When Sleep u Bxceffiw. ·. PART. VI. 1Jire8io1u againft finful E."'cefs sf Sleep. §. ,, OF this fomething is faid already, Chap. 5• Part I· ~· ;r. and more afterwards in . the Direfrions againfl Idleneji. Therefore I !hall fay but little now : r.I !hall · .. !hew you , when Jlcep is exctffive : 2. Wherein the finfulnefs of it confifttth: 3· What to do for the Cure of it. ~· 2• J. Sleep is given us for the necdfary remil1ion of the animal operatio111, and of the labour or motion of the txteriour parts, by the quieting of the ftnfet, O£ lhutting them up; that the Natural andVital operAtions may have the lefs difiurbance. It is necdfarf, I· To our Reft: 2. To Coneollion: Therefore Wearincji anfl want of Concollionare the chief indications, to tell us how much is needful for us. Sleep is finfully exceffive, I· When it is Voluntari[y more than is 1ttedfttl to our health. 2· When it is unfiafonable, at fmbidden times. ~· 3• It is not aD wt&rine[t or Jleepine[t that maketh lleep lawful or needful: for feme is contracted by lazinefs, and feme by many difeafes, and feme by other confiant caufes which m•ke men almofi alwayes weary. Nor is it aU want of co1tcoliion that fleep is a remedy for: fome may be caufed by excels of eating which mufi be cured a better way ; and many difeafes may caufe it which require other cure. Therefore none muf\ indulge exce[t upon thefe pretences. Nor mull o pr;fent fi•fe of the pleafure of jleeping, or the tli[pleafure of wal;!ng, be the judge: For jluggardJ may think they feel it do them good, and that early rifing doth them hmt: but this good is but their pleafar.t eafe, and this hurt is but a little trouble to their head , and eye1 , and lazy fle!h , juft at the time. But Reafon and experience mufi judge what Miajim is beft for your Health, and that you muft not exceed: To feme five hours is enough :To the ordinary fort ofhealthful perfons fix hours is enough: To many weak valetudinary perfons feven hours is needful : To ftck perfons I am not to give Dhections. .~ ~· 4· 2. Slap is t>cctf!ive at that particular Timt when it is unfeafonable :· As I· When we areafleep when we !hould be doing fome neceffary bufinefs which calls for prelint difpatch. 2· Or when we lhould be heating the Sermon, or praying, in publick or private: In a word, when it puts by any greater duty which we !hould then perform. As when the Difciples llept when qnifi was in his agony: Could yt not watch with ttJt one bottr? watch and pray that ye tnttr not into ttmptation: Matth. 26. 40, 41o ~· 5• It is a foppery and abufe of God and our [elves to think thanhe breaking of our lleep is a thing that of it fdf pleafeth God: or that rifing to pray at midnight is more acceptable to God than at another hour: ufually (uch rifing to pray is finh.1l, r. Becaufe it is done in an erroneous conceit that God accepts it better than in the day time. 2. Bccaufe they wafte time in drdfing and undrdling : 3. Or elfe hurt their health by cold in the Winter, and fo lofe more time than they re– deem by !hortning their lives. 4· And ufually they are more droulie and unfit. But to rife in the night to prayer is meet, on fome extraordinary occafion that calls for it ( as to pray with, or for a dying perfon, or fuch like ) ; or when an extraordinary fervour and tirnefs prepareth us for ir ; and when we can llay \JP when we are up, and not loft: time in going to bed again. But ordinarily that way is to be chofen th~t beft Rtdeemtth time: and .t,h.at is, ro confider jufi how m•ch Deep our health requireth, and to take it, if we can together without interrUption, and to rife then and go about our ducics. But thofe that cannot flecp in the Night, mufi redeem that Time as di!Cret1on lhaH direll them. ~· 6. It is the Volttntarine[t of the rxce[t that thefinfulnt[t principally confifieth in: And therefore the ntore voluntary the mqre finfitl. In aLethargic or Caros it is no fin : And when longwatching, or fome bodily weaknefs or diftemper make it almofi unavoidable, the fin is rhe fmaller: There– fore in cafe of long watching and heavinefs, Chrifl partly excufed his Difciplcs, faying, The Spirit ~ willing, but tht fiefh is ..,eafl.: Matth. 26. 4'• But when it cometh from a fiefh·pleafVfgjlotb, or from a difregard of any holy exercife that you are about; it is, a grievom (1H. And thou~h it be i1tVJ– Itmtary juft at the time, and you fay, I would fain forbear Jleeping now if I could, yet if i.t be Yo– lzmtary remotely and in its Caufu, it is.your fin : You would now forbear jleeping; but you would nor forbear that pampering your body, .and !lulling your Guts which caufeth it : you would not deny the flefl1 its eafe to avoid it. Nil icemp&is ~· 7• 11. The finfulnefs of exceji of lleep lyeth in thefe particulars: ,. That it is a fi~ful walling t~m perit de of every minute of that time which is confumed in it. And this is a very grievous thing, ro a heart vna noflr·ad that is fenfible of the pretioufne'fs of time: when we think how fhort our Jives are, and how great (:~1~0 ~~;Uta• our work is, it lhould tell us how great a fin it is, to call away any of this lictle ~ime, in ~etdlefs our. rlro, jleep. And yet what abundance of it with many is thus fpcnt, Almofi half thm whole lives rs fpent in bed, bymany drones, that think they may flec:p becaufc they are Rich, and have not a ne– <tffity of labouring to fupply their wants. I was never tempted, ( that I remember) fo much ro 1rudge
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