men cannot hinder death's coming unto them. Thou art ricli, — will this excuse thee ? Rich men, indeed, can get others to serve for them here, when their prince calls them forth to war; but there is no discharge in this war. Solomon tells us, thou must personally do this. Thou art strong and lusty, thou canst not say, that death will be longer at work in felling thee down. Some, indeed, he cuts down by chips in consumptive diseases, they die piece-meal; others he tears up in one night, as a tree by a tempest : think of this, and thy sleep will depart from thee. Secondly, Consider, the devil is always awake. Is it time for them in the city to sleep, when the enemy without watch .' Our Savioiu' takes it for granted, ' If the good man of the house iiad known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up,' Matt. xxiv. 44. Woidd Saul have slept in his trench, if he had thought David had been so near ? Or, would Sisera have lain down to rest, if he had seen the hammer and nail in Jael's hand to drive through his temples? The devil is at thy door ; and is not that enough to keep thee out of thy bed of sloth ? What day in all the j'ear is inconvenient to Satan ? What place or company art thou in, that he cannot make a snare for thy soul? What mem- ber of thy body, or faculty of thy soul, which is not in danger to be abused by him? Hast thou an inmate in thy own bosom, that watcheth to open the gate to him? And is there not a constant correspondence between them ? O, how often doth he beat us with our own staff! And shall we not always*vatch and pray, when he watcheth to tempt? Shall not we keep our correspondence with God and Christ, our allies in heaven, as he doth with our flesh ? Shall thy enemy seek to cut thy throat, and wilt not thou rise to save it? Consider, wicked men are awake, and hard at work for Satan and their lusts. O may it not put the Christian to shame ! Thirdlj', Consider how watchful tlie men of the world are to follow their worldly business ; do they not rise earl}', and go to bed late, grudging the very time that is spent to refresh nature in the night with sleep, so bent are they upon their cai-nal projects! The philosopher observed this, and felt ashamed at suffering the smith to be at his anvil in the morning, sooner than he was at his book. O Christian, should it not make thee blush much more, to see the whole town up, and as busy as bees in a garden, one flying this way, another that way, and all to bring a little more of this world's perishine: pelf into their hive, out of which, death ere long will drive them, and force them to leave what with so much pains they have gathered for others ; while thou sleepest away th}' precious time, though thou art sure to carry thy gettings into the other world with thee, and there enjoy the fruit of thy short labour here with everlasting glory ! Naj^, consider how watchful the wicked are to take all opportimities to pursue their works of darkness ; the adulterer for the twilight to meet his minion; and wilt not thou watch unto prayer, that thou mayest fill thy soul with spiritual loves in communion with thy God ? The thief is up at midnight to get his prey ; and wilt not thou break thy rest a little to obtain a richer treasure than is to be found in the coffers of the richest princes? Shall these be at so much pains to satisfy their lusts, and thou take none to honour and enjoy thy God? O, what a shame was it to t!ie heavy-eyed disciples, that they could not watch to pray with their Master, when Judas, that bold traitor, was so wakeful, as to be up in the dead of the night to betray him into his murderers' hands ! Fomlhly, Consider how short the time is that thou art desired to watch : ' Coidd ye not watch with me one hour?' Matt. xxvi. 40. Ere long, Christian, thou shalt be called off thy guard, and then thou shalt have all rest, though no sleep; it is but for this short life thou art put to stand upon this hard duty; and is that so long? O, how soon is a life past at play or sin? The great complaint such make, is, time is short ; they wish they coidd clip its wings. Is time so short and sweet to spend in sin ; and can it be tedious to thee to bestow it in devotion ? Why should an hour in the closet be thought by a saint long, when day' and night spent in an alehouse is too short for the sinner ? Above all, consider whether it be not better to watch and pray here on earth for a few days, than to wake in hell under endless toi-ments. Fifthly, Consider seriously how great a loser thou hast been already in thy heavenly trade, for want of watching. It is with the Chi-istian, as with some negligent merchant, who takes notice of some loss, of a round sum, that befalls liim ; at this' he cries out he shall be imdone; but regards not the pence
WITH ALL I'ERSEVERA^CK. 7g9