The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
Ver. 25. The desire of the slothful killeth him.] He only wisheth well to himself; but refusing to labour, "pineth away in his iniquity." Lev 26:39 Neither grace nor wealth is had with wishing; Nemo casu fit sapiens, saith Seneca. a Some have a kind of willingness and velleity, a kind of wambling after the best things, but it doth not boil up to the full height of resolution for God.
“ Virtutem exoptant, contabescuntque relicta. ” - Pers.
Carnal men care not to seek after him whom yet they would fain find, saith Bernard; Cupientes consequi sed non et sequi; have heaven they would, but stick at the hard conditions; like faint chapmen, they bid money for heaven, but are loath to come up to the full price for it. Balaam wished well to heaven; so did the young Pharisee in the gospel, that came to Christ hastily, but went away heavily. Herod for a long time desired to see Christ, but never stirred out of doors to see him. Pilate asked Christ, What is truth? but never stayed his answer. The sluggard puts out his arm to rise, and pulls it in again; he turns upon his bed, as the door doth upon the hinges, which yet comes not off for all the turnings, but hangs still, and this is his utter undoing. Men must not think that good things, whether spiritual or temporal, will drop out of the clouds to them, as towns were said to come into Timotheus's toil while he slept. b Now, "perform the doing of it," saith St Paul to those lazy Corinthians. 2Co 8:12 A thirsty man will not only long for drink, but labour after it. A covetous man will not only wish for wealth, but strive to compass it. Yet not every covetous man, I confess; for in the next verse it is said of the sluggard,
a Epist. 77.
b Aemuli ipsius dormientem piuxerant. - Plut. in Sulla.