which it seems so small a thing as sleep or ease cannot be, but it seems a mere neglect or remissness in the way of duty, and not to be chosen as any man's felicity.'

Answ. The sin that is set up against the love of God, as a man's ultimate end and happiness, is flesh-pleasing in the general, or carnal self-love: and he that is guilty of this can hardly be imagined to exercise his sensual desire only in the way of sloth and sleep. It is certain that he preferreth the greatest pleasure of his flesh which he can attain before the less and therefore as to the habit or inclination, he is as much addicted to covetousness, gluttony, ambition, or other ways of sensuality: and if they are within his reach, that he can hope to attain them, he will actually desire such greater pleasures, more than this. For there is no man that is an unregenerate sensualist that hath mortified covetousness, luxury, and pride, and yet is captivated only by sleep or sloth: the same grace which truly mortifieth the greater would mortify the less. But it is possible that a beggar or some such person, that hath no other sensual pleasure but idleness in view or hope, may exercise his sensuality principally this way! Not but that radically he preferreth riches and honour before his beggarly sloth and ease; but those desires having no matter to work upon, do not stir in him; because he hath no hope of reaching such a thing. The sum is 1. Carnal self-love is the great opposite to the love of God. 2. This self-love worketh towards carnal pleasure, and to the greatest most. 3. Habitually therefore the love of riches, honour, and voluptuousness is stronger than the love of ease. 4. Actually the love of ease may be the strongest in some. 5. But if those persons were as capable of the higher fleshly pleasures, they would love them actually more. 6. It is not the omitting of some particular duties through the love of ease, which proveth such a sensual, unsanctified state of soul; but the preferring of men's ease before a holy life in the main: as when men so far love their ease, that they will not make it the chief of their desires and employments, to "seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness k."

The overcoming of excessive sleep is easy, if you be but thoroughly willing.

* Matt, vi. 33.

Direct 1. The first thing to be done, is to correct that sluggish, phlegmatic temper of body which inclineth you to it, which is chiefly to be done by such an abstinence or temperate diet, as I gave directions for before.' A full belly is fit for nothing else but sleep or lust. Reduce your diet to that measure which is needful to your health, and eat not any more to please your appetites. And let fasting cure you when you have exceeded.

Direct. 11. Labour hard in your callings that your sleep may be sweet while you are in it; or else you will lie in bed on pretence of necessity, because you cannot sleep well when you are there.' Then you will say, you must take it out in the morning, because you sleep not in the night. But see that this be not caused by idleness. Weary your bodies in your daily labours: "for the sleep of the labouring man is sweet!."

Direct. III. See that thou have a calling which will find thee employment for all thy time, which God's immediate service spareth.' Yea, which somewhat urgeth thee to diligence. Otherwise thou wilt lie in bed, and say, thou hast time to spare, or nothing to do. You can rise when you have a journey to be gone, or a business of pressing necessity to be done: keep yourselves under some constant necessity, or urgency of business at the least.

Direct. IV. Take pleasure in your callings, and in the service of God.' Sluggards themselves can rise to that which they take much pleasure in: as to go to a merriment, or feast, or play, or game, or to a good bargain, or any thing which they delight in. If thou hadst a delight in thy calling, and in reading the Scripture, and praying, and doing good, thou couldst not lie contentedly in bed, but wouldst long to be up and doing, as children to their play. The wicked can rise early to do wickedness, because their hearts are set upon it: they can be drunk, or steal, or whore, or plot their ambitious or covetous designs, when they should sleep. And if thy heart were set as much on good, as theirs is on evil, wouldst not thou be as wakeful and as readily up? Direct. v. Remember the grand importance of the business of your souls which always lieth on your hands, that the greatness of your work may rouse you up.' What! lie

Eccles. v. 12.

slugging in bed, when you are so far behindhand in knowledge, and grace, and assurance of salvation; and have so much of the Scripture and other books to read and understand? Hast thou not grace to beg for a needy soul? Is not prayer better work than excess of sleeping? Great business in the world can make you rise, and why not greater?

Direct. vi. Remember that thou must answer in judgment for thy time:' and what comfort wilt thou have, to say I slugged away so many hours in a morning? And what comfort at death when time is gone, to review so much cast away in sleep?

Direct. VII. Remember that God beholdeth thee, and is calling thee up to work.' If thou understoodest his word and providence, thou wouldst hear him as it were, saying as the mariners to Jonah, "What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God"." Wilt thou lie sleeping inordinately when God stands over thee, and calls thee up? If the king, or any great person, or friend, did but knock at thy door, thou wouldst rise presently to wait upon them. Why, God would speak with thee by his Word, or hear thee speak to him by prayer; and wilt thou lie still and despise

his call?

Direct. VIII. Remember how many are attending thee while thou sleepest.' If it be summer, the sun is up before thee that hath gone so many thousand miles while thou wast asleep it hath given a day's light to the other half of the world since thou laidst down, and is come again to light thee to thy work, and wilt thou let it shine in vain? All the creatures are ready in their places to assist thee, and art thou asleep?

Direct. Ix. Consider whether thou wilt allow thy servants to do the like:' they must be up and at work, or you will be offended, and tell them that they are no servants for you, and that you hire them not to sleep. And do you not owe God more service than they owe you? Doth God hire you to sleep? Is it any lawfuller for you than them, to sleep one minute more than is needful to your health? No, not a minute: if you are more sickly than they, that is another matter; (but see that fulness and idleness cause it not.) But otherwise your riches are no excuse to you: will you

in Jonah i. 6.

loiter more than they, because you receive more? and do less service, because you have more pay? Or is it your privilege to be so miserable, as to lose that time which poor men save?

Direct. x. Remember that your morning hours are the choicest part of all the day, for any holy exercise, or special employment of the mind.' The mind is fresh and clear, and there is less interruption by worldly business; whereas when others are up and about their business, you will have interpellations. Those that have tried it can say by experience, that the morning hours are the flower of their time, for prayer or studies: and that early rising is a great part of the art of redeeming time.

Direct. x1. Remember how many are condemning you by their diligence, while you are slugging away your time.' How many holy persons are then at prayer in secret, wrestling fervently with God for their salvation; or reading and meditating in his Word? What do they get while you are sleeping? The blessed man doth delight in the law of the Lord, and meditate in it day and night: and you love your ease, and are sleeping day and night: will not all these be witnesses against you? So will the diligent in their callings; and so will the worldlings and wicked that rise early to their sin! How many thousand are hard at work while you are sleeping? Have you not work to do, as well as they?

Direct. x11. Remember that sensuality or flesh-pleasing is the great condemning sin that turns the heart from God:' and if it be odious in a drunkard or fornicator, why is it not so in you? Mortify the flesh, and learn to deny it in its inordinate desires, and your sin is almost cured.

Direct. XIII. For then the executive part is easy when you are willing: it is but agreeing with some one to awaken you, and a little cold water will wash away your drowsiness if you consent.'

PART VII.

Directions against Sinful Dreams.

DREAMS are neither good nor sinful simply in themselves, because they are not rational and voluntary, nor in our pow

er: but they are often made sinful by some other voluntary act: they may be sinful by participation and consequently. And the acts that make them sinful, are either such as go before, or such as follow after.

1. The antecedent causes are any sinful act which distempereth the body, or any sin which inclineth the fantasy and mind thereto; or the omission of what was necessary to prevent them. 2. The causes which afterwards make them objectively sinful, are the ill uses that men make of them: as when they take their dreams to be divine revelations, and trust to them, or are affrighted by them as ominous, or as prophetical; and make them the ground of their actions, and seduce themselves by the phantasms of their own brains.

Direct. 11. 6

Direct. 1. Avoid those bodily distempers as much as you can, which cause sinful dreams, especially fulness of diet;' a full stomach causeth troublesome dreams, and lustful dreams and hath its ill effects by night and by day. Endeavour the cure of those sinful distempers of the mind which cause sinful dreams.' The cure of a worldly mind, is the best way to cure worldly, covetous dreams and the cure of a lustful heart, is the best way to cure lustful dreams: and so of the rest: cleanse the fountain, and the waters will be the sweeter day and night.

Direct. 111. Suffer not your thoughts, or tongue, or actions to run sinfully upon that in the day, which you would not dream sinfully of in the night".' Common experience telleth us, that our dreams will be apt to follow our foregoing thoughts, and words, and deeds. If you think most frequently and affectionately of that which is good, you will dream of that which is good. If you think of lustful, filthy objects, or speak of them, or meddle with them, you will dream of them: and so of covetous and ambitious dreams. And they that make no conscience to sin waking, are not like much to scruple sinning in their sleep.

Direct. IV. Commend yourselves to God by prayer before you take your rest, and beseech him to set a guard upon your fantasy when you cannot guard it.' Cast the cure upon him, and fly to him for help by faith and prayer in the sense of your insufficiency.

" Cogitationes sanctiores sequuntur somnia blandiora et delectabiliora. Greg. Moral,