HOM.XXXI.

Eccles. iii.

This happiness or blessing consisteth in these and such like points. First, It is the gift of God, as Solomon saith, when one eateth and drinketh, and receiveth good of his labour. Secondly, when one liveth of his own labour, so it be honest and good, he liveth of it with a good conscience; and an upright conscience is a treasure inestimable. Thirdly, he eateth his bread not with brawling and chiding, but with peace and quietness, when he quietly laboureth for the same, according to St. Paul's admonition. Fourthly, he is no man's bondman for his meat sake, nor needeth not for that to hang upon the good will of other men; but so liveth of his own, that he is able to give part to others. And, to conclude, the labouring man and his family, whilst they are busily occupied in their labour, be free from many temptations and occasions of sin, which they that live in idleness are subject unto.

And here ought artificers and labouring men, who be at wages for their work and labour, to consider their conscience to God, and their duty to their neighbour, lest they abuse their time in idleness, so defrauding them which be at charge both with great wages and dear commons. They be worse than idle men indeed, for that they seek to have wages for their loitering. It is less danger to God to be idle for no gain, than by idleness to win out of their neighbours' purses wages for that which is not deserved. It is true, that Almighty God is angry with such as do defraud the hired man of his wages; the cry of that injury ascendeth up to God's ear for vengeance. And as true it is, that the hired man, who useth deceit in his labour, is a thief before God. Let no 1 Thess. iv. man, saith St. Paul to the Thessalonians, subtilly beguile his brother; let him not defraud him in his business; for the Lord is a revenger of such deceits. Whereupon he that will have a good conscience to God that labouring man, I say, which dependeth wholly upon God's benediction, ministering all things sufficient for his living-let him use his time in a faithful labour; and, when his labour by sickness or other misfortune doth cease,

yet let him think, for that in his health he served HOM.XXXI. God and his neighbour truly, he shall not want in time of necessity. God upon respect of his fidelity in health, will recompençe his indigence, to move the hearts of good men to relieve such decayed men in sickness. Where otherwise, whatsoever is gotten by idleness shall have no means to help in time of need. Let the labouring man, therefore, eschew for his part this vice of idleness and deceit ; remembering that St. Paul exhorteth every man to lay away all deceit, dissimulation, and lying, and to use truth and plainness to his neighbour; be- Ephes. iv. cause, saith he, we be members together in one body, under one head, Christ our Saviour.

And here might be charged the serving men of this realm, who spend their time in much idleness of life, nothing regarding the opportunity of their time, forgetting how service is no heritage, how age will creep upon them; where wisdom were they should expend their idle time in some good business, whereby they might increase in knowledge, and so the more worthy to be ready for every man's service. It is a great rebuke to them, that they study not either to write fair, to keep a book of account, to study the tongues, and so to get wisdom and knowledge in such books and works, as be now plentifully set out in print of all manner of languages. Let young men consider the precious value of their time, and waste it not in idleness, in jollity, in gaming, in banquetting, in ruffians' company. Youth is but vanity, and must be accounted for before God. How merry and glad soever thou be in thy youth, O young man, saith the Preacher, Eccles. xi. how glad soever thy heart be in thy young days, how fast and freely soever thou follow the ways of thine own heart, and the lust of thine own eyes; yet be thou sure that God shall bring thee into judgment for all these things.

God, of his mercy, put it into the hearts and minds of all them, that have the sword of punishment in their hands, or have families under their governance, to labour to redress this great enormity,

HOM.XXXI. of all such as live idly and unprofitably in the commonweal, to the great dishonour of God, and the grievous plague of his silly people. To leave sin unpunished, and to neglect the good bringing up of youth, is nothing else but to kindle the Lord's wrath against us, and to heap plagues upon our own heads. As long as the adulterous people were suffered to live licentiously without reformation, so Num. xxv. long did the plague continue and increase in Israel, as you may see in the Book of Numbers. But when due correction was done upon them, the Lord's anger was straightway pacified, and the plague ceased. Let all Officers, therefore, look straitly to their charge. Let all Masters of households reform this abuse in their families; let them use the authority that God hath given them; let them not maintain vagabonds and idle persons, but deliver the realm and their households from such noisome loiterers; that idleness, the mother of all mischief, being clean taken away, Almighty God may turn his dreadful anger away from us, and confirm the covenant of peace upon us for ever, through the merits of Jesus Christ, our only Lord and Saviour: to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

XXXII.

THERE is nothing that the Holy Ghost doth so HOMILYmuch labour in all the Scriptures to beat into men's. heads, as repentance, amendment of life, and speedy returning unto the Lord God of Hosts. And no marvel why; for we do daily and hourly, by our wickedness and stubborn disobedience, horribly fall away from God, thereby purchasing unto ourselves -if he should deal with us according to his justice-eternal damnation. So that no doctrine is so necessary in the church of God, as is the doctrine is most necesof repentance and amendment of life.

The doctrine of repentance

sary.

And verily the true preachers of the Gospel-of the kingdom of heaven, and of the glad and joyful tidings of salvation-have always in their godly sermons and preachings unto the people, joined these two together; I mean, repentance and forgiveness of sins; even as our Saviour Jesus Christ did appoint himself, saying, So it behoved Christ to Luke xxiv.

XXXII.

Acts xx.

HOMILY - suffer, and to rise again the third day; and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name among all nations. And therefore the holy Apostle doth, in the Acts, speak after this manner: I have witnessed both to the Jews and to the Gentiles, the repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. Did not John Baptist, Zacharias's son, begin his ministry with the doctrine of repentance, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand? The like doctrine did our Saviour Jesus Christ preach himself, and commanded his Apostles to preach the same.

Matt. iii.

Matt. iv.

Joel ii.

I might here allege very many places out of the Prophets in the which this most wholesome doctrine of repentance is very earnestly urged, as most needful for all degrees and orders of men: but one shall be sufficient at this present time.

These are the words of Joel the Prophet: Therefore also now the Lord saith, Return unto me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rend your hearts, and not your clothes, and return unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great compassion, A perpetual and ready to pardon wickedness. Whereby it is

rule, which all must

follow.

given us to understand, that we have here a perpetual rule appointed unto us, which ought to be observed and kept at all times; and that there is none other way, whereby the wrath of God may be pacified, and his anger assuaged, that the fierceness of his fury, and the plagues or destruction, which by his righteous judgment he had determined to bring upon us, may depart, be removed, and taken away. Where he saith, But now therefore, saith the Lord, return unto me, it is not without great importance, that the Prophet speaketh so. For he had before set forth at large unto them the horrible vengeance of God, which no man was able to abide; and therefore he doth move them to repentance, to obtain mercy as if he should say, I will not have these things to be so taken, as though there were no hope of grace left. For, although ye do by your sins deserve to be utterly destroyed, and God