| + It2 Apoftle draws this Inference from the foregoing verſes in 2 two-tol! Duty, 1. Negative; ſleep is not proper for the Children of the Day, but of the Night: And as the Night and Darkneſs are to be tazen metaphorically, lo the Sleep. And though it hath ſeveral accep- [tations in SCripture, yet it is here taken for Security. As the natural Sleep binds up the Senſes, and men are not aware of apyroachin= Danger, ſo doth the Sleep of the Soul. It darkens the Mind, ftupifies the Spiritnal Senſe, that Men prepare not for the coming of Chriit, nor to avoid the Deſtruction that will then come ſuddenly upon them ; and Rom. 12. 11, 12» 1s a place parallel to this, 1t 7s high time to awal en 0:5 of ſleep, &c. Tre might is fa jpent, the day is at hand, &%&c. i 2. Po: farive; Watching ftands contrary to ſleep; the Senſes are then in Ex-- erciſe, which were bound up by Sleep. W hen the Soul is watching, the Faculties are in a Spiritual Exercite t9 apprehend both our Intereſt and our Duty, to take hold of that which is Zood, and to avoid the evil, the evil of fin, and the evil of ſuffering, But warching here in the Text eſpecially refers to the coming of Chriſt, to prepare for it, that we may not be ſurprized as others will, and to be in a readineſs to b. found of him in Peace, without ſpot, and blamelefs, '2 Per. 3. 14, Þ Sobriety is reckon'd to be one branch of Tem perance, and one of the Fruits of the Spirit, Gal, 5. 23. and one Link of the Chain of Grace, 2 Pet, 1, 6 It hath its name in the Greek, fignitying either $917 4- neſs of Mind, or Contivency of Mind; a Mind kept or neld within it due Bounds, It is uſually taken for Moderation in Meats and Drin!:s, ſetting bounds to the Appetite, ' but it extends to all earthly thinss, 5 -Honour, Riches, Pleaſures, to have our Affections to them, our Car-3 about them, our endeavours after them kept within duc Bounds; ani all this upon the account of Chrift's coming as a necetiary Preparation for it ; Vid. 1 Cor. 7. 29, 30,21. 1 Pet. 4. 7. Sobriety and watching, 2re here joined together, and ſo 1 Pet. 4.7. and 5.8. For as In- temperance in Meats and Drinks makes the Body dull and fleepy, fo without Temperance and Sobriety the Soul will be- dilabled to watch, : : —
- For * they that-ſleep, ſleep in the night 3 and they Lui 2 that be drunken, are drunken in the night !. LETS
1 The Apoſtle inforceth the former Duties of Iarchfulzeſs and 59 briety from the conſideration of their preſent ffate, They that ilcp chooſe the Nizht to fl-ep in, and they that would be drunk chute tc Night for it, Drunkenneis being fo ſhameful a Vice, elpecially 11 the Apoſtles time, that men were aſhamed to be ſeen drunk in the Day-time, Vid. As 2. 15. Ejh.5.12, 13. Andin ancient times they had their Feaſts in the Night : Ye therefore that are not in the night of your former Ignorance, 0ugir2 2127; to be found inthe Sleep of Secu- rity, nor in the Sin of Drunkennefs, whereby may be meant alſo any kind of Intemperance z for a man may be drunk, and n9t with !/7ne, Iſz. 29. 9. drunk with Pleaſure, with Cares, with ſenſual Love and Defires, with Paſhon, and by Spiritual Judgments upon the Soul, Ij2. 29. 10.
8 Bur let ns, who are of the day, be ſober mz, putting _ * on the breaſt-plate of faith # and love o, and for an hel-* 114. 52. met the hope of falvation p., Co | m The Apoſtle here commands two ſpiritual Drties, and the for- mer is Sobriety, which he mentioned before, ver, 6. as a preparation for Chrift's coming : but here, as that which was ſuitable to thuir pre- [ent ſtate, and as ftanding oppoſite to that Drunkenne's in the fore. going Verſe, It is not ſutficient to abſtain from Vice, without pract:- 10s the contrary Virtue. 4he other Duty is purtiny on their Spin ritual Armour, The former was to ſecure them againft the £cal things of the World, the latter againſt the Evil of it, that they be nor overcome of cither. "The Armour he mentions 1s {piritual, Soldiers "ave their Breaſt-plate, and Helmet for their Bodies, fo hath the Chri- ltian theſe for his Soul. As the Breaſt-plate and Helmet ſecures the principal ſeats of the Natural Life, the Head and the Heart, doc! the Chriſtian's Armour ſecure the Life of the Soul, and therefore theft two pieces are only mentioned as being moft ncceffary, His Breafts plate is Faith and Love, # Firſt, Fatth, in Epb. 6.1:,16, i7. it is cai- led a ſhield, here a breaſt-plate, Great things are aſcribed to Faith i Scripture; it is that whereby we are Juftified, Adopte:!, unite! to Chriſt, have our Hearts purified, Tc. But here it is to be contidderet as a defenfive Grace, and it doth defend as ir ailents to the Dottrimn: of the Goipel as true, particularly the Dodrine of the Reſurrection, and the coming of Chriſt, with the Effects and Attendants rhercof He- fore mentioned: And as it doth depend upon God's faichtulnels and
Þ s. 24. I* IT?
:rtime of Chriſt's coming, yet it would not find them unprepared for| all-ſufficiency to perform his Promiſes, andapplying; them to our (ly