shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox, that treadeth out the corn." He travaileth for thee, that thou mayest live. Suffer him to lick a little for his pains. We are the Lord's oxen; we thresh forth his corn. "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things?" We are God's husbandmen; we travail and take pains, we plough, we sow, we harrow, we are abroad in wind and weather, in storm, in hail, in lightning, and thunder. No man knoweth the care the poor husbandman taketh. Winter nor summer, our work is never at an end. Now if we by our labour minister to you the bread which cometh from heaven, is it much that you give us the bread of the earth? "Do you not know that they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?" It hath so seemed good unto God; it is his appointment; he hath established it by his law, and it is most agreeable to the law of reason and nature.

: Yet this is also to be weighed in the consideration hereof, that whosoever asketh the pay of a soldier, must buckle his armour, and go a warfare. He that drinketh the wine, must plant the grape; he that requireth milk, must feed the flock; he that will not be muzzled, must thresh the corn; he that reapeth carnal things, must sow spiritual things; he that requireth the bread of the earth, must minister to his hearers the bread of heaven; he that will live of the sacrifice, or of the altar, or of the Gospel, must offer his sacrifice, wait upon the altar, and teach the Gospel.

He that teacheth not the Gospel, nor careth for the teaching; he that serveth not the altar, nor careth for the serving; he that goeth not on warfare, that planteth not, that feedeth not, that thresheth not, that plougheth not, that travaileth not, that taketh no pains, that abideth not light

ning, thunder, wind, weather, storm, and hail; he that careth not to do these things, I can make no account of him. He is not within Paul's reckoning. The workman is worthy of his hire; but what right hath he to the hire, which is not a workman?

I might, saith he, have received maintenance at your hands; but I took nothing, that I might be an example for you to follow; that none should live idly, but that they work with quietness, and eat their own bread. Idleness is the mother of all mischief; an idle pack is as if he were already dead; his feet serve him not to travel, his hands help him not to work, his eyes serve him not to see his estate; his heart regardeth not the time and misery of his age; beggary falleth upon him, and gnaweth his bones; but he feeleth it not. For he is, as if he were already dead.

Solomon saith (Prov. xii.), " He that followeth idleness hath no understanding." And again (chap. xxviii.), "He that followeth idleness, shall be filled with poverty.' He is unprofitable to himself, and unto others. His children shall beg at every door. Again he saith (chap. xx.), "The slothful will not plough, because of winter; he shall beg in summer, but have nothing;" that is, men that have received increase of God's blessing by taking pains, shall deny bread unto such, and upbraid them for their idleness, and so drive them to labour.

They will say, as it is devised that the ant said in like case to the grasshopper, In the summer thou didst nothing but sing, therefore thou mayest starve in the winter. These extremities be great, if a man will weigh them advisedly. Yet Ecclesiasticus saith farther: "Idleness bringeth much evil." It is an evil teacher; he that doth nothing, is ill occupied. The mind of man is ever stirring, and doing somewhat; if it be not doing well, it is doing ill.

D. D. 2

Water is clear and fair, fresh and comfortable; yet if it stand still in a hole, or be kept long in a vessel, whence it hath no issue, it will rot and smell, and be unwholesome. Even so it fareth with the sons of Adam; if they have nothing to do, no way to bestow their wit, they will rot, and prove unwholesome, and devise mischief all the day long.

What is it that filleth the prisons, and bringeth so many to the gallows, and causeth so many parents to bewail the untimely death of their children, but idleness? When the poor wretches have received their judgment, and come to the place of execution, and stand on the ladder, what counsel give they to young men, and to children, but to beware of idleness?

What is the cause of such and so many diseases in the body? Ask the physicians, and they will tell you, idleness. Whereof rise mutterings in cities against magistrates? whereof rise rebellions in kingdoms against princes? You can give no greater cause thereof than idleness. "Behold (saith the Lord, Ezek. xvi.), this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness." This was it that called for fire down from heaven, and wasted so many cities into ashes.

Christ saith (Matt. xii.), " Of every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof at the day of judgment." If we shall make account for our idle words, what shall we do for our idle hands, for our idle feet, for our idle body, for our idle soul? What account for all our idleness shall we make at the day of judgment?

We warned you, saith the Apostle, that if any would not work, the same should not eat. This is a hard saying. Yet saith Paul, I myself have kept it, I have fulfilled it in mine own body. He doth not say, If any be sick, or weak, or impotent, and cannot work, but if any be idle, and froward,

and will not work, to such an one give not to eat ; that so he may see the danger of idleness, "and work with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give him that needeth." (Eph. iv.) It is not lawful to give them the bread of the church, and the alms ordained for relief of the poor. This bread they may not eat.

But you will say, kings and counsellors, bishops, preachers, and all other sorts of learned men, neither plough nor sow, nor hedge nor ditch, nor use such painful labour of the body; they sit at rest, and live idly. They that so think are deceived: the toil which princes take, and the great cares wherewith they are occupied, pass all other cares in the world. St. Paul calleth the office of a bishop a good work.

If a bishop or minister study the Scriptures, preach the Gospel, catechize the children, and take a care of the souls of God's people; if he sow the Lord's field, feed the Lord's flock, thresh the Lord's corn, and walk before the people carefully; if he have the care of the churches, and can say with the Apostle (2 Cor. xi.), "Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?" Any of fence that is given to my brother, is to me as a fire, or as a torment. If he be instant in season, and out of season; if he do the work of an evangelist, and make his ministry fully known, he shall find himself occupied, and not be idle.

The master of the ship seemeth to be idle, to sit still, and do nothing; he stirreth not the pump, he driveth not the oars, he soundeth not the deep, he rideth not the ropes, he scaleth not the shrouds, he runneth not hither and thither, forward or backward, under the hatches or above; he sitteth still, holdeth his peace, and looketh upon the loadstar, and in appearance doth nothing.

But his labour passeth all the rest. Without his

labour, all the pains which the other mariners take were lost. Were it not for his labour, the ship would soon strike upon rocks, and be stayed on the sands, and they all should perish. Even so fareth it in the state of princes and of their counsellors; they seem to do nothing, yet they do all things which are for the peace, and the wealth, and the safeguard of all the people.

Be not weary in well-doing. Many occasions to discourage you to do well; the world is full of lets, but be you steadfast, unmoveable, and abundant always in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Stand fast, and keep the instructions which you have been taught. Distribute to the necessity of the saints. Do good unto all men, especially to them that be of the household of faith.

Live not after the lusts of men in wantonness, drunkenness, and gluttony, and in abominable idolátry. Though they speak evil of you, because you run not with them unto the same excess of riot; though the devil cast you into prison, and there you have tribulation, be you faithful unto death. They that have afflicted you shall give an account to the righteous Judge, and the afflictions which you suffer in this present time, are not worthy of the glory which shall be shewed unto you.

Ver. 14. If any man obey not this our saying, note him by a letter, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

Ver. 15. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

You have been taught not only what you shall believe, but also how ye ought to live; be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. If any despise and will not follow our doctrine, forsake him, and let