt skillfull woman can weave with her hands; Fiſhes play their parts under the water; Beaſts of ſervice, as Horſes, Oxen, &c. labour in their duty; nature hath nothing at all, except man, that is willing to be idle.
Here I may tax the vanity of many young Gallants, that for want of beter impolyment travell into far Countries, meerly to ſee and learn new faſhions, quaint phraſes, apiſh geſtures, fooliſh courtings, and vain complements; and many times like unfortunate Merchant-adventurers, they exchange good company for evill manners; the faſhion of too many Travellers (as the old Lacedamonians long ſince obſerved) is not toBrathwait. Engl. Gent. bring home the wiſedome and vertues, but the follies and vices; of forreign Countries. Give me, a man ſaith one, that hath ſeen the Epheſian Diana in the Louire, the great Veſſell at Heidelberg, the Amphitheatre at Ʋlyſmos, the ſtables of the great Mogol, and Mahomets ſhrine at Mecha, yea all the memorable Monuments of the world to delight the eye, or Learned Academies to inrich his knowledge; yet are not all theſe able to alter the quality of his diſpoſition; whence Flaccus ſaith.
Horat. lib. 1 Epiſt. 11.To paſſe the Seas ſome are inclin'd,
To change their air, but not their mind.
But I take not upon me from hence to condemn all Treavelling into ſorreign parts. I know divers ſorts of Travellers are both Antient and honeſt: as
1. Such as Travelled and undertook long journeys to deliver Captives from unjuſt impriſonment, as the Poets feign of Hercules, that he undertook many toilſome journeys to kill Monſters, and curb Tyrants that oppreſſed poor innocents: this is lawfull for great Princes, either to go in perſon, or to ſend by deputation into forreign Countries to deliver Captives, and thoſe that ſuffer wrong.
2. To deliver ſouls from ſpirituall bondage, in preaching the Goſpell in ſuch places where it was never heard of: thus did Chriſt himſelf, Paul and the other Apoſtles.
3. It's lawfull to travell to get learning and knowledge; and therfore Plato the Philoſopher travelled into Aegypt, and the Queen of Sheba or Ethiopia, came to Jeruſalem to be confirmed of what ſhe had heard of King Solomon.
4. It's lawfull to treavell for traffique and Merchandizes, becauſe all Countries afford not all commodities as the Poet ſpeaketh; Non omnis fert omnia Tellus.
5. It's lawfull to travell in time of perſecution to enjoy the liberty of our conſcience, to profeſſe the truth: but of this I have largely ſpoken on Chap. 26.
6. It's lawfull to ſeek new ſeats where to ſettle our ſelves; if God ſo multiply us, as our native ſoile be two little for us: thus God appointed Abraham to do, Geneſ. 12. But this one thing muſt be remembred, that in all ſuch plantations we ſeek unpeopled and unhabited places, or where there be ſo few, as the Countries may afford room enough for us and them. God taketh expreſſe order, Deuteronom. 2. that the Edomites and Moabites, may not be diſquieted by the Iſraelites: and ſurely the Laws of God, nature, and Nations, require that Antient inhabitants be not baniſhed or diſplaced of their poſſeſſions; which was an honourable care (as I have heard) of our Countrey-men in their Weſtern Plantations.