The Practice of Christian Graces, Partition 9
PARTITION. IX.
Temperance in SLEEP; The rule of it, &c. Of RECREATION; Of APPAREL.
§. 1: THE third part of Temperance concerns sleep; Sleep.And temperance in that also must be measured by the end for which sleep was ordained by God, which was onelyonly the refreshing and supporting of our frail bodies, which being of such a temper, that continual labour and toil tires, and wearies them out, sleep comes as a Medicine to that weariness, as a repairer of that decay, that so we may be enabled to such labours, as the duties of Religion or works of our calling require of us. Sleep was intended to make us more profitable, not more idle; as we give rest to our beasts, not that we are pleased with their doing nothing▪ but that they may do us the better service.
2. By this therefore you may judge what is temperate sleeping, The rule of temperance therein.to wit, that which tends to the refreshing, and making us more lively, and fit for action. And to that end a moderate degree serves best; It will be impossible to set down just how many hours is that moderate degree, because as in eating so in sleep, some consti…utions require more then others. Every mans own ex…erience must in this judge for him, but then let him judge uprightly, and not consult with his sloth in the case▪ for that will still with S…lomons slu…gard, cry, a little more sleep, a little more slumber, a lit…l… more folding of the hand… to sleep, Prov. 24. 33. But take onelyonly so much, as he really finds to tend to the end forementioned.
3. He that doth not thus limit himself,The many sins that f…l…w t…e transgressing of it. fals into several sins under this general one of sl…th; As fi…st, he wastes his time, that precious talent which was committed to him by God to improve, which he that sleeps away, doth like him in the Gospel. M…. 25. 18. Hides it in the earth, when he should be trading with it; and you know what was t…e doom of that unprofitable servan…, vers. 30 Cast ye him into outer darkness; he that gives himself up to the darkness of sl…ep here, shall there have darkness without sl…ep, but with weeping, and gnashing o… …. Sec…ndly, he injures his body, immoderate sl…ep fils that full of diseases▪ makes it a very sink of humours, as daily experi…nces shew us. Thirdly, he inju…es… is Soul also▪ and that not onelyonly in robbing it of the service of the body, but in dulling its proper fac…lties▪ m…king them useless, and unfit for those implo…ments, to which God hath designed them, of all which ill husbandry the poor Soul must one day give account. Nay lastly, he affronts and despises God himself in it, by crossing the very end of his creat on, which was to serve God in an active obedience, but he that sleeps away his life, directly thwarts▪ & contradicts that, and when God saith, Man is born to labour, his practice saith the direct contrary that man was born to rest. Take heed therefore of giving thy self to immoderate sleep, which is the comm…tting of so many sins in one.
4. But besides the sin of it, it is also very hurtful in other respects,Other mischiefs of sloth. it is the sure ba…e of thy outward estate, wherein the sluggish person shall never thrive, according to that observation of the wise man, Proverb. 23. 21. Drowsiness shall cover a man with rags; that is, the slothful man shall want convenient clothing; nay, indeed it can scarce be said, that the sluggard lives; sleep, you know, is a kind of death, and he that gives himself up to it, what doth he but dye before his time. Therefore if untimely death be to be lookt upon, as a curse, it must needs be a strange folly to choose that from our own sloth, which we dread so much from Gods hand.
5. The fourth part of temperance concerns recreations, Temperance in Recreationwhich are sometimes necessary both to the body and the mind of a man, neither of them being able to endure a constant toil without somewhat of refreshment between; and therefore there is a very lawful use of them, but to make it so, it will be necessary to observe these cautions;
6. First, We must take care, that the kind of them be lawful,Cautions t…he observe… in them. that they be such as have nothing of sin in them; we must not, to recreate our selves, do any thing which is dishonourable to God, or injurious to our neighbour, as they do, who make profane or filthy backbiting discourse their recreation; Secondly, we must take care that we use it with moderation; And to do so we must first be sure not to spend too much time upon it, but remember that the end of recreation is to fit us for business, not to be it self a business to us; Secondly, we must not be too vehement, and earnest in it, nor set our hearts too much upon it, for that will both ensnare us to the using too much of it, and it will divert, and take off our minds from our more necessary imployments, like school-boyes, who after a play-time know not how to set themselves to their books again. Lastly, we must not set up to our selves any other end of recreations, but that one lawful, of giving us moderate refreshment.
7. As first, we are not to use sports onelyonly to pass away our time,Undue end of sports. which we ought to study how to redeem, not fling away; and when it is remembred how great a work we have here to do, the making our calling and election sure, the securing our title to Heaver hereafter, and how uncertain we are what tim… shall be allowed us for that purpose, it will appear our time is that, which of all other things we ought most industriously to improve. And therefore sure we have little need to contrive waies of driving that away, which flyes so fast of it self, and is so impossible to recover. Let them that can spend whole dayes and nights at cards, and dice, and idle pastimes, consider this, and withal, whether they ever bestowed a quarter of that t…me towards that great business of their lives, for which all their time was given them, and there think what a woful reckoning they are like to make, when they come at last to account for that precious treasure of their time. Secondly, we must not let our covetousness have any thing to do in our recreations, if we play at any game, let the end of our doing it be meerly to recreate our selves, not to win money; and to that purpose be sure never to play for any considerable matter, for if thou do, thou wilt bring thy self into two dangers, the one of covetousness, and a greedy desire of winning, the other of rage and anger at thy ill fortune, if thou happen to loose; both which will be apt to draw thee into other sins besides themselves; Covetousuess will tempt thee to c…eat, and cousen in gaming, and anger to swearing and cursing, as common experience shews us too often. If thou find thy self apt to fall into either of these in thy gaming, thou must either take some course to secure thy self against them, or thou must not permit thy self to play at all; for though moderate play be in it self not unlawful, yet if be the occasion of sin, it is so to thee, and therefore must not be ventured on. For if Christ commands us so strictly to avoid temptations, that if our very eyes or hands offend us (that is, prove snares to us) we must rather part with them, then be drawn to sin by them: How much rather must we part with any of these unnecessary sports, then run the hazard of offending God by them? He that so playes layes his Soul to stake, which is too great a prize to be played away. Besides, he loses all the recreation, and sport he pretends to aime at; and instead of that sets himself to a greater toil, then any of those labours are he was to ease by it. For sure the desires and fears of the covetous, the impatience and rage of the angry man, are more reall pains, then any the most laborious work can be.
8. The last part of Temperance is that of apparel, Temperance in Apparel.which we are again to measure by the agreeableness to the ends for which clothing should be used. Those are especially these three; First, the hiding of nakedness. This was the first occasion of apparel, as you may read, Gen. 3 21. and was the effect of the first sin,Apparel designed fo… covering of shame. and therefore when we remember this or…ginal clothes, we have so little reason to be proud of them, that on the contrary we have cause to be humbled and ashamed, as having lost that innocency which was a much greater ornament, then any the most glorious apparel can be. From this end of clothing we are likewise e…gaged to have our apparel modest, such as may answer this end of covering our shame; And therefore all immodest fashions of apparel, which may either argue the wantonness of the wearer… or provoke that of the beholder, are to be avoided.
9 A second end of apparel, Fencing from cold.is the fencing the body from cold, thereby to preserve the health thereof, and this end we must likewise observe in our clothing; we must wear such kind of habits, as may keep us in that convenient warmth, wh…ch i… necessary to our healths. And this is transgrest▪ when out of the vanity of being in every phantastick fashion, we put our selves in such clothing, as either will not defend us from cold, or is some other way so uneasy, that it is rather a hurt then a benefit to our bodies to be so clod. This is a most ridiculous folly, and yet that which people that take a pride in their clothes are usually guilty of.
10. A third end of apparel is the distinguishing or d…fferencing of persons,Distinction of persons. and that first in respect of Sex; Secondly, in respect of qualities. First, clothes are to make difference of Sex; this hath been observed by all Nations, the habits of men and women have alwayes been divers. And God himself expresly provided for it among the I…ws, by commanding, that the man should not wear the apparel of the woman, nor the woman of the man. But then secondly, there …s also a distinction of qualities to be observed in apparel; God hath placed some in a higher condition then others, and in proportion to their condition, it befits their clothing to be; Gorgeous apparel, our Saviour tels us, is for Kings Co…ts, Luk. 7. 25. Now this end of apparel should also be observed. Men and women should content themselves with that sort of clothing, which agrees to their Sex and condition, not striving to exceed, and equal that of a higher rank, nor yet making it matter of envy among those of their own estate, vying who shall be finest, but let every man cloth himself in such sober atire, as befits his place and calling, and not think himself disparaged, if another of his neighbours have better then he.
11. And let all remember that cloths are things, which add no true worth to any, and therefore it is an intolerable vanity to spend any considerable part either of their thoughts, time or wealth upon them, or to value themselves ever the more for them, or despise their poor brethren that want them. But if they desire to adorn themselves, let it be as St. Peter advises the women of his time, 1 Pet. 3. 4. In the hidden man of the heart, even the ornament of a meek, and quiet spirit, Let them cloth themselves as richly as is possible with all Christian vertues, and that is the raiment that will set them out lovely in Gods eyes, yea, and in mens t…o, who, unless they be fools and Idiots, will more value thee for being good, then fine, and sure one plain Coat th…u puttest upon a poor mans back will better become thee, then twenty rich ones thou shalt put upon thine own.
12. I have now gone through the several parts of temperance; Too much sparing a fault as well as excess.I shall now in conclusion, add this general caution, that though in all these particulars I have taken notice only of the one fault of excess, yet it is possible there may be one on the other hand; men may deny theirbodies that which they necessarily require to their support, and well being. This is, I believe, a fault not so common, as the other, yet we sometimes see some very niggardly persons, that are guilty of it, that cannot find in their hearts to borrow so much from their chests, as may feed their bellies, or cloth their backs, and that are so intent upon the world, so moiling, and drudging in it, that they cannot afford themselves that competent time of sleep, or recreation, that is necessary. If any that hath read the former part of this discourse be of this temper, let him not comfort himself, that he is not guilty of those excesses there complained of, and therefore conclude himself a good Christian, because he is not intemperate, for whoever is this covetous creature, his abstaining shall not be counted to him as the vertue of temperance, for it is not the love of temperance, but wealth, that makes him refrain; And that is so far from being praise worthy, that it is that great sin which the Apostle tels us, 1 Tim. 6. 10. is the root of all evil; such a mans body will one day rise in judgement against him, for defrauding it of its due portion, those moderate refreshments▪ and comforts which God hath allowed it. This is an Idolatry beyond that of offering the children to Moloch, Lev. 20. 3. they offered but their children, but this cove…ous wretch sacrifices himself to his god M…mmon, whilest he often destroyes his health, his life, yea, finally h…s …oul too, to save his purse. I have now done w…th the second head of duty, that to our selves, contained by the Apostle under the word soberly.