3· 3 . llllt why muti time be redeemed I what necdliry for that f I ~nfwer- . In rcfptCt of time palt. Alas, many a goldeJI fcafon haye we ll)ll, how many ho~;, a 11 d dayes, and months, and years have we.fpent idly, and.done li!_tlegood? l s it ;ot time then to lay hold of every opportunity t_o redetmtimepatl ~ When God brought us forth inw this world, his commands were upo11 us to )"Or)< m h1s vJ.ne· yud,and 10 that purpofc he d<iigned to evtr~ one t:i> til(le;tbut m•nydayu,or mo11tiJt, or ytars foult you evety one Jzve,aud wbJ.Ie you ltve he trnplaymg thrfo anti t4e[e t~lcuu ; zt it my commaitd "P'Hall tbe {o>tt of me~, in thejf. eat of thy fJC e(. 1. e.pf t~y .brow , or of thy brain ) Jh•lt thou e.t bread, tz/1 thou return unto th' groun.d; a~rl wby (~_en. doye Gen. 3 , '! 9 , jla 11 du/1 the d•yidle? wbyareY' not io the work; andefpecially in thewurlzuf theLord? Now if this be Co, that <here JSfuch a command, and that we hare broke thJS command •t Cuch a time,., d luch a time, is it not our duty, and i> there not cJUfe to redd:m the time? A fell ow that bath loytcrcd a great put of the day in his bulinefs, andyet mun ueeds tinifh his work, will he not toy! and fwcat at it towards night ? will he not double his pams, and put all his llrength to it l Sowe, haying not oncly be.cn fliCk in our bulinc fsabout Gods fcrvice, and flow in the way towards Htaven, LUt cYen for many yeares having perhaps run in aquite contrary courfe, ,and done the Devils work , how fhould we now towards the nigJ..t of our natural life, and in the conclulion of the fhort !pan thereof, fpare no paines, double our diJigence, prd's hard to the price of the high calling wuh an holy kind of violence, lay hold ,upor1 the. Kingdom of Heaven, with all zeal, courage, and refolution labour to redeem pall, b·ccautC tr is p.1 lt ~ Thr.) our rcafon. . 2. Jn nlptCl: of time prcltn t : It is bur a moment on which dcpcn,ds et~rnal blif~ or woe, if we h•ve lot-i tune part, and if we do lofe ti:ne prefcnt, we may be undone for ever. . lu this refpeCl: !nay we fay of time, as Boa::. faid eo his kinfman !concerning Rztib, if ' " ' wilt redwn it, "deem it : never think of redeeming it to morrow, 0 r the · h other day, or hueafrer ; for no rim~ is properly your_s but the prcfent time. ,Behold ~~~r:~.4;, non• ir the a"epted time; behold now tithe day offalvatton : now while i am {peaking and you.hearing; now ere the night be done or·the next day comes on. Oh wby lllould we trifl~ away the time which is properly ours, and promifc to our felvcs great things in a time which is none ofours? When Chr;fl mourned over Jerufalem he bemoans it L k · thu•, lf thott had{! knowft 1 evm thou&tleaft in tbit thy day, the tbingt b:longing ·tD u .r9. 4 '• thy pea«: So may I mourn over you, ift~Oiol hadll known, even thou at left in thh thy day: when's that? while Minillcrscall and you hear, this isyour day ; and there• fore he that never heard elfcctually, let him hear now; it is now high ·time to awak~ out of tliateurfcd fccurity wherein you he; the Lord is now come near, Chrifl }<fus is . calling,mercy is intreating,and wifedom iseven hoarfe with,crying after you;ifyou fofq this time, this hour ofgrace, who knows whether ever you fhall enjoy fuoh anqthcr lcafonl Oh take time by the forehead ! po{f tfl occajio calva;it will be too late foon.Now the Lord calls, and now it concerns us to ~efiirr. our fdves upon tbefc grownds. t. B:caufc now are <'IJil dayes; the very reafon in theText : thefe arc the l>.ll times, which the Apo(lle c. lis perillozu times; and why pcrillous? fo,· me~jluUb."MJeri •f Tiro.. r. •· tbur onm[<lvu; covelot<J, boajlers, pru11d, blajpbemers, &c. One would thtnk it u3 th<r an Hillory than a Proph<eie of our dates. Oh is it not time now 1 i£ ever to, r-ttdrem the time. · , 2 . B:caufe now arc dayes af.light : notwithllaoding the evils of foine or mol\ in eompw fon , yet many glorious ttuths d<tnow appear ; the Devil, I know, now brings ~rth his ware, but withal God fs now a communicating many blctfed tnlths. In rc– ipcCl: of m, our fathers before, and .fine~ the Rtformation were in great darkncfs ; th~ candle of God now fluncs upon thiS Natton w1th ext~aGrdinary l,ight:.And what then ? 'Yhy thcrcf~re 1t eonc<rnes ~storedam the time : Thisjs the Apollles ar~;~ument, The A<i. •1·JC– tlmeof tlm zgnorance God rPZnkf at but naw he co#imaiJdeth every ma11 <'ll<ry wh<rt 10 rtp<ltt. This is another reafon. 3: In xefpeCl: Qftimc to come : I flail infiance onely in ti'me ofdeath , and time ot 1udgmmt. I . D<athisar hand ,and then weca:mntredecmthc time {So the Preacher, What. Eeekf. 9 . "'; f•ever thy h•nd finduk '"due, doe it with thy might, for there ir no "'ork,, uor device, Hor k,>ton·ledge, nor wzjedom in the grave whither thoH goejl. q. d. If there be any thing to be done, Jfihcre IJe any du'y God requires, doo ir i,n life, for when death !lull coDlc there fli•ll be no inore preaching, praying, hearing, The grav'e canm t praifc Ha. 3 s.,S.IS1· a thu
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