132, The Improvement of Time, or, The meditati- rt. ofof That the ferieus Meditation of the littleand fhort time that we have to remain on one inhere below, Amid he a great means, to cut au ofFrom the world, and to put lives, a (pedal means to take rs offof the us upon Thoughts and e,.4ï6iont concerningHeaven. I (haIl not need to give you abetter ground of the point than is in the Text. The world. time ùfhort (faith he) the time is contrasted, youare ready to (hike fayl : Therefore do this. I mightgive you a world of Scriptute to prove this. But I will fa tisfie my Pelf in laying you down two or three grounds of it. Real r. Fir(+,we know,thatall things that ever a man can enjoy in thisworld,theyall die, affoon as ever this time is gone. Mark it ; all things herebelow,let a man dote never fomuch upon them ; let him havewife, and children, and beauty, and credit, and pleafures,and learning,or whatfoeveric is,ifhis Glafs be out,if his time be gone, there is an endof all chofe to him. Now,the Soul of man careth nocfor that happinefs,that hath no continuance at all in it; yea, the rare(+ thing that mortal men reek, i f they (houldknow beforehand thatthey lhould'enjoythem buta little tirne,the Soulcareth not for pitching upon ir. If a man were offered the goodlie(+ woman for his wife, that ever lived in the world : If God fbould fend him this meffage ; there take her, I be(+owLet freely upon thee, but to morrow thou [halt die : Who wuuld care for marrying ? To be a King, we know, is limply the greate(+ thing that men feekafter in this world ; yet among the Grecian Cities ( as that of Sparta ) becaufe one was bit to have the Kingdom but fora year,and then to lay down his Crown,and become a private man : All the wife(+ men of the City, (+rove asmuch not tobe King, as we to get great places. Why ? Becaule they knew that that Honour was but fora year; and that would begone prefently,therefore they cared not for it. So the Apofile teach- eth in this place. Though thou Ihoulde(+ have a wife that thou ilsoukiefilove mighti- ly ; though thou Chouldel have pleafures,that thou take(+ full content in : Whydoch thou fo ? We arc ready to firike fayl ; we have but a little time to continue. So that becaufeall thebleffednelsof this life,let them be never fo many,never fo grear,yet they all dye with us, when our time is ended : He that could but ferioufly think, that he bath but a little time to continue below, he willnever let his heart be fet violently upon them ; that is the fir(+ Argument. Reaf.z. The fecund, and principle Reafon, why the Meditationof the fhortnefs of our time (bould be fuch a marvellous means to take us off, fromall the things of the world is this. Becaufe we [hall find work enough in this (bort time,for things that more concerns us. Now the very nature of our Soul that God bath put into us, is this, that a man cannot intend earne(+ly and violently, two things at the fame time. Let a man for acertain hour wholly be cookup with Come bufinefs,though therewere a great many other things, that he could find in his heart to think upon ; yet the Soul intends that one mainly, and can find no time for the other. This is our cafe : We have but alittle time ; but in that little time, admirable is the work we have to do, before this time be fpent,ifwe would give a comfortable account. What is the What have we to do ? prìocipalching I tell you in a word. The main and needful thingnf all that we have to do in this we have co do little time here allotted us ; is, How to (hoot the Gulph ofHell : How to make our in the world peace with God : How to get his favour in Chrilt: How to have the corruptions of our Soul cured and healed :How togrow up in grace,and toget fare evidenceagain(+ that day,when all (ball nand naked before him,that thenwe may be found in Chrifr. Have I ever heard that I have agreat work to do, and that! have but a little time to do is in? Surely then if I ferioully thinkof it,I cannot findinmy beart,to lec my foul pitchearne(+ly upon the things below. Beloved,our time here,isthe only time we have to make Heaven lure. It is the molt precious thing that ever we have in the world Now if a man have fuch a preciousthing,and but alittle of it, will he goand fpend it for [oyesand baubles. It
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