(j(_edeeming Time. after ! Then , [ Q pray for m~, .that God wil~ recover me a~d tiy me once again ! 0 then ho.w I would fpcnd my time ! J And Js tt not a moll mcongruous thmg to fee the fame perfons, now 1dle and roy away their time, and perhaps think that they do no harm, who know that fhortly they t~ull: cry to God, [ 0 for a little more Time, Lord, to do the great work thats yet undone! A httle more Time to make fure of my falvation J! May not God then tell you, you had T1me tlll you knew not what to do with it! You had fo much Time that you had mmy and many an hour to fpare, for idlenefs and vanity and that which you were not alharned to call Pajfime. §. 1 3. DircCl. 6. Remember alfo that whm Judgement ~omu, God will eaU you t_o acc~unt, .both for Dirett. 6, tvery hour of your mi[pent 1imt, and for aU the Good wh1cb yott jhould h.:Jve done m aU that tune, and did it mt. If you mutt give accouilt for every idle word, then fure for every idle h~ttr: Matth. u. 30. An,d if we mutt be judged according to all the talents we have received, a:1d the improvement of them required of us, then cettainly for fo precious a talent as our Time. Mat. 25. And how fhould that man fpend his Time that believeth he mufl give fuch account of all? Even to the mo!l jufl and Holy God, who will judge all men according to their works; and caufe them all to reap as they. have fowcd. 0 fpend your Time as you would hear of it in Judgement. 9· 14.• DireCt. 7• Remember how much time yOu bave lojt already: a;u/. therefore if you are nol im... Dir~P·.7~ penitent, and infenfible of yo~tr lofi, it will provok_! you to re.deem. with tbe greater dil~gence, the rem1"\....-– nant wbicb mercy fhaU vouclfofe you. How much loll you m ch1ldhood, yomh and nper age! How much have you loll in ignorance? How much in negligence? How much in fldhly pleafure and va.. 11ity? How much in worldlinefs, and many other fins? 0 that you knew but what a lofs it was, if it had been but one year, or week, or day. Do you think you have fpent your Time as you (hould have done? And as Befeemed thofe that had fuch work to do? If not; do you repent of it, or do you no:? If you do not, you have no hope to be forgiven! If you do Repent, you will not fure go on to do the f•me. who will believe that he Repents of gaming, revelling, or other idle lofs • of time, who doth fo fiill while he profeffeth to Repent? He that hath !oH the beginning of the day, mull go the faller in the end, if he will perform fo great a journey. Can you remember the hours and years that you have mifpent, in the follies of childhood, and thevanitiesofinconfiderate youth* and yet llill trifle, and not be provoked by penitent !hame and fear to diligence ? Have you not yet call away enough of fuch a precious treafure, but ynu will vilifie alfo the.little which remains? • 9• 1 5· DireCt. 8. Remembir the frvift aud conftant motilm of your negleaed 1ime. What hafl it Dma. 8, makes ! And never llays ! That which was here while you fpake the latt word, is gone before yoi.J. ~.7 ~ can fpeak the next. Whatever you are doing, or faying, or thinking of, its paffing on without de-- lay. It llayeth not while you t1eep! Whether you remember and oblerve it and make ufe of ir, or not, it glides away! It fiayeth not your lcifure. It haficrh as fall while you play as while you Work; while you fin, as when you repent. No Monarch fo potent as m command it a moment to attend his will ! We have no more }ofhuai to flop the Sun: It is above the jurifdiction of the Princes of the earth! It will not hear them if they command or requefi it to delay its hait, but the .finalleft mo~ ment ! Crowns and Kingdoms would be no price, to hire it to loiter but while you draw anocher breath. Your lives are not like the deaths of the Ifraelires in the wilderncfs, that wax not old: But like the proviftons of the Gibeonites, worn and waO:ed while you are paffing but a liule way• .And is 1ime fo fwift, and you fo flow ? Will you fiand Hill and fee it pafs away, as if you had no ufe for it; no work to do, nor no account to give? 9· 16. DireCt. 9· Co>tfider: alfo. how u>tre:overable 1ime i1 wbm ill f•J!· Take it now or its loll for Dire/1. p; ever. All the men on earth, wnh all thnr powtr, and all theu nm, are not able to recaltone mt- · nute that is gene : All the tiches in this world cannot redeem it, by reverfing one of. thofe hours or moments, which you fo prodigally cafl away for nothing. If you would cry and call after it till you teai your hearts, it will not return. Many a thoufand have tryed this by fad experience, and have cryed out too late, 0 that we had now that Time again which we made fo light of! But none of them did ever attain their wi{h! No more will you. Take it therefore while you have it: It is now as liberal to the poorefi beggar as to the greatell Prince ! Time is as muchyouTI as bit. Though in your youth and folly you fpend as out of the lull heap, as if Time would never have an end, yon !hall lind it is not like the widdows oyl, or the loaves and fin1es mulciplyed by a Miracle: But the hour is at !)and? when. you will wi(h you had gathered the fragments and the fmallel\ crums, tha( nothing offo..prectous a commoduy bad been lofi; even the little minutes, which you thought you might neg~ led: and be no lofc:is. 'Fry whether you can flop the prefent momelll, or recall that which is gont by already, before you vilitie or loiter away any more; left you repent roo late. 9•"17· DireCt. 10. ·think,. alfo how exceeding little 1ime tbou bajl, and how itear thou aUway ftandcjl • to tternity: Job. 7• •· Is thert 11/Jt an appointed time to man upon tarth? tlr't 11ot his d"J' alfo lik.! tbe• D~re9•. 1~0;..!_" dayt of an hireli~g? ~ Job 14· 1, 2. M<~n that it bor~ of a woman it of few d~Jys and full of trouble: Jixf~~~~~~:, Re cometbfortb ltk.! aJ!owrr,andiJ cut down: He jlteth alfo M a jhad.ow andcontinuetb 1zot. Job 9·2 5)26. tlnquam ex Now my daJI art [wifnr than a poft ; they flee away ; tiJcy fee no good: tbey are paffed away M tbe hofpitio, non fwift jJJipt; M the Eagle tbat bajteth to tbe pr'ey. 0 what is this inch of hafty Time? How quickly tarquamcx '~ill it all be_g?ne? Look hac~ on all the Time thats p~f\ : If thou have lived threefcorc or fourfcore ~~::;;~di~~~: years-, what IS 1t now? Doth H not fccm as yefierday lmce thou wafi a child? Do not days and nights nobis n:trur~ (# wheel on apafe? 0 man, how 010rt is thy abode on earch ~ Wow fmall a Time will leave thee in erer- diverforium, nity? What a ~mal! and hafiy moment will bring thee, to the fiatc in which thou mufi rerna~n for ~~:~n~~~~~:~~~ eve~ ? .E~ery.111ght IS as the death or end, of one of the few that are here allotted thee. How hrt1e a cic.; 1 c. 1 r. whlle 1s lt ull thy mortal fickncfs ? Till thou mutt lie under langui!hing decays and pain ? Till thy Maj. · 0 \l . vital
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=