guilt and obligation to eternall punishment and lives with us in Hell to keepe us everlastingly living or dying for I cannot tell whether it be life or death to live in nothing but torment and dead to nothing else but happinesse I beseech you thinke Now what will be Then and let the thought of that Thâ—n teach you how to prize the Prophets Now for Ex hoc mâ—mento pendet aeternitas the eternall Condition of your soules depends upon it O now for the Tongue of Angells to perswade you but miserable man that I am I check that holy ambition knowing that to be so excellent that I cannot attaine unto it but such as I have I give unto you and beseech you as you vallue the joyes of Heaven as you dread the paines of Hell by those Soules of yours to redeeme which cost Christ himselfe his blood and by that precious blood the priâ—e of your soules redemption by the love of that God who was before all 〈◊〉 lasting beyond all time being the Eternity it self to make a true use of this time Now O let not this day passe with out some reformation let not this dayes Sun set and the wrath of God still upon us but draw neere unto him now so neere that you may kisse the sonn for if his wrath be kindled yea but a little Blessed are all they that put their trust in him Let me expostulate with the prophet doth not the Suâ—llow and the Crane know their time yet poore man for whom these were made knowes it not Happily sometimes we feele Agripâ—as ague some motions and groouings of repentance but we are still at a stand for a Conuenient season and so the fit goes off for the soules ague Contrarie to that of the body beginns with a hott fitt and ends in a Cold Truely though no time be amisse in respect of God for at what time soever a sinner doth repeâ—t that is the acceptable time that is the day of saluation yet Esaw's teares when the time was past the Virgâ—ns knocking when the dores were shut these shew what Solomon said that there is a time for every thing if we loose that time we shall weepe and knock as foolishly as they Opportunitie is it self a favour and t' is a second favour to discerne it but the greatest is to lay hold fit and from the want of these spring the causes of our Procrastination which is the common error of repentance I beseech you marke it eyther our Ignorance in not discerning the time or our Negligence that when wee doe discerne it do not yet embrace it This Christ laments with bitter teares and of that God himself complaines Ier 8. verse 7. Even the Storke in the ayre the Turtle the Crane the Sâ—allow observe the time of their comming but my people knoweth not the Iudgement of the Lord God useth not thus to complaine but in â—reat cases to slight his so graciously offered opportunity he accompts no triviall matter T' is a point of the greatest consideration in all Christianitie else God would not have complain'd nor Christ so passonatly have bemoaned Ierusalem for the losse of it O saith he If thou hadst knowne that this day had bin the day of thy visitation and what then there he breakes off the teares comming so fast that he was forc't to weepe out the rest of his meaning O those teares silently tell us what the losse of time is for therefore did he weepe then because they wept no sooner But mee thinkes I heare flesh and blood begin to pleado May I not lay by the consideration of my repentance a little I am yong and healthy and gladly would I befriend my youth with the pleasures of the world a little longer and then I will turne to God with all my hart O be not deceaved a suddaine death may snatch us hence and send the soule into the other world with all our sins upon it and what the condition of that soule is I dread to tell you But suppose the best that Death send his harbinger by some languishing sicknesse kindly gives us warning of our departure yet lett me tell you that infinite are the perplexities which disturbe the repentance of the death bed Our owne paines will disquiet us and make us roare for uery anguish and so to cry to God is rather passion then repentance Can we be fitt to turne unto God when we can scarce turne our selues in our bedds the thought of the poore widdow we shall leave behind us will make the soule forget her spowse and swetest bridgrome Christ the feare of death will horribly affright us and a trembling dread so over whelme us that fearing to die we think not how to dye and so loose the life of the blessed the enemie will then raise Deuils in our consciences and present our thoughts with a sad Idea of hell and shew us all the torments we have deserued torments so intollerable so immarcessible that the damned soule would be glad to be but a Deuill and thinke it a high preferment to be nothing And to shew fâ—ll malice in the conclusion at our very departure he will shew us all our sinns in such a shape that despairing we may grow mad and die Tell me then is this a fit time for repentance Is the death bed a conuenient Altar to offer up our bodyes a living saâ—rifice and then to when we lie a dying O God giâ—e us grace to thinke of this betimes and lett me add that the Conuersion of our last time is seldom free but inforc't by the feare of hell but in that feare there is no loue and with out loue there is no hope of heaven To feare him onely for his iudgements and not as sonns is to find him a Iudge and not a Father Besides the actions of vertue performed then are not of that vallue with God as those which come to him wing'd with cheerefullnesse in our health and prospeâ—ity What great mercy is it to pardon an enemy when we have no power to hurt him or what great charity to distribute ouâ— goods when we cannot keepe them Alas in this estate Peccatâ—te dimiserunt non tu illa thy sinnes forsake thee Thou dost not forsake thy sinnes And let me argue the unsoundnesse of late repentance by the usuall experience of sick men who make protâ—tations of great contrition but restored to health returne to sinne as the dogge tâ— his vomit and so as they mend grow worse But sinne I know is full of flattery and now I call to mind the Thâ—ife on the Crosse was not he saved the very last hower of his life though he scarcely ever thought on God before was not he prefer'd from the Crosse to Paradice without the trouble of more râ—pentance Vnhapily argued but shew me such another example and sinne on till you lye a dying and truely that soules hardly put to it that hath no better shift then to make that a ground
and another thing to will an alteration that God never doth but this often Mutat sententiam non matat consilium say the Schooles So that this alteration argues no change in God since in every thing hee doth what he will and so is constant to his will and that will is himselfe But they that repent not at the gratious messages of mercy finde a double punishment one for offending another for dispising favour and think then I beseech you what madnesse 't is after we have sinned to withstand our owne pardon by Impenitence and how fearefull a thing it will then to fall into the hands of the living Lord For if we repent not we treasure up wrath against the day of wrath making our selues more miserable in this that our impenitency procures our compleater veniance For God though he be mercifull and long suffering and waites the leisure of our repentance by many expectations of â—onuersion yet if a man will not turne he will whetâ— his sword and wound the hairie scalpe of sâ—ch a one as goeth on still in his wickednesse And why thinke you is it there said that God will whet his sword where t is said if men will not turne but only to shew that those that refuse the offers of Grace shall haue sharper veniance deep wounding Iudgments bee quite cutt off in utter ruine and confusion Bâ—loved God hath dealt everie way graciously with us and he hath not dealt so with every Nation But now I Confesse our sinnes haue prouoked him to whet his sword nay more his hand hath bin stretched out nor is his arme now shortened but his hand is stretched out stil Nay more {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as the Septuagint render that place not only extenta but exceâ—sa not only stretched out for so it is in the least stroake of correction and those haue not reformed us but his hand is high lifted up to strike us with full force and furie But as yet we hope there is mercy and that we may turne away all these evills with our teares for sprinkled with thesâ— the destroying Angell will passe by us And let us consider with wonder and thankfullnesse that as hâ—louingly invited Iudeas Conuersion by his Prophet so he 〈◊〉 ours now for Ioell being dead yet speaketh and tells you that God would faine haue you turne unto him Tâ—e proclamations of princes usualy threaten penalty to all that either neglect or contemne them what then will become or those that slight the messages of heauen T is as much as your soules are worth if now knowing who it is that CoÌ„mands you to turne you should not obey him And where fore is it that God thus earnestly longs for our repentance that he mercifully desires not our merrited destrnction that he should so thirst to shew us mercie that hâ—s very bowells should yearne within him For the word in the Hebrue for mercie is Racham an signifies and inward Commotion and yearning of the bowells God is in pain for want of our repentance And why all this doth our Conuersion aduantage him cannot he glorifie himselfe as well in our Confusion truly yes but heere appeares his loue to us that all he aimes at is our good that so his mercy might make us happie and not his Iustice miseâ—able How ready are we to perform the Diuils command though we see damnation at the end of it wheither it be with Adam to eate forbidden fruite mounting the tree fall presently whether it be with Caine to murther our Brother and soe liue for Cains life was his punishment and a wounded Conscience is worse then death Though it be to plot mischeife in a State with Achitophell and proue cunning at last only in our owne confusion though it be with Iudas to betray our Master and with Pilat to Condemne him and then presently through dispaire bid the world farwell in a halter Though it be to denie the Holy one to muâ—ther the Lord of life and desire the life of a murtherer though by putting out that light wee bring darknesse upon our soules and contrive a curse through a generall blessing bringing his bloud upon us and all our Children We do this more at the Diuils command have we no obedience for the Lord of heauen what other wages can the Diuil 〈…〉 then the multiplication of our torments But God for our obedience giues us such pâ—ace of conscience in this life as no storme can dâ—sturb us Prepares our soules for Glory by such dayly augmentations of his Grace as will make us love to serue him being never so well Contented as when he Commands us Giues us such a faith as brings heauen downe into our soules to giue us earnest that he will one day call up our soules to heauen where to reward our obedience he will haue us liue eternally with him who commands us and in the meane time such a loue and desire to him that in Comparison of heauen we esteeme Paradice but a hell and life it selfe but Martyrdom The Angels are more excellent then we yet are they nothing else but obedience in the very nature of their being messingers to goe upon the employment he sends them for are they not all ministring spirits See then to be obedient to God is to live the life of angels But oh God stooping our contemplations lower how are we ashamed and confounded at the obedience of Abraham who was readie at the command of god to slay his sonne his only son the sonn whom he loued and so take a way his life that was the ioy of his owne to sacrifice Isaac to his God and so become a religious Murtherer But God layes no such harsh Commands upon us not to sacrifice a sonn but to Kill a sinn not to shed bloud but to abstaine from shedding it No horror in our seruices no Cruelty in his Commands Not to doe any thing against the nature of a Compassionate hart but to turne unto him withall our heart Not to giue him oâ—r childrens bloud but our owne teares and those not to aduantage him but clense us And as a motive to all this I beseech you consider who 't is that commands you 't is the Lord the Lord that made you and can confound you the Lord that made you of clay and can breake you in peices like a Potters vessell The Lord who to plague you can create a Hell in your consciences in this life and when you dye if you live but to resist his commands will cast your soule into Hell where the worme never dyes The Angels doe his will both Cito Celeriter without delay when they goe about it and with the speediest dispatch when they are in the imployment of it consider then that now the Lord calls upon you to turne and he calls upon you to turne to him Now and that 's the next point The second point And next to the Authour the opportunity speakes the
is good councell that one gives us Omnia ista contemnito quibus corpore solutus non indigebis Timely despise those things in the body of which thou hast no need out of the body despise and deferre all other things as unworthy the expence of a moment but thy repentance put not off from day to day do that Now least perhaps you do it never And sure I am that the Devill hath no greater pollicy to circumvent us then by benumming of our zeale by this hanging weights upon our soules by the delay of our repentance and I dare be peremptory to conclude that more perish this way then any other For the Devill can worke on few so farre as to perswade them that they never neede Turne to God at all but alas who doth he not endanger by delaying it Saint Augustine found this in himselfe as he tels us in the Eight Booke of his confessions Chap. 12. For there finding the Devill flattering his soule with perswasions to delay his repentance at that time when he was most resolved to performe it he had much strife in himself but knowing that now the Divill had no other Engine to batter his soule withall so much was his resolution for the maine strengthned by assisting grace and knowing the Divill's plot by this procrastination was onely to bind him faster in the custome of his sinne Now at last he violently breakes the snare and complaines and cryes bitterly to his God Vsque quo domine quam diu quam diu cras cras quare non modo quare non hac hor a est finis tâ—rpitudinis meae Oh my God saith he how long wilt thou suffer me thus How long shall I say to morrow to morrow why should I not doe it now and this minute end that filthynesse of life which otherwise will betray me to a life of woe for ever But beside the example of this godly Sainct give me leave to present you with the reasons why we should Now without any delay turne to our God First because by delaying our repentance sin is so fortified by custome and continuance that every day drives the nayle in further till 't is hard to be removed and so our conversion becomes a task of greater difficulty Againe the longer we continue in our sinnes the more God calls backe his grace and assistance from us so that the bancke breaking which did defend us the full streames of temptation breake in and overflow us Thirdly By continuance sinne takes deeper rooting and so the weede which had but little fastning before requires more strengh and violence to pluck it up Lastly all the good motions and inclynations of our wills by the strength and growth of sin are more infeebled That plant pines where elder stronger weâ—ds attract all the moisture Passions grow bold where reason dares not stirre against a custome When sinne shall be fast rooted in the habit of it when the Divill shall be neere to assault and God farre from assisting O how diffiâ—ult will our conversion be He that but standâ— in the way of sinners is in a posture of to unhappy constancy he that goes on thrives to fast in that trade which will undoe him and is never no true a proficient as when he goes backward but if once it come to sitting in the seate of the scornfull quasi ad hoc vacans as Saint Augustine glosseth that place having nothing else to doe but to sinne To sit at ease upon the Stoole of wickednesse and imagine mischeife as a law this is to give sinne a cushion which is loath enough to rise from the uneasiest constancie Saint Augustine Commenting on that miracle of Iesus in raysing Lazirus from the grave when he had beene dead foure dayes searcheth the reason why Iesus begun that worke with a Prologue of teares why he groaned and troubled himselfe so much when as he rais'd others with facility without those saddâ—r Prefaces and from the Consideration of this extracts this mortall Divinity That there are foure degrees of a sinner corresponding to the foure dayes of Lazarus his interment The First is a voluntary Delectation the second is Consent the third is Accomplishment the fourth is the Custome and Continuance of sinne and he that hath layne out these foure dayes in the grave of sin buried thus is hardly raised to life againe saith that Father No lesse then a miracle can call backe such a man he must have teares and sights and groanes inward trouble and consternation and when these are growne to perfection the dead man is rais'd indeed And though I will not conclude as some have done that Lazarus thus rais'd dyed no more yet sure I am that from this spirituall resurrection no death of sinne shall relap's us and therefore Lazarus must leave off his grave clothes and be unbound forsaking all relations to the grave to shew that those very sinnes being dead that killed him he lives by their mortality Saint Augustine Lib. 6. de Civitâ—t Dei cap. 10. makes mention of an old Comedian a constant actor in those Comedyes which the blinde Idolaters of those times instituted to the honour of their false Gods that he was so innamored of the applaus the people gave him that playing for the Gods he acted all as for men but being old and forsaken of his usuall troope of auditors he would crawle to the Capitoll and feebly act his Comedyes before the Statues of his false Gods doing all as he said then for the Gods nothing for men And do we not act our parts thus when we dedicate the first fruits of our time to our own sensuallity give God in whom we live but the gleanings of our lives Beginning then to serve God when feeble age hath made â—s unapt for the service of sin Never trembling in the sense of Gods wrath nor shaking in any thing but our palsie Are we then fit to run the path of Gods Commandements when we cannot goe without a staffe And truely we doe not unfitly to take the helpe of more leggs to carry us out of the world then we had to bring us into it who by a long life have contracted a greater burthen of sinne upon us Then only to cease from beholding vanity when we have not faculty enough left to see to frequent the house of God with deafe eares Then onely to come to heare when with Davids idolls we have Eares only not to Heare Not to sin because of the innabâ—lity of age is impotency not innocency for the taynt habit of our youthfull sins remaine though the act be wanting O miserable condition of sinne never to grow old not in Age it selâ— Never to dye whilst we live when we can do nothing else to be able to do that Strange power of impotency to be able to do nothing but sinne and stranger life of sinne that lives in us onely to kill us alive and lives when we are dead in the
threaten us I hope we should be all united in resistance But it is not an open enemie that now doth us this dishonour but the serpents lye in the bosome of the Kingdome and so much are we our owne enemies that there is great cause to feare we may destroy our selves we read not of Sion so and doubtlesse it is desperate with that state that is ready to stabbe it selfe For now this fortunate Island which heretofore was like the paradice of God where God walk't not but in the Coole of the day gently dropping down our peacefull happinesse which found the neighbouring Nations work enough to admire us sees God now in the fire punishing us with the schorching flames of hombred divisions our foes being chiefely those of our owne househould And doe not our harts beginne to faile us for feare and doe we not as Sion heere gather blacknesse everie man betraying sensibly the feare of his owne confusion Nay more may we not feare that the Sun and moone may be darkened and the starrs may which draw their shining that is that the glorious light of the Gospell of truth may be totally ecclip'st when as the papist on one side and the I cannot tell what to call them on the other both strive to blowe out our Candle But Lord let death strike me blind before I see that day So that we may now say as the voyce did to the Emperor of Constantinople when he was raising fortifications against the foe with out {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The euill is within and why is it within but because it is within within us in our sinnes and therefore within us by diuisions amongst our selues which is the Emphasis of Iudgement and shewes the world our sinnes in our sufferings True it is the state hath long laine sick of a feavour and we haue had more then a Colledge of Physitians in this blest Parliament And to asswage the heat of this distemper they haue let it bloud but discreetly in one vaine onely least it bleed to death But oh we are still sick at hart and our feauour increaseth whilst we are under cure and now we finde that the Pollicie of state cannot reach our Malady and that t is ouâ— verie Physitian our heavenly Physitian that makes us sick Our sinnes our sinnes haue so farr kindled his wrath that unlesse now in his wrath he remember mercie we may well feare our feavour may end in a Consumption for our God is a consuming fire and we be consâ—med and brought to nothing How long have we wisht for what we have a Parliament as thinking that then wee should be disburthened of all our pressures But I feare we have put to much confidence in man and so neglected God For all their great care and studdie for the good of Sion hath as yet brought us no perfect ease so much hath opposition multiplied for in what are we better for the present then that we Cannot well be worse and this doubtlesse is the hand of heauen to shew that a decree of Iudgment is gone out against us and that where God resolues to punish in vaine is the help of man T is reported of the Athenians that they never demanded peace but in their mourning garments when warr lay heauie uppon them and they able to hould out no longer And I wish we weâ—e not to much interessed in their unhappie propertie We haue stood it out with our God to the last and haue not sued for peace by repentance le ts now all put on mourning garments and â—loath our â—erie soules in black Let 's all ioyne in a sadd Consort of lamentation to suppresse the loud clamor of our sinnes And fitt it is we should not be devided in our repentance that haue bene ioynd and soe ill well agreeing in a fatall Confederacie of sinning being noe way devided in respect of sinne but in the sinne of our division T is my sinne and t is your sinne the sinnes of this Citty and the sinnes of all this Kingdome the sinnes of the Preists and the sinnes of all the people for the sinnes of everie man are these things come upon us And therefore as everie man hath bin to readily officious in the Curssed proiects of impietie soe let every man contribute the best of his devotion to the worke of these times summon all the force of his soule into his prayers and so conquer danger by repentaâ—ce And because my soule must euer take up Saint Paules quorum ego primus euer confessing that of sinners I am cheife giue me leaue oâ—t of an humble and penitent ambition to smite my owne breast first and say God bee mercifull to mee a Sinner And then as a Preist and Minister of the Lord to weepe heere betwene the Porch and the Alrar and say Spare thy people o Lord and giue not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule ouer us for wherefore should they say among the people where is now their God Oh what a ioyefull sight t will be to all the Angells of heauen nay to God him selfe to se us now repâ—nting all together to heare a whole Congregation knock at heauen gates with their teares how will the Angels reioyce to heare us mourneâ— nay how forcible is the Nature of true repentance that will make God him selfe repent to For if we now turne unto him hee will turne unto us and repent and chase away all our distractions makeing faire weather in the state Now threatened with so many stormes that so we may serve him againe without feare and Cronicle the hartinesse of our humiliation in that prosperity with which he will reward it But with out this Conuersion we must expect nothing but woe and horror and confusion and that for want of religious fasting now we may ere while starue for hunger And for want of teares now we may ere while crie to our oppressors and not be regarded When happily we may see oâ—r Children made a sacrifice to the fury of the Sword and we our selues unhappier then they that we dyed not before we saw it The hills cannot hide us nor can the mountaines shew us so much mercie as to fall upon us or if they did the power of him that gaue so much power unto faith as to remoue mountaines shall turne up our massie Coverlids and lay us naked to our Iudgment No no we haue no way to flie from him but by turning to him no way to quench his wrath but with our teares no way to be united among our selues but by renting ouâ— harts assunder The Prophet bespeakes it in the text aâ—d God him selfe expects it and both bespeake it Now Now therefore faith the Lord Turne unto me with all your hart c In the Text are two Generall parts 1 Preface Therefore also now saith the Lord 2 Precept Turne unto me with all your hart c In the Preface 2 things 1 Author The Lord saith 2 Opportunitie
importance of the message he expects it Now not any time this yeare for we may dye this Moneth and bring our yeares to an end now in the beginning of this not any time this moneth for we may be benighted in our graves before the next Moone gives us light Nay not any time this Weeke for this night our Soules may be reqâ—ired of us and so we change our bed for a grave But Now this minute this very moment for we cannot promise to our selves the enjoyment of another and this lost can never be recalled Time is a thing that 's lost before we have it and if learned men have found such difficulty to discover what time is for Saint Augustine a rare wit strugleth in this question as a bird in a string Quid est tempus si nemo ex me quaerat Scio si quaerenti explicare velim nescio 11. Book of his confession Chap. 14. He knowes enough to hold his peace but not enough to speake And if he could not give a certaine definition of it by reason of the uncertaine and vicissitudinarie Nature of it how shall we thinke to possesse it This Nunâ— of so little lasting that 't is lost while we speak it how then can we be Masters of that whose very being is not to be Like a swift river it comes not but to passe away And yet so necessary is this time that measures allour actions that Pythagoras calls it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the very soule of all things but the neglect of this soule to often ensnares our soule and so two Soules perish both together How many are over-whelmed for want of the true imployment of time with anguish with remorsse and sadnesse when as time well imploy'd makes a man without arrogancy reioâ—ce in the workes of his owne hands This is one of the great confusions which at this day swayes the lives and actions of great men who are so over-whelmed with the multiplicity of affaires from morning untill night that they have leasure to thinke of every thing but themselves Others rowle themselves in vaine occupations never understand the principall businesse of their time which is to turne to our angry God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} wee labour in the maine point as if it were but an accessorie and take the accessories as if they were the choicest principalls All the petty trifles which concerne the ease accommodation of our bodyes have their regulartiâ—e and seldome are forgotten as to eate when we are hungry to drinke when we are thirsty to sleepe when we are weary to sport when the Iocound fiâ—t comes on us we give to all thâ—se their time but for the great affaire of Salvation we set apart no time as if that were not worth the wearing out a day God hath reserved to himselfe the Government of the worlds great Dyall Time he alone determines the howers and will give this commission to no man If the Sunne were stayed in the timeâ— of Ioâ—uaâ— it was done saith Saint Chrisostome in honour to Iesus of whom this great captaine was a figure And if it recoâ—led baâ—kâ— 10. Degrees in the time of Hezekiah it was to â—ignifie the 〈◊〉 of the Incarnation when the eternal Word abased â—imself below the 9. Quires of Angels and united himselfe with humane Nature the Tenth and last of reasonable Creatures Time indeed went backward when Etâ—rnity came into the world but the course of Time was never stop't unlesse for some speciall mistery of our faith To dreame then that such a change should be produced for us to repaire our Precious losâ—es were such a mad folly that whosoever thinkes it shall finde his error to soone that is when it is to late If a Iâ—well be lost iâ— may be found if a house be buâ—nt downe it may bee reedified and perhaps flourish most after ruine But O God why should we loose that which we can never finde Let 's catch the time while the Sunne striketh upon our line or we are lost for ever Antigonus spake wisely when he said his was the warefare of time as well as of armes for truly all our Christian warfare Consists but in well managing our time then to haue the brest-plate of righteousnesse when the diuill thrusts at us then to haue the Sword of the spirit when we need to resist then to haue the helmet of saluationâ—hen our heads are quite under water that so we sinke but to Death not do Despaire this is to suite the time well and punctually to employ it Gregory Nazianzen tells us â—agely {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. that life is an open fayre for all the world to trade in where we may barter a Vale of teâ—res for a Paradice of ioy earth for heauen a moment for Eternitie but reason rerequires that we should com while the fairâ— lasts before the shops are shut before the tents of our bodies be pulâ—d downe before the Night of Death approacheth or we lose our market But O wretched men that we are sin robb's us of our time to preuent our repentance 〈◊〉 cheates us at last of heauen One man spends his time in plotting misâ—heife against another wâ—â—n as that time 〈◊〉 employ'd might haue saued his â—oule Another bestowâ—â—â—im selfe wholy on his pleasure as if he would flie at heauen with his Hawke to which he seldom lookes but in his sport Do we not see Ladies who in the morning when they should offer to God the first fruits of the day will Consult an howre or two with their looking glasse and scarse a minute with their prayer booke as if they louâ—d the shaddow of their owne face which allwayes is not the best better then the vision of God himself These are houses still at reparations the face which is the forefront of the house and next the street must be new painted this or that wrâ—nkle in the wall new plaâ—stred over to which they add so much of the Tyre-woman till at last they are quite lost in lime and haire and the whole fabrick strew'd with sweets shewes that the powder quite forgets the dust Is this to spend the time well Can this trifling to call it no worse fit us for eternity Will not the Saints of the primitive times who as if the day were to little destin'd the nights to devotion in their Vigills will not these rise up in judgement against us who make our whole life a trade of sinne or doing nothing Thinke I beseech you and tremble while you thinke how many damned soules are now broyling in hell fire which the whole Ocean cannot extinguish for the contempt and misuse of time who because they have ill and vainely spent their time are now swallowed up of the worst Eternity And thinke againe what time can there be imagined for repentance the most needfull worke of all when all our life is swallowed up of impiety And therefore 't