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THe Coming of Christ is compared to the coming of a Bride-groom to take his Bride who cometh with the Virgins her Companions to meet him: Now these solemnities used to be performed at the beginning of the night: but here in the Prothesis of the similitude, it seemeth (which was more then usual) he delayed until midnight, he came not at the time expected, and they were ready for his coming and going out to meet him. but he came at a time they looked not for him: when their waiting was at an end, they fell asleep, and then the Cry goeth before him, behold he cometh. You have heard already who is the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ: Here we have his coming, the delay of it, and the occasion which the wickedness of some and the weakness of others took from hence to fall asleep: It was abused for an occasion to the flesh. A double Note from the words, but of the first only at this time.

The Lord Jesus doth delay his coming, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , I shall a little prove it by some Scriptures parallel, and then open the terms, confirm it by Arguments, and apply it by use to ourselves.

1. Then for the Scripture-proof, take that place where our Savior stirreth up his disciples to watch, they knew not what hour their Lord cometh, of which hereafter if the Lord will. Blessed is that servant which being set over the household to give meat in due season, shall be found so doing: but now if the wicked servant say in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and begin to beat his Fellow-servants, and eat and drink with the drunken, here you see there is a delay, and from hence this wicked servant takes encouragement to lay the reins upon the neck, & to run to all manner of excess, the very same you repeated by Luke, therefore it shall suffice to name that, I will add but one Scripture-more, which happily may be of more use then any of these to some perceiving judgments, for happily you will say this is but a bribed judgment of some wicked persons bribed and blinded by their Lusts, indeed there is not such a delay, which indeed is a great part true, for the delay is for the most part, to be measured by our weakness and shortness, as afterward will appear: yet somewhat there is of a delay, and that you shall find in the Apostle to the Thessalonians, Let no man deceive you by any means; be not quickly removed, or shaken in mind, or troubled, whether by Spirit, or by Word, or by Letter as from us, as the day of Christ is at hand, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 : but there must first come a falling away, &c. which is fulfilled in the great Antichrist the Pope who sits in the Temple of God, as God, &c. Yet the other Apostle saith, the Judge standeth at the door. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Grudge not one at another, complain not one of another: for the Judge is near at hand ready to judge you all for it, So sin lieth at the door, that is to say to be near at hand, It is no contradiction to that: that the day of the Lord is not at hand: for that is the day wherein he hath appointed, wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance to all men, in that he raised him up from the dead. If this judging which is near, is a temporal Chastisement, he would lay upon them, as if when children are envying one another, quarrelling and grudging one at another, accusing one another, and falling out one should move them to forbear; and by this Argument, take heed your Father is at door with a rod in his hand, and he will judge you all: So he judgth the people that they might not be condemned with the world. I thought good to speak thus far, lest that seeming contradiction might trouble any, so much for the proof. The second thing will be to open the terms and

First, What is meant by coming? the coming of Christ: This will open the particle of time in the first verse, then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened, &c. the same Key will open both. To omit then any other opinion of it, I understand it either of the coming of Christ to a particular soul, which is no sooner separated from the body, but cometh to judgment. Now Christ may be said to come, he cometh to put the sickle to such as are ripe for it, he cometh to gather into his barn, if they be wheat, or else to burn them up with unquenchable fire. Or else, 2. And rather of the day of Judgment, that great day and appearing of our Jesus Christ, who is our life, when his people shall appear with him in glory: which day will find many alive who shall then be changed, before they enter in with him, and which day will find doubtless many in deep security and formality to have their work to do. And for those that are then dead, and shall be raised up, it will find them in that state wherein they lay down in the dust, either of faith or unbelief, and accordingly either they shall be shut out or admitted to the Marriage. And methinks this doom of our Savior, I know you not which is parallel to that, Mat. 7. 23. Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I know you not: which surely doth agree to none, except it be at the day of death, or the day of judgment: for any other time I will not trouble you with anything about: And so much for this first.

2. Now for the delaying: What is Jesus Christ more backward then the Church to this union, that they go forth to meet him, and seem forward, and he delays his coming? for what will make more hast then love? will it not bring him upon Eagles wings? yea, riding upon the clouds, and wings of the wind? and how are we to understand this of his delay of his coming? or what is he an idol-Christ, that is taken up in a journey, or any other business, as to forget his spouse, and neglect her to come speedily to make up the match, to bring her into his Fathers house, this were indeed agreeable to a poor finite forgetful Creature, but not to Jesus Christ. Yea more then this: Is he not said to come quickly in divers places? and how stands that with the delay of his coming? See that place in Luke in the Parable of the unjust judge, overcome with the widows importunity, though he neither cared for God, nor regarded man: yet because of her importunity, he would avenge her of her adversary, how much more God, who is love itself, and tender of his people as the apple of his eye, who is most just, and most faithful, and who doth indeed fear the wrath of his adversary after the manner of men, being tender of his people and of his own name, lest he should reproach his name, and that reproach with ruin fall upon his people, and besides all this being importuned by them, as the souls under the Altar, crying continually, how long Lord, holy and true, wilt thou not avenge our blood upon the inhabitants of the Earth: why saith the Text, shall not God avenge his own Children which cry day and night to him, though he bear long with them, that is to say, with their enemy, I tell you, he will avenge them speedily, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 speedily, in a trice, a moment, by and by, according to that of the Apostle, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 quantulumcunque how little soever, as little as may be, and he will not tarry. How hang these things together?

For the clearing of this, it is necessary to say something: And first I will show you, in what respect he is not said to delay, or it is denied that he doth delay his coming; but it is short, and quickly, and then 2. In what respect he is said to delay his coming, and then come to the argumentss

2. Then he is not said to delay his coming in respect of his own eternity, wherein all the differences of time are swallowed up and appear not at all, there is no time long, or short in eternity, there is not prius, or posterius there, and therefore the Apostle in this argument speaks in this wise, know saith he to them that were ready to mock, because it was so long before the promise of his coming was fulfilled for the glorious liberty of the Sons of God from under their iron yokes put upon them by their persecutors: why saith he, God is not slack, as some count slackness or tardiness, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , who reckon it according to Days, and Months, and Years, and Ages,: no saith the Apostle, alas, a thousand years are but as one day to the Lord to eternity, eternity doth not bid us with the unjust Steward, sit down and write 50 for an 100 but a thousand for one 366000 for one, for it is to one day, that a thousand years are compared to in eternity, and so one day as a thousand years, it is as long as a thousand years with him, which we cannot conceive of, because we are not able to reach to eternity. Now if Sentence against an evil doer be deferred but a day, we count this a swift witness against such a man's sin: as in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the death: but if it be a thousand years, it is all one with God: So that though to us poor finite Creatures, who number actions according to days and months, it may seem a delay, yet to God it is not: for all times past, present, and to come, are present to him, it is but one eternal nunc or now, and therefore there is no delay in that respect.

2. Yet further there is no delay, but he cometh quickly, suddenly, very speedily in another respect: Because he doth not stay longer then the appointed time: Hab. 2. 3. the vision is for an appointed time, it will not tarry: then we are said to delay properly, when there is a time prefixed for such a thing, and we keep not touch, but stay longer, this is properly delaying. Now you know there is a day appointed, wherein he will judge the world in righteousness, by the man whom he hath ordained, there is a a day & an hour which no man knoweth indeed, and therefore men but do proclaim their vanity in guessing at it; the times and seasons it is not meet for us to know which the Father hath kept in his own power. Well then this day now he will not out-stay, not a day longer will he stay; but come quickly, very speedily, the very self same day, as the very self same day he came to deliver Israel, and to judge their Enemies. The people might indeed think it long whiles they were in bondage, groaning, that he delayed his comin, yet he did not, for if the day appointed before had come sooner, he had delivered them sooner he keeps touch to a day.

3. He doth not delay his coming, that is to say, so as to omit the season of it, for every thing is beautiful in its season, there is a season to suffer the enemies of his Church to ride over their heads, and there is a season to bring them under their feet again, and give them their necks to trample upon, there is a season to permit them to eat up his people as they eat bread, and to make themselves drunk with the blood of the Saints, and there is a season to give them blood to drink, for they are worthy. You know if a man omit his season for anything, he may never have another, he is looked upon as a slack negligent person, as now, he that puts off his gathering of harvest from Summer to winter, so to day if you will hear his voice, there is a time limited, a season of getting grace, which if omitted, and put off by delays, we show much hardness of heart, and little wisdom to think we shall do that tomorrow, which we have not heart to today, men think God is slack, when indeed he is only patient, and they are ignorant, and see it not; but for the season he doth it most opportunely for his own glory, and the good and salvation of souls; as will appear in the Arguments of the Doctrine. But I will not anticipate myself.

4. He doth not delay, as some men may count delays or slackness, as if he would never come, they are ready to think, because judgment is not speedily executed, • ush the Lord seeth not, he regardeth not what they do, he watcheth not over their sin, he will not bring them into judgment for these things, and so think he is just such a one as themselves: Why? because when they are offended, happily except they take revenge when they are moved at the first they forget it afterwards, and never set themselves in cold blood to it, though many men's malice is much more durable, a little tract of time will not do it out: though we should go to school as children in this respect, but I say If it be not presently, we judge the Lord, and measure him by our own thoughts, if he hold his hands for any while, our hearts are fully set in us to do wickedly, we are ready to think he will not come at all to witness against our wickedness, or formality, and luke-warmness in his ways, but thus he will not delay. And so much for the Negative.

Secondly, then for the Affirmative, In what sense he is said to delay his coming, and

1. In respect of the long time between his first and second coming, his appearing it is long, enduring many ages and generations, many believers dying in faith, and not receiving this promise of his second coming, as those did, who were before his first coming, they looked for him from age to age, and the Prophets searched what, and what manner of sins those were which they spake of, they did a little pierce into them, as much as they could, they might think it long that the promise made to Adam so many ages before, should yet be unfulfilled: And so the coming of Christ the second time, it is long between 1600 years already, but this is not so properly a delaying; but surely his delaying of his coming is to be understood according to our apprehensions of it, and not according to his determinations who hath appointed the time, and stays not a jot longer, and hath appointed it according to the Counsel of his own will with admirable wisdom in the best season.

2. Then he is said or may be said to delay his coming, because our days are short, and we are ready to reckon upon it according to our days; it is many days indeed, and many years before he cometh to take a poor weary soul to himself, and because he is poring upon the days, and upon the years and months, therefore he thinketh it is very long, and tedious the delay; and therefore the Apostle doth meet with this covertly, in that of Peter, be not ignorant of this one thing, saith he, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day; Alas, if we number by days, which are short and nothing, it will seem a delay indeed, but if we look upon eternity, wherein a thousand years are but as a day, then it is but short: but this is understood by the opposition it hath to that which went before, therefore the less of it here.

3. Because of the shortness of our patience, alas it is very short, the Apostle to the Hebrews doth exhort them to hold out against persecutions, to hold fast their confidence which hath recompense of reward. Alas, but it is tedious thus to run through fire and water, to have wave upon wave, and billow upon billow, why it is true saith the Apostle! But you have need of patience, that when you have done his will you might receive the promise, the promise of his coming, the apearing of Christ who is our life: Alas but can we endure it? O it is long! No saith the Apostle, for yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, do not think it long, think not he is slack, he will not tarry. O brethren, a man under a hard bondage, groaning as the Israelites did in Egypt, thinketh every day seven until he be delivered, and therefore the Prophet exhorts them to wait for the vision which was for an appointed time, it would not tarry, by the medicine you may gather the nature of the malady, it was impatience under their bondage and trouble, and therefore you find so many sad complaints in the Psalmist, how long Lord, &c. how long wilt thou forget me forever, &c. and so the souls under the Altar, how long Lord, holy, and true, wilt thou not avenge our blood? And so under spiritual pressures, suppose temptations from without, or inward pressures, a body of sin, and death, we are ready to cry out, how long Lord, how long? How did Job long for death, he had such wearisome nights, and months of vanity, when God made him possess the iniquities of his youth. Well in this respect also he may be said to delay, according to our apprehensions.

4. In respect of the importunity of our desires, as well as impatientcy under afflictions, this is an impatiency too, and might be a branch of the other, but a man that hath not that pressure upon him, yet if he be deeply in love with Jesus Christ, and with his appearing, O how importunate are his desires after it, so that as the Apostle calls it, there is an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a looking out after it, with a neck or head stretched out, as a man that looks for a thing stirring up himself, stretcheth out his neck, lifteth up his head, that he may see as far as he can, looking many a wishly look after the thing he desires, or person he desires. The proverb is true in this case etiam celeritas in desiderio mora est, And in this case now, a man is ready to think there is a delay when there is most swiftness, when God is a most swift witness for, or against such a person, our desires run before it usually, and so it seemeth to slack and come behind, O when shall I come and appear before him in Zion, Not only, Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart, &c. but, O how long wilt thou thou keep me prisoner in this Tabernacle of clay! Now in all these respects, he may be said to delay his coming, but so much for the opening of the Doctrine.

Now for the Arguments. I shall speak a little to them. And the First may be this. The time is appointed for his coming, he hath appointed a time wherein, &c. which he will not anticipate, so neither will he stay beyond it. the

Second shall be this, it is to excercise his people's patience, to inure them to bear, patience works experience, and experience hope, the richer the patience is, the richer the experience is, and the nearer we come to a full assurance of hope, the riches of it, Now the exercise of patience the spirit breathing in it to his people, is that whereby it groweth, and increaseth with the increases of God, the patience of the Saints, is one of their greatest exercises, and therefore the Lord takes much pains with his people to make this jewel in their Crown shine gloriously, Consider the patience of Job, &c. behold here is the patience and faith of the Saints, and in another place it is ushered in with a Behold.

Now, God will have our patience have its perfect work, be as long and as broad as the trials are, And therefore he delays his coming in that sense as you have heard, this waiting for the reward after we have done the will of the Lord is harder then the other, of bringing forth fruit with patience. Another ground shall be;

3. That the measure of the sufferings of Christ may be filled up in us, the Apostle is said to fill up in his body the measure of the sufferings of Christ, that is to say, there is a proportion of sufferings, for the body of Christ to undergo, and he in his body filled up his measure, in a great part, not as if they were more righteous, but his people being so nearly united to the head, as that they and he make one Christ, therefore the sufferings of his people are called the sufferings of Christ, now there is a means to be filled up, and this he will have filled, because these less afflictions, which are but for a moment, they work out saith the Apostle, not meritoriously a far more exceeding, and eternal weight of glory, he was made perfect through sufferings, and so must his s • ns which he bringeth to glory be made perfect through sufferings, and drink of the brook in the way, and so lift up their heads, suffer with him, and then be glorified with him, now if there were not such a time as we count a delaying of his coming, there would be no room for this.

1. That the fullness of Christ may come in, for there is a fullness of Christ, as the Apostle calls it, both of Jews and Gentiles, as the several members of his body make up the fullness of his body, and it is not complete, if any of them be wanting, there is some of its perfection wanting, indeed it is a glorious honor he puts upon the Saints, and dear affections he showeth, and a near union, that he accounteth himself not perfect without them, until they be come in; so this is the answer the importunate cry of the souls under the Altar receive, how long Lord holy and true? dost thou not avenge us, and judge our enemies? there were white robes given them, and it was said to them they should rest yet for a little season until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren also which should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. If a man bid many guests to a Feast, they must stay until they all come to sit down together. As Christ is imperfect, that is to say, without his fullness with his body, so is the soul in a sort without its body; and as the Lord desires the work of his hands, as Job speaks, touching the Resurrection, thou shalt call, and I shall answer, &c. the soul may desire also that work of his hands, to be re-united again in the Resurrection, a pledge, and an earnest whereof they have in heaven, not only Christ the head his glorious body, but Enoch and Elias. Now there may be much desire happily for this coming of Christ, that this may be made up, but as the Apostle saith in another case, God hath provided a better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect, so they without the rest, the fullness of Christ should not be made so completely perfect. Well then, the fullness of Christ must come in, that day shall not come, until there be not one soul more to come in, which belongs to his fullness; that is the fourth. This reason indeed only concerneth the great day of Christ his coming.

5. To give time and space to men to repent, and to work out their salvation in, I gave her space to repent, saith the Lord to that woman, and she repented not. Whether we understand this of a man's particular day, or the great and general day, it is true; Why is not Sentence speedily executed upon sinners? Why is it! that they might repent, despisest thou, saith the Apostle, the riches of his goodness, and longsuffering to thee, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , not knowing the goodness of God, his longsuffering hath his tendency in it to lead to repentance, being given for that end, Mora sponsi poenitentiae tempus est: Hilar▪ can. 27. So our Annot. So that this will leave sinners without any excuse. If there had not been such a delay, they had had no time to repent, and they might have said so for themselves; but now they have no pretence, they shall be all of them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 condemned of themselves. And for the Saints and people of God, it is that they might have time, and space to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, to work it out 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Alas they must be converted and become as little children, or else they cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven; now there is much industry, and pains required, to bring the heart to this meetness for heaven and therefore he delays his coming: As for instance. If a Bride-groom too soon come upon his spouse, that he knoweth hath a house full of filthiness, and nasty places to trim, and make handsome, and herself to trim, and deck and adorn; he will stay a while, give her time to make all pure, and clean, and fit for him, and then he cometh, and this is another.

6. That the measure of sin and sinners may be filled up, there is a fullness of Satan as well as of Christ, a fullness of sin as well as of holiness, you know he would not give Canaan a type of heaven, to his people Israel, because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full, he could not give them Canaan but he must destroy them, and therefore he would first have their measure full, their Ephah full, and then sink them with a talent of lead. So here there is a fullness of Satan's kingdom, a fullness of sin, upon which when he cometh, he will come to pour out the fullness of his wrath, and to tread them down in his fury forever; therefore he stays a while until they have filled up their measure. He did not cast the Jews out of sight, until they had filled up their measure, by persecuting of the truth, and the Saints, which is a wonderfully filling sin indeed, that quickly fills the bag to the mouth, and then it is sealed they persecuted the truth, that they might fill up the measure of their sins always; and then you see he came against them, Now when all the vessels of wrath are formed, and they are fitted to destruction, then he cometh as to receive his bride, so to slay his enemies with a flaming sword, and furious indignation, that would not close with him. This another.

7. That the promises may be fulfilled, which are many of them yet to come, and to be fulfilled, as the prophecy of Babylon's falling, the tenth part of the City, even Rome, which some judicious compute to be just the tenth part of what formerly it was. The ruin of Antichrist, the bringing in of the Jews the seed of Abraham his friend, from all corners of the world whether they are driven through his displeasure, and the fulfilling those many glorious things which are spoken of the City of God, the new Jerusalem which cometh down from heaven, which many of the Saints do expect, yet to be fulfilled when Satan shall be bound for a thousand years, surely a tittle of this word shall not fall to the ground, not the word of promise, heaven and earth may fall, but this word of God cannot fall, it must be fulfilled. The Lord Jesus will be contented, to be without his fullness until then, and the glory of that fullness until then; and therefore for this cause, his coming shall be delayed, he came once out of heaven with much readiness, Lo I come, I come, though to die, to lose his life, his peace, his comfort, the savor of his father; rather then the prophesies should not be fulfilled as we have it often, that it might be fulfilled, &c. He will be without his bride in fullness for a time, and they must be without him in fullness for a time until the rest of the prophesies be fulfilled. O how he glorifieth his word above all his Name.

8. Lastly, Happily to edge our desires after the day, you know the withholding of a desirable thing for a time, doth much draw out the desires, as the drawing away the bait from the fish, draweth it after it, and truly all the ways the Lord takes with us are little enough to put us on to desire that day. But so much for the confirmation of the Doctrine, before it was said, therefore it seemed long, because we desired it importunately: Now therefore we desire it because it seemeth long, and so our desires after his appearing do feed themselves, by adding this oil to the flame, even the length of the tarrying, which doth partly arise from themselves: so some things are mutually causes one of another, as the Ice resolveth itself into water, and again the water into Ice; the vapors ascending into Clowds; and the Clowds into vapors again, after they are emptied upon the earth. So▪

The Use of the Doctrine shall be first by way of reproof, to convince us of sin, in abusing this truth, which nothing is more ordinary among men, they dare not utter it with their mouths, but this they speak in their hearts, the Lord delays his coming, and therefore they begin to eat and drink with the drunken, to beat their fellow-servants, they will neither work themselves, nor let others work that would; Mark how the Evangelist brands such a man, calling him an evil servant, or an hypocrite, and indeed brethren, It is not as if there were anything in the nature of a delay, to work such a carelessness in us, for if he came more speedily, what is the language, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die, whether he be a swift witness against men, or whether he tarry, all is one; if he do not speedily execute the Sentence which is past upon men, evil doers, their hearts are fully set in them to do wickedly; and if he do threaten to come speedily, and avenge himself upon them, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow, &c. forgetting the after-clap, that after death cometh judgment, do not then pretend brethren this for yourselves, and lay the fault upon God as Adam did, and all the sons of Adam are ready to do. Say not then, If God had threatened, as he did Nineveh, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown, yet forty days and thou shalt come to judgment, sinner thou wouldst have repented as well as they did: no: but as Abraham speaks to the rich man in the parable, if they will not believe Moses and the Prophets, they will not believe though one rose from the dead. So in this case, if thou wilt not repent and believe, though the coming of Christ, do tarry a while; I will be bold to say thou wouldst not repent if thou shouldest know that within forty days, or forty hours, thy soul should be taken from thee, the fool in the Gospel, when he thought he had many years before him, and goods laid up for them, he nourished his heart as in a day of slaughter, and when it was told him, that this night his soul should be taken from him, do you think the fool had so much wisdom to repent, we read it not, nor do I see any cause to think it.

A second sort, which are to be reproved or convinced of sin; are such as mock at the coming of Christ. It is a prophecy of the last days, in the last days there shall come scoffers, walking after their own lusts, saying, where is the promise of his coming, for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were since the beginning of the world; That these are the last days, if we had no o her Argument, the impudence of many nowadays denyinng resur ection and judgment, and any such things as these are, are too clear a proof of it, Observe, Where is the promise of his coming, a promise to the people of Christ, for he cometh to give them the Crown of righteousness, having fought their fight, and finished their course, &c. but a threatening to the sinners of the world, as that the seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head. Well, you tell us of a glorious appearing of Christ, but where is it? we see no alteration, all things continue as they were, there is no sign of such a coming, O what wretched Atheism is in the heart brethren, that because the hand of God doth not presently seize upon us, therefore we make a mock at it, thinking there is no such thing, O this unbelief is the ground of all departing from God, do not your actions proclaim this, that you expect not his coming, you rather make a mock at it, you make so light a matter of sin, of the most horrid sins:

Yea some that seem not to Question his coming (though I think that is the ground of it, their secret unbelief that there will be any such, or no) they do even provoke the Lord, and pluck him out of his place, they challenge the God of heaven that say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work that we may see it, and let the counsel of the holy one draw nigh and come, that we may know it, that we may feel it, for we fear it not, this is the language of the men, that declare their sin like Sodom, heed it not, stout-hearted sinners, that set God at defyance, bid him do his worst, they will abide all that cometh, rather then they will part with their lusts, wherein they walk as the Apostle hath it; they would fain see who shall control them, who should cut their Cart-ropes, and Cords of vanity, wherewith they draw iniquity, and toil, and tear themselves like horses in the drudgery of sin, Well I will speak a word or two to all these, it is a terrible one indeed, the Lord give us trembling hearts at it.

First, However long it seems to stay, it will come before thou art ready for it, and for all this gallantry of spirit that sinners clothe themselves with, the stoutest-hearted sinner that heareth this word when that cometh shall quake and tremble. What cared Belshazzar for the God of Israel, he thought it was nothing, to carouse in the vessels of the Sanctuary; but you see, with two or three words writing, what an Agony it wrought him into, Amos 5. 18. You desire the day of the Lord, poor creatures, you do not know the day of the Lord is darkness and not light, your hearts will die within you like stones, when it cometh upon you: Observe it brethren, usually those that are the most stout-hearted, in setting the Lord at defiance: are most dejected when it cometh; I, will the Atheist say, if this were true, that this day would ever come, it were something, but we see no appearance of it.

Why Brethren, are you such Atheists? I hope there is none such here, but will own the Scriptures to be the word of the living God, and how often have you it there written, he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world by Jesus Christ: and God is not slack as men count slackness, as some count it, as if he would never come; believe it, believe it Sinners, your judgment lingers not, and your damnation slumbereth not, but travels as fast as you do, and it will meet you one day, and seize upon you. O if God should send such a hand to write upon the wall of the Taverns, where men are carouzing, &c. mene mene, thou art weighed, &c. this night shall thy soul, &c. Deut. 5. 5. He that believeth not these things is an Atheist▪ indeed, worse then the Devil himself, who believeth and trembleth, James 2. 19.

But me thinks reason itself should evince it, and teach us, that the first Principle of all things made himself the end of all things: He that is first must also be the last; and therefore such as would not serve that end, and honor God here, he will honor himself upon them; he must needs be righteous, and give everyone according to his works; Now Sinners do not receive according to their works many times here, but they are lively and grow old, and are mighty in power, their seed are established before them, &c As it is in that place of Job, their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them, they have no changes, and therefore they fear not God; they spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave; that is to say, without any tedious sickness, such as Job had, and therefore they encourage themselves in their evil ways; they say, what profit is there if we should pray unto him, we prosper as well as any, who is the Almighty that we should serve him? Let him depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of his ways, whereas a Job, a Paul that are upright, fearing God, eschewing evil, exercising themselves to keep a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men: they shall be plagued every morning; God shall take them by the neck and shake them to pieces, and pour out their gall upon the ground, and break them with breach upon breach. Now brethren, if Sinners were not reserved to a day of judgment and destruction, that they should he brought forth to the day of wrath, how would the Lord be righteous and just? it is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to them that trouble you • but to you that are troubled, rest with us. Again,

Thirdly, Remember this, Thou despis 〈…〉 the riohes and long suffering of God, not knowing that this goodness leads thee to repentance: It hath a tendency thereto; God is not slack, but is longsuffering to us, not willing any should perish, he waits to be gracious; Sinners, he giveth you space to repent; though he tell you not how long that space shall continue, that while it is called today you might hearken to his voice; Now instead of turning to the Lord, you despise this his patience; let him wait upon whom he pleaseth, you desire him not to wait upon you; but let the day of the Lord come that you may see it; because you prosper, and your breasts are full of milk, and your bones watered with marrow, as it is in the Original; you make a scoff at the judgments of God, and mock at all his terrors, as if nothing concerning you: What is this but not only to break the yoke of Christ and his Cords of obeisance, but the Cords of a man, and of love, wherewith he draweth sinners towards Repentance? it followeth in the text, that such men treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, after their own hardness and impenitent heart: let them put off the day of judgment as well as they can, they do treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, treasures of wrath are abundance: he stores up treasures as we do sin: God seals up such men's sins among his treasures indeed; you fill up many bags, and apace, as a few great stones will fill a bag over little stones will do; nothing heightens your sins more then this, the despising the goodness, and patience, and forbearance of God, riches and treasures of goodness and longsuffering, abused and perverted to a wrong end, to encourage your hearts to strengthen your hands to sin: Swell the treasures of the displeasure which hangs over your heads every moment. Ah dear friends, that God would give some poor hard-hearted Sinner a trembling heart at this word, I doubt it is some of our cases; do you know what you do, Sinners? you heap up sin, they are gone over your head, I, that is not all, you treasure up wrath against the day of wrath; that day, when all the treasures shall be broken open, the Sluces opened, and the tide of streaming vengeance shall carry away poor sinners to that bottomless gulf; O who may abide this day! No,

Nor do not think, You shall have worse then other men, and you hope not so bad; you never yet sinned as some others have done; you bless God you are no Drunkards, nor Extortioners; you never sinned as Sodom, nor as Gomorrhah; suppose so, Yet it may be more: tolerable for them, then for many of us, who shall despise this longsuffering of God, and the riches of his goodness to us. The Lord of that servant that encourageth himself to sin, upon his Lord his delaying his coming, he will come in a day when he looks not for him, and he will divide him asunder: Either rend his soul from his body whether he will or no, this night shall thy soul be taken from thee; Sinners are not willing to part with the • r souls, and no marvel when they behold hell from beneath moved for them. Or else he will separate them from himself, and the Congregation of his people forever; they shall not stand in the Congregation of his people, though here they were mixed together; Or else he will bring upon him the most exquisite tormenting evils, as men sawn asunder, or as Agag, or as they, Dan. 3. 29. So in the Evangelist, And give him his portion with Hypocrites, as some gloss it; they are the free-holders of hell, the lowest place they have; for simulata sanctitas duplex iniquitas: and therefore they shall receive double, even according to their deeds. See brethren, we may be his servants in name and profession, and he may commit to us the Stewards office also, and if this be our own end (a sad word for us as well as for you, for loose, and contentious, and ungodly Ministers) and yet notwistanding perish with deepest destruction, if we despise this longsuffering toward us.

3. Again, It reproveth such as of profaneness of their spirits, upon every slight occasion will be calling upon God to judge them; appealing to him, nothing more ordinary in profane men's mouths then this, the Lord judge them. Yea more fearful indeed, so fearful that I hardly think the Devil himself would so speak, for they believe and tremble that God would damn them: calling for that day upon every little vexation, when men suspect them or censure them for anything they would clear themselves, and to that end use such fearful imprecations as these. Ah, woe be to them that say, let the day of the Lord come, what if the Lord should take such men at their word, and put an end to his longsuffering, and say, Well judge thee I will, this hour thy soul shall be taken from thee, would they not be in another Note? you need not call for it; it will come fast enough.

4. It reproveth such as out of a conceit, they have of their own innocence, they will be calling for that day: Job himself was blame-worthy that he presseth so much upon this: O that I might come to him, where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat, I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments: I would hear the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me. And so again Chap. 13. Withdraw thine hand far from me, and let not thy dread make me afraid; then call thou, and I will answer thee: charge upon me what thou canst of wickedness or profaneness, and I will clear myself; or let me speak, and answer thou me: let me be the Plaintiff saying out the sad condition of my soul, and do thou answer me; justify thy proceedings with me. Though he did well to retain his integrity, and justify that before men, yet it was too much boldness to offer to enter into judgment with God, and so earnestly to desire that day. Alas brethren! when he shall bring to light the depths of our hearts that we never saw, who shall stand before him at his coming, thus to lay us open, if he enter into judgment with us indeed?

5. It reproveth another sort, and those are they, that when their Consciences are a little galled, happily by the Word, or some other way, they are ready to cry out for the day of the Lord; they think man's judgment and man's day is very hard and harsh, and hope to be relieved by this day of Jesus Christ; doth the Lord make his Ministers sometimes sons of thunder? and is not he the Father, the God of thunders? then is your day brethren, so dreadful that you cannot bear it, if while he sitteth to purge as a refiners fire, you be scorched with that, so that you cannot abide the day of his coming; do you think to help yourselves by putting yourselves upon the everlasting burnings? It is true, the word of God is a fire, and if it get into a sinners Conscience, it will scorch and burn, and make the soul even f • y again; but what is this to the flaming vengeance wherewith the Lord Jesus shall be clothed, when he appeareth and his coming is? you think we handle you roughly sometimes, and you shall find more tender usage from the Lord Jesus; O he is more merciful, full of bowels, indeed he is so, infinitely more merciful: but you will find him to be infinitely just as well as merciful: Sinners, he hath a Go ye Cursed, as well as Come ye blessed, to pronounce, he will handle you more weightily then Creatures can, if you be not ready for his appearing; If you cannot bear the smoke of the, bottomless pit, over which you are held it may be sometimes, will it be a mending your condition to leap out of the smoke into the fire? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; therefore it may serve to reprove such as would hasten this day of the Lord, and yet can have no hope the Lord knoweth in the Evil day.

The next Use shall be then to stir us up everyone to wait for this day, this coming of Jesus Christ, specially the people of God: You that hope for mercy in that day, as he prayeth for the house of Onesiphorus; what should we do, but wait for it? Yet indeed it may reach the Condition of all, whether good or bad. If he delay his coming, then wait for his coming; Only the waiting of the people of God is somewhat of a different nature; And therefore let me speak a little distinctly to the waiting of the Saints of God for that day, wrerein there are two or three things included as several branches of this duty.

1. There must be a love and desire to this coming of Jesus Christ, and this presupposeth that that day, and the coming of it will be good to the people of God; for we cannot love or desire, or will anything evil under the formality of evil, be a good day, a day of transcendent gladness of heart, when the Bride shall be taken by the Bridegroom, presented to his father without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; when there shall never be any estrangement between the Lord Jesus and the soul anymore, never any withdrawing, any clouding, any disturbance of peace anymore: will not this be a good day, when our grace shall be all glory? then shall we appear with him in glory? And therefore Job speaks after this manner: I know that my redeemer liveth, &c. in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, therefore it is the same body by the which, and not a new one which never had union with the soul before; though my reins be consumed within me, so we read it, that is to say, though inwards as well as outwards are consumed in the grave, yet I shall see him; but though is not in the Original, and therefore it may be read without, my reins are consumed within me: the reins are the s 〈…〉 of the desires, therefore I have such desires after that day, that even my reins are spent in them, and consumed by them, this is going forth to meet him indeed: It is not every Christian that can desire this, but such as are ready for his appearing whereof afterwards. But then Secondly,

2. In this waiting there is an Act of faith also to be put forth, cast not away your confidence that believe there will be such a day, it is certain though it be future, though we see it not, yet because he hath said it, therefore believe it: and if we so believe, we shall not make hast, that is to say, more hast then is meet, press hard forward toward the Mark, Phil. 3. 13. 14. we ought to do, but we should not take any indirect course to bring ourselves to it so much the sooner, as some by a dispatching themselves under a temptation when faith is overwhelmed, or else by such cruel macerating of the body to beat it down, that the frame of it should be quickly be dissolved; though we should be weary of the body of sin, and we cannot well be weary of it, yet faith now should eye that glorious liberty of the sons of God, and it maketh it present: It is the substance of things hoped for: it giveth it a being already, and therefore this also is implied in this waiting. And then

3. In this waiting brethren, for his appearing which is proper to the Saints, there is a patient continuance in the waiting, a patient continuance in well-doing the Apostle mentioneth, there should be desires, not a fit and start, but a Continuance in them, and so a drawing out the acting of faith, believing that day will come which shall put an end to all our fightings without, and terrors within, when we have need of patience when we have done all that we might receive the recompense, the promise of temptation, whether inward, or outward; our patience is put to it very sore, yea and in a fit of ravishment with Christ; then we would have no delay, but in heaven we would be even that very moment, and those holy, flames are sweet: but yet if the Lord see it good for Paul to continue in the Body, and he must yet undergo more for Christ before he come to reign with him: why he is satisfied, and so ought we to wait patiently for this his appearing. The Virgins waited it should seem, and were forward and ready, but their patience held not out as it should: therefore labor for this. But then

Secondly, For the waiting of Sinners. Wait for this day, for it will it come though it be delayed, and you know not how soon it will come upon you. Now your waiting must be of another sort.

1. With fear and trembling, that which a man fears he expecteth in some sort as well as what he hopeth for: O that this dreadful sound were but in the ears of Sinners wherever they went, there is a day coming, which will pay for all your pleasures of sin, when God shall pluck your sweet morsels out of your belly, and turn your stolen waters, and bread eaten in secret, which were pleasant and sweet to you, into the poison of Asps. O do not say, you are at an agreement with hell, and with the grave: for alas that agreement shall be broken, the grave shall receive you, and reserve you for this day of wrath, and then give you up, it will not hide you from the wrath of the Lamb, hell will open for you: Felix trembled, when Paul disputed of righteousness, and temperance, and judgment to come; this day of Christ's coming how terrible will it be to foolish Virgins? O that all such would tremble before the Lord: fear it, fear it, it is coming upon you, it lingers not, he is not slack!

2. In order hereto you must labor to believe it, it is an Article of our faith: we profess the resurrection of the dead, which is either to life or condemnation: and thou that livest in sin, canst expect no other but a resurrection to Condemnation. But alas! men do not believe this; Devils are afraid of that day to which they are reserved in chains of darkness, when they shall have their full cup given them to drink. Ah dear friends! that the Lord would single out such as he would persuade this day from the terrors of the Lord, to fly-from this wrath to come, to make ready for this day that is a coming: wherewith I shall wind up all, I shall say to this doctrine. The last word therefore is of

Exhortation, since Jesus Christ doth delay his coming, That we would make good use of the time: he giveth us time and space to repent. The people of God they have need to make use of this time: have we not work enough to do, before we can expect to be glorified with him? how many of us have a world of iniquity to subdue? how far are we from being as little children in malice and humility, such we must become, our Course is far from being finished. O brethren, Jesus Christ will adopt us to himself, and we by the Spirit are to do it, that we may be meet spouses to him, then it will appear that we desire his coming indeed, if we lay out all your might to prepare for it; if the heart be • luttish, and so we let it lie, if we neglect our ornaments, are careless, put them not on, be not decking ourselves, how can we say, we love his appearing, even the appearing of the Bride-groom?

But then 2. How much more have Sinners to do? It is true, he delays his coming, and so he hath a great while in respect of thee: how many years hath he waited upon thee to be gracious to thee, and yet thou are where thou wast at first? Ah dear friends! if Jesus Christ find you that profess his name in your blood at that day, what will become of you? Will you have time to repent, if you repent not? it will not be the time of love, but of displeasure: it had been better for you, you had never had such warning: O do not despise the riches of his goodness, and long-sufferings towards you: O consider your ways, and the Condition of your souls at the last, and turn to the Lord your God with all your hearts, and not feignedly close with Jesus Christ; get oil into your Lamps, and into your vessels, for why will ye die, why should that day come upon you before you are ready for it? O make hast Brethren, you are this day warned to fly, that is to say, with all speed to haste away from the wrath to come: for judgment lingers not, it will not stay beyond the appointed time, even your own appointed time, for the number of your months are with God, it will not stay a jot longer; now you do not know whether this may be the day, the night, this Sabbath the last, this warning the last: therefore lay hold upon the opportunity. O that the Lord Jesus would seize but upon some of our hearts, that we might make a good Use of this delay! And O bless his name, and let us all admire his goodness to us, that he doth delay his coming, that we have time and space to repent, to work out our salvation in, and that until all the fullness of Christ be come in. It is his longsuffering, not willing we should perish, but come to repentance. O that we were thus wise, that we could thus consider our latter end. But so much for this Doctrine.

THEY ALL SLUMBRED AND SLEPT. Here I say, you have the occasion which the flesh took from the delay or carrying of Christ to slumber, and sleep all of them, both wise and foolish. Some have understood it of the sleep of death, that they all died, good as well as bad, but this cannot be so, for it is not true, understand the coming of Christ which way you will, If for his coming to the universal judgment; it is not true, for all shall not sleep, but some shall be changed as the Apostle hath it. If we understand it of his particular coming, to summon us to appear before him: It is less true, for when the summons cometh, it is before we die. Death indeed is his Messenger, or Serjeant; and therefore they are not dead, before he cometh to fetch them, besides it is not so usual to set forth death by a double expression, of slumbering and sleeping, but rather sleeping only. Besides this slumbering, and sleeping here, is noted as a failing in the wise virgins as well as the foolish, if I understand it aright, for it is the privation of that watchfulness, which is enjoined, and wherewithal is wound up in the close, and by this parable he showeth us the sad inconveniences of sleeping and slumbering, and the incidency of it to us; and therefore exhorts us to watch. Now sure, to die is not any fault, when we are called to it, but an appointment of God for us to die, to submit to which, to be willing to which is a grace, and not a sin. Again, in this parable there seemeth to be some time for the getting of oil, or at least for them to use some endeavors to get it though it be in vain, which may be indeeed after a summons to death, there may be some little time which a hypocrite may think to improve to get grace, though it prosper not, but after death, there remaineth nothing but judgment. The particular first, and afterward the general.

The time of their sleeping is considerable indeed, and that is it seemeth to be just a little before their Lord cometh, the L. Jesus, for it was the cry that wakened them, Behold the Bridegroom cometh. Whether we look upon this coming of Christ to be his last and general coming, & so understand the ten Virgins collectively for all the visible Church, then found on earth; it is considerable that they shall generally be found sleeping, you know how the Evangelist setteth forth in the former chapter, wherein the Disciples ask him when those things shall be, and what shall be the signs of his coming, and of the end of the world. When Jerusalem should be destroyed, when he would come gloriously by his Spirit, and word prevailing over the world, suddenly like lightning passing from one end to the other, as some understand that. Or whether we make that coming of Christ, and the end of the world all one; It should seem this is to be referred to the answer, to the third, the end of the world, as it was in the days of Noah, they were eating and drinking, and never minded, were careless, and asleep, until the world was in a flood about them; note here, in the end they shall be asleep, alike secure and drowsy, and as little look for the end of the world until all be on a flame about their ears. And Satan's letting loose after the thousand years being imprisoned, seemeth to speak sad work he will make among men, immediately before the last end. Or if we understand it distributively of each Saint, as sometimes in the same Scripture the H. Ghost speaks of the Church collectively and distributively draw me, we will run after thee, so here the Virgins, they all slumbered and slept, and so they might do, if they did it singly, near the time of his approach to each of them to take them to himself forever, or separate them from himself forever, which is the case of the foolish virgins. I say it is alike considerable, and may give us ground of a note of observation by and by. It is true indeed some understand that in the beginning they went forth to meet the Bridegroom, by a Prolepsis, or Anticipation, as if they did not go forth at all to meet him until after the cry was made, but I cannot see the reason of it. They would have it, that Christians are very apt to be sleepy in the beginnings of their faith, and work of faith which indeed may be so: but methinks that doth not so well suit with the time of first-love, which the Scripture often mentioneth, men are usually most forward then, and most watchful and wakeful then. Nor do I know any inconvenience but they might sleep in the way in their journey going forth to meet the Bridegroom; and methinks the tarrying of the Bridegroom being interposed between their setting forth towards him, and their sleep doth plainly argue it, if we may argue from these things, but they will argue as much for the one way as for the other; so that I would rather take it thus.

And however it be, that with particular circumstance be not to be too much strained, when we have the scope of the Parable, yet remember that this we are now upon is the main thing, if I understand it aright, for this sleeping here is the privation of that watching which is a duty so often and so much pressed upon the Disciples in the former chapter, and this and many other places, and this appears to be the scope by our Savior's winding up all in that Exhortation, therefore watch, for ye know not what • our he will come, the foolish virgins and wise, both were too foolish in this, when he tarried they slept, and while they slept he came; and what prejudice it was to them afterward, likely you may hear more fully; therefore saith our Savior watch. Therefore, this if I do insist a little upon it, I hope it will not be amiss, it being the scope of the Parable.

They all slumbered and slept, here it will not be amiss for the further opening the words to tell you What kind of sleep this is, and the degrees of it; for the kind, you must know brethren, we are not speaking of a bodily sleep, whether ordinary, or extraordinary, from a natural, or a supernatural cause such deep sleep as fell upon some, though the Disciples were much blamed for their sleeping, when they should have watched, and prayed; I take it their natural sleep was not there considered, but as an effect of their spiritual sleep; their souls were asleep, and thence they slept when they should have been praying, to have been a comfort to Christ in that his Agouy: but we are now to speak of a spiritual sleep, the sleep of the soul. Indeed the soul considered as a spiritual being, in its natural capacity, properly never sleepeth, but the body: It is never weary of its actings, but the body is; which it useth as its instrument, as it never groweth old, so it never groweth sleepy; and therefore we do not consider the soul neither in a natural capacity, only as it is a spiritual being, but in a supernatural capacity, that is to say, as it hath some divine qualities put upon it, whereby it acts and works towards God, and towards Christ, as natural Agents act by their qualities, the fire by its heat, so the soul by its faith, and by its love, and by its humility. So then, we are here considering not a naked soul, but a soul as it hath either in reality or else in appearance put on Christ for righteousness, and for holiness, is raised up from that death in sin, to a li • e of grace or love to God. Now this soul so considered alas sometimes it falls asleep. So much for the kind of sleep.

For the degrees of the sleep, here they are two 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 two words, and of two significations, as indeed our own English words do plainly distinguish, you know to slumber, is much less then to sleep in our experience of it, to slumber, is when a man only doth nap or nod, he is not fast asleep as it were, between sleeping and waking, a little thing waketh him; now he is awake, and then is napping again, but not so fast as to have the senses altogether sealed up, as in a sleep; then it is otherwise, there must be much ado to wake a man, when he is in such a sleep. So it is in this case, This spiriritual sleep, there are degrees, a napping, and nodding; now asleep and then awake again, we are neither awake nor asleep, there are interruptions successively in our sleeping and waking: But when a man is asleep, he goeth on away with it, continueth so great a while, sleep hath seized upon him, locked him, and sealed up, and made him sure as I may say, which what it is, shall farther be opened by and by, only here let us take up the Doctrinal Observations from the words, which shall be only these two.

The people of God which are wise to salvation, as well as foolish formal professors are liable to slumber, and sleep, the best men and women are liable to it.

That the Saints may fall into slumbering and sleeping, when they had most need to be awake, as you see in this case. Happily I may handle them distinctly, if I see it may not be too tedious.

For the first, that the best of the Saints, such as are wise to salvation, yet may slumber and sleep, I think there needeth not much to be said by way of confirmation, you see this is plainly the heart of the Parable we have in hand, or else I know not what it is; Jonah you know he was fast asleep in the side of the ship, it was bodily sleep indeed, but it was an effect of this spiritual sleep that was upon him, his graces were now sleeping, his fear of God, against whom he had sinned in running away from him, and his self-denial, these were asleep, and made him so secure, that though they were in a storm he feared it not, as a drunkard that sleepeth upon the top of a Mast, in greatest danger, and seeth it not, nor so much as dreameth of it, and it is thought by some also that Zacharias that good Prophet who had so many visions from the Lord, that he was drowsy and sleepy notwithstanding, more then was meet, his mind as well as his body, but there shall be no question made of the Disciples, they were the best of men then alive, they were first chosen out of the world, the world is a wilderness they were as a garden enclosed; therefore the best considered in respect of others, and yet you find how often our Savior endeavors to stir them up to watchfulness; What I say to you, I say to all; watch, watch and pray. And how much in these chapters, surely it argues they were liable to sleep, they were prone to it, else that lesson would not have rung so much in their ears. Or would David have come over so often with that, quicken me O Lord according to thy word, quicken me according to thy word; but that he found himself going, napping and nodding. But if we will go to the Christian of Christians, the flower in the garden enclosed, there were three Disciples that were favorites, it seemeth that the Lord Jesus took with him as witnesses of his transfiguration before, and now to his passion and Agony; yet notwithstanding, these favorites, when they should watch with Christ, they fall asleep, their souls were asleep in a great part; and therefore their bodies also were asleep. However our Savior saith, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak; the spirit is in part weak, and unwilling; else if perfect, it would have kept them awake, there is a willingness, and unwillingness; and for an act the unwillingness may prevail against the willingness, as in this case: Peter should be carried whether he would not, and yet sure he would; there his willingness prevailed: but I will not stand any longer, only note you here brethren: one thing farther is this; that they fell asleep the second time, and the third time after they had been reproved for it again and again, and that sharply that they had nothing to say; they knew not what to say, saith the Evangelist, and yet they fell to it again; if these were so apt to fall asleep, sure then much more such poor weaklings as we are in comparison of them.

Well then, if any one further inquire, What this slumbering and sleeping is;

By slumber and sleep, I understand brethren the unbending the bow of our souls, as sleep is a cessation of the animal actions of a living creature, by the obstructon of the animal spirits, by the abundance of vapors ordinarily, there are some other cases, but this is not so much for our purpose. Slumbring is when there is a little shorter failing, or cessation of the actions of a living creature, when the senses are binding, as I may say, but they break through it, and so awaken the person doth; there is a double principle in man, in every child of God I mean; there is a corrupt and regenerate part, there is flesh and spirit, as you have it in that of our Savior, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak; the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; this flesh, this corrupt part we may not unfitly brethren resemble to the vapors, that continually arise from the stomach toward the head. And the Spirit to the Nerves, the instruments of action, the graces of the spirit are the nerves of the spirit indeed: and by some of them, as by the nerves the continual supplies of grace, and fullness of Christ the head, where the fullness of the animal spirits are, is communicated to all the parts, to the strengthening of all graces, that is to say by our faith. Now this being so, I take it then a man slumbers, and sleeps, When his corrupt part doth either with a less, or a thicker steam of lusts seize upon (as I may say) and hinder the graces of the spirit from doing their work, from acting, specially that grace of faith which indeed doth derive from the head Jesus Christ, the spirits lively influences; therefore not unfitly is corruption compared to wet moorish places, a moorish • ennish heart that is full of such corruption, or a body full of such humors you know is much more sleepy then another.

Well then to bring it to an issue, when sin so fully prevails over us, as to damp the graces of the spirit, either for a shorter time, it being quickly dispelled, there is a slumbering, or for a longer time, there is a sleeping; aliquando bonus dormit at Homerus. So that brethren when ever we are called to act any grace of the spirit, and we do it not, though it be but for an act, that is as I may say a slumbering though you may quickly recover yourselves; If it be for more acts, or continue any time, it is a sleep. Thomas his faith was asleep, he would not believe, his unbelief prevailed much, seized upon his faith, bound it as I may say; and so ignorance and blindness prevailing over the understanding. But for faith, methinks that is plain, When the son of man cometh, whether it be to that general day, or any particular day of avenging his people, shall be find faith upon the earth? faith in act to believe this, alas people will be asleep, their faith surprised: and so for love, which is another grace, it is prophesied of the latter times, the love of many shall wax cold: the Church of Eph • sus had lost her first love, she was fallen asleep, this is the active grace, faith works by it, now this action ceased; as in a man asleep, his members languish, and hang down, and are not fit for any action, so their love waxed cold. And so when instead of a holy vigilancy there creepeth a security on a people, which is a main ingredient into this spiritual sleep, as the virgins here, they were all secure, they looked not for the coming of Jesus Christ. And so when instead of a fervency of spirit in serving God: a deadness, a dullness creepeth upon men, they pray as if they prayed not, if it be but for an act, it is slumbering; now they are dead, and then they are lively it may be next time, and then they are dead again; this is slumbering, napping and nodding: Now they can act their faith, and then they cannot; now they can avoid this sin and that, and then they cannot; but are overtaken by it, this is slumbering: and alas brethren, are we not all of us liable to this? Yea, it may be these things seize upon us more violently, we not only offend in many things, but continually lying secure, continue in such a dull listless frame, little or no actings or strivings of faith, or love, or fervency, or waiting for Jesus Christ, and his appearing, this is sleeping. Well, I wish we had not too general, and too good proof of it by our own experience.

You have had already in this part of the discourse, the general reason of this sleepiness of the Saints respecting ourselves, and that is the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a seed of that Poppy-seed which lays us so often asleep, a filthy heart, streaming continually filthy gross vapors, which clog and seize upon our graces, and hold them prisoners as I may say for a time, that we cannot act them: But I will a little more particularly descend to speak to some cases.

Not to speak of that vindicative hand of God upon some, when in vindicative justice he sendeth upon men a spirit of slumber, and of sleep; for I hardly think that is competent to the Saints, though to hypocrites, it may; yet those are not they, I am mainly to speak to in this discourse, but of other causes, And

First, A cause of it may be this, slothfulness it casts men into a deep sleep: It is so in naturals, and it is so in spirituals; a slothful man, that will not labor, the vapors gather, and becloud, and bemist him, that he cannot break through them, but they seize upon his senses, and hold him prisoner a great while, and if he be stirred, yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, that is the slothful man's guise, and as the door turns upon the hinges up and down, so the slothful man doth upon his bed, Labor and pains taking, it dispels the vapors, scatters them, and so they clear up, so it is here: a slothful spirit is the immediate forerunner of this sleep; therefore the Apostle exhorts them, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. And you shall find brethren, when he that had one talent given him, he improved it not; the Lord calls him a wicked, and slothful servant: Alas, his soul was asleep, and his talent laid tosleep in a Napkin; well this is one cause, if we have opportunities in our hands to do good, and we do it not, as the Apostle exhorts us to do; we are slothful. A man that is idle, shall have very much ado to keep himself from sleeping; a wonder brethren, if we be not all asleep, we have so many opportunities to do good, such talents put into-our hands, some of us, most of us, and yet do so little with them.

Secondly, Another cause of sleeping may be wearyness, you know the sleep of the laboring man is sweet; so you see Sisera, after he was toiled and spent with his fighting and flight, he was ready to lie down to sleep presently▪ so brethren, it is in this case, when we have run a while in the race that is set before us, or fought against our corruptions, toiled hard; if we sit down when weary we are asleep presently; O saith the Apostle, be not weary of well-doing, if you be, you will fall asleep! this we find in the case of them in the Hebrews, they were harased and persecuted grievously, their faith and patience, were even tired out, alas their hands therefore were weak, and knees were feeble, their members began to languish, and sleep to seize upon them. Sometimes when we toil all night, and take nothing, we spend, and are spent, we are apt to be weary brethren, and then it is two to one but we fall asleep; That is another cause of this sleep.

Thirdly, Another Cause may be the false questions which men make, the mistaking of things, a man mistaking the day for the night; he slumbers it may be, and thinketh it is night; or the day is not at hand he sleepeth; this is clear I think in the present case; What made the virgins thus to give sleep to their eyes, and slumber to their eye-lids? they thought their Lord would not come yet, he delayed his coming, and likely they thought he would do so still; and therefore thought they might sleep, or else atleast they might think, while he delayed his coming, it was no great matter whether they slept or waked, it would be of little availment to them; and therefore they even laid them down formally to sleep; O how easily are we lulled asleep with such mistakes as these! now how false was this in the mean time, for there is much to be done while he tarryes, to wait for him; to have our lights burning, our lamps trimmed, our ornaments ready, to wait for him until he come; for we shall be paid for our waiting, as well as for our our working, and then we should be ready to open to him whenever he comes: this another.

Fourthly, Another cause or occasion at least of this sleeping, what is it but a letting down our fear and care; if we served the L. continually with a holy trembling as the Psalmist calls upon us, we should hardly sleep, a man that hath a trembling heart, sleep passeth from his eyes; or a man that hath his head f • ll of cares, and his heart also; they will keep him waking: so Jacob, his sleep departed from his eyes: O the care he had of Laban's sheep! he slept not, Ah how far short are many of us, that have the charge of the slock of Christ, purchased with his precious blood, for we sleep, & let the Wolves come, sleep, and let the envious man sow tares. Paul, O how watchful a man wash, how diligent? he warned them night and day with tears; what was the matter? O the care of all the Churches were upon him. Why brethren, we have everyone the care of our own souls; yea and of one another's, we ought to watch over one another, & tender one another; to walk fearfully lest we be stumbling-blocks one to another, hurt one another; we are our brothers keepers, and if we have this care upon us lively of our own souls and others, it will keep us waking: The rich man's abundance will not suffer him to sleep, he is afraid of losing it; a man that hath a great charge about him, and walks through woods and dangerous places, he is afraid of everyone he meeteth, lest he be robbed, he will hardly sleep: O you have precious souls to lose brethren! And some of you have grace to lose; which may in part be lost in its own nature, it is looseable; being but a creature depending continually upon a divine supply, as the Ray upon the Sun: If there be now such a care as this, it will keep the soul awake; but now if we grow confident and bold, and do not fear always; we are then falling asleep: so it is, see it plainly in the Disciples that went with Christ into the garden, to behold his Agony, they were wonderfully heavy asleep; the soul was asleep, their graces were not upon the wing, what was the matter? if you mind it, they were the men that above all others had been most confident and secure, and had expressed it before; Peter said, that though all men should deny him he would not: and when our Savior told him, he should deny him, he was so blinded with his confidence now, that he would not believe Jesus Christ, but rather believed himself, and his own folly; he said he would rather die for him, then deny him: Well, when it cometh to the pinch, he falls asleep; Ah Peter, sleepest thou, thou of all other men, methinks shouldst have waked with me, wilt thou die with me, and yet cannot wake but fall asleep? not one hour wake with me, thou, such a confident man; and yet when it cometh to the pinch, fall asleep? And the two sons of Zebedee with him, they were very confident, they would sit on the right and left hand of Christ in his kingdom, Why can you drink of the cup I am to drink of? Yea say they, we can: and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? yea, they could. Now those are the men above others that are asleep: Who can tell, but if some other of the Disciples that had been lower in their own thoughts, and had walked more tremblingly before him, but they might have waked when those slept? This another.

Fifthly, Stupifying the head, the senses, with some injury, it will lay a man asleep, yea more then ordinarily, into a swoun, so that he feels nothing; as for instance, let a man have a great blow upon his head, it stonyeth him, he falls asleep under it, he can feel nothing; now his senses are locked up, as if in a dead sleep; it is so here, a great sin brethren, it stupifies a man's conscience, it maketh him past feeling for the present in a manner; we would hardly think it, it may be we would think that men are rather apt to fall asleep, that have none of those great sins, but only of an ordinary nature; they are apt to slumber, and that great sins would rather awaken men, and stir men's Consciences; indeed it may be they may put a man to some more torment a little at present, but afterward they do stupefy; the deceitfulness of sin maketh hard, as the Apostle saith, specially if it lie unrepented of a while; do you not see how David lay in a dead sleep a great while, upon that his fall, in the matter of Uriah, all his senses closed up, he could not open his mouth to speak to God; O Lord open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise: And so Jonah his sin was very great, running away from God to Tarshish, when he sent him to Nineveh, and who more sleepy then he in the vessel? up, why sleepest thou, thou sleeper, said they; alas the poor Mariners looked upon themselves as lost men, he feared nothing, he was asleep, Conscience asleep, Soul asleep, Fear asleep, he was benumbed with that great blow he had given his soul, he was more sleepy, and heavy then natural men themselves; their Consciences were sooner awaked by the hand of God then his was, a fearful condition. Now be not mistaken brethren, I mean not by great sins, only such as are gross in our own account, but the greatness of a sin lies in the liking of it; indeed if there be a liking or love to a greater sin, it maketh it so much the greater; but if there be a less sin, it maketh it very great, even greater then the act of another sin, that for the act is greater then it.

Sixthly, Another Cause you know is surfeiting and drunkenness, Excess in the use of the creatures, we use to say, loaden bellies, leaden heels, the bellies being full, the bones would have rest; It is so in nature, and so it is with the soul: Lot, when he was drunk, he fell asleep, and slept so deeply, that his daughters played the harlots with him, and knew nothing neither when they rose, nor when they lay down; truly brethren, the drunkenness of the mind casts men asleep, if a man be drunk with erroneous principles of looseness, it casts him into a sleep, presently the head is giddy with it; but chiefly if a man be drunk with passions, or drink, or surfeit of the delights of the creature, abusing the world in using of it, this was the sleep of the old world, they never dreamed of the flood, they believed it not at all: Why? they eat, they drink, they married, they gave in marriage. There is no Copulative between the words in the Text, which they call an Asyndeton, as if there were no distance of time between one and the other; they made it their work and business to give themselves to these things. And so it will be at the last day, when Christ shall come; This is the sleeping then surely, in a great measure, this day came upon the foolish virgins, yea, and wise too unawares; and why might not this be a great part of their sleeping, or a Cause of it, they thought now they had made sure of the main work, they might give themselves a little more liberty then before, and might busy themselves in the world as well as others, and so were excessively taken up with it, and then the day of the Lord cometh unawares. Therefore our Savior giveth this caution, take heed your hearts at any time be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you at unawares. Alas men are too busy in the world to mind the coming of Jesus Christ, or to wait for him, they are drunk; and therefore fall asleep, drunk with delights, with love to these things, care about them, they have more then their load as we say of men drunk, and therefore they sleep. I wish this were not the sin of the Saints themselves.

Seventhly, Another Cause may be the company of sleepy ones, this may be the case, at least to some, and it is not unlikely but the foolish virgins, and wise walking together; the foolish might give such an example, and the wise not wise enough to avoid: but would sleep for company, and so it is still in the visible Church because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, some think this may be hinted in that place, but sure it is that examples are very potent, plus vivitur exemplis, specially if a person be in repute, a man of name or renown among the Saints, a brother or a sister, whose praise is in the Churches if such a one as this shall grow earthly and carnal, and that carnality and earthliness, damp the soul, and bring a deadness upon the graces, why how many will be ready to think they may sure let the rayns as loose as they, and may seek after the world as well as they. Peters example you see, when he dissen bled, what a force it had; thou compellest the Gentiles to live as as do the Jews, by his example he did it when the Jews came down from Jerusalem; therefore David complains indeed of the example of wicked woe is me, &c. And so Isaiah complains w • is me, I dwell among a people of uncircumcised lips, and I am such myself; and they help it forward, but indeed the examples o▪ loose, and cold, and sleepy Professors are more mischievous, especially if they have been more lively, and insensibly decline, and decay, because, we have the less suspicion of them; and therefore they are notable quench-coals indeed. This is another ground.

Eighthly, And the last I shall speak to shall be this, from all the former, When the Lord his holy spirit is grieved by all these, he withdraweth his spirit, and then we fall fast asleep, and alas if a man be waked out of a dead sleep, except there be one watching by him, or one that hath a Lethargical distemper apt to prevail upon him, except he hath some to sit by him to keep him awake, he falls asleep; and such pains is the holy Spirit at, sitting up with us to keep us awake; Now if we do grieve him, and he depart from us, presently deep sleep falls upon us like an armed man, and we cannot resist, so the Disciples had grieved the spirit of God by their self-confidence, nothing more; and therefore he leaveth them: well, he will see what the end of this their trusting in lies will do, and he letteth them fall again, and again, and you see how woeful sleepy and drowsy they were, they could not watch one hour, they fell asleep again and again, three times after another, though they were sharply reproved for it, they were pricked, and provoked to awake, but it would not do; alas, the Spirit was withdrawn from them: Thus much shall serve for the Arguments.

For the Use then brethren in the first place, May it not serve to humble us, surely this is one end of God's leaving his people to such a drowsy frame, that they may be humbled; as it was in the case of his Disciples, he would make them know how weak they were, if he did but depart from them, as confident as they were; how should we be ashamed of ourselves? as a servant when he sleepeth, when he should be about his business, and is reproved for it; alas, he is confounded, he hath nothing to say for himself, so the Disciples, they wist not what to say, saith the Text, What, are you now saith our Savior, asleep? now, when it is a time to exercise your graces, and to pray if ever you will pray, are you now asleep? He that sleepeth in harvest, is a son that causeth shame to himself and others, it is a time of work, and to be lazing and drowsing upon the bed, it is a very shameful thing indeed.

O that the Lord would lay this as a Plaister upon our Souls, as many as are drowsy, or have been drowsy, or sleepy, to hold the Plaister on; though it be a smarting plaster, yet better it is for us to have some smart, then to die of the Lethargy, better be cupped and scarified, and anything: Ah, when God cures sin by sin, it is a smarting cure, like the curing of a poisoned wound, with more poison, or fetching out of fire with more fire, wherein the severeness of the Physician appeareth, and his love to us, who had rather we should smart then die; well, be humbled for what we have done, if this work be some smart unto us, our many sleepy Sermons, Prayers, slothfulness, security, we have been; and it is well if we be not upon our beds now, this very day, if our souls be not asleep: If you be, the Lord humble you for it, as he humbled his own Disciples, that this may be your care.

But not only so, But let us all take notice of, and be humbled for our great proneness to slumber, and sleep. Water the root brethren: If we be awake, and have not lately been overtaken, yet remember we have the root within us, water that with our tears, be humbled before the Lord for it, yea labor we to walk continually humble before the Lord for the sight and sense of it; it will appear how apt we are to fall asleep, if we consider that whatever our condition is, we are apt to it. For a prosperous state, this is like a rocking, and singing to the soul; how quickly did the Church fall asleep in Constantine his days, in his lap, and the child in the mothers lap, Outward prosperity, inward prosperity. Was not David slumbering when he said, I shall never be moved; and so Job, I said I should die in my nest; what not only when he had an outward flourishing condition, but when he had such a strength of grace, as to enable him to do much for God, to walk uprightly with him, to be fruitful in good works, then, I shall die in my nest, I shall multiply my days as the sand, he was even going then: O this is matter of humbling indeed brethren, that when we should be putting forth the fruits of his love unto our souls, we should drop asleep!

But then a man would think this is more natural now, to fall asleep in the Sun shine, and in the midst of the sweet refreshings of the spirit of God, as music and delightful things, which do mulcere, they do persuade sleep, if we have not somewhat to keep awake. But a man would think now that an • our of trouble and affliction (except it be so great as to stupefy it) should rather keep a man awaking, as the Psalmist, thou holdst me waking, saith he, in the night: Now the Disciples, they were in an hour of temptation, and a great grief, and trouble, and though they knew now their Lord was ready to depart from them, and now entering upon his agony: yet alas how dead, and lumpish were they? they fell asleep: though there may be some natural cause for grief of the soul, to make the body heavy, as it seemeth to be rendered as a reason; for they were sad, they were heavy with grief. Yet methinks this should so much the more have quickened their spirits; But alas brethren, we are even so prone to sleep, that if the spirit of the Lord do not watch with us continually to keep us awake, we shall sleep, if it be on the top of a Mast: Little dream men! And this is the case of us all, as you see in Jonah; O that this were much upon us, that God would humble us for this, the very inclination of our hearts to slumber, and sleep, and laziness, whereby he is robbed of his glory, and our souls much of our comfort, and the profit we might gain, as will afterward appear.

A little further to amplify this Use: Surely brethren, It is matter of great mourning to look upon the sad effects of men's sleeping among us, look without us, look within us, look into the Church, look into our Families, look into our own hearts, and do you not find brethren, that generally there hath been a sleeping, O the Lord reprove us for it, and shame us out of it, as he did his own Disciples! Is not the Church of Christ, the Vineyard of the Lover-run with Weeds, with Nettles, and Hemlocks, and poisonous weeds which do even kill the good plants? When was the face of this field, the Church of Christ in England and Ireland, so over-grown with such weeds, when was there such a face of things? It is true, it is not long since the Wilde-Boars of the Wood did wast, and such as would have plucked, and rooted it up, and laid it waste, had not the Lord wounded them; but now, how doth it swarm with little Foxes that spoil the Vines, which have tender grapes; and is there much difference between plucking up a Corn field by the roots, and letting it be over-grown with weeds unto chaoking! How cometh this to pass? Surely brethren, the reason is because we have slept, While men slept the enemy did this: Magistrates, who are the keepers of the Lord his Vineyard, they have slept surely, the good Lord pardon it, and open their eyes, they have not kept the Vineyard, but exposed it to the evil man to do what he would in it: they have drunk in that unsound principle many of them, that they have nothing to do about the Church and Kingdom of Christ; and this like a poison of Poppy or Opium, hath laid them fast asleep as to this; if God had not watched over his Vineyard, better then men that have the charge of it, what had become of it before this? Were it not a sad thing think you for a nursing father to have no more care of his Charge, then to let any one who would come into the Nursery, go in and out, and bring what poison he would with him, and give it when, or to whom he pleased; would this be a discharge of his duty? this is a sad nursing. Well, sure I am, Magistrates are Nursing fathers, and ought to be so, and if it be not their duty as much to hinder the poisoning, as to further the feeding of the Church, I do not understand. Well, they have slept, they have not kept the Vineyards of the Lord.

For Ministers, they have slept also surely, they have not been so diligent, they have not seen afar off when the evil hath been coming, and given warning of it; O how did Paul warn the people day and night with tears! for he knew that after his departure grievous Wolves would come in; where hath there been almost, such a spirit as this of Paul? doubtless brethren, there have been some who have stood in the watch-Tower, and have seen these things and have blown the Trumpet. O but there hath not been that tenderness of doing of it, it hath not been done in that lively manner as it should be, it may be if there had been more mourning in secret then for these things, if they would not hear, it might have been otherwise.

And have not the people of God been to blame, are not they the remembrancers of God as well as his Ministers, yea that make mention of the Lord, or are his remembrancers, and have not they slept, while men slept, the enemy hath done this, Indeed we are apt to eye the miscarriages of others, and impute the sad condition of the Churches to this person, and that person, to the male administration of Magistracy and Ministry, and surely they are not excusable before the Lord, but all this while we forget to smite upon our thighs, and cry out, Ah what have we done? that the Vineyard of the Lord Jesus is thus overgrown with weeds; have we not given the Lord rest? he would have us give him no rest, we have let him alone, that is to say, we have not even wearied him with our complaints, our sighs, and tears, and groans, and prayers of faith; whence doth deliverance come usually but from the prayers of such as are Princes with God, it may be sometimes we pray a little, and sometimes are affected with it; but we fall asleep again, and give the Lord rest, hath not he the hearts of Magistrates in his hands, and cannot he turn them as the Rivers of water, whithersoever he will? and so the hearts of Ministers, can he not give them such a spirit, as day and night to warn the people with tears: O surely, if we did speak less to men, then sometimes we do happily, and more to God, it might do better. But then the Prayers of Faith are wanting, we are ready to despond; our hands hang down when our hopes are not lively, and therefore no marvel if iniquity abound and prevail: surely brethren, there is a general sleeping among us.

The sad effects in our own Families: what sad work is there many times, and all for want of watching? Parents asleep, Masters asleep, act not their Faith in Prayer: for their in a relations, it may be, and therefore they miscarry many of them manner. But to come nearer, Alas brethren in our own souls, what a strang temper are we in many times, not fit for anything! O how doth Corruption grow upon us as pride, and passion, and Earthliness, and what is the reason? we sleep, but though we sleep, Satan never sleepeth? O how doth he watch such an opportunity to water his plants in our hearts when we are asleep? alas, can we tell how often brethren, we have lost our frame of heart when the Lord hath humbled, and melted, and enlarged our souls, Our Wine is quickly turned into water again, and we know not how we lost it: Surely brethren, we were asleep, and then what sad Lamentings there are after the Lord again, till we come to ourselves? Well, the Lord make us sensible of it, both for our own souls, and for the Churches of Christ: If the Lord Jesus should come to us brethren, as he did to his Disciples, now and reprove us, and ask us; what are ye all asleep, could ye not watch with me one little while? How comes it to pass that your Churches, your Families, your hearts are so choked with tares and weeds? What could we answer him, should we have a word to say for ourselves? well the Lord affect our hearts with it: so much for this Use.

The next use of the point shall be a distinguishing word between the sleep of Formalists, sinners, and the sleep which is incident to the Saints, the people of God: the wise Virgins slept their sleep, and the foolish theirs: and however in the expression there seems to be no difference, yet there is a difference sure between them to be found; for it may be, this may trouble some poor souls; who may think because they sleep, therefore they are surely of the foolish Virgins: And others may be emboldened, and their hands strengthened: What the best sleep as well as others, therefore though this be my Condition, yet all shall be well: I would therefore add a word, or two to this.

First, Then remember this: Sinners at the best, and Hypocrites at the best, their hearts are asleep, and the Saints at the worst, their hearts are awake; indeed in naturals we use to say, when a person is ready to drop asleep, his heart is asleep already, but it is not so in Spirituals with the people of God: Judas when he was at the best that ever he was, before he discovered his covetousness in the business of the poor, he was unsound at the heart, his heart was dead, indeed it is a dead sleep that is upon their hearts; and yet he walked up and down, as men in a deep sleep sometimes will do in a strange manner, but his heart was asleep; Now Peter he he fell asleep too in the matter of his denial of Christ, but his heart was awake: though the senses were closed up for a time, yet when the Son of righteousness broke forth upon him, looked upon him, you see he presently waked; so the Church, I sleep, but my heart wakes; in the deepest sleep of the Church of Christ, the heart is awake, there are divers apprehensions of this; Some understand it thus, I sleep, but my heart wakes, that is to say, Christ, who is as the heart to the Church, the seal of life, and vital spirits, he wakes, or else taking the Church Collectively, she sleepeth, but the heart waketh, that is to say, she may miscarry in some lesser matters as External, but in the main, the fundamentals, the heart of religion, in that she never falls altogether. But we shall speak to it as it respects particular persons as well as the general, as doubtless it doth: I sleep, but my heart waketh: the Church was Lazy, and drowsy, slumbered and slept, but yet not so: but that the heart was awake, it was not a dead sleep, and this will appear if we consider two or three things.

1. The Church then hath a Conscience not altogether past feeling but in foam measure awakened: and then 2. The will and affections not altogether lost and gone in such a Condition. 1. Then the Conscience that hath yet some stirring, and that will appear: because, 1. The Church here knew the voice of her beloved even when she was asleep, when he came, and called to her my love, my dove, my undefiled open to me: She now knew the voice of Christ, so, many a drowsy soul that is slumbering and sleeping, knoweth the hints and motions of the Spirit which he hath, but alas hath not power to obey: for sleep hath so overcome them, security hath so seized upon them, that though they hear, yet they do not, as me thinks in that very business of Jehoshai, which I have thought strange of, when his Conscience was awake, he would hear the voice of the Lord: in Micah, he thought all the rest of the Prophets of Baal were false, he would have the Word of the Lord from the mouth of a true Prophet; a man would have thought now he should have done it presently, being an upright hearted man also, no: yet if you read the text, you shall find he went with Ahab notwistanding: here he had a Conscience awake plainly, but yet he did not obey: he was so far engaged now to Ahab, not only in affinity, but his word was out, and his honor at stake: and though Conscience likely might check him for the thing, as well as put him on to inquire of a true Prophet, yet those Lusts now, love to his own honor, and carnal interest, and affection laid him asleep, he went up notwithstanding, well this is the case in this place. Can we not many of us set our seals to this truth? how often in a fit of security have we had Convictions and Checks? we have heard the voice of Christ: open to me my love, let my word have roo • in thee, this thou dost is not pleasing to me; O why wilt thou shut me out, & deal so unkindly with me, & yet your persons asleep? though we hear many things, we heed them not much: but turn upon our beds, as the door upon the hinges, and cannot get off.

2. Conscience is so awake usually in the people of God, as to tell them they are asleep, they have somewhat secretly whispering them in the ears, that they are not in the right way, they are slothful or sluggish. David I think was in a deep a sleep, as any that we read of, yet I can hardly think but David had this within him some grudgings and misgivings, that all was not well with him at that time: But because happily this may be common to them with Hopocrites except they be very fast asleep, indeed, therefore I will rather insist upon the third.

3. I say usually the People of God as they know they are asleep, when they are asleep, so they complain of it, they rest not; so questionless sinners do usually, there is nothing disturbeth them, so far as to complain of it: I sleep saith the Church, but my heart is awake, it appeared the heart was awake indeed, because she complained of it, as a man that is droufre, and cannot keep his eyes open, he naps and nods it may be, and wakeneth again; or if he apprehend himself in danger, to have any pressing business upon him: if he sleep longer it is unquietly, his mind is troubled with the thing, and it wakes him often, and he wouldshake it off, but cannot: laboriosius dormiunt quam vigilant: saith one, • o our Annot. So the Conscience▪ might then when asleep, lash them: stir them up many times, tell them, they do amiss, prick them for it, Nowan Hypocrite will hardly complain of his sleepiness, not in reality, • f it be a practice that may • et him off with men to be whining and complaining, he will complain happily more to men, then to the Lord; but this poor Creature that sears the Lord: his sleep, O it lieth like lead at his heart, he groans under it!

But then for the Will that also is awake in part, when a Child of God sleepeth: It was so with Paul, the thing I would not, that I do; this is most evident in their slumberings, they take a Nod, and then up again, and would •• ache it on: they would rather be doing the will of the Lord, then thus lazing and sleeping. But now many a Hypocrite a formal professor; he sleepeth, and he loveth to sleep, whether he sleep, or whether he wake usually it is all one to him, whether lively, or dead, in the service of God, so be it: he doth his task, for the manner of it, he heedeth it not much: but the Child of God would not sleep, though he be overtaken with it, it is against his will.

Yet 2. I will not say, but the Will of a Child of God may be in fault sometimes in part too, and how great a part is hard to say: as the Church she lies sleeping upon her bed, it appears her Will was too blame: for she did as as I may say, set herself to sleep composed herself, as men use to do that would sleep, lie down, put off their clothes, separate themselves from thoughts which might disturb them, wink with the eyes, they would sleep: so the Church here had put off her Clothes, and washed her feet, that was a custom in the hot Countries. before they went to rest, and lay upon the bed: Now by this it appears that she was willing to sleep: yea, when the Lord Jesus called upon her to arise, see how many frivolous excuses she had, as if she could not put on her Clothes again, and could not defile her feet again, as if it would be a defilement to her to come to Jesus Christ: Some think it is meant of some declining from the doctrine of Justification by Christ only, She had washed herself, and now to come to Christ only, would be a defiling of her. But happily it is only accommodated to the similitude: A Boy when he is Ioth to rise, how many excuses will he have; he wants this, and that, and twenty things; so very ingenious are we, when the will setteth the understanding a work indeed, to find out excuses: so the People of God how loath they are to come to it, through the hypocrisy of the heart: when God had roused David, he had a mind to sleep still, he was loath to come to confess his sin: but God would not let him alone, pricked him up, until he was so sore galled and wounded, he crieth out in the disquietness of his soul, and yet would not up: I say the Children of God may be faulty in his will in a great part, yet afterward usually it costs them heart smart for it; as it did the Spouse here, of which afterward. Now an Hypocrite his will is fully engaged usually, though he may have some Convictions of Conscience, yet the Will is to sin: Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, he striveth not against it, but yieldeth up to sleep, and is against them who would awake him out of it, rather then against himself for sleeping. And though a Child of God, that is but in part willing to sleep, may at present not take it so well, until he be thoroughly awaked, of a man that should rouse him up, yet afterward he will count such a man his greatest friend: well then, here is the first thing, Hypocrites at the best their hearts are asleep; as the Saints are not, but at the best they are lively, their Wills are- stirring: and the Saints at the worst, their hearts are awake more or less, though the Hypocrites hearts be asleep So then, the Hypocrites sleep when he sleepeth, is a through sleep, senses, and heart, and all, inward and outward and all: the Saints, their sleep is but outward, they have somewhat alive within, the seed of God abideth within them, which keepeth them from such a deadly sleep. Hypocrites can sleep no further then they were awaked before, and that they do usually altogether: now their hearts were never awaked thoroughly: but the Child of God doth not sleep so far as he was awaked, that is to say, all that was awaked doth not fall asleep again.

Secondly, Another Difference may be this; The one sleepeth not, until he hath gotten the main work in some measure made sure, gotten oil in the vessel: the wise Virgins would not sleep until they had oil in their vessels; then happily they might think, though they should nap a little, they had that Cruse of oil which would not fail, their Lamps would not go out in obscure darkness, which yet was dangerous presumption. But now the foolish Virgin sleepeth, and soundly too, though she had no oil at all in the vessel: Ah dear friends! that is a sad sign, when a man can fall fast asleep, and knoweth not but that he is in the hands of his enemy, and before he awakes, a sword may be in his bowels; when men can give sleep to their eyes, and slumber to their eye-lids, I mean, be as deep in security, and lazy, and listless as any, though they have no Christ in them the hope of glory, but in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, this is a Hypocrite indeed. Now a Child of God happily may at the beginnings of grace nap and nod, and happily sometimes fall asleep, I will not say it cannot be so, but I think ordinarily it is not so: for you have it in the Scripture all along, when once those in Acts 2. and the Jailor were awaked, and saw where they were, even in their blood, did they sleep again, until they had some assurance of their Conditions? No: O they run up and down as men in a trembling frame, O what shall we do? what shall we do? is there no hope for us? no healing by this Jesus whom we wounded? no salvation by this Jesus whom we have made away? and usually, truly Brethren; I do think that as it is with sin, the weaker it is when it struggles for life, (as it is with all other things) and hath little life in it, is ready to die, it striveth and struggleth so strongly as if it were nothing but life, morsus morientium: so when life is little and weak, it is so earnest for the increase of itself, and strengthening itself, that it appears to be all life, and none more vigilant and lively usually then young Christians; their life is little and young, and therefore as young Children, they would▪ be always at the breast. So it is here.

Thirdly, another difference may be this, that though both their sleeping may be alike dishonorable to Christ among men who take notice of it, yet the one is not so dangerous as the other: this followeth upon the former, which may indeed rather serve as to prick, to stir and rouse up men then, as a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to judge of our sleeping. The Hypocrite maketh as glorious a profession as the Saint, seemeth to be as active, and stirring, and vigilant as any, as who seemed more awake then Judas when he pleadeth for the poor, yet alas, God knew the bottom of the business: but I say, they making such a profession now when they fall asleep, it is as much to the dishonor of God, as if a real Saint do fall asleep, as now for instance, suppose two, one wise, one foolish, they fall into some giddy opinion of the times, O let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall! or else both grow worldly, covetous, griping, or vain, indeed cast off the ways of God's worship, the great Apostasy of our times. Now I say, this is alike dishonorable to God: but it is not alike dangerous, for the one he sleepeth, and his sleep proveth the sleep of death, as the foolish Virgins did; for though they were roused with the Cry, Conscience was a waked it may be, yet their hearts were never roused up out of their sleep; they were dead-hearted from the beginning, and so they remained: they never did arise from the dead, that Christ might give them life: the one when he waketh, hath neither oil nor Lamp, neither reality nor profession, the other hath both; though the Lamp want triming, there is not that lively expression of Christ in their Conversations as should be, and therefore the light needeth snuffing; the one hath the root under ground: but the other neither root, nor branches: so that you see there is a difference between the sleeping of the Child of God, and the son of Satan, the wise, and the foolish Virgins.

The third Use of the Doctrine may be this; If so be the people of God may thus sleep; Then brethren, It may be a warning word to us all, to take heed of it, to avoid it, if it fall upon us, I mean the people of God, it will prove bitterness in the latter end. Do you believe this, that you are liable as well as others to sleep? that you have the seed within, you have those Lusts, such foul hearts, which with their steam, are in danger to benight you every morning, every day: do you believe this? and do you believe it is a part of folly, the folly of the wise Virgins, to sleep? what need more to be said to you concerning these things? will not you avoid that which you judge evil?

But because we have to do with poor sleepy Creatures, whose souls it may be are roady to drop asleep, even when they are hearing this, let me a little sot it on, the Lord make the impression by his own spirit, and bore your ears, & seal instruction to all our hearts.

1. Then consider brethren, that if once we fall asleep, we lose our discerning between good and evil in a great measure: the Saints that are of experience; they have their fences exercised to discern between good and evil: you may happily wake in your sleep, but your eyes are shut, brethren, and it is a wonder of mercy, if you do not dash yourselves to pieces upon this rock of offense, or that rock of offense, this stone of stumbling, &c. as men in their sleep sometimes will get up, and climb indeed to the top of the house, and are they not in great danger of breaking their necks? would you not pity such a man? O such is the Condition of a Child of God that hath a sleepy soul, a soul in a deep sleep: thou wilt be ready to judge evil good; and good evil: Jonah his soul was asleep, that sin of his laid him asleep, though a good man: and do you not know how sadly he missed it? I do well to be angry, yea even to the death: what could Gain almost have said worse then he did, in this fit? A man in a sleep cannot discern light from darkness, neither of tastes, nor smells, all is one to him; when once Peter was asleep, he could deny and forswear the Lord-Jesus: David in a sleep he cannot discern between the chance of war▪ and down-right murder; between showing kindness to his faithful servant, one of his worthies in Israel, and making his Neighbor drunk, a sad Condition! Asa in such a time when he was asleep, as appears clearly a little before, his saith was lively, and he could rely upon God for the ruin of the Ethiopians, Lybians, yet now he relies upon Benhadad, King of Syria; to help-him against the King of Israel, even Basha he was asleep sure, that forsakes God to rely upon an enemy, and takes such an evil Course to wish him to break his Covenant. Then the Lord sent Hanani, the Prophet telling him plainly he had done very foolishly, he would not bear it; he would not be roused out of his sleep, brought to repentance: Claps the Prophet in Prison, oppresseth the people: O what will a man stick at, brethren, when he cannot discern between good and evil: where the senses are closed? what will not a blind man run upon, and yet a good man also? and this leads to a second.

2. When a man is once asleep, alas brethren, the passages between head and heart, they are obstructed, that nothing almost that he heareth will awake him. So David, when he was asleep, you see how sadly he carried it; he went to the Ordinances questionless in the house of God from time to time, or likely he did so, and yet he lay in that condition for all that, alas the word of God sunk not with him at all; you know you may call upon a sleepy person that is fast, many times, again and again, and and he answers not: or if it move him a little, or stir him, alas he understands it not, he heareth a sound which troubles him, but he understands it not, and so returneth to his rest again, this is the very case of a poor soul asleep: you hear indeed, but as if you heard not; as a man that hath his mind taken up with another thing, he heareth, but he heedeth not: so a poor soul asleep goeth from Ordinance to Ordinance, from Sermon to to Sermon, and heareth: but the word sticks in the ear, it reacheth not the heart ordinarily, and is not this sad, brethren? Who would willingly be in this Condition, that knoweth what it is to have a fellowship with God, heart-Communion with God in his Ordinances?

3. Another Motive may be this; The poor service God is like to have from us then, when we are asleep: some indeed he may have, but it will be so poor as if none at all: what kind of service will that man do his Master, that is ready to drop asleep every step he goeth? as David, what service did he do the Lord while he lay in that deep sleep? alas, his mouth was stopped, he was not able to show forth the praise of God, until he had opened it. And the reason is plain, because the graces of the Spirit, though they be within us; it may be there is the root of the matter, there are the habits; yet we cannot exercise them; A man asleep hath life, and he breatheth, but what Acts can he do which may advantage himself or others? how can a man pray, when he cannot act his faith, nor act his love, nor his zeal, and fervency of Spirit, but all are a sleep? Ah what weak service hath the Lord from many of us upon this account!

4. Another Consideration shall be this: the unseasonableness of the thing; Every thing is beautified by the season, and if it be out of season it is uncomely: It is not a walking honestly, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 honestly, or comely, to sleep now: brethren, it is enough for • inners that are of the night, that never • awe the day-star appear, nor the Sun of righteousness arise upon them, for them to lie sleeping now, it is something suitable; for they that sleep, saith the Apostle, sleep in the night, and they that are drunk are drunk in the night: the night was for sleep naturally, and▪ therefore man goeth forth to labor, and to his work until the evening. So in spirituals, it is most unsuitable to sleep in the daytime: brethren, if you believe you are of the day and not of the night, as the Apostle saith, We count him a Drone, a Lusk, or Lurden that shall sleep in the daytime▪ It was David his fault to be upon the bed in the daytime▪ And so likely Is • bosheth except the Custom of the place, being hot might excuse it: Well then hath the Lord in in finite riches of grace brought thee out of the dark night, made it day with thee, when it is night with many families and poor souls about thee and wilt thou make it • ight by sleeping? it is unseasonable, it is enough for them that are in darkness to sleep.

Again, 2. Consider, It is the time wherein you are called upon, to act for God, and for your own souls; It is not only the day, but the time for work: It is our harvest brethren, wherein should lay up, not for many years, as the fool in the Gospel said, but for eternity; treasure up grace for eternity: lay up a good foundation for the time to come. O how richly laden are some of the Saints over others are, that have made a profession of Christ as long as they live: what is the reason, why they have slept, while they should have gathered? he that gathereth in Summer, is a wise son, but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame: there the one is opposed to the other: that soul will cloth himself with shame and Confusion one day, that sleepeth in harvest, in the time of labor: wherefore doth the Bridegroom tarry, but to give you space to repent, to work out your salvation in: and instead of working, shall we sleep out this time? and will it be Comfortable in the end? will it be comfortable, if instead of laboring in the vineyard, we sleep all the heat of the day? what account shall we make, when we come to receive the recompense?

3. Yet more unseasonable it is also: If you consider, that usually the time of this falling asleep is after a good while converse, and walking with God, then men fall a napping, the wise virgins they had their oil, and their Lamps burning, it is true, they had provided for the main, and it is likely went forth to meet him, but in the way, the nearer they came to their journeys end: for there must be some good competent time sure, before they would conclude that the Bridegroom tarried, and then they lay aside all, and fall asleep; Remember that of the Apostle, knowing the season saith he, that now it is high time for you to awake, for now is your salvation nearer then when you believed: Now is the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to awake out of sleep, now is salvation nearer. What is the meaning of this? the meaning is, now is the most unseasonable time of all other, for you to be asleep: now you should press hard forward: now just at your journeys end, as a Traveler: or a man in a race, holds up his head all the way, and maketh speed, and when he is near the journeys end, and should lay hold upon the goal, that then he should sit down and sleep, this is unseasonable, and utterly unsafe, if he expect to obtain by his running: Ah brethren, sure you would obtain, else why did you run: if you expected not a reward? Now may I not say with the Apostle, you did many of you run well: but who hindered you? how came it to pass you dropt asleep? or are you inclining to it? O take heed, it is not safe at the end of your race, the night is past, the day is come, or the night, the time of this ignorance: for our life is compared to the vision of God in heaven, may well be compared to a night, and that today: well this day is at hand, it is nearer, then when you began to believe: for that is the meaning of that Phrase, as such a King reigned, that is to say, began to reign, ordinarily in Scripture: Well then, it is utterly unseasonable, therefore let me beg of you brethren, and the Lord prevail with our hearts to take heed of it.

Fifthly, Another Consideration shall be this that while you lay yourselves to sleco, you lose God, and Christ, you lose their presence: when the soul open to Jesus Christ, he cometh in, and the father, and Holy Spirit with him, and they bring their dainties with them, and abundantly refresh the soul with his love which is better then wine, and as long as the soul doth give him entertainment, and followeth to improve its Communion with him, he will s • ay▪ but truly brethren, if we sleep, he will not then tarry, but he takes his leave, and leaveth us sleeping; and alas before we are aware, we have lost him, and know not where to find him. It was Samson's case, alas his strength was in the presence of God with him, when he departed, he was as as another man, he lies down upon Delilah's lap, and then he falls asleep, and at last he was robbed of his strength, God was departed from him, he he had many forewarnings, but he was bewitched with a Lust, it did so imprison his reason, that he could not see what he was to do: at last he wist not that God was departed from him, he went thinking to shake himself as at other times, but alas his strength was gone. Ah brethren, if a man have a Delilah, it is sive to one, but sooner, or later, it will lull him asleep, and if it can but get him asleep, it is easy to get away the Lord's presence from him, and he know it not, until afterward.

Sixthly, Another Argument shall be not only that, not only when we fall asleep, we not only lose the Lord Jesus, and the presence of his Spirit, but we then shall keep him out also, the senses are lock up. A Servant fast asleep, when his Master cometh home, he may knock long enough before he open to him: why? alas he is asleep, herein indeed is the exceeding riches of his grace, that though we grieve him by our slighting of his presence, and Communications of himself to us, so as to fall asleep in the midst of them, that he will abide no longer, yet his heart yearns toward us, and his Love persuadeth him to return again to the soul, and he will try again, if we will let him in, but we are asleep: Behold I stand at the door, and knock: it is wonderful indeed, that he should do so, but so he doth, and how long doth he stand at some of our hearts, when we by a sleepy spirit grieved him away? how long doth he tarry, before we open? you see, in the Case of the Church, I sleep, but my heart waketh: open to me, my love, my dove, my undesiled: how sweet compellations he useth? though thou hast shut me out like a kind love, yet my love open to me, my Locks are wet with the dew of the night; much he endures before we open, and do but observe, when she knew it to be his voice, yet she hath many excuses: I have put off my Coat, &c. and all this while he stays, but what unkind dealing is this? when by his word he knocks, alas, it sinketh not, any further then the ear, there it dieth: knocks by the voice of his Spirit, and by rods, and afflictions, sometimes, and yet we keep him out, this is the sixth.

Seventhly, When we fall asleep, we little know how longwe shall lie in that Condition, therefore take heed of it: O when David fell into that sleep, how long did he lie in it▪ nine months at least, and he might have lain nine years, except the Lord had taken a more then ordinary course with him; So the Patriarchs; how long did they lie in their sleep, and their Consciences neve • awaked until their affliction? this is clear in the very case of the Church in the Canticles; how long did he call, and call again, and wait upon her, and yet she is not awaked? a little stirred she is, but alas lies down again, as a man half awaked, until at last, he was pressed to come nearer to her, to put his hand in at the hole-of the Lock, and then at last she got off her bed with much ado. First, He was fain to come nearer to her, with some inward touch and offer of his grace offering, as I may say, with his hand to open the bolts wherewith her heart was bolted against him: and then she waked, and not before; you see these virgins here slept until the Cry came, and how long they slept, who can tell? O it is a sad thing brethren, to be so long without Communion and Fellowship with the Lord Jesus; to be so long under weakness and inability to exercise our graces, that we can do nothing but poor weak service: so long to keep out Jesus Christ, and when do we know that he will come so near to us, as thoroughly to awake us, what if he should never do it, until our dying day? what a sad end would that be!

Eighthly, Remember this brethren; though you may think of case in such a Condition of sleeping, it will be no case to you, but trouble: for usually, what is the r • ason we unbend our bows, loose the Cords? we think we may have ease, take on more easily and fairly for heaven then we have done, now the main part of our work is done: we have gotten the oil in our vessels, and a little assurance it may be of his love, therefore now we may take our ease, and so fall asleep; believe it brethren, it will be a little case to you, and it will appear, if you consider these two or three things.

1. While you are in that sleep, if you be believers indeed, you will not have ease: what distempered sleeps do men sleep, that are in continual fear? or that should not sleep, and know they should not sleep, it will hazard their lives: is their sleep sweet ordinarily? surely no: when a man sleepeth, and in his sleep is terrified with dreams, how unquiet is he? truly a believer, he never sleepeth heart, and all; if he did, it were somewhat like: now a Hypocrite doth, he sleepeth heart, and all: that is first asleep, that never was awake, and therefore he may take more pleasure. But alas the Child of God all the while he is off from Christ, and the enjoyment of him, he is like a stone from its center, like an Iron plucked from the Loadstone, that hath yet a • ingering towards him, will not rest until it return to him again, so it is not quiet altogether; therefore of all men the people of God are the veriest fools, when they give way to sin, or lie down upon the lap of sinful delights, and fall asleep; because they have a still principle within them, which is kept awake; a seed of God which still interrupteth them, and they cannot take their fill of delight, nor rest in sin; therefore to them it is returning to folly, when once peace is spoken to them. I appeal to the experiences of all the Saints, whether when they are in a sleepy frame, a fit of security hath seized upon them, the presence of Christ is departed, whether they have that rest and quiet in their spirits: it is an uncomfortable condition to them.

2. Because usually when his people are in such a Condition, the Lord is sain to take some violent course with them, more then he would to awake them; so that not only their sleep is troublesome, but their awaking is also sad to them. Here, there is a Cry made, whether it be by the voice of the word lifted up, terrible threatenings! Or whether the voice of his rod which crieth: it is terrible, it is not a still voice happily will do it; but it must be something that will make both our ears to tingle, as it was in Elias case; poor man he was asleep, a Lust had so besotted him, that is to say, his carnal affection to his Children; he honored them above God, that love devoured his love, and eat up his zeal for God, and the Lord warns him, sendeth a Prophet to him, and tells him what he was like to trust to, he had set his Conscience a little to work before: so far as to reprove them: But if nothing else will do it, awake him thoroughly, What then? I will do a thing that shall make both the ears of him that heareth it, tingle; It shall awaken him, and awaken others; the boring of the ear may cost us something he will give us an alarm, a strong one at least, if he do not beat up our Quarters, where we lie lurking. And you that are soldiers, and have been in this Condition, hath it been comfortable to you when you have been so beaten up? I think not, sure: O what hurrying then, and terror is upon every man, when he is so surprised! So nothing else would do to the Brethren of Joseph, and therefore God brought them into that distraction they were never awaked until now. If men will not awake with calling, we use to take them, and shake them, and use them more hardly. The Lord calls brethren, you have the voice of the Turtle, the joyful sound of the Gospel among you: If we awake not, what will he do? he will take you by the Neck, and shake you awake: and truly brethren, the Lord's shakings are terrible shakings; he will shake the soul into a trembling and astonishment. What was the reason that the Lord followed Jonah with a storm? he was asleep, his Conscience and Soul asleep, and no easy means would awake him; the Lord was fain to let loose his hand upon him, and by a terrible tempest to awake him; sure I am, this will not be comfortable.

3. Afterwards, It will not be quietness nor rest to your souls, the Disciples you see, when they had slept, their sleep had so many reproofs: how were they ashamed of what they had done? they wist not what to answer him, were fain to hang the head; It is a disqu • eting to a man's spirit, to be covered with shame and confusion; O when shall he come, and upbraid the soul with his slothfulness! What, is this thy love to me now? is this thy kindness to thy friend? is this thy faith and zeal for me, that thou hast fallen asleep, and slept so long as thou hast done? was my Love and my Communion no more worth? is this the esteem thou puttest upon it, to fall asleep in the midst of it? will you have a word to say to Jesus Christ now in such a case? will it not be confusion to us? O brethren, It may be, we may bear the shame, and reproof of such a sleeping fit upon our backs all our days. Besides, can it choose but be a very great distraction to us, that when we are awaked, and slept out our time, and see then that now Christ is at hand, the day of his coming is here, and we have our work to do in a great part, our Lamps to trim, will not this be a distraction to us? if we do escape the destruction of that day, when a servant that hath a house to make ready, sleepeth away his time, and by and by tidings come, his Master is at hand, and the house is unready to receive him. O what a hurry and confusion and distraction is he in then, and what fruit hath he then of his sleeping? it ends in bitterness, and trouble, and disease, and therefore Brethren, as we tender our peace, our Comfort, take heed of sleeping.

Alas you will say, what should we do to keep ourselves from this sleeping▪ since it is so dangerous? I shall propound a few 〈◊〉 to you.

1. Then take heed of the beginnings of declinings. Aristotle reports, the Lions of Syria bring forth the first year five whelps, the next, four, the next, three, and so on, until they come to a barrenness; like Mandrobulus in Lucian, who offered to his god the first year gold, the second, silver, and the third, nothing; See Trap upon Mat. 24. 13. If we would avoid sleeping, we must take heed of slumbering, of heaviness, of anything inclining to it; Do you not mind whether your Love be as hot in prayer, as fervent as heretofore? if there be a rebatement of it, fear it; you are going to sleep; Observe yourselves brethren, Is not your Love grown much colder, then it was, because iniquity doth abound? so that you have prejudices so many, love is eaten out! O that the Lord would help you to look to it at the beginning!

2. Take heed of composing, or settling yourselves too easily, this will provoke to sleep; O do not put off your Garments, with the spouse! Men that would not sleep, will hardly put off their Clothes, nor lay themselves upon a bed. Not as if Saints did lose the habits of holiness or grace; But the Acts, the outward garments they may say aside, and so settle themselves to sleep: It is vain for a man to hope to be kept waking in such a case: O take heed of loving ease, woe be to the n that are at ease in Zion, Brethren! If you be anything acquainted with the times, or your own hearts, you will find enough to exercise you.

Keep in Action; acts dispel the vapors which persuade sleep: O brethren, time shall come, when we shall have our graces continually in act; why should we not breath after this, even upon earth: get as near to it as we can.

3. Take heed of putting off the day of the coming of Jesus Christ, that seemeth • ere to be the immediate cause of the Virgins slumber and sleeping; while the Bridegroom tarried, they thought they might have time enough likely, they might take a nap 〈…〉 unbend a little, if we would avoid sleeping, labor to keep fresh that upon our spirits, the appearing of the Lord Jesus, a love of that appearing, and a fear of an unsuitableness to that appearing when it shall be; O brethren, that we could once attain to Jobs pitch to wait for our change every day; all the days of our appointed time! I doubt, some of us can scarce say that we • ait for it any day, we put it off, and therefore no marvel if we sleep. It is that which is present which must affect us, such is our Constitution: things though never so certain, and though never so desirable on the one hand, or never so dreadful on the other, yet they affect not, except they be present, some way, or other; present in our thoughts, in our expectations, present to our faith, which is the evidence of things hoped for: as once King James said, such a man Preacheth, as if hell were at his back, ready to swallow him up, that will keep a man awake; either the joy of heaven set before us, and as I may say continually present, the coming of Christ, Or else, the terrors of everlasting burnings, the immediate Consequent of this day: O who can sleep that hath the coming of the Lord fresh upon his spirit!

4. Take heed of Pride and self-confidence; You see brethren, that hath laid the very Watchmen, themselves asleep, the three chief, Apostles. If Sampson had not rested upon his own strength, would he when he had so many warnings, have committed himself again, to the Lap of his Delilah? surely no.

5. In the next place, take heed of excess in the use of lawful things: O saith our Savior, take heed your hearts be over-charged with surfeiting, or drunkenness, and the cares of this life, that will quickly lay a man to sleep! You know the thorny ground went far, and yet though it endured Persecution, and the Cup of trembling could not carry away the soul, the Cup of delights in the world, it laid them asleep; the Sun did not burn them, but the thorn choked them: Licitis perimus juvenes, the time is short saith the Apostle, it is rolled up, as a Mariner near his port rowleth up his sails, or as a piece of cloth rolled up; one turn more; and we are turned into the grave; What then? It remaineth, that they that buy, be as if they possessed not, and they that have inheritances by Lot also, be as if they enjoyed them not; they that have wives, as if they had none; for the fashion of this world, the Scheme, the Mathematick figure of this world passeth away. Was it not this which cast Solomon into such a sleep? He offended by women, though the wisest King. So Mat. 24. 37. They eat, they they drank, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as some observe; It is a word used most properly of beasts, living sensually in the delights of the flesh; they feed themselves without fear, as the Apostle Jude hath it, out of measure, and so in time, there is a season for all things, &c. make not provision for the flesh, &c. O that there were more sobriety brethren, and moderation among us, appearing among us: there would not be so much sleeping.

6. Take heed of any sin unrepented of, of continuing in it; for surely that will damp the soul, and cast it into a sleep, as you see in the cafe of Jonas, David, the brethren of Joseph: O specially of such sins, as stupefy, and seal, and harden, sins of a high hand, and against light, against mercy with a high hand, these are dangerous.

7. Be often stirring up yourselves, as the Apostle speaks to Timothy, stir up the grace of God that is in thee, the gift in thee, as fire under the ashes; A man that is drowsy, had need to shake himself, as Sampson did. Ah brethren, there is a carnal mind in us all, which is death, it deadens all that is good within us; And except we do often stir up ourselves, labor to keep upon our hearts some quickening Considerations, to press them home, to hold them to the soul, we shall, do what we can, we shall sleep, or at least slumber: And beg with David, O quicken me according to thy word! Alas, life is his, and all quickening and renewing grace is his; therefore we should lie much before him for this mercy, if we would not sleep indeed. So much for this Use.

The next Use of the Doctrine shall be an awakening word. It may be brethren, many of us that have this word alas, are asleep, and had need to be shaken, and O that the Lord would even do it for us! Alas, It is not our word will do it, it dieth in the Ear, and goeth no further, as a bullet whose force is spent dieth, reacheth not the mark, except the Lord add an Almighty force to it, it will do nothing. But I shall endeavor a little this work by offering some considerations to you. You that lie upon your beds.

1. Remember, in the first place that if Jesus Christ come, while you are in this sleep, you will be found unready, what do you think that a sleeping, will put your hearts into frame, to meet the Lord Jesus with? Surely no: One of these two things will befall you, either your works will be quite undone, you will have your grace to get, when you should enter into glory, or never; Or else if you have it not to get, you will not have it in its brightness, and luster, as Ornaments upon you; ready to open to him, to enter with him; either your Lamps will be out, or else they will be to trim, when you should enter; O that the Lord would enforce this Argument, and his own exhortation! Luke 12. 35. Stand ready therefore, with your loins girded, and your Lamps burning, waiting for his coming, that you may be ready? Do you think this can be comfortable to you?

2. Do but consider seriously, what danger we are in when we sleep, when we give sleep to our eyes, and settle ourselves to it, when we strive not against it.

First, The Philistines will be upon us, as they were upon poor Sampson; If Satan, and our hearts can but sing us asleep, then the Philistines are upon us, as they were upon him, and at last you see how sadly they destroyed him; you see what danger Saul was in when he was asleep; David might have taken his life from him. And Sisera by a poor woman perished, when asleep. And so Ishbosh • th, when asleep. Surely brethren, the devil never lulls us asleep, believe it, but he hath some desperate design upon us, which he cannot do when we are awake. What danger were the Disciples in, when they were sleeping when they should have prayed? they were just entering upon the pikes, and they were asleep; and see what fearful work there was, they were all scattered from him: and Peter, how fearfully he denied him! Could Satan think you ever have brought Lot to that wickedness, if he had not been fast, in a deep sleep? It was strange sleepiness in him to drink so much of the wine; Excess overthrew him. Surely brethren, if ever there were an hour of temptation, this is one; If it might be tolerable at any other time, yet not at this: for hell is broke loose, the devil is come down, and hath great wrath, because his time is short: O how he hunts after poor souls, and who are so like to be drowned as poor creatures asleep!

Secondly, Then God usually doth for sake a soul, if he fall asleep; As you see in the Canticles her beloved was gone, he waited upon her a great while, she would not awake; when she got up, he was gone: O what a sad case was Saul in, When God had forsaken him, answered him not by Urim, or Thummim, and the Philistines were upon him, it made him out of his wits almost! Ah dear friends If the Lord being provoked by our unkindness, giving ourselves to sleep, do let loose sin, this or that lust upon us to worry us. And himself depart, and stand, and see, what the latter end will be; this will be sad, thou criest to him, he will not hear; but is as one asleep to thee, because thou wast as one asleep to him. O what will you do in this day!

Thirdly, Then he is least able to act grace, when he hath most need of it; because the spirit is withdrawn from him: Jesus Christ is departed from him, he cannot resist a sleeping, he hath no strength. A weak woman may drive a nail through the Temples of a most valiant General then. O what advantage hath Satan against us, and sin against us! The least temptation then, 〈◊〉 too hard for us, we have no strength to resist, come what will come, we are naked to receive the thrust; And but that the Lord stays the hand of Satan, that it shall not reach the heart; how quickly would he give such sleeping souls their deadly wound!

3, Consider yet further, how we put the Lord Jesus to it, to prick us, and stir us up lest we should lie sleeping, and sleep the sleep of death. They say the Eagle will prick and beat her young ones, out of the Nest; else they would be lazy and sleep there. Well surely brethren, If love, and sweetness will not do it, gall and vinegar must: awakened we must be, for sure we cannot go to heaven in a sleep; and how terrible will it be, if we put him to it thus to teach us by terrible things in righteousness and mercy? It is faithfulness and mercy to us, he will be at the pains with us. And then brethren, let me but add this only.

When the Lord Jesus shall deal thus with us, we that now are so fast asleep, we may sleep then; if we could there will come such a day upon us surely, if the Lord do not in tender compassions awaken us before hand. It is a bitter ironical reproof, the Disciples had need of such sharpness in the reproof, for milder words would not do: sleep on now, saith our Savior, it is enough, what did our Savior allow them to sleep? surely nothing less, specially all this time; for that his next words are, arise, let us go hence, behold, they are at hand, who betray me, why then they could, have little list or leisure to sleep; but our Savior doth with a holy mocking of them, (as I may say) Well, you have been sleeping all this while, now take your rest, now sleep if you can, now you shall have your hearts so full of cares and fears, and be sobeset with temptations, you shall have little list to sleep. A righteous hand upon them for their sluggishness; as the young man, rejoice O young man in thy youth, &c. and let thine heart cheer thee, but remember for all this, God will bring thee to judgment. Well brethren, as light as you may make of this, you that love sleep, and give yourselves to security, when this day cometh upon you it will make your hearts ach. The Lord persuade us of it; I desire not the woeful day to any of you, but rather that you may escape.

Again, Another Use of the Point may be, then for such as are kept through the Almighty grace from this sleeping; it may be, when others are sleeping about thee, one in this corner, another in that, thou art lively, thy graces are kept in vigor, thy sweet communion with Christ maintained: O how much, how infinitely art thou engaged to the Lord Jesus? magnify his grace; How many considerations here, might be heaped up, to heigthen your praises, that the high praises of God might be in your hearts and, mouths. As

1. To consider; Its merely free mercy that maketh this difference between thee, and the most sluggish Professor, most slothful sleepy Professor. For it is not surely brethren, because they have improved the grace which thou hast received, better then others have done; it may be, others have received more grace, and walked as diligently as thyself, and yet notwithstanding left to some fearful fall, to stupefy, or deaden them asleep. O magnify his grace, that thou art thus far kept again!

2. To consider, How much misery and sin, thou dost hereby avoid? the loss of Jesus Christ, and his presence, &c. O it is unspeakable! for what sin, what temptation, will not take with a poor soul, when he is in this drowsy condition? As Lot in his sleep, what would he not do? the soul asleep, and in security, what would he not do? the things that now the soul abhors the thought of them, if thou hadst been left to such a sleep as this is, thou wouldst have made nothing of, as well as others; as you see in the fearful example of many apostatizing Professors in these days, that have walked very strictly before, which surely, as it should minister matter of holy fear and trembling to us; so of great praises to the Lord. And then the misery to awaken us, to put us to those distractions, which have been already spoken to. Besides,

3. To consider, What great advantage thou hast now above many others. Thou hast the presence of God which others want, thou hast the light of his countenance, thou hast many a sweet communion with him, which others want, being left to this sleepy condition, they have slept away their harvest; thou art kept awake to gather in the Summer. O how rich in grace may such a soul grow, if he do but know his season and opportunity! and are not these great matters of praise?

Again in the next place; then brethren if we be so apt to sleep; Let us consider one another, to provoke, to stir up, suffer not one another to sleep: Indeed brethren, so far as we are defective in this duty of love one to another, so far we ourselves are asleep. O be ye followers of Jesus Christ, and be full of love, as he was, he cometh to his Disciples, and findeth them fast asleep; what doth he do, let them alone, or refuse Communion with them? no: he stirreth them up, giveth them a reproof to provoke them, and he doth it again, and again, and again; And so in the case of Peter, he did you know, look upon him, otherwise what had become of him? so he would not let Jonas, or David go in their Conditions, but sendeth a Prophet to one, and sendeth a storm after the other to awake him, and afterward cometh himself. And so the Church in the Canticles, see how he calls upon her there, and afterward cometh nearer; O Brethren, that I might be counted worthy this day to speak one word home to some poor sleeping soul to awaken you; either a word of love, or a word of terror! I have spoken both, but will you remember this as a duty? Doubtless we have occasions before us everywhere; do we not know many lazy, sleepy Christians? do we not judge them to be so? where are our bowels towards them? why do we not shake them, do our endeavor, would we not be sorry to see them forsaken of Christ altogether as to their sense, and sadly lamenting after him? would we not be sorry to see them battered and bruised with the temptations of Satan, in this sleepy condition? are they not in danger? shall we see them lie as a prey just ready for the Devils mouth, and not endeavor to stir them up to remove that drowfie frame from them? the Lord help us brethren such as are more wakeful among us; for I believe some there are, that the Lord hath magnified his grace towards exceedingly in this respect. O how can you improve your mercy better then thus; by stirring up others, that they may enjoy the same sweetness in Communion, and close fellowship with the Lord, as yourselves do! But thus much for this Use also.

Use 7. Then, Let us be tender in judging one another's Condition; judge not a man's state by the present frame that is upon him; Come into a Garden in Winter, and there is no appearance of any flowers, the roots are within the ground, shall we conclude therefore, there are none? no; so in this case, there may be a sleeping habit of grace though it be not in act, the soul is not able to act it for the present. As the wise Virgins, (though it was a part of folly for the wise Virgins to sleep) yet we may not without great wrong to them, and the grace of Christ in them, call them foolish Virgins; there is a vast difference between them. If a man should have made a judgment of David in his backsliding; what would he have thought of him? or of the Disciples, when they were so heavy at such a time as that was; and that, after they had been reproved for it, and stirred up, again and again, we would have judged likely; O sure it would prove a deadly Lethargy, or there were scarce any hope concerning them! O no, saith our Savior, though he reproved them sharply, yet some sugar he mixed with the vinegar, the Spirit indeed is willing, but the Flesh is weak; he did not unsaint them, because of their sleepiness; no more should we; And indeed brethren, the difficulty is so great to distinguish between a sleep, and death in sin sometimes, that we had need to suspend, and be exceeding tender in judging. Physicians themselves have much ado sometimes to discern whether there be life in the body, they are much put to it, and yet it appears there is life, therefore let us be tender in judging, leave it to him who can discern whether the life be within them yea, or no.

Lastly, A word of Comfort to the poor people of God, that alas find themselves very apt to fall asleep, and shake themselves with Sampson, again and again, and yet are apt to lie down upon the lap of a Delilah again: they know not what to think of themselves, whether they can be alive to God, having hearts so desperately sleepy. Yea, it may be, though they have lost the sweet smelling presence of Jesus Christ many times by their sleeping, yet they have slept again, and cannot keep themselves awake; his smiles have been many times turned into sharp rebukes, their honey into gall, and sometimes by terrible things in righteousness, they have been awaked, and yet they are sleeping again: sometimes they have been confounded and ashamed, and have had nothing to say when the Lord hath rebuked them, and yet they are asleep again? O what can I think of such a Condition as this! I do believe the Closets of some poor Creatures, can bear witness to many a sad complaint of this kind. Well I answer to this,

Far be it from me brethren, to sow pillows under any man's Arm-holes, or to make a bed for any to sleep upon: the Lord forbid, there should be a heart so wicked, as to make such an use of what is to be said to such poor discouraged souls! We are in a strait indeed, we cannot give a Saint their portion, but the wicked are snatching at that, nor the wicked their portion, but the Saints are catching at that; specially discouraged hearts, and many times applying all to themselves that never was intended for them. But if any dare abuse it, be it upon them; I must speak a word of refreshing to poor souls, that are even wear • ed with a lazy sleepy heart.

1. Then remember this; That it is possible for a man or woman that is truly in the state of grace, yet to be overtaken with sleep; therefore it is a Conclusion without any good premises, that sure thou art no Child of God, no wise Virgin, because thou art so often slumbering, and sometimes fast asleep; As carnally secure Creatures do deceive themselves, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 concluding because the wise Virgins slept, therefore they are wise Virgins, though they sleep; so on the other hand, do the people of God deceive themselves by a like false reasoning, concluding they are foolish Virgins certainly, because they sleep. All are not wise that were asleep, for some were foolish; and therefore the carnal creature may sleep the sleep of the foolish; all were not foolish that were asleep, and therefore thou mayst be a wise Virgin, and yet overtaken with sleep: they both agree in▪ sleeping, or slumbering; it is common both to wise and foolish, therefore thou canst not make it a distinguishing, or differencing note of thy Condition which is common to both sorts; Only the degrees and circumstances, the antecedents and concomitants of this sleep, are those which distinguish, as you have heard, and I hope, remember, the wise if they sleep, usually get oil into their vessels first, they sleep, but they sleep by candle-light, they suffer not their Lamps to go out, they sleep, but their hearts weak, &c. Well, it is possible though thou sleep, thou mayest be a wise virgin.

2. How knowest thou, thou sleepest? and how cometh it to pass that it is a burden to thee? Thou complainest of it, and to such only we speak brethren, I must tell you such as yield not up to it, such as love not sleep, but it is tedious to them; but whence is this? Surely it is, because thy heart is awake, as the spouse saith, this is not a total sleep: O thou hast cause to bless the Lord that he hath kept so much as thy heart awake, that sleep hath not seized upon all; If once the heart be asleep all is gone, therefore be thankful for that, that there is anything kept awake, thy Will, thy Affections.

3. I, you will say, if I could see my heart is awake it were something, but my hear sure is asleep, my confidence doth not much trouble me for it, my will hath been to blame; for I have even settled myself to sleep, thrown myself upon my bed of security, shut the windows, winked with my eyes, put off my clothes, I have slighted and neglected those acts of holiness from time to time, of worship, or which should have been as my garments upon me; therefore sure I am willing to sleep: yea more, he hath often stirred and moved by his spirit to awake me, and I have drowsed and turned like a door upon the hinges, with the sluggard ready to cry a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.