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afide the Thoughts of them. I cannot dig (faith he) and to beg I am ashamed. He had lived too much like a Gentleman in his Stewardship to endure either of these, or to stint himself to such a pittance as he could hope to attain to by either of them.

By Digging let us understand any honest Labour, Trade, or Profeffion; and Begging, a Living by the Bounty and Charity of others. And thefe are the only honeft Ways of Living in this World, which I can fay, that God allows us, and well approves of. But neither of these two please the Steward, and the Reason of it we fhall fee presently.

Such Men as he are not willing to be tied up to God's Allowance, that's too narrow and scant for their Appetites. Pride and Luxury will not be contented with a Competence, nor ftinted by Rules, nor think we any but our Selves fit Caterers or Carvers for them. Men ftand divided into two Sorts, the one of fuch as are able and well fitted by God to labour in one way or other, either of bodily or mental Labour, whereby they may be useful to the World, and do fome good in their Generation. The other is of them who through Age or weakness, or by any Providence of God,are become unable to labour in any kind. The only Way of Living, which God approves of for the former Sort, is honeft Labour, whereby fome good Service is done to Men's Souls or Bodies, according to the Ability which God hath given to every one, and the Station he is at prefent in. For the later, who are unable to Labour, if God have not given them Friends who have made a competent Provifion for them, or enabled them to provide for themselves, commanding

manding every one that can to Labour for them, he has granted them a License to ask and receive their Charity, and expects they fhould take thankfully what is given them, and praifing God for it, ferve the World by their Prayers, as others do by their Labours.

Why are we not then contented to live as God would have us? Why will it not fuffice us to live either by Digging or Begging, why, because we have not learn'd to trust in God And why dare we not truft in him, but because we know him not? They that know thy Name (faith David) will put their trust in thee; for thou, LORD, haft not forfaken them that feek thee. Pfal. 9, 10. Trust in the LORD, and do good, fo fhall thou dwell in the Land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Pfal. 37. 3: But fo Brutish are we many of us, that we defire to know nothing but the Vanities of this World, we have no defire to know God, and therefore we know him not, neither dare we truft him. We had rather rely upon our own Inventions and Devices. Did we think God wifer and better than we are, and did we believe his word and promife, we would rather truft to him than to our felves. God hath promised to feed us fo long as we labour in doing good, and truft to him for a bleffing on our labour; but hath he promifs'd to feed our Lufts too? If not, we will not thank him; for we account not our felves fed, fo long as thefe are not fed; neither can we think God fo good to us, as we are to our felves, if he do not provide for all the inordinate defires of our flefh. ing Evil therefore will do us, we think, better Service than doing Good. If we want not ne

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ceffaries for the fupport of Nature, yet we fear we shall want fuperfluities for the pampering our Bodies, if we have not cunning fhifts of our own, fuch as Rich Men's Stewards are, many of them, too well acquainted with. Were we God's Sheep, we would know his Voice, and follow him which way foever he would lead us, and efteem that Pafture the beft, which he feeds us in ; and would always fatisfie our felves with his Allowance, and Provision, faying, The LOR D is our Shepherd, we shall not want. Pfal. 23. 1.

I cannot dig, faith he; that is, I cannot take pains, my Bufinefs hath been to fee others labour, I was never brought up to it, but have had a more gentile Education. He faith, not indeed, why he cannot, but 'tis easy to understand why, he cannot, because he will not, for that's all ufually, which fuch mean by faying, I cannot. 'Tis true, there be fome that cannot labour to any purpose, fo as to do good either to themselves or others by their Labour, they are difabled for it, and have Infirmities enough to labour under all their Days; had the Steward been one of thefe, his Plea for his not labouring had been good, none better than I cannot, if he say the truth, and none would ferve his turn but this. No Man can be bound to Impoffibilities, but if this were the truth, yet would the fecond Plea fail him for that very reafon; for because he cannot labour, therefore ought he not to be ashamed to beg, or to live by the Labour and Charity of others. O how hardly are we brought either to obey God's Command,or to fubmit to, and be contented with his Allowance! If we can dig, he commands we fhould live by Dig

ging, and if we cannot, he alloweth us to live by Begging. But we can away with neither, whatever is God's Will, and our Duty, we have fome idle Pretence or other to fhuffleit off with, and make fome fhift or other to ftop the Mouth of Conscience. All is either above our ftrength, and we cannot; or below our Quality, and we are afham'd of it.

Know we must, that Labour of one fort or other, is the Duty of all who have Ability for it. God exempts not one of us from it, fo long as he is able to undergo it. He keeps no idle Gentlemen in his Family, but fuch as fhall one Day be made to pay dear for their idleness. Every one is to Live by an honeft and profitable Calling, and to do fome good Service in his Place, to what height foever either his Eftate, or the Favour of his Prince, hath advanc'd him. Labour was at firft, whilst Man was innocent, a Task enjoined him by his Maker, but, a very pleafant one. He that was made Lord of the inferiour World under God, had his Work to do in it appointed him by God. He was placed in a Garden, where all things afforded both Profit and Delight; but he was not put there only to walk, or fit, and take his Pleasure, but to keep and drefs the Garden; and this was a pleasure to. him. It was his Sin that made Labour hard, and for his Sin God made hard Labour a part of his Punishment. In the Sweat of thy Face (faith God) thou shalt eat thy Bread. At first Labour was a pleafant Task to be perform'd in Obedience to God, it is fince that become a heavy Burden, but fuch, as in Duty to God, ought with much patience to be born. He that will either o

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bey God's Command, or fubmit to the Punishment of his Sin, that is, he that will not Live in open Rebellion against God, muft Labour fo long as he is able.

And this abundantly anfwers the idle Gentleman's Plea for a vain course of Life, which is, That he needs not Labour, he is because of his Eftate from under the Law of Neceffity, and because of his Rank and Quality above such mean Drudgery. His condition in the World is a fufficient Difpenfation to him from all Labour. Now what's all this, but to make the fame use of God's goodness, as fome Men do of their Prince his Favour, that is, to grow, by being too plentifully fed, too wanton to obey their Feeder, to grow too great for Government, and too goodly in their own Eyes to live in Subjection? What's this, but to fay in effect, that God gives thofe Servants in the Family the beft Wages, who do him the leaft Service? Or that he loves to fee a Company of gay things about him which do no good, but ftand like fine Pictures to be looked on? Yea, what faith the Gentleman in this, but that he is one of the things that the World may beft fpare, and that he is ambitious to be thought good for nothing, like the Barren Figtree, making fome fhew and flourish, but cumbering the Ground, and drawing away the Nourishment from more useful things, and fo fit only to be cut down; or like the unfavory Salt, which having loft its proper vertue of feafoning other things, deferves only to be trodden under Foot of Men? He that pleads a Difpenfation from Labour, doth himself no better Office, than to prove Men ought to look upon him as a defpicable Thing.

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