or profitable in order to any of those ends which we are bound to ferve, whether publick or private, being a doing of God's work. For God provides the good things of the world to ferve the needs of nature, by the labours of the Plough-man, the skill and pains of the Artifan, and the dangers and traffick of the Merchant: Thefe Men are in their callings the Minifters of the Divine Providence, and the Stewards of the Creation, and Servants of a great family of God, the world, in the employment of procuring neceflaries for food and clothing, ornament and phyfick. In their proportions alfo, a King and a Prieft and a Prophet, a Judge and an Advocate, doing the works of their employment according to their proper rules, are doing the work of God, becaufe they ferve thofe necelfities which God hath made, and yet made no provifions for them but by their Miniftry. So that no man can complain that his calling takes him off from religion his calling it felf and his very worldly employment in honeft trades and offices is a ferving of God, and if it be moderately purfued, and according to the rules of Chriftian prudence, will leave void spaces enough for prayers and retirements of a more fpiritual religion.

God hath given every man work enough to doe, that there fhall be no room for idlenefs; and yet hath fo ordered the world, that there fhall be space for devotion. He that hath the feweft bufineffes of the world, is called upon to spend more time in the dreffing of his Soul; and he that hath the most affairs, may fo order them, that they fhall be a fervice of God; whilft at certain periods they are bleffed with prayers and actions of religion, and all day long are hallowed by a holy Intention.

However, fo long as idleness is quite fhut out from our lives, all the fins of wantonnefs, foftness and effeminacy are prevented, and there is but little room lett for temptation: and therefore to a bufie man temptation is fain to climb up together with his bufinefs, and fins creep upon him onely by accidents and occafions; whereas to an idle perfon they come in a

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full

Ezek. 15. 49.

Seneca.

Sect. 1. full body, and with open violence, and the impudence of a reftlefs importunity.

Idleness is called the fin of Sodom and her daughters, and indeed is the burial of a living man, an idle perfon being fo ufelefs to any purposes of God and man, that he is like one that is dead, unconcerned in the changes and neceffities of the world; and he onely lives to spend his time, and eat the fruits of the earth: like a Vermin or a Wolf, when their time comes they die and perish, and in the mean time do no good; they neither plough nor carry burthens; all that they do either is unprofitable, or mischievous.

Idlenefs is the greatest prodigality in the world: it throws away that which is unvaluable in refpect of its prefent ufe, and irreparable when it is paft, being to be recovered by no power of art or nature. But the way to fecure and improve our time we may practile in the following Rules.

Rules for employing our Time.

1. In the morning, when you awake, accustom your felf to think firft upon God, or fomething in order to his fervice; and at night also, let him close thine eyes; and let your fleep be neceflary and healthfull, not idle and expenfive of time, beyond the 1.eeds and conveniencies of nature? and fometimes be curious to fee the preparation which the Sun makes, when he is coming forth from his chambers of the Eaft.

2. Let every man that hath a Calling, be diligent in pursuance of its employment, fo as not lightly or without reafonable occafion to neglect it in any of thofe times which are ufually and by the cuftom of prudent perfons and good husbands, employed in it.

3. Let all the intervals or void fpaces of time be employed in prayers, reading, meditating, works of nature, recreation, charity, triendlinefs and neighbourhood, and means of fpiritual and corporal health; ever remembring fo to work in our Calling as not to neglect the work of our bigh Calling; but to begin

and

and end the day with God, with fuch forms of devotion as fhall be proper to our neceffities.

4. The refting days of Chriftians, and Festivals of the Church, muft in no fence be days of idleness; for it is better to plough upon holy days than to doe nothing, or to doe vitioufly; but let them be spent in the works of the day, that is, of Religion and Charity, according to the Rules appointed.

*

See Chap. 4. 5. Avoid the company of Drunkards, and Bufie. Sect. 6. bodies, and all fuch as are apt to talk much to little purpose: for no Man can be provident of his time that is not prudent in the choice of his company: and if one of the Speakers be vain, tedious and triAling; he that hears and he that anfwers in the dif course are equal lofers of their time.

triplici cu

6. Never talk with any Man, or undertake any triAing employment, meerly to pass the time away: for S. Bern.de every day well spent may become a day of Salvation, ftodia. and time rightly employed is an acceptable time. And remember that the time thou trifleit away was given thee to repent in, to pray for pardon of fins, to work out thy falvation, to doe the work of grace, to lay up against the day of Judgment a treasure of good works, that thy time may be crowned with Eternity. 7. In the midst of the works of thy Calling often retire to God in hort prayers and ejaculations, and those may make up the want of thofe large portions of time which it may be thou defireft for devotion, and in which thou thinkelt other perfons have advantage of thee; for fo thou reconcileft the outward work and thy inward calling, the Church and the Common-wealth, the employment of the body and the interest of thy Soul; for be fure that God is prefent at thy breathings and hearty fighings of prayer as foon as at the longer offices of lefs bufied perfons; and thy time is as truly fanctified by a trade, and devout, though fhorter prayers, as by the longer offices of thofe whofe time is not filled up with labour and usefull business.

Laudatur Auguftus Cæfar apud Lucanum.

-media inter prælia femper Stellarum cœlique plagis fuperifque vacabat

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8. Let

8. Let your employment be fuch as may become a reasonable perfon; and not be a bufinefs fit for children or diftracted People, but fit for your age and understanding. For a man may be very idlely bufie, and take great pains to fo little purpose, that in his labours and expence of time he fhall ferve no end but of folly and vanity. There are fome Trades that wholly ferve the ends of idle perfons and fools, and fuch as are fit to be feized upon by the feverity of Laws, and banished from under the Sun: and there are fome People who are bufie, but it is, as Damitian was, in catching flies.

9. Let your employment be fitted to your perfon and calling. Some there are that employ their time in affairs infinitely below the dignity of their perfon, and being called by God or by the Republick to help to bear great burthens, and to judge a People, do enfeeble their understandings, and difable their perfons by fordid and brutifh bufinefs. Thus Nero went up and down Greece, and challenged the Fidlers at their trade. Aropus, a Macedonian King, made Lanterns. Harcatius, the King of Parthia, was a Mole-catcher: and Biantes, the Lydian, filed Needles. He that is appointed to minifter in holy things, muft not fuffer fecular affairs and fordid arts to eat up great portions of his employment: a Clergy-man muft not keep a Tavern, nor a Judge be an Inn keeper? and it was a great idlenefs in Theophylact the Patriarch of C. P. to spend his time in his ftable of Horfes, when he fhould have been in his study, or the Pulpit, or faying his holy Offices. Such employments are the diseases of labour, and the ruft of time, which it contracts, not by lying still, but by dirty employment.

10. Let your employment be fuch as becomes a Chriftian, that is, in no fenfe mingled with fin: for he that takes pains to ferve the ends of covetoufness, or minifters to anothers luft, or keeps a fhop of impurities or intemperance, is idle in the worst fence; for every hour fo fpent runs him backward, and muft be spent again in the remaining and fhorter part of his life, and fpent better.

11. Per

11. Perfons of great quality, and of no trade, are to be most prudent and curious in their employment and traffick of time. They are miferable, if their education hath been fo loose and undifciplined as to leave them unfurnished of skill to fpend their time: but most miferable are they, if fuch mifgovernment and unskilfulness make them fall into vitious and bafer company, and drive on their time by the fad minutes and periods of fin and death. They that are learned know the worth of time, and the manner how well to improve a day; and they are to prepare themselves for fuch purposes in which they may be most usefull in order to arts or arms, to counsel in publick or government in their Country: but for others of them that are unlearned, let them chufe good company, fuch as may not tempt them to a vice, or join with them in any but that may fupply their defects by counfel and difcourfe, by way of conduct and converfation. Let them learn eafie and usefull things, read History and the Laws of the Land, learn the Customs of their Country, the condition of their own eftate, profitable and charitable contrivances of it: let them study prudently to govern their families, learn the burthens of their Tenants, the neceffities of their Neighbours, and in their proportion supply them, and reconcile their Enmities, and prevent their Law-fuits, or quickly end them; and in this glut of leisure and dif-employment, let them fet apart greater portions of their time for Religion and the neceffities of their fouls.

12. Let the women of noble birth and great fortunes do the fame things in their proportions and capacities, nurse their Children, look to the affairs of the house, vifit poor cottages, and relieve their neceffities, be courteous to the Neighbourhood, learn in filence of their Husbands or their fpiritual Guides, read good books, pray often and speak little, and learn to doe good works for necessary fes; for by that phrafe S. Paul expreffes the obligation of Chriftian woman to good Hutwifery, and charitable provifions for their Family and Neighbourhood.

13. Let