Part 443

_Thief_ I. One of the greatest time-wasting sins is idleness, or sloth. The slothful see their time pass away, and their work undone, and can hear of the necessity of redeeming it, and yet they have not hearts to stir. When they are convinced that duty must be done, they are still delaying, and putting it off from day to day, and saying still, I will do it to-morrow, or hereafter. To-morrow is still the sluggard's working day; and to-day is his idle day. He spendeth his time in fruitless wishes: he lieth in bed, or sitteth idly, and wisheth, Would this were labouring: he feasteth his flesh, and wisheth that this were fasting: he followeth his sports and pleasures, and wisheth that this were prayer, and a mortified life: he lets his heart run after lust, or pride, or covetousness, and wisheth that this were heavenly-mindedness, and a laying up a treasure above. Thus the "soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat," Prov. xiii. 4. Prov. xxi. 25, "The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour." Every little opposition or difficulty will put him by a duty. Prov. xx. 4, "The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing." Prov. xxii. 13, "The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets." Prov. xxvi. 14-16, "As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth." And at last his sloth depraves his reason, and bribeth it to plead the cause of his negligence. "The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can render a reason." Time will slide on, and duty will be undone, and your souls undone, if impious slothfulness be predominant. Prov. xv. 19, "The way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns; but the way of the righteous is made plain." You seem still to go through so many difficulties, that you will never make a successful journey of it. Yea, when he is in duty, the slothful is still losing time. He prayeth as if he prayed not, and laboureth as if he laboured not; as if the fruit of holiness passed away as hastily as worldly pleasures. He is as slow as a snail; and rids so little ground, and doth so little work, and so poorly resisteth opposition, that he makes little of it, and all is but next to sitting still and doing nothing. It is a sad thing that men should not only lose their time in sinful pleasures; but they must lose it also in reading, and hearing, and praying, by doing all in a heartless drowsiness! Thus "he also that is slothful in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster," Prov. xviii. 9. If he "begin in the Spirit," and for a spurt seem to be earnest, he flags, and tireth, and "endeth in the flesh." Prov. xii. 27, "The slothful roasteth not that which he took in hunting; but the substance of a diligent man is precious." If he see and confess a vice, he hath not a heart to rise against it, and resolutely resist it, and use the means by which it must be overcome. Prov. xxiv. 30-34, "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man." Shake off then this unmanly sluggishness: remember that you run for the immortal crown; and therefore see that you lose no time, and look not at the things that are behind;[292] that is, do not cast an eye, or lend an ear to any person or thing that would call you back, or stop you: heaven is before you. Judg. xviii. 9, "We have seen the land, and behold it is very good; and are ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter, and possess the land" (as the five Danite spies said to their brethren). Abhor a sluggish habit of mind: go cheerfully about what you have to do; and do it diligently, and with your might. Even about your lawful, worldly business, it is a time-wasting sin to be slothful. If you are servants or labourers, you rob your masters and those that hire you; who hired you to work, and not to be idle. Whatever you are, you rob God of your service, and yourselves of your precious time, and all that you might get therein. It is they that are lazy in their callings, that can find no time for holy duties. Ply your business the rest of the day, and you may the better redeem some time for prayer and reading Scripture. Work hard on the week days, and you may the better spend the Lord's day entirely for your souls. Idle persons (servants or others) do cast themselves behindhand in their work, and then say, they have no time to pray or read the Scripture. Sloth robbeth multitudes of a great part of their lives. Prov. xix. 15, "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep: and an idle soul shall suffer hunger." You cannot say, "No man hath hired you," when you are asked, "Why stand you idle?" Matt. xx. 3, 6. See how sharply Paul reproveth idleness, 2 Thess. iii. determining that "they that will not work should not eat;" and that they be avoided, as unfit for christian society. And 1 Tim. v. 13, he sharply rebuketh some women that "learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house." And Rom. xii. 11, "Not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." A painful, diligent person is still redeeming time, while he doth that which is good; and a slothful person is always losing it.