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bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." If ever God doth perform all without human labour conspiring, it is only in behalf of those who are ready to do their best, but unable to do any thing, being overpowered by the insuperable difficulty of things: but he never doth act miracles, or control nature; he never doth stretch forth his arm, or interpose special power in favour of wilful and affected sluggards.

In fine, it is very plain both in common experience, declaring the course of providence, and in holy Scripture, expressing God's intention, that Almighty God doth hold forth all good things as the prizes and recompenses of our vigilant care, and painful endeavour; as by surveying particulars we may clearly discern.

Nothing is more grateful to men, than prosperous success in their undertakings, whereby they attain their ends,

satisfy their desires, save their pains, and come off with credit; this commonly is the effect of industry (which commandeth fortune, to which all things submit and serve), and scarce ever is found without it: an industrious person, who, as such, is not apt to attempt things impossible or unpracticable, can hardly fail of compassing his designs, because he will apply all means requisite, and bend all his forces thereto; striving to break through all difficulties, and to subdue all oppositions thwarting his purposes: but nothing of worth or weight can be achieved with half a mind, with a faint heart, with a lame endeavour : any enterprise undertaken without resolution, managed without care, prosecuted without vigour, will easily be dashed and prove abortive, ending in disappointment, damage, disgrace, and dissatisfaction: so the wise man doth assure us;

"The soul," saith he, "of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; but the soul

of the diligent shall be made fat:" the one pineth away with ineffectual and fruitless desires; the other thriveth upon satisfaction in prosperous success.

Plentiful accommodations for our sustenance and convenience all men will agree to be very desirable; and these are indeed the blessings of him, who "visiteth the earth and enricheth it;" who "crowneth the year with his goodness," and "whose clouds drop fatness;" but they are so dispensed by heaven, that industry must concur therewith in deriving them to us, and sloth will debar us of them; for "he," saith the holy Oracle, "that tilleth his land, shall be satisfied with bread; and the thoughts of the diligent alone tend to plenteousness;" but "the sluggard shall beg in harvest, and have nothing;" and "the idle soul shall suffer hunger."

Wealth is that which generally men of all things are wont to affect and covet with most ardent desire, as the great

storehouse of their needs and conveniencies, the sure bulwark of their state and dignity; the universal instrument of compassing their designs and pleasures; and most evident it is, that in the natural course of things, industry is the way to acquire it, to secure it, to improve and enlarge it; the which course, pursued innocently and modestly, God will be so far from obstructing, that he will further and bless it; for that indeed it would be a flaw in providence, if honest industry, using the means it affordeth, should fail of procuring a competency; which, joined with a pious contentedness, in St. Paul's computation, is great wealth." Wherefore, although Solomon telleth us, that "the blessing of the Lord is that which maketh rich;" yet doth he not forget or contradict himself, when he also doth affirm, that "the hand of the diligent maketh rich;" and that " he who gathereth by labour shall increase;" because God blesseth the in

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dustrious, and by his own hand, as the most proper instrument, maketh him rich. When the Preacher said, "There is a man to whom God hath given riches and wealth," he knew well enough what man it was to whom God giveth them; and that sluggards were not fit objects of that liberality: for he had observed it to be their doom, to be poor and beggarly, their nature to waste and embezzle an estate; he could assure us, that "drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags;" he could propound it as a certain observation, that "He who is slothful in his work, is brother to a great waster;" or that want of industry in our business will no less impair our estate, than prodigality itself; he could more than once warn the slothful, that if he did " sleep on," or persist in his sluggish way, indigency would surprise and seize on him with an insupportable violence: So," saith he, "shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man."

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