VER. 5.] SERMONS UFON MATTHEW XXV. 353
trust in his righteousness, and commit iniquity,' Ezek. xxxiii. 13; that is, upon the presumption that he laid in a fore-merit. Our hearts will be seeking some unlawful liberty, and we intermit our watch upon such occasions.
2. Negatively. We must make the exceptions that are necessary.
[1.] Though the wise virgins may slumber and sleep, and there be an intermission of the acts of grace, yet no intercision of the habits of grace, or radical inclination to God. Gradics remittitur, actus intermittiiur, habitus non amittitur. Some degrees may be remitted, acts intermitted, but the habit not extinguished ; still the seed of God remaineth in them ; love is the predominant habit. Sin doth not possess the heart instead of God, 1 John ii. 15. The habitual bent of the soul is more for God than for the flesh or the world. However he fail in some individual actions, the scope and tenor of his life is for God and sincere obed- ience. There is life and sap at the root, though in the winter the trees be without leaves and blossoms : Cant. v. 2, 'I sleep, but my heart waketh.' There is faith, and hope, and love in their hearts all this while; the Spirit of God abideth in them, and keepeth alive his work: 2 Tim. i. 14, ' That good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.' The Spirit remaineth in the saints, to maintain the habits of grace. Their choice of God for their portion remaineth unshaken. They have chosen the better part, adhere to it, and have a general purpose to please God in all things.
[2.] A universal slumber is not usually incident to the saints. It is not the sleep of the whole man as to all goodness ; it is not in all parts of the soul. If there be a remiss will, and dead affections, yet not a sleepy conscience ; something that taketh God's part, as appear- eth, because they are unsatisfied with this dull and drowsy estate.
[3.] They are more easily alarmed and roused up out of it than others that sleep the sleep of death. Their faith and love is soon awake again, and easily set a- work for God; there is somewhat to work upon. A true Christian riseth by unfeigned repentance, when his conscience hath but leisure, and helps to deliberate, and bethinks what he hath done ; and so much the better resoiveth and bethinketh himself against his sin for the time to come.
[4.] When they arise again, and repent, and do their first works, they are more earnest and fervent than they were before : as it were to make amends for their former languishing, and to redeem the time they have lost, they double their diligence.
Thirdly, I come to the reasons of this sleepiness.
1. There are two principles in the children of God — the flesh in- clining to sleep, and the spirit to wake : Mat xxvi. 41, ' The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak ; ' and therefore the degree of grace which the best attain unto in this life is mixed with imperfection. The guiding and commanding faculties do but imperfectly direct, and the inferior faculties imperfectly obey. It is the office of the under- standing and the will to command, of the inferior faculties to obey. There is weakness in all of them ; therefore it is said, James iii. 2, ' In many things we offend all.' The understanding in many things is but a blind guide ; the will is but in part rectified, and so cannot exercise such a powerful command over our thoughts, passions, and senses.
VOL. IX. Z
354 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SER. IV.
2. Variety of outward occurrences, working upon the diversity of principles in us ; as sometimes we are in a prosperous estate, some- times in deep troubles ; both may cause this deadness and drowsiness in us. Sometimes deep troubles make us ' weary of well-doing,' 2 Thes. iii. 13. So Heb. xii. 3, 'Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, lest you be weary, and faint in your minds.' Now, as this weariness and heaviness causeth sleep in the body, so it doth in the soul. We are tired in God's service, and then our wheels are clogged. A man may be secure in trouble, but usually he is so in time of peace. Peace, wealth, and honour are often abused to spiritual drowsiness, and secure neglect of God : ' Ease slayeth the fool,' Prov. i. 32. We had need watch when Delilah spreads her lap for us, and the delights of the world open their bosom to us. Surfeiting with the abundance of worldly prosperity, we neglect the power of religion, and please our- selves with the form. David, enjoying peace and plenty, slew Uriah his friend, who in his adversity spared Saul his enemy ; yea, his heart smote him but for the cutting off the lap of his garment. In the abundance of outward comforts we sit loose from God ; therefore we have those cautions, Deut. viii. from ver. 7 to ver. 14.
3. Conversing with spiritual sluggards, that count it a high piece of wisdom not to be too forward. Irreligious company and example is a great matter, and hath a mighty force upon us ; and though it doth not begin sin in the soul, it doth increase it, Isa. vi. 6. Sin is by propagation, not by imitation ; but yet the contagion of example is a great advantage to corruption. To be among warm, heavenly, mortified, self-denying Christians, is a great advantage in the spiritual life. There is a notable provocation and excitement in their example. Saul among the prophets had his raptures, 1 Sam. x. 10 ; Heb. x. 24, ' Let us provoke one another to love and good works.' This begets a holy emulation who shall excel ; but carnal company is a deadening thing. We are more susceptible of evil than good ; we catch a disease from one another, but we do not get health one from another. By touching the unclean they became unclean, but he that was unclean was not purified by touching the clean. The conversations of the wicked have more power to corrupt than the good to provoke and ex- cite to virtue. A man that would keep himself awake unto God, and mind the saving of his soul, must shake off evil company : Ps. cxix. 115, 'Depart from me, ye evil-doers, for I will keep the command- ments of my God.' And by evil company I mean not only the pro- fane, who bespeak their own hatred and detestation by their apparent odiousness, but the loose and careless. As we are to take heed that we be not allured to that which is evil, so that we be not deadened to that which is good. Neglect of God will keep us out of heaven as well as profaneness. We easily leaven one another with deadness and formality ; frequent society with dead-hearted persons breedeth it, such whose conference is empty and unsavoury, and altogether of worldly things. Certainly our dulness and backwardness is such that we need the most powerful helps.