15. Idleness usually bringeth poverty; and it is a just and merciful chastisement of God to cure the sin: but such can have little comfort in their wants; nor expect that others should pity them, as they would do the diligent. Yea, many, when by idleness they are brought to poverty, by poverty are brought to murmuring and stealing, to the ruin both of soul and body, and family and reputation.
16. Idleness is a murderer of the body. Gluttony and idleness kill most of the world before their time: no two sins more constantly bring this curse along with them.
17. Idleness maketh thee the shame of the creation. Seest thou not how all the world is in action? how the sun runneth his course for thee, the waters flow, the ground bringeth forth, thy cattle labour for thee; and all things that are most excellent, are most active; and all things that are most unactive, are most vile, and dead, and drossy. The Scripture sendeth the slothful even to the ant to learn to labour, Prov. vi. 6. And shall the ant, the bee, and every creature be witnesses against thee to condemn thy sloth?
18. Lastly, idleness disableth you from doing good to others: you should "work with your own hands, that you may have to give to him that needeth," Eph. iv. 28. Or if you give out of your superfluity that which cost you no labour, it is not so much to your honour or comfort, as if you were purposely thrifty and laborious to do good; he that pleaseth his flesh with ease and fulness, and giveth his leavings (how much soever) to the poor, will never have that comfort and evidence of God's acceptance and grace in it, as he that pampereth not his flesh by his abundance, but giveth that to the poor which he getteth with his diligence, and which he denieth to his inordinate desires.
Direct. II. Those persons must be extraordinary watchful against this sin of idleness, whose constitutions, unhappy educations, condition of life, or company, do most strongly tempt them to it. It is a sin that some have but little temptation to in comparison of others: and some have need of a great deal of care and resolution to escape it. 1. Those are most subject to this sin who have a phlegmatic constitution, or dulness of spirits, or other bodily indisposition to cherish it: such therefore should strive the more against it, and not give way to any sloth which they are able to resist. Though their bodies are like a dull or tired horse, they must use the rod and spur the more. Such heavy persons are more given to sleep than others are; and yet they may resist it and rise early if they will, though they have a greater sluggishness than others to overcome. So though they are more undisposed to labour than more active persons are, yet if they will do their best, they may go as far as their strength of body will enable them. And this they should the rather strive to do, (unless they have a disease that labour is hurtful to,) because that custom doth much to the increasing or decreasing their bodily undisposedness, and labour is the most effectual means to cure them of that fleshly heaviness which unfitteth them for their labour.[579]
2. Those that have been unhappily bred up in idleness, have great cause to repent of their sinful life that is past, and to be doubly diligent to overcome this sin: if their parents have so far been their enemies, they should not continue enemies to themselves. Though usually the children of the rich and proud have this for their peculiar original sin, and are very unhappy in their parentage and education in comparison of the children of wise, and humble, and industrious parents, yet their own understanding and willingness, by the help of grace, may overcome it. If your parents had trained you up to live by stealing, could not you leave it if you will, when you come to know that God forbiddeth it? so though they have bred you up in idleness, and done their part to undo you both in soul and body, to make your souls a sty for sin, and your bodies a skinful of diseases, yet if you will do your part you may be recovered, at least as to your souls; and custom may conquer the fruits of custom. You cannot do worse than to go on, and spend the rest of your life in sin. If you had been still-born, or murdered in your infancy, it had been no sin for you to have lain idle in the common earth; but to teach a living soul to be idle, and to train up the living to a conformity to the dead, (save only that they eat, and spend, and sin, and carry their ornaments on their backs, when the dead have theirs for a standing monument,) this was great cruelty and treachery in your parents: but you must not therefore be as cruel and treacherous against yourselves.[580]
3. Those that abound in wealth, and have no need to labour for any bodily provisions, should be especially watchful against this sin. Necessity is a constant spur to the poor (except those that live upon begging, who are the second rank of idle persons in the land); but the rich and proud are under a continual temptation to live idly; for they need not rise early to labour for their bread; they need not work hard for food or raiment; they have not the cries of their hungry children to rouse them up; they have plenty for themselves and family without labour, and therefore they think they may take their ease. But it is a sad case with poor souls, when the commands of God do go for nothing with them; or cannot do as much to make them diligent as poverty or want could do; and when God's service seemeth to them unworthy of their labour, in comparison of their own. It may be, God may bring you unto a necessity of labouring for your daily bread, if you so ill requite him for your plenty. But it is better that your idleness were cured by grace, than by necessity: for when you labour only for your own supplies, your own supplies are your reward; but when you labour in true obedience to God, it is God that will reward you, Col. iii. 23, 24. I do, with very much love and honour, think of the industrious lives of some lords and ladies that I know, who hate idleness and vanity, and spend their time in diligent labours suitable to their places. But it is matter of very great shame and sorrow, to think and speak of the lives of too great a number of our gallants: to how little purpose they live in the world! If they take a true account of their lives, (as God will make them wish they had done, when he calls them to account,) how many hours, think you, will be found to have been spent in any honest labour, or diligent work that is worthy of a christian, or a member of the commonwealth! in comparison of all the rest of their time, which is spent in bed, in dressing, in ornaments, in idle talk, in playing, in eating, in idle wanderings and visits, and in doing nothing, or much worse?[581] How much of the day doth idleness consume in comparison of any profitable work! Oh that God would make such know in time, how dreadful a thing it is thus to imitate Sodom that was punished with the vengeance of eternal fire, Ezek. xvi. 49; Jude 7, instead of imitating Christ. As for idle beggars, they read not books, and therefore I shall not write for them: they are in this more happy than the idle gentry, that the law compelleth them to work, and leaveth them not to themselves.
4. Those persons that live in idle company have special cause to fear this sin; for such will entangle you in idleness, and greatly hinder you from conscionable diligence.
5. Those servants that live in great men's houses, and are kept more for pomp and state than service, having little to do, should specially take heed of the sin of idleness. Many such take it for their happiness to live idly, and take that for the best service where they have least work. But have you nothing to do for yourselves, for soul nor body? If you have leisure from your master's service, you should thankfully improve it in God's service and your own.
Direct. III. Settle yourselves in a lawful calling, which will keep you under a necessity of ordinary and orderly employment. As we cannot so easily bring our minds to a close attendance upon God, in the week days when we have our common business to divert us, as we can do on the Lord's day which is purposely set apart for it, and in which we have the use of his stated ordinances to assist us; even so a man that is out of a stated course of labour cannot avoid idleness so well as he that hath his ordinary time and course of business to keep him still at work. It is a dangerous life to live out of a calling.