Of ~deeming Time. Tit. 3· VireElions PraElical for ~deeming Time. §. 3 s. DireCt. I· THE firft point i11 the art of Redcemi11g Time, is, to difpatch firft with grwcft Dirdl. t. cart and diligence, the grcatcft work,!, of abfoftttc 1ttccffity! wbtcb mu}~ be ~ne, or ~Jfo we are undone for ever. Firfi, fee that the great work of a found convedJOn or fanCbficarwn be ccrtaiuly wrought within you : Make fure of Y?ur _faving inrcrcH in Chrift : get pro?f of ~our adoption and peace with God, and right to everla!hng life: Be able to prov~ to your Confc1Cnccsfrom the word of God, and from your Regenerate Heavenly hearts and lives, that your fouls are jutiified and fafe; and may comfortably receive the news of death, when ever it (hall be fttH to call you hence: And then, when yoJ.l have done but this much of your wor.k, you ~ill incur no{Uch lofs of Time, as will prove the lofs o(your fouls or happinefs. Though fidl there IS much more work to do, for your felvcsand others, yet when thil mucb is {oundly done, you have fecured the main. If you lofe the Time in which you fhould be re11erved by thdpirit of Chrifi, and in which you fhould lay up rour trcafure in Heaven, you are Jofi for ever~ Be fure therefore that you look !ufi to thts : And then tf you Iofe bnt the Time in which you might have grown rich or got preferment; your lofs is tolerable:, tyou know the worfi of it : You may fee to the end of it. Yea, if you lofe the Time i" which you !hould increafe in Holinefs, and edifieothers, the loi5 is grievous; but yet it will not lo~e you Heay,en:. T~ere· fore as Solomo11 direCleth the Husbandman, Prov. 24· 27· Prepo~re tby work_wttbout andmalt$ tt fit for" thy [elf in the field ; a11d afterwards build thine houfe: fo I advife you, ro fee tirfi that the ne<eJJ"'Y work be done: when that's done, and well done, you may go qu1etly and cheerfully about the rdi: . Jiek.. ft>fi ~th< Kingdom of God and his riglmouforji; 0 what a deal is done when this is done? 9· 39• DireCt. 2· Learn to :mderjfand weU the degree I of dutiet, which iJ the greater andwhich the lefi, Diret/. 2' that when two feemto requireyo~tr 'lime at once, you may Jtftow which of t/)(!m to prefer. Not only to know which is fimply and ill it [elf the greatell, but which is the grcatefi for you, and at that fea- [on, and as confidercd in all the circumjlancu. A great part of the art of Redeeming Time, confiJterh in the wife difcerning and performing of this; to give precedency to the greatefi duty. He t,fcth hisTime, who is getting a penny when he might get a pound: who is viGting his Neighbour, when he fhould be attending his Priqce: who is Weeding his Garden, when he fl1ould be quenching a fire in his houfe, though he be doing that which in it [elf is good. So is he lofing his Time who is preferring his body before his foul; or man before God ; or indifferrnt things before ne~ ceffary; or private duties before publick.; or lrp edi[)ring before the more cdi.fyiilg; or Sacrifice before necefTary mercy. The order of good works I have iht:wed you before, Ch.1p. 3· Dir. 10. which you may perufe. §· 40. Dirett. 3· Be acquainted witb the feafon of every duty, altd the dmy of each [ea[on ; and Direli. 3~ tak.,e them in their 1ime. And thus one duty will help on another: whereas mifplacing them and difordering them, fets them againll one another, and takes up your time with difiraeling difficulties, and lofeth you in confufion. As he that takes the morning hour fo~ prayer, or the tirreli vacant hour, fball do it quietly, without thediHurbance of his other aifairs; when if tbe fea[u"n be omitted, you Oull fcarcc at all perform it, or almo!l as ill as if you did it not at all: fo is it in point of Con· ference, reproof, reading, hearing, rne.ditating and every duty : A wife and well skilled Chrifiian {hould bring his matters into fuch order, that every ordinary duty fbould know his place, and aU fl1ould be as the links of one chain which draw on one another:, or as the parts of a Clock or other Engine, which mull be all conjun~, and each right placed: AWorkman that hath all his Tools on a heapor out of place, fpends much of the day in which he fl10uld be working in looking his Tools: When he that knoweth the place of every one, can prefently take it, and lofe no time. ff my Books be thrown together on a heap, I may fpend half the day in looking for them when I fhould ufe rhem : but if they be fet in order and l l\now their places, it fparcs me that time. So is it in the xight Timing of our duties. §. 41· Direct. 4· Live continuaUy M under the Government of God; and k..eep Con[cience tender, and Dird1.1~ in the performance of itJ office ; and alway1 be ready to render an accott;rt toGod a;;d Con[cicnce of what you do. If you live as under the Government of God, you will be et ill doing his wo1k ; you will bercmembring bi1 judgement; you will be trying your work whether it be fuch as he approvetb: This will keep you from all Time-walling vanities. If you keep Confcience tender, it will prefently check and reprehend you for your fin: and when you lofc but a minute of Time it will ttll yoltof the lofs: whereas a feared ConfcieNce is pajf [eeli1tg, and will give you Ol'Cr to lafciviJufne[i, Ephrfi 4· 19· I Tim. 4· 2· and will make but a Jefi atthclofsof time; or at lean will not effectually tell you either of the fin orJofs : if )'OU keep Confcieuce to itJ office, it will aslt_ you frequently, \Vhat you are doing? and try yom works: It will take acco1mt of 1ime When it is fpent and ask you rvbat you have~ bem doi1tg l and how you have fp~nt c:.very day and hour : And (a's Seneca could fay ) He will be the more carrful what be doth, a11d how hr fpends the d~y, wlto look.! to be call<d to a recl<f!nii:gfvr it every night. This will make the forefeen day of Judgement have fuch a continual awe upon you, as i{ you were prefently going to it; while confcieoce, with refpect to it, is continually f,<-jud~in~ you. Whereas they that have filenced or difcarded Confcience, are like School-boyes that boitrhcir Mafier out of doorS, who do it wirh a defign to fpend the time in play, which they fhoulrl have [pent m leammg: But the aftet-reckonmg pays for all. · 1· 42. Here
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