AN HOMILY AGAINST IDLENESS.

FORASMUCH as man, being not born to ease and rest, but to labour and travail, is by corruption of nature through sin so far degenerated and grown out of kind, that he taketh idleness to be no evil at all, but rather a commendable thing, seemly for those that be wealthy; and therefore is greedily embraced of most part of men, as agreeable to their sensual affection, and all labour and travail is diligently avoided, as a thing painful and repugnant to the pleasure of the flesh: it is necessary to be declared unto you, that by the ordinance of God, which he hath set 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 same ordinance, is a grievous sin, and also, for the great inconveniences and mischiefs which spring thereof, an intolerable evil : to the intent that, when ye understand the same, ye may diligently flee from it, and on the other part earnestly apply yourselves, every man in his vocation, to honest labour and business, which as it is enjoined unto man by God's appointment, so it wanteth not his manifold blessings and sundry benefits.

Almighty God, after that he had created man, put him into Paradise, that he might dress and keep it but when he had transgressed God's commandment, eating the fruit of the tree which was forbidden him, Almighty God forthwith did cast him out of paradise into this woful vale of misery, 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 (Gen. iii. 19, 23). It is the appointment and will of God, that every man, during the time of this mortal and transitory life, should give himself to some honest and godly exercise and labour, and every one follow his own business, and to walk uprightly in his own calling. Man, saith Job, is born to labour (Job v. 7). And we are commanded by Jesus Sirach "not to hate painful works, neither husbandry, or other such mysteries of travail, which the

Highest hath created" (Ecclus. vii). The Wise man also exhorteth us to drink the waters of our own cistern, and of the rivers that run out of the midst of our own well (Prov. v. 15); meaning thereby that we should live of our own labours, and not devour the labours of other. St. Paul, hearing that among the Thessalonians there were certain that lived dissolutely and out of order, that is to say, which did not work, but were busy-bodies; not getting their own living with their own travail, but eating other men's bread of free cost; did command the said Thessalonians, not only to withdraw themselves, and abstain from the familiar company of such inordinate persons, but also that, if there were any such among them that would not labour, the same should not eat, nor have any living at other men's hands (2 Thess. iii. 10-12). 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 justly exempt himself from the same. But when it is said, all men should labour, it is not so straitly meant, that all men should use handy labour: but, as there be divers sorts of labours, some of the mind, and some of the body, and some of both; so every one (except by reason 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 honestly, and for to profit others, in some kind of labour to exercise himself, according as the vocation, whereunto God hath called him, shall require. So that, whosoever doeth good to the commonweal and society of men with his industry and labour, whether it be by governing the commonweal publicly, or by bearing public office or ministry, or by doing any common necessary affairs of his country, or by giving counsel, or by teaching and instructing others, or by what other means soever he be occupied, so that a profit and benefit redound thereof unto others, the same person 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 to eschew and refuse idle widows, which

go about from house to house, because they are not only idle, but prattlers also, and busy-bodies, speaking things which are not comely (1 Tim. v. 13). The prophet Ezekiel, declaring what the sins of the city of Sodom were, reckoneth idleness to be one of the principal. The sins, saith he, of Sodom were these; pride, fulness of meat, abundance, and idleness: these things had Sodom and her daughters, meaning the cities subject to her (Ezek. xvi. 48, 49). The horrible and strange kind of destruction of that city, and all the country about the same (which was fire and brimstone raining from heaven) most manifestly declareth what a grievous sin idleness is, and ought to admonish us to flee from the same, and embrace honest and godly labour. But if we give ourselves to idleness and sloth, to lurking and loitering, to wilful wandering, and wasteful spending, never settling ourselves to honest labour, but living like drone bees by the labours of other men, then do we break the Lord's commandment, we go astray from our vocation, and incur the danger of God's wrath and heavy displeasure, to our endless destruction, except by repentance we turn again unfeignedly unto God.

The inconveniences and mischiefs that come of idleness, as well to man's body as to his soul, are more than can in short time be well rehearsed. Some we shall declare and open unto you, that by considering them ye may the better with yourselves gather the rest. An idle hand, saith Solomon, maketh poor, but a quick labouring hand maketh rich. Again, He that tilleth his land shall have plenteousness of bread; but he that floweth in idleness is a very fool, and shall have poverty enough. Again, A slothful body will not go to plough for cold of the winter; therefore shall he go a begging in summer, and have nothing (Prov. x. 4; xii. 11; xxviii. 19; xx. 4). But what shall we need to stand 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 so much as to idleness, and to the negligence of parents, which do not bring up their children either in good learning, honest labour, or some commendable occupation or trade, whereby, when they come to age, they might get

their living. Daily experience also teacheth, that nothing is more [an] enemy or pernicious to the health of man's body, than is idleness, too much ease and sleep, and want of exercise. But these and such-like incommodities, albeit they be great and noisome, yet because they concern chiefly the body and external goods, they are not to be compared with the mischiefs and inconveniences, which through idleness happen to the soul; whereof we will recite some.

Where

Idleness is never alone, but hath always a long tail of other vices hanging on, which corrupt and infect the whole man, after such sort, that he is made at length nothing else but a lump of sin. "Idleness (saith Jesus Sirach) bringeth much evil and mischief" (Ecclus. xxxiii). St. Bernard 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. idleness is once received, there the devil is always ready to set in his foot, and to plant all kind of wickedness and sin, to the everlasting destruction of man's soul. Which thing to be most true, we are plainly taught in the thirteenth of Matthew, where it is said, that the enemy came while men were asleep, and sowed naughty tares among the good wheat (Matt. xiii. 25). In very deed, the best time that the devil can have to work his feat is when men be asleep, that is to say, idle: then is he most busy in his work, then doth he soonest catch men in the snare of perdition, then doth he fill them with all iniquity, to bring them (without God's special favour) unto utter destruction.

Hereof we have two notable examples most lively set before our eyes. The one in king David, who tarrying at home idly, as the Scripture saith, at such times as other kings go forth to battle (2 Sam. xi. 1), was quickly seduced of Satan to forsake the Lord his God, and to commit two grievous and abominable sins in his sight, adultery and murder (2 Sam. xii. 9). The plagues that ensued these offences were horrible and grievous, as it may easily appear to them that will read the story. Another example of Samson, who, so long as he warred with the Philistines, 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 fornica

tion with the strumpet Delilah, but also was taken of his enemies, and had his eyes miserably put out, was put in prison, and compelled to grind in a mill, and at length was made the laughing-stock of his enemies (Judges xvi. 1-25). If these two, who were so excellent men, so well beloved of God, so endued with singular and divine gifts, the one namely of prophecy, and the other of strength, and such men as never could by vexation, labour, or trouble, be overcome, were overthrown and fell into grievous sins, by giving themselves for a short time to ease and idleness, and so consequently incurred miserable plagues at the hands of God; what sin, what mischief, what inconvenience and plague is not to be feared of them, which all their life long give themselves wholly to idleness and ease? Let us not deceive ourselves, thinking little hurt to come of doing nothing; for it is a true saying, 'When one doeth nothing, he learneth to do evil.' Let us therefore always be doing of some honest work, that the devil may find us occupied. He himself is ever occupied, never idle, but walketh_continually seeking to devour us. Let us resist him with our diligent watching, in labour and in well-doing [1 Peter v. 8, 9]. For he that diligently exerciseth himself in honest business is not easily catched in the devil's snare.

When man through idleness, or for default of some honest occupation or trade to live upon, is brought to poverty and want of things necessary, we see how easily such a man is induced for his gain, to lie, to practise how he may deceive his neighbour, to forswear himself, to bear false witness, and oftentimes to steal and murder, or to use some other ungodly mean to live withal: whereby not only his good name, honest reputation, and a good conscience, yea, his life is utterly lost, but also the great displeasure and wrath of God, with divers and sundry grievous plagues, are procured. Lo here the end of the idle and sluggish bodies, whose hands cannot away with honest labour: loss of name, fame, reputation, and life, here in this world, and, without the great mercy of God, the purchasing of everlasting destruction in the world to Have not all men then good cause to beware and take heed of idleness, seeing they that embrace and follow it have commonly, of their pleasant idleness, sharp and sour displeasures?

come.