added by the just chastisement of Almighty God, both in this life and in the other.
1. The first are the most grievous. For lukewarmness is painfal, perilous, the shadow of death and near neighbour to hell. It empties the heart of spiritual consolations, fills it with heaviness, and opens the gate to innumerable temptations of the devil, who comes to dwell and settle himself in that soul which he finds idle [1] and vacant, bringing "with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself," [2] which are the multitude of sins; for all gather themselves to the slothful and idle soul, which, as Solomon says, like a " vineyard" or farm which is not cultivated and has no trench nor inclosure, is filled with the " nettles " of sins and the " thorns" [3] of passions and bitterness. It is trodden and trampled upon by the devils and by divers unquiet thoughts, which, like passengers, enter in and issue out by it Thence proceed a wonderful poverty of spiritual goods and an unprofitable beggary; for he that has not in the winter of this life " ploughed" nor laboured " shall beg in the summer" [4] of death, and shall find none to give him what he begs, like " the five foolish virgins " who, through sloth, falling asleep, begged oil for their lamps, and none would be given to them. [5]
2. Besides this, the just sustain very great loss by this lukewarmness, which is, as it were, the canker of virtues, the moth of good works, the ruin of consciences, the banisher of divine consolations, the diminisher of merits, and the augmentor of their labours; for the lukewarm in virtue walk full of fear and desires. "Fear casteth down the slothful " and " desires kill" [6] them. They labour much and thrive but little; for " the burden " [7] of God's laws
