A Gospel Glass, Treatise · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII. Their abundance of Idleneſs.
A Third Sin of Sodom was Idleneſs, Profeſſours Idleneſs. Ezek. 16.49.Behold, this was the iniquity of thy Siſter Sodom, &c. an abundance of Idleneſs was in her and in her daughters. This Sin is the Companion of the former: when the belly is full, the bones would be at reſt, and when men have eat and drunk to exceſs, then they riſe up to play. This, and the former, are City-ſins, they were found in Sodom and Gomorrah, and I wiſh they were not among us alſo.
1. In their particular callings.How are we guilty of abundance of Idleneſs in our particular callings? Few have this for their Motto, Laboremus, Let us be working, I mean, working that which we ought. How many at the great day will God upbraid with, O wicked and ſlothfull ſervant! Every man hath a Talent of time and ſtrength, but it is hid, it is not imployed, at leaſt as it ought. God made not man to play, but to ſweat out his living. 'Twas Gods Ordinance in Paradiſe, and ſince that we are enjoyned to labour with our hands, Ezek. 18.18.and not to eat the bread of Idleneſt. How many, becauſe they have not done good among their people, ſhall dye in their iniquity? Our land is full of drones; and no wonder; for we train up our Children in Idleneſs, and indulge to them, whilſt waſting the firſt of their dayes in fooliſh pleaſures and recreations. Forraigners breed their Children (to our ſhame be it ſpoken) to work thoſe gaies with their hands, which our Children muſt play away their time with: hence they having inured themſelves to Idleneſs they hate labour for the future. Chriſt ſaw ſome ſtanding Idle: Mat. 20.3, 6.here he might ſee many: He could not endure it, he thought it unreaſonable, why ſtand yee here all the day Idle? O! how many are idle all the dayes of their lives? How many Gentlemen and their Sons are there without a calling? They live as if God had ſent them into the world to make their hands as pirches for birds to ſit upon: they are of no uſe to the Publick. In Cities how Idle are the Dames? They live as if God had given them reaſonable Souls, and the light of the Sun only to dreſs themſelves, to view a glaſs, and to paint and adorn their Carkaſſes. There are ſome among you that work not at all; 2 Theſ. 3.11. Nihil agentes, fed curioſe ſaragentes.and yet buſy-bodies, buſie to invent wayes to paſs away time, though time be ſtill running, and they are haſtning into Eternity. Doing nothing (ſaith the Apoſtle) and yet working every where, ſave where they ſhould: buſie to go from houſe to houſe to complement friends, to devour others times: buſie to carry tales and news, but hating the work of their calling, wherein God hath ſet them. The whole life of many is to eat, and drink, and ſleep, and ſport, and ſit, and talk, and laugh themſelves fat (but there is leanneſs in their Souls.) A kind of vagrant people they be, that having little to do, the Devil is loth they ſhould be idle, and therefore he hires them to devour time, to carry news and tales to miſpend others times: 1 Tim. 5.13.They learn to be Idle: they ſtudy which way they may miſpend time, wandring from houſe to houſe, and yet they are not only idle, but buſie-bodies. One compares them to Pedlars, opening their Packs, and dropping here a tale, and there a tale. Theſe are at leiſure to hear the Devil, and to obſerve his Orders. He that will not ſerve God at home, the Devil, rather than he ſhall ſtand out, will ſend him of his errands, and get him to put his Sickle into another mans Corn. Go (ſaith Satan) into that houſe, and rail againſt ſuch a good man, carry his miſcarriage from one to another, till his name rots and ſtinks in their Noſtrils: Go to ſuch a mans door, he is employed in reading the Scriptures and good books, or Catechiſing his Family, &c. Go and divert him, eat up his time, that he may have no leiſure for ſuch works. He goes, he is a buſie-body, a tatler too. He muſt goe whom the Devil drives; Hence occaſion is given to the Adverſary to ſpeak reproachfully, for that ſo many are turned aſide after Satan. Let it be conſidered and lamented, how much precious time is devoured in the Bed; Five hours ſleep will ſuffice for ſome conſtitutions: The utmoſt that Phyſicians allow, is ſeven hours; but ſome waſte and bury themſelves in their Beds almoſt half their time. How little do many conſider, that in the Day of Judgement, they muſt give account, as for every idle word, ſo for their idleneſs in their Bed-chambers? Sluggard, view the Sun, its running a race, whilſt thou art tumbling on thy Bed, and crying, O that this were to labour! View the Wind and the Air, they are in motion: View the Waters, they ſtink and corrupt, unleſs running: nay view the dull earth, it is not ſo dull as thou art, it brings forth for the uſe of Man. Go to the Ant thou ſluggard, Prov. 6.6.yea any where, conſider the ways of all, ſave thy ſelf, and be wiſe. What! a Profeſſor, and yet guilty of an unnatural ſinne? Nature puts all creatures into motion, and to provide for themſelves: 1 Tim. 5.8.thou art worſe than an Infidel: yea worſe than a Beaſt: The poor Infant cannot ſuck without labour, and yet thou wouldſt live without labour. God takes this ſo ill, 2 Theſ. 3.10.that he would not have them to eat, who will not labour, and if we know ſuch, we ſin if we feed them. God hath not forbid meat to be given to any other ſinners, only theſe are not to be fed, let them ſtarve and die, if they will not labour. The ſluggard will not plow by reaſon of the cold, Prov. 26.4.therefore ſhall he beg in harvest, and have nothing: God hath no pity for drones, and he would not have us to pity them: Drones are to be beaten out of the Hive, and ſtarved in Winter: It is the Workman that is worthy of meat in Chriſts account: Mat. 10.10.Idleneſs hath brought much evil upon you, and bred many in you, it begets many diſeaſes in the body, but many more in the Soul: Pſal. 91.11.it exempts a man from the protection of Angels, and it expoſeth to Gods wrath: it brought ruine upon Sodom, and the Cities round about, Jude v. 7.and they are ſet forth for an example ſuffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
2. In their general callings.How are we guilty of abundance of Idleneſs in our general callings? And above all Idleneſs, Spiritual ſloth is moſt dangerous. I find ſome, with unwearied diligence, labouring to enlarge their Poſſeſſions, and to raiſe their Poſterity; they riſe early, and ſit up late, and eat the bread of carefulneſs, but all is for the Body: they do little or nothing for their precious Souls, and for Eternity. Chriſt and Heaven ſtand by, and few regard them: Few work out their Salvation with fear and trembling. Some will not be at ſo much pains for their Souls, as to perform the common outward Duties of Religion. They will goe to the Market, or to be merry with Friends, many a mile; but if a Lecture he but a few paces from their threſholds, they count it intollerable to wet their …et, to expoſe themſelves to the air: Well, Well; God hath eaſed you of this labour. But if men are for ſome eaſie parts of Religion, yet how few are for the difficult parts thereof? They cannot endure to watch their hearts, to ſanctifie the Lords day ſo ſtrictly, as not to think their own thoughts, nor speak their own words, nor do their own deeds. How many Profeſſours have ſo long given way to their lazy diſtempers, have lain ſo long upon the Bed of ſloth, that when we preſs them to any painful and laborious Duties, they think it excuſe enough, to ſay, We have put off our Coat, and loth we are to put it on: We have given way to ſloth ſo long, that we hate to take pains for Chriſt, and for Eternity? Hence Self-examination, Meditation, Watchfulneſs againſt the firſt riſings of ſin, Mortification of inward heart-ſins, &c. theſe works are totally laid by; and the longer we neglect them, the more ado there is to perſwade us to take them up. We are like truant-Boyes, who hate their Book after a long vacation. All we have to uphold our ſelves with, is this, that the Spirit is willing, when God knows the contrary. We are willing to be rich, and therefore take pains: So we would in Spiritual things too, if we were ſo deſirous of them. If we were willing to enjoy Chriſt in our Cloſets, would we be even aſleep there upon our knees? If we were willing to know the way to Glory, would we not take ſo much pains, as to goe to the Shepheards tents, and ask for the good old way? O! O! It will cut you to the heart, when you come to Hell-gate, that you miſt of Heaven, for not enquiring the way thither; and that you took more pains to be rich, and to damn your Souls, than to ſave them. Had that time been ſpent in Prayer, holy Conference, and in Self-arraignments, which was waſted in the Bed, Shop, Fields, unneceſſarily, you might have had an eternal reſt; whereas Hell will be, as intollerable to all, ſo eſpecially to them, who have ſtood idle all the day long.