Preserving Spiritual Wakefulness (2)

(3) Labour for an abundance of the Spirit of God. What makes men sleepy, and drowsy? The want of the Spirit. We are dull, and overladen with gross passions, whereby the strength sinks and fails. Christians should know that there is a necessity, if they will keep themselves awake, to keep themselves spiritual. Pray for the Spirit above all things. He is the life of our life, the soul of our soul. What is the body without the soul, or the soul without the Spirit of God? Even a dead lump. Let us keep ourselves in such good ways, as we may expect the presence of the Spirit to be about us, which will keep us awake.
(4) We must keep ourselves in as much light as possible. For all sleepiness comes with darkness. Let us keep our souls in a perpetual light. When any doubt or dark thought arises, upon yielding comes a sleepy temper. Sleepiness in the affections arises from darkness of judgment. The more we labour to increase our knowledge, and the more the spiritual light of it shines in at our windows, the better it will be for us, and the more we will be able to keep awake. What makes men in their corruptions to avoid the ministry of the word, or anything that may awaken their consciences? It is the desire they have to sleep. They are aware, that the more they know, the more they must practice, or else they must have a galled conscience. A gracious heart will be desirous of spiritual knowledge especially, and not care how near the word comes, because they honestly and freely desire to be spiritually better. They make all things in the world yield to the inward man. They desire to know their own corruptions and evils more and more. They love the light ‘as children of the light, and of the day' (1 Thess. 5:5). Sleep is a work of darkness. Men of dark and drowsy hearts, desire darkness, so their consciences may sleep.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
The Love of Christ (Bowels Opened), pp. 87-89 [88-89]
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