645 / 808
V
E
R.16.
Ephefialns,Chap.
5.
(
62
of hafting to meate, bccaufe he preferred
the
opportunitie
of
bringing
home
a
loft fheepe,and made
it
as
meate
and
drink
to him
:
fo
he chofe
rather
co
leave his
friends unfatisfied, then
to
leave his
opportunitie:
fo
Saint Paul was
ready to lay down
his life
then, when
occafion fhould
be offered,
notto
beare
a
teflimonie to
Chrift.
But it.will be faid,How
can we fpend all
our time,
in feeking
to
glo- objet!;
ri
fie
God,
and
worke out ourSalvations,when we have many outward
bufineffes
We
muff
wifelyfeeke
to
remove thofe things which doe difabie
1141,
us,
that
we cannot take opportunities
offered,nor redeeme
all
our
dales
and
hourcs,
to
the glorifying
of
God.
Now
thefe are,
r.
Ignorance,
many thinke they
are
not
in
fo
(trait
manner
to
be countable
for
time. Again, we want heavenly
wifedome to difcerne opportunities
to
this and
that
particular dutie
whereas in all occurrences
God doth
offer
us
occafion
of
faith, love,
fobrietie,righteoufneffe, patience, hope,
thankfulneffe, &c.
2. Sloth
-
fulneffe,
which
maketh
us
not
care for
doing
any
thing.
3.
Love
of
flefhly
libertie. 4.
Want
of
tafte
in
heavenly
things, for
becaufe we
finde
them not fwcete,
that doth
make
us
we
cannot hold out in
them.
As
one mufflabour againft thefe
things,
fo one
muff taske
them-
(elves daily
with fome good duties;
as
prayer, meditating, reading,
exhorting
one another.
Seeing our callings, andmany
other
occafionsare
to
be ferved,
we
3:
muff redeeme
the time, while we
are
in
thefe, by doing them
in
obe-
dience
of
faith,
by
making
them
inffruments whereby
to
(hew our
love, righteoufneffe, fobrietie, &c.
We
muff
ufe
diaries, daily take
a
note
how
our time flippeth,
that
,t;
when
we confider
how
unfruitefull
we are,
as
of
ten, not
to tythe
one
houreto God
out
of
the whole day,
that
it may make
us
afhamed, and
to grow more fruitfull,
as
Revel.
a. Confidering fromwhence we
are
fallen,
is a
meane
of
repenting.
Now
this
truth that
we
are
bound
to
gaine our
whole
time
tothe glorifying of
God,
and
to
take all
oppor-
tunities,
It doth
firft
rebuke
us
that
doe
not
once confider
of
the
gracious
ife
as
feafons
Godgiveth
us,
that God
may complaine
as
he did
in
leremie,
The Starke
and
the
Swallow know
their
feafons, but
my people know not
the jet.
8.7;
judgement
of
the
Lord:
and
Chrift
might
fay
to
us as
he
fpeaketh,o
by.
pocrites
can
you
di
f
erne the
face ofthe
skies ?
So many wholly mifpend
their time,
like
thofe
in
lob
a
i.
13.
They
/fendtheir
dayes
in mirth
:Ma-
ny
that
are
fo
farre
from buying it out at
any price,
that
they know
not
how they may fhaketheir
hands
of
it,
as
if
it
were
a
mofI refufe
com-
moditic, they know not
(as many complaine)
how they
may
paffe
it.
Many againe who delay and
upon
never fo little matter let goc
the oc-
cafion, and
all
of
us
who
in
our meetings, vifiting one
another
are
fo
ill
husbands
of
good homes,
fo prodigall
of
nothing
as
of
this
which
is
moll precious.
It
S