CHAP. III.

WHEREIN IS

CONTAINED THE THIRD AND LAST IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD STAND," AND THE CHRISTIAN'S DUTY OF STANDING ON HIS WATCH SPOKEN TO, WHY HE IS TO WATCH, AND HOW HE SHOULD),

THIRDLY, "to stand," is here opposed to sleep and sloth, standing is a waking, watching, posture. When the captain sees his soldiers lying secure upon the ground asleep, he bids "stand to your arms," that is, stand and watch. In some cases it is death for a soldier to be found asleep, as when he is appointed to stand sentinel, or the like; now to sleep, deserves death, because he is to wake, that the whole army may sleep, and his sleep may cost them their lives; therefore a great captain thought he gave that soldier but his due, whom he run through with his sword, because he found him asleep when he should have stood sentinel, excusing his severity with this, that he left him but as he found him: Mortuum inveni et mortuam reliqui, “I found him dead in sleep, and left him but asleep in death." Watchfulness is more needful for the Christian soldier than any other, because other soldiers fight with men that need sleep as well as themselves; but the Christian's grand enemy Satan is ever awake and walking his rounds, seeking whom he may surprise. And if Satan be always awake, it is dangerous for the Christian at any time to be spiritually asleep; that is, secure and careless. The Christian is seldom worsted by this his enemy, but there is either treachery or negligence in the business; either the unregenerate part betrays him, or grace is not wakeful to make a timely discovery of him, so as to prepare for the encounter; the enemy is upon him before he is thoroughly awake to draw his sword. The saint's sleeping time is Satan's tempting time; every fly dares venture to creep on a sleeping lion. No temptation so weak but is strong enough to foil a Christian that is napping in security:

Sampson asleep, and Delilah cuts his locks. Saul asleep, and his spear is taken away from his very side, and he never the wiser. Noah asleep, and his graceless son has a fit time to discover his father's nakedness. Eutychus asleep, nods, and falls from the third loft, and is taken up for dead. Thus the Christian asleep in security may soon be surprised so as to lose much of his spiritual strength, "the joy of the Lord," which is strength; be robbed of his spear, his armour, graces I mean, at least in the present use of them, and his nakedness discovered by graceless men, to the shame of his profession, as, when bloody Joab could take notice of David's vain glory in numbering the people was not David's grace asleep? yea, he may fall from a high loft of profession, so low, into such scandalous practices, that others may question whether there be any life of grace indeed in him. And therefore it behoves the Christian to stand wakefully. Sleep steals as insensibly on the soul as it doth on the body. The wise virgins fell asleep as well as the foolish, though not so soundly; take heed thou dost not indulge thyself in thy lazy distemper, but stir up thyself to action, as we bid one that is drowsy, stand up, or walk. Yield to it by idleness and sloth, and it will grow upon thee; bestir thyself in this duty and that, and it will over. David first awakes his tongue to sing, his hand to play on his harp, and then David's heart wakes also, Psalm Ivii. 8. The lion, it is said, when he first wakes, lashes himself with his tail, thereby to stir and rouse up his courage, and then away he goes after his prey: we have enough to excite and provoke us to use all the care and diligence possible.

First, The Christian's work is too curious to be done well between sleeping and waking, and too important to be done ill and slubbered over no matter how. He had need be awake that walks upon the brim of a deep river, or brow of a steep hill. The Christian's path is so narrow, and the danger is so great, that calls for both a nimble eye to discern, and steady eye to direct; but a sleepy eye can do neither. Look upon any duty or grace, and you will find it lie between Scylla and Charybdis, two extremes alike dangerous. Faith, the great work of God,

cuts its way between the mountain of presumption and gulf of despair. Patience, a grace so necessary that we cannot be without it a day, except we would be all that while besides ourselves. This keeps us that we fall neither into the sleepy apoplexy of a blockish stupidity, which deprives the creature of its senses; nor into a raging fit of discontent, which hath sense enough, and too much, to feel the hand of God, but deprives the man of his reason, that he turns again upon God, and shoots back the Almighty's arrows in his very face in the fury of his froward spirit. The like we might say of the rest. No truth but hath some error next door to her; no duty can be performed without approaching very near the enemy's quarters, who soon takes the alarm, and comes out to oppose the Christian; and ought he not then to have always his heart on the watch?

Secondly, The trouble of watching is not comparable to the advantage it brings.

First, By this, thou frustratest the designs Satan hath upon thee. It is worth watching to keep the house from robbing, much more the heart from rifling by the Devil. "Watch that ye enter not into temptation." He buys his sleep dear, that pays his throat cutting for it; yea, though the wound be not so deep, but may be cured at last. Thy not watching one night may keep thee awake many a night upon a more uncomfortable occasion. And hadst thou not better wake with care, to keep thyself from a mischief, than afterward thy eyes be held open (whether thou wilt or not) with pain and anguish of the wound given thee in thy sleep? You know how sadly David was bruised by a fall got in his spiritual slumber (for what else was he, when in the even-tide he rose from his bed, and walked upon the roof of his house, like a inan walking in his sleep?) and how many restless nights this brought over this holy man's head you may perceive by his own mournful complaints of this sin, which is the foot and sad burthen of several mournful psalms.

Secondly, By thy watchfulness thou shalt best learn the evil of a sleepy state; one asleep is not sensible of his own snoring, how uncomely and troublesome to others it is; but he that is awake is apprehensive of both. The

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man asleep is not sensible if laid naked by some that would abuse him; but he that is awake observes, is ashamed, and covers him. Thus while thou art in a spiritual sense awake, thou canst not but observe many uncomely passages in the lives of those professors who do not watch their hearts, which will fill thy heart with pity to them, to see how they are abused by Satan and their own passions, which, like rude servants, take this their own time to play their pranks in, when they have made sure of their mistress (grace I mean now laid asleep) that should keep them in better rule: yea, it will make the blood come into thy face for shame to see how by their nakedness, profession itself is flouted at by those that pass by, and see how it is with them. Well, what thou blushest to see, and pitiest to find in another, take heed it befal not thyself; if thou sufferest a spiritual slumber to grow upon thee, thou wilt be the man thyself that all this may come upon, and what not besides? Sleep levels all, the wise man then is no wiser than a fool, to project for his safety; nor the strong man better than the weak to defend himself; if slumber falls once upon thy eye, it is night with thee, and thou art (though the best of saints) but as other men, so far as this sleep prevails on thee.

Thirdly, By thy watchfulness thou shalt invite such company in unto thee as will make the time short and sweet, and that is thy dear Saviour; whose sweet communication and discourse about the things of thy father's kingdom will make thee thou shalt not grudge the ease sleepy Christians get with the loss of such an heavenly entertainment as thou enjoyest. Who had not (that loves his soul better than his body) rather have David's songs, than David's sleep, in the night; and who had not rather have Christ's comforting presence with a waking soul, than his absence with a sleepy slothful one? It is the watchful soul that Christ delights to be with, and open his heart unto. We do not chuse that for the time of giving our friends a visit, when they are asleep in their beds; nay if we be with them, and perceive they grow sleepy, we think it is time to leave them to their pillow; and verily Christ doth so too. Christ withdraws from the spouse, till she be better awake, as a fitter time for her to

receive his loves. Put the sweetest wine into a sleepy man's hand, and you are like to have it all spilt; yea, put a purse of gold into his hand, and the man will hardly remember in the morning what you gave him over night. Thus in the sleepy state of a soul, both the Christian loseth the benefit, and Christ the praise of his mercy; and therefore Christ will stay to give out his choice favours when the soul is more wakeful, that he may both do the creature good, and his creature may speak good of him for it.

Quest. But how must the Christian stand upon his

watch?

Answ. First, constantly. The lamp of God in the tabernacle was to burn always, Exod. xxvii. 20. xxx. 8, that is, always in the night, which sense is favoured by several other places. And I pray, what is our life in this world but a dark night of temptation? Take heed, Christian, that thy watch-candle go not out in any part of this darksome time, lest thy enemy come upon thee in that hour. He can find thee, but not thou resist him, in the dark; if once thy eye be shut in a spiritual slumber, thou art a fair mark for his wrath; and know thou canst not be long off thy watch, but the devil will hear on it. The devil knew the Apostles' sleeping time, and then he desires leave to winnow them, Luke xxii. He saw they were in some disorder, the eye of their soul began to be heavy; the thief riseth when honest men go to bed. The devil, I am sure, begins to tempt when saints cease to watch; when the staff is thrown away, then the wolf appears; when the soul puts her danger furthest off, and lies most secure, then it is nearest; therefore labour to be constant in thy holy care: the want of this spoils all. Some you shall have, that after a great fall into a sin that hath bruised them sorely, will seem very careful for a time where they set their foot, how they walk, and what company they come in; but as soon as the soreness of their consciences wears off, their watch is broke up, and they are as careless as ever; like one that is very careful to shut up his shop strongly, and may be sits up late to watch it also, for two or three nights after he hath been robbed, but then minds it no more. Others in an afflic