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THE WATCHFUL.
CHRISTIAN DYING
IN
PEACE:
[DISC.
II".
".Slothfulness casteth
into
a deep.slcep.
A
little
more
sleep,
a
little more slumber, saith the
lazy
christian,
who
turns upon
his bed,
as
the door
upon
its hinges,"
and
makes
no
progress
or
advance
in his
way
to
heaven.
We
are
sleepy
Christians, when
we do
little
for
God,
or
our
own
,souls,
in
comparison of
the vast work,
and
importantva
-'
rieties
of
duty
that
lie
upon
us
When our
zeal
is
cold;
and
our
efforts of service slight and
feeble: When
the light
of
grace
shines
so
dim, and the
spark
of
holiness is
so
co-
vered
with ashes,
'that
it
is
hard
to say,
whether it
burn
or
no. As
in
natural
things,
so
in
spiritual,
it
is
a
diffi-
cult
matter, sometimes,
to :distinguish between a
dead
man
and
a
lethargic
sleeper. 'Watchfulness,
inopposi-
tion
to
this
slumber,
is
a lively
and vigorous exercise
of
every
grace,
and a
diligent.
attendance
on every duty,
both. toward
God and
man,
a constant converse with
heaven
by
daily
devotion,
an active zeal for
God
in
the
world,
a
steady faith
in
the
promises,
a joyful
hope
of
heavenly
blessedness,
a
longing expectation
of
the
re-
turning
Saviour, which
makes the
soul
stretch out the
wings
of
desire and joy,
as
though
it
were going
forth to
meet
him.
This
is
the meaning
of the
apostle
Peter's
expression,
2
Pet.
iii.
12.
Looking
for,
and hastening
to
the coining
of
the day
of
God."
Put
all these
things
togethernow,
and
they
make up
the character
of
a watchful
christian
:.
He
is
awake
froni
the
sleep
of
death, and
.
tnade
spirittally
'alive
he bath
the
work
of
vital religion begun
in
his
heart.
He
is
awake from the sleep
of
thoughtlessness and
in-;
dolence,
he
is
solicitous
to know
his
own
state, and bath
good
hope through
grace, he
lives
in
the
view
of
heavenly
things,
and
keeps
his
eye
open
to
future
and
eternal
glories:
He
is
awake from the sleep
of
security, he
is
upon
his
guard
against
every danger, and ready to receiiie every
alarm..
He
is
awake from
the
sleep
of
slothfulness, and
is
ac-
tive
in
the
pursuit of
the glory
of
his .God
;:
and
his
own
eternal
interest, and
still pressing
'toward
fhe
mark
to
ob-
tain the
prize.
This
is
the
soul that
is
,ready
to
Inca
a re-
turning
Saviour,
and
to
meet
his
Lord
when
he.
conies,
either
at
the
hour
of
death,
or.
to
the general
judgment.
Thirdly,
Let
me
propose
some
special considerations,
ivti.ch:_discover
the blessedness
of.
the watchful christian
the hour of
death.