_Directions against sinful Excess of Sleep._
Of this, something is said already, chap. v. part i. and more afterwards
in the directions against idleness. Therefore I shall say but little
now. 1. I shall show you when sleep is excessive. 2. Wherein the
sinfulness of it consisteth. 3. What to do for the cure of it.
I. Sleep is given us for the necessary remission of the animal
operations, and of the labour or motion of the exterior parts, by the
quieting of the senses, or shutting them up: that the natural and
vital operations may have the less disturbance. It is necessary, 1. To
our rest. 2. To concoction. Therefore weariness and want of concoction
are the chief indications, to tell us how much is needful for us.
Sleep is sinfully excessive, 1. When it is voluntarily more than is
needful to our health. 2. When it is unseasonable, at forbidden times.
It is not all weariness or sleepiness that maketh sleep lawful or
needful; for some is contracted by laziness, and some by many diseases,
and some by other constant causes which make men almost always weary.
Nor is it all want of concoction that sleep is a remedy for; some may be
caused by excess of eating, which must be cured a better way; and many
diseases may cause it, which require other cure. Therefore none must
indulge excess upon these pretences. Nor must a present sense of the
pleasure of sleeping, or the displeasure of waking, be the judge; for
sluggards may think they feel it do them good, and that early rising
doth them hurt; but this good is but their present ease, and this hurt
is but a little trouble to their head, and eyes, and lazy flesh, just at
the time. But reason and experience must judge what measure is best for
your health, and that you must not exceed. To some five hours is enough;
to the ordinary sort of healthful persons six hours is enough; to many
weak, valetudinary persons seven hours is needful: to sick persons I am
not to give directions.
2. Sleep is excessive at that particular time when it is unseasonable.
As, 1. When we are asleep when we should be doing some necessary
business which calls for present despatch. 2. Or when we should be
hearing the sermon, or praying, in public or private. In a word, when
it puts by any greater duty which we should then perform. As, when the
disciples slept when Christ was in his agony: "Could ye not watch with
me one hour? watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation," Matt.
xxvi. 40, 41.
It is a foppery and abuse of God and ourselves, to think that the
breaking of our sleep is a thing that of itself pleaseth God; or that
rising to pray at midnight is more acceptable to God than at another
hour: usually such rising to pray is sinful, 1. Because it is done in
an erroneous conceit that God accepts it better than in the day time.
2. Because they waste time in dressing and undressing. 3. Or else hurt
their health by cold in the winter, and so lose more time than they
redeem by shortening their lives. 4. And usually they are more drowsy
and unfit. But to rise in the night to prayer is meet on some
extraordinary occasion that calls for it; as to pray with or for a
dying person, or such like; or when an extraordinary fervour and
fitness prepareth us for it; and when we can stay up when we are up,
and not lose time in going to bed again. But ordinarily that way is to
be chosen that best redeemeth time; and that is, to consider just how
much sleep our health requireth, and to take it if we can together
without interruption, and to rise then and go about our duties. But
those that cannot sleep in the night, must redeem that time as
discretion shall direct them.
It is the voluntariness of the excess that the sinfulness principally
consisteth in; and therefore the more voluntary the more sinful. In a
lethargy or caros it is no sin: and when long watching, or some bodily
weakness or distemper, make it almost unavoidable, the sin is the
smaller: therefore in case of long watching and heaviness, Christ
partly excused his disciples, saying, "The spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak," Matt. xxvi. 41. But when it cometh from a
flesh-pleasing sloth, or from a disregard of any holy exercise that
you are about, it is a grievous sin. And though it be involuntary just
at the time, and you say, I would fain forbear sleeping now if I
could; yet if it be voluntary remotely and in its causes, it is your
sin. You would now forbear sleeping; but you would not forbear that
pampering your body, and stuffing your guts, which causeth it; you
would not deny the flesh its ease to avoid it.
II. The sinfulness of excess of sleep lieth in these particulars: 1.
That it is a sinful wasting of every minute of that time which is
consumed in it.[469] And this is a very grievous thing, to a heart
that is sensible of the preciousness of time: when we think how short
our lives are, and how great our work is, it should tell us how great
a sin it is to cast away any of this little time in needless sleep.
And yet what abundance of it with many is thus spent! Almost half
their whole lives is spent in bed, by many drones, that think they
may sleep because they are rich, and have not a necessity of labouring
to supply their wants. I was never tempted (that I remember) so much
to grudge at God's natural ordering of man, in any thing, as that we
are fain to waste so much of our little time in sleep: nor was I ever
tempted to grudge at my weakness so much on any account as this, that
it deprived me of so much precious time, which else might have been
used in some profitable work. The preciousness of time makes excessive
sleeping to be a great sin, according to the measure of the excess.
2. It is a neglect of all our powers and parts which should all that
time be exercised. Reason is idle and buried all that while: all your
wisdom and knowledge are of no use to you.[470] All the learning of the
greatest scholar in the world, is of no more service than if he were
illiterate; nor all the prudence and policy of the wisest, than if they
were mere idiots. All the strength and health of the strongest are of no
more service than if they were sick; nor the skill of the greatest
artist, than if he had never learnt his art; nor any of your limbs or
senses, than if you were lame, or blind, or deaf, or senseless. And I
leave it to any man's consideration and judgment, whether if drunkenness
be so odious a sin, because it depriveth a man voluntarily of the use of
his reason and parts, it must not be a very great sin to do the same by
sleeping, by frequent, voluntary, excessive sleeping. For no man I think
is drunk so often as the sluggard is dead in sleep: sluggards quite kill
their reason, when most drunkards do but maim it, or make it sick.
Sluggards bury their wits and parts usually ten times as long in the
year, as the filthiest drunkards do. And hath God given you reason, and
parts, and strength for no better use, than to bury it for so
considerable a part of your lives?
3. Excess of sleep is guilty of all the omissions of those duties, which
should all that time have been performed: of the omission of every holy
thought, and word, and deed which should have been then exercised; and
of the omission of all the duties of your callings: of the omission of
every prayer you should have then prayed, and every chapter you should
have read; and all the good which you should have got to yourselves, or
done to others, to wife, husband, children, parents, servants,
neighbours. And you know that omissions are one half, and the greater
half, of the sins of the world; and that God will condemn the wicked at
last for their omissions; for not feeding the poor, not clothing them,
not visiting: and that he requireth the improvement of all his talents;
and that it is his terrible sentence, Matt. xxv. 26, 30, "Thou wicked
and slothful servant, &c. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." What then shall
we think of the wilful omission, not of one duty, but of all duty
whatsoever; not now and then, but constantly for an hour, or two, or
three once in four and twenty hours! No love of God, no desires towards
him, no good is exercised all that time.
[Sidenote: Whether love of sleep may be a mortal sin?]
_Quest._ Can the love of sleep alone be the mortal, reigning sin in
any one? The reason of the doubt is, because that the mortal sin is a
sin of mistaken interest, that is, such as hath a man's chiefest love,
and is preferred before God; which it seems so small a thing as sleep
or ease cannot be, but it seems a mere neglect or remissness in the
way of duty, and not to be chosen as any man's felicity.
_Answ._ The sin that is set up against the love of God, as a man's
ultimate end and happiness, is flesh-pleasing in the general, or
carnal self-love: and he that is guilty of this can hardly be imagined
to exercise his sensual desire only in the way of sloth and sleep. It
is certain that he preferreth the greatest pleasure of his flesh which
he can attain before the less: and therefore as to the habit or
inclination, he is as much addicted to covetousness, gluttony,
ambition, or other ways of sensuality; and if they are within his
reach, that he can hope to attain them, he will actually desire such
greater pleasures, more than this. For there is no man that is an
unregenerate sensualist, that hath mortified covetousness, luxury, and
pride, and yet is captivated only by sleep or sloth: the same grace
which truly mortifieth the greater would mortify the less. But it is
possible that a beggar, or some such person, that hath no other
sensual pleasure but idleness in view or hope, may exercise his
sensuality principally this way. Not but that radically he preferreth
riches and honour before his beggarly sloth and ease; but those
desires having no matter to work upon, do not stir in him, because he
hath no hope of reaching such a thing. The sum is, 1. Carnal self-love
is the great opposite to the love of God. 2. This self-love worketh
towards carnal pleasure, and to the greatest most. 3. Habitually
therefore the love of riches, honour, and voluptuousness, is stronger
than the love of ease. 4. Actually the love of ease may be the
strongest in some. 5. But if those persons were as capable of the
higher fleshly pleasures, they would love them actually more. 6. It is
not the omitting of some particular duties through the love of ease,
which proveth such a sensual, unsanctified state of soul; but the
preferring of men's ease before a holy life in the main; as when men
so far love their ease, that they will not make it the chief of their
desires and employments, to "seek the kingdom of God and his
righteousness," Matt. vi. 33.
The overcoming of excessive sleep is easy, if you be but thoroughly
willing.
_Direct._ I. The first thing to be done, is to correct that sluggish,
phlegmatic temper of body which inclineth you to it, which is chiefly
to be done by such an abstinence or temperate diet, as I gave
directions for before. A full belly is fit for nothing else but sleep
or lust. Reduce your diet to that measure which is needful to your
health, and eat not any more to please your appetites. And let fasting
cure you when you have exceeded.
_Direct._ II. Labour hard in your callings, that your sleep may be
sweet while you are in it; or else you will lie in bed on pretence of
necessity, because you cannot sleep well when you are there. Then you
will say, you must take it out in the morning, because you sleep not
in the night. But see that this be not caused by idleness. Weary your
bodies in your daily labours; "for the sleep of the labouring man is
sweet," Eccl. v. 12.
_Direct._ III. See that thou have a calling which will find thee
employment for all thy time, which God's immediate service spareth.
Yea, which somewhat urgeth thee to diligence. Otherwise thou wilt lie
in bed, and say, thou hast time to spare, or nothing to do. You can
rise when you have a journey to be gone, or a business of pressing
necessity to be done: keep yourselves under some constant necessity,
or urgency of business at the least.
_Direct._ IV. Take pleasure in your callings, and in the service of
God. Sluggards themselves can rise to that which they take much
pleasure in; as to go to a merriment, or feast, or play, or game, or
to a good bargain, or any thing which they delight in. If thou hadst
a delight in thy calling, and in reading the Scripture, and praying,
and doing good, thou couldst not lie contentedly in bed, but wouldst
long to be up and doing, as children to their play. The wicked can
rise early to do wickedness, because their hearts are set upon it:
they can be drunk, or steal, or whore, or plot their ambitious and
covetous designs, when they should sleep.[471] And if thy heart were
set as much on good, as theirs is on evil, wouldst not thou be as
wakeful and as readily up?
_Direct._ V. Remember the grand importance of the business of your
souls which always lieth on your hands, that the greatness of your
work may rouse you up. What! lie slugging in bed, when you are so far
behindhand in knowledge, and grace, and assurance of salvation; and
have so much of the Scripture and other books to read and understand?
Hast thou not grace to beg for a needy soul? Is not prayer better work
than excess of sleeping? Great business in the world can make you
rise, and why not greater?
_Direct._ VI. Remember that thou must answer in judgment for thy time:
and what comfort wilt thou have, to say I slugged away so many hours
in a morning? And what comfort at death when time is gone, to review
so much cast away in sleep?
_Direct._ VII. Remember that God beholdeth thee, and is calling thee
up to work. If thou understoodest his word and providence, thou
wouldst hear him, as it were, saying as the mariners to Jonah, "What
meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God." Wilt thou lie
sleeping inordinately when God stands over thee, and calls thee up? If
the king, or any great person, or friend, did but knock at thy door,
thou wouldst rise presently to wait upon them. Why, God would speak
with thee by his word, or hear thee speak to him by prayer; and wilt
thou lie still and despise his call?
_Direct._ VIII. Remember how many are attending thee while thou
sleepest. If it be summer, the sun is up before thee, that hath gone so
many thousand miles while thou wast asleep: it hath given a day's light
to the other half of the world since thou laidst down, and is come again
to light thee to thy work, and wilt thou let it shine in vain? All the
creatures are ready in their places to assist thee, and art thou asleep?
_Direct._ IX. Consider whether thou wilt allow thy servants to do the
like: they must be up and at work, or you will be offended, and tell
them that they are no servants for you, and that you hire them not to
sleep. And do you not owe God more service than they owe you? Doth God
hire you to sleep? Is it any lawfuller for you than them, to sleep one
minute more than is needful for your health? No, not a minute: if you
are sicklier than they, that is another matter; (but see that fulness
and idleness cause it not;) but otherwise your riches are no excuse to
you. Will you loiter more than they, because you receive more? and do
less service, because you have more pay? Or is it your privilege to be
so miserable, as to lose that time which poor men save?
_Direct._ X. Remember that your morning hours are the chiefest part of
all the day, for any holy exercise, or special employment of the mind.
The mind is fresh and clear, and there is less interruption by worldly
business; whereas when others are up and about their business, you
will have interpellations. Those that have tried it can say by
experience, that the morning hours are the flower of their time, for
prayer or studies; and that early rising is a great part of the art of
redeeming time.
_Direct._ XI. Remember how many are condemning you by their diligence,
while you are slugging away your time. How many holy persons are then
at prayer in secret, wrestling fervently with God for their salvation;
or reading and meditating in his word! What do they get while you are
sleeping! The blessed man doth delight in the law of the Lord, and
meditate in it day and night; and you love your ease, and are sleeping
day and night: will not all these be witnesses against you? So will
the diligent in their callings; and so will the worldlings and wicked
that rise early to their sin. How many thousand are hard at work while
you are sleeping! Have you not work to do, as well as they?
_Direct._ XII. Remember that sensuality or flesh-pleasing is the great
condemning sin that turns the heart from God: and if it be odious in a
drunkard or fornicator, why is it not so in you? Mortify the flesh,
and learn to deny it in its inordinate desires, and your sin is almost
cured.
_Direct._ XIII. For then the executive part is easy when you are
willing: it is but agreeing with some one to awaken you, and a little
cold water will wash away your drowsiness if you consent.