SERM. therefore that would be fecure, let him be quiet;, he that Ο πλεῖσα πράσσων πλεῖσθ ἁμαρτάνει pagrávu βροτῶν. Eurip. νας εἶναι ἐκ 9. It is confequently a great point of discretion to be quiet, it yielding a man peace and fafety without any trouble; and it is a manifeft folly to be pragmatical, it being only with care, pains, and trouble, to feek diffatiffaction to others, and danger to himself; it being alfo to affect many not only inconveniences, but impoffibilities. Is it poffible for any man to grafp or compass an infinity of business? Yet this the pragmatical man feemeth to drive at; for the bufineffes of other men are infinite, and into that abyss he plungeth himself, who paffeth beyond his own bounds; by the fame reason that he meddleth with any befide his own, he may undertake all the affairs in the world; fo he is fure to have work enough, but fruit furely little enough of his pains. Is it imaginable that we can eafily bring others to our bent, or induce men to submit their business to our judg ment and humour? Will not he that attempteth such things affuredly expose himself to disappointment and regret? Is it not therefore wisdom to let every man have his own way, and purfue his concernments without any check or control from us? 10. We may also confider, that every man hath bufinefs of his own fufficient to employ him; to exercise his mind, to exhauft his care and pains, to take up all his time and leifure. To ftudy his own near concernments, to provide for the neceffities and conveniences of his life, 'Argays to look to the interests of his foul, to be diligent in his κλίνειν γὰρ calling, to discharge faithfully and carefully all his duties Tò xadov. relating to God and man, will abundantly employ a man; Zenon. apud well it is if fome of them do not encumber and distract Chryfoft. him he that will fet himself with all his might to per form these things, will find enough to do; he need not feek farther for work, he need not draw more trouble on him. Laert. tom. ii. Eth. 64. : Seeing then every man hath burden enough on his fhoulders, impofed by God and nature, it is vain to take H on him more load, by engaging himself in the affairs of SERM. others; he will thence be forced, either to shake off his XXII. own business, or to become over-burdened and oppreffed with more than he can bear. It is indeed hence obfervable, and it needs muft happen, that those who meddle with the business of others are wont to neglect their own; they that are much abroad can seldom be at home; they that know others moft are leaft acquainted with themfelves and the wife Hebrew, The wisdom of a learned Ecclus. man comes by opportunity of leifure, (σogía σopi50û év eůxαı, xxxviii. 26. pla oxoλñs,) and he that hath little business shall be wife ; (ὁ ἐλασσούμενος πράξει αὐτῷ σοφισθήσεται.) Whence it is fcarce poffible that a pragmatical man fhould be a good man; that is, fuch an one who honeftly and carefully performeth the duties incumbent on him. Philofophers therefore generally have advised men to fhun needlefs occupations, as the certain impediments of a good and happy life; they bid us endeavour ¿πλõv kavTous, to fimplify ourselves, or to get into a condition requiring of us the leaft that can be to do. St. Paul intended the fame when he advifed us, μὴ ἐμπλέκεσθαι ταῖς το 2 Tim. ii. 4, Bix @paypareiais, not to be entangled in the negociations of life and our Saviour, when he touched Martha for being Luke x. 41. troubled about many things. So far therefore we should repà be from taking in hand the affairs of other men, that we should labour to contract our own, and reduce them to the fewest that we can; otherwife we fhall hardly attain wisdom, or be able to perform our duty a. πολλά. faith of the bidos et ne 11. But fuppofe us to have much fpare time, and to Tacitus want bufinefs, fo that we are to feek for divertisement, Stoicks feet, and muft for relief fly to curiofity; yet it is not adviseable—quæ turto meddle with the affairs of other men; there are divers gotiorum other ways more innocent, more fafe, more pleasant, appetentes more advantageous to divert ourselves, and fatisfy curiofity b. . Ὁ σοφός, ιδιοπράγμων, καὶ ἀπράγμων. Demoe. Sen. Ep. 72, 22. Tertullian calleth Stoicifm, Quietis magifterium. De Pall. v. Omnium occupatorum conditio mifera eft, eorum tamen miferrima, qui De fuis quidem occupationibus laborant. Sen, de Brev. Vita, xix, facit. SERM. Nature offereth herself, and her inexhaustible store of XXII. appearances to our contemplation; we may, without any harm, and with much delight, furvey her rich varieties, examine her proceedings, pierce into her fecrets. Every kind of animals, of plants, of minerals, of meteors prefenteth matter, wherewith innocently, pleafantly, and profitably to entertain our minds. There are many noble fciences, by applying our minds to the study whereof, we may not only divert them, but improve and cultivate them the histories of ages paft, or relations concerning foreign countries, wherein the manners of men are defcribed, and their actions reported, may afford us useful pleasure and pastime; thereby we may learn as much, and understand the world as well, as by the most curious inquiry into the prefent actions of men; there we may obferve, we may fcan, we may tax the proceedings of whom we please, without any danger or offence :: there are extant numberlefs books, wherein the wifest and most ingenious of men have laid open their hearts, and exposed their most secret cogitations unto us; in pursuing them we may fufficiently bufy ourselves, and let our idle hours pass gratefully; we may meddle with ourselves, ftudying our own difpofitions, examining our principles and purpofes, reflecting on our thoughts, words, and actions; ftriving thoroughly to understand ourselves; to do this we have an unquestionable right, and by it we shall obtain vaft benefit, much greater than we can hope to get by puddering in the designs or doings of others, Pragmaticalness then, as it is very dangerous and troublefome, fo it is perfectly needlefs; it is a kind of idleness, but of all idlenefs the most unreafonable: it is at leaft worse than idleness, in St. Gregory Nazianzen's opinion. For, I had rather, faid he, be idle more than I should, than over-bufyd. Other confiderations might be added; but these, I hope, may be fufficient to restrain this practice, ο Ανδρὶ Λυδῷ πράγματα οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἐξελθὼν ἐπρίατο.. Adag, apud Suidam. 4 Αργὸς εἶναι μᾶλλον τῷ δέοντος, ἢ περίεργος δέχομαι. Greg. Νaz. Οr. 26. fo unprofitable and uneasy to ourselves, and, for the moft SERM. part, fo injurious and troublesome to others. XXII. Now the God of peace make us perfect in every good word and work, through Jefus Chrift, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. X. 12. an. MATTH. xxii. 37. Jefus faid unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. SERM. THIS text is produced by our Saviour out of Mofes's XXIII. law in answer to a queftion, wherewith a learned Pharisee Deut. vi. s. thought to pofe or puzzle him; the queftion was, Which was the great and firft commandment in the Law? a πειράζων αὐτόν. queftion which, it seems, had been examined, and deterπρώτη ἐντο. árnire mined among the doctors, in the schools of those days, Luke x. 27. (for in St. Luke, to the like question intimated by our Saviour, another lawyer readily yields the fame answer, and is therefore commended by our Saviour, with a recte refpondifli, thou haft answered rightly;) fo that had our Saviour answered otherwife, he had, we may fuppofe, been taxed of ignorance and unskilfulness, perhaps also of error and heterodoxy; to convict him of which feems to have been the defign of this Jewish trier or tempter (for he is said to ask respάgwv avròv, trying, or tempting, him.) But our Saviour defeats his captious intent, by answering, not only according to truth and the reason of the thing, but agreeably to the doctrine then current, and as the lawyer himself out of his memory and learning would have refolved it and no wonder, fince common fenfe dictates, that the law enjoining fincere and entire love toward God is neceffarily the first and chief, or the most fundamental law of all religion; for that whofoever doth believe the |