sure to have work enough, but fruit surely little enough for his pains.

Is it imaginable that we can easily bring others to our bent, or induce men to submit their business to our judgment and humour? Will not he that attempteth such things assuredly expose himself to disappointment and regret? Is it not therefore wisdom to let every man have his own way, and pursue his concernments without any check or control from us?

10. We may also consider, that every man hath business of his own sufficient to employ him, to exercise his mind, to exhaust his care and pains, to take up all his time and leisure. To study his own near concernments, to provide for the necessities and conveniences of his life, to look to the interests of his soul, to be diligent in his calling, to discharge faithfully and carefully all his duties relating to God and man, will abundantly employ a man ; well it is, if some of them do not encumber and distract him: he that will set himself with all his might to perform these things, will find enough to do; he need not seek further for work; he need not draw more trouble on him.

Seeing, then, every man hath burden enough on his shoulders, imposed by God and nature, it is vain to take on him more load, by engaging himself in the affairs of others; he will thence be forced, either to shake off his own business, or to become overburdened and oppressed with more than he can bear. It is indeed hence observable, and it needs must happen, that those who meddle with the business of others are wont to neglect their own; they that are much abroad can seldom be at home; they that know others most are least acquainted with themselves: and the wise Hebrew, The wisdom of a learned man comes by opportunity of leisure (σοφία σοφιστοῦ ἐν εὐκαιρίᾳ σχολῆς), and

5 Ο πλεῖστα πράσσων πλεῖσθ ̓ ἁμαρτάνει βροτῶν.—Eurip.

6

• ̓Απράγμονας εἶναι ἐκκλίνειν γὰρ τὸ καθῆκον.—Zenon. apud Laert. Chrysost. tom. ii. Eth. 64.

he that hath little business shall be wise' (o λaoσovμevoc πράξει αὐτοῦ σοφισθήσεται). Whence it is scarce possible that a pragmatical man should be a good man; that is, such an one who honestly and carefully performeth the duties incumbent on him.

Philosophers, therefore, generally have advised men to shun needless occupations, as the certain impediments of a good and happy life; they bid us endeavour áπλouν kavтoùs, to simplify ourselves, or to get into a condition requiring of us the least that can be to do. St. Paul intended the same when he advised us, un ἐμπλέκεσθαι ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις, not to be entangled in the negotiations of life and our Saviour, when he touched Martha for being troubled about many things". So far, therefore, we should be from taking in hand the affairs of other men, that we should labour to contract our own, and reduce them to the fewest that we can; otherwise we shall hardly attain wisdom, or be able to perform our duty'.

11. But suppose us to have much spare time, and to want business, so that we are to seek for divertisement, and must for relief fly to curiosity 2; yet it is not advisable to meddle with the affairs of other men; there are divers other ways more innocent, more safe, more pleasant, more advantageous to divert ourselves, and satisfy curiosity 3.

Nature offereth herself, and her inexhaustible store of appearances, to our contemplation; we may, without any harm, and with much delight, survey her rich varieties, examine her proceedings, pierce into her secrets. Every kind of animals, of plants, of minerals, of meteors, presenteth matter, wherewith innocently, 7 Ecclus. xxxviii. 26.

8

2 Tim. ii. 4.

* Luke x. 41.—τυρβάζῃ περὶ πολλά. · Ὁ σοφὸς, ἰδιοπράγμων, καὶ ἀπράγμων.—Democ. Sen. Ep. 72. 22. Tertullian calleth Stoicism, Quietis magisterium.—De Pall. v. 2 Tacitus saith of the Stoics' sect,-quæ turbidos et negotiorum appetentes facit.

Omnium occupatorum conditio misera est, eorum tamen miserrima, qui ne suis quidem occupationibus laborant.-Sen. de Brev. Vitæ, xix.

pleasantly, and profitably to entertain our minds. There are many noble sciences, by applying our minds to the study whereof, we may not only divert them, but improve and cultivate them: the histories of ages past, or relations concerning foreign countries, wherein the manners of men are described, and their actions reported, may afford us useful pleasure and pastime; thereby we may learn as much, and understand the world as well, as by the most curious inquiry into the present actions of men; there we may observe, we may scan, we may tax the proceedings of whom we please, without any danger or offence: there are extant numberless books, wherein the wisest and most ingenious of men have laid open their hearts, and exposed their most secret cogitations unto us; in pursuing them we may sufficiently busy ourselves, and let our idle hours pass gratefully; we may meddle with ourselves, studying our own dispositions, examining our principles and purposes, reflecting on our thoughts, words, and actions; striving thoroughly to understand ourselves: to do this we have an unquestionable right, and by it we shall obtain vast benefit, much greater than we can hope to get by puddering in the designs or doings of others. Pragmaticalness, then, as it is very dangerous and troublesome, so it is perfectly needless; it is a kind of idleness, but of all idleness the most unreasonable: it is at least worse than idleness, in St. Gregory Nazianzen's opinion: for, I had rather (said he) be idle more than I should, than over-busy. Other considerations might be added; but these, I hope, may be sufficient to restrain this practice, so unprofitable and uneasy to ourselves, and, for the most part, so injurious and troublesome to others.

Now the God of peace make us perfect in every good word and work, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

4 ̓Ανδρὶ Λυδῷ πράγματα οὐκ ἦν, αλλ' αὐτὸς ἐξελθὼν ἐπρίατο.— Adag. apud Suidam.

5,

Αργὸς εἶναι μᾶλλον τοῦ δέοντος, ἢ περίεργος δέχομαι.—Greg. Nat. Or. 26.

SERMON IX.

OF THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR.

MATT. xxii. 39.

"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

THE essential goodness of God, and his special benignity towards mankind, are to a considering mind divers ways very apparent; the frame of the world, and the natural course of things, do with a thousand voices loudly and clearly proclaim them to us; every sense doth yield us affidavit to that speech of the holy Psalmist, The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord: we see it in the glorious brightness of the skies, and in the pleasant verdure of the fields; we taste it in the various delicacies of food, supplied by land and sea; we smell it in the fragrances of herbs and flowers; we hear it in the natural music of the woods; we feel it in the comfortable warmth of heaven, and in the cheering freshness of the air; we continually do possess and enjoy it in the numberless accommodations of life, presented to us by the bountiful hand of nature.

Of the same goodness we may be well assured by that common Providence which continually doth uphold us in our being, doth opportunely relieve our needs, doth protect us in dangers, and rescue us from imminent mischiefs, doth comport with our infirmities and

1 Ps. xxxiii. 5; cxix. 64.

misdemeanours; the which, in the divine Psalmist's style, doth hold our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved; doth redeem our life from destruction ; doth crown us with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

The dispensations of grace, in the revelation of heavenly truth, in the overtures of mercy, in the succours of our weakness, in the proposal of glorious rewards, in all the methods and means conducing to our salvation, do afford most admirable proofs and pledges of the same immense benignity.

But in nothing is the divine goodness toward us more illustriously conspicuous, than in the nature and tendency of those laws which God hath been pleased, for the regulation of our lives, to prescribe unto us, all which do palpably evidence his serious desire and provident care of our welfare: so that, in imposing them, he plainly doth not so much exercise his sovereignty over us, as express his kindness toward us; neither do they more clearly declare his will, than demonstrate his good-will to us.

And among all divine precepts this especially, contained in my text, doth argue the wonderful goodness of our heavenly Lawgiver, appearing both in the manner of the proposal, and in the substance of it.

The second (saith our Lord) is like to it; that is, to the precept of loving the Lord our God with all our heart and is not this a mighty argument of immense goodness in God, that he doth in such a manner commend this duty to us, coupling it with our main duty toward him, and requiring us with like earnestness to love our neighbour as to love himself?

He is transcendently amiable for the excellency of his nature he, by innumerable and inestimable benefits graciously conferred on us, hath deserved our utmost affection; so that naturally there can be no obligation bearing any proportion or considerable semblance to that of loving him: yet hath he in goodness been pleased to create one, and to endue it with that privilege;

2 Ps. lxvi. 9; lvi. 13; ciii. 4; cxlv. 16.

3 Luke x. 27.