SERM. us, but to ftrive against fin, to work righteousness, to perL. form duty with earnest intention of mind, and laborious activity? God, faith St. Chryfoftom, hath parted virtue with us, and neither hath left all to be in us, left we should be elated to pride, nor himself hath taken all, lest we should decline to flothi Indeed the very nature and effence of virtue doth confift in the most difficult and painful efforts of foul; in the extirpating rooted prejudices and notions from our understanding; in bending a stiff will, and rectifying crooked inclinations; in overruling a rebellious temper; in curbing eager and importunate appetites; in taming wild paffions; in withstanding violent temptations; in furmounting many difficulties, and fuftaining many troubles; in struggling with various unruly lufts within, and encountering many ftout enemies abroad, which affault our reafon, and war against our foul: in fuch exercises its very being lieth; its birth, its growth, its fubfiftence dependeth on them; fo that from any difcontinuance or remiffion of them it would foon decay, languifh away, and perish. What attention, what circumfpection, and vigilancy of mind, what intention of spirit, what force of resolution, what command and care over ourselves doth it require, to keep our hearts from vain thoughts and evil defires; to guard our tongue from wanton, unjuft, uncharitable difcourse; to order our steps uprightly and steadily in all the Chryf. in paths of duty? Kaì rí oυx éπíπоvov Tv Ts ȧperns; and what, Joh. Or. 36. as St. Chryfoftom asketh, of all things belonging to virtue is not laborious? It is no fmall talk to know it, wherein it confifteth, and what it demandeth of us; it is a far more painful thing to conform our practice unto its rules and dictates. 1 Ἐμερίσατο πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὔτε ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀφῆκε τὸ τῶν εἶναι, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐπαιρώμεθα, οὔτε αὐτὸς τὸ πᾶν ἔλαβεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν απο κλίνωμεν· ἀλλ ̓, &c. Chryf. Tom. 5. Or. 28. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ περὶ τὰ καλὰ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων εγχείρησις δίχα τῆς ἄνωθεν βοηθείας τελειωθήσεται· ἐδὲ ἡ ἄνωθεν χάρις ἐπὶ τὸν μὴ σπεδάζοντα παραγένοιτ' ἄν, ἀλλ ̓ ἑκάτερα συγκεκρᾶσθαι προσήκει, σπεδήν τε ἀνθρωπίνην, καὶ τὴν διὰ πίσεως ἄνωθεν καθήκεσαν συμμαχίαν εἰς τελείωσιν ἀρετῆς, Baf. Conf. Mon. cap. 15. L. If travelling in a rough way; if climbing up a steep SERM. hill; if combating stern foes, and fighting sharp battles; if croffing the grain of our nature and defires; if continually holding a strict rein over all our parts and powers, be things of labour and trouble, then greatly fuch is the practice of virtue. 2 Thef. i. Indeed each virtue hath its peculiar difficulty, needing much labour to mafter it: Faith is called pyov Tisews, the 1 Thef. i. 3. work of faith; and it is no fuch easy work, as may be 11. imagined, to bring our hearts unto a thorough perfuafsion John vi. 29. about truths croffing our fenfual conceits, and controling our peevish humours; unto a perfect fubmiffion of our understanding, and refignation of our will to whatever God teacheth or prescribeth; to a firm resolution of adhering to that profeffion, which exacteth of us fo much pains, and expofeth us to so many troubles. Charity is also a laborious exercise of many good works; and he that will practise it, muft in divers ways labour hardly; he must labour in voiding from his foul many difpofitions deeply radicated therein by nature, opinion, and custom; envy, frowardnefs, ftubbornnefs, perverse and vain selfishness; from whence wrath, revenge, fpite, and malice do spring forth. He muft labour in effectual performance of all good offices, and in catching all occafions Gal. vi.10. of doing good; he must exert that xóяov άуáns, that labour Heb. vi. 10. of love, whereof St. Paul doth speak; he must (as that Eph. iv. 28. holy Apoftle directeth, not only in precept, but by his own practice) work with his own hands, that he may fupply the wants of his neighbour. 1 Thef. i. 3. Acts xx. 35. Heb. x. 23. 1 Hope itself (which one would think, when grounded’Azawñ. well, fhould be a no less eafy than pleasant duty) doth Heb. vi. 19. need much labour to preserve it safe, straight, and ftable, Thef. i. 3. among the many waves and billows of temptation affaying Heb. vi. 11. to shake and fubvert it; whence a patience of hope is re- σπουδήν. commended to us; and we fo often are exhorted to hold Heb. iii. 6, it fast, to keep it fure, firm, and unshaken to the end. 1 Τῆς ἀρετῆς ἱδρῶτα θεοὶ προπάροιθεν ἔθηκαν Ενδείκνυσθαι 14. 2 Pet. i. 10. Καὶ τρηχύς. VOL. III. Hef. Εργ. α'. SERM. L. Temperance also surely demandeth no small pains m; it being no flight business to check our greedy appetites, to fhun the enticements of pleasure, to escape the fnares of company and example, to fupport the ill-will and reproaches of thofe zealots and bigots for vice, who cannot tolerate any nonconformity to their extravagances; but, 1 Pet. iv. 4, as St. Peter doth express it, think it firange, if others do not run with them to the fame excess of riot, speaking ill of them for it. What should I speak of meeknefs, of patience, of humility, of contentednefs? Is it not manifeft how laborious those virtues are, and what pains are neceffary in the obtaining, in the exercise of them? what pains, I fay, they require in the voidance of fond conceits, in the fuppreffion of froward humours, in the quelling fierce paffions, in the brooking grievous croffes and adverfities, in the bearing heinous injuries and affronts? Thus doth all virtue require much industry, and it therefore neceffarily must itself be a great virtue, which is the mother, the nurse, the guardian of all virtues; yea, which indeed is an ingredient and conftitutive part of every virtue; for if virtue were eafily obtainable or practicable without a good measure of pains, how could it be virtue ? what excellency could it have, what praife could it claim, what reward could it expect? God hath indeed made the beft things not easily obtainable, hath fet them high out of our reach, to exercise our industry in getting them, that we might raise up ourselves to them, that being obtained, they may the more deserve our esteem, and his reward. Lastly, The fovereign good, the last scope of our actions, the top and fum of our defires, happiness itself, or eternal life in perfect reft, joy, and glory; although it be the fuRom. vi. 23. preme gift of God, and fpecial boon of divine grace, (rò dè Eph. ii. 8. xúpioμa тоũ ОEO, But, faith St. Paul, the gift of God's grace is eternal life;) yet it alfo by God himself is declared to be the refult and reward of industry; for we are * Πάντες ἐξ ἑνὸς τόματος ὑμνᾶσιν, ὡς καλὸν μὲν ἡ σωφροσύνη τε καὶ δικαιοσύνη, χαλεπὸν μέν τοι καὶ ἐπίπονον. Plat. de Rep. 2. L. Rom. ii. 6, commanded to work out our falvation with fear and trem- SERM. bling, and to give diligence in making our calling and election fure, by virtuous practice; and God, faith St. Paul, Phil. ii. 12. will render to every man according to his works; to them 2 Pet. i. 10. who, by patient continuance in well doing, feek glory, and 7, 10. vi. honour, and immortality, eternal life; and, in the close of 22. God's book, it is proclaimed, as a truth of greatest moment, and special point of God's will, Bleffed are they that Rev. xxii. do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree Heb. xii. of life. It is plainly industry, which climbeth the holy 22. mount; it is industry, which taketh the kingdom of heaven by force; it is industry, which fo runneth as to obtain the 1 Cor. ix. prize, which fo fighteth as to receive the crown, which so Jam. i. 12. watcheth as to fecure our everlasting intereft to us. 14. Matt. xi. 12. 24. Matt. xxiv. 42. XXV. 13. 37. Thus do the choiceft good things, of which we are Luke xii. capable, fpring from industry, or depend upon it; and no Rev. iii. 3. confiderable good can be attained without it: thus all the gifts of God are by it conveyed to us, or are rendered in effect beneficial to us; for the gifts of nature are but capacities, which it improveth; the gifts of fortune or providence are but inftruments, which it employeth to our ufe; the gifts of grace are the fupports and fuccours of it; and the very gift of glory is its fruit and recompence. There are farther feveral other material confiderations and weighty motives to the practice of this duty, which meditation hath fuggefted to me: but thefe, in regard to your patience, must suffice at present; the other (together with an application proper to our condition and calling) being referved to another occafion. SERMON LI. OF INDUSTRY IN GENERAL. LI. ECCLES. ix. 10. Whatfoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. SERM. INDUSTRY, which the divine Preacher in this text recommendeth to us, is a virtue of a very diffufive nature and influence; stretching itself through all our affairs, and twisting itself with every concern we have; fo that no business can be well managed, no defign accomplished, no good obtained without it: it therefore behoveth us to conceive a high opinion of it, and to inure our fouls to the practice of it, upon all occafions: in furtherance of which purposes I formerly, not long fince, did propound feveral motives and inducements; and now proceeding on, fhall represent divers other confiderations ferviceable to the fame end. 1. We may confider that industry is productive of eafe itself, and preventive of trouble: it was no less folidly, than acutely and fmartly advised by the philosopher Crates a, Whether, faid he, labour be to be chofen, labour; or whether it be to be efchewed, labour, that thou mayeft not labour; for by not labouring, labour is not escaped, but is rather pursued; and St. Chryfoftom b doth upon the fame confideration urge industry, because Sloth, faith he, is wont • Εἴθ ̓ αἱρετὸν ὁ πόνος, πόνει· εἴτε φευκτόν, πόνει, ἵνα μὴ πονῆς· διὰ γὰρ τὰ μὴ πό νειν οὐ φεύγεται πόνος, τῷ δὲ ἐναντίῳ καὶ διώκεται. Crates, Ep. 4. 5 ̔Η ἀργία διαφθείρειν ἡμᾶς εἴωθε, καὶ πολὺν παρέχειν τὸν πόνον. Chryf. in Joh. Orat. 36. |