And so for company, by which we may either do good or receive good ; for that is a great help to our watch — company — for one strengthens another, as stones in an arch. God hath sanctified the communion of those that are good for the strengthening of others. And therefore the Scripture saith, ' Stir up one another, and exhort one another,' Heb. iii. 13.
If we could account religion a serious thing, as it is, we would not hear these things as strange things, but we would think of them seriously, and practise them afiectionately.
And so likewise, when we are to pass the occasions of the day, we should make use of that time we have spent, and go over all that we have done that day again. As God did when he created the world, he viewed all that he had done again. And let us not sufier our bodies to rest till our consciences are assured our sins are forgiven. Oh, it is dangerous to go to bed with a guilty conscience ; for what do we know whether we shall see the world again or no ? Let us therefore be sure to watch over this, and let us renew our resolution for the time to come. And if we find God's assistance and blessing upon our labours, then let us watch unto prayer, together with praising of our good God, observing all advantages of prayer and praises.
Now when we have observed in some measure that God hath been with us, then it is good to watch that God may have the honour by it.
3. Beloved, if this be so that we must take this course to watch con- tinually, then mark what Christ saith, ' Blessed is he that is found watch- ing :' so that blessing goes along with watching. And by this blessedness, Christ encourageth us unto watchfulness. Those that keep their souls in a watching frame are blessed. Who saith this ? Christ. He speaks and says, * Blessed are those servants that he shall find watching when he cometh.' They shall be blessed in their life, and blessed at their death especially. Then we should give our souls to watching, because there is a meeting of all when he comes to us in death ; for then we give om'selves to him.
Besides, look we to our former course of life, and to the glory that remains for us, and to Christ that is in heaven ready to receive us, and then to commit our souls to him ; and to take heed of Satan's temptations, that we despair not thereby ; and then to watch, for then Satan must have
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all or lose all, and so to end our days. Christ came to some in the first hour of the watch, to some the second, and to some the third hour of the watch ; but happy is he that, when Christ shall come, he shall find watch- ing. It is therefore good for young men to watch ; but especially when men are in a declining age. It is good for them to watch for Christ's coming, because it cannot be long before he comes to them. Christ may come to the young and middle age, but those that are in the declining part, they should watch especially.
Beloved, Christ is come to us, and we every day go to him, for every day takes away part of our hfe. We should therefore every day fit ourselves for going to him by death. Our life should be nothing but a fitting ourselves for him ; and what is good at the hour of death is good now. We have no security of our life. There is not the worst man but will then wish he had abstained from such and such courses. Do it now.
Beloved, I exhort you to nothing but that which is fit for us, namely, watchfulness ; and what is watchfulness but a frame of soul fit to meet Christ. When our faith and hope, and our love about the object, and all the graces of the soul are fit, a man is as he should be.
It is the happiness of a man to be in an estate of well-doing ; for what is the estate of heaven ? Nothing but so ; and to be watchful is the most excellent of all. Therefore as we ought to be watchful at that time, so now.
Now for preparation to the sacrament,* let us consider with whom we are to deal. We are to receive Christ ; we are to feast with Christ. Natural wisdom teaches us, when we have to deal with great persons, to labour to have a suitable carriage, not only to speak that which is good, but to do it in all the circumstances exactly and comely. Let us so labour to come as we should do, by preparing our hearts, hungering and thirsting after this blessed means, and to come with hearts kindled with the love of God and Christ, because he gave himself for us ; to come with hearts enlarged with thankfulness, and with holy resolutions for the time to come ; and look better to our walking in the strength of that receiving. Now forty to one but Satan will set upon us : let us therefore especially watch afterwards ; for when the devil knows we have gained any thing in the word and sacraments, by base thoughts, by base company and loose carriages, he seeks to overthrow us ; let us therefore not only watch before, but after we have received, that we lose not the fruit. It is not the action that saves us, but the well-doing. * Let a man therefore examine himself, and so let him eat,' 1 Cor. xi. 28 : for as blessed is that servant whom his Master, when he cometh, shall find so doing, so blessed is that receiver whom the Lord shall find holy in preparation, holy in person, and holy in carriage.