- 0 d nor the L<:>rd complain a~ainf\ his own people, tlu-Stork irz tbe Heaven~ r. 8.7. ~.::etb be~ appointeJ timet; and the Turtle, and the Cranr, and thc.Sa:•llo"' obftr·ve the ttme of r»eir coming, bt<t my people k.f'un> ltotthe Judgment of the L ord. ~ . rr.mly God'suwn people doe not [o improve, as they o~~hr, rho(e m•nJ guc;:tous letfons of love which rhc Lord aifords jhem. 0 rhe omtllions ol Duues, and comm.f!Joa; of evtls wh~reol we all fl•nd gutlty ! of how many good hours have we been tU ~usbands? I !hall not nttd to reckon up our rimes ot mfancy when we knew norht,1g~ ., 0 , of childhood when we knew very htrle, norofyou:h when we knew not much t rhar we ought to know • bur hnct our riper years, yea hnce the nme ofour reo neracy how prodt!')al h~vt we been of this precious commodity of time? rhoii: rhat ~~ep exad diaries can eafily tdl you, fuch alt hour loft, and fucb "" bour iD!pent; thii day Jdid littlegml, andthe other- day I finned againjl my God.. If in this cafe. ! riuy fpeak out my· own experiences, 1 mull uceds acknowledge that mar y and many a dayll have loll fuch and fuch an opporrunoty, and now rlur tvol days come thiCk ~ron me wherein I would gladly redeem rny days, oh how llow and backward am l as yet in this Heavenly Duty I My dear breth~rn, I tlull not onely reprove you, but my fclf in this: 0 ~by_art thou[o dull, .a>td lzj/lefs, 11nd heavy, 0 my foul? Awak!, aw•k.•! Jlirr up thy {•If, a11d wub o·edouo/edd.trgencefall to the :.orlz.ofredeemmg trm<, whileyet tbettme, the doy, the feaj'on, the opportunitJ ofgrace, of He•ven, or ofSal· vation 1-Jfetb. 2 . Mull time be redetmed? why then l<t me exhort you by the meeknefs and gcn· Vfe 2. lleHrfs ut Chrif\ to be in the cxercife of this Duty. Oh rtdt<nt your time! avoid all tbofe hmdcunces that wou Id take you off.: recompence your f01mer unfruitfulncfs by afrer•diltgtnce; embrace all occafionsofacting grace, and doing good. I might dilate on all ·h·le par<iculars; but I fh.l1 conrraCJ: all m thefe very words, Redeem the time, ib redeet:ny1mr time. ' The mottves bdides rhe former reafons may be theft, . . 1 • T me is evetou the wing, and llayes for nomm. The S'cripture is very full ofrhi-. we meet with many limilitude& himing at the fudden, invifible motion of rime. 'MJ day<~ are fwiftir then a pojt, the} fty awaJ ! thry are poffed aJPay as the J ·& 6 [wift Ships, aJ the Eagle rbat bajleth to the prry. See how Job here multiplies corn0 • 9 ' 25 '' • parifon<, that tf we will not learn by the firll, . we might learn by~ fecond, or by a· third: Gee we to rhe latJd, and there we fe_ettm<on the fpur, . m the fwift riding poll; goe we tu the Sea, and there we fee trm_e upon the wtnd, m·. the fwifr. failing Ship; goe we to the a~re, and there we fee ttme upon the wmg, 10 the fwift llying E.glc. Hence the Ancients emblem'd time with wings, as if it were not onely nmlling, or fatling, but flying. Oh how fad it is to fee men live as if time had leaden heels, and nor fwift wmgs ; ot as iftime would any time flay our leafure, and 110t be gone. Benot deceived, you that are weary oftime, either now redeem it, or you will one d<y cry our, What bath pride profited ut l or what good h4th riches wit~ 8 ur vaunting brought UJ ?_ At! the}e things are paJJed away likJ afhadow, and as Poll that Wifd. $· 8,j>. ,p•Jfetb by; or aJ a Shzp ;-_ -or ·as • Bird;--or as an Arrow.;--evenfo•<>. u,••,t3· wr, &c. 2. As time is fwift, foour rime is lhort. The Heavens indeed are faid to be of fwtft motion, but of long continuance ; but our time is otherwik. wh'en the Co– rintbians propounded divers cafes ofconfcience, after Come anfwe rs rhe Apofile gives rhem in this: BHttbis If. ay, brethrm, thetime is {hort; or time it cut off: he alludes ro Sea-feaJ!llg men that have almoll done rheir Voyage, and begin to ihik& fail. tCor.7. '9· Ttme was m the begtnmng·ofrhe World that men might fay, I may, by courfe of Nature , hve a matter of fix, or fev<:n, or eight, or nine hundred years; bur now God lllth fo can out the time of our age, tliar_lo foon as ~e begin ':ur Voyage; we are ready to finke fatl :we have but a l11rle t-tme; HI lhouldmeafure 1t ou~, what is it but an Ell , a Span , an Inch , a Point ? A11d is it not time then to redeem tbe tzme? 3· Time is not onely fwift and fiJO<t, but nothinjl;, I fay a very nothing in coin– partfon; As fame creatures ·arc faid to be noihing in comparifon of orhers. What ts th~ Ant ro the Ekphanr; .or the Shrrmp to t~e Whale ? what is the wh_ole body of the Earth .ro the body ofrhe l:leavem1 So is our ttme as nothing lo all trme;and all tim1 is as nothit%; to Eternity. Vavi.l that found 0~1 3 fhorr fli· · B2 mm~n
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=