SERMON L. OF INDUSTRY IN GENERAL. ECCLES. ix. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. IN St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans, among divers ex- SERM. 11. L. Πᾶσα δή. cellent rules of life, prescribed by that great master, this is one, Tỹ σñoudy μǹ ỏxvngoì, Be not slothful in business, or to Rom. xii. business; and in the second Epistle to the Corinthians, among other principal virtues, or worthy accomplishments, for abounding wherein the Apostle commendeth thofe Chriftians, he ranketh all diligence, or induftry ex- läsa o ercifed in all affairs and duties incumbent on them: this 2 Cor. viii. is that virtue, the practice whereof in this moral precept7 or advice the royal Preacher doth recommend unto us; being indeed an eminent virtue, of very general use, and powerful influence upon the management of all our affairs, or in the conduct of our whole life. Industry, I fay, in general, touching all matters. incident, which our hand findeth to do, that is, which dispenfation of Providence doth offer, or which choice of reafon embraceth, for employing our active powers of foul and body, the Wife Man doth recommend; and to preffing the observance of his advice (waving all curious remarks either critical or logical upon the words) I fhall presently apply my discourse, propofing divers confiderations apt to~ excite us thereto; only firft, let me briefly describe it, for our better apprehenfion of its true notion and nature.. SERM. By industry we understand a serious and fteady applicaL. tion of mind, joined with a vigorous exercise of our active faculties, in prosecution of any reasonable, honest, useful .defign, in order to the accomplishment or attainment of some confiderable good; as for instance, a merchant is induftrious, who continueth intent and active in driving on his trade for acquiring wealth; a foldier is industrious, who is watchful for occafion, and earnest in action toward obtaining the victory; and a scholar is industrious, who doth affiduously bend his mind to study for getting knowledge. Industry doth not confift merely in action; for that is inceffant in all perfons, a our mind being a restless thing, never abiding in a total ceffation from thought or from defign; being like a ship in the fea, if not steered to fome good purpose by reafon, yet toffed by the waves of fancy, or driven by the winds of temptation fomewhither. But the direction of our mind to fome good end, without roving or flinching, in a straight and steady course, drawing after it our active powers in execution thereof, doth constitute industry; the which therefore usually is attended with labour and pain; for our mind (which naturally doth affect variety and liberty, being apt to loathe familiar objects, and to be weary of any constraint) is not eafily kept in a constant attention to the fame thing; and the spirits employed in thought are prone to flutter and fly away, fo that it is hard to fix them: and the corporeal inftruments of action being strained to a high pitch, or detained in a tone, will foon feel a laffitude fomewhat offenfive to nature; whence labour or pain is commonly reckoned an ingredient of industry, and laboriousness is a name fignifying it; upon which account this virtue, as involving la bour, deferveth a peculiar commendation; it being then most laudable to follow the dictates of reafon, when fo doing is attended with difficulty and trouble. Such in general I conceive to be the nature of industry; to the practice whereof the following confiderations may induce. • Η γὰρ ψυχὴ φύσιν ἔχουσα τε κινεῖσθαι διαπαντὸς, οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἠρεμεῖν, ἔμε πρακτον τὸ ζῶον τᾶτο ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, &c. Chryf. in Αl. Οr. 35. L. 1. We may confider that industry doth befit the con- SERM. ftitution and frame of our nature; all the faculties of our foul and organs of our body being adapted in a congruity and tendency thereto : our hands are fuited for work, our* feet for travel, our fenfes to watch for occafion of pursuing good and efchewing evil, our reason to plod and contrive ways of employing the other parts and powers; all these, I fay, are formed for action; and that not in a loose and gadding way, or in a flack and remifs degree, but in regard to determinate ends, with vigour requifite to attain them; and especially our appetites do prompt to industry, as inclining to things not obtainable without it; according to that aphorifm of the Wife Man, Επιθυμίαι ὀκνηρὸν ἀπο- Prov. xxi. XTEíveσ-The defire of the flothful killeth him, for his 25. xiii. 4. κτείνεσιν hands refufe to labour; that is, he is apt to defire things which he cannot attain without pains; and not enduring them, he for want thereof doth feel a deadly smart and anguish: wherefore in not being industrious we defeat the intent of our Maker; we pervert his work and gifts; we forfeit the use and benefit of our faculties; we are bad hufbands of nature's ftock. 2. In confequence hereto industry doth preserve and perfect our nature, keeping it in good tune and temper, improving and advancing it toward its best state. The labour of our mind in attentive meditation and study doth render it capable and patient of thinking upon any object or occafion, doth polish and refine it by use, doth enlarge it by acceffion of habits, doth quicken and rouse our spirits, dilating and diffufing them into their proper channels. The very labour of our body doth keep the organs of action found and clean, difcuffing fogs and fuperfluous humours, opening paffages, diftributing nourishment, exciting vital heat barring the use of it, no good conftitution of foul or body can fubfift; but a foul ruft, a dull numbness, a resty listlessnefs, a heavy unwieldiness must seize on us b; our fpirits will be ftifled and choked, our hearts ὁ Πάντα γὰρ ἡ ἀργία βλάπτει, καὶ τὰ μέλη σώματος αὐτὰ, &c. Chryf, in Αtt. Orat. 35. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τοιέτε τὸ σῶμα ἔκλυτον, &c. Ibid. SERM. will grow faint and languid, our parts will flag and decay; L. the vigour of our mind and the health of our body will be much impaired. It is with us as with other things in nature, which by motion are preserved in their native purity and perfection, in their sweetness, in their luftre, reft corrupting, debafing, and defiling them. If the water runneth, it holdeth clear, fweet, and fresh; but stagnation turneth it into a noisome puddle: if the air be fanned by winds, it is pure and wholesome; but from being shut up, it groweth thick and putrid: if metals be employed, they abide smooth and fplendid; but lay them up, and they foon contract ruft: if the earth be belaboured with culture, it yieldeth corn; but lying neglected, it will be overgrown with brakes and thistles; and the better its foil is, the ranker weeds it will produce: all nature is upheld in its being, order, and ftate, by conftant agitation; every creature is inceffantly employed in action conformable to its defigned end and use; in like manner the preservation and improvement of our faculties depends on their constant exercise. 3. As we naturally were composed, fo by divine appointment we were originally defigned for industry; God did not intend that man should live idly, even in his best state, or should enjoy happiness without taking pains; but Gen. ii. 15. did provide work enough even in Paradise itself; for the Lord God, faith the text, took man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it; so that had we continued happy, we must have been ever bufy, by our industry sustaining our life, and fecuring our pleasure ; otherwise weeds might have overgrown Paradise, and that Prov. xxiv. of Solomon might have been applicable to Adam; I went by the field of the flothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof. 30, 31. Ο Ποῖος ἵππος χρήσιμος, ὁ τρυφῶν, ἢ ὁ ἐργαζόμενος ; ποία ναῦς, ἡ πλέουσα, ἢ κ ἀργῆσα; ποῖον ὕδωρ, τὸ τρέχον, ἢ τὸ ἐςώς ; ποῖος σίδηρος, ὁ κείμενος, ἢ ὁ ἐργαζό Mevos, &c. Chryf. in Att. Orat. 35. 4 Neglectis urenda filix innafcitur agris. Hor. Ser. i. 3. Plut. sgi zaidov ȧywyns, p. 3. edit. Steph. L. 4. By our tranfgreffion and fall the neceffity of industry SERM. (together with a difficulty of obtaining good, and avoiding evil) was increased to us; being ordained both as a just punishment for our offences, and as an expedient remedy of our needs: for thereupon the ground was curfed to bring Gen. iii. 17. forth thorns and thistles to us; and it was our doom pronounced by God's own mouth, In the fweat of thy face Gen. iii. 19. fhalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground: fo that now labour is fatally natural to us; now man, as Job Job v. 7. faith, is born to labour, as the Sparks fly upward, (or, as the vulture's chickens foar aloft, according to the Greek interpreters e.) 5. Accordingly our condition and circumftances in the world are fo ordered, as to require industry; so that without it we cannot fupport our life in any comfort or convenience; whence St. Paul's charge upon the Theffalonians, that if any one would not work, neither should he eat, 2 Theff. iîi. is in a manner a general law imposed on mankind by the 10. exigency of our state, according to that of Solomon; The Prov. xix. idle foul fhall fuffer hunger, and, The fluggard, who will 15. not plough by reafon of the cold, shall beg in harvest, and have nothing. Of all our many neceffities, none can be fupplied without pains, wherein all men are obliged to bear a share; every man is to work for his food, for his apparel, for all his accommodations, either immediately and directly, or by commutation and equivalence; for the gentleman himself cannot (at least worthily and inculpably) obtain them otherwife than by redeeming them from the ploughman and the artificer, by compenfation of other cares and pains conducible to public good. The wife Poet did obferve well when he said, -Pater ipse colendi Haud facilem esse viam voluit. Virgil. Georg. i. € ̓Αλλ' ἄνθρωπος γεννᾶται κόπῳ· νεοσσοὶ δὲ γυπὸς ὑψηλὰ πέτονται. LXX. Interp. Now great travail (as the Son of Sirach faith) is created for every man ; (ασχολία μεγάλη ἔκτισαι παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ, &c. Ecclus. xl. 1.) and a heavy yoke is upon the fons of Adam, &c. Prov. xx. 4. |