Three Sermons and Prayers | Page 5

man hath
over another may be called blessings, yet they are by no means so in
the sense the world usually understands. Thus, for example, great riches
are no blessings in themselves, because the poor man, with the
common necessaries of life, enjoys more health and has fewer cares
without them. How then do they become blessings? No otherwise than
by being employed in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked,
rewarding worthy men, and, in short, doing acts of charity and
generosity. Thus, likewise, power is no blessing in itself, because
private men bear less envy, and trouble, and anguish without it. But
when it is employed to protect the innocent, to relieve the oppressed,
and to punish the oppressor, then it becomes a great blessing.
And so, lastly, even great wisdom is, in the opinion of Solomon, not a
blessing in itself; for "in much wisdom is much sorrow;" and men of
common understanding, if they serve God and mind their callings,
make fewer mistakes in the conduct of life than those who have better
heads. And yet wisdom is a mighty blessing when it is applied to good
purposes, to instruct the ignorant, to be a faithful counsellor either in

public or private, to be a director to youth, and to many other ends
needless here to mention.
To conclude: God sent us into the world to obey His commands, by
doing as much good as our abilities will reach, and as little evil as our
many infirmities will permit. Some He hath only trusted with one talent,
some with five, and some with ten. No man is without his talent; and he
that is faithful or negligent in a little shall be rewarded or punished, as
well as he that hath been so in a great deal.
Consider what hath been said, &c.

ON SLEEPING IN CHURCH

"And there sat in the window a certain young man named Eutychus,
being fallen into a deep sleep; and while Paul was long preaching, he
sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken
up dead."--Acts xx. 9.
I have chosen these words with design, if possible, to disturb some part
in this audience of half an hour's sleep, for the convenience and
exercise whereof this place, at this season of the day, is very much
celebrated.
There is indeed one mortal disadvantage to which all preaching is
subject, that those who, by the wickedness of their lives, stand in
greatest need, have usually the smallest share; for either they are absent
upon the account of idleness, or spleen, or hatred to religion, or in order
to doze away the intemperance of the week; or, if they do come, they
are sure to employ their minds rather any other way than regarding or
attending to the business of the place.
The accident which happened to this young man in the text hath not
been sufficient to discourage his successors; but because the preachers
now in the world, however they may exceed St. Paul in the art of

setting men to sleep, do extremely fall short of him in the working of
miracles, therefore men are become so cautious as, to choose more safe
and convenient stations and postures for taking their repose without
hazard of their persons, and upon the whole matter choose rather to
trust their destruction to a miracle than their safety. However, this
being not the only way by which the lukewarm Christians and scorners
of the age discover their neglect and contempt of preaching, I shall
enter expressly into consideration of this matter, and order my
discourse in the following method:-
First, I shall produce several instances to show the great neglect of
preaching now among us.
Secondly, I shall reckon up some of the usual quarrels men have
against preaching.
Thirdly, I shall get forth the great evil of this neglect and contempt of
preaching, and discover the real causes whence it proceedeth.
Lastly, I shall offer some remedies against this great and spreading evil.
First, I shall produce certain instances to show the great neglect of
preaching now among us.
These may be reduced under two heads. First, men's absence from the
service of the church; and secondly, their misbehaviour when they are
here.
The first instance of men's neglect is in their frequent absence from the
church.
There is no excuse so trivial that will not pass upon some men's
consciences to excuse their attendance at the public worship of God.
Some are so unfortunate as to be always indisposed on the Lord's day,
and think nothing so unwholesome as the air of a church. Others have
their affairs so oddly contrived as to be always unluckily prevented by
business. With some it is a great mark of