And First of all, it will be eafie to fhew, that Godliness doth, above all Things, tend to make a Man wife and prudent, skilful and dexterous in the Management of his Affairs, of what nature foever. For it doth very much clear and improve a Man's Understanding, not only by a certain natural Efficacy it hath (as I fhall fhew hereafter) to purifie the Blood and Spirits, upon which the Perfection of our Intellectual Operations doth exceedingly much depend; but alfo by difpelling thofe adventitious Clouds that arife in the difcerning Faculty, from the noifome Fumes of Luft and Paffion.

a

All Vice, in the very Nature of it, depraves and diftorts a Man's Judgment, fills our Minds with Prejudices, and false Apprehenfions of Things; and no Man that is under the Dominion of it, can poffibly have fuch free use of his Reafon as otherwise he might; for he will commonly fee things, not as they are in themselves, but in those Disguises and falfe Colours which his Paffion puts upon them: Upon which account he cannot avoid but he will be often impofed upon, and commit a Thousand Errors in the Management of his Affairs, which the vertuous Man, whofe Reafon is pure and untinctur'd, is fecured from. It cannot be imagined, that either he fhould foresee Events fo clearly, or fpy Opportunities fo fagaciously, or weigh Things fo impartially, or deliberate fo calmly, or tranfact fo cautiously, as the Man that is free from thofe manifold Prepoffeffions which his Mind is fraught with.

We

We fee this every Day verified in Men of all Ranks and Conditions, of all Callings and Employments. What a Multitude of Inconveniencies, as to matter of dealing between Man and Man, doth an intemperate Appetite betray Men to? How filly and foolish is the moft fhrewd Man, when Wine hath gotten into his Head? There is none fo fimple in his Company, but, fuppofing him to be fober, and to have Designs upon him, he fhall be able to over-reach him. What a World of Advantages doth the angry Man give to him he deals with, by the Haftiness and Impatience of his Spirit? How often doth a Man do that in the Fury and Expectancies of a Luit, for which when his Ardours are over, he is ready to bite his Nails for very Vexation?

It is thus, more or lefs, with all kind of Vice; they craze a Man's Head, and caft a Mift before his Eyes, and make him often lofe himself in thofe very Ways wherein he pretends to be moft skilful; So that it cannot be denied, that Vertue is of a fingular ufe in all Matters wherein we have Occafion to make ufe of our Reafon, and doth fecure us from a multitude of Indifcretions, which, without it, we should unavoidably commit.

But, Secondly, Godliness is alfo an excellent Means to fecure a Man's Diligence in the difcharge of his Calling and Employment, which is alfo a Matter of very great Confequence, in order to our thriving in the World: For it is the diligent Hand that maketh Rich, and the Man that is diligent in his Bufinefs, that shall stand before Kings; as Solomon tells us.

D. 4

Now

Now the Obligations that Religion layeth upon us, to be careful in this point, are far ftronger than what can arife from any other Respect or Confideration whatsoever; for it obligeth us to mind our Business, not only for our own, but for God's Sake: It chargeth the matter upon our Confciences, and represents it to us as a part of that Service we owe to our Creator; and upon the due Performance of which, no less than the everlasting Welfare of our Souls doth depend: For it affures us, that he that will call us to account for every idle Word, will much more do fo, for the idle Expence of our Time, and the Abuse and not Ime provement of thofe Talents that he hath entrufted us with. So that though we had no worldly Inducement to make us diligent in our Callings, though we were fure we fhould fuffer no Prejudice in our Temporal Affairs by Idleness, and the Neglect of our Business, (the Fear of which, yet is the only Principle that puts worldly Men upon Action) neverthelefs we were infinitely concerned, not to be flack or negligent in this Matter, in regard it is a point that will be fo feverely exacted of us in the other World.

I know but one Objection that can be made against this Difcourfe; and it is this, That what Engagement foever, Religion lays upon us to the careful fpending of our Time, yet its own Exercifes, Prayer and Reading, and Meditation, take up fo great a Portion of it, which might be fpent in the Works of our ordinary Employment, that in effect it rather hinders

hinders our Attendance on our Business, than promotes it. But to this it is easily answered, That there is no Man fo engaged in the World, but may, if he please, make both his Business and his Devotions confit together, without prejudicing of either.

They have very falfe Apprehenfions of Religion, that think it obliges us to be always upon our Knees, or always poring upon fome good Book: No, we do as truly ferve God, and perform Acts of Religion, when we labour honeftly in our Vocation, as when we go to Church, or fay our Prayers.

It is true, indeed, we ought to have our Hearts in Heaven as much as is poffible, and to that end, we ought to pray continually : but what hinders, but we may do this in the midst of our Bufinefs? There is no Employment doth fo entirely engross a Man's Mind, but he may find leifure, if he please, many Times a Day, to entertain good Thoughts, to quicken and re-inforce his Purposes, to caft up a fhort Prayer, or a Wish to God Almighty. And this I dare fay for your Encouragement, that fuch a devout Frame of Heart, fuch frequent and fudden Dartings of your Souls to God, while you are at your Bufinefs, will be so far from hindring or distracting you in it, that they will make you go about it with much more Vigour and Alacrity.

But farther, I would ask any Man that makes the forefaid Objection, Suppofing Religion Ten Times more expenfive of our Time than really it is, yet, whether Vice and Sin

be

be not much more fo, than it would be? What a multitude of idle Avocations from, and Interruptions in, our Business doth that Daily occafion unto Men? What a Number of impertinent Difcourfes, unprofitable Vifits, needless Points of Gallantry, long Diverfions by Drink, and Play, and Company; not to mention a great many other Debauches, doth it frequently engage Men in? And yet these we count no hindrance to our Bufinefs; thefe we.complain not of; but to spend a quarter of that Time in fome devout Exercise, this is intolerable, it wastes too much of our Time, our Occafions will not permit it. Such partial and unjuft Eftimators of Things are we. But I proceed,

In the Third Place, then, as for Frugality and good Husbandry, which is another neceffary Requifite for the getting of Wealth; Religion is unquestionably the best Mistress of it in the World; for it retrencheth all the Exorbitancies and Wantonnefs of our Defires, which are the Things that pick the Money out of our Purses; and teacheth us to live after the Measures of Nature, which every Body knows are little, and cheap. It perfectly cuts off all thofe idle Expences, with which the Estates of other Men ftand almost continually charged, The Modefty of it cloaths us at a small rate; and its Temperance fpreads for us, though a neat, yet a frugal Table. The Attendance it requires on our Bufinefs, will not allow us to embezzel our Money in Drinking or Gaming: Nor will that Purity which is infeparable from it, ever let us know what the vaft and

finking