Our text is followed at the distance of one verse with what seemed to be the words of the sluggard in answer to the attempt to awake him: Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.' They are a quotation from an earlier chapter (Proverbs 6.) where His Laziness' is sent to consider the ways of the ant and be wise.' They are a drowsy petition which does not dispute the wisdom of the call to awake, but simply craves for a little more luxurious laziness from which he has unwillingly been aroused. And is it not true that we admit too late the force of the summons and yet shrink from answering it? Do we not cheat ourselves and try to deceive God with the promise that we will set about amendment soon? This indolent sleeper asks only for a little: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.' Do we not all know that mood of mind which confesses our slothfulness and promises to be wide awake to-morrow but would fain bargain to be left undisturbed to-day? The call Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead!' rings from Christ's lips in the ears of every man, and he who answers, I will presently, but must sleep a little longer,' may seem to himself to have complied with the call, but has really refused it. The' little more' generally becomes much more; and the answer presently,' alas! too often becomes the answer never.' When a man is roused so as to be half awake, the only safety for him is immediately to rise and clothe himself; the head that drowsily droops back on the pillow after he has heard the morning's call, is likely to lie there long. Now, not by-and-by' is the time to shake off the bonds of sloth to cultivate our garden.
