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charity to men, in due regard to ourselves, bound unto it.

1. First, I say, the nature and design of our calling do suppose industry: "There is," saith the divine Preacher,

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a man whose labour is in wisdom, in knowledge, and in equity." Such men are Scholars; so that we are indeed no Scholars, but absurd usurpers of the name, if we are not laborious; for what is a Scholar, but one who retireth his person, and avocateth his mind from other occupations, and worldly entertainments, that he may employ his mind and leisure on study and learning, in the search of truth, the quest of knowledge, the improvement of his reason. Wherefore an idle scholar, a lazy student, a sluggish man of learning, is nonsense.

What is learning but a diligent attendance to instruction of masters, skilled in any knowledge, and conveying their notions to us in word or writing?

What is study but an earnest, steady,

persevering application of mind to some matter, on which we fix our thoughts, with intent to see through it? What in Solomon's language are these scholastic occupations, but " inclining the ear," and" applying our heart to understanding?" than which commonly there is nothing more laborious, more straining nature, and more tiring our spirits whence it is well compared to the most painful exercises of body and soul.

The wise man, advising men to seek wisdom, the which is the proper design of our calling, doth intimate that work to be like digging in the mines for silver, and like searching all about for concealed treasure; than which there can hardly be any more difficult and painful task:

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If," saith he, "thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand.Otherwhere he compareth the same work to assiduous watching and waiting, like that of a guard or a client, which are

the greatest instances of diligence; "Blessed," saith he, (or Wisdom by him saith,) "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors."

Wherefore if we will approve ourselves to be what we are called, and what we pretend to be; if we will avoid being impostors, assuming a name not due to us, we must not be slothful. Farther,

2. The matter and extent of our business do require industry from us: the matter of it, which is truth and knowledge; the extent, which is very large and comprehensive, taking in all truth, all knowledge, worthy our study, and useful for the designs of it.

Our business is to find truth; the which, even in matters of high importance, is not easily to be discovered: being as a vein of silver, encompassed with earth and mixed with dross, deeply laid in the obscurity of things, wrapped up in false appearances, entangled with

objections, and perplexed with debates; being therefore not readily discoverable, especially by minds clouded with prejudices, lusts, passions, partial affections, appetites of honour and interest; whence to descry it requireth the most curious observation and solicitous circumspection that can be; together with great pains in the preparation and purgation of our minds toward the inquiry of it.

Our business is to attain knowledge, not concerning obvious and vulgar matters, but about sublime, abstruse, intricate, and knotty subjects, remote from common observation and sense; to get sure and exact notions about which, will try the best forces of our mind with their utmost endeavours; in firmly settling principles, in strictly deducing consequences, in orderly digesting conclusions, in faithfully retaining what we learn by our contemplation and study.

And if to get a competent knowledge about a few things, or to be reasonably

skilful in any sort of learning, be difficult, how much industry doth it require to be well seen in many, or to have waded through the vast compass of learning, in no part whereof a Scholar may conveniently or handsomely be ignorant; seeing there is such a connection of things, and dependence of notions, that one part of learning doth confer light to another, that a man can hardly well understand any thing without knowing divers other things; that he will be a lame Scholar who hath not an insight into many kinds of knowledge, that he can hardly be a good Scholar who is not a general one.

To understand so many languages, which are the shells of knowledge; to comprehend so many sciences, full of various theorems and problems; to peruse so many histories, of ancient and modern times; to know the world, both natural and human; to be acquainted with the various inventions, inquiries, opinions,

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