pelf? But I know how it is with you: it is for the present pleasure of the flesh, and for the sweetness of life itself that you value life, and are so loath to die, and not for any higher ends: but this is to be brutish, and to unman yourselves, and simply to vilify your lives, while you idolize them. Such mad contradictions sin infers. You make your life your ultimate end, and desire to live but for life itself, or the pleasures of life, and so you make it instead of God and heaven, which should be intended as your proper end: and yet while you refer it not to these higher ends, and use it but for the present pleasure, you vilify yourselves and it, as if man did differ from a dog or other brute, but in some poor degree of present pleasure.

Direct. XVII. Consider that in your loss of time, you lose all the mercies of that time.' For time is pregnant with great, invaluable mercies. It is the cabinet that containeth the jewels. If you throw away the purse, you throw away the money that is in it. O what might you get in those precious hours which you cast away! How much better a treasure than money might you win? How much sweeter a pleasure than all your games and sports might you enjoy? You might be soliciting God for life eternal! You might be using and increasing grace! You might be viewing by faith the blessed place and company in which you may abide for ever. All this, and more, you are losing while you are losing time. You choose as a pleasure that heavy curse," Your strength shall be spent in vain." Why do you not also take it for a pleasure, to cast away your gold or health? I tell you, a very little time is worth a great deal of gold and silver. You cast away a more precious commodity.

Direct. XVIII. Think seriously how Christ, and his apostles, and holiest servants in all ages spent their time.' They spent it in praying, and preaching, and holy conference, and in doing good, and in the works of their outward callings in subserviency to these: but not in cards, or dice, or dancing, or stage-plays, or pampering the flesh, nor in the pursuit of the profits and honours of the world. I read where Christ was "all night in praying," but not where he spent an hour in playing. I know you will say, that you

expect not to reach to their degree of holiness. But let me remember you, that he is not sincere that desireth not to be perfect. And that he is graceless, who wilfully keepeth any beloved sin, which he had not rather be delivered from; and that wilfully refuseth any duty, and had not rather perform it as he ought. And that you are the more needy, though Christ, and his apostles, and servants, were the more holy! And that the poor have more need to beg, and work, and be sparing of what they have, than the rich. And therefore, if Christ and his holiest servants were sparing of their time, and spent it in works of holiness and obedience; have not you greater need to do so than they? Have not you more need to pray, and learn God's Word, and prepare for death, than Christ and his apostles? Are you not more behindhand, as having lost much time? Let your wants instruct you.

Direct. xIx. Forget not that a spending time may come, when you will think all too little, that now you can provide, by the most diligent redeeming of your time.' If a garrison expect a siege, so sharp and so long as will spend up their provisions, they will prepare accordingly, that they perish not by famine. Temptations may be stronger, and then you will find that you should now have gathered strength to overcome them, and have bestirred you in the getting day, that you might be able to stand in the evil day. It is those that now loiter and lose their time, and gather not knowledge and strength of grace, who fall in trial: when sufferings for righteousness' sake, shall be as a siege to you, and when poverty, wrongs, provocations, sickness, and the face of death, shall be as a siege to you, then you will find all your faith, and hope, and love, and comfort to be too little; and then you will wish that you had now bestirred you, and laid in better provision, and "laid up a good foundation or treasure in store for the time to come "."

Direct. xx. Lastly, Forget not how time is esteemed by the damned, whose time and hope are gone for ever; and how thou wilt value it thyself if thou sin thy soul into that woeful state.' What thinkest thou would those miserable creatures now give (if they had it) but for one day's time,

h 1 Tim. vi. 19.

upon those terms of mercy which thou dost now enjoy it1? Would they sleep it away, or be at their games and merriments, while God is offering them Christ and grace? Dost thou think they set not a higher price on time and mercy, than sinners upon earth? Doth it not tear their very hearts for ever, to think how madly they consumed their lives, and wasted the only time that was given them to prepare for their salvation? Do those in hell now think them wise, that are idling or playing away their time on earth? O no! Their feeling and experience sufficiently confuteth all that time-wasters now plead for their sottish prodigality. I do not believe that thou canst at once believe the Word of God, concerning the state of damned souls, and yet believe that thy idle and vain expence of time, would not vex thy conscience, and make thee even rage against thyself, if ever sin should bring thee thither! O then thou wouldst see, that thou hadst greater matters to have spent thy time in, and that it deserved a higher estimation and improvement. O man! beseech the Lord to prevent such a conviction, and give thee a heart to prize thy time before it is gone; and to know the worth of it, before thou know the want of it.

Tit. 2. Directions Contemplative for Redeeming Opportunity.

Opportunity or season is the flower of time. All time is precious; but the season is most precious. The present time is the season to works of present necessity: and for others, they have all their particular seasons, which must not be let slip.*.

: Direct. 1. Remember that is the great difference between the happy saint and the unhappy world, that one is wise in time, and the other is wise too late.' The godly know when knowledge will do good: the wicked know when knowledge will but torment them. All those that you see now so exceedingly contrary in their judgment to the godly, will be of the very same opinion shortly, when it will do them no good. Bear with their difference and contra

' Mors terribilis est iis, quorum cum vita omnia extinguuntur. Cic. Par, II. vol. vii. p. 849.

* See the many aggravations of sinful delay in my " Directions for Sound Con

version."

diction, for it will be but a very little while. There is not one man that now is the furious enemy of holiness, but will confess ere long that holiness was best. Do they now despise it as tedious, fantastical hypocrisy? They will shortly know that it was but the cure of a distracted mind, and the necessary duty to God, which religion and right reason do command. Do they now say of sin, What harm is in it? They will shortly know that it is the poison of the soul, and worse than any misery or death. They will think more highly of the worth of Christ, of the necessity of all possible diligence for our souls, of the preciousness of time, of the wisdom of the godly, of the excellencies of heaven, and of the Word of God and all holy means, than any of those do that are now reproached by them, for being of this mind. But what the better will they be for this? No more than Adam for knowing good and evil. No more than it will profit a man when he is dead, to know of what disease he died. No more than it will profit a man to know what is poison, when he hath taken it, and is past remedy. The thief will be wise at the gallows; and the spendthrift prodigal when all is gone. But they that will be safe and happy, must be wise in time. The godly know the worth of heaven, before it is lost; and the misery of damnation, before they feel it; and the necessity of a Saviour, while he is willing to be a Saviour to them; and the evil of sin, before it hath undone them; and the preciousness of time, before it is gone; and the worth of mercy, while mercy may be had; and the need of praying, while praying may prevail. They sleep not till the door is shut, and then knock and cry, 'Lord open to us,' as the foolish ones, Matt. xxv. They are not like the miserable world, that will not believe, till they come where devils believe and tremble; nor repent, till torment force them to repent. As ever you would escape the dearbought experience of fools, be wise in time; and leave not conscience to answer all your cries, and moans, and fruitless wishes, with this doleful peal, Too late! too late!' Do but know now by an effectual faith, what wicked men will know by feeling and experience, when it is too late, and you shall not perish. Do but live now as those enemies of holiness will wish they had lived when it is too late, and you will be happy. Now God may be found:

"Seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon1." Read but the doleful lamentation of Christ over Jerusalem, Luke xix. 41, 42. and then bethink you, what it is to neglect the season of mercy and salvation: "He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hidden from thine eyes!"

Direct. 11. Remember that the neglecting of the season is the frustrating and destroying of the work.' When the season is past, the work cannot be done. If you sow not in the time of sowing, it will be in vain at another time. If you reap not, and gather not in harvest, it will be too late in winter to hope for fruit. If you stay till the tide is gone, or take not the wind that fits your turn, it may be in vain to attempt your voyage. All works cannot be done at all times: Christ himself saith, "I must work while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work"." Say not then, The next day may serve the turn:' the next day is for another work: and you must do both.

Direct. III. Consider that if the work should not be impossible, yet it will be difficult out of season; when in its season it might be done with ease.' swim with the tide? and sail with the

How easily may you wind? and form the

iron if you hammer it while it is hot? How easily may many a disease be cured, if taken in time, which is afterwards incurable? How easily may you bend a tender twig, and pluck up a plant, which will neither be plucked up nor bended when it is grown up to be a tree? When you complain of difficulties in religion, bethink you whether your loss of the fittest season, and acquainting yourselves no sooner with God, be not the cause?

Direct. IV. " Consider that your work out of season is not so good or acceptable, if you could do it.' Every thing is beautiful in its season ".” To speak a "word in season to the weary," is the skill of the faithful messengers of peace. When out of season good may be turned into "Eccles. iii. 11. o Isa. 1. 4.

1 Isa. lv. 6, 7.
VOL. III.

m John ix. 4.

L