stedfastly resolvest and earnestly endeavourest to work the Work of God now when there is some Opportunity remaining and Power left which if thou wouldst thou couldst employ in the Devil's Work if indeed this be thy case if truly it be thus with thee then be of good comfort for I dare assure thee that God in Christ will graciously accept thee and gloriously reward thee Remember and consider that they that were hired about the * Mat. 20.9 12. eleventh Hour received every Man a Penny and were made equal unto those which had born the Burden and Heat of the day This indeed gives no Encouragement to any that study to delay from day to day because these Persons in the Parable were never call'd before the eleventh Hour they stood no longer idle but went into the Vineyard as soon as they were call'd without any the least delay Nor does it afford sufficient comfort to a [m] As concerning the man which was called the last Hour of the day to labour in the Vineyard I pray you take notice that this man was a Labourer and though he took pains but for a short time yet Labour he did whereas he that shall defer his Repentance and Amendment of Life till his last Hour if he indeed prove sorry for his Sins yet labour he cannot the best that he can do is to make Offers and Resolutions to work the good VVork of God if it shall please him to snare him Life But that those Resolutions of his shall be accepted with God instead of real very Labour indeed I find no Commission to assure you Chillingworths serm 6. on Luke 16 9. p. 397. Death bed Penitent because these Persons that went in late laboured soundly and wrought full hard for the space of an Hour before they received their Pay which Death-bed Penitents have no time to do But yet this Passage gives good ground of great Comfort to all such Persons as timely think upon their Waies turn their Feet unto God's Testimonies and enter into the Race of Godliness when they could stand idle a while longer or still continue and run on further in foolish Waies and sinful Courses To conclude all I exhort and beseech you and let me effectually perswade and prevail with you by all that with any reason has been offer'd to your consideration to [n] Quare vis procrastinare propositum tuum Surge in instant â—â—ncipe die Nunc tempus est faciendi nunc tempus est pugnandi nunc tempus est emend indi A Kemâ—is l 1. c. 22. n. 5. break off all your Delaies Excuses Discouragements and to give all speedy careful chearful Diligence to redeem the Time to work out your Salvation and to make your Calling and Election sure by bringing forth the seasonable proper plentiful Fruits of an undelayed Repentance Take the excellent Counsel of the wise Son of Sirach * Ecclus 18.19 10 21 22. Vse Physick or ever thou be sick Before Judgment examine thy self and in the day of Visitation thou shalt find Mercy Humble thy self before thou be sick and in the time of Sins shew Repentance Let nothing hinder thee to pay thy Vow in due time and defer not until Death to be justified Follow likewise the Advice and practise according to the profitable Direction of the Learned Gerhard Timely and faithfully [o] Vtamur mediis conversionis salutis vivamus in vero timore Dei insistamus precibuâ— resistamus peccatorum principus ne cogitatio prava delectationem delectatio consensum consensus opus gignat opus consuetudinem consuetudo necessitatem necessitas pertinaciam pertinacia desperationem desperatio damnationem pariat Gerhard Harm c. 201. p. 2000. use the means of Conversion and Salvation live in the true Fear of God pray without ceasing resist the Beginnings of any Sins lest an evil Thought raise Delight Delight draw on Consent Consent produce an evil Work evil Works beget an evil Habit an evil Habit induce a kind of Necessity of sinning and such Necessity breed Pertinacy Pertinacy cause Despair and Desperation end in Damnation FINIS
†Isa 49.5 Israel be not gathered though the straying and stragling Sheep be not reclaimed and brought home to God yet they may be glorious in the Eyes of the Lord and their God may be their Strength That the may be ‖ Acts 20.26 pure from the Blood of all Men and may (*) Verse 24. finish their Course with Joy and be able to say as the most laborious and indefatigable Apostle St. Paul expressed himself with an Heart full of Comfort when the Time of his Departure was at hand (†) 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good Fight as a faithful Souldier I have finish'd my Course as a strenuous Runner I have kept the Faith as a trusty Depositary Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judg shall give me at that Day Yea let People in general give all serious constant Diligence to redeem the Time and to make their Calling and Election sure Believing and considering that we were not sent into this World to eat and drink and sleep and sport and play to take our Pas-time and Recreation and to enjoy a little short carnal Mirth some sensual sinful Pleasure or worldly Profit or earthly Honour for a season but to live in the constant Exercise of Reason and Vertue and true Goodness To study the Nature and Attributes the Mind and Will the Word and Works the Laws and Waies of God To (‖) Rev. 14.12 keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus To worship and serve our Creator Redeemer Sanctisier and Comforter To prepare and provide for Eternity and to do good to all while we have Opportunity And here to proceed particularly I shall I. Propound some Motives to quicken you And then II. I shall give you some Directions to help you to gain the Time and redeem the Opportunity To press you to the Duty besides the several Reasons of the Doctrine which are also so many Motives to the Duty I shall farther lay you down a six-fold Motive The first Motive First consider how notably Christ redeem'd the Time when he was here in the World * Mat 3.15 It becometh us to fulfil and Righteousness says he * †Luke 2.49 Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's Business ‖ John 9.4 I must work the Works of him that sent me while it is Day the Night cometh when no Man can work 1. He redeemed the Time to save us 2. To be an Example to us 1. He redeemed the Time to save us His whole Life to his very Death yea his Life and Death were nothing else but a continual Course of doing and suffering for our Salvation Did Christ spend his Time his Labour his Blood to save us and shall we be backward to spend our Daies our Pains our Strength to serve him Did Christ redeem the Time to accomplish and work out our Redemption and shall not we redeem the Time to secure and work out our own Salvation 2. Christ redeem'd the Time to be an Example to us Not an idle Word ever came out of his Mouth He speake as never Man spake and did as never Man did He was serious and favory holy and heavenly in his private Converses and took all Occasions to spiritualize his Discourses He redeemed Time for secret Prayer He * Acts 10.38 went about doing good He neglected his bodily Food to gain an Occasion of spiritual Converse and to feed a Soul He professeth it was †John 4.34 his Meat to do the Will of him that sent him and to finish his Work ‖ Psal 40.8 his Delight to do the Will of God This he did (*) 1 Pet. 2.21 leaveing us an Example that we should follow his Steps an eminent Example to be transcribed and copied out by us that we likewise should redeem the Time in Imitation of him and Conformity to him Now where are the Men that seriously consider Thus thus Jesus Christ liv'd in the World and are ready to say within themselves I will do nothing but what I would do if Jesus Christ were by I would act now as if I followed Christ at the Heels How very many have liv'd already the full Age of our blessed Saviour nay how many have doubled our Saviour's Age and yet how few have liv'd after the manner of the Life of Christ one Day or Hour or in conformity to our Pattern and Exemplar in any Measure done the Will and wrought the Work of our heavenly Father I may very fitly here take up the Words of a Religious Person [a] Bene ver ecundari potes inspectà vitâ Jesu Christi quia necdum magis illi te conformare studuisti licet diu in via Dei faisti A Rempis l. 1. c. 25. n. 6. Thou maiest well blush to behold the Life of Jesus Christ because as yet thou hast studied no more to conform thy self to him though thou hast been long in the Way of God Let us hence forward daily eye the Life of Christ as that which is an Example to us in all our Actions and Motions in the World in the midst of all the Passions to which we are subject and Temptations to which we are exposed Let 's frequently reflect upon our selves and seriously say Did Christ live thus In all our Actings and Undertakings let 's say continually Would Christ do thus If not how dare I who profess my self a Christian venture upon it If Christ were now upon the Earth would he be wasteful and prodigal of his Hours would he be loose and wanton vain and profane in his Life would Christ swear and curse or by any means be tempted to Perjury or false Testimony would he be drunk himself and delight to make others drunk would Christ scoff and mock at Religion and Holiness and jear and deride the strictest Professors and Practisers of it would he that once wept over Jerusalem be now jovial and merry when publick Misery and common Calamity hangs over he Heads of a People laden with Iniquity could he find in his Heart to laugh and sport over a tottering sinking fainting dying Nation Take care * 1 John 2.6 to walk even as Christ walked Aim and endeavour †1 John 4.17 to be in the World as he was in the World When you rise in the Morning resolve thus with thy self I will this Day study to behave my self as Christ did I will labour to exercise those Vertues and to act those Graces which Jesus Christ when he was here on Earth was eminent in and exemplary for I will this Day strive to be as meek and humble as free from pride and passion malice and revenge as clear from covetousness and earthly-mindedness discontent and impatience as Christ himself was To be as watchful against the World and the Devil as resolv'd against Temptation as sober and temperate as just and righteous as kind and merciful as useful and
in another World Consider 5. That the [x] Vid. Chryfost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good Thief redeemed and improved his Time at last in so notable and wonderful a way and manner as no Man ever did or can beside Surely thou canst never hope to do that Honour to God and Christ upon a Death-bed which the Thief did in a short time upon the Cross The Thief brought more Glory to God and Christ at the time of his Departure out of this World than another Man 's whole Life can do [y] See Bp. Taylor 's Great Exemp p. 581. What Age of the World can give Example of so strong a Faith or produce a Pattern of greater Piety for he believed him to be the Saviour whom the Jews accused as a grand Malefactor and Pilate condemned who was crucified by the Gentiles and vilified by the Jews and openly reviled by the other Thief He expected Life and Salvation from an afflicted suffering dying Person hanging in a publick shameful manner full of Pain upon a Cross under the Sadnesses Sorrows and Pangs of Death who was esteemed smitten and seemed to Man's Sense for saken of God whom he had alwaies profess'd to be his Father In the very Extremity of Christ's Passion the good Thief believed him to be the holy Son of God the Lord of Life able to save in Death He beheld the Beauty and Glory of Christ through the dark Ignominy of the Cross He saw him naked wounded a Partner of the same Torment upon the Tree enduring the servile Punishment of the Cross and yet was heartily perswaded Christ was a King [z] Dic ô latro ubi thronus ex sapphyro ubi Cherubim exercitus caeli ubi corona sceptrum purpura ut eum dicas Regem videsne coronam aliam quà m spine im sceptrum aliud quà m clavos aliam purpuram quà n sangutnem alium thronum quà m crucem alios ministros quà m carnifices juid ergo Regium vides Aug. Speak O Thief saies St. Austin where is the Throne of Sapphire where are the Cherubims and heavenly Hosts where is the Crown the Scepter and the Purple that thou shouldst count Christ a King Dost thou see any other Crown than that of Thorns any other Scepter than the Nails in his Hands any other Purple than his Blood any other Throne than the Cross any other Officers and Ministers than the Executioners [z] Videte quà m oculata sit sides quà m lynceos oculos habeat diligentiùs considerate Cognoscit Dei Filium in ligno pendentem cognoscit morientem siquidem latro cognoscit in patibulo c. Bern. serm 2. in Epiph. Dorn See saies St. Berâ—ard how sharp-sighted Faith is what quick and piercing Eyes it has how it apprehends and discerns Christ to be the Son of God though hanging bleeding dying upon the Cross How evidently it discovers the great King appearing in the mean form of a Servant and taking a Journey through the strait way of painful shameful Suffering into his heavenly Kingdom of Glory How far did the rare and noble Faith of this Thief excel the Faith even of all the Disciples and Apostles of Christ who now at last fearfully [a] Titubaverunt qus viderunt Christum mortuos suscitautem credidit ille quem videbat secum in ligno pendentem Aug. serm 144 de Tempore stumbled at Christ's Cross though sometime they had seen him raising the very Dead [b] Gerhard Harm in Luc. 23.40 41 42. Peter believed when he saw Christ * Mat. 14.28 walking upon the Sea but the Thief believed when he saw Christ's Feet fast nail'd to the Cross and beheld him flowing all over in Blood from Head to Foot The Apostles believed when they saw Christ †17.2 transfigur'd before them and his Face shining as the Sun and his Raiment white as the Light but the Thief believed when he saw Christ not transfigured but strangely disfigured miserably mangled and deforemed and his Face not shining but sullied and fadly besmeard with Spittle Wounds and Blood * Joh. 11.27 39. Martha believed when she saw Christ powerfully raising a dead and even stinking Lazarus from the very Grave who had been dead four Daies but the Thief believed when he saw Christ hanging in the Valley of the Shadow of Death almost expiring and very near giving up the Ghost Others believed when they saw Christ daily working divine Miracles and honoured by the People with solemn Acclamations but the Thief believed at such a Time when Christ wrought no Miracles to demonstrate his Divinity and testify his Innocency and was rejected despised and had in open derision of Men. He cleaved to him when the very Apostles and Disciples themselves forsook and fled from him He believed in Christ when he had the strongest Temptations to the coutrary when Christ was seemingly in as low a Condition as himself Verily Christ found not so great Faith no not in Israel no not in his [c] Recolamus fidem latronis quam non invenit Christus post resurrectionem in Discipulis suis August serm 144. de Tempote own Disciples even after his Resurrection All the holy Actions of another Man's Life are not likely to amount to the Service done to God and Christ by this one act of the Thief 's Faith Besides his pregnant Faith was eminently productive of many good Works [d] Vid. Daven Praelect de Just Act. p. 390. both internal and external He feared God acknowledged his own Sin and Guilt with Godly Sorrow true Contrition and hearty Repentance condemned himself justified Jesus and publickly testified that Christ was a Person perfectly just and righteous unblameable and innocent This Man hath done nothing * Luke 23.41 [e] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nibil absurdum absonum vel indetens fecit Non soâ—ùm banc crucem non est promeritus sed nec ullo etiam levissimo peccato est centaminatus Gerhard Harm in loc amiss said he He commiserated his causelesly calamitous Condition when the other vile [f] Belluinu n est non human 〈◊〉 non compati morienti Seneca brutish Thief was void of Humanity and instead of pitying mock'd and scoffed at a dying Person He maintain'd the Honour of his Saviour against the Railery and Blasphemy of his Fellow-sufferer who derided the Office especially the Kingly Dignity of Christ He called him Lord his Lord embracing him as the true Messias He honoured him whom Judas betrayed He boldly confess'd and defended him whom Peter timorously denied and fearfully forswore He plainly declared that he sought and look'd for a future State and better Life He freely acknowledg'd that this same suffering dying Person should have immediatly the Power of Paradise and Authority to place him in the Seat of the Blessed As †Dan. 6.10 Daniel prayed toward Jerusalem and the Temple when it was in its ruins and rubbish so the penitent Thief prayed to Christ when he was in the lowest State
to God p. 24. will make you more serviceable to others and prove most profitable to your selves p. 26. They that redeem the Time of their Youth are likely to redeem their riper Years p. 27. Instances of those that have redeemed their youthful Daies p. 28. 2. The Morning of the Week the first Day of every Week p. 32. Magistrates p. 47. Ministers p. 48. People p. 49. Masters p. 50. and Servants p. 52. Poor and Rich p. 54. should study to redeem this Opportunity and take heed they redeem it not by halves p. 55. Our Observation of the Lord's-Day a good help to the Redeeming of all the six Daies following both as to Temporals and as to Spirituals p. 66. and a means to prepare us to keep an eternal Sabbath in Heaven p. 68. Carefully redeem the Lord's-Day and every Day after shew in thy Life that thou hast redeem'd it p. 72. 3. The Morning of every Day p. 73. That is an Opportunity of giving God the first and best of our Time p. 74. By redeeming the Morning we are likely to redeem the whole Day following p. 76. 4. The Society and Company of the most Religious and Godly in which we have an happy Occasion both of doing and of receiving good p. 78. 5. The special Seasons of practising and performing Particular Duties of getting and encreasing acting and exercising Particular Graces must be observed embraced and improved by us p. 79. CHAP. III. The Grounds and Reasons why we ougth to redeem the Time The special Reason laid down in the Text because the Daies are evil p. 83. What to be understood by evil Daies Daies are said to be evil not inherently but adherently or concomitantly by reason of any sinful or penal Evil that befalleth in them The Evil of the Day is either General or Special General the Shortness and Trouble which does accompany the Time of this Life p. 84. The Particular Evil of the Day is when any special Evil takes place in such a Time The particular Evil of the Apostles Times threefold It stood 1. in dangerous Errours and false Doctrines p. 85. 2. In the vicious and wicked Lives of scandalous Professors of the Gospel p. 94. 3. In sharp and hot Persecutions p. 109. How far these several Evils are to be found in these our Daies p. 86 95 123. Our redeeming of the Time and endeavouring to grow better our selves is the ready way and only means to make the Evil Daies better p. 108. CHAP. IV. Six other Reasons added to that in the Text. We ought to redeem the Time 1. Because our Time is afforded us by God to this very End and Purpose p. 128. 2. Because we have all of us lost much Time already p. 137. 3. Because the Time that remains is very short and uncertain and our Special Opportunities far shorter and more uncertain and the Work we have to do very great p. 141. 4. Because we can neither bring Time back when once it is past unimproved nor any way prolong and lengthen out the Daies of our Lives when Death comes to put an End and Period to them p. 158. 5. Because we shall all be certainly called to an Account for our Time p. 161. 6. Because this Time is all we can redeem and upon this short Moment of Time depends long Eternity p. 165. CHAP. V. The Vse and Application of the Doctrine Ought we to redeem the Time Then 1. Let not the Men of the World think strange that serious and conscientious Christians do not lose their Time as desperately as they do Good Men know the Worth of Time and understand the great Consequences and weighty Concernments of well or ill husbanding of it p. 171. Vse 2. Let us all examine our selves and see whether we have redeem'd our Time or no bewail and bemoan our Loss of Time p. 172. Vse 3. A seasonable sharp Reproof of several Persons who are grosly guilty of misspending their Time 1. A Reproof of those that misspend their Time in Idleness and Lasiness p. 179. Idleness a Sin against our Creation p. 180. against our Redemption p. 182. against our Bodies and Souls against our Neighbour p. 283. and an Inlet to many other Sins p. 186. 2. Such Persons are justly censurable who misspend their Time in excessive Sleep and Drousiness which wastes not only much of our Time but the best of our Time too p. 190. Immoderate sleeping naught on any Day but worst of all upon the Lord's-Day p. 191. 3. Many misspend their Time in impertinent Employments p. 192. 4. Many lose much precious Time in vain Thoughts p. 194. 5. In vain Speeches p. 195. 6. In vain Pleasures p. 205. In Curiosity about Dressing and Trimming the Body p. 206. In making dainty Provision for the Belly p. 207. In using unlawful p. 210. or abusing lawful Recreations either using them unseasonably or else immoderately p. 211. 7. In excessive immoderate worldly Cares p. 219. 8. Some Persons are to be reproved for misspending their Time in Duties 1. By performing them unseasonably p. 224. 2. By doing them formally p. 226. Time lost in Duties by unseasonable Performance two Waies 1. When one Duty thrusts and justles out another and so the Duty is mistimed p. 224. 2. When Duty is perform'd at such a Time when we are most unfit for it p. 225. CHAP. VI. The fourth and last Vse is of Exhortation p. 229. to Magistrates Ministers p. 230. the People in general p. 231. Six quickening Motives to press the Duty of Redemption of Time 1. Consider how notably Jesus Christ redeem'd the Time when he was here in the World 1. He redeemed the Time to save us p. 232. 2. He redeem'd the Time to be an Example to us p. 233. 2. Consider further that as Christ did once redeem the Time to save us So the Devil does daily redeem the Time to destroy us p. 236. 3. Consider how very notably many of the Saints and Servants of God have improved and redeemed their Time p. 241. 4. Consider that it is an Act of Spiritual Wisdom to redeem the Time p. 252. and meer Madness and gross Folly not to redeem the Time p. 253. 5. Consider that if now thou losest and squanderest away thy Time thou wilt at last be forced thy self to condemn thy foolish Negligence and to justify the Care and Diligence of others that were wiser for their own Souls than thy self p. 257. 6. Consider that do what we can to redeem our Time we shall never repent at last of any Care we have had to redeem it but shall certainly blame and find fault with our selves for being so careless of our Time so negligent of good Opportunities as we have been p. 259. Serious considerative Christians do blame themselves for their Loss of Time even in their Life-time p. 260. But they are especially sensible of it and exceedingly ashamed of themselves for it at their Death p. 262. CHAP. VII Direction 1. If ever we would redeem
hearty Thankfulness to Christ for it your Obedience to your Lord who does not only vouchsafe it as a Priviledge but command it as a Duty Do this in Remembrance of me Perform this easie sweet Command of thy dying Lord and Saviour who has freed and delivered thee by his Death from the heavy Yoke and grievous Bondage of Jewish Sacrifices and Observances O let our Hearts at such a Time be broken and bleed at the Remembrance of our Sins which brake Christ's Body and shed his Blood Behold in the Sacrifice and bloody Death of Christ represented in this Sacrament the odiousness and baseness of your own Sins and resolve to be the Death of that which was the Death of Christ and rather to die than willingly to do that for which Christ died Abhorr the Thoughts of wilfully choosing so great an Evil as once brought so great a Punishment upon so great a Person as the holy Jesus the well-beloved Son of God Consider seriously upon this Occasion that if God would not spare Christ when he who knew no Sin was by voluntary charitable Assumption of our Guilt to answer for our Sins to be sure then he will not spare us if we wilfully run on in Sin and obstinately allow our selves therein notwithstanding so convincing a Demonstration of his sin-hating Holiness and vindicative Justice Upon due Meditation draw this Conclusion which is the excellent Reasoning of the [p] Facilis est collectio si Deus ne resipiscentibus quidem peccata remittere voluit nisi Christo in poenas succedente multò minùs inultos sinet contumaces Grot. de Satisfact Christi learned Grotius that if God would not pardon the Sins no not of penitent Persons unless Christ did substitute himself in their Room and stand in their Stead to bear the Punishment much less will he suffer unreclaimable Rebels and contumacious Sinners to go unpunished When Christ is set forth in this Sacrament crucified before your Eies think how he intended and aimed at our Mortification and Sanctification in his Death and Passion * Tit. 2.14 Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purify to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works †Pet. 2.4 Who his own self bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree that we being dead to Sin should live unto Righteousness Let us yield that Christ should have his End in his Death and never allow our selves to live in Sin which will render us uncapable of receiving the Benefit of Christ's Death Think how the Unholiness of our Lives is a greater wrong to Christ than the Jews being the very Death of him because as the [q] D. Jackson Vol. 3. p. 343 344 345. learned Dr. Jackson notes it is more against the Will and Liking and good Pleasure of our Saviour whose Will was regulated by Reason and was a constant Rule of Goodness for though a painful shameful Death and that inflicted by his own People went much against his human Will yet he chose rather to die and to suffer the most afflictive Circumstances of Death for us than to suffer us to live and die in our Sins and in the Servitude and Power of Satan Shall we pretend when we approach to the Table of our Lord affectionately to remember a loving dying Saviour and to desire to have his Memory continued and transmitted to Posterity and yet so much forget him upon the return of any Temptation as to repeat that which was the Death of him Shall we weep at the Sacrament and seem to be hugely troubled for those Sins which were the Cause of Christ's Sorrows and yet go about again to destroy and to crucify Christ afresh Shall we commemorate at the Lord's Supper our wonderful Redemption by the precious Blood of Christ and when we have done shall we do the Devil more work and service than the Lord Christ O what a Reproach is this to Christ and what a Sport to the Devil that they that pretend to remember Christ's Dying for them should not find in their hearts to live to him [q] Ego pro istis quos mecum vides nec alapas accepi nec flagella sustinui nec crucem pertuli nec sanguinem fudi nec familiam meam pretio passionis cruoris redemi sed nec regnum illis coeleste promitto nec ad paradisum restitutâ immortalitate denuò revoco Tuos tales Christe demonstra vix tui meis pereuntibus adaequantur qui à te divinis mercedibus praemiis coelestibus honorantur Cypr. de Opere Eleemosynis p. 220. St. Cyprian brings in the Devil boasting and bragging against our Saviour and insulting over us silly and sinful Wretches in this manner I have endured no Buffetings nor born Smitings with the Palms of Men's Hands I have suffer'd no Scourgings nor under-gon the Cross for any of these nor have I redeem'd my Family with the Price of my Passion and Blood-shedding yet shew me O Christ so many so busy so painful so dutiful Servants of thine as I am able to shew thee every where of mine Bring forth if thou canst such a Number of Persons who devote themselves and give their Labours Estates and Time to thee as I can easily produce of those who do all this to me When thou professest to remember that Christ died for thee O die to that for which he died Offer thy self to him and lay out thy self for him who once offered himself for us and in the Sacrament offers himself to us Think no Duty too much for him For Shame for Shame do not serve any longer a bloody Murtherer instead of a blessed Saviour and merciful Redeemer Let our Thoughts and Meditations dwell upon the Demonstration given us in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper of Christ's exceeding incomparable Love to Mankind See there how contrary the sweet and kind Nature of Christ is to the cruel and execrable Nature of the old Tyrant the Devil For as the learned [r] His Mystery of Godliness p. 133 245. Dr. More very well observes whereas the Devil who by unjust Vsurpation had got the Government of the World into his own hands tyrannizing with the greatest Cruelty and Scorn that can be imagined over Mankind thirsted after humane Blood and in most Parts of the World required the Sacrificing of Men which could not arise from any thing else but a salvage Pride and Despight against us This new gracious Prince of God's own appointing Christ Jesus was so far from requiring any such villainous Homage that himself became at once one grand and all sufficient Sacrifice for us to expiate the Sins of all Mankind and so to reconcile the World to God Shall not all this disengage us from Sin and Satan and win and gain us over to Christ And let Christ's Death make thee study to do something answerable to the dearest Love of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has
their publick prophane Plaies and often uttering very false and proud and hard Words against them And according as they meet with Occasion and find any Opportunity how do they persecute with the Hand * Mich 7.3 Do evil with both Hands earnestly How ready are their Hearts to rise against them and their Hands to be lifted up to strike at them and to pull them down to the very Ground that so they may be trampled upon and troden under Foot Yea how do they persecute them by their Lives continually vexing their pious Souls with their unlawful Deeds grieving and wounding paining and piercing their very Hearts The wilful Wickedness of the bold and daring Sinners of the Times in their open dishonouring God and Religion is a cruel Torment to serious Souls and makes their Lives a wearisome pressing Burthen to them They that live godly do suffer daily the sad Persecution of wicked Mens offensive afflictive Lives and Manners What a Persecution is this to force good Men to cry out with David †Psal 120.5 Wo is me that I sojourn in Mesech that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar to cause ‖ Psal 119.136 Rivers of Waters to run down their Eyes as they did from David's because Men keep not God's Law Now since we live in such evil Daies in which there is such inveterate Enmity against the Practise of Piety and such a b Omne tempus Clodios non omne Catones feret Seneca Ep. 97. malignant persecuting Spirit reigning and raging in the Breasts of the Wicked against the Good let us keep a (*) Amos 5.13 prudent Silence in an evil Time Let us take care that we do not unnecessarily [c] Quia dies mali sunt h. e. quia periculosa sunt tempora bonis adversa ut cauè hî sit agendum ne crabrones quod dicitur urites Crellii Ethica Christiana pag. 32. provoke and exasperate them for we know not what their Malice may grow to nor give them any just Occasion of furious vexatious Opposition Let us see that we do not * 1 Pet. 4.15 suffer as Evil-doers from them nor as rash and heady imprudent and unwary Persons In evil Daies Evil will come soon enough upon us and we have no reason to accelerate and hasten our own Suffering Let 's labour therrfore by all discreet and wise direct and innocent Means to keep our selves out of their Hands to prevent their taking Advantage against us and endeavour to solace our selves in God and to preserve the Comforts of a good Conscience To be patient under and to glory in our Sufferings from them To consider with our selves that it is far better to be troubled by the Wicked than to be Troublers of the Good and to be thankful and joyful that we are not guilty of their Wickedness nor deserve such Usages at their Hands And let us study and endeavour to render †Rom. 12.17 21. 1 Thess 5.15 not Evil for Evil but still to return good for evil to the very Worst and Wickedest of them And whatever Measure we receive from them let us not be disheartned and discouraged and dish'd out of Countenance by them nor suffer our selves to give Way to their Wickedness to be wearied out of our Holiness to be laughed and jeered and sconed out of our Religion but let 's run the Race that is set before us though all the Dogs in the Street bark at us Let us with Zeal and Courage bear up against them and bear Witness against them and if we cannot win and gain them at least shame and silence them judg and condemn them by an holy unblameable exemplary Life as Noah * Eeb. 11.7 condemned the Old World Like Stars let us appear most clear and bright in the sharpest and coldest Night And let the Vexation we meet with from the Wicked here drive us the oftner to God to make our Complaint and Moan to him and cause us to long the more earnestly for Heaven where we shall be for ever out of the Reach of Satan and all his Instruments and out of all Danger of any Enemy Persecutor or bad Neighbour And so we have fully considered the Reason in the Text the Force of which even as to our selves lies plainly thus The Daies are such wherein yeare in Danger of Infection by the wicked Errours and damnable Heresies of the Times In Danger of Corruption by the common Sins and reigning Vices of the Times and in Danger of Persecution by the injurious Carriages and grievous wicked Lives of the profligate and desperate Sinners of the Times and therefore redeem the Time because the Daies are evil in these respects These various Evils must not make us give place to Unfruitfulness but make us much more careful and watchful to take every good Occasion [d] See Mr. Bayne on the Text. If an Harvest-Day be cloudy and windy or prove catching Weather as well call it Men will not therefore keep in but work more diligently and warily Good Opportunities in evil Times are [e] Qusa dies mali sunt hoc est quia tempus ab hominibus plerumque malis rebus transigitur it aut nonfacile sese opportunitas offerat eos arguends officii commonefaciendi Crell Eth. Christ p. 31. few and scare The more rare these Commodities grow the more we should engross them And as some kinds of good Opportunities are hard to come by so not like to abide and continue long with us in evil Times and therefore while the Occasion lasteth we should strive to make the utmost Advantage and Improvement of it CHAP. IV. Six other Reasons added to that in the Text. We ought to redeem the Time 1. Because our Time is afforded us by God to this very End and Purpose 2. Because we have all of us lost much Time already 3. Because the Time that remains is very short and uncertain and our Special Opportunities far shorter and more uncertain and the Work we have to do very great 4. Because we can neither bring Time back when once it is past unimproved nor any way prolong and lengthen out the Daies of our Lives when Death comes to put an End and Period to them 5. Because we shall all be certainly called to an Account for our Time 6. Because this Time is all we can redeem and upon this short Moment of Time depends long Eternity BUt besides the Reason in the Text I shall farther shew you that we ought to redeem the Time upon a six-fold Account The first Additional Reason We must redeem the Time because our Time is afforded us by God to this very End and Purpose that we should improve and apply it to rational and religious Vses [a] Ego non quaeram quae sint initia universorum quis rerum formator quis sit artisex hujus munde quâ ratione tanta magnitudo in legem ordinem venerit unde lux tanta fundatur Ego nesciam
wilfully wicked and impenitent have reason to determine that you have not long to live How can you hope that God should put another Talent and trust a new Stock of time in the Hands of such Prodigals as you have been That he should give such Rebels longer Time to affront and dishonour him That he should suffer you to live who know not how to live and care not how you live who do not understand or consider for what it was you came into the World That he should allow you one Day more who never yet knew how to spend and improve any one Day as ye ought You have Ground enough to expect that the continuing and lengthening out of your Sins will extremely diminish and lessen curtail and shorten your Daies You have reason to fear every Hour the Loss of your Lives and of all Possibility of Repentance that you shall be removed and room made for worthier Persons to stand up in the Places which you so unprofitably and perniciously take up in the World Our Time is short and therefore let us lay present hold upon that small Remnant of [o] Cum celeritate temporis utendi velocitate certandum est velut ex torrente rapido nec semper casuro cito hauriendum est Sen. de brev vit cap. 9. hasty Time which posteth away whether we work or play Let 's take with us Words and say to God with the devout Herbert [p] Repentance O let thy Height of Mercy then Compassionate short-breathed Men. Oh! gently treat With thy quick Flow'r thy moment any Bloom Whose Life still pressing Is one undressing A steady aiming at a Tomb. Let 's daily prepare to die by earnest importunate Pleading with God for Pardon of Sin and Sanctification and Sence of Pardon and of our fitness for Heaven and Happiness that so we may certainly die safely and comfortably And by the Help of God let 's double our Diligence and Activity and endeavour to do a great deal of Work in a little Time You know Nature at the Approach of Death usually acts a double Part and puts forth all its Strength Bells when about ceasing strike thicker than before A Stone the nearer it comes to its Center the faster it moves When Night draws on the Traveller mends his Pace Considering we have but a few Daies let 's labour to live them all to lose none of them So to lead our Life that we may be able to enjoy our past Life by making sweet and comfortable Reflections upon it which is in a manner to [p] Ampliat aetatis spatium sibi vir bonus hoc est Vivere bis vitá posse priore frui Epigrammatograph Latin enlarge our Age and after a Sort to live twice [q] Nemo quà m bene vivat sed quam diu curat cùm omnibus possit contingere ut bene vivant ut diu nulli Sen. ep 22. in fine Quomodo fabula sic vita non quà m diu sed quà m bene acta sit refert Id. ep 77. Discendum quà m bene vivas refrie non quà m diu Id. ep 101. We have but a little while to live let us therefore study and strive to live well Our Life is just like a Comedy saies Seneca it matters not so much how long as how well it is acted [r] Let us account that the oldest Life which is most holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch conjol ad Apollon A long Life is not the best but a good Life As we do not commend saith he him that hath playâ—d a great while on an Instrument or made a long Oration but him that hath played and spoken well and as we account those Creatures best that give us most profit in a short Time and every where we see maturity preferred before length of Age so it ought to be among our selves They are the worthiest Persons and have lived longest in the World who have brought the greatest Benefit unto it and made the greatest Advantage of their Time to the Service of God and of Men. Let our Conscience therefore be the Ephemeris or Diary of our Life Let us not reckon by the Almanack but by the Book of God how much we live And let us account that he who lives Godly lives long and that other Men live not at all D. Patrick's Div. Arithm. p. 34 35. He lives long that lives well who in a few Years is very useful and serviceable unto God and geatly profitable and beneficial to the World The Author of the Book of Wisdom says concerning Enoch who was the shortest liv'd of the Patriarchs before the Flood but an eminent Pattern of Piety and a rare Exemplar of walking with God that he being perfected or consummated in a short Time fulfilled a long Time Chap. 4. Vers 13. For as the same Author a little before does well express it Vers 8 9. Honourable Age is not that which standeth in length of Time nor that which is measured by Number of Years But Wisdom is the gray Hair unto Men and an unspotted Life is old Age. Lucilius having in an Epistle to Seneca sadly lamented the immature untimely Death of Metronactes the Philosopher who might and in his Conceit ought to have lived longer The grave Moralist seasonably checks his causeless unjust Complaint of [s] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apud Poctas Minor p. 513. Providence and takes Occasion in his Answer to discourse usefully and excellently in this manner [t] Octoginta annis vixit nisi fortè sic vixisse eum dicis quomodo dicuntur arbores vivere Quemadmodum in minorâ— corporis habitu potest homo esse perfect us sic in mâ—nore temporis modo potest esse vita perfecta Qâ—aeris quod sit amplissimum vitae spatium Vsque adsapientiam vivere qui adâ—â—â—m pervenit attigit non longissimum sinem sed maximum Nem tam multis vixit annis quà m potuit Et paucorum versuum liber est quidem laudandus atque utilis Sâ—n. ep 93. Multis ille bonis slebilis occidit Horat. carm l. 1 Od. 14. de morte Quintilii Our Care should be saies he not to live long but to live enough Life is long if it be full What good do eighty Years do him that spends them all idly such a Person did not live but only linger in Life nor did he die late but was a long Time dead But you make your moan that he died young and green yet he performed the Offices of a good Citizen a good Friend a good Son he was deficient in no part that properly belonged to him Though his Age was imperfect his Life was perfect He liv'd yea he was here eighty Years unless you will reckon he liv'd no otherwise than Trees are said to live I pray thee my Lucilius let us endeavour says he that as precious Things so our Life though it be not of any great Extent and Length yet may be of much Weight and Worth Let us
measure it by Work and not by Time Wouldst thou know the Difference between him that spent so few and another that hath passed over many Years The one lives even after Death the other perished before Death Let us therefore praise him and place him in the Number of happy Persons who how little Time soever he enjoyed was careful to bestow it well Why do you inquire how long he lived he liv'd to the Memory and Benefit of Posterity As there may be a perfect Man in a less Habit of Body so there may be a perfect Life in a less Measure of Time Do you demand what is the largest Space of Life it is to live till we attain to Wisdom He that arrives to that is come not to the longest End but the greatest He liv'd not so many Years as he might why a Book may contain but a few Verses and yet be very laudable and useful He that attains the End of Life though his time be short yet his Life is long because he lives [u] In quantolibet tempore bona aeterna consummant Sen. Ep. 92. much in a little Like him that writes small thick and close having much to write and but a little Paper to write in When the Ninivites had but forty Dvies allowed them they made use of that Space to exercise a notable Repentance in Our Time is short and very uncertain let our Improvement therefore be as speedy and as great as may be Let our Care be to live alwaies holily that we may never fear dying suddenly nor dread the Thought of being surprised and taken unprovided If we cannot be certain of longer enjoying this present mortal transitory Life Oh let 's not be contented to be as uncertain of our obaining a better being and an endless Life when this is concluded and expired 3. Our special Particular Opportunities are much shorter than our Time and more uncertain Though the Stalk remain the Flower may be gone though somewhat of Time may be left yet Opportunity may be slipt But this I say Brethren the * ◠Cor. 7.29 TIME IS SHORT the Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contracted or shortened It is an Allusion to Sea-faring Men that have almost done their Voyage and begin to strike Sail are ready to roll and fold up their Sails together to put into Harbour and to go to unlade their Goods Our special Seasons are very short and uncertain Things We may quickly be laid upon Sick-Beds and unfitted by a Disease for the Performance of those Duties which now we are free to the Exercise of We may suddenly fall into so weak a Condition that an earnest Care and working Thoughts about the final Estate of our Souls would hinder the Cure and Recovery of our Bodies and will be apt to be laid aside upon that Pretence In a Time of Sickness our Heads may be distempered or our Hearts may be straitned that we cannot pray We may possibly lose our Estates that we cannot hereafter give to the Poor so liberally as now we may It may be for the future we may not be excited and suscitated by such good Motions as now we are We may never be entrusted with such rich Talents nor have such precious Opportunities any more afforded us as are at present vouchsafed to us Let 's therefore now improve them to the utmost let us make the best of them and lose none of them Especially considering that as our Time is short and uncertai and our special Opportunities shorter and more uncertain So 4. The Work we have to do is very great 'T is no slight and trifling Work above all keepings to keep our Hearts to prevail with our selves to make a Covenant with our Eyes and perform it to turn away our Eyes from beholding Vanity and from gazing on alluring Objects to learn habitually to govern our Tongues to set a Watch over our Lips that we offend not with our Tongues nor speak unadvisedly with our Lips to take heed unto our Feet and to make streight Paths to walk circumspectly * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 5.15 accurately exactly to strive to enter in at the strait Gate to watch for our Souls to work out our Salvation to make our Calling and Election sure to procure and preserve a Right and Title to the heavenly Kingdom to get our Evidences for Heaven sealed and to keep them so clear from Blots and Blurs that they may be plainly read It is no facile Thing to repent of so many thousand Sins and Follies to believe with all our Hearts to obey the several Laws and Commands of Christ and to discharge and perform our particular respective Duties both towards God towards our Neighbour and towards our selves 'T is no such easy matter to become able to resist the Devil to tread Satan under our Feet to get Victory over the World to subdue our own Flesh to deny our selves To reach and attain to such a Degree of spiritual Niceness as not to endure the Impurity of a Dream nor to allow our selves in so much Anger as would disorder and disturb a Child Sin is not mortified on a suddain Our old Man is not crucified in a Moment The strong Man is not disarm'd and cast out in an instant The Plague of our Heart is not so soon cured our spiritual Leprosie so quickly healed nor our Issue of Blood so presently dried up A corrupt Nature is not so easily changed [w] Malá consuetudine obsessis diu rubigo animorum essricanda est Sen. ep 95. Ill Habits and Customs are not so readily broken and laid aside A craving Appetite is not immediatly drawn off from sensual Objects nor our Inclinations to the Things below vanquish'd and conquer'd with a single and short Conflict Strength is not so speedily gotten against Temptations nor Power over our Passions nor Conquest obtain'd over our Corruptions It is not a Thing of so quick a dispatch to six and settle our Resolutions to remove strong Prejudices to resolve our Doubts to answer Objections and satisfy many weighty and difficult Questions which will arise concerning our Souls and spiritual Estates 'T is a great Work sure Employment and Business enough for all our Time to get a Change of Mind and Heart and Life To get Pardon of Sin and Purity of Heart To recover the Favour and Friendship of God and to regain the glorious Image and Likeness of God To procure the Reconciliation of our Persons and Natures to God To get a Participation of the divine Nature a Participation of God's Holiness To attain a blessed Conformity in a Spirit and Practice to Christ our Head To get an affective transformative Knowledg of God and Christ and a deep Impress of the holy Gospel upon our Hearts and Lives To know the Gospel to know God and Christ so as to become Gospel-like God-like Christ-like Creatures To gain a good Measure of grace and Holiness a rooted Love to God and Goodness a
Curse that without it our very bread would not be so great a Blessing If it were not for Labour men neither could cat so much nor relish so pleasantly nor sleep so soundly nor he so he althful nor so useful so strong nor so patient so noble or so untempted And as God has made us beholding to labour for the purchase of many good Things so the Thing it self ows to labour many Degrees of its Worth and Valne Labour is necessary not only because we need it for making Provision of out Life but even to ease the Labour of our Rest there being no greater Tediousness of Spirit in the World than want of Employment and an unactive Life And the lasy man is not only unprofitable but also accursed and he groans under the Load of his Time which yet passes over the active man light while the Disemployed is a Disease and like a long sleepless Night to himself and a load unto his Countrey Bp. Taylor 's Serm. 2. V. Ser. 25. p. 322. Vt desidtam Deus prohibet execratur sic opedrentibus morigeris in benedictiouem convertit quod homini init to tanquam pana impositum futt Psal 128 2. Labor om manuum tugrum comedes beatius er bene tibi erit Andr. River loc cirat Blessing For ordinarily no Bread tastes so sweet as that which is earn'd with hard Labour and Sweat 2. Again Idleness is a Sin against our very Redemption * 1 Pet. 1.17 18. Pass the Time of your Sojourning here in Fear for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible Things as Silver and Gold from your vain Conversation but with the precious Blood of Christ c. This should engage you to walk reverently strictly and watchfully all your Time †1 Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a Price God hath pai'd dear given his Son out of his Bosom for the Purchase of you Therefore glorify God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's And let 's remember Christ ‖ Tit 2.14 gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purisy unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works [f] Hammond's Par. He delivered himself up to a shameful Death on purpose that he might ransom us out of the Power of Satan from that Course of vicious living in which Men were before engaged and cleanse us in an eminent Manner to be an holy pious People most diligent to advance to the nighest pitch of all Vertue Christ hath redeemed us to this End that we might redeem Time for his Service Why then dost thou stand lasing and loitering when thou art made and born for Work and redeemed for Work and call'd to Work 3. Farther Idleness is a Sin against our very Bodies and Souls It is in a Manner the Murther of the Body for as the Air and Water so Man's Body is apt to corrupt and putrify without Motion Ease destroys the Health of the Body breeds the Gout and other Diseases And it hurts and taints the Soul too and produceth that Indisposition in it which one fitly calls Podagram animi the Gout of the Soul and another terms it the Scurvy of the Mind 'T is highly prejudicial both to our temporal and spiritual Estate The Man that neglects the Means of a temporal Provision and of his eternal Salvation through Lasiness and Idleness starves and kills both his Body and Soul and every way beggareth and impoverisheth himself in respect to the inward spiritual true Riches of Grace as well as in reference to outward Enjoyments and worldly good Things Without Labour Industry and diligent Husbandry we can neither increase the natural nor improve the divine Riches of our Souls There is nothing to be gotten by Idleness but Misery here and Hell hereaster The * Matt. 25.30 idle and slothful Servant is condemned to be cast into outer Darkness 4. Farther yet Idleness is a Sin against our Neighbour How do they offend against their Neighbours who are wholly unfruitful in their Places and live as unprofitably in their Health as if by Sickness they were utterly disabled for any Service Idle Persons are superfluous Creatures of no Advantage or Benefit to the Body Politick where they live and as Cicero says of the Swine [g] Animam pro sale habent have their Souls only instead of Salt to keep their Bodies sweet They are an unnecessary intolerable Burthen to any Kingdom or Common-wealth It was a pertinent and prudent Question put by Pharaoh to Joseph's Brethren * Gen. 47.3 What is your Occupation An Interrogation says the learned [h] Eâ—ercir in Gen. p 650. vide Pareum in loc Andrew Rivet worthy of a Prince who ought not rashly to receive any Strangers into his Dominion Without first examining whether they be sit for any good Thing and know how by some honest Labour to make Provision for themselves and theirs that they may neither be burthensome to others nor living idly take Occasion of doing ill Hence wise Politicians as he well urges there have expresly prohibited Idleness by severe Laws The Judges of Areopagus took particular notice of the several Citizens at Athens and strictly enquired in what way of Business every one liv'd and whether any addicted himself to base and sluggish Idleness The idle Person was made liable to an [i] Ea nominabatur act to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Rivet loc citat pag. 650. vid. p. 157. Action qt Law and he that was once found guilty of Idleness was according to Draco's old Law presently branded with Infamy But Solon afterward somewhat mitigated that Law and only pronounced him an infamous Person who was a third Time condemned of Idleness The Massilienses of old denied such Persons Entrance into their City as were not skilled and versed in some Art whereby to get a lively-hood Nor did they admit or allow of Players Dancers Jesters Juglers because these Arts do nourish the Idleness oâ—such Spectators as commonly They call and draw to themselves who Waste their Time in Toies And it was ordained by Law among the Persians as the fore-cited Author notes out of Herodotus that at the End of every Year every Sabject should go to the Magistrate to give an Account of their Employment An idle Body is plainly guilty of Injustice and [k] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phocylid Theft for he takes and uses the Creatures he has no right to and lives upon others Labour and Industry The Apostle commands * 2 Thess 3.10 12. that If any would not work neither should he eat that is at the publick Charge or at the Cost of any other And he commands and exhorts such as are idle that they work and eat their own Bread As if it were not their own Bread if not gotten with the Work of their own Hands and the Sweat of their own Faces So far as we are idle we are [l]
but only Death for I did not think I should have died so soon How troublesome will it be to thee when thy Soul is about to be divorced from thy Body to be at best uncertain then what will become of thee To express thy self with dying Aristotle [u] Dubius morior quò vadam nescio I die doubtful not well knowing whither I am going Or with the Emperour Adrian [w] Animula vagula blandula Hospes com esque corporis Quae nunc abibis in loca Pallsdula frigidula nudula Nec ut soles dabis jocos Ah dear departing wandring Soul the old and sweet Companion of my Body into what Region art thou now going surely thou wilt never be so merry and pleasant as thou hast been How intolerably vexatious will it be to change for Vncertainties or to make a certain Change for the worse To die unsatisfied what will become of thee as to thy future unchangeable State Or sure and certain that thou shalt enter into a worse State and Place and shalt be miserable to all Eternity To see then but a Step but a Breath between thee and everlasting Death To have all the horrid and heinous sins of a whole misled and misspent Life fiercely fly in thy very Face and thy enraged furious guilty Conscience to be then most active to torment thee the nearer thou apprehendest thy self approaching to the End of thy mortal Life As usually bodily Aches and Wounds do prick and pain and shoot most the nearer it draweth unto Night What a lamentable sad Case was that of Cardinal Wolsey to cry out in his extreme unhappy Circumstances Had I been as careful and diligeut to please and serve the God of Heaven as I have been to comply with the Will of my earthly King he would not have left and for saken me now in my gray Hairs and old Age as the other has done So think what a doleful Case it will be for thee in thy last Hours to pour forth thy Soul in such Words as these If I had served my God as earnestly and unweariedly as I have constantly served the world served diverse Lusts and Pleasures served the Devil himself Had I been at Church when I was in Bed been in my Closet upon my Knees when I was sitting tippling upon the Ale-bench or was quaffing at Tavern and drinking of Healths upon my Knees Had I satisfied the Reason of a Man as I gratified my brutish Appetite and sensual Desire Had I done the Will of God and of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as I have done the Will of the Devil the Will of the Flesh and fulfilled my own carnal corrupt Will I had then been own'd by God and approv'd by my own Conscience inwardly strengthned and supported and sweetly comforted and refresh'd who now am deserted and rejected by God and miserably perplexed and disquieted rent and racked torn and tormented in my own Conscience Then thou wilt certainly count and call thy self unhappy and him the only happy Man who as dying [x] Beatus es Abba Arseni qui semper hanc horam ante oculos habuisti Bibl. Patr. Theophilus said of devout Arsenius has had the Hour of his Departure ever before his Eyes That is the first Conider what a dreadful Thing it is to be found unprovided at the Hou◠of Death When Friends and Physicians cannot keep thee and God and his good Angels will not take thee O then O then what will become of thee 2. Seriously think on the other hand what [y] Considera quà n pulchra res sit consummare vitam ante mortom deinde expectare securum reliquam tempor is sui part m◠Sen. ep 32. an happy and comfortable Thing it will be to find your Time well improved and your self prepared to die before you die 'T is a true Saying of the Wise Man that to a good man the * Eccl. 7.1 Day of Death is better than the Day of his Birth For is not that Day which perfectly frees and fully delivers a good Man from the many Vanities and great Vexations which the Life of Man is obnoxious to and the Troubles and Sufferings which the Life of a Christian is expos'd to far better than that Day which let 's him into the Possession of them Again The Time when a Person has attain'd the End of his Being made good the Hopes of others answer'd god's and Man's expectation concerning him walked himself in the Fear of the Lord brought up Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord walked worthy of his Vocation fill'd up every Relation with suitable Duties and Graces serv'd his Generation according to the Will of God liv'd and acted with reference to Eternity The Time when he most willingly leaves this wicked World and leaves an holy Seed to stand up in his room and stead leaves a good Name and a good Example behind him and goes to Heaven to the Spirits of just Men made perfect goes to God his heavenly Father and to Christ his Redeemer to receive the gracious and glorious Reward of all his Works and Labours and the Crown he has striven and contended for Surely the Day when this falls out which is the Day of his Death gives cause of more abundant Comfort than can the Day of his Birth together with all the Daies of his Life Is not that Day better wherein a Man has truly and really answered the Ends of Life than that in which he only began at first to live Is not that Day better in which he has fully and compleatly acted his Part well quitted and behav'd himself like a Man and Christian and is gone off the Stage of this lower world with Credit and Esteem Approbation and Applause of God himself good Angels and Men than the Day of his first appearing upon the Stage or Theater of this World in a way of Probation and Trial and in Hope of his future good Performance Is not the Day of his actual Admission and honourable Reception into a blissful Condition and happy Mansion far better than the Day of his Entrance into a State of Preparation for it Think well with thy self what a joyful Day what a [z] Cùm ecquid lumen molestiae afferret rogarent pectus tangens Oecolampadius abundè lucis est inquit Melch. Adam in vita Oecolamp p. 56. lightsome Hour what a Time of refreshing it will be to thee to be able to say with thy Saviour a little before thy Departure * Joh. 17.4 Father I have glorified thee on Earth I have finished the Work which thou hast given me to do And with the Apostle St. Paul †2 Tim. 4 6 7. The Time of my Departure is at hand I have fought a good Fight [a] Vixi quem dederat cursum fortuna peregi I have finished my course I have kept the Faith ‖ 2 Cor. 1.12 My rejoicing is this the Testimony of my Conscience that in