186 Of ~deeming Time: !](:ties for Spending it. Rulestokt'lO'" §. 42• I-lc:re for the further DircCl:ion of your Coufciences, I £hall lay you down a few Rules, for wh:n Time the right fpending of your Tim~. I· Spend it in norhing (as a deliberate moral ad ) whi(;h is mufi be fpent not truly, directly or remotely an act of obedience to forne Law of God: (of meer nat11ral acts in. which are no objects of moral choi~r, l fpeak not). :;a. Spend it in nothing which you know mull~ Repented of. 3· Spend it in nothmg which you dare nor, or may not warrantably pray for a bieffing on from God. 4:· Spend it ~n nothing whicl~ rou w~uld not. review at the hour of death, by an awakened, weU.mformed ~~~d. .5·. Spen~ Jtm nothmg wh1ch you would not hear of ln the day of judgement! 6. Spend 1t 1h noth111g whiCh you cannot fafely and comfortably be found doing if death fhould furp~ize you in the act. 7· Spend it in "?thing which ficfh:Piea{ing P"fwadetbyou t~, agamn your Confctencu, or w1th a fccret grudge o~ doubtzng of your Confcu:nces. 8. Spend it in 110• thing which hath not fome ttndencie, dircd:ly or remotely to your ultimote end, the pleafing of God and enjoying him in Love for ever. 9• Spend it in nothing which cendeth to do more hurt tba 1; good: that would do a great hurt to your felf or others, under prete.nfe of doing fome little gO(Jd, winch perhaps may better be done another way. 10. La111y, fpend 1t m nothmg which is but a [maller zood, when a gre.ster !hould be done. Dirdi. 5• p. 43· Direct. 5· Do your beft to fettle yow- [elves where there are the greatcf! helps ami fihaBeft hinderancu to the Redeeming ofyeur Time : And labour more to accommodate your h.zbitation , con"ditimt and employments to the great ends ofyoztr life and time, t!Jan to your worldly honour, eafo or wealth. Live where is bell trading for the foul: You may get more by Gods ordinary bJeffing in one year in a godly lilmily, or in fruitful company, and under an able godly Minift:er, than in many years in a barren foil, among the ignorant, dt:ad-hearted, or prophane, where we mull: fay as.Davitl, 1 held my peace e~·cn fromgood, wbile the wic~td ir befo:eme-Pfalm 39· 1, 2· And when we mufi do all the good we do through much oppohrion; and meet with great difadvanuges and difficulties, which may quickly fiopfuch dull and backward hearts as ours: If you will prefer your profit before your.. fouls in the choit:C of your condition, and wia plunge your {i.:lves intO di!trafring bufynefs and com– pany, your Time will tun in a wrong unprotirJble chanel. Dire[/. 6. §. 44· Direct. 6. Contrive h<fore hand with the beft ofyour sj,JU for the preveming of imptdimtntr, and for the mojt fuccesful performan_ce of your wor~<; If you leave all ro .the very. time of doing, yolJ will have many hinderances nfe before you, and make you lofe your T1me, wh1ch prudent forecaft might have prevented. As for the improving of the Lord1 Day, if you do not befor<handfoorder your bufinefs, that all things may give place to ho1y dutitS 1 you will mttt with fo many difiurbances and temptations, as will loft: you much of your Time and benefit : fo for family duties, and fecrer da– ties; and meditation and ftudies and the works of your callings; If you do not fureca{l whathin· drancc is like to meet you 1 that you may prevent it before the time, you mull: lofe much Time, and fuffer much difappointment. Direll. 7• ~· 45· DireCt. 7· Endure patiently fome [i11al'cr inco;zvmitnct aml lo{r 1 for tlu avoidi1tg ofgreater, and for t)u redeeming of1imt for greattrdutics; and let little tbi~tgi bt rejoltttt!y caft out n/ your way, wbe 11 they would draw out your 1imt by infenfible degretJ. The Devil would cunningly llcal that from you by drops, which he cannot get you to cafi away profufely at once: He that wtll not fpend prodi– gally by the pounds, may run out by not regarding pence. · You lhall have the pretenCes ofdecencie and feunlinefs, and civility, and good manners, and avoiding offence, and ccnfure, and of fome ne– cellity too, to draw our yonr precious Time from you by 1inle and little; And if you are fo eafie as to yield, it will almoll all be walled by this temptation. As if you be Mini!lers of Chrifi whofe Time mull be fpent in your fludies and pulpits and in conference with your people, and vifiting them . and watching over them, and it is your daily groans, that Time is jhort and rvorlt is long, and that you are forced to omit fo many needful Hudies , an~ pafs by fo many needy fouls, tOr want of Time; Yet if you look not well about you , and wlll not bear fame cen{ure and offence, you (hall Iofe even the reil of the Time, which now you do improve. Your friends about you will be tempting and telling you, 0 this friend muft needs be vifitcd, and the other friend muft be civilly treated ; you mu1l not !hake them off fo q"ick1y ; They look for more of your time and company : you are much obliged to them: they wilf fay you are uncivil and morofe : fuch a fcholar comes to be acquainted with you; and he wiH take itlil; .~nd mifreprefenr you to orhcrs, if you allow him not Time·for fome f1uniliar difcourft. Its one that never was with you before; and never took up: any of your Time; ( And fo faith the next and the next as well as he. ) Such a one vifited you, and you muH: needs ~Hit him again. There is thir jourJtl'y or that which roult needs be gone : and tbU bufinefr and that whtch mull needs be dofie: Yea ones very family-occafz.. ons will fieal away all his Time if he watch nor narrowly : we (hall have this fervant to talk to, ancl the other tO hear, and our Relations to refpe6t, and abundance of 1irde things to mind, fo I1tde as not to be named by themfelves, abotu meat and drink, and cloaths and dreffing, and houfe, and goods, ar:d fervants, and work, and tradefmen and meffengers, and marketting, and payments, and cattle, and 1. hundred things not to be reckoned up, that will every one take up a little ofyour Time, and thofe littler fct together will be all. As rhe covetous ufurer that to purchafe a place of Honour, agreed fo_r a month, to give a penny to every one that asked him: wl;1ich being quickly noifed abroad in the City, there came fo many for their pence, as took all that he had, and made, him quir his place of Honour, becaufe he had nothing left to maintain it. So perhaps yon are an eminent much valued Miniller; and this draweth upon you fUch a multitude of acquaintance, every one expecting a little of :~our Time, _that among them all, they leave you a1Imofi none for your Jludies, whereby not only your <;onf,ien'e IS: wounded, but your parts are quenched, and your work is Harvcd and poorly done, and
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