It is proposed

I. To inquire when the Christian may be said to be asleep.

II. Offer some motives which ought to induce him to awake.

I. When is the Christian asleep?

1. He is asleep when he consults his own ease to the neglect of his duty.

Religion is the great business of his life. It imposes on him many duties which are painful and crossing to corrupt nature. Such, for example, is fraternal admonition. "Exhort one another daily, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." "Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him." These are commands of God. To neglect this, and similar duties, through fear of incurring reproach, is indulging in spiritual sloth. You may sit down and rest quietly, if you will not disturb your fellow sinners around you with a sight of their sin and danger. This requires no effort. And here thousands resign themselves to rest. Individuals or a church may close their eyes on the conduct of an offender, and not make one effort to restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; and this awful indifference to the welfare of the soul, may assume the name of charity. The slothful servant will ever consult his own ease by sinful contrivance to shun duty.

2. As one in sleep is insensible to what is passing around him, so, in a measure, it is sometimes with the Christian. Though not wholly lost to a sense of divine things, they make but a feeble or slight impression upon his soul. In this frame, he goes to the house of God, and no wonder that he soon forgets what he

never felt.

Once he saw the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; but now he walks in darkness. Once he had a deep sense of the worth of souls, and could weep over perishing sinners around him. He could say, "I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved." But now he can behold the sight almost without emo. tion. Once, he seemed to be dead to the world, and his conversation was in heaven. But now his conversation is engrossed with the affairs of the world. He can converse with ease and cheerfulness on the trifles of time; but on the great things of eternity, he has little or nothing to say-or if he speaks on these high and heavenly themes, it is in a dull and lifeless man. He appears not to take a deep interest in the subject. He feels not the impressive weight of eternal realities. Consequently he talks like a person in sleep-he knows not what he says.

ner.

3. Another mark of this unhappy state of mind, is a reluctance to secret prayer. Prayer has been very properly styled the breath of the Christian. Has a person been any considerable time without the spirit of prayer, it is a sign that he is asleep; and if he is not soon waked from this breathless state, we shall be compelled to believe that he is dead.

How far these, and similar remarks apply to Christian professors present, is best known to themselves. One thing is certain. It is not my business to cry peace in the ears of any who are asleep.

I proceed

II. To offer motives to induce sleeping Christians to awake.

1. Consider the time. It is gospel time. The light of the gospel has risen upon us; and those who do not

open their eyes on the glory of this light, must remain in eternal darkness and despair. For "if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." The light of heaven is shining upon you. And can you sleep? “Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation." The business of this day will not suffer you to sleep. It calls loudly upon you to awake. Think, my brethren, have you nothing to do? Have you nothing to do for yourselves? you no sins to repent of-no evil propensities to mortify? Are your evidences of grace, sufficiently bright? Are you willing to die as you now are? If you have any thing to do for yourselves, it is high time to awake out of sleep. "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."

Have

Have you nothing to do for your brethren? Is no brother or sister wandering from the path of duty? Go, and in a feeling, friendly manner, "tell him his fault between him and thee alone." Why hesitate? Delay not. Duty calls. God commands, and love to his soul demands that you go without delay. "If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother."

Parents, where are your children? Are they all secure within the ark of safety? Doubtless, you pray with and for them. But this is not all your duty. Have you ever taught them that they are sinners, and that they must be born again? And are you urging them to remember their Creator now in the days of their youth? Were you this day called to part with one of your children; should you feel satisfied that you had done your duty? Have you not one word more

of instruction, of counsel, or of warning for your children before you meet them at the bar of God? If so, then it is high time that you who are parent should awake to a sense of your duty-that you should set your houses in order and prepare for death.

Again-It is high time to awake, because others are up and active about us. The men of this world shame us by their conduct. They rise up early and sit up late. They plan and execute. Labor, fatigue and hardship are nothing to them, if they can but collect a little of this world together before they die. They are laying up treasures on earth which moth and rust will soon corrupt. And shall not you be as earnest to lay up for yourselves a more enduring substance—a treasure in the heavens? They are laboring for the meat which perisheth, but you are called to labor for that which endureth unto everlasting life. Do you not feel reproved by their conduct? Is it not humiliating to think that the children of this world are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light?

Again-Remember, my brethren, you are on the field of battle. It is high time to awake, because the enemy is up and active about you. The prince of darkness, and all the ranks of evil angels, are your enemies. The malice of their legions is directed against the Redeemer's kingdom. War is declared. with all saints. And the legions of hell have gone up upon the breadth of the earth. The great adversary is already in possession of the hearts of all wicked men. They are his servants. The Devil is styled

the "prince of this world"—" the ruler of the darkness of this world." This is "the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Remember, it is not

a feeble foe with whom you have to contend. You are called to wrestle not merely with flesh and blood; but before the victory is won, you will have to grapple with angelic powers-with principalities and powers. Your enemy is crafty. Snares and temptations are laid thick around you, and unless you are wakeful, you will certainly be ignorant of his devices. That moment when you let down your watch, the enemy began to come in upon you like a flood. And I would blow the trumpet and sound an alarm. Awake thou that sleepest. Cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Think not to find a bed of sloth on the field of battle. Awake and "put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." "Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Awake, then, for your enemies are many, powerful and crafty.

Another reason why you should awake, is, that sinners are perishing around you. While you sleep, your example will contribute much to their destruction. Yes, while you sleep, the world may be stumbling over you into perdition. Little does that ungodly professor of religion think what a train of immortal souls may be following him down to hell. It is a fact not to be concealed, that one ungodly professor of religion may do more to prevent the conversion of sinners, than many infidels. I know that it is most unreasonable that mankind should suffer themselves to be thus for