The jinfulnefs of ExceJS of Sleep. ~---·------- grudge at Gods naturai ordering of man, in any thing, as that we are fain to wafre fo muCh of out linle rime in flccp; nor was I ever tempted to grudge at my weakm:[s fo much or; an_y account as this, that it deprived me of fO much prerious time, which clfe might have be~n· uted m_ fame pro– fitable work. The prttioufnrfs of1ime makes exceffive Jleepi11f!. ro be a great hn~ accordmg to the mea{Ure of the excefs. !!· g, 2 .Jt is a neglect of all our powm and parts which !hould all. that time be exerci[ed• . Rea· {on is idle and burycd all that while: All your wifdom and k,.no~llltdge ts . of no uf.; _r~ you: All the Dourticmne..: Jrami 11 gof the grcatdl: Scholar in rhe world, is of no more ftrvJcc rha11 1f he were Illtceratc ; nor all mo uiJ 1 us ' the prudence and poll icy of the wifCll, than if they were mcer Idcots: All thcjlrmgtb and hea1ch or prelii _elL the tlrongcll is of no more fervice than if they were fick ; nor the 1kjli of the greatcli artijt, rhan if P/aro M Laerr, he had never learnt his art : nor any of your limbs or fcnfes, than if you were lame, or blind, of deaf, or {(:ofele{S. And I leave it to any mans confideration and judgemc!1r, whether ifDcunkennd:S ·be fa odious a fin becaufe it dcpriveth a man voluntarily of the uft: of his Rtafon and p:Irtf, it mu!t not be a very gr;at fin to do the fame by lleeping,_ by fre~uent, vol~nt:uy, exce~ive ~eepi~g. For no man I think is Dmnl(_ [o often as the jluggard IS dead m jlecp: Sluggards quue kill their R<afon when moll Drunkards do but maim it, or make it fick. Sluggards bury d1e1r was and pares, u[ually ten times as long in the year, :as the tilthiefi drunkards do. And hath God given you Reafon, and pans, and firengrh for no better ufc, than to bury it for fo confiderable a part of }four lives? §. 9· 3· Excifs of fl"P is guilty of all the omiffions of thofe Duties, which Owuld all th.r time have been perfOrmed: Of the omilrion of every holy tboJer,ln, and word, and deed which fhould have been then exercifed : And of the omiflion of all the duties of ·your Calii11g1: Of the omitfiou of every prayer yon {hould have then pr~yed, and every Chapter you ~?uld have rea~;_ and all rhe good which ·you ll1ould hue got eoyour JrlveJ, or dvru to ot!JtrJ; to WJk, Husband, Ch1ldren, Parents, .Servants, Neighbours. And you know that omiffions are one half and the greater half of the tins of the world; And that God will condemn the wicked at laft· for their omif!ionJ, M:mb. 2 5· for not fecdiug the v.oor, not clotbing them, nor vifiring: and that he requireth the improvement of all his talents; and that it is his terrible fenrence, Macrh. 2 5· 2 6, :;o. 7'hou rvick._ed 1111d jl~Jthful {erv:tnt, &c. Cajl ye tbe unprofitable fervam into ouur darkntjj; there jbaU be weeping and gn.Jijhing of teeth. What then !hall we chink of the wilful omiiTion, not of 1.me duty, but of aV duty whatfocver, not now and then, but conftantly for an hour or twoot three once in four and twenty hours ! No Love of God, no defires towards him, no good is cxercifed all that time. 9· ro. ~eft. C.m the Love of fleep alo1te be the mortal reigning fin in ai1j' one ? The rea{o11 ofthe !!('1efl. _ f!oubt il, becaHfe that the mortal fin is a fin of miJ.lakm imerejt, tbat is, {uch as batb a mans cbief- \.-vnerhcr lovt tjf Lovt, and is preferred before God, n·hich it feems fo fmaV a thhtg as flcep 9r eafe can1tot be, offlfep m~ but it feems a mttr ntgltll or remifnefs in the way of dxty , and. not to be chofen as any mans ~~~ mort felicity. . Anfw. The fin that is fet up again!\ the Love of God as a mans Hltim•te end and h•ppinefs, is An[w, f/cfh·p!eafing in the General, or Carnal [tlf·lrwe: And he that is guilty of this can hardly be imagined lO exercift: his fenfttal defire only in the way of t1oth and Jleep. It is certain that he prefeneth the greattjl PleajUre of his tlefh which he can attain before tht lefi: and therefore as to the Habit or In– clinatio;z he is as much addiCted to Covetoufoefr, Gluuony, Ambition, or orhcr wayes of fe_nfuality ~ And if the.y are within his reach, that he can hope, to auain them, he will at1r~dlly dcfi.re fuch greater pleafures, more than this : For there is no man that is an unregenerate fen{Ualift that hath morti· tied Cvveroufnefs, Luxury and Pride, and yet is caPtivated only by Jla~p or Jluth : The fame grace which truly morritlcth the Greater would mortifie the Iefs. Bm it is potfiblc that a Beggar or fame fuch pcrfon that hath no other fenfual pleafure but Id!ene{s in view or hope) may exercife his fenfu..- ality principally this way! .Not but that radicaUy he prcfencth rifbes and honour before his beggarly .florh and eafe; but thofc dtjircs having no matter to work upon, do not jiirr in him; becaufe he · hath no hope of n!ach_ing~tch a thing. The fum is, 1. Carnal [elf-love is the great oppofite to rhe Love of God. 2 . ThiS [tJr-loveworketh towards carnal pleafurc, and to the grcaufl mojl. 3. H>bitrtaL) therefore the Love of Ricbu, honour and v~Jluptuoufnefi is {{ranger than the Love of eafc.. 4· Ac1uaUy the love of caf" may be the flrongdl in fome. 5· But if thofc perfons were as capable· of the higher jfejbly pleafieres they would love them actually more. 6. It is not rhe omitting of fame particular duties through the love of cafe, which proverb fuch a fenfual unfand:ified flare of foul; but the prr[rrri11g of men_s cafe before a Holy life in the main: As when men fa far love their eafo, that they Will not make 1t the chief of their dtfiw and cmplo:yments to jeek., the Kingdcm ofGod andhil righteoufocfi : Matth. 6. 33. · The overcoming of cxceffive fltep is eafic, if you be but throughly willing. 9· 1J, Direct. J, 1he fir]!. tbi?g t_o be dcne, is to correc1 that jluggijh fiegmaticl(_ temptr of body DirefJ. ~~ whtch mclmeth _you Jo u, whJCb u ch~rfly tobe done by fuch an abftimttct: or temperate dyer, M I gave ~ dire[/ions fo~ brfore. A. f•ll belly is fit for-nothing elfe but Jltep or luft. Reduce your dyet to that meafure wh1ch JS 11eedfut to your health, and eat not any more to pleafe your appetites. And Jet falling cure you when you have exceeded. §. 12· Dir~Ct. 2·. Labot~r bard in your CaUhtg! that your fleep may be fweet while you are in it; Dirca.. ~~ or elfc. yozt wzll lye m bed on frtwt~e of neceffit.!,~ becattfe yo" cannotJleep weUwhen )'Oit are there. Then · · yo_u Will fay, you mull take 1t out m the mornm~, b~caufe you ~eep not in the night. But fee that thiS _he not caufed by Idl~neji : Weary your bod1es m your daily labours: For the Jleep ofthe la· _bourmg m.an is [wtet) Ec;clef. 5· 12. ·
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