Prov. viii. 34, 35. way SERM. Stand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God, L. which is the head or chief part of wisdom; and Blessed, faith he again, in the person and place of wisdom itself, iş the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors; for he that findeth me, findeth life, and fhall obtain favour of the Lord. It is the he supposeth of finding wisdom, to watch affiduously, to wait diligently upon the means of attaining her; and how infallible the acquift of her is thereby, fhe doth again Prov. viii. by his mouth thus acquaint us; I love them that love me, and thofe that feek me early shall find me; and she, 12, 13, 14. faith his imitator, is eafily feen of them that love her, and found of fuch as feek her; whofo feeketh her early, shall have no great travel, for he shall find her fitting at his doors. 17. Wifd. vi. 16. This indeed is the only way; idlenefs is not capable of fo rich and noble a purchase: a flothful perfon may be conceited, yea needs must be so; but he can never be Prov. xxvi. wife: A fluggard, faith Solomon, is wifer in his own conceit, than feven men that can render a reafon. This conceit of wisdom is a natural iffue of his ignorance; and it is indeed no small part of his folly, that he doth not perceive it; being no lefs ftupid in reflection on his own mind, than in confidering other matters: being always in a flumber, he will often fall into fuch pleasant dreams; and no wonder that he should prefume upon abundance of knowledge, who not lifting to take any pains in the search or difcuffion of things, doth fnatch the firft appearances, doth embrace every fuggeftion of his fancy, every conceit gratifying his humour, for truth. What should I fpeak of learning, or the knowledge of various things, tranfcending vulgar apprehenfion? Who knoweth not that we cannot otherwife reach any part of that, than by affiduous ftudy and contemplation? Who doth not find that all the power in the world is not able to command, nor all the wealth of the Indies to purchase, one notion? Who can be ignorant, that no wit alone, or ftrength of parts can fuffice, without great induftry, to frame any science, to learn any one tongue, to know the history of nature, or of Providence? it is certainly by SERM. Horace's methods, Multa tulit, fecitque puer, by much exercise and endurance of pains, that any one can arrive to the mark of being learned or fkilful in any fort of knowledge. But farther yet, Virtue, the noblest endowment and richest poffeffion whereof man is capable; the glory of our nature, the beauty of our foul, the goodlieft ornament and the firmest fupport of our life h; that alfo is the fruit and bleffing of industry; that of all things most indispenfably doth need and require it. It doth not grow in us by nature, nor befall us by fortune; for nature is fo far from producing it, that it yieldeth mighty obftacles and refiftances to its birth, there being in the best difpofitions much averfenefs from good, and great proneness to evil; fortune doth not further its acquifts, but cafteth in rubs and hindrances thereto, every condition presenting its allurements, or its affrightments from it; all things within us and about us confpire to render its production and its practice laborious. L. cxxvii. 3. It is ('tis true) a gift of heaven, and cannot be obtained without a special influence of divine grace; but it is given as children are, (of whom it is faid, Lo, children are an Pfal. heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward,) not without fore travail and labour of the mother, not without grievous difficulty and pangs in the birth. In our converfion to embrace virtue God doth guide us; but to what? to fit ftill? No, to walk, to run in his ways: Grace doth move us, but whereto? to do nothing? No, but to ftir, and act vigorously; The holy Spirit doth help Rom. viii. our infirmities: but how could it help them, if we did λαμβάνεται. not conjoin our beft, though weak, endeavours with its Heb. xii. 4. operations? To what doth it cuvavriλaubave, or co-help A&s x. 35. Qui cupit optatam curfu contingere metam, Multa tulit, fecitque puer, fudavit et alfit. Hor. de Art. Poet. * Τῇ μὲν κακίᾳ ἡδονῇ, τῇ δὲ ἀρετῇ συγκεκλήρωται πόνος. Chryf. in Joh. Or. 36. Κακία μὲν γὰρ αὐτοδίδακτον· ἀρετὴ δὲ σὺν πόνῳ κτᾶται. Sen, de Provid, 2, 26. συναντι Rom. ii. 10. L. SERM. us, but to strive against fin, to work righteousness, to form duty with earnest intention of mind, and labo activity? God, faith St. Chryfoftom, hath parted with us, and neither hath left all to be in us, left we be elated to pride, nor himself hath taken all, left we decline to flothi. Indeed the very nature and effence of virtue doth c in the most difficult and painful efforts of foul; in the tirpating rooted prejudices and notions from our un standing; in bending a stiff will, and rectifying cro inclinations; in overruling a rebellious temper; in c ing eager and importunate appetites; in taming wild sions; in withstanding violent temptations; in furmo ing many difficulties, and fuftaining many troubles struggling with various unruly lufts within, and enco tering many ftout enemies abroad, which affault our fon, and war against our foul: in fuch exercises its v being lieth; its birth, its growth, its fubfiftence depend on them; fo that from any discontinuance or remiffior them it would foon decay, languish away, and perish.. What attention, what circumfpection, and vigilancy mind, what intention of spirit, what force of refoluti what command and care over ourselves doth it require, keep our hearts from vain thoughts and evil defires; guard our tongue from wanton, unjuft, uncharitable d course; to order our steps uprightly and steadily in all t Chryf. in paths of duty? Καὶ τί οὐκ ἐπίπονον τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς; and wh Joh. Or. 36. as St. Chryfoftom afketh, of all things belonging to virt is not laborious? It is no fmall task to know it, where it confifteth, and what it demandeth of us; it is a far mo painful thing to conform our practice unto its rules an dictates. ὁ Ἐμερίσατο πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὔτε ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀφῆκε τὸ πᾶν εἶναι ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐπαιρώμεθα, οὔτε αὐτὸς τὸ πᾶν ἔλαβεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἀπὸ κλίνωμεν· ἀλλ ̓, &c. Chryf. Tom. 5. Or. 28. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ περὶ τὰ καλὰ τῶν ἀνθρώ πων ἐγχείρησις δίχα τῆς ἄνωθεν βοηθεία τελειωθήσεται· ἐδὲ ἡ ἄνωθεν χάρις ἐπὶ τὸν μὴ σπεδάζοντα παραγένοιτ' ἄν, ἀλλ ἑκάτερα συγκεκρᾶσθαι προσήκει, σπεδήν τε ἀνθρωπίνην, καὶ τὴν διὰ πίςεως ἄνωθε καθήκεσαν συμμαχίαν εἰς τελείωσιν ἀρετῆς. Baf. Conft. Mon. cap. 15. L. If travelling in a rough way; if climbing up a steep SERM. hill; if combating ftern foes, and fighting sharp battles; if croffing the grain of our nature and defires; if continually holding a strict rein over all our parts and powers, be things of labour and trouble, then greatly fuch is the practice of virtue. 2 Thef. i. Indeed each virtue hath its peculiar difficulty, needing much labour to mafter it: Faith is called pyov risews, the 1 Thef. i. 3. work of faith; and it is no fuch easy work, as may be 11. imagined, to bring our hearts unto a thorough perfuafion John vi. 29. about truths croffing our fenfual conceits, and controling our peevish humours; unto a perfect fubmiffion of our understanding, and refignation of our will to whatever God teacheth or prescribeth; to a firm refolution of adhering to that profeffion, which exacteth of us so much pains, and exposeth us to fo many troubles. Charity is also a laborious exercife of many good works; and he that will practise it, muft in divers ways labour hardly; he must labour in voiding from his foul many difpofitions deeply radicated therein by nature, opinion, and custom; envy, frowardness, stubbornness, perverse and vain selfishness; from whence wrath, revenge, fpite, and malice do fpring forth. He muft labour in effectual performance of all good offices, and in catching all occafions Gal. vi.10. of doing good; he must exert that xómov άyáns, that labour Heb. vi. 10. of love, whereof St. Paul doth speak; he must (as that Eph. iv. 28. holy Apostle directeth, not only in precept, but by his own practice) work with his own hands, that he may fupply the wants of his neighbour. 1 Thef. i. 3. Acts xx. 35. Heb. x. 23. Heb, x. 36. Hope itself (which one would think, when grounded'Azañ. well, should be a no less eafy than pleasant duty) doth Heb. vi. 19. need much labour to preferve it fafe, ftraight, and ftable, 1 Thef. i. 3. among the many waves and billows of temptation affaying Heb. vi. 11. to shake and fubvert it; whence a patience of hope is re- σπουδήν. commended to us; and we fo often are exhorted to hold Heb. iii. 6, it faft, to keep it fure, firm, and unfhaken to the end. 1 Τῆς ἀρετῆς ἱδρῶτα θεοὶ προπάροιθεν ἔθηκαν Ενδείκνυσθαι 14. 2 Pet. i. 10. SERM. L. Temperance alfo furely demandeth no fmall pains m; it being no flight business to check our greedy appetites, to fhun the enticements of pleasure, to escape the fnares of company and example, to fupport the ill-will and reproaches of those zealots and bigots for vice, who cannot tolerate any nonconformity to their extravagances; but, 1 Pet. iv. 4. as St. Peter doth exprefs it, think it ftrange, if others do not run with them to the fame excefs of riot, fpeaking ill of them for it. What should I speak of meeknefs, of patience, of humility, of contentednefs? Is it not manifeft how laborious those virtues are, and what pains are necessary in the obtaining, in the exercise of them? what pains, I fay, they require in the voidance of fond conceits, in the fuppreffion of froward humours, in the quelling fierce paffions, in the brooking grievous croffes and adverfities, in the bearing heinous injuries and affronts? Thus doth all virtue require much industry, and it therefore neceffarily must itself be a great virtue, which is the mother, the nurse, the guardian of all virtues; yea, which indeed is an ingredient and conftitutive part of every virtue; for if virtue were eafily obtainable or practicable without a good measure of pains, how could it be virtue ? what excellency could it have, what praise could it claim, what reward could it expect? God hath indeed made the best things not easily obtainable, hath fet them high out of our reach, to exercise our industry in getting them, that we might raise up ourselves to them, that being obtained, they may the more deferve our esteem, and his reward. Laftly, The fovereign good, the last scope of our actions, the top and fum of our defires, happiness itself, or eternal life in perfect reft, joy, and glory; although it be the fuRom. vi. 23. preme gift of God, and special boon of divine grace, (rò dè Eph. ii. 8. Xápioμa тOU OOυ, But, faith St. Paul, the gift of God's grace is eternal life;) yet it alfo by God himself is declared to be the refult and reward of industry; for we are m Πάντες ἐξ ἑνὸς σόματος ὑμνᾶσιν, ὡς καλὸν μὲν ἡ σωφροσύνη τε καὶ δικαιοσύνη, χαλεπὸν μέν τοι καὶ ἐπίπονον. Plat. de Rep. 2. |