Sloth and idleness thus described is a sin in all; but a far greater sin in some than in others.[572] And you may thus know what sloth it is that is the most sinful. 1. The more sloth is subjected in the mind itself, and the less it is subjected in the body, the greater is the sin. For the mind is the nobler part, and immediate seat of sin. 2. The smaller the bodily distempers or temptations are which seduce the mind, the greater is the sin; for it shows the mind to be the more corrupted and tainted with the disease of sloth. He that is under an unresistible indisposition of body, sinneth not at all (unless as he voluntarily contracted that disease). But if the body's indisposition to labour be great, but yet not unresistible, it is a sin to yield to it; but so much the smaller sin, cæteris paribus, as the bodily disease is greater. He that hath some scorbutical lassitude, or phlegmatic heaviness and dulness, doth sin if he strive not against it as much as he can, and as in reason he should: it is not every bodily indisposition that will excuse a man from all labour, as long as he is able to labour notwithstanding that disease; but if the disease be great, so that he resisteth his lassitude with a great deal of labour, the sin is the less: but he that hath a body sound and able, that hath no disease to indispose him, sinneth most of all if he be slothful, as showing the most corrupted mind. 3. He is most sinfully slothful who is most voluntarily slothful. As he that endeavoureth least against it, and he that most loveth it, and would not leave it; and he that is least troubled at it, and least repenteth and lamenteth it, and contriveth to accommodate his sloth. 4. The sloth is, cæteris paribus, the worst, which most prevaileth to the omission or negligent performance of our duty; but that sloth which doth but indispose us, but is so far conquered by our resistance, as not to keep us from our duty, or not much and often, is the smaller sin. 5. That is the most sinful sloth, cæteris paribus, which is against the greatest duties: to be backward to the most holy duties, (as praying, and hearing or reading the word of God, &c.) or to duties of public consequence, is a greater sin than to be lazily backward to a common, toilsome work. 6. That is the most sinful sloth and idleness which is committed against the greatest motives to labour and diligence: therefore, in that respect, a poor man's sloth is more sinful than a rich man's, because he is under the pressure of necessity; and in another respect the rich man's sloth is worst, because he burieth the greatest talents, and is idle when he hath the greatest wages. A man that hath many children sinneth more than another by his idleness, because he wrongeth them all whom he must provide for. A magistrate or pastor of the church doth sin more incomparably than common people, if they be slothful; because they betray the souls of men, or sin against the good of many. As it is a greater sin to be lazy in quenching a fire in the city, than in a common, needless business; so it is a greater sin to be slothful in the working out our salvation, and making our calling and election sure, when God, and Christ, and heaven, and hell are the motives to rouse us up to duty, and when the time is so short, in which all our work for eternity must be done, I say, it is a far greater sin, than to be slothful when only corporal wants or benefits are the motives which we resist. Yet indeed the will of God is resisted in all, who forbiddeth us to be "slothful in business," Rom. xii. 11.
The signs of sloth.
Sloth is a thing that is easily discerned: the signs of it are, 1. When the very thought of labour is troublesome and unpleasing, and ease seems sweet. 2. When duty is omitted hereby and left undone. 3. When the easy part of duty is culled out, and the harder part is cast aside. 4. When the judgment will not believe, that laborious duty is a duty at all. 5. When that which you do, is done with an ill will, and with a constant weariness of mind, and there is no alacrity or pleasure in your work. 6. When you do no more in much time, than you might do in less, if you had a willing, ready mind. 7. When the backward mind is shifting it off with excuses, or finding something else to do, or at least delaying it. 8. When you choose a condition of greater ease and smaller labour, before a laborious condition of life which in other respects is better for you. As when a servant had rather live in an ungodly family where there is more ease (and fulness) to be had, than in a place of greatest advantage for the soul, where there is more labour (and want). 9. When little impediments discourage or stop you. "The slothful saith, there is a lion in the way," Prov. xxvi. 13; xxii. 13. "His way is an hedge of thorns," Prov. xv. 19. "He will not plough by reason of cold," Prov. xx. 4. 10. When you make a great matter of a little business. It cannot be done but with such preparation, and so much ado, that shows a slothful mind in the doer. Even the "putting his hand to his mouth," and "pulling it out of his bosom," is a business with the sluggard; that is, he maketh a great matter of a little one, Prov. xxvi. 15; xix. 24. 11. Lastly, The fruits of slothfulness use to detect it, in soul, and body, and estate; for it corrupteth, impoverisheth, and ruineth all. The weeds of his field or garden, the vices of his soul, the sins of his life, the duties omitted, or sleepily performed, the disorders of his family or charge, and usually, or oft, his poverty, do detect him, Prov. xxiv. 30; xii. 24, 27.[573]
By this much it is easy to discern the impudent folly of the quakers and some ignorant rustics, that rail against magistrates and ministers for living idly, because they do not plough or thrash, or use some mechanic trade or labour; as if the labour of their highest calling were no labour, but mere idleness. Thus proud men speak evil of that which they understand not! Had they tried it, they would have found that the work of a faithful minister is further distant from idleness than a thrasher is. Doth not Christ and the Holy Ghost oft call them "labourers, fellow-labourers with Christ, and workmen, and their work a labour?" Luke x. 27; 1 Cor. iii. 9; 1 Tim. v. 17, 18; 2 Tim. ii. 15; Matt. x. 10; 1 Cor. iii. 13-15; ix. 1; Eph. iv. 12; Phil. ii. 30.
Hence also you may see, 1. That though all that can must labour, yet there is great diversity of labours; and all men are not to do the same work. Magistrates, and pastors, and lawyers, and physicians, must labour diligently; but they are not all bound to plough, and thrash, and use the more servile labours of their inferiors. 2. That every man must labour in the works of his own calling, "and do his own business," 1 Thess. iv. 11; 2 Thess. iii. 11; and take that for the best employment for him, which God doth call him to, and not presume to step out of his place, and take the work of other men's callings out of their hands. 3. That a man that is paid for his labour by another, (as lawyers, physicians, schoolmasters, servants,) do rob them by their idleness, when they withhold from them any part of that which they are paid for.
Direct. I. The first help against sloth, is to be well acquainted with the greatness of the sin. For no wonder if it be committed by them that think it small. First, therefore, I shall tell you what it is.
1. God himself reckoneth it with heinous sins. "Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness," Ezek. xvi. 49, (the very character of the debauched part of the gentry,) is said to have been Sodom's sin, that was consumed with fire from heaven. And the Thessalonians were forbidden to keep company with such as lived disorderly and did not work.[574]
2. Idleness is a temporary destruction (as to their use) of all the faculties of mind and body which should be exercised. It is contrary to nature; for nature made our faculties for use. You bury yourselves alive. If it be a sin to hide God's lesser talents, what is it to bury ourselves and all our powers? If it be pity to see a dead man, because he is unuseful to the world; is it not pity and shame to see one voluntarily dead, that maketh himself useless by his sloth? Should not the church-yard be the dwelling of the slothful, that he may be nearest them in place that he is nearest to in quality?
3. Idleness and sloth are consumers of all the mercies of God. You are the barren ground where he soweth his seed, and none comes up. You return him but a crop of thorns and briers, and such ground is "nigh to cursing" (the final curse); "whose end is to be burned," Heb. vi. 8. Doth God daily feed, and clothe, and keep you, and protect and support you, and teach and warn you, and all for nothing? Is idleness that for which he hired you? Will you accuse your Maker of so great imprudence, and your Redeemer of more, as if he created and redeemed you to do nothing, or that which is as bad or worse than nothing? He calleth to you, "Why stand you idle?" Matt. xx. 3, 6. And it is a terrible sentence that such shall receive, "Thou wicked and slothful servant; cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness," &c. Matt. xxv. 26.
4. Idleness is a robbing God, who is the Lord of us and all our faculties, and all our service is his due. You rob him of the honour and service that you might have done him by your diligence.