Time,wafting fillS to be a1Joided. Rom. 12· 1 J. Not Jlotbful in bujint]i, but fervrnt in fpirit firving the Lord. A p•inful diligent perfon is Hill redeemmg time, while hedoth that which is good: and a flothful perfon is alwayes lofing it. 9·. 51· 1h. 2- The f<cond 1hief or Time-wafter is, Exceji of fleep. Nccef!ity cureth moll of the Thitf 2 • poor of this: but many of the nch are gmlry of H. If you ask me, What u excefi -~ I anfwer, All char is more than is needful to our health and bufinef.r. So much as is necdfary to thefe, I reprehend not : And therefore the intlrrn may take more than the healthful; and the old more than the young : And thofe that find that an hours fleep more will not hinder them , but further them in their work: fo that they fhall do the more, and 110t the Jcfs; as being unfit without it, may ufe it as a means to the after improvement of their Time. But when fluggifh perfons fpend hours in bed which neither their t.:altr1 nor labours need, meerly out of a fwinifl1 lm·c of fleep; yea, when rhey will have no work to do, or Calling to employ them, but wlur 0'"11 give place to their f!eepy difeafC, and think they may fieep longer than is neceffary, becaufe they are rich and can afford it and have 110 necdfary bufinefs to call them up; thefe think they may confllme their pretious time; am.l fin more, and wrong their fouls more, bc:caufe God bath given them more than others: As if their fervant fheuld plead that he may tleep more than others, hecaufe he hath more wages than Qthers. 0 did thefe drowfie wretches know, what work they have ~o do for God, and their poor fouls, and thofe about them > it would quickly awake them, and make them fiir: Did they but know how earnellly they will Chorrly wifh, that thty had all thofc hours to fpend again, rhey would fpend them better now than in drowzinefs! Did they b~t know what a woful account it will be:, when they rnufi be anfwerable for all their time, "to fay, we fpent fo many hours every week or morning, in excefs of fleep. Tfiey would be rowfe:d from their Stic, and find fame better uf~: for their time, which will be fwccter in the review, when Time is ended , and mufi be no more. ~- 52· Tb. 3• The next 1hjefor 1ime-wafter is inordinate adorning of the body. The poor may Thief 3• th•nk God that they are free alfo from the temptations to this; and nn quickly drefs them and go . about their bufim::fs: But many Ladies and Gallants are fo guilty of this Vice, that I wonder confci- Nort mores ence is fo patieilt with them. 0 poor negled:~d, undrelt fouls! 0 filthy confciences, never cleanfed D~~e::i~n.; from your pollutions 1 by the Spirit or blood" of ChriH ! Have you not bttter u[e for precious hours, tur, dum - than to be watbing:, and pinning, and dreffing, and curling, and [potting, and powdering , till ten comumur, or eleven a dock in the morning, wh~n honefl labourers have done one half of their dayes work ! a!mui ea. While you arc in health, were not fix a-clock in the morning a fitter hour for you, w be drell:, that nreilt. you might draw near to the moil: Holy God in holy prayer, and read his Word, and fer your fouls, and then your families, in order !or the duties of the following day ? I do not fay that you may go no neater than poor labouring people, or that you may beHow no more time than they in drcfiing you: But I fay, that for your fouls and in your catlings, you are hound by God to be as diligent as they: and have RO more Time given you to lofc than they, and that you {hould fpend as little of it in neatifying you as yoU can: and be fenfible that elfe the lofs is your own : And that abundatice of precious hours which your Pride c(;mfumeth, will lyC heavy one day upon your confcicnces: And then you 01311 confefs, I fay you !hall confefs it with aking hearts, th.r the duries you owed to God and man, and the care of your fouls, and of ytmr families, Chould have been preferred before yOur appearing neat and fpruce to men : If you have but a jomncy eo go, you can rife earlier and be foonet drell: : but for the g_ood of your fouls, and the redeeming of your preciou.s time, you ca~not: 0 that God would but Chew you what greater work you have to do wirh thofc l'recious hours! and how it will cut your hearts to think of them at lafl ! If you lay but hopeleOy fick of a Confumption, you would be cured it is like of this proud difeafe, and beflow lefs of your time in adorning the fl.eCh, which is hafting.to the grave and rottennefs! And cannot you now fee how time and life confumes? anll what caufe you have with aB your care and diligence, to ufe it better before it is 'gone> 1know.they that ,are fo much worfe than childifh, "' prodigally to cat! aivay fo many hours in making themfelve~ .tine for the fight of men, and be not afhamed to come forth and fhew their fin to othtrs, will [c:irce want words to excufe their crime, and prove it law· ful, ( be they fenfe or non~fenfe ). But confcience it fclf {hall anfwer all, when Time is gone, and make you wilh you had been wifer. You know not, Ladies and Gallants, hOw precious a thing Time is! You little feel what a price your [elves will fet upon it at the Iaft: You little confider what ym1 have to do with it: you fee nbt how it hafleth, and how near you fiand to vafl: eternity ! you little know how defpifed Time will look a wakened Confciencc in the face ! Or what it is to be found unready to dye: I know you lay not to heut thefe things: for if you did you ""Idnot, I fay, you could not, f9 lightly c.(\ away your time. ·If all were truethat you f•y, that indeed your place and honour requireth, that your precious morning hours be thus fpent, I profefs to you, I (hould piry you mqre than G•lly-fiaves, and I would blefs me from fuch a place and honour, and make halle into the cour[e and comp•ny of the poor, and think them happy th.r may better fpend their time. But indee4 your excu[es are frivolous and untrue, and do but fhew that Pride hath pre~ vailed to captivate your Reafon to its fervice. For we k,.now Lords and Ladies, as great as the refi of you, (though alas, too few) that c.n quickly be up and drell, and fpend their early hours in prayer and adbrning their fouls~ and can be content to come forth in a plain) and incurious atrire 1 and yet are fo far from being derided, or thought the worfe by any whofe judgement is much to be regarded, that they are taken jufily for the honour of their qrder : And if it were not that Pp 2 fomo
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=