"Without labour, industry, and diligent husbandry, we can neither increase the natural, nor improve the divine, riches of our souls." ANGER. "As the whirlwind in its fury teareth up trees, and deformeth the face of nature; or as an earthquake in its convulsions overturneth whole cities, so the rage of an angry man throweth mischief around him; danger and destruction wait on his hand. "But consider, and forget not, thine own weakness; so shalt thou pardon the failings of others. "Indulge not thyself in the passion of anger; it is whetting a sword to wound thine own breast, or murder thy friend. "If thou bearest slight provocations with patience, it shall be imputed unto thee for wisdom; and if thou wipest them from thy remembrance, thy heart shall not reproach thee. "See'st thou not that the angry man loseth his understanding? Whilst thou art yet in thy senses, let the wrath of another be a lesson to thyself. "Do nothing in a passion; why wilt thou put to sea in the violence of a storm "If it be difficult to rule thine anger, it is wise to prevent it. Avoid, therefore, all occasions of falling into wrath, or guard thyself against them whenever they occur. "A fool is provoked with insolent speeches, but a wise man laugheth them to scorn. "Harbour not revenge in thy breast, it will torment thy heart, and discolour its best inclinations. "Be always more ready to forgive than to return an injury. "He that watches for an opportunity of revenge, lyeth in wait against himself, and draweth down mischief on his own head. "A mild answer to an angry man, like water cast upon the fire, abateth his heat; and from an enemy he shall become thy friend. "Consider how few things are worthy of anger, and thou wilt wonder that any fools should be wroth. "In folly or weakness it always beginneth; but remember and be well assured, it seldom concludeth without repentance. "On the heels of folly treadeth shame, at the back of anger standeth remorse." -The Ancient Bramin. XI. REV. JOHN WESLEY. ABOUT the year 1782, the Rev. John Wesley delivered his celebrated sermon upon 66 Redeeming the Time," in which he sought to show I. What it is to redeem the time from sleep. "Idle persons are superfluous creatures, of no advantage or benefit to the body politic where they live." III. The most effectual manner of doing it. I. And first, What is it to redeem the time from sleep? It is, in general, to take that measure of sleep every night which nature requires, and no more; that measure which is the most conducive to the health and vigour both of the body and mind. But it is objected, "One measure will not suit all men, some require considerably more than others, neither will the same measure suffice even the same persons at one time as at another. When a person is sick, or weakened by preceding sickness, he certainly wants more of this natural restorative than he did when in perfect health; and so he will when his spirits and strength are exhausted by hard or long continued labour." All this is unquestionably true, and confirmed by a thousand experiments. Whoever, therefore, they are that have attempted to fix one measure of sleep for all persons, they did not understand the nature of the human body, so widely different in different persons. Bishop Taylor has assigned for the general standard only three hours in four-andtwenty. That good and sensible man, Mr. Baxter, supposes four hours in four-and-twenty will suffice for any man. But I am fully convinced, by an observation continued for more than fifty years, that whatever may be done by extraordinary persons, or in some extraordinary causes, wherein persons have subsisted with very little sleep for some weeks or months, a human body can scarce continue in health and vigour, without six hours' sleep in fourand-twenty. Sure I am I never met with such an instance, I never found either man or woman that retained vigcrous "'Tis good advice that St. Jerome gives; still be doing some warrantable work, that the Devil may always find thee well employed." health for one year with a less quantity of sleep than this. And I have long observed, that women in general want a little more sleep than men; perhaps because they are in general of a weaker habit of body. If, therefore, one might venture to name one standard, I am inclined to think this would come near the mark. If any one desires to know exactly what quantity of sleep his own situation requires, he may very easily make the experiment which I made about sixty years ago. I then waked every night about twelve or one, and lay awake for some time. I readily concluded that this arose from my lieing in bed longer than nature required. To be satisfied, I procured an alarum, which waked me the next morning at seven, near an hour earlier than I rose the day before; yet I lay awake again at night. The second morning I rose at six, but, notwithstanding this, I lay awake the second night. The third morning I rose at five, but, nevertheless, I lay awake the third night. The fourth morning I rose at four (as by the grace of God I have done ever since), and I lay awake no more. And I do not now lie awake, taking the year round, a quarter of an hour together in a month. By the same experiment (rising earlier and earlier every morning) may any one find how much sleep he really wants. The following, from Doddridge's "Family Expositor," is well worthy the attention of all, particularly of the studious:"I will here record an observation," says the doctor, "which I have found of great use to myself, and to which I may say that the production of this work, and most of my other writings is owing, viz., that the difference "If women be idle, they will be wanderers about from house to house, tattlers also and busy bodies, speaking things which they ought not." between rising at five and at seven o'clock in the morning, for the space of forty years, supposing a man to go to bed at the same hour at night, is nearly equivalent to the addition of ten years to a man's life, of which (supposing the two hours in question to be so spent) eight hours every day should be employed in study and devotion." II. But why should one be at so much pains? What need is there of being so scrupulous? Why should we make ourselves so particular? What harm is there in doing as our neighbours do? Suppose, in lying from ten to six or seven in the summer, and till eight or nine in the winter. If you would consider this question fairly, you will need a good deal of candour and impartiality, as what I am about to say will probably be new, different from anything you ever heard in your life; different, perhaps, from the judgment, at least from the example of your parents and your nearest relations, nay, and perhaps of the most religious persons you ever were acquainted with. fore, your heart to the Spirit of Truth, and beg of Him to shine upon it, that, without respecting any man's person, you may see and follow the truth as it is in Jesus. Lift up, there Do you really desire to know what harm there is in not Redeeming all the Time you can from sleep? Suppose in spending therein an hour a day more than nature requires? Why, first, it hurts your substance, it is throwing away six hours a week, which might turn to some temporal account. If you can do any work, you might earn something in that time, were it ever so small, and you have no need to throw even this away. If you do not want it "You that are rich have of all people the least cause to be idle; God gives you more than others; and is there any reason then that you should do less for God than others, and make your whole lives a long vacation ?" yourself, give it to them that do; you know some of them that are not far off. If you are of no trade, still you may employ the time so that it will bring money, or money's worth to yourself, or others. The not redeeming all the time you can from sleep, the spending more time therein than your constitution necessarily requires, hurts your health. Nothing can be more certain than this, though it is not commonly observed. It is not commonly observed, because the evil steals on you by slow and imperceptible degrees. In this gradual, and almost insensible manner, it lays the foundation of many diseases. It is the chief, real, though unexpected cause of all nervous diseases in particular. Many inquiries have been made why nervous disorders are much more common among us than among our ancestors. Other causes may frequently concur, but the chief is, we lie longer in bed. Instead of rising at four, most of us, who are not obliged to work for our bread, lie till seven, eight, or nine. We need inquire no farther; this sufficiently accounts for the large increase of these painful disorders. It may be observed that most of these arise, not barely from sleeping too long, but even from what we imagine to be quite harmless, the lying too long in bed. By soaking (as it is emphatically called) so long between warm sheets, the flesh is, as it were, parboiled, and becomes soft and flabby. The nerves, in the meantime, are quite unstrung, and all the train of melancholy symptoms, faintness, tremors, lowness of spirits, so called, come on, till life itself is a burden. One common effect of either sleep |