AN HOMILY AGAINST IDLENESS. FORASMUCH as man, being not born to ease and reft, but to labour and travail, is by corruption of nature through fin fo far degenerated and grown out of kind, that he taketh idleness to be no evil at all, but rather a commendable thing, feemly for thofe that be wealthy; and therefore is greedily embraced of most part of men, as agreeable to their fenfual affection, and all labour and travail is diligently avoided, as a thing painful and repugnant to the pleasure of the flesh; it is neceffary to be declared unto you, that by the ordinance of God, which he hath fet in the nature of man, every one ought, in his lawful vocation and calling, to give himself to labour; and that idleness, being repugnant to the fame ordinance, is a grievous fin, and alfo, for the great inconveniences and mischiefs which spring thereof, an intolerable evil to the intent that, when ye understand the fame, ye may diligently flee from it, and on the other part earnestly apply yourselves, every man in his vocation, to honeft Jabour and bufinefs, which as it is enjoined unto man by God's appointment, fo it wanteth not his manifold bleffings and fundry benefits. Almighty God, after that he had created man, put him into Paradife, that he might drefs and keep it: but when he had tranfgreffed God's commandment, eating the fruit of the tree which was forbidden him, Almighty God Genefis iii. forthwith did caft him out of Paradife into this woful vale of mifery, enjoining him to labour the ground that he was taken out of, and to eat his bread in the sweat of his face all the days of his life. It is the appointment and will of God, that every man, during the time of this mortal and tranfitory life, fhould give himself to fome honeft honest and godly exercise and labour, and every one to do his own bufinefs, and to walk uprightly in his own calling. Man, faith Job, is born to labour. And we are com- Job v. manded by Jefus Sirach, not to hate painful works, neither Ecclus. vii. hufbandry, or other fuch myfteries of travail, which the Highest hath created. The Wife Man alfo exhorteth us to Prov. v. drink the waters of our own ciftern, and of the rivers that run out of the midft of our own well; meaning thereby that we fhould live of our own labours, and not devour the labours of other. St. Paul hearing that among the Theffa-2 Theff. iii. lonians there were certain that lived diffolutely and out of order, that is to fay, which did not work, but were bufybodies; not getting their own living with their own travail, but eating other men's bread of free coft; did command the faid Theffalonians, not only to withdraw themfelves, and abftain from the familiar company of fuch inordinate perfons, but alfo that, if there were any fuch among them that would not labour, the fame fhould not eat, nor have any living at other men's hands. Which doctrine of St. Paul, no doubt, is grounded upon the general ordinance of God, which is, that every man should labour; and therefore it is to be obeyed of all men, and no man can juftly exempt himself from the fame. But when it is faid, all men fhould labour, it is not fo ftraitly meant, that all men should use handy labour: but as there be divers forts of labours, fome of the mind, and fome of the body, and fome of both; fo every one (except by reafon of age, debility of body, or want of health, he be unapt to labour at all) ought both for the getting of his own living honeftly, and for to profit others, in some kind of labour to exercife himself, according as the vocation, whereunto God hath called him, fhall require. So that whofoever doth good to the commonweal and fociety of men with his induftry and labour, whether it be by governing the commonweal publicly, or by bearing public office or ministry, or by doing any common neceffary affairs of his country, or by giving counfel, or by teaching and inftructing others, or by what other means foever he be occupied, fo that a profit and benefit redound thereof unto others, the fame perfon is not to be accounted idle, though he work no bodily labour; nor is to be denied his living, if he attend his vocation, though he work not with his hands. Bodily labour is not required of them, which by reason of their vocation and office are occupied in the labour of the mind, to the profit and help of others. St. Paul exhorteth Timothy Ff4 1 Tim. v. Timothy to efchew and refuse idle widows, which go about from houfe to houfe, because they are not only idle, but prattlers alfo, and bufy-bodies, Speaking things which are not comely. The Prophet Ezekiel, declaring what the fins of the city of Sodom were, reckoneth idleness to be one of the princiEzek. xvi. pal. The fins, faith he, of Sodom were thefe; pride, fulness of meat, abundance, and idleness: these things had Sodom and her daughters, meaning the cities fubject to her. The horrible and ftrange kind of deftruction of that city, and all the country about the fame, which was fire and brimstone raining from heaven, moft manifeftly declareth what a grievous fin idlenefs is, and ought to admonish us to flee from the fame, and embrace honeft and godly labour. But if we give ourselves to idleness and floth, to lurking and loitering, to wilful wandering, and wasteful spending, never fettling ourselves to honeft labour, but living like drone bees by the labours of other men, then do we break the Lord's commandment, we go aftray from our vocation, and incur the danger of God's wrath and heavy displeasure, to our endless deftruction, except by repentance we turn again unfeignedly unto God. The inconveniences and mifchiefs that come of idleness, as well to man's body as to his foul, are more than can in short time be well rehearsed. Some we shall declare and open unto you, that by confidering them ye may the better with yourselves gather the reft. An idle hand, faith Solomon, maketh poor, but a quick labouring hand maketh rich. Prov. xi. Again, He that tilleth his land fhall have plenteousness of bread; but he that floweth in idleness is a very fool, and shall have poverty enough. Again, A flothful body will not go to plough for cold of the winter; therefore fhall he go a beg ging in fummer, and have nothing. Prov. x. xxviii. Prov. xx. But what fhall we need to ftand much about the proving of this, that poverty followeth idleness? We have too much experience thereof (the thing is the more to be lamented) in this realm. For a great part of the beggary that is among the poor can be imputed to nothing fo much as to idlenefs, and to the negligence of parents, which do not bring up their children either in good learning, honeft labour, or fome commendable occupation or trade, whereby, when they come to age, they might get their living. Daily experience alfo teacheth, that nothing is more an enemy or pernicious to the health of man's body, than is idleness; too much eafe and fleep, and want of exercise. But thefe and fuch-like incommodities, albeit they be great and noisome, yet because they concern chiefly chiefly the body and external goods, they are not to be compared with the mischiefs and inconveniences, which through idleness happen to the foul, whereof we will recite fome. Idlenefs is never alone, but hath always a long tail of other vices hanging on, which corrupt and infect the whole man after fuch fort, that he is made at length nothing else but a lump of fin. Idleness, faith Jefus Ecclus. Sirach, bringeth much evil and mifchief. St. Bernard xxxiii. calleth it the Mother of all evils, and Stepdame of all virtues; adding moreover, that it doth prepare, and as it were tread the way to hell-fire. Where idleness is once received, there the Devil is always ready to fet in his foot, and to plant all kind of wickedness and fin, to the everlasting deftruction of man's foul. Which thing to be moft true, we are plainly taught in the thirteenth of Matthew, where it is faid, that the enemy came while men were asleep, Matth. xiii. and fowed naughty tares among the good wheat. In very deed, the best time that the Devil can have to work his feat is when men be asleep, that is to fay, idle; then is he most busy in his work, then doth he foonest catch men in the fnare of perdition, then doth he fill them with all iniquity, to bring them, without God's special favour, unto utter deftruction. Hereof we have two notable examples moft lively fet before our eyes. The one in King 2 Sam. x1. David, who tarrying at home idly, as the Scripture faith, at fuch times as other kings go forth to battle, was quickly feduced of Satan to forfake the Lord his God, and to com- 2 Sam. xii. mit two grievous and abominable fins in his fight, adultery and murder. The plagues that enfued these offences were horrible and grievous, as it may eafily appear to them that will read the flory. Another example of Samfon, who, fo Judges xvi. long as he warred with the Philiftines, enemies to the people of God, could never be taken or overcome; but after that he gave himself to ease and idleness, he not only committed fornication with the ftrumpet Dalila, but alfo was taken of his enemies, and had his eyes miferably put out, was put in prison, and compelled to grind in a mill, and at length was made the laughing-ftock of his enemies. If these two, who were fo excellent men, fo well beloved of God, fo endued with fingular and divine gifts, the one namely of prophecy, and the other of ftrength, and fuch men as never could by vexation, labour, or trouble, be overcome, were overthrown and fell into grievous fins, by giving themselves for a fhort time to ease and idlenefs, and fo confequently incurred miferable plagues at at the hands of God; what fin, what mischief, what inconvenience and plague is not to be feared of them, which all their life long give themselves wholly to idlenefs and ease? Let us not deceive ourselves, thinking little hurt to come of doing nothing; for it is a true faying, When one doth nothing, he learneth to do evil. Let us therefore always be doing of fome honeft work, that the Devil may find us occupied. He himself is ever occupied, never idle, but walketh continually feeking to devour us. Let us refift him with our diligent watching, in labour, and in well-doing. For he that diligently exerciseth himself in honeft bufinefs is not eafily catched in the Devil's fnare. When man through idleness, or for default of fome honeft occupation or trade to live upon, is brought to poverty and want of things neceffary, we fee how eafily fuch a man is induced for his gain to lie, to practife how he may deceive his neighbour, to forfwear himfelf, to bear falfe witnefs, and oftentimes to steal and murder, or to use some other ungodly mean to live withal; whereby not only his good name, honeft reputation, and a good confcience, yea, his life is utterly loft, but also the great difpleasure and wrath of God, with divers and fundry grievous plagues, are procured. Lo here the end of the idle and fluggish bodies, whofe hands cannot away with honeft labour: lofs of name, fame, reputation, and life, here in this world, and, without the great mercy of God, the purchafing of everlafting deftruction in the world to come. Have not all men then good cause to beware and take heed of idlenefs, feeing they that embrace and fol low it have commonly of their pleasant idleness, sharp and four displeasures? Doubtlefs, good and godly men, weighing the great and manifold harms that come by idleness to a commonweal, have from time to time provided with all diligence, that sharp and severe laws might be made for the correction and amendment of this evil. The Herodotus. Egyptians had a law, that every man should weekly bring his name to the chief rulers of the province, and therewithal declare what trade of life he ufed, to the intent that idleness might be worthily punished, and diligent labour duly rewarded. The Athenians did chaftife fluggish and flothful people no less than they did heinous and grievous offenders, confidering, as the truth is, that idleness causeth much mifchief. The Areopagites called every man to a ftrait account how he lived; and if they found any loiterers, that did not profit the commonweal by one means or other, they were driven out and banished, as unprofitable |