vaine thoughts Ier. 4. 14. Isa 3. 16. disdainfull and proud lookes wanton eyes walking with stretched-forth necks and such other unseemly gestures and of every idle word that men â—at 12. 36. shall speake they shall give an account on the day of judgement how much more then taketh he notice of this sinne How much more shall wee be called to an account for the same 2. Even small sinnes â—utta cavat â—pidem non â— sed saepè dendo continued in and unrepented of becomming at the length sinnes of custome are most dangerous A drop of water by falling on the hardest stone maketh it at the length hollow and the smallest sinne continued in doth at the length no lesse wound the conscience then the greatest yea those which at the length prove hainous crimes were but as we may so speake pettie offences Did not Mariners daily pumpe out the water that by little and little unperceived entereth the ship it would be thereby no lesse endangered then by some sudden great leake so did not Gods children daily mortifie their smallest corruptions they could not but at one time or other make shipwracke of Faith and of a good conscience 3. It is even in it selfe a great sinne and in like manner the cause of others as hath beene already shewed 4. Gods children make conscience even of their smallest sinnes If David doe but 1 Sam. 24. 5â— cut off the lappe of Sauls garment his heart smites him for it As Moses would have the Exod. 10. 26. cattell to goe with them and not an hoofe to bee left behind for Pharaoh that thereof they might take to serve the Lord their God in the wildernesse so must not we employ any one member on the service of Satan but our whole man in Rom. 12. 1. every part and facultie thereof on the service of God at all times 5. Even for small sinnes as wee may so speake hath Gen. 20. 2. 6. 18. God inflicted fearefull judgements as on the familie of Abimelech who had taken but not touched Sarai Abrahams wife On the men of Bethshemesh for looking into the Sam. 6. 19. Sam. 6. 7. Arke and on Vzza for putting his hand thereon when the oxen shaked it 6. As the least sinne displeaseth God and for the least wee are to call upon God for mercy as David for the sinnes of his youth so even â—sal 1. 25. 7. the least occasioned the death of Christ II. It is an ordinary usuall thing and so the lesse to be regarded A A. Therefore it is the more dangerous the more to be avoided Gods judgements being chiefly inflicted because 1 Pet. 3. 20 of Nationall sinnes Was not disobedience the common sinne of the old world yet was not it left unpunished God spared 2 Pet. 2. 5. not the old world saith S. Peter but saved Noah the eight person a Preacher of righteousnesse bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly were Ezek. 16. 49. not pride fulnesse of bread abundance of idlenesse and unmercifulnesse to the poore the common sinnes of Sodome yet 2 Pet. 2. 6. â—urned he it into ashes and condemned it with an overthrow Agreeable hereunto is that of â—he Prophet touching Israel The Lord hath a controversie Hos 4. 1. â—ith the inhabitants of the and because there is no truth â—or mercy nor knowledge of â—od in the land By swearing Verse 2. and lying and killing and stealing and committing of adultery they breake out and blood coucheth blood Therefore shall the land mourne and every one Verse 3. that dwelleth therein shall languish The Benjamites one Iudg. 20. 14. and all tooke part with those wicked men in Gibeah and did they not notwithstanding smart for it Though then Church-sleeping bee common it followeth not that therefore it is warrantable The rifer any evill is in the places or ages we live in the more carefull should wee be to shun and avoide the same See then saith the Apostle that yee walke Eph. 5. 15 16 circumspectly not as fooles but as wise redeeming the time because the dayes are evill Are the times then wee live in or the places wee abide in more then ordinarily evill in this kind That giveth us no liberty but should make so much the more wary lest wee be taken napping Noah was a just Gen. 6. 9. man in his generation even in that generation wherein the whole world was over-grown with wickednesse so should wee watch at Church though others be thereat taken with the sleeping evill To sleepe at Church is not hurtfull or prejudiciall unto others III. A. But what good is A there hereby done unto any Malum est non fecisse bonum Chrysde virt vit To doe no good is in effect the same with to doe evill yea thus doing thou dost both hurt thy selfe and others Thy selfe as being hereby deprived of the sincere milke of the Word Others as being unto them through thy evill example a stone of offence IIII. To sleepe at Church is not so bad as then and there to have thoughts of covetousnesse Ezek. 33. 31 eyes of adultery revenge disdaine and the like by being awake A 1 A. 1. The question is not which of the two are the lesser evill this or that 2. If thou didst seriously consider in whose presence thou art even in his who is a God cloathed with majestie and honour a Heb. 12. 29. consuming fire and an everlasting burning who cannot away with sinne the least sinne in any and to what end thou didst come into Gods house thou wouldst neither sinne so nor so 3. Thy thoughts and lookes being such it appeares that thou makest but small conscience of thy wayes 4. If thou wouldst pray with the Psalmist Incline mine heart Psal 119. 36. unto thy Testimonies and not to covetousnesse And Turne away Verse 37. mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken thou me in thy way thou shouldst have no such cause to object V V. It is not done of set purpose A A. Of set purpose leave it undone Let it be thy stedfast resolution whilst thou art at Church not to give sleepe to thine eyes norslumber to rhine eye lids VI. Sleepe there is but napping asmall time a shutting of the eyes a winke and away A A. Yet so that thou thereby loseth the whole Sermon Though thou hearest the Word now and then yet how it hangeth on the former how it precedeth the latter thou canst not tell Sect. 2. The persons committing The persons committing it it I. I am accustomed hereunto that either I must stay at home or notwithstanding of mine unwillingnesse to sleepe and paines which I take to shake it off sleepe when I come to Church A 1 A. 1. Though thou customarily sleepest at Church yet come for haply as Master Mr. Latimers Serm. Latimer once said thou maist be there taken napping 2. If thou dislikest it art
Luk. 13. 16. bowed together and could in no wise lift up her selfe yet was at the length loosed from her bonds The man of the palsie was diseased for the Joh. 5. 9. space of 38. yeares and yet at length at Christs command and by his power rose tooke up his bed and walked The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound Joh. 3. 8. thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth and whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of the Spirit Abide an hearer waite Gods good leisure for assuredly if thou belongest to God thou shalt heare something at the length which will doe thee good Sect. 5. The Persons reproving The persons â—eproving it it I. They have little to doe that meddle herewith A A. They are never out of their calling which would worke in thee a dislike of sinne and further thy salvation whether in this or other particulars Some are enabled to encounter the greatest Every one may seeme sufficiently qualified to cope with this II. Such often-times as are most faultie herein doe most find fault hereat A A. Though their zeale against this sinne in thee doth not excuse or tolerate them thus to sinne yet art not thou thus to sinne because thy reprovers may be justly reproved for the same CHAP. VI. Remedies for the cure of this sleeping evill IT is observed that those grounds doe beare most corne and are freest from weeds which before they are sowne are duly prepared and after the seed is â—owne are carefully harrowed What is to be done to avoid Church-sleeping â—ell fenced in and diligently â—ooked unto So those which would profit by the Word and â—e free from this dowsie diâ—ease must both before they â—ome to Church when they are â—ome to Church and when they â—re returned home set themâ—elves on worke Sect. I. Before wee come to Church we must Before we come to Church 1. Take notice of Gods great goodnesse towards us in affording his Word unto us the same being so needfull as without which our condition could not bee but indeed miserable the same being so profitable as Amos 8. 11. Rev. 2. 5. that no greater judgement can befall a land then the remevall thereof therefrom no greater happinesse then its continuance 2. Examine our owne hearts throughly for what cause and to what end it is that wee goe to Church as whether it be not more for feare then love out of custome then conscience to see and to bee seene then in obedience unto Gods Commandement This is to ponder the path of our feet and surely Prov. 4. 26. Prov. 14. 15. the prudent man looketh well to his going 3. Observe our naturall constitution and by what meanes it commeth to passe that sleepe at Church seazeth upon us as whether it comes not through long waking excessive eating and drinking distracting cares of the world for as Abraham Gen. 22. 5. when hee went to sacrifice his sonne upon the Mount left his asse and servants at the foot of the hill So when we come to the holy hill of God with the Congregation wee must abandon all by businesses prejudice against the person of the Teacher Pride for some measure of knowledge received Amputemus causas morbi ut morbus pariter auferatur Hier. carnall securitie or the like for the cause being knowne and taken away the effect will of it selfe cease Upon this discovery will ensure an holy jealousie whereby we shall be made so wary as that wee shall not trust our selves but use meanes to prevent this evill for as they that know themselves to have a weake stomacke are very chary of their diet so hee that is suspicious of himselfe and jealous of his owne drowsinesse and pronenesse thereto will bee carefull to avoid the same And as they that have gun-powder in their houses are carefull that fire come not neere it so finding our corruption as gun-powder and the forementioned causes of drowsinesse as fire wee shall endevour that they may not meet together yea hereupon if wee shall at any time be stirred up to a dislike of the Teacher to an admiration of our owne knowledge and the like wee shall thus argue If I shall give way unto this suggestion then will sleepe seaze on mee then shall I lose the benefit of the Word c. 4. Labour for a true hatred and detestation of this sinne Rom. 12. 9. Never shall wee closely cleave unto that which is good till we have brought our hearts to detest and abhorre that which is evill were this throughly wrought there needed no rhetoricke to disswade us from Church-sleeping As Amnon loathing Thamar thrust her 1 Sam. 13. 16 out of doores so it being the Pro. 8. 13. feare of God to hate evill would we drive it away And as a man cannot indure the sent or savour of the meate which he loatheth our very hearts would rise against the same 5. Hunger after the Word Bodily hunger may occasion sleepe or sleepe may seaze even on the hungry according to the Proverb Sleepe commeth Vulpiesurient somnus obrepit Eras chiâ— upon the hungry fox but this hunger driveth away sleepe for as the stomacke hungering for meat cannot bee contented without it so neither can our soules without the Word being once taken with an earnest desire thereof Great was Davids longing for a little water 2 Sam. 23. 1 of the Well of Bethleem Oh! saith he that one would give mee drinke of the water of the Well of Bethleem which is by the gate but much more vehement was it for the Word My soule saith he thirsteth Psal 42. 2. for God for the living God when shall I come and appeare before God And againe My Psal 84 2. soule longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. Assuredly had David had leave at this time to have come to the hearing of the Word he would not have slept thereat And who will not hunger after the Word if hee doe but 1. Take a tast thereof in private By what meanes an aunger after the Word may be wrought â—n us by reading and meditation Hereby the soule cannot but get much both instruction and consolation 2. Consider the excellencie necessity and utilitie of the same whereof I have already spoken at large and wereof both David and Psal 19. 10. Prov. 3. 15. and 8. 10. Salomon did make so much acaccount that they esteemed it above gold silver rubies and what not 6. Resolve to attend unto and make conscience of the sacred ordinance of preaching there delivered As Job I have made Job 31. 1. a covenant with my eyes why then should I thinke upon a maide So doe we make a covenant as with our eares to heare so with our eyes not to sleepe at Church Such was Davids religious care for the Arke that hee would not give Psal 132. 4. sleepe to his eyes nor slumber
others we would questionlesse not sleepe thereat The care of riches Ecclus. 31. 1. driveth away sleepe saith the sonne of Sirach So did wee care for the durable riches which the Word affordeth we would not sleepe thereat 5. Consider that as God sleepeth not for our good and Psal 121. 4. the divell sleepeth not for our hurt So if we should sleepe at Church God would leave us and the divell would make a prey of us 6. Call to mind that there will be store of witnesses to rise up against us on the day of judgement if wee shall thus sin Then will the Lord say I spake unto them but they would not heare me I was present with mine owne ordinance but they would not looke upon mee Then will Christ say I offered my selfe unto them but they would none of me I called upon them but they would not answer me I would have shewed them what I had done for them but they did not regard me Then will the Holy Ghost say I would have entered into their hearts I would have there lodged I would have made the Word to take roote in them but by their sleeping thereat they grieved me Then will the Word say They despised me The Saints say They offended us The ungodly say They hardened us in our sinnes and occasioned our contempt of the Word It were not amisse that as â—an 5. 5 6. Belshazar was driven from his carnall mirth by viewing the hand-writing which appeared on the wall they that are accustomed to sleepe at Church would imagine at least that it were written over their Pewes Awake thou that sleepest â—h 5. 14. In particular in hearing we â— particular must use 1. Attention which is when the whole body especially the â—ention eare and the eye are reverently composed about hearing the Word The eare as Cornelius Act. 10. 33. and his houshold were already waiting for Peter to heare the Word The eye as the Luk. 4 28. eyes of all that were in the Synagogue were fastened on him that is on Christ when hee began to teach them wee must with Mary sit at Jesus feet Luk. 10. 39. and heare his Word Doth not the hungry stomack watch for meat and should not wee watch for the food of our soules 2. Intention which is of the mind when wee diligently Intention marke those things which wee are taught We see by experience that in a deepe meditation though our eyes be fixed on some certaine object yet wee smally regard it so if the mind bee not present aswell as the body all is to no purpose To this purpose is that of Salomon Prov. 2. 2 Cause thine eare to hearken and encline thine heart to wisdome and understanding 3. Retention which is of the memorie when wee lay up Retention Luk. 2. 52. the word of God in the heart as the Virgin Mary the sayings concerning Christ Hee that maketh conscience hereof will hardly sleepe hereat 4. Devotion which calleth for an heart truly religious A Devotion devout soule never heares of mercy but with comfort of Gods justice but with feare of his truth without assenting to it of his workes without admiration and where devotion dwelleth drowsinesse is shut out 5. Subjection God speakes and must not wee heare yea â—ubjection yeeld obedience therunto how repugnant soever the same seemeth unto our corrupt nature now how can there bee obedience when there is no subjection how subjection where knowledge wanteth how knowledge bee had without instruction how receive instruction without hearing it how heare it if sleepe bee entertained 6. Discretion The eare is to Discretion the soule as the mouth is to the body The mouth refuseth unsavoury meat that may bee hurtfull to the body so must our eares reject erroneous and hereticall doctrine But if the mouth bee out of taste what food will it not receive how noysome soever so if the eares bee dull and heavy will not falshood be embraced for truth mens traditions as Gods commandements Those that we may the better Means wherby to performe those performe we must 1. Remember that we are in Gods presence at Bethel Gods house and that hee both seeth Psal 16. 8 1 Cor. 11. 1â— us and speaketh to us we must set the Lord alwayes before our eyes especially at this time If Paul will have women reverently to behave themselves in the congregation because of the Angels much more ought all both men and women to behave themselves reverently because of the presence of God who is the Lord both of men and Angels This was that which kept David in compasse Psa 119. 168 I have kept saith hee thy Precepts and Testimonies for all my wayes are in thy sight Doe wee at any time begin to find our selves drowsie at Church speake we thus unto our owne soules Should I thus doe in Gods presence yea as the Lord called Samuel Samuel 1 Sam 3. 10. Samuel and the ship-master unto Jonah What meanest Ionah 1. 6. thou O sleeper So doe we imagine that the Lord speaketh unto every one of us in particular Why sleepest thou O sluggard awake thou that sleepest 2. Stand up It is very memorable which is reported of Euseb de vita Constant lib. 4 â—ap 33. Constantine the Great by Eusebius Being requested by Divines that disputed before him that after long standing hee would sit downe and take his ease answered It is an impious thing to heare negligently disputations concerning God 3. Rouse up our selves ever and anone as the cocke clappeth his wings that he may the more cheerfully crow wee must stirre up the grace of God 2 Tim. 1. 6. in us yea wee must check our selves when wee perceive our drowsinesse How long wilt Prov. 6. 9. thou sleepe O sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe We must say unto our selves art thou in a way to heaven will the Lord bee pleased herewith 4. Vse now and then short and sudden ejaculations as in Psal 13. 5. the words of the Psalmist lighten mine eyes lest I sleepe the sleepe of death 6. Goe along with the Preacher from point to point applying the Word in particular to the part affected as the stomacke conveieth nourishment to each member Heare we comfort wee are to apply it to our feare as Gods promises against distrust So if wee heare threatnings against sinne whether whoredome covetousnesse pride or any else and know our selves guilty thereof wee are to apply it to our selves for our humiliation saying of both upon occasion This is for mee This promise This comfort This threatning Sect. 3. After we are come from Church we must After we are come from Church use 1. Call our selves to an account how wee behaved our Examination selves at Church as about Church-sleeping whether wee be guilty thereof or not that upon our not guilty wee may expresse our thankfulnesse as