. Fables of Aesop and others. which is sometimes, indeed too often the case) to mind the world as little aspossible, even to the neglect of their necessary callings. Ncquestion but it is a great sin for a man to fail in his trade, oroccupation, by running often to his prayers; it being a demon-stration in itself, though the scripture had never said it, thatwe please God most when we are doing the most good; and howcan we do more good, than by a sober honest industry to pro-vide for our household, and endeavour to have to give to himthat needeth.—The man who is virtuously and honestly enga-ged,
. Fables of Aesop and others. which is sometimes, indeed too often the case) to mind the world as little aspossible, even to the neglect of their necessary callings. Ncquestion but it is a great sin for a man to fail in his trade, oroccupation, by running often to his prayers; it being a demon-stration in itself, though the scripture had never said it, thatwe please God most when we are doing the most good; and howcan we do more good, than by a sober honest industry to pro-vide for our household, and endeavour to have to give to himthat needeth.—The man who is virtuously and honestly enga-ged, is actually serving God all the while; and is more likelyto have his silent wishes accompanied with strenuous endea-vours, complied with by the Supreme Being, than one who begswith a fruitless vehemence, and solicits with an empty hand;a hand, which would be more religious were it usefully em-ployed, and more devout were it stretched forth to do good tothose that want it. 118 iESOPS FABLES, FAB. LVIJ. The Man and hh A certain manen egg every increasedsolved to kill thehe might come atfancied she hadgreat sorrow and had a goose, which laid him a gold-But, not contented with this, whichthan abated his avarice, he was re-goose and cut up her belly, that sothe inexhaustible treasure, which hewithin her. He did so, and to hisdisappointment found nothing. THE APPLICATION. Those who are of such craving and impatient tempers, thatthey cannot live contented v^^hen fortune has blessed them witha constant and continual sufficiency, deserve even to be depri-ved of what they have. And this has been the case of manyambitious and covetous men, who by making an essay to growvery rich at once, have missed what they aimed at, and lostwhat they had before. But this comes so near the sense of thefifth fable that the same application may very well serve forboth. If any thing farther can be couched in this, it may possiblybe intended to show us the unreasonableness and inconven
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