own obfervation and experience. By them that flumber, we understand fuch as are, as it were,half afleep, between fleeping and waking, heavy in all their duties, and liftlefs without Life and Spirit in what they do. By them that Sleep, we, understand fuch whofe Senfes are for that time. quite ufelefs, quite overcome with Sleep, fo as to be in a manner like Dead Men as to all ra tional Actions. And thus it is with all Men' more or less, not the wifeft or the beft, but we fometimes flumber and fleep.

1. We are all good and bad, are apt to flumber and be drowly, both in all Religious and, Holy Duties, and in watching against Temptations. And as one in an imperfect fleep or flumber, has a thousand fancies and foolish thoughts in his Head, and confiders nothing throughly and to purpofe, but many things jum bled together confufedly: So is it too much with us all. We Pray, and Hear, and Read, and Meditate, Dully, Coldly, Heavily and Confufedly. We have too little warmth and vigour, and Spirit in all we do, and a thousand vain and idle Thoughts difturb us. And whilft we fhould be on our watch against Temptations, we are Remifs, and imaginations of our own Strength, or little danger, and the harmlefs ufe of the thing too often abate our Vigilance. And indeed not to infist on particulars, we flumber away thus the greatest part of our time in a liftlefsnefs of Mind, and are regardless how we spend it, whether in vain Thoughts or idle Words, or frivolous Difcourfes, or childish Mirth; and are feldom fo throughly awake, as we ought to be: And,

2dly. We are often, even the best of us, caft into a dead Sleep for a time, drawn for want of care and vigilance into many actual Sins, as David into Adultery and Murder, and St. Peter into denying of Chrift. Or if by the Grace of God we are kept from grofs and notorious Sins, yet are there both omiflions of doing Good, and commiffions of doing Evil, greater or fmaller, that we are ever and anon guilty of. In many things we offend all. Ja. 3. 2. Who can fay, he has cleanfed his Heart from all evil Thoughts and Defires; or that he offends not fometimes with his Tongue; or that he attends fo diligently to all his Actions, that he leaves no duty undone, or that he doth nothing that is Sinful? No, if we jay we have no Sin, we deceive ourselves, 1 Job. 1. 8. We must all confefs, not the best of us excepted, that we are too apt to flumber and fleep. This is enough. ft. To keep the best of us very humble in the Senfe of our weakness, that fometimes (as the Apostles) tho' fo often warned by our loving Saviour, and in the midft of fo many dangers, yet we are fometimes unable to watch with him one hour. 2dly. To excite us to more care, confidering that how much more apt we are by nature to fall asleep, the more means we fhould ufe to keep ourselves awake. And 3dly, to make us more compaffionate towards others, and not to infult over them, when we see them overtaken in a fault, confidering ourselves how apt we are to be Tempted. Gal. 6. 1. Therefore with all meeknefs and pitty, we fhould endeavour to awake and reftore them? 'Tis cruelty to Pinch and Beat those who will be awakened with a Call.

But now there may be very ill ufe made of

what

what has been faid, if it be not rightly taken. For on the one fide (may the wicked Men fay) if all Sleep, the good as well as bad, wife and foolish, we do no worse than the beft do, and therefore we may escape as well as they. And on the other fide, if all Sleep (may the fcrupulous Chriftian fay) then are we in the fame condition with the worft, and how can we hope for better ufage than they? It is neceffary therefore to fhew,

2. What's the difference between the fleeping of the wife and of the foolish Virgins. And tho' they all flept we shall find, their guilt was not all alike, for then they should have fared alike at the Bridegroom's coming, either all fhould have entered in with him, or all fhould have been fhut out by him. But fecing it was not fo, we are fure they were not alike faulty, tho' they all flumber'd and flept. Confider then,

I. It is not all one to Sleep always, or very much; and now and then to fall asleep, and that feldom. And thus it is with these two forts, the good and bad Chriftian. The foolish Virgin or bad Chriftian, either flumbers or fleeps always, is never throughly awake to God, fleeps on in an habitual courfe of Negligence and Wickedness, and if he feem awake doing any good thing, he doth but feem fo, for he is ftill flumbering, and doth all in meer formality, which is but a fhadow of Religion, as a Dream is of waking. Or if his Confcience be fometimes awakened, it is but for a Fit, and he quickly falls afleep, returns to his Sin and carelets courfe of Life again. But now the wife Virgin or good Chriftian, is in the main habit and courfe of his Converfation awake, careful to ferve God, and but feldom is furprized by Sleep, or by Temptation led into Sin: he is quickly awake again,

but

and the very Vexation and Grief he has for having flept, keeps him awake, and more watchful over himself for the time to come.

2. 'Tis not all alike, to Sleep willingly, to delight in Sleep, and to use means of provoking Sleep; and to Sleep unwillingly, through mere infirmity of nature, and against all the means one can ufe to keep himfelf Awake. And this the difference between the Wife and Foolish, good and bad Chriftian. The bad Chriftian indulgeth himself in Sleep or Sinfulness, and delight in nothing more than in fulfilling his Lufts of all forts. He therefore fhuns not, but ventures upon Temptations, as pleasing Allurements to Sleep; and takes Opiates to make him Sleep. If his Confcience be awakned, and grow fotroublefom to him, that it will not let him Sleep quietly, he feeks out means to filence it, Sinful Company, Drunkennefs, Feafting, Sporting, any thing he can think on, to ftill the disturbance it makes in his Breaft, that he may Sleep again : He makes him a foft and eafy Bed, shuts the Windows, forbids all Noife that he may Sleep; that is, he ufeth Idlenefs, Eafe and Pleasure; fhuts out Reading, Meditation, &c. leaft the Light fhould break in upon him, and keep him Awake; and will not endure Reproof, Rebuke, or feafonable Admonition, the ungrateful Noife that would keep him from Sleep. But now on the contrary, the good Man takes all the care he can to keep himfel. Awake, his Confcience fenfible and fender, and his Thoughts bufy about his Work. Heperfectly hates Sleeping, Carelessness and Sin, and delights in his Duty, and ufeth all helps to keep himielf conftantly awake. If he chance to Nod, even that itartles him, and makes him afraid of falling afleep. He fhuns all provo

cations

cations to Sleep, all immoderate Pleafures, all Drunkenness and Gluttony, and Temptations of any fort. He Prays and Reads, and keeps good Gompany, and is exceeding thankful to any one that with feafonable Reproof or Admonition awakens him, and keeps conftantly in the Light, and bufy at fome good work, that he may prevent his falling afleep any more.

3. It is not all one to fleep till all the Oil be fpent, and be without Supply; and to fleep and wake again before the Lamp be gone out, and having Oil remaining to fupply it with. Now the foolish Virgin, or negligent Chriftian lets the time flip, and fleeps out the Opportunity, and takes no care till it be too late to prepare his Soul by repentance of all Sins, and the Practice of Chriftian Vertues, till the Bridegroom come; and fo hath no time to prepare for Heaven in. But the good Chriftian plieth his time, and lays hold always on the prefent Opportunity, and by daily repentance and amendment of Life, renewing his Vows, and ftrengthening his Refolucions, and making the Practice of Goodness eafy and familiar to him, tho' he may flip into Sin, is eafily recovered, and has only that one Sin to repent of wholly, and not that neither as a wiltul one, when he is called forth.

It is easy then to fee a great difference between these two forts of Slumberers and Sleepers, fo that the one have no reafon to encourage themfelves by the Example of the other, nor the other any reafon to be dejected by any fort of likeness to the firft. We come therefore

3dly, To the reafon of this flumbering and fleeping, which is the Bridegroom's tarrying. While the Bridegroom tarried, &c. viz. Chrift's