service of God; they were quickened by God, that they might act for God. God is honored by diligence in the management of our secular affairs, provided we are careful to use only lawful means in the pursuit of temporal good, and treat God himself as our only satisfying portion. Those whom providence has placed in such circumstances as that they are brought under an engagement to work for others, should consider diligence and fidelity as important duties, by which they may adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour. Those whose circumstances require diligence in some lawful employment, to support themselves and their families, should be not slothful in business, but provide things honest in the sight of all men. Some indeed are exempt from the necessity of bodily toil, but such should use leisure for mental improvement, and for the good of others. Acts xxii. 35. And all should attend to their high calling; work out their salvation with fear and trembling; give all diligence to make their calling and election sure. Slothfulness is a shameful sin; idleness is a dishonor to religion; and especially idleness in religion is a great sin. It was worth while to warn us against sloth respecting the things of this world; but it is of more importance to warn us against it as to the concerns of another world. The man who should answer the character drawn in these four verses, would be pitiable, contemptible, and criminal, if it applied only to the affairs of this life; but if the evil applied chiefly to his spiritual concerns, his criminality would be greater, and the consequences more fatal.

FIRST: The sluggard is described by a cowardly disposition to magnify supposed danger.

Hence, some object to entering on a religious course, lest they should not be able to hold out. Others, who seemed once to engage in it, draw back after a while, and give up their profession. And others, though, they do not wholly lay down their profession, yet make no progress in religion. It is true, religion has often exposed its professors to dangers and difficulties; but those to be encountered in the present day, are small indeed compared with those which others have encountered and overcome. Yet Christ said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his

cross, and follow me.

True religion, however, has supports and encouragements sufficient to counterbalance all the terrors that alarm the sluggard. He that refuses to walk in God's ways, for fear of the lion he expects to meet, will find far worse dangers await him in the ways of sin. It is said of the way of holiness, (Isa. xxxv. 9.) "No lion shall be there." He can only stand by the way-side, and roar to frighten cowards.

SECONDLY: He is described by dull formality and inactivity; a mere stationary motion. As the door will turn on its hinge, so the sluggard on his bed.

Well may this be the case with those who lay the whole stress of their salvation on what was done for them by others, before they had any consciousness, and which they would not know had ever been done, but by the parish or family register. Never was this sort of religion pleaded for among protestants more openly than of late. Those, however, are not the only formalists to be found, whose religion consists in a regular routine of external duties, to which they attend, in private or in public, without any variation in the frame of their minds, or progress in the ways of God. It is to be feared, that some who once experienced some alarms of conscience, and afterwards seemed to receive the word with joy, may after a time sink into carnal security, and mind little more than keeping up their name and place among their fellow-professors. But the true Christian, instead of resembling the door on its hinges, or the sluggard on his bed, is a traveller to a definite home; a racer running a prescribed race; a warrior engaged in a serious conflict, fighting the good fight of faith; keeping his course; following after, to apprehend that for which he was apprehended of Christ. He has an object in view, which is never fully attained in this life, and must still pursue it; he is more concerned to be safe, than to be easy; and when he has the most comfortable persuasion of his safety, even this is not enough; he wants to glorify God, and be useful in the church and the world.

THIRDLY: Spiritual sloth is often attended with neglect of lawful self-interest, and special enjoyment. "The slothful

hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth."

This clause sounds more hyperbolical than the rest, and would seem a caricature of the persons described. Some may be ready to ask, Who ever knew such a sluggard as this? Who would not eat his food when it was set before him? We must allow that the love of indolence is seldom carried so far; yet, perhaps, it would be no hard matter to find those who are clothed with rags, because they will not take the trouble to mend their raiment, or their children's: who want food for their families, or even for themselves, because they hate to labor. If any of this description pretend to religion, they exceedingly disgrace it. And is it not too common to find professors, who do not enjoy the comforts of religion, because they neglect the duties of religion? The harder our souls follow after God, the happier shall we be; the more we are concerned to glorify him, the more shall we enjoy him. If any, who were once active in his service, are now sunk into sinful somnolence, may I not appeal to your consciences, that your present dull security, if indeed you can keep it from being interrupted by alarming misgivings, is very inferior to the holy pleasure you once enjoyed.

FOURTHLY: Spiritual sloth is often joined with supreme self-conceit.

It is often the case, that the slothful, who rest on a mere form, attach themselves to the largest, or the uppermost party, and pride themselves on that account. Or, if they join a sect inferior in numbers, they rest satisfied with a zeal for such things as distinguish their party from others, rather than for those things in which all good men are agreed. Some pride themselves in adhering strictly to the form in which they were educated; others in their fancied superior light and knowledge. Some depend on human authority; others on their own imaginations. They ordinarily fix their attention on a few observances, or a few favorite points of doctrine, to the neglect of other truths, and other duties, and on this account are wise in their own conceit. Whereas the true Christian is concerned to follow the Lord fully; to adhere to evangelical truth and duty, in the

face of danger; to make progress in God's ways, running with patience the race set before him; abounding in the work and labour of love. Heb. vi. 11, 12. Though his hope is not always founded on a regular examination of evidence, yet it would always stand that test; and as he grows in other graces, so in humility and dependance on grace.

XXXVI.

THE SORROW OF WISDOM.

ECCLES. i. 18.

For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

THIS book was written by Solomon in his old age, under divine inspiration. He was possessed of uncommon powers of mind, and had the best opportunity of acquiring knowledge of any man then in the world. He diligently applied his heart to it, and got more wisdom than all that were before him; yea, his heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. For a while, he wretchedly wandered from God, made full trial of the world, and every supposable source of happiness therein; but being brought back to God, he confessed he had found all earthly enjoyments vanity and vexation of spirit. Though intellectual pleasures greatly surpass those that are merely animal; yet, every mental enjoyment that is not spiritual and holy, is insufficient to produce true happiness; yea, in the issue, it aggravates disappointment and increases misery. This, I conceive, to be the primary sense of the text, though it will, in some degree, apply even to the case of the believer in the present life. Let me endeavor,

"In

FIRST, To explain and illustrate this observation. much wisdom is much grief; and he who increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."

Wisdom and knowledge are sometimes synonymous, but if distinguished, we must refer knowledge to an acquaintance with things and facts; wisdom to the choice of means and ends.

I would show, how justly this observation will apply to all

mere natural knowledge and worldly wisdom. In whatever object men place their happiness, or by whatever means they pursue it, so long as they place it not in God, and seek it not by the way he has prescribed, their greatest sagacity cannot prevent a disappointment. But rather, the more wisdom they have, the more sensibly must they feel their disappointment, while more worldly wisdom cannot redress the grievance. The more wisdom and knowledge a man has, the more keenly he will feel the impossibility of obtaining true satisfaction from merely sensual enjoyments. These are too mean, uncertain, and temporary. And as to

mere intellectual gratifications, of whatever kind, that are not spiritual, they cannot insure happiness, but issue in an increase of grief and vexation. The more we pry into human wisdom, and obtain knowledge of the various ways in which men have sought to obtain happiness, the more we shall see cause for grief and sorrow. Let a man principally seek, either after his own private happiness, the present good of others, or his own and others' final happiness; and he will find the text hold good in various respects.

First: As to a man's own private happiness.

The wisdom of this world will never cure that selfishness of the human heart, which is so inconsistent with the general happiness of mankind, and even of the individual who is the subject of it. How many crooked things are there in a man's lot, which no worldly wisdom can make straight, nor even number what is wanting to give true happiness. So that the wiser a man is, who attempts to find happiness in the world, and the farther he pursues it, with the best advantages, the more must he see the impossibility of attaining it. Much knowledge of worldly things is seldom attained but with great labor and much weariness to the flesh; and they who acquire the most, will be most sensible of the narrow limits of their attainments, and so urged on to more painful labor, or disgusted with the uncertainty of human wisdom.

Secondly: When worldly wisdom seems best employed, for the good of others, it is still attended with much vexation.