past as God did on his at the six days end and to bewail your Sins therein that you may have time to consider what Mercies you have to acknowledg and what Blessings to beg on the Day following that you may solemnly renounce all your Sins and wholly dismiss all your worldly Business and the thoughts thereof till the Sabbath be past Let not the Guilt nor the Love of any one Sin enter with you into the holy Ground but wash you Hands in Innocence and so compass the Altar of God And tho upon that holy Day you may be innocently chearful and rejoyce in the Blessings of God yet you should not only abstain from any vile Thoughts or Words but even from vain and fruitless ones Isa 58. 13. Thou shalt call the Sabbath a Delight the Holy of the Lord Honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own Wayes nor finding thine own Pleasure nor speaking thine own Words Yea your Hearts must rise against all unfit Discourse and with a Christian Dexterity endeavour to carry the Stream of such Discourse another way Be not ashamed to speak of God and Heaven since ungodly Men have the Impudence to speak of Wickedness See that ye rise early and work hard that day in your heavenly Trade that so you may be able all night to give as clear an account of what you have gotten as you can on other days Let no worldly Business be contrived or mention'd or done that Day which might have been done before or may be done after without plain Prejudice It was the Men of Tyre that sold their Wares on the Sabbath whom Nehemiah represt Neh. 13. 16 20 21. and command your Families from stragling or foolish Sports that day beware how you give them Liberty that Day because you can best spare them to see their Friends or to be out of your sight for that Day and that Way multitudes of them are undone but let them spend that Day in God's House and in your own Examine them of the state of their Souls of their Proficience that Day and scriously catechize the younger sort in the Principle of Religion O let not your Childrens Souls be neglected while you pamper and deck their Bodies but show them the evil of Sin and the beauty of Holiness convince them of their woful State by Nature and mind them of the Vow which they are under in their Baptism let them see you in the Pangs of Travel for them till Christ be form'd in them you have time for this upon this Day and you are bound in Equity and Piety to recover them out of that Condition into which you have brought them put good Books into their Hands and talk with them about Regeneration and explain the Catechism to them that being well grounded in the Principles of Religion they may rationally imbrace the Practice of it And then for your Servants both Apprentices and others Do you think it is sufficient that they do your Work faithfully Have not they most precious Souls and have not you the charge of them can you find in your Hearts to suffer them to live and for ought you know die in a State of Ignorance and Unregeneracy Where are your Bowels of Compassion Alas you should have the same care of their Souls as you have of your own Children You allow to your Beasts Food and Lodging for their Work and will you treat Christians no otherwise on this day you have time if you have but Hearts to call them to you and to enquire into their Spiritual Condition and never to give them rest until you have with God's help cur'd their Ignorance and Vices or find them incurable Lose not therefore a minute of that precious Time make it as long a day as any of the rest and when it is done long for another Sabbath And heartily bless the Lord that he hath given you such a merciful Release from the Labours of your Body and the Cares of your Mind and withal blest you with a Market-day for your Souls I say bless him and let the Voice of Praise and singing Psalms be heard in the Righteous Man's Dwellings A joyful Sabbath is the Suburbs of Heaven 7. This Religion will oblige the Tradesman to the practice of constant Watchfulness Which is a continual care to please God in your Thoughts Words and Actions and that you offend him not in any of them And herein lies much of the Essence and Life of Practical Religion as preventive Physick is much better than curing and Obedience better than Sacrifice For they that have such sinful Hearts within them and such a wicked World and malicious Devil without them had need to watch as well as pray against Temptation Above all keeping keep the Heart Prov. 4. 23. quench the first Sparks of Sin there O quench them quickly and know that as Light only excludes Darkness so it is impossible to keep out bad Thoughts without the Prevalence of good ones Watch over your Words and consider what and how and why you speak and indeavour not only to speak what is lawful but what is useful remember that Words are like Arrows when once out you know not where they may light especially be careful of them before your Children And for your Actions take a wise Man's Counsel Prov. 4. 26. Ponder the Path of thy Feet and let all thy Ways be established And especially watch against the Temptations of your particular Calling for every Trade hath some particular Snare as every Constitution hath some particular Sin and it is the Wisdom of a Man to keep constant Watch against it But the Temptations that are most common to all Trades are either Debnuchery on the one hand or Worldliness on the other Your greatest Temptation to the former besides what is common to you with other Men is the obliging of your Customers or Chapmen when to get or keep them you will break with God distemper your Body Head Hear tand all Now how can you expect that Gain to be blessed which is procur'd by Sin No no if you deal with wise Men it is the Punctualness of your Word the Goodness and Cheapness of your Commodity that will oblige them sufficiently and sooner or later I am sure this will do the business but if you deal with Fools whom Wine and Drink do chiefly oblige they 'l disappoint you at last and leave you in the lurch And on the other hand Take heed of Worldliness beware of the love of Money or of loving the World for its own sake For the love of Money is the root of all Evil 1 Tim. 6. 10. It is not the greatness of an Estate but the nearness of it to a Man's Heart which ruines him The Water under the Ship makes it swim Water within it makes it sink They that buy should be as if they possessed not 1 Cor. 7. 30. for the time is short And worldly Wealth will not stay long nor satisfy the Soul while it
rather worse because he hath greater light and yet lives not up to it That which distinguishes it from other Vertues is that it consists in imploying all a Man's Skill Time Care and Strength in a sober and moderate measure in his Calling and so the extream on the one hand is Idleness and Carelessness together with a busying ones self with other Mens matters and on the other hand immoderate carking and slavish drudging Diligence walks between these extreams Next to the saving his Soul his care and business is to serve God in his Calling and to drive it as far as it will go for he knows that his strength and time are lent him for that purpose and that whatsoever are imployed otherwise run waste In short the Diligent Man makes all the convenient haste he can to dispatch his work upon Earth that he may the sooner be in Heaven Secondly This Diligence as to the Extent of it stands in these following Particulars 1. In the serious Imploying all the Faculties of your Mind about your Trade and Calling Your Fancies your Understandings your Memories and all the acquired Improvements of them are all to be laid out therein In that Prov. 27. 2â— where the Holy Ghost commands that Men be diligent he adds in the Hebr. Set thy Heart to thy Herds So that whatsoever sagacity of Mind depth of Judgment quickness of Invention soundness of Consideration you are masters of should be here imployed And tho in some Trades there be less need and use of these than in others yet there is no Calling but imployment may be had for every one of them And it is a great commendation to any Man that having a rich Fancy a clear Understanding a strong Memory instead of abusingt hem to Sin or misimploying them in matters foreign to his business he improves them to the utmost in his Calling how mean soever And that this is your Duty is manifest from that Eclces 9. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no Work nor Device nor Knowledg nor Wisdom in the Grave whither thou goest 2. This Diligence requires the Imploying all your Strength of Body in the business of your Trades Have you a firm Constitution a vigorous Nerve an able Arm a strenuous Back all these must serve God in your Callings for he hath intrusted you with this Strength for this end And this is especially requisite in the time of youth and health God having ordained those honest Labours both to provide for a livelihood for the Body and to prevent the distempers of the Soul for the more laborious the less lascivious that honest industry spending those exuberant Spirits which are otherwise apt to break forth in unlawful flames Besides Sickness and old Age will come when the strong men will bow themselves and the grinders cease and those that look out at the windows will be darkned It 's true God doth not require or approve that Men should so exhaust their strength in the labours of their Calling that they are left spiritless in his immediate service when their work is done but observing that moderation which is in every thing requilit they should not be shy to lay out their strength in the affairs of their Calling knowing that God accepts their Labour and will by Food and Rest recruit them again Man goeth forth to his work and to his labour until the evening Psal 104. 23. 3. This Diligence requires the Imploying the substance of your Time in the affairs of your Trades As the Servant's Time is his Master's so the Master's Time is God's and not his own and accordingly to be justly bestowed betwixt his Temporal and Spiritual Calling Hours having wings and every moment flies up to the Author of Time and carries news of our usage of it And here you have that commendable instance of Jacob Gen. 31. 40. Thus I was in the day the drought consum'd me and the frost by night and my sleep departed from mine eyes And it is recorded to the praise of Ruâ—h chap. 2. 17. She gleaned in the Field until Even and of the vertuous Woman Prov. 31. 15 18. She riseth also while it is yet night and perceiving that her Merchandize is good her Candle goeth not out by Night By all which Instances it is evident that the consciencious Tradesman is bound if health permits him to be stirring early about his lawful occasions and continue therein with a chearful diligence all the day long except such time as his Soul or Body must be refreshed For the necessary Duties of Religion as they take up but a little time so they lose none and moderate refreshment must be allowed But as Prayer and Provender hinder no Journey so Meal and Mattens gain time and waste it not The Diligent Tradesman hath always something to do either to lay in or to lay out either to be learning or teaching his Shop or his Books are always calling him He is as wary in his expence of Time as of Money knowing that his Time is but short short for the work he hath to do for his Soul for his Livelihood for his Family for his Friends and for the Publick And that it is also uncertain For Man also knoweth not his time as the Fishes that are taken in an evil Net Eccles 9. 12. That death is lurking in some part or other of his Body and it will be cold comfort if it seize him out of his Calling But Blessed is the Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Mat. 24. 46. He considers also that Time when spent is irrecoverable no Prayers nor Tears nor Money can fetch it back again and many times that which might have been dispatched yesterday cannot be done to day As the Hebrew Phrase is the work of a day is best in its day And therefore let the diligent Tradesman be careful to fill his Time with useful imployment and get the substance of his work done before his Time and Strength be done lest he be undone himself both here and hereafter 4. The Tradesman's Diligence consists in Laying hold of Opportunities For if a Man be never so industrious and painful yet unless he be watchful to observe his Opportunity and then swift to lay hold thereon he is wanting in the diligence requisit for him For oft-times great matters may be done in a small juncture of time Hence some Translations render that Prov. 22. 29. Seest thou a Man diligent in his business ready and swift As there are sometimes shreds of time that may be improv'd to great advantage so especially Opportunities which if caught by the fore-lock will pay for all the care and watching for them and if slipt may never present themselves again The foolish Virgins had a proper season to have stor'd themselves sufficiently with Oil but then trifling and sleeping they could afterwards get none for love nor money Opportunity is Wind and Tide an Affair transacted
as the Dogs of Egypt do the Water of Nilus with great caution lest the Crocodiles devour them But I have spoken somewhat about these before Lastly This Diligence will restrain all unseasonable Devotion Far be it from me to discourage the Exercises of Piety This Climate is grown cold enough in them But there is a preposterous Zeal in some Tradesmen and Women especially which draws them to neglect one Calling to further another But the diligent Man considers that God in his great Wisdom appointed the six days for Work and a seventh for Rest And tho upon extraordinary occasions we may and ought to devote some of this time to sacred purposes as in case of Solemn Fasts and Feasts and tho an industrious Tradesman may redeem by his Diligence some other hours as for the Refreshment of his Body so for the inriching his Soul by reading hearing and prayer yet it is no way justifiable to neglect a Man's necessary Affairs upon pretence of religious Worship to lâ—t necessary Work be undone at home just Debts unpaid abroad the Family languish for want of Providence the Shop languish for want of his Presence while he runs from one opportunity to another till hiâ— Estate be weakned and his Credit sâ—nk Doubtless there is a measure to be observed in those things and usually a Man is bound to pray and hear no more than will consist 1. With his Ability of Body for if the Bucket be once broken it will carry no Water 2. With hiâ— lawful Calling for therein God is trulâ— served 3. With time to meditate on what he hears for one Duty must never exclude another he that doth nothing but hear will grow deaf with hearing and those holy Exercises are but means the end is still nobler which is to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World And so much for the Particulars wherein this Diligence is exemplified Thirdly The Inducements which are proper to dispose the Tradesman to this Diligence are these 1. It is matter of Duty Those places mention'd in Prov. 27. 23. and Eccles 9. 10. put it out of doubt Yea the Holy Ghost doth link it together with the holiest Actions Not slothful in Business fervent in Spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. Ye are as truly bound to be diligent in your Business as to be servent in Prayer and it 's intimated there that you serve the Lord in both and consequently it is a real Sin both to be bewailed and amended to be negligent in your Callings as to be lukewarm in your Prayers And in the Fourth Commandment God doth as well command Diligence in your Work on the six days as Seriousness on the Sabbath and propounds his own Example to the same purpose For in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth And tho he ceas'd creating yet he is working still Joh. 5. 17. My Father worketh hitherto and I work His Eyes are continually running to and fro thorowout the whole Earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose Heart is perfect towards him 2 Chron. 16. 9. So that here 's the Command and Example of God himself for Diligence 2. It is matter of Safety An honest Industry is an excellent Preservative both from Sin and Danger Most Men's Temptations overtake them when they be out of their Imployment or negligent in it When good David had been sleeping in the afternoon and walking too idly afterward 2 Sam 11. 2. then did he fall into that Temptation that cost him so dear You know the standing Pool corrupts the un-employed Harness rusts but he that is in the way of his Vocation is most out of the way of Temptation So it is also in case of Danger if any Mischief hover over a Man it is likeliest to seize upon him while he is negligent in his Vocation When Ishbasheth was lying on his Bed at noon Baanah and Rechab smote him under the fifth Rib 2 Sam. 4. 5. In all likelihood it had fared better with these two Princes if they had been studying and doing the Duty of Magistrates instead of reposing themselves upon their Beds Let the Tradesman learn from others harms to prevent his own up and be doing and the Lord is engaged to be with you 3. In respect of Benefit God doth usually bless the diligent Man with Plenty The Hand of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 10. 4. For the thoughts of the diligent tend only to Plenteousness Prov. 21. 5. Now a plentiful Estate is desirable provided it be for right ends If Riches and Honour be good for you Diligence is the means to compass them Prov. 22. 29. Seest thou a Man diligent in his Business he shall stand before Kings he shall not stand before mean Men That is he is sit for the highest Offices he may aim at them he is likeliest to obtain them We see Princes chuse out industrious Men for their Service 1 Kings 11. 28. And Solomon seeing the young Man viz. Jeroboam that he was industrious or as the Margin from the Hebr. that he did work or take pains he made him Ruler over all the Charge of the House of Joseph and you know how great he grew If Princes see Men to be only wise they suspect they will be too conceited if high-spirited too turbulent if honest and conscientious too difficult if popular dangerous but if diligent they are fit to be imployed Now tho the ordinary Tradesman never expects any great Office or Preferment yet certainly his Industry puts him into the road of all the Preferment whereof he is capable Isa 23. 8. Whose Merchants are Princes whose Traffiquers are the Honourable of the Earth 4. In respect of Comfort There is a certain secret satisfaction of Mind that always attends an honest Diligence The Sleep of a laboring Man is sweet whether he eat little or much Eccles 5. 12. He hath been doing the duty of his Calling and that comforts him I appeal to your own Consciences and to every Man's Experience whether you find not more inward Peace and Comfort at night after you have been diligently imployed in your Calling than when you have trifled therein And any cross which befalls you is better born when it finds you in your Imployment than when out of it And if by the wise Providence of God you do not by your Industry obtain abundance yet you have this comfort of having done your Duty which is the chiefest ground of all just Satisfaction Fourthly The fourth thing then upon this Head is to make some useful Improvement hereof which is By Reproof By Counsel 1. This detects and reproves the baseness and sinfulness of Idleness and Sloth whether it be in point of Care or of Labour The holy Ghost by the hand of the Wise-Man doth frequently lash this sort of Men. Prov. 26. 13 14 15 16. The slothful man saith There is a Lion in the way a Lion in the streets he fancies danger and difficulties where there are none Then
every Man of what Birth or Parts or Grace soever he be let him abide in the same outward Calling wherein he was inwardly called Tho it be mean let him stoop to it tho it be laborious let him buckle to it yea tho he be a Bond-Slave yet let him be quiet till God that called him into it call him out of it Like the famous Epictetus of whom it was said that he was Servus mutilus pauper sed Diis Charus And here I shall I. Give a Description of this Requisite II. Give some Reasons for it III. Shew you wherein the Practice of it is exprest in a Man's Trade and Calling IV. Make some Vse of the whole 1. For the Description of it as it relates to this Subject It is a chearful Satisfaction in the Place and Calling wherein God hath set us There is a natural Stupidity in some Persons and a moral Obstinacy in others and there is a meerly Rational Contentment in others but this which I am speaking of is a work of God's Spirit a Mystery which is learned only in the School of true Religion whereby the Soul the whole Soul is inwardly satisfied with God's wise and holy Will whereby he hath chosen a Man's Profession for him his Satisfaction doth not so much proceed from the Excellency of his Calling as from the declared Will of his heavenly Father who hath placed him therein He is at rest in his Mind as far as it fit to be at rest in this sinful and miserable World This is that hard Lesson which the Apostle Paul had learn'd Phil. 4. 11. For I have learned in whatsoever State I am therewith to be content And an hard Lesson it is to Flesh and Blood and rarely learn'd Ever since our Father Adam was unsatisfied with all the Delicacies of Paradise none of his Posterity could be well content with their Condition unless God by his Grace renew their Nature and limit their Desires Men may think and many have imagined that if they were in another Estate in another Condition they should be well and never desire more but they have found that the Heart of Man is herein like a Bladder which the more it 's filled the more it stretches And you will scarce find an individual Person unless truly mortified that is at full ease in his present State but hankering after some absent Injoyments The Child in love with the Liberty of the Parent weary of his Restraint the Parent 's weary of his Cares and Labours the Vnmarried not content with their Condition and the Married less with theirs the Poor envies the Plenty of the Rich and the Rich admire the Ease and Quiet of the Poor and so it is among all other sorts and amongst the rest our Tradesman is not free He is prone to prefer not only the Gown or the Sword before the Apron but this and that Trade before his own So that it is evident that Contentedness is an hard Lesson and not to be learn'd but from the holy Spirit of God and that there is some need to assist the Tradesman in this difficult Point We shall therefore demonstrate the great Reasonableness and Necessity of it II. The Reasons to inforce this Requisite are either 1. In respect of God Or 2. In respect of our selves There are many other Topicks whereby to urge it but I shall content my self with these 1. In respect of God 1. His plain Command of this frame in general Heb. 13. 5. Let your Conversation be without Covetousness and be content with such things as ye have For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee No Command can be more plain nor any Reason to a Christian more strong than God's Command Be content with such things as Ye have not such things as Others have others have this and that such a Trade such a House such a Table such Clothes but be ye content with such things as ye have Again think not what things ye have had you have lived so and so have fared better and lived every way higher before your Marriage before the Fire in your younger days but be content with such things as ye now have Again he saith not be content with such things as ye would have say not If I had but a better House a better Trade greater Custom lesser Hazard more Acquaintance I should do well I should be content but be ye content with such things as ye have and adds a most satisfactory Reason For I have said I will never leave thee nor for sake thee I am enough he that cannot be content with Me my Favour and Grace is hard yea impossible to be pleased 2. His wise Providence which hath placed you in this your Calling in particular Your Parents or Friends who disposed you therein were directed or permitted by the all-wise God who knew what Calling was best and fittest for you None of these things are brought about without God and if you belong to him your Condition is good for you and if you do not it is but too good for you All things and then all Callings work together for good unto them that love God Besides he hath Soveraign Dominion over you and all his Creatures and accordingly where he placeth them there they must chearfully abide As the Souldier must stand in the rank or post where his Captain placeth him how difficult or dangerous soever much more must you be satisfied with the standing your heavenly Lord and Master allots you you know not what Service God hath for you to do in that Capacity or what Blessings you are there to receive Psal 47. 4. He shall chuse our Inheritance for us And when he hath chosen it shall we enter our Dissent question his Goodness or correct his Wisdom 3. The Glory of God is another Reason You should be contented in your Calling because you may glorify God in it There is no lawful Calling but God is honoured and served in it Your Wisdom your Patience your Diligence your Uprightness do glorify God exceedingly for all men must know that every good thing every vertuous Disposition every good and perfect Gift if you trace them up to their proper Spring they come from the Father of Lights and consequently they infallibly prove him to be holy and wise and good and so they glorify him Hence even Servants are said Tit. 2. 10. by their shewing all good Fidelity to adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour The meanest Trade may as truly contribute to the Honour of God as the least Finger or Toe doth to the Beauty and Welfare of the Body It is not only the Beams and Pillars but the very Pins that are serviceable in the Building And therefore while you may bring Glory to God in your Calling you should be very well content in it For that 's the highest End and Honour we can reach unto in this World to set forth the Praises of him who hath called