A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian EthicsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
thee, to do his work against Christ and thy soul, if thou hadst been
awake. Thou wouldst never have followed his whistle to the ale-house,
the play-house, the gaming-house, and to other sins, if thou hadst
been in thy wits, and well awake. Read Prov. vii. 23, 24. I cannot
believe that thou longest to be damned, or so hatest thyself, as to
have done as thou hast done, to have lived a godless, a graceless, a
prayerless, and yet a merry, careless life, if thy eyes had been
opened, and thou hadst known, and feelingly known, that this was the
way to hell. Nature itself will hardly go to hell awake. But it is
easy to abuse a man that is asleep. Thou hast reason; but didst thou
ever awake it to one hours' serious consideration of thy endless state
and present case? Oh dreadful judgment, to be given over to the spirit
of slumber! Rom. xi. 8. Is it not high time now to awake out of sleep?
Rom. xiii. 11; when the light is arisen and shines about thee! when
others that care for their souls, are busy at work! when thou hast
slept out so much precious time already! Many a mercy, and perhaps
some ministers, have been as candles burnt out to light thee while
thou hast slept. How oft hast thou been called already! "How long wilt
thou sleep, O sluggard?" Prov. vi. 9, 10. Yet thou hast thundering
calls and alarms to awake thee. God calls, and ministers call; mercies
call, and judgments call; and yet wilt thou not awake? "The voice of
the Lord is powerful; full of majesty; breaketh the cedars; shaketh
the wilderness:" and yet cannot it awake thee? Thou wilt not sleep
about far smaller matters; at meat, or drink, or in common talk, or
market. But O! how much greater business hast thou to keep thee awake!
Thou hast yet an unholy soul to be renewed; and an ungodly life to be
reformed; an offending God to be reconciled to; and many thousand sins
to be forgiven! Thou hast death and judgment to prepare for; thou hast
heaven to win, and hell to scape! Thou hast many a needful truth to
learn, and many a holy duty to perform; and yet dost thou think it
time to sleep? Paul, that had less need than thou, did watch, and
pray, and labour, day and night, Acts xx. 31; 1 Thess. iii. 10. O that
thou knewest how much better it is to be awake. While thou sleepest,
thou losest the benefit of the light, and all the mercies that attend
thee: the sun is but as a clod to a man asleep; the world is as no
world to him; the beauty of heaven and earth are nothing to him;
princes, friends, and all things are forgotten by him! So doth thy
sleep in sin make nothing of health and patience, time and help,
ministers, books, and daily warnings. O what a day hast thou for
everlasting, if thou hadst but a heart to use it! What a price hast
thou in thine hand! Sleep not out thy day, thy harvest time, thy tide
time, Prov. x. 5. "They that sleep, sleep in the night," 1 Thess. v.
7. "Awake, and Christ will give thee light," Rom. xiii. 12; Eph. v.
14. "Awake to righteousness, and sin not," 1 Cor. xv. 34.
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