rning very early, by the outcries of his wife, to go and fetch a
midwife. It was necessary, in his way, to go by a church, where there
was always, on that day of the week, a morning sermon early, for the
supplying the devotion of such early Christians as he; so the honest
man, seeing the door open, steps in, and seeing the minister just gone
up into the pulpit, sits down, joins in the prayers, hears the sermon,
and goes very gravely home again; in short, his earnestness in the
worship, and attention to what he had heard, quite put the errand he was
sent about out of his head; and the poor woman in travail, after having
waited long for the return of her husband with the midwife, was obliged
(having run an extreme hazard by depending on his expedition) to
dispatch other messengers, who fetched the midwife, and she was come,
and the work over, long before the sermon was done, or that any body
heard of the husband: at last, he was met coming gravely home from the
church, when being upbraided with his negligence, in a dreadful surprise
he struck his hands together, and cried out, 'How is my wife? I profess
I forgot it!'

What shall we say now to this ill-timed devotion, and who must tempt the
poor man to this neglect? Certainly, had he gone for the midwife, it had
been much more his duty, than to go to hear a sermon at that time.

I knew also another tradesman, who was such a sermon-hunter, and, as
there are lectures and sermons preached in London, either in the
churches or meeting-houses, almost every day in the week, used so
assiduously to hunt out these occasions, that whether it was in a church
or meeting-house, or both, he was always abroad to hear a sermon, at
least once every day, and sometimes more; and the consequence was, that
the man lost his trade, his shop was entirely neglected, the time which
was proper for him to apply to his business was misapplied, his trade
fell off, and the man broke.

Now it is true, and I ought to take notice of it also, that, though
these things happen, and may wrong a tradesman, yet it is oftener, ten
times for once, that tradesmen neglect their shop and business to follow
the track of their vices and extravagence--some by taverns, others to
the gaming-houses, others to balls and masquerades, plays, harlequins,
and operas, very few by too much religion.

But my inference is still sound, and the more effectually so as to that
part; for if our business and trades are not to be neglec