SERMON XXI. OF QUIETNESS, AND DOING OUR OWN 1 THESS. iv. 11. 2 Cor. Or. And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business. Chrys. in As frequently between neighbouring states there 19. do rise dissensions and contests about the just limits of their territories; so doth it frequently happen between virtue and vice, right and wrong, duty and miscarriage in practice; for although the extreme degrees, and even the middle regions of these things are very distant, yet the borders of them do lie very close together, and are in a manner contiguous; a certain ridge of separation running between them, which commonly, being very narrow, thin, and obscure, it is not easy to discern. So it particularly falleth out in the matter before us, wherein our text is concerned. Duty and offence do nearly confine, and almost indiscernibly differ one from the other; for there are about this case precepts which seem to contradict; there are duties appearing to thwart one another. St. Paul here biddeth us to be studious or ambitious of quiet; otherwhere he enjoineth us to be earnestly active, (to be σrovy μǹ okvnpoì, not slothful Rom. xii. in business:) here he would have us to mind our II. SERM. own affairs; otherwhere he prescribeth, that we XXI. should not look every man to his own things, but Phil. ii. 4. every man also to the things of others. According to the general drift of scripture, and the tenor of our religion, we are in charity obliged to concern ourselves heartily for the good of our neighbour, and to strive earnestly in promoting it; we are enjoined so far to interpose and meddle in the affairs of others, as to watch over them for their good; to instruct and advise them, to admonish and excite them, to check and reprove them upon occasion; to offer and yield them succour, to compose differences between them; to promote their edifiKaravo cation and peace: Let us, saith the apostle to the Hebrews, consider one another, to provoke unto Rom. xiv. love and to good works. Let us, saith St. Paul to 1 Thess. v. the Romans, follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another; and, Exhort yourselves together, and edify one another;-warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, saith he to the Thessalonians in this Epistle. ἀλλήλους. Heb. x. 24. 19. XV. 2. 11, 14. To be zealous and earnest in the maintenance and propagation of truth, of virtue, of piety, is a duty incumbent on us, which implieth care and activity conTit. i. 11. cerning others; that we offer to instruct them; that we enter into contest with them; that we examine their words and actions; that we presume to tax and oppose them. In fine; our religion doth seem by the bands of mutual relation, and obligations of charity, so to unite us together, so to endear us to one another, and to all men, that all things belonging to our brethren do nearly touch us, and should answerably affect us; so XXI. that by intermeddling with any thing relating to SERM. their welfare, we can hardly be said to meddle with what doth not concern us. The condition of things also may seem to require, that we so intermeddle; for the duties and affairs of men are so entangled or interwoven, that we can hardly prosecute any concernments of our own, without being engaged in the matters of others: in discharging all offices of society, in pursuance of any traffic or commerce, in all intercourse and conversation, while we transact our own business, we cannot avoid the furthering or obstructing the business of others, who are engaged in the same or contrary designs. Society doth subsist by combinations of care and pain, regarding common interests, so that it seemeth impossible so to mind our own business, as not to meddle with the business of others. Yet notwithstanding St. Paul enjoineth us so to affect quiet, as simply to mind our own business, or not to be meddlesome in the concernments of others; for that doing our own business is meant exclusively to meddling with the affairs of others, is plain enough by the importance of ràdia, which is emphatical, and signifieth only our own, or our proper business; and because it is joined with being quiet, which respecteth others, and importeth not stirring beyond our own bounds; to be so meddlesome, being also a practice expressly condemned by St. Peter, in that prohibition, But let none of you suffer as a murderer, 1 Pet.iv.15. or as a thief, or as a malefactor, or as a busybody in other men's matters: where pragmaticalness is, we see, not only forbidden, but is coupled with the most heinous offences. How then shall we reconcile these things? How SERM. shall we in the case sever between the bounds of XXI. duty and blame? It is indeed somewhat difficult to do it precisely, and with distinctions which shall reach all cases. But somewhat I shall endeavour toward it, by propounding some rules and directions, which should commonly be observed in our dealing and intercourse with others: but first let us a little reflect upon the terms in which the precept is couched. Study to be quiet. Study; the word is piλotipeibai, which signifieth to be ambitious, that is, to affect quiet with the like vehemency of desire and care, as men are wont to pursue reputation, dignity, and power, the objects of ambition: the expression containeth a remarkable emphasis, or a grave acumen; for whereas ambition commonly doth prompt men to be restlessly busy, and engageth them in the concernments proper to others, St. Paul biddeth them to be ambitious the contrary way, in affecting quiet, and abstinence from other affairs beside their own. To be quiet: This doth signify not a physical, but a moral rest; not a total forbearance of action; not a fastidious or drowsy listlessness to do any thing; not a senseless indifferency concerning the matters of others; not an absolute sequestering ourselves from common affairs: this is not quiet or tranquillity, the To ovxάen here, but a naughty sloth, stupidity, or savageness: the quiet here meant is opposed to disorderly motion, to turbulency, to contention, to pragmatical curiosity, to all such exorbitant behaviour, whereby the right of others is infringed, their peace disturbed, their just interest or welfare anywise prejudiced. This quiet is a calm, steady, regular way of proceeding, within the bounds and measures pre XXI. scribed by reason, justice and charity, modesty and SERM. sobriety: such a motion as the heavenly bodies do keep, which so move that they seem ever to stand still, and never disturb one another: in fine, what a quiet is meant, the subsequent words and the context do shew it followeth, And πρáσσew τà "dia, to do our own business, or to act things proper and pertinent to us; things which suit to our condition, our station, our vocation; whereby we may discharge our own duties, and supply our own needs; may work benefit to others, or however avoid being anywise burdensome or troublesome to them; an instance of which practice is immediately subjoined; to work with our own 2 Thess. iii. hands that we may have lack of nothing; in another place St. Paul calleth it μετὰ ἡσυχίας ἐργάζεσθαι, to work with quiet, opposing it to weρieрyáčeσdα, being over-busy, or pragmatically curious, and to walking disorderly; that is, beyond the bounds of our calling, or the rules of our duty; so as to encroach upon the rights, or molest the quiet of others. The words then, as they do imply an obligation lying upon us to be industrious in our own business, so they chiefly design to prohibit our meddling with the concernments of others; but how to settle the limits between this quiet minding our own business, and a culpable neglect of the duties concerning others; how to distinguish between meddling innocently, from being blameably meddlesome, hic labor, hoc opus est; this is that hard task which I am to undertake, but cannot hope thoroughly to perform. However, the method toward it, which I shall observe, is this: First, I shall touch some cases, in which it is allowable or commendable to meddle 12. |