Part 444

_Thief_ II. The second thief or time-waster is excess of sleep. Necessity cureth most of the poor of this; but many of the rich are guilty of it. If you ask me, What is excess? I answer, All that is more than is needful to our health and business. So much as is necessary to these, I reprehend not. And therefore the infirm may take more than the healthful; and the old more than the young: and those that find that an hour's sleep more will not hinder them, but further them in their work, so that they shall do the more, and not the less, as being unfit without it, may use it as a means to the after-improvement of their time. But when sluggish persons spend hours in bed, which neither their health nor labours need, merely out of a swinish love of sleep; yea, when they will have no work to do, or calling to employ them, but what shall give place to their sleepy disease, and think they may sleep longer than is necessary, because they are rich and can afford it, and have no necessary business to call them up; these think they may consume their precious time, and sin more, and wrong their souls more, because God hath given them more than others. As if their servant should plead that; he may sleep more than others, because he hath more wages than others. Oh did these drowsy wretches know what work they have to do for God, and their poor souls, and those about them, it would quickly awake them, and make them stir. Did they but know how earnestly they will shortly wish, that, they had all those hours to spend again, they would spend them better now than in drowsiness. Did they but know what a woeful account it will be, when they must be answerable for all their time, to say, we spent so many hours every week or morning in excess of sleep, they would be roused from their sty, and find some better use for their time, which will be sweeter in the review, when time is ended, and must be no more.