summoned to come in and entertain his Message with perpetual quarrels and endless contradictions This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation Let me passionately beseech you in the bowels of Christ Jesus your Lord and mine to be wise in this your day and mind the things that do belong unto your peace Let the sounding of the Silver Trumpet of the Gospel awaken you and cause you to shake off that unweldy frame of spirit that makes men dull and indisposed to the duties of Religion Let your hearts be upright with God and be you faithfull to the Truth in giddy and declining Times Buy the Truth at any rate Prov. 23.3 but part with it at no rate whatsoever It will be your safety and honour to retain and hold fast the form of wholesome words delivered to you and to remain unshaken in your Principles though stormy winds of temptation and persecution should arise and blow upon you with a formidable and affrighting fury Though all men should forsake Christ yet do not you forsake him There are many windfals in Christs Orchard be you like those few remaining berries in the top of the uppermost bough abhorring disunion and defection and resolving not to be rent though with a violent hand from your Renowned Root Mortifie throughly and betimes all itching desire after novelty lest it break forth into the spreading and crusty scab of Apostacy Beg wisdome of God whereby you may be able to distinguish betwixt the voice of Christ and the voice of a stranger Be not taken with the flaring light of every blazing Comet and ignis fatuus that would slock you into by-wayes and dangerous paths Keep your heads and hearts from being fly-blown with the unsavoury breath of every rotten-hearted Preacher Take heed of going forth and dancing after their delusive pipe who the better to deceive and draw you into the snare pretend to rare and rich discoveries lest you come home with a vertigo in your heads and be troubled with the staggers in Religion ever after I shall conclude with pressing upon you that serious and savoury advice which his Excellency the Lord Deputy when at Corke in his late Progress gave to the Chief of you with some Justices of Peace of the Country that were then present You may remember that you were commanded and incouraged 1. To put a stop to the overflowing flood of prophaneness by putting in execution the severall wholesome Lawes that are in force against swearing drunkenness uncleanness and the like enormous practises 2. To provide for the sanctification of the Sabbath by making use of that power that is put into your hands in punishing and suppressing its too frequent and Atheistical violation Let it not lie as a reproach on Corke that Ordinance-despisers and Sabbath-breakers cannot be so secure from the stroke and dint of Justice in any place in Ireland as in this 3. To make use of provided and proscribed means for the conversion of the Popish Irish within your Jurisdiction The work is desirable and of grand concernment conducing whereunto among many other are the following expedients 1. The bringing of the Natives to the Puklick Worship Compel them to come in that Gods house may be full Bring them within the compass of the net if ever you expect they should be caught Let not their rooted and peevish lothness to attend upon the Ordinances deterre you from doing your duty They that now quarrel and contend with you as being too severe and harsh will in the day of visitation glorifie God and call you blessed 2. The removeing and transplanting of such as to use his Excellencies own words are stiffe and sullen in their way and are not only possessed themselves with grinning prejudices against the Protestant Religion but do likewise make it their design to create and continue the like prejudices in the rest of their Brethren who possibly might otherwise be reclaimed and brought unto the knowledge of the truth Remember the Oath of God with which you are bound to act and rule according to Law and be you faithful unto your Trust Yield Obedience to his Excellencies Commands in the expressed instances and buckle in good earnest to the business of Religion and Reformation that so we may at length become amountain of holiness an habitation of righteousness in which the Lord will delight to dwel which shall be promoted by the prayers and indevours of From my Study in Corke Sept. 7. 1658. Your Servant in the Lords work JOSEPH EYRES THE EPISTLE TO THE READER Courteous Reader A Christian how plausible soever his pretences may be cannot be right at root so long as the bare bulk of duty satisfies without regard had to the manner of the performance The iniquity of holiest things and the sinful adherencies of the best duties are highly provoking and sufficiently ponderous to depress and sink the soul into the lowest hell so that it neerly concerns us to enter upon spiritual employments and ingage in holy services with much caution and circumspection for fear of a miscarriage It 's not without cause that the Spirit adviseth us to keep our feet when we go to the house of God and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools The eare is the cunduit-pipe thorough which grace comes flowing in to the soul and therefore should be kept open which cannot be done whilest the eye is shut My design is to apply the smarting eye-salve of the Spirit that so the peccant and concerned may be cured of the wonted winking of their eyes The Subject in hand seems to be ordinary and to have little of sublimity in it But when I considered that every Pew almost hath its Eutychus and that our Congregations do generally abound with luke-warm Laodiceans and are little better many of them than so many Consorts of snoring Sleepers which make sweet Musick in the Divels eares whose designe doubtless in mens present snorting is their future howling I thought it my duty as a Watchman to do something that might awaken I am willing to stir up and startle those who whilest they should be smiting on their thighs and laying their hands upon their hearts are in a yawning posture and rubbing their eyes being ing possessed with a confused stupor and it 's a pretty while ere they can recover themselves and understand where they are and what about I wish this small Treatise may prove a mote at least in the eye of the sleepy Hearer and make it water which is the way to be more watchful Christian Reader be a diligent Hearer and I have my end who desire to approve my self Thy faithful Monitor and Soul-Friend Joseph Eyres THE Church-Sleeper Awakened ACT. 20.9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus being fallen into a deep sleep and as Paul was long preaching he sunk down with sleep and fell down from the third Loft and was taken up dead THE Apostle Paul after
are fickle and fugitive if not hard held to it The sight of the eye affects the heart It 's the Prisoners seeing as well as hearing of the Judge that makes him attentive to astonishment When the heart is stirred and awakened the eye cannot easily be closed 10. Ingage your neighbour that sits by you to have a watchful eye upon you and to pluck you by the sleeve if occasion be It s pity that any should be in danger of sleeping the sleep of death for want of a faithful friend to rouse up and awaken If your Brothers Oxe be fallen into a ditch you will put to an helping hand and pluck it out and shall your Brother himself lye lolling and snoring in the Divels lap and you not so much as jogge him by the elbow and make him sensible of his danger 11. Betake your selves to rest the night before in good time Sitting up late the Saturday nights doth wonderfully deadden and indispose to the duties of the following day Sleep in your beds that you may not sleep in your Pews Sleep in the night that you may not sleep in the day Coming home at midnight from dispatching businesses visiting Friends or which is worse from drinking gaming revelling puts the body and mind out of order and is a bad preparative for the approaching Sabbath 13. Come to the word with expectation Whensoever you attend upon the Ordinances look for something yea for greater things from the hands of God They are vigilant who are in a waiting posture Beggers are not wont to sleep before the gates of those from whom they expect an almes The eyes of servants look unto the hand of their Masters and the eyes of a Maiden unto the hand of her Mistriss when some boon and bounty is expected Psalm 123.2 If out of a clear sight and deep sense of our own unworthiness weakness wretchedness we came unto God for supply of wants assistance in service satisfaction in doubts assurance of his love solace in midst of sorrows or the like we should be more yare and full of life in managing our addresses than we are 14. Pray hard unto God and be very importunate with him 1. That he would chain up Satan and rebuke the Tempter who sneakingly and maliciously haunts the Assembles of the Saints as a sligh observer and busie disturber standing at their right hands ready to resist them 2. That he would affect your hearts with truths delivered Stirring affections are attended with a sharp attention Men do not look upon themselves as highly concerned in the commands promises menaces of the word and hence ariseth that listless and sluggish frame that is upon them If with Peter's Hearers we had the keen arrow of conviction sticking fast in our sides and making us to blush and bleed the flood-gates of our eyes would be open for swelling streams of penitential teares to come gushing out amain and in stead of sleeping and snoring there would be sighing sobbing lamenting moan-making smiting on the thigh and curious inquiring after a remedy for this malady On the other side if at the hearing of the word the Spirit should be pleased to come in and breath upon us with a fair and fresh gale of comfort if the love of God should be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost if some bright beam of heavenly light should be darted into the inner man after a dark dismal stormy tempestuous night of temptation desertion disconsolation dejection it would undoubtedly scatter those clouds of sleep and security that are wont to hang upon our dull and depressed browes A warmed heart is a waking heart Sorrow duls the eye but joy makes it lively and sparkling I have read of a gracious woman Mr. Clarks Mirror pag. 508. who at the Supper-Ordinance being abundantly refreshed with the joyes of the Spirit gat home as she professed she knew not how and for the space of a fortnight these raptures and ravishing joyes continued and filled her mouth with Songs of praise so that she could neither sleep nor eate more then she forced her self to do out of conscience of duty It 's impossible we should sleep with a full cup of consolation in our hands and at our mouths 3. That he would bestow upon the Minister a quick and powerfull delivery which is wont to draw forth attention and affection A dull heavy unchearful delivery in the Minister doth little better then invite a drouzy disrespect and is attended with a careless and undecent oscitancy in the Hearers 15. If prone to miscarry in this kind and to be oppressed with a spiritual lethargy you shall do well to humble your selves before God with fasting and prayer possibly this sleepy Divel will not go out but in the use of such means which do not infeeble and render unfit for service but rather strengthen and exhilarate FINIS
black guard in order a soft downy pillow is no place for his working contriving head Being hurried and harassed by the Divel he cannot by the darkness and silence of the night be flattered into the least slumber The eye that is full of adultery doth not sleep in the Congregation but is continually roving about to find out objects for a foul and frothy fancy to work upon and being found out they are gazed on with much greediness and delight The Adulterer will be waking and walking abroad in the dark and black night that so he may give his Drab a meeting Prov. 7.9 Ahab lies tossing and tumbling upon his bed and cannot take any rest untill he be possessed of Naboths Vineyard 1 King 21.4 And Amnon is in little better plight till he have his will on his Sister Tamar 2 Sam. 13.2 How usual a thing is it for the Divels Imps I mean the roaring Ruffians and Bacchanalian Roysters of the times to spend whole dayes and nights in quaffing carousing gaming c. They have not the least lust to sleep in the midst of so much mirth Musick and madness VVith what whickering attention do they hearken to a roguish Fidler that will sing them a sordid and filthy Song Any Musick keeps them waking a midnight Mask or paltry Poppet-play how doth it affect and make men dance an unwearied attendance who yet are no more affected with the admirable contrivance and sublime discoveries of the Gospel then so many stocks and stones save the Musick of the Temple 6. It 's a sin that is mightily promoted by the Divel He knows of what fatall consequence it is unto his kingdome for people to hearken unto the word of life which is as an hammer to knock off the bolts from the galled feet of his chained Captives and therefore he endevours by all wayes and means imaginable to distract divert and take you off from the present work and business that is before you He will be sure to sit very heavy on your eye-lids and close them if possible The Prince of darkness startles at the approach of light and therefore will be sure to draw the curtain and shut the window to keep it out The nodding head leans on the Divels bosome The sleepy Hearer is rockt in the Divels cradle and dandled on the Divels knee 7. A sleepy eye is a shrewd sign of a sleepy conscience and a sottish insensibility of matters spirituall A fat heart a deaf eare and a closed eye go hand in hand Esa 6.10 A waking conscience is usually attended with a watchfull eye They who work out their salvation with fear and trembling will look about them 8. You may out-sleep that truth wherein you are neerly concerned and which if attended to might prove successfully instrumentall for your conversion consolation There is no one truth to be slighted disregarded but surely those truths that reach your particular condition should be entertained with exactest observation You know not when that plaister will be spread and applyed that is most suitable to your sore You know not at what time that medicine will be administred that is most likely to cure those spirituall maladies and distempers that you labour under and therefore it 's wisdome to be wary and watchfull Possibly there may be some way of wickedness which you securely walk in some necessary duty which you live in the neglect of some griezly temptation with which you are assaulted now if you should be sleeping when these things are pathetically and powerfully spoken to you may still live in the practise of that sin in the neglect of that duty and be overwhelmed with that temptation to your ruine 9. This may be the last Sermon that ever you may hear and I am confident could you be assured of it that it would be so it would mightily startle There will be such a thing as the last prayer that ever you shall put up the last Chapter that you shall reade the last Sermon that you shall hear it behoves you therefore with utmost industry to improve the present opportunity Hearken to the voice of God whilst it is called to day you do not know whether ever you may hear that voice again behind you saying unto you This is the way walk in it shut not your eyes against the light that now shines for you do not know whether ever your eyes may again behold a rising sun and dispersed beams 10. The Lord may take you away in your sleep The instance of this young man in the Text one would think should make you tremble You that come alive into the Congregation may be carried out dead You that do not attentively hearken to what the Minister hath to say unto you may be suddenly struck dead in the place snatcht out of your seats dragged to Christs Tribunal and there constrained to hearken unto what the great Judge of heaven and earth hath to say unto you who will speak in such language and in such a tone as will make your souls to shake and shiver It 's more dreadfull to dye whilst asleep in Gods house than to dye whilst asleep in your own 11. There is no sleeping in hell There will not be the least minutes rest taken to eternity The smoke of wicked mens torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night Rev. 14.11 You that can so confidently sleep in the Church shall not be able to sleep in the fiery lake The extremity of torment the continuall gnawing of the never dying worm and the hideous howlings of Divels and fellow-damned wights will keep you waking in spight of your hearts How welcome would a few houres sleep be to those who are sweating and sweltring in seaverish flames and for many nights together have been full of tossings to and fro until the dawning of the day But O! how transcendently and surpassingly welcome would a minutes rest and repose be to those who for millions of years have been rosting and roaring in the everlasting flames But alas it cannot be Who but a fool and a mad man would for a little present sinfull ease and rest plunge himself into an intollerable restless state and condition that knows no end If this prove not an awakening consideration I know not what will 12. There is no sleeping in heaven That which is the misery of the damned is the happiness of the saved Rev. 4.8 They rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come The Angels do not want sleep neither shall the Saints when they are translated to the upper Patadise Whilst we are in this animall state nature cannot bear up under continued watchings refreshing and rest Christ himself did not spend all his dayes in acts of immediate worship he consumed not every night in prayer and holy meditations We reade as of his eating and drinking so of his sleeping But when these naturall Bodies shall be