and if so how is it possible for me to redeem the time I answer 1. By way of Concession I believe there is a day of grace indeed and if that Sun set it will never never rise again If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace but now are they hid from thine eyes Luk. 19 4â— q. d. Now is the gate of mercy shut there is no means of grace or Salvation for ever hereafter to be hoped for As there is no Market or Fair-day that lasteth alwayes if the Country will not come in the Trades-man will at last put up his wares So the Lord's standing may be open and his shop set wide for such and such a time but if Souls will not come in and buy without mony and without price he will at last put up his wares all his jewels of grace and then be gone 2. Though it be true that there is a day of grace and that this day may set yet in respect of us the Ministers of Christ we cannot determine it and therefore so long as you live we call still oh repent oh redeem your time I may add in respect of your selves it is not in you to know the times and seasons which God hath put in his own power Act. 1.7 And the commandement of Faith standing in force on you so long as you live and thereforce you are still to look to your Duty of redeeming the time 3. It may be this day this night this Sermon this very hour may be thy day of grace Hearken is not Christ's Spirit now a knocking is not Christ himself now offering mercy to thy Soul O ye sons of men that have mis-improved your time will ye now at least in this your day he wise to Salvation why now I call to your hearts now I command you to open your everlasting doors that I the King of Glory may come in oh let this be the time of love Come give me your hearts and now redeem the time Away away with all objections scruples cavils that may hinder this Duty and now even now hearken to this voice of Christ or of the Spirit of Christ that your Souls may live 3. Must time be redeemed Then for some Rules or Directions how we must redeem it Rule 1. Vse 3. A void we every thing that would hinder us from taking the opportunity What those things are you have heard before as ignorance sloth and love of fleshly liberty Many other particulars might be enumerated but chiefly and especially foregoe we these Rule 2. Repent we of all former mis-improvings of our time There is no other way of recompensing former unfruitfulness but by repentance and after diligence This is the scond table after shipwrack in this way we may redeem or buy back again the time that is past The very word resipiscentia signifies to be wise again after all our former follies Oh that ever any should be so unworthy as to decry this godly-Gospel-golden Rule Rule 3. Live we every day as if every day were the last day we had to live This Rule or direction is so comprehensive that I must needs break it into particulars Suppose then I were to begin this day and that I look't on this day as the last day of my life how should I redeem my time or spend this day I answer 1. My first and morning-thoughts should be on God or on something in order to his service Psal 130.6 My Soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the Morning Isa 23.2 O Lord be gracious to me I have waited for thee be thou my arm every Morning Psal 59.16 I will sing of thy power I will sing aloud of thy mercy in thy Morning It is good to give thanks unto the Lord. Psal 92.1 2. and to sing praises unto thy name O most high to shew forth thy loving kindness in the Morning Psal 139.17 How pretious are thy thoughs unto me O God when I awake I am still with thee Now these Morning-thoughts may be spent either in a way of Meditation Isa 26. or of Prayer and my Duties lie in both 2. I should meditate I shall not determine whether Morning or Evening may be more suitable for set deliberate and solemn meditation onely this I affirm that either a solemn or an occasional meditation is a Morning-duty In some sort meditation and prayer should ever go together Psal 5.1 2.3 and David thus couples them Give ear to my words O Lord consider my meditation hearken to the voice of my cry My voice shalt thou hear in the Morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee Now these Morning-meditations if occasional or ejaculatory may be on such Objects as these 1. Upon my first waking I may think on that Morning of my Resurrection when the Lord will awake me from the dust it is but a while till the trump shall sound Awake Isa 29.19 and sing ye that dwell in the dust for thy dew is as the dew of herbs and then shall the earth cast out her dead 2. Upon sight of the Morning-sun I may think on that Sun of Righteousness that enlightens Heaven The Sun that shines on me was only created for this nether World and yet how glorious is it Oh then what light is there in that City above that hath no need of Sun Re. 21.23 or Moon or Star for the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof 3. Upon the putting on of my apparel I may think on that garment of Righteousness where with my soul either is or should be cloathed Alas what is this outward Robe but a Rag or at best an excrement of dead worms of which I have little reason to be proud But my Souls Robe is as a garment cut out of the Sun Rev. 12.1 and put upon me And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven a woman cloathed with the Sun Oh that I may be cloathed with that Sun of Righteousness or with that Rightousness of the Son of God that I may appear before God as I am in him pure and spotless I shall not instance in any other objects of my Mornings meditation onely if I find my spirit most active and fit for meditation at such a time I should then go on and spare more time for set deliberate and solemn meditations 2. I should pray and to this Duty I may joyn the reading of the Word That this is a mornings Duty the Scripture is express Psal 5.3 In the Morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Psal 88.13 And in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee And evening and morning and at noon will I pray and crie aloud Psal 55.17 and he shall hear my voice It is true that Prayer and reading of the Word are two distinct exercises
her condition she was all in confession of her spiritual poverty yet she cast her self into the blessed-bleeding armes of Jesus Christ yea she lay at his feet crying Lord I believe help thou my unbelief and again I rest upon Christ and upon Christ alone for Heaven and Salvation and again Though the Lord slay me yet will I trust in him and again He hath delivered and he doth deliver and I trust in him that he will deliver me still and again Hold out faith and anon thou wilt come to vision This last word hold out faith was one of the last words she spake on that last day of her life 5. In her love to Ministers Her heart was wholly set on Christ and as a true sign of it she loved Christs image especially in his Ministers And now I speak my own loss amongst others she was pleased to cast her affections on the unworthiest of all my Masters messengers In her life-time she preferr'd me to this place the Lord made her the first wheel of his providence in bringing me hither and it was some trouble to her spirit that I left this pastoral charge before she left the World Indeed she honoured all the Ministers of Christ yea the very function it self for Christ his sake Oh how will she rise up in judgement at the last day against those that make it their work to reproach vilifie and contemn the dispensers of Gods word 6. In her love and charity towards all Many discords have been in these sad times and she hath suffered much im many respects yet in her approaches near to the confines of Eternity I desired her to forgive others as she desired God to forgive her at which she proclamed it very affectionately that She freely forgave all the World and she desired all whom she had offended to forgive her Her children then kneeling about her she gave them a blessing as Jacob gave to Joseph and his children this blessing was pronounced with that cheerfulness heartiness and fervency of spirit that it melted hearts and caused aflood of tears round about her Bed in so much that she was forct to rouze up her self and to bespeak them as Christ did those weeping women Weep not for me but weep for your selves why should you weep for me that am going to my Christ and to those joyes prepared by Christ And then she gave a charge the subject of it was a relative respective duty to be performed by brethren it concern'd him most who was the begining of her strength or the excellency of her power Gen. 49.3 and so far as Justice or Religion calls I presume it will never be forgotten by him 7. In her desire to die and to be with Jesus Christ which was best of all Sometimes she cried Oh when will that good hour come And again sometimes Oh that I were dissolved that I might be with Christ But telling her of her duty that she must wait for waiting was a posture fit for servants Psal 123.2 Behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their Masters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her Mistress so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until be have mercy upon us Why then said she I will wait why Lord I will wait until my change shall come Only she minded that promise Heb. 10.37 For yet a very little while and he that shall come will come and he will not tarry One thing was her trouble she was afraid that her strong heart would not yield without much strugling to the stroke of death of this she told me and others once and again her reasons were best known to her self but she prophesied truly for indeed when death came to her heart she uttered such groanes that she outgroaned all our prayers At last death by degrees overcame the strength of nature and then she calmly and quietly left the world in the midst of our prayers just in that passage that her soul might be taken up by the Lord Jesus Christ into the Bridegroom chamber You see now how she redeemed the time in life and death As Christ said to the Lawyer so I say to you Go thou and do likewise Luke 10.37 It is but a while that all of you have to live and therfore I beseech you improve time lay hold of every season to get to Heaven Live every day as if it were your last on earth Walk accurately exactly circumspectly not as fools but as wâ—se Redeeming the time because the dayes are evil Soli Deo gloria
Slothfulness this makes men heedless or careless of their time As it is with the sluggard Yet a little more sleep Cor. 6.10 a little more slumber a little more folding of the arms is sleep So it is with the idle person Let this hour and this day be spent in doing nothing O the many golden hours and days and years that many thousands spend and yet cannot give the least account wherein either they have glorified God or served their generations 3. Love of fleshly liberty Alas what care they for redeeming time who are set on their lusts and liberties to sin All the care they have it is meerly to eat and drink and play sensual pleasures are the whole study of these men and if they can but enjoy them let time slip away as it will they never regard it 2. A recompensing of some former unfruitfulness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath this interpretation it is a redeeming as it were of that jewel of time that hath been formerly lost As a travailer that hath long stayed at an Inne when he finds the night comming upon him he mends his pace and goes as many miles in an hour or two as he did before in many This me thinks comes nearest to the word Redimo to redeem or to buy back again It is taken say some from the custom and practice of wise Merchants or Trades men who uie to buy their commodities while fit time of buying serves and while the market holds and having haply had great losses or formerly spent their time idly or unthriftily they do by their after diligence seek to redeem and as it were to buy back again the time that is past 3. An embracing of all occasions for acting graces and doing good and this agrees with the reason following for the dayes are evil q. d. Look to your selves for these are hard and dismal times now is much corruption and great persecution and the opportunity of good is exceedingly straitned and therefore it is very needful to catch at time and to lay hold on an opportunity both to exercise graces and to be doing as much good as you may while the time permitteth I must work the works of him that sent me John 9.4 while it is day saith Christ the night cometh when no man can work And John 12.35 yet a little while and the light is with you walk while ye have the light lest darkness come upon you Gal. 6.10 And as we have opportunity let us do good unto all men especially to them who are of the houshold of faith Mark these sayings while it s called to day and while the light is with you and while you have opportunity Thus you see what it is 3. But why must time be redeemed what necessity for that I answer 1. In respect of time past Alas many a golden season have we lost how many hours and dayes and months and years have we spent idly and done little good Is it not time then to lay hold of every opportunity to redeem time past When God brought us forth into this world his commands were upon us to work in his vineyard and to that purpose he designed to every one his time thus many dayes or months or years shall you every one live and while you live be imploying these and these talents it is my command upon all the sons of men in the sweat of thy face i. e. of thy brow or of thy brain shall thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground Gen. 3.19 and why then do ye stand all the day idle why are ye not in the work and especially in the work of the Lord Now if this be so that there is such a command and that we have broke this command at such a time and such a time is it not our duty and is there not cause to redeem the time A fellow that hath loytered a great part of the day in his business and yet must needs finish his work will he not toyl and sweat at it towards night will he not double his pains and put all his strength to it So we having not onely been slack in our business about Gods service and slow in the way towards Heaven but even for many yeares having perhaps run in a quite contrary course and done the Devils work how should we now towards the night of our natural life and in the conclusion of the short span thereof spare no paines double our diligence press hard to the price of the high calling with an holy kind of violence lay hold upon the Kingdom of Heaven with all zeal courage and resolution labour to redeem past because it is past This our reason 2. In respect of time present It is but a moment on which depends eternal bliss or woe if we have lost time past and if we do lose time present we may be undone for ever In this respect may we say of time as Boaz said to his kinsman concerning Ruth If you will redeem it redeem it never think of redeeming it tomorrow Ruth 4.4 2 Cor. 6.2 or the other day or hereafter for no time is properly yours but the present time Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation now while I am speaking and you hearing now ere the night be done or the next day comes on Oh why should we trifle away the time which is properly ours and promise to our selves great things in a time which is none of ours Luk 19.42 When Christ mourned over Jerusalem he bemoans it thus If thou hadst known even thou at leas in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace So may I mourn over you if thou hadst known even thou at lest in this thy day when 's that while Ministers call and you hear this is your day and therefore he that never heard effectually let him hear now it is now high time to awake out of that cursed security wherein you lie the Lord is now come near Christ Jesus is calling mercy is intreating and wisedom is even hoarse with crying after you if you lose this time this hour of grace who knows whether ever you shall enjoy such another season Oh take time by the forehead post est occasio calva it will be too late soon Now the Lord calls and now it concerns us to bestirr our selves upon these grounds 1. Because now are evil dayes the very reason in the Text these are the last times which the Apostle calls perillous times and why perillous Tim. 3.1.2 For men shall belevers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers c. One would think it rather an History than a Prophecie of our dayes Oh is it not time now if ever to reedeem the time 2. Because now are dayes of light notwithstanding the evils of some or most in comparison yet many glorious truths do now appear the Devil I know now brings forth his ware but withal
motive should work and now that we have a little time it should prevail with us to redeem the time 5. Our time hath been a very sinful time Ah my brethren think over your Ignorance unbelief worldliness covetousness pride malice lusts lukewarmness impatience discontentedness vain-glory self love wandring and wicked imaginations in a word all your pollutions distempers estrangedness from God in the time of your unregeneracy oh were not those sinful abominable and rebellious times or be it so that your gracious God hath since those times wrought in you effectually his saving grace have you not since then lost your first love or at least grown remiss and cold and lukewarm in it Say then speak out your hearts and tell me is it not time now to remember from whence you are fallen and to repent and to do your first works Blessed Mr. Bolton hath a saying that if it were possible that any uncomfortable passion were incident to a glorified Saint in Heaven he would be sorry and transported with extream anger and indignation against himself that he was not a meer greedy ingrosser as it were and improver of time for doing excellently upon Earth and that every hour especially after his Conversion was not Crowned with some rare and more remarkable exploit with some more special and noble service for the glorifying of that most bountiful and ever-blessed God who hath now honored him with such unspeakable glory in the Kingdom of Heaven But if no such passion is in glorified Saints I am sure we have all cause enough to loath our selves in our own fight for our iniquities and for our abominations O come let this be a motive to spur us on and to quicken us in this duty of Redeeming the time because our dayes were evil 6. The Scriptures speak of a remarkable set time of grace a time of visitation Luke 19.44 a time of Salvation 2 Cor 6.2 a time whilest God may be found Psal 32.6 a time when he holds out the Golden Seepter Esther 5.2 a time wherein the Fountain runneth and the spirit proclameth Ho every on that thirsteth come ye to the Waters Isa 55.1 Thus Jerusalem had her time and all the several Churches in Asia had their time and now England Scotland and Ireland have their time and if we mis-improve this time and walk unworthy of this grace and Gospel of Christ this time will have an end Psal 95.11 this Sun will go down at Noon and set upon our heads This day if you will hear my voice harden not your hearts said God to Israel but they hardned their hearts and therefore God sware to them in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest If it be so with us as it was with Israel in the wilderness we doe not know but this very day the Lord may clap an Oath upon our heads that we shall never enter into his rest Oh then that we would learn of the Ant that gathereth her meat in the Summer time Oh that while we have this time of grace we would redeem the time in praying reading hearing meditating and treasuring up the things belonging to our peace This time is a set-time that hastens away and we cannot with Joshua bid the Sun stand still O then let us say This is our time and therefore what we will do for our Souls we will do it now Surely better it is to redeem it now than to wish in pain and torment for the time again when it is past redemption 7. The time is a coming yea it is near even at the door when time shall be no more This is the voice of the seventh Angel Rev. 10.5.6 And the Angel which I saw standing upon the Sea and upon the Earth lifted up his hand to Heaven and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever that there should be time no longer Who was this a man no an Angel and what did he say it no he sware it how sware it by himself no he sware it by him that lives for ever and what that time should be little no it should be no longer time should be no more Needs must this time come that hath all these circumstances to confirm it And what if this time should come even in your time what if now the seventh Angel should lift up his hand to Heaven and take this Oath If this time be far off as to the general Judgment which I cannot think yet sure I am and without all peradventure that it is not far off to thee and me It may be before this year this month this week this night be done that God may say to his Angel Go to such a man and such a woman I will give them no more time bring them hither and here let them give an account what they have done with all their time for I must have a reckoning of all time past And then comes in Imprimis so much time in Drinking and Revelling Item so much time in Idling Sporting playing c. Oh will God say were these things I gave you time for no no it was for Heaven and Salvation you had your time and if that time be mis-improved away away time and now enter Eternity upon these Souls Is not here a motive to make us look about us Oh my brethren now now if ever redeem the time for anon time will be gone and then succeeds eternity eternity eternity But what are the means for redeeming time I answer They are so many that I may have no time to enumerate the Particulars shall we instance in some you must pray read hear the Word meditate and watch over your hearts with extraordinary industry mortifie your members which are upon the Earth as pride covetousness lusts c. grow up in grace clear up your evidences against that day when all shall stand naked before that great and glorious Judge c. And these and all other Duties of which anon must be done while the day lasteth Here 's a great work and a little time doth it not concern you to bestir your selves If a man have much to write and but a little Paper to write on he must write small and thick and close as ever he can So must you do I verily believe there 's not one Soul amongst us but he may find out hundreds and thousands of sins to repent him of he may find out many and many a Particular Duty that he should be exercised in from morning to evening and from evening to morning so that 't is a wonder how he can spare any time at all for any thing else Well then up and be doing lose not a minute but be in the use and exercise of some of these Dutys These are the means and in the use of these means you may by the Lords help and grace concurring redeem your time One Objection I would remove It may be the day of grace is done the gate of mercy is already shut