can do much if you will, and more than you do. If money and honour can make an ungodly preacher command his thoughts to holy things, in the studies of divinity through much of his life, you may see that your thoughts are much in your power. But of this before.

Direct. xv. If other means serve not, open thy case to some friend, and shame thyself to him,' as I advised under the former title. Confession, and shame, and advice will

help thee.

Direct. xvI. Above all go to Christ for help, and beg his Spirit, and give up thy heart to better things:' 0, if it were taken up with God, and heaven, and the holy life that is necessary thereto, these things are so great, and holy, and sweet, and of such concernment to thee, that they would leave little room for lust within thee, and would make thee abhor it as contrary to those things which have thy heart. No such cure for any carnal love as the love of God; nor for fleshly lusts, as a spiritual, renewed, heavenly mind. Thou wouldst then tell satan that God had taken up all the room, and thy narrow heart is too little for him alone; and that there is no room for lust, or the thoughts that serve it. A true conversion which turneth the heart to God, doth turn it from this with other sins, though some sparks may still be unextinguished. It was once noted that many turn from other sects to the Epicureans, but none from the Epicureans to any other sect: the reason was because nature is inclined to sensuality in all, and when it is confirmed by use and doctrine, philosophy is too weak to master it. But Christ calleth and saveth epicures, and publicans, and harlots, and hath cleansed many such by his grace, which teacheth men to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the world." Philostratus tells us of a sudden change upon one Isæus, that turned him from luxury to exceeding temperance: so that when one asked him, 'Is not yonder a handsome woman?' he answered, 'The diseases of my eyes are cured;' when they asked him which dish was the pleasantest, he answered, 'Desii curare;' 'I have done regarding such things:' and told them the reason, that marvelled at his change, Because he found that he did but gather fruits out of Tantalus'

garden' they are "deceitful lusts" and satan himself will reproach thee for ever, if he can deceive thee by them. As Alexander when he had taken Darius, his gallantry, and sumptuous houses, and furniture, reproaches him with it saying, 'Hoccine erat imperare?' Was this to rule? So satan would shew thee thy lusts and say, Was this. to be a Christian and seek salvation?

PART VI.

Directions against sinful Excess of Sleep.

Or this, something is said already, Chap. v. Part 1., and more afterwards in the Directions against Idleness. Therefore I shall say but little now. 1. I shall shew you when sleep is excessive. 2. Wherein the sinfulness of it consisteth. 3. What to do for the cure of it.

I. Sleep is given us for the necessary remission of the animal operations, and of the labour or motion of the exterior parts, by the quieting of the senses, or shutting them up; that the natural and vital operations may have the less disturbance. It is necessary, 1. To our rest. 2. To concoction. Therefore weariness and want of concoction are the chief indications, to tell us how much is needful for us. Sleep is sinfully excessive, 1. When it is voluntarily more than is needful to our health. 2. When it is unseasonable, at forbidden times.

It is not all weariness or sleepiness that maketh sleep lawful or needful: for some is contracted by laziness, and some by many diseases, and some by other constant causes which make men almost always weary. Nor is it all want of concoction that sleep is a remedy for: some may be caused by excess of eating, which must be cured a better way; and many diseases may cause it, which require other 'cure. Therefore none must indulge excess upon these pretences. Nor must a present sense of the pleasure of sleeping, or the displeasure of waking be the judge: for sluggards may think they feel it do them good, and that early rising doth them hurt; but this good is but their present ease, and this hurt is but a little trouble to their head, and d Eph. iv. 22.

eyes, and lazy flesh, just at the time. But reason and experience must judge what measure is best for your health, and that you must not exceed. To some five hours is enough: to the ordinary sort of healthful persons six hours is enough: to many weak, valetudinary persons seven hours is needful: to sick persons I am not to give Directions.

2. Sleep is excessive at that particular time when it is unseasonable. As 1. When we are asleep when we should be doing some necessary business which calls for present dispatch. 2. Or when we should be hearing the sermon, or praying, in public or private. In a word, when it puts by any greater duty which we should then perform. As, when the disciples slept when Christ was in his agony: "Could ye not watch with me one hour? watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation "."

It is a foppery and abuse of God and ourselves, to think that the breaking of our sleep is a thing that of itself pleaseth God or that rising to pray at midnight is more acceptable to God than at another hour: usually such rising to pray is sinful, 1. Because it is done in an erroneous conceit that God accepts it better than in the day time. 2. Because they waste time in dressing and undressing. 3. Or else hurt their health by cold in the winter, and so lose more time than they redeem by shortening their lives. 4. And usually they are more drowsy and unfit. But to rise in the night to prayer is meet, on some extraordinary occasion that calls for it: as to pray with, or for a dying person, or such like; or when an extraordinary fervor and fitness prepareth us for it; and when we can stay up when we are up, and not lose time in going to bed again. But ordinarily that way is to be chosen that best redeemeth time; and that is, to consider just how much sleep our health requireth, and to take it if we can together without interruption, and to rise then and go about our duties. But those that cannot sleep in the night, must redeem that time as discretion shall direct them.

It is the voluntariness of the excess that the sinfulness principally consisteth in and therefore the more voluntary the more sinful. In a lethargy or caros it is no sin and when long watching, or some bodily weakness or distemper

e Matt, xxvi. 40, 41.

make it almost unavoidable, the sin is the smaller therefore in case of long watching and heaviness, Christ partly excused his disciples, saying, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak f." But when it cometh from a flesh-pleasing sloth, or from a disregard of any holy exercise that you are about, it is a grievous sin. And though it be involuntary just at the time, and you say, I would fain forbear sleeping now if I could;' yet if it be voluntary remotely and in its causes, it is your sin. You would now forbear sleeping; but you would not forbear that pampering the body, and stuffing your guts which causeth it: you would not deny the flesh its ease to avoid it.

II. The sinfulness of excess of sleep lieth in these particulars: 1. That it is a sinful wasting of every minute of that time which is consumed in it. And this is a very grievous thing, to a heart that is sensible of the preciousness of time: when we think how short our lives are, and how great our work is, it should tell us how great a sin it is to cast away any of this little time in needless sleep. And yet what abundance of it with many is thus spent. Almost half their whole lives is spent in bed, by many drones, that think they may sleep because they are rich, and have not a necessity of labouring to supply their wants. I was never tempted (that I remember,) so much to grudge at God's natural ordering of man, in any thing, as that we are fain to waste so much of our little time in sleep: nor was I ever tempted to grudge at my weakness so much on any account as this, that it deprived me of so much precious time, which else might have been used in some profitable work. The preciousness of time makes excessive sleeping to be a great sin, according to the measure of the excess.

2. It is a neglect of all our powers and parts which should all that time be exercised. Reason is idle and buried all that while all your wisdom and knowledge are of no use to you". All the learning of the greatest scholar in the world, is of no more service than if he were illiterate; nor all the prudence and policy of the wisest, than if they were mere idiots. All the strength and health of the strongest are of

f Matt. xxvi. 41.

8 Nil temporis tam perit de vita nostra quam quod somno deputatur. Ber.

h Dormiens nemo ullius pretii est. Plato in Diog. Laert.

no more service than if they were sick; nor the skill of the greatest artist, than if he had never learnt his art: nor any of your limbs or senses, than if you were lame, or blind, or deaf, or senseless. And I leave it to any man's consideration and judgment, whether if drunkenness be so odious a sin, because it depriveth a man voluntarily of the use of his reason and parts, it must not be a very great sin to do the same by sleeping, by frequent, voluntary, excessive sleeping. For no man I think is drunk so often as the sluggard is dead in sleep: sluggards quite kill their reason, when most drunkards do but maim it, or make it sick. Sluggards bury their wits and parts, usually ten times as long in the year, as the filthiest drunkards do. And hath God given you reason, and parts, and strength for no better use, than to bury it for so considerable a part of your lives?

3. Excess of sleep is guilty of all the omissions of those duties, which should all that time have been performed: of the omission of every holy thought, and word, and deed which should have been then exercised; and of the omission of all the duties of your calling of the omission of every prayer you should have then prayed, and every chapter you should have read; and all the good which you should have got to yourselves, or done to others; to wife, husband, children, parents, servants, neighbours. And you know that omissions are one half and the greater half of the sins of the world; and that God will condemn the wicked at last for their omissions; for not feeding the poor, not clothing them, not visiting: and that he requireth the improvement of all his talents; and that it is his terrible sentence, "Thou wicked and slothful servant, &c. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." What then shall we think of the wilful omission, not of one duty, but of all duty whatsoever; not now and then, but constantly for an hour, or two, or three once in four and twenty hours! No love of God, no desires towards him, no good is exercised all that time.

Quest. Can the love of sleep alone be the mortal, reigning sin in any one? The reason of the doubt is, because that the mortal sin is a sin of mistaken interest, that is, such as hath a man's chiefest love, and is preferred before God,