but are altogether bufied about the world and their paffions; and in the evening they pray with greater wandring of thoughts than in the morning. If it fo fall out, that they go to church, or hear a fermon, they do not give a quarter of an hour's clofe attention to any thing that is faid, or done in the publick affemblies. In many places the whole devotion of the people confifts in being prefent at fome fermons, which are as little inftructive, as they are minded or hearkned to. The use which is made of the facraments, efpecially of the eucharift, converts them into vain ceremonies, and makes them rather obstacles, than helps to falvation. As to the mortifying of the body by reasonable abftinence, fafting and retirement, it is an unknown duty. The indifference of Chriftians is therefore but too palpable. What they do upon the account of religion is very little; and yet they do that little fo ill, that it is not much more beneficial to them than if they did nothing at all.

And now what might not be faid, if after having thus fhewn, that what men do for their falvation is next to nothing; I should undertake to prove, that they do almost every thing that is neceffary for their damnation; and that they are zealous and induftrious for their ruin, as they are flothful and negligent in what is requifite to preferve them. There are means to corrupt as well as to fanctify our felves. The means of corruption and perdition, are ignorance, want of attention, neglect of devotion, the love of the world, and of the flesh, unruly paffions, temptations, and ill examples. Now fuppofing, that a man was fo monftroufly frantick, as to form the defign of damning himself; what would fuch a man do? He would neglect the exercifes of devotion, he would not pray at all, or he would pray only with his lips; he would profane the facraments by an unfanctify'd use of them; he would only mind his body and this prefent life; he would give loose reins to his paffions, as much as he might with decency and without danger; if he had an opportunity to gratify his fenfuality, his covetoufnefs, his pride, or any other wicked affection, he would gladly embrace it. This is what a man would do to dama himfelf: and is it not what a great many actually do? I confefs, no man is capable of fo wild a refolution, as to defign to damn himself; but a man sufficiently damns himself, when he takes no care of his falvation, and when he does thofe things, which will infallibly bring his perdition after them.

The floth and negligence of men in the concerns of their fouls, being one of the caufes of their corruption, it would be highly neceffary to remedy that negligence, and to infpire them with zeal for religion; but it is hard to fucceed in this, laziness is attended with a certain sweetness to which men give up themfelves with pleafure. The flothful do love and delight in reft; they cannot endure to be egged on to labour. This is one of thofe habits which are most difficult to be conquered; and to fay the truth, there is but little hope of those, in whom it is grown inveterate! it is a great task to rouze them out of that fluggish and lethargick temper. God must interpofe by a particular grace, by great afflictions, or by fome other extraordinary method.

But yet, I do not think it altogether impoffible to overcome this finful and dangerous floth, or to preferve thofe from it, whom it has not feized as yet. Serious reflections upon the importance of falvation, and

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upon the neceffity of working at it, may produce that effect. would not live in this carelessness, but that they either do not apprehend of what confequence it is to be faved; or that they imagine, there is not much to be done for the obtaining of falvation. Thefe two prejudices maintain their laziness. Nothing can therefore be more useful, than to convince them on the one hand, that nothing in the world is of greater moment than religion; and that eternal happiness is the highest of all concernments and to let them fee on the other hand, that this felicity is not to be attained, but by affiduous care, and an exact observation of the duties of Christianity.

I know that it is difficult to make men feriously enter upon these reflections; but yet they ought ftill to be laid before them, and we should not give over. If they have no effect at one time, there are circumstances in which they will prove fuccefsful. I think, few would continue in this fluggish difpofition, if they did reprefent to themfelves what notions and thoughts they hall have at the end of their lives; every man is fatisfy'd that he must die one day, and that his condition will then be the happiest that can be conceived, if he has made ufe of the time and opportunities he had to fecure his falvation; but that if he has neglected these means, he fhall find himself in ftrange agonies, and be reduced to difmal extremities. When death appears, when the world vanishes, a man is then wholly taken up with religion, he would give then all the world, if it was in his poffeffion, to fecure to himself a better life. Now fince we all know that this must one day be our cafe, wisdom requires, that we should overcome betimes that negligence, of which the consequences will be to fatal; and that we should apply ourselves with earneftnefs and pleasure to that work, upon which our fovereign felicity depends.

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EGLIGENCE commonly proceeds, either from indifference, or from distraction. We neglect those things which we look upon with indifference; but we frequently alfo neglect things of moment, because we are diftracted by other cares. Thefe are the two

caufes of men's carelefnefs in matters of religion. On the one hand, piety is indifferent to them, they neither know the nature nor the excellency of it; the duties which it prefcribes, do not appear very pleafant or neceffary to them; they love and efteem only the things of the world, all this I have proved in the fore-going chapters. On the other hand, they are distracted by temporal cares, which rob them of the leisure and freedom, that are neceffary for the ftudy and practice of religion. Worldly bufinefs therefore is another fource of corruption, as I hope to prove it by the following confiderations.

I reckon among worldly employments, all thofe cares which relate to

the world, or this prefent life, whether they take up the body or the mind. There are temporal cares which properly take up the body; fuch are the cares of mechanicks, or hufband-men; and there are other fecular cares, which chiefly employ the mind; fuch is the study of humane learning, of politicks, or philofophy. Thefe laft as well as the firft, ought to be counted worldly bufinefs. Nay, we may obferve that difference between these two forts of temporal employments; that the cares which take up the mind are fometimes the more dangerous. While the body is at work, the mind may be at liberty; but when the mind is employed, when the heart is distracted and poffeffed with temporal cares, it is much harder for the thoughts of religion to enter, or to make any impreffion upon à man. But whether thefe employments relate to the mind or to the body, we ought not to think, that they are of themselves hindrances to piety. For this imagination would be a very grofs error. Worldly bufinefs is lawful and neceffary, and it were a fin to neglect it, fince that would be contrary to the order which God has eftablished in the world. Nay, it may be useful to our falvation, it may divert ill thoughts, it may take off men, from trifling and vicious employments, and it may ferve to mortify the body, and to banish idleness, which is the caufe of all manner of vice.

I make this remark, because fome people fancy, that in order to be faved, it must be necessary to live in an abfolute retirement, to lay afide all temporal cares, and to give up our felves wholly to fpiritual exercifes, to reading, contemplation, meditation and prayer. But thofe who do thus ftretch the obligation of renouncing the world, and infift fo much upon a retired and contemplative life, do not, I doubt, very well underftand the nature of piety, nor do any great fervice to it. Sometimes by endea vouring to fpiritualize men too much, we fpoil all, and we make piety appear ridiculous and impracticable. We fhould always remember that piety is made for man. Now it is not one in fifty that can thus embrace retirement, and abfolutely renounce the world. I am far from condemning retirement; it is fonetimes very feasonable, and I think it in fome fenfe neceffary to all men, There are fome perfons who for the fake of their falvation, or the edification of the church, ought to chufe a retired life, difengaged from temporal cares. Others are called to that kind of life by the circumftances which providence has placed them in. And befides, there is no Chriftian, but ought to allow himself fome times of retirement; nay, there are fome temporal employments which do not hinder a man to live in a retired manner. But after all, it would be the ruin of fociety, and of moft Chriftian virtues, if every one fhould live a part, and bufy himself only in fpiritual exercises. God does not require this; He has created man to labour in the world, and those who follow an honest employment in it, act fuitably to his will, and their bufinefs may prove a help to their falvation.

I need not, I think, advertise the reader that I speak here only of lawful employments, and not of those which are bad and contrary to the laws of nature or religion. And yet thefe last are very common; but because every body may eafily fee that fuch occupations muft unavoidably engage men into fin, I will make it my chief bufinefs to fhew, that lawful and innocent employments, prove to many perfons a hindrance to piety and

falvation.

Temporal employments then being not bad in themselves, they cannot occafion corruption but by the abufe that is made of them. Now there are four faults which men commit in this matter.

1. The first is, when they are intirely taken up with worldly things, We have fhewed already, that men live in a prodigious floth and carelefnefs about religion, and that they do almoft nothing for their fouls and their falvation. From this it follows, that they must be employ'd only about their bodies and the concerns of this life. And in fact, if we inquire into their cares, we fhall find that they terminate in the world, and in their temporal intereft, and this, I think, needs not be proved.

2. Their hearts fink too deep into the things of the world. The bufinefs of life is innocent when it is followed with moderation; but it diverts men from piety, when it is purfued more, and with greater eager. nefs than it deferves. That exceffive love of the world makes the unhappiness of men. Inftead of esteeming temporal goods in proportion to their worth, and as remembering that they are not able to procure them true felicity; inftead of confidering that they are not made for this life only, and that they cannot long enjoy thofe advantages which they court; they give up themselves wholly to the world, they fet their hearts and affections upon it, and they act as if this life was the ultimate end of all their actions. They labour only for their bodies, and for the gratifying of their appetites. This is the mark aimed at in all their thoughts and projects: this is what inflames their defires, and what excites in them the most violent paffions of grief or joy, of anxiety or impatience. They are far from having fuch a hearty concern for religion and piety. In relation to this, their affections are faint and languid, and they do nothing but with indifference, or by constraint.

3. The third fault is when men are too much employed, and when they over-load themselves with business. It is a great piece of wisdom, both in refpect of the tranquility of this life and the concerns of another, to avoid the excefs and the hurry of business, as much as poffibly we may, without being wanting to the duties of our calling; to confine ourselves to neceffary cares, and to wave all fuperfluous ones. Men would live happy if they did but know, what their profeffion requires of them, and limit themfelves to it, without meddling in that which does not concern them. But here they obferve no bounds; they will fly at all, they will bufy themfelves about many things, which do not belong to their province. This with

out doubt is a dangerous difeafe, and the occafion of feveral diforders. 4. In the laft place, there is one thing more to blame, and that is when worldly bufinefs becomes an occafion of fin, by the abuse that is made of it. For befides that it is a very ill difpofition in a Chriftian to be fond of the world; moft men are fo unhappy as to direct all the bufinefs of life to a bad end, which is to fatisfy and to enflame the more their irregular appetites. And by this means, many enterprizes and particular actions of theirs, which in themselves are innocent, become evil and unlawful, and engage them in all manner of fins.

Thefe confiderations prove already, that the greatest part of men's vices proceeds from their temporal affairs; but this will appear yet more clearly by the following reflections.

1. This exceffive application to temporal concerns, engrosses almost

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our whole time, fo that it does not leave us a fufficient fhare of it, to be fpent in cares of another nature. Men confefs this themselves, and plead it for an excufe. They alledge their bufinefs. A man who is engaged in the world will fay, I have no time to read, or to perform the exercises of religion; I have too much business, my employ or my calling does not leave me a minute of leifure. And the truth is, they are too bufy for the moft part. If they have any spare time, fome hours, or fome days of reft, wherein the course of their ordinary employments is interrupted: they are not in a condition, to improve to the best advantage those fhort intervals of relaxation.

2. And truly, fecular bufinefs does not only take away the beft part of men's time, but it does besides distract their minds and invade their hearts and affections. When for a whole day or week the mind and body have been in agitation, a man is weary and spent, the activity of his thoughts is exhausted, his head is too full to be clear, he is not able to drive away in an inftant fo many worldly ideas, to calm his paflions, and to turn himself of the fudden, to fpiritual exercifes. So that he must either abfolutely neglect the duties of piety, or perform them very ill. When a man has brought himself to a habit, of being employed only in worldly affairs, he is no longer master of his own thoughts and motions. It is with great difficulty, if he can at all apply himself to objects that are foreign to him. Thofe objects affect him but weakly; he muft make great efforts, before he can faften upon them; and if he fixes there for a few moments, it is a violent ftate in which he cannot continue long. Thofe thoughts, of which he is conftantly full, crowd in upon him, and he returns immediately to thofe things which he loves, and which commonly take him up.

This is the true reafon, why men love and relish spiritual things fo little, and why they think it fo hard to fubdue their minds with reading, attention, and meditation. This is particularly the main fource of indevotion in the exercifes of piety. Why is the mind fo apt to wander in prayer? The too great application to temporal affairs is the cause of it. As foon as a man is awake in the morning, a throng of thoughts and a multiplicity of designs and business break in upon his mind, and take poffeffion of his heart; he is filled with these things all the day, he follows and plods upon them without diftraction or interruption. And how is it to be imagined that amidst all this hurry and turmoil, he should find that recollection, that tranquility, and that elevation, without which the exercises of piety are but meer hypocrify? Whence comes it to pass that men bring fo little attention and fincerity with them, to the publick worship of God? Why do fermons produce fo little fruit? Why do the most certain and important truths of religion, the clearest and the most folid reafonings, make either no impreffion at all, or at leaft no lafting one upon the hearers? What is the reason why, in the most folemn devotions, and particularly in the holy communion, it is fo difficult for men to lift up their hearts to God, and to shake off a thousand idle or finful thoughts, which come then to amufe and diftract them? And laftly, Why do those Vows and promifes which are made even with fome fincerity, prove fo ineffectual? Why do the best refolutions vanish fo eafily and fo foon? All this comes from men's being too much taken up with temporal cares.

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3. These