Disposition and a stronger habitual Inclination to be and to do good A young Saint and an old Devil is a cursed and an absurd Proverb There is the greatest fear that a young Devil will prove an old Beelzebub Who can ever expect that a Tree that is [e] Aestatis tempus est fructificandi tempus Quae aestate steriles est hyeme foecunda non erit Muscul barren in the Summer should bare and bring forth Fruit in the Winter It is said of the Trees of Righteousness that they shall bring forth Fruit * Psal 92.14 in old Age not then begin to do it but shall continue still to do it †Lam. 3.27 It is good for a Man that he bear the Yoke in his Youth It is true of the Yoke of Christ They that bear it in their Youth there is hope they will count it an easie Yoke and not offer to throw it off afterwards [f] Fingit equum teuâ—râ dociteni cervice magister Ire viam quam monstrat eques Venaticus ex quo Tempore cerviuam pelem latravit in aula Militat in sylvis catulus Nunc adhibe puro Pectore verba puer nunc te melioribus offer ‖ Prov. 22.6 Train up a Child in the Way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it [g] Quo semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem Testa diu Horat. ep lib. 1. ep 2. What the Vessel is first season'd withal it will have a taste of a long Time after Remember God in your Youth and you will hardly forget him ever after 5. Consider once more 't is plain and evident some young ones have redeem'd the Time of their Youth do you follow and imitate their Example Holy David was able to say * Psal 71.5 Thou art my Hope O Lord God thou art my Trust from my Youth †1 Kings 18.12 Good Obadiah feared the Lord from his Youth It is said of Abijah the Child of Jeroboam that in him there was found some good Thing some Seeds of true Piety toward the Lord God of Israel that is in regard of the Worship of God and it is the Commendation of this young Man that he was not only truly Godly but pious and religious in a wicked and flagitious ‖ 1 Kings 14.13 Jeroboam's House You know (*) 1 Sam. 2 18. Samuel in his Childhood ministred before the Lord. And (†) 2 Tim. 3.15 1 Tim. 1.18 Timothy [h] Hoc non vulgare erat adjumentum quò là pueritia assuefactus erat Scripture lectioni nam hac longa exercitatio muitò instructâ—orem reddere hominem potest adversùs omnes circumventiones Itaque prudenter olim cautum fuit ut qui dest nâ—bantur verbi Ministerio à pueris erudirentur in solidiore pictatis doctrinâ— ad Oque sacras literas penitus imbiberet ne ad ipsum munus accederent novi adhuc tyrones Atque hoc in singulari Dei beneficio ponendum est si quis it à fuerit à teneris Scripture cognitione imbutus Cal. in in 2 ep ad Tim c. 3.15 from a Child had known the holy Scriputres He began betime in Religion in holy Learning and Knowledg and gave such Proofs of forwardness therein whence it might be and was prophesied concerning him that he would become an eminent Instrument in the Church of God in communicating to others the Light of saving Knowledg wherein himself so early had made so good a Beginning so great a Progress We read of the elect Lady's Children ‖ 2 ep Joh. 4. walking in Truth that is in Sincerity and Integrity of Faith and Manners or ordering their Actions as the Truth prescribes and living according to the Rule of the Gospel Our Saviour Christ was early about his Father's Business we find him at it * Luke 2.42 49. at twelve Years old †2 Chron. 34.1 2 3. 'T is said of that good King Josiah that in the eighth Year of his Reign which was the [i] Adolescens jam regiae administrâ—tionis factus compos nam tutela durabat and finem anni 13. simulaique ad regni gubernâ—tionem libertoren pervenit Synoâ—s Crit. in 2 Par 34.3 sixteenth Year of his Age while he was yet young he began to seek after God Certainly his Heart was seasoned with the Fear of God in his Childhood when first he began to reign But now in his Youth as soon as he could get the Reins of Government in his Hand he began to seek after God that is to endeavour the Setling of the true Religion and publicly to manifest his Faith in God and Zeal for his Glory And in the twelfth Year when he had attained to more Authority he began to act most vigorously against Idolatry And in the eighteenth Year he had quite purged the Land and the House of the Lord. v. 8. And it 's well known concerning our English Josiah King Edward the sixth that he was most exemplarily holy in the Daies of his Youth How did he honour the Bible and Word of God! [k] Fuller's Church-History 7th Book p. 424. When one of his Play-fellows proffer'd him a bossed-plate â— Bible to stand upon and heighten him to take down somewhat he desired which then stood above his Reach perceiving it a Bible with holy Indignation he refused it and sharply reproved the Owner thereof as counting it unfit to trample that under his Feet which he was to treasure up in his Head and Heart And upon the Day that he was crowned King of England when three Swords were oâ—â—ered him to signify that he was King of three Kingdoms England France and Irland [l] Wolsins Lection Memorab he is reported to have sad There is one Sword wanting yet and being asked what that was he said it was the Bible that Book is the Sword of the Spirit sa d he far to be preferred before all these He was constant fervent and successful in his private Devotions [m] Fuller loc cit p. 415. How did his faithful Prayer wonderfully recover Sr. John Cheek his School-master who by his Physicians was quite given over for a dead Man How did he promote and carry on the Reâ—ormation of Religion from Idolatry and Superscition in this Land and Nation And when the Emperour Charles the fifth sent an Embaâ—â—adour with a menacing Message of War in case his Cousin the Lady Mary should not be admitted the free exercise or the Mass and the Counc I thinking it fit to gratify the Emperour engaged arch-Bishop Cranmer and Bishop Ridley to press the King with Polâ—tick Reasons for the toleration thereof the King refused upon Scripture-Grounds to condescend there into and when he found them still urgent and very importunate with him at last he â—ilenced them with his Tears and stopt their arguing with his Weeping and forc'd them to weep in company with him It is [o] Hi Life p. 218 220. reported of the early
many and great Mercies of God towards you and yours and all Mankind are you bound to recount and to be affected with on this Day Ought you not still on this Day to remember and consider and solemnly and heartily to bless God and Christ for the capital Mercies of Creation and Redemption and for the gracious seasonable Sending of the Holy Ghost and to spend some Time in speaking highly and honourably of these Benefits to the Praise of your Maker and Glory of your Redeemer Are not you ignorant of many Things in which you ought to be informed and have not you need then to spend some Part of the lord's-Lord's-day in reading the Bible and some select Books of sound Divinity in hearing the Word preach'd and in Conference with godly understanding and well-experienced Christians Are you not too great Strangers to God and your selves and have not you need then to improve some Portion of this Seasonn in Meditation and Self-examination that you may get more Acquaintance with God and your own Hearts Have not you the Sins of the whole Week past to confess to God in secret and to beg the Pardon of every Lord's-day when you have leisure from your bodily Labour is it not fit you should take some pains in conquering the Corruptions and mortisying the Lusts of your own Hearts and in wrestling with God in Praier for his Strength and Grace Can you idle away your Time and take your Pleasure on the Lord's-day when you have Families to inform and Children and Servants to catechize and instruct Let your Consciences tell me whether it be better on the Lord's-day to spend your Time in unnecessary Divertisements in fruitless Visitations in vain and frothy Discourses to talk freely together of worldly Businesses to judg the Preacher to censure your Christian Neighbour Or to commune with your selves and to labour to edify your own Families To teach your Children the Doctrine of Adam's Fall and of the Redemption wrought by Christ To acquaint them what Sin and Corruption they brought with them into the World and how they have encreased it since they came into the World That the Wages of Sin is Death To tell them what Christ has done and suffered to free and deliver them from Sin and Death and what they must do to be capable of partaking of Christ's saving Benefits To ground your Servants in the Principles of Religion To take account what they remember of the Sermons they heard that Day and to examine how they have profited by the publick Ordinances You see what a great deal of Work you have to do and what a little Time you have to do it in You have but one whole Day in seven It concerns you then to be very saving of this whole Day [c] Quicunque hisee sacris ita seriò se excicent ut ipsorum familiae necessitas plani postulat locum nullum relictum esse quaestioni ists carn â—liter de larantium invenient An licitum sit die Dominâ—co aut oftari aut ludere aut epu is aut inanabus aut mundanis non planè necessariis tempus sacrum conterere Et qui serpsum alaos werè novit ut diei negotia commoda oblata verbo divino de rebus sparitio libus aeternis verè credit ipsius altorum ex vera necessitate ut â—â—â—tate interesse percepiet diem totum quantùm fieri potest in sacris colocare neque frustra sine fruge horae moment um essluere sinet Neque niâ—â—ges quaestionem movebit An liceat ludis vel aliis manibus ad perdere quà m An laceat sanguinent sâ—um inaniter fundere aurum oblasum respâ—ere in canum projicere Carnalis quippe pe animus sui rerum spiritualium ignarus disputationum talium author est plerumque promus-condus Baxter Method Theol. part 3 c. 14. P. 172. To be as far from disputing whether it be not lawful to use Recreations and Sports on some Part of it or to employ some Hours of it in any unnecessary worldly Businesses as from putting the Question Whether it be not lawful vainly to spill your own Blood or to make a refusal of Gold that is offer'd you and to cast it contemtuously into the Dirt. 'T will but little avail you to make the utmost worldly Advantage of all the other six Daies if you make not a sufficient spiritual Improvement of this which is more considerable than all the rest What would it profit you if as God made the World in six Daies so you could gain the whole World by working hard the six Daies if by gross neglect of the Lord's-day you at last lost your own Souls The Church of England in her pious and useful Homily of the Time and Place of Praier declares that in the fourth Commandment God has given express Charge that his obedient People should use our [d] And truly it is strange that some who have a dearness yea fondness for some VVords of Jewish Extraction Altar Temple and the like should have such an Antipa by against the Sabbath Fuller's Church-Hiâ—â— B. 11. p. 144. Sabbath-day which is now our Sunday holily and rest from their common and daily Businesses and also give themselves wholly to heavenly Exercises of God's true Religion and Service And in his Majestie 's Royal Proclamation for the Observation of the Lord's-day all his Majestie 's Subjects are bid to take notice that by the Law the resorting to divine Service enjoined on that Day does comprehend the entire Day and entire Service both Morning and Evening Yea every Lord's-day Morning you your selves make this open Confession and publick Praier in the Congregation after the Reading of the fourth Commandment Lord have Mercy upon us and encline our Hearts to keep this Law As much as to say Lord we acknowledg we have neglected this thy Day We pray thee pardon all our unchristian Sabbath-breaking for the Time past and give us Grace to observe the Christian Sabbath better for the future Now will you confess in the Fore-noon and transgress in the After-noon Will you beg pardon in the Morning and sin again the very same Sin before Night Will you open your Mouths to ask God's Grace to sanctify and keep holy the Sabbath-day and it may be profane it in a graceless manner as soon as you are out of the Congregation If the Lord's-day ought to be observed at all it is to be kept both Parts of the Day And for those that commonly stay away in the After-noon I would ask them what their Employment is at home in the mean Time Do not some of them spend the After-noon in sleeping or walking or talking or drinking or gaming while others are jointly confessing and praying and praising and hearing If God requires a Day is this to sanctify a Day to the Lord to worship God in the Morning and to dishonour God and serve the Devil and divers Lusts in the Afternoon
by their Affections encouraged by their Examples recovered by their Reproofs directed by their Counsels assisted by their Praiers instructed strengthned and comforted by their Experiences When you come in company with able godly Ministers or knowing experienced Christians you may put Cases and have them resolved propound Doubts and have them satisfied you may light your Candle by their's you may kindle your Coal at their Fire and stay and warm your self well before you go away Godly Company is an Opportunity to be prized and improved Whenever you enjoy good Company make the best of it Let not carnal Bashtulness nor a vain and worldly Heart which is apt to seek idle and unprofitable Discourse hinder and deprive you of the Profit and Benefit which may be reaped by godly Society The last Particular Opportunities to be redeemed 5. And lastly The particular Seasons of practising and performing particular Duties of getting and encreasing acting and exercising particular Graces these have a special commodious Fitness for the doing or receiving some particular Good and ought accordingly to be embraced and improved by us When we know a Person a good Man especially to be in real Necessity and great Extremity then is an Opportunity of exercising Charity in giving liberally according to our Ability When another has wronged and injured us then we have gotten a good Occasion of exercising Charity and shewing Mercy in free and full Forgiveness When a Brother is fallen into Sin at any Time then it is a Season to * Gal. 6.1 restore such an one in the Spirit of Meckness When any Person is flexible and tractable yielding and pliable being melted and mollified by an afflictive Providence or moved and enclined to hearken to us by Dependance on us Expectation from us or any Relation and Obligation to us we have a fair Opportunity to deal with such an one at such a Time for the furthering of his spiritual and eternal Good When any are cast upon Sick-beds and are somewhat awakened and softned by God's Hand then they are prepared for your Hand you may the more easily work upon them When any have newly received a Benefit from us or hope to be shortly beholden to us and so are ready to think well of us and to take all well from us then we may reprove admonish exhort them with a comfortable Hope of happy Success and good Effect The Conscience of a Man is a nice and sullen Thing and if it be not taken at fit Times there is no meddling with it And so likewise in respect of our selves when we have received any fresh Mercy from God or are actually enjoying the Blessings of God and tasting how good and gracious the Lord is then is an Occasion of stirring up our selves to Praise and Thanksgiving When we lie under an heavy Affliction then it is a Season of acting and exercising Faith Repentance Patience a convenient Season for Self-Examination sound Humiliation earnest Supplication and thorough Reformation When we find a secret Chearfulness of Spirit then it is a Season to spiritualize our Joy and Gladness to think upon God's Mercies to recount his Benefits to set forth the Praises of our Creator Preserver and Redeemer * Jam. 5 13. Is any merry let him sing Psalms When we find any Sadness growing upon our Spirits then it is a Season to spiritualize our Sorrow and Sadness to mourn and grieve for our Sins especially to weep in secret for them to confess and acknowledg them and pray against them Once more When at any Time [p] We must not measure our Time by the length but by the weight not by its greatness but by its worth Let us not in asure our Daie◠as we do by the motion of the Sun which we see but by the shining of the Sun of Righteousness upon our Souls not by the celestial Bodies but by the celestial Inspirations As to the purposes of Holiness and getting nearer to Heaven one moment when the Spirit of God is upon us and strongly possesses our Mind with good Things and breaths into us holy Affections is worth many Hours yea Daies and Years when that is not with us or doth not so powerfully incite us D. Patrick's Div. Arithm. p. 37 38. the holy Spirit of God joining with the good Word of God or concurring with the Providences and remarkable Works of God does strongly work upon our Minds and sweetly and powerfully move and stir our Hearts and Affections When the Spirit instills any good Motions into our Souls and kindles any good Desires in our Hearts and kindly draws us on to holy Purposes and good Resolutions This is a special Opportunity indeed This is Temporis Articulus the very Nick of Time which must be taken on a suddain or it 's presently lost to our great Disadvantage Do not fail to strike while the Iron is hot Step into the Pool whenever the Angel stirs the Water Lanch out immediately whiles Wind and Tide serve When you feel any gentle Gale spread open your Sail This Wind blows when and where it listeth You know not how soon this Wind may turn Whenever the Spirit knocks open the Door [q] Rara hora brevis mora O si durâsset Bernard you know not how soon he may have done how quickly he may be gone Delicata res est Spiritus Sanctus saies Tertullian The Spirit of God is a nice and delicate Thing it is soon offended and quickly grieved And therefore subject your selves to the Working of the Spirit and work with the Spirit while the Spirit is at work Gladly receive every Impression of this immediate gracious free Operator Welcome every Suggestion of this blessed Monitor Let every Inspiration find thee as the Seal does the Wax or the Spark the Tinder Kindly entertain all its Visits and readily obey all its Motions follow them home don't check and quench them stifle and smother them Never suffer them to die and decay to languish and perish and come to nothing Do the Particular Duties the Spirit calls you to Get and grow in the special Graces which the Spirit is ready to beget and encrease in you Run freely and willingly so soon as ever you feel and perceive that the Spirit draws you If you don't stir when the Spirit moves and act when it works you may drive and chase away the Spirit and so lie dull and dead graceless and helpless and hopeless for ever And thus I have open'd and explain'd the Duty and shewn you particularly both what it is to redeem the Time and what the Time is that is to be redeemed The Sum of all is briefly this that our whole Life-time and every particular Occasion afforded us in it must whatever it cost us by all means be laid hold on and improved by us for the Glory of God and our own and others spiritual Advantage CHAP. III. The Grounds and Reasons why we ought to redeem the Time The Special Reason laid down in the
de vita beata c. 12. Reverend Bp. Davenant Their Mandness is to be detested and abominated who know not how to be cheerful and merry without doing Disgrace and Dishonour to Christ anal putting a Mock and Scorn on Religion Mr. Herbert [l] Church-porch p. 16. plainly tells you their Doom None shall in Hell such bitter Pangs endure As those who mock at God's way of Salvation Whom Oyl and Balsams kill what Salve can cure They drink with Greediness a full Damnation How few of us all have ordinarily been considerate and watchful wise and material useful and prudent in our Discourses and have frequently used our Tongues as Instruments of Piety and spiritual Charity of the Glorisication of our Creator and Redeemer and the [m] It must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good Speech such as is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Edification of Necessity Eph. 4.29 The Pâ—râ—se is an Hebraism where the genitive Case of a Substantive is pur for the Adjective and means that our Speech be apted to necessary Edification or such Edification as is needful to every man's particular Case Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 V. p. 324. necessary Edification and Soul-advantage of our Brethren How seldom has our Speech been design'd and directed to the real Profit and best benefit of our Neighbour and our Communication been so ordered and managed by us that it might be [n] Idâ—m ibid. apt to instruct the Ignorant to strengthen the Weak to recal the Wanderer to restrain the Vicious to comfort the Disconsolate and to afford a seasonable Word to every Man's Necessity Where is the Man whose Tongue is as * Prov. 10.20 choice Silver whose Words are of real Worth and great Price in whose Lips †Ibidem 10.13 Wisdom is found whose Lips * Prov. 14.7 of Knowledg †Ibidem 15.7 disperse Knowledg and ‖ Ib. 10.21 feed many the Words of whose Mouth are (*) Eccles 10.12 gracious (†) Prov. 10.32 whose Lips know what is acceptable whose Tongue is (‖) Ib. 12.18 Health whose Mouth is a [*] Ib. 10.11 Well of Lite whose wholesome Tongue is a [†] Ib. 15.4 Tree of Life whose instructive Speeches and edifying Discourses and warm affectionate Converses have happily helped others to Life Where is the Man who speaketh Words [‖] Ib. 15.23 in due Season whose Words are * ib. 15.26 pleasant Words grateful to God and good Men Where is the Woman that †Ib. 31.26 openeth her Mouth with Wisdom and in whose Tongue is the Law of Kindness or gracious Instruction or [o] Vide Catwright in loc serious Discourse to Children and Servants of the Word of God and holy Things Oh how many Men and Women are there who have not a savoury gracious Speech in the whole Day or Week or Month or Year no not in their whole Lives We may complain of the constant Discourses of most Persons in the Words of [p] Nihil de Scriptur is nibil de salute agitur animarum sed nugae risus verba proferuntur in ventum Inter prandendum quantum fauces dapibus tantum aures pascuntur rumoribus Bernardi Apologia ad Guilhelmâ—m Abbatem cap. 8. St. Bernard Not q Word of Scripture drops from them nothing relating to the eternal Salvation of Mens Souls can be heard among them nothing but toying and laughing and light and frothy talking takes up their Time Mens Communications are generally so unprositable and so corrupt that the Consideration hereof made a contemplative Person cry out [q] Dixit quidam Quoties inter homines fui minor home redis Hoc saepius experimur quando diu confabulamur Faciliùs est omnino tacere quà m verbo non excedere A Kempis de imitatione Christi l. 1. c. 20. n. 2. As often as I have gone among Men I have return'd the less Man And drew these VVords from another devout Person [r] Vellem me pluries tacutsse inter homines non fuisse Sed quare tam libenter loquimur invicem fabulamur cùm tamenrarò sine laesione conscientrae ad silentium redimus Ibidem c. 10. n. 1. I wish I had oftener held my Tongue would I had not so frequently gone into Company But why do we so willingly talk and converse together says he when if we talk any thing long we rarely come off without loss and seldom give over communing together without some Hurt first done to our own Consciences VVe have all of us often offended in VVord not remembring and considering that even * Mat. 12.36 of every idle Word that Men shall speak they shall give Account in the Day of Judgment And that as a learned [s] Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 V. p. 292. Bishop clears the Text the Judgment then shall fall upon our VVords if not upon our Persons the Fire shall consume such Hay and Stubble and though the Person himself escape he shall sustain and suffer that Loss VVe shall have no Honour no fair Return for idle useless unprofitable Discourses but they shall with Loss and Prejudice be rejected and cast away And therefore take [t] Nemo parvi aestimet tempus quod in verbis consumitur otiosis Bernardus sermone de triplici custodia St. Bernard's Caution Let no Man count it a light Matter to spend valuable Portions of his precious Time in idle Words And labour to imitate the ancient Christians of whom Tertullian gives this Character [u] It a fabulantur ut qui sciant Dominum audire Tertulliani Apologia c. 39. They discourse as those that well know that God hears every Word they say Henceforth let us have a care of our VVords let us give our Tongues to Wisdom ever speak to some Useful profitable Purposes and on all just and fit Occasions open our Mouths with boldness in the Cause of God and Goodness and spend as much of our Time and [w] Mr. John Carter Pastor of Brainford in Suffolk did much addict himself to savory Speeches and heavenly Discourses in which God did so own and bless him that by the holy Discourse that dropped from his mouth a godly woman was first won to Christ while she was waiting on him in his Chamber and warming his Bed In his Life written by his Son Mr. John Carter inferted in Mr. Clark's Collection of the Lives of ten Eminent Divines p. 13 as many of our Words as prudently may be in matters of Religion in Prayers and Praises and pious Discourses in aptly accommodating and seasonably producing the wise and weighty Sayings of Scripture and holy Men and in taking Occasion from ordinary Occurrences to raise and promote spiritual Discourses A sixth Sort of Persons reproved Such do justly fall under severe Censure who Profusely spend their Time in vain Pleasures 1. In [a] Vbi magna corpor is cura ibi magna ment is incuria Dictum Catonis Curiosity about dressing and trimming the
did so early and so solemnly dedicate our selves Souls Bodies and Interests to God and vow to give our Time and Opportunities to his Service We are in Justice obliged to keep this Promise to pay this Vow which if we fail to do we are miserably perjured and forsworn 2. And then for the other Sacrament that of the Lord's Supper In our preparations for the receiving of it we have it may be searched and tried proved and examined our selves inquired into our hearts and waies taken special notice of many passages of our misled Lives and mis-spent Time seriously considered our many partial Covenant-breaches renew'd and repeated our Baptismal-contract with God and our Lord Jesus Christ determined to mortify those hateful Sins which crucisied our Saviour setled our purposes of returning to our Duty with greater care and diligence than ever strengthned and reinforced our Covenant of reforming our Lives and redeeming our Time and resolved upon a stricter Observance of God's Laws for the rest of our daies And at every time of our participation of the holy Communion we openly offer'd and publickly presented ourselves our Souls and Bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively Sacrifice unto God O let 's remember and stand to our Word and take care in God's Fear through Christ strengthning us to perform the Covenant we have so often ratified and frequently reiterated 2. And then again When God hath roused and startled us by some awakening Ordinance or Providence When some * Mark 3.17 Son of Thunder has plainly preach'd as if Death were at our backs which was the Character King James once gave of a lively Minister that preached before himself Or when some affectionate zealous Ambassadour of Christ coming to us in the Spirit of St. Paul has so convincingly reason'd of the Judgment to come and brought his Discourse so close and home to our very Consciences as to cause us to tremble again with Felix we then came to sudden Resolutions and speedy Purposes of Emendation of our Waies Or when at any time God has cast us upon Beds of Sickness brought us to the very brink of Death the very Mouth of the Grave when Friends and Physicians have been doubtful of our Lives when all our own Hopes of Life sickned and died when our Souls have almost sat upon our Lips O then what [a] Si aliqua nos aegritudo corripiat si signa aegritudinis vicinam mortem denuncient inducias vivendi quaerimus ut peccata nostra desleamus eas cum magno aestu desiderit setimus quas acceptas modô pro nihilo habemus Gregor Homil. 12. in Euang. fair and large Promises and specious goodly Resolutions have we made if God should ever restore us lend longer Life to us and try and trust us once again to become new Men to turn over a new Leaf to lead a new Life to improve our Time to all possible Advantage to do God more Service in a Day than we did him in a Month before Have we not been sometimes so sick that we verily concluded we were really seized by the Arrest of Death and seemed to hear God saying to us in particular * Luke 16.2 Give an account of thy Stewardship for thou maiest be no longer Steward and thought of nothing but the tolling of the Bell and expected some of us that the several parts of us within a few daies or hours should be shared and divided between the Grave and Hell Then we experienced in our selves Philosophantes metus aegrae fortunae sana consilia to use the elegant expressions of the most ingenious [b] Sen. ep 94. in fine Nam quasi ista inter se contraria sint bona fortuna mens bona ita melius in malis sapimus secunda rectum auferunt Ibid. Moralist Then our Fears read Lectures of Philosophy Lectures of Divinity to us and the sad and sorrowful circumstances of a sick and declining and dangerous condition did minister salutary Counsels and healthful Advices to us Let 's recollect and remember what were our serious secret Thoughts the inward workings of our Hearts the lively stirrings of our Consciences yea our open Confessions free Professions and large Promises and Protestations at such a time as that Men are too commonly of a Temper much like that of Naevolus in Martial of whom we find there this [c] Securo nihil est te Naevole pejus eodem Sollicito nihil est Naevole te melius c. Esto Naevole sollicitus Martial l 4. Epigr. 83. Character that when he was secure and prosperous none was more arrogant and insolent but when he was solicitous and press'd with care none was more modest and humble and of better condition and carriage than he We generally appear sensible and serious ready to reform and forward to enter into Vows and Engagements in Affliction and Adversity in grievous Calamities and deep Distresses and to do this especially when confin'd to our Chambers by malignant Distempers violent or painful Diseases and forced by Sickness to take and to keep our Beds Plinius Secundus writing to his Friend Maximus acquaints him with this observation of his The late languishing Condition of a Friend of mine taught me thus much saies he that we are usually [d] Optimos esse nos dum insirmi sumus best when we are sick and weak for what infirm sick Person is amorous or lascivious ambitious of Honour or covetous of Riches How little soever such a Person possesses he reckons he has enough because he supposes he must shortly relinquish what ever he has Then a Man remembers that there is a God saies he and that he himself is but a Man Then he envies admires despises no body then he does not hearken to nor feed upon uncharitable Discourses nor is he malicious or injurious to any but only designs if he should continue longer in the World to lead an innocent and a happy Life And he ends that notable Epistle with this very wise and wholsome Counsel What Philosophers endeavour to deliver in many Words and Volumes * Vt tales esse sani perseveremus quales nos futuros profitemur infirmi Plin. l 7. Ep. 26. that I may thus briefly hint by way of Instruction to thee and to myself saies he * Ps 85.8 That we continue to be such when we are well as we promise we will be when we are sick When Sigismund the Emperour enquired of the Bishop of Colen what he should do to be happy eternally he only advised him to take care to live as he promised to do the last time he had the Gout or Stone O let 's but pay our Sick-bed Vows and we shall redeem the Time indeed Let 's be the [e] Ille promissum suum implevit qui cùm videas illum cùm audias idem est Sen. ep 75. same when our Actions are seen as when our Words are heard Let 's never offer when we recover
the Time we must endeavour to be throughly convinced of the great Value and real Worth of Time In respect of the Price paid for it In regard of the Use and End to which it serves p. 268. Considering what precious Thoughts the more improved Heathens had of Time p. 269. And what damned Spirits p. 271. and dying Persons who have not made their Peace with God think of Time p. 272. Direct 2. If we would well redeem the Time we must examine our selves and call our selves to a serious strict Account for the spending of our Time p. 277. This was the Precept of Pythagoras p. 278. and the Practice of Sextius Seneca p. 279. and Titus Vespasian Direct 3. That we may rightly redeem our Time let Conscience have some Authority with us and procure some Reverence from us p. 284. Stand much in aw of thy own Conscience p. 285. which will either acquit and absolve thee or surely judg and condemn thee p. 286. Direct 4. If ever we would redeem the Time we must live and act and do every thing as in the Sight and Presence and under the Eye and Inspection of God p. 286. The Apprehension of God's all-seeng all-searching Eye will be of excellent Vse and Advantage to us at four times especially 1. Actually consider that God sees you when you ordinarily visit one another and at any time feast and make merry together 2. When Buying or Selling remember you are manifest in God's Sight p. 291. that Godstands by and sees your Dealings p. 292. 3. Consider this in your secret Retirements p. 292. and in your private Families p. 294. 4. When-ever we come to the publick Worship of God let us seriously consider that we stand in his Presence and ar ein his Eye p. 295. Direct 5. That we may wisely redeem the Time let 's be sure to propound a good End to our selves in all our Actions p. 297. and do nothing deliberately but what we can safely and freely warrantably and comfortably ask God's Assistance in and Blessing upon when we go about it p. 300. Direct 6. We must be sure to give our selves to Prayer as a special Way in which and principal Means and Help by which we may redeem and improve our Time aright And here 1. Be careful to keep up set and stated Times of Prayer p. 302. of secret Prayer p. 303. and Family-Prayer p. 304. 2. Be ready to betake thy self to Prayer upon special extraordinary emergent Occasions p. 309. 3. Vse thy self to frequent sudden ejaculatory Prayers to God p. 313. This is the Priviledg of Ejaculation that it is a gaining of Time for the Exercise of Religion without any Prejudice or Hindrance to your Calling p. 318. Direct 7. We must set our selves to the frequent diligent reading and serious studying of the sacred Scriptures For 1. This is a gaining and making advantage of all the Time past which the Scripture gives us the History and Account of p. 320. 2. Our Reading the holy Books of Scripture is a well improving the present Time that is employed in this Religious Duty for 't is an honouring of God and a means of attaining divine Knowledg p. 323. heavenly Grace p. 324. and spiritual Comfort p. 325. 3. It is moreover a means and help to the right redeeming of our Time for the future p. 327. Direct 8. If we would effectually redeem the Time we must give our selves to frequent and serious meditation p. 347. Set some Time apart for this Duty p. 348. Think of the four last Things especially 1. Of Death of the Day of thy own particular Death p. 349. and of the Time of the general Dissolution of the World p. 367. 2. Of the Day of Judgment p. 376. 3. Of the Joys of Heaven p. 388. 4. Of the Torments of Hell p. 432. Direct 9. If you would redeem the Time you must labour to spiritualize even your ordinary worldly Employments and must take care that your natural as well as civil Actions partake of Religion p. 453. Direct 10. If we would wisely redeem the Time we must make a good Choice of our Friends and Acquaintance and a good Improvement of our Company and Society with them p. 463. Direct 11. We must remember and consider perform and answer our solemn Sacramental Vows Occasional Promises and Sick-bed Resolutions p. 488. Direct 12. Lastly If we would effectually redeem the Time we must not give way to any Delay but strengthen and settle our Resolution against any farther Procrastination p. 495. Errata in the Treatise Pag. 50. l. 12. read warming 64 l. 22. Assembling 143 l 4. fall l. 16. seiseth 157 l. 6 ment 270. l. 14 their 287. l. 17. be to be 334 l. 1. Mouth 349. l. 25 dele 1 Use 378. l. 27. concern'd 396. l. 30. will be 398. l. 6. Aptitude 486 l. 23. Servants 530. l. 1. use his Errata in the Quotations Pag. 63 l. 1. read Constant 112. l. 7.15 Annal. 137. l. 6. adhuc esse 331. l. 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 342. l. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 390. l. 1. divinorum antmorum 459. l. 2. saturantur 484. l. 3. read p. 332. 486. l. ult 33. In the running Titles of the Epistle for Preface read Epistle Dedicatory Redemption of Time a good Duty in evil Daies Ephes 5.16 Redeeming the Time because the Daies are evil CHAP. I. The Coherence of the Words The Text divided The Doctrine propounded The Method laid down for the clearing and opening of it What it is to redeem the Time the Phrase in the Text may signify these four Things 1. To buy back the Time that is past In what Sence that may be done 2. to buy up the Time that is present that is to forgo or part with any thing for it and to make it our own and use it for our spiritual and eternal Advantage 3. Not only to buy it up but to buy it out to get it out of the hands of the Devil and the World and the distracting Cares and tempting Pleasures of it 4. To use all Wariness and Wisdom of Behaviour to secure our selves from Snares and to preserve our selves from spiritual Dangers and from running rashly and unseasonably into any temporal Suffering and Calamity THE whole Chapter contains several Exhortations some to General and others to Particular Duties 1. To General Duties such as concern and oblige all sorts of Christians from the first to the 22th Verse 2. To special and particular Duties which relate particularly to Husbands and Wives in their Carriage and Behaviour one towards another from the 22th to the End In the former Part of the Chapter he gives general Exhortations to a following of God vers 1. to a walking in Love in imitation of Christ vers 2. to the fleeing of Fornication and all Filthiness and Impurity so much as in Word or only by way of Jest from the Beginning of the third to the end of the sixth verse To have no familiar Converse no
intimate Communion and Fellowship with the Wicked but rather to reprove their evil Deeds and wicked Works from the seventh to the fifteenth verse And to that end to walk circumspectly and wisely and to express their Circumspection and Christian Wisdom by this excellent good Effect of it the Redeeming of their Time in the 15th and 16th verses See then that ye walk circumspectly not as Fools but as wise redeeming the Time because the Daies are evil The Words of my Text do easily break into these two Parts 1. A Duty redeeming the Time and 2. a special Ground and Reason of the Duty because the Daies are evil I begin with the former It is the Duty of a Christian to redeem the Time For Explication of the Duty I shall shew I. What it is to redeem the Time II. What the Time is that is to be redeemed I. What it is to redeem the Time The Word in the Original imports and signifies several things 1. The greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is commonly rendred redimentes redeeming Now to redeem Time is properly to buy back the Time that is past to regain Time formerly misspent to recover as it were the Jewel of Time that has been formerly lost Time once let slip is indeed physically irrecoverable We can never truly and properly live one Day one Hour of our Lives over again But in a moral Consideration Time is accounted as regained 1. When we seriously consider and [a] Oportebat quidem si fieri posset revivere me ut it a loquar denuò quod malè vixi sed quia hoc non possum faciam recogitando quod reoperando non possum Bernard serm de Cantic Ezechiae Regis sadly think upon our former evil Waies [b] Tempus redimimus quando anteactam vitam quam laserviendo perdidimus flendo reparamm Gregorius lib. 5. Eposit Moral c. 28. weep and wall over our past Sins lament and repent of all our lost and misspent Time and wish with all our Hearts and Souls that we had ordered aright the whole Course of our Conversations and lived and acted alwaies as we ought and by condemning our selves for our old Follies undo as far as in us lies whatever formerly we have ill done And 2. when by double Diligence and extraordinary Care and Endeavour we do that in the remaining Part of our Life which should have been in some good measure done before and which is ordinarily work enough for a Man 's whole Life As a Traveller that has staied too long by the Way when he sinds the Day is far spent and that it is not long to Night he puts on and makes all haste and speed and goes as many Miles in a few Hours as he did before in many Or as a Merchant who has suffered very great Losses doubles his Diligence in his future Traffic and so gets up his Estate in which Sence both the Traveller and Merchant are said to redeem their Time Thus the Christian by his Activity and Industry extraordinary does as it were recover his lost Time he does in effect redeem it To live much in a little Time is in a manner as good as if the very Time past were really lived over again it is in some sence as much as if the same Time were return'd into our hands because the same thing which should have been done in the whole course of our Life is effectually done in some one Part of it better employed than the rest of it Neither is this any Encouragement to a wicked Person to loose and let go the present Time because it may be redeem'd again after a sort for they that thus redeem it must pay fall dear for it and 't is very uncertain whether he that now lets it slip shall ever have the happiness to redeem it hereafter though at the highest Rate that can be That is the first particular it is to buy back the Time that is past and this comes nearest to the Latin Word redimentes redeeming the Time 2. The Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does not necessarily suppose a former Possession of what is now bought but properly signifies [c] A Lapide in loc buying only or the parting with one Thing for the purchasing of another The word is properly rendred emercantes and may be well translated buying the Time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then may signify not only to buy back the Time that is past but to buy up the Time that is present and this is rather intended by the Apostle in the Text. Now if we take redeeming here to signify no more than buying or purchasing it speaks then these [d] Bayne in loc two Things 1. Redeeming the Time is the forgoing of any thing that would any way hinder us from taking the Time 2. The making it our own by using and improving it to all possible Advantages as in buying a thing 1. we pay the Price of it then take it into our Possession and Use 1. Redeeming or buying the Time it is the forgoing of any thing that would any way hinder us from taking the Time For if you part with nothing says [e] Perde aliquid ut Deo vaces Ex eo quod perdis pretium est temporis c. August in text Hom. 10. inter 50. St. Austin and yet get something you had not before you either found it or had it given you or got it by Inheritance but when you part with somewhat to purchase somewhat then you buy a Thing Beza upon the Place makes the Redeeming here to be a Metaphor taken from Merchants who very curiously and carefully consider what the several Wares and Commodities be and ever prefer a little Profit before much Pleasure and choose a small Gain before great Delights We daily see that they who use Markets and Fairs will lay aside their Pleasures and Recreations and often lose their sleep and their set meals and deny themselves many Conveniencies for the present that so they may closely attend their Businesses and know and take their Advantages and may not lose any good Bargain but be sure to meet with the best [g] A Lapide in loc Wares and to lay out their Money for the choicest Commodities Thus in a spiritual Sence we should be greedy and covetous Buyers of the Time we should be wise [h] No Man is a better Merchant than he that lays out his Time upon God and his Money upon the Poor Bp. Taylor 's Rule of Hol. Lif. c. 1. p. 3. Merchants let any thing go to gain the Time be willing to bestow our Care Pains [i] To redeem the Time is properly to buy the security of it at the Pate of any Labour and honest Arts Id. ib. cap. 1. sec 1. Rule 20. Labour Diligence which is as it were our Money which we give for the Commodity of an opportunity of doing or receiving good be ready to forgo and part with our Ease or Pleasure our Profit and
and eminently holy Mr. Joseph Allein that when but a School-Boy he was observed to be so studious that he was known as much by this Periphrasis the Lad that will not [p] Bibentibus colludentibus aliis ipse sumto libro iâ— sylvulam vicinam sese proripuit tantisper in illa vel ad legendum considens vâ—l ad meditandum deambulans donec ipsum hora coenae domum revocaret Melch. Adam in vit Musculi p. 369. Bishop Andrews from his first going to Merchant-Taylor's School accounted all that Time lost that he spent not in his Studies He studied so hard when others plaied that if his Parents and Masters had not forced him to play with them also all the Play had been marr'd His late studying by Candle and early rising at four in the Morning procured him Envy among his equals yea with the Ushers also because he called them up too soon The Serm preached at the Fun. of Bp. Andrews p. 17. play as by his Name And when in the University he so demeaned and carried himself that he deserved to be called the Scholar who by his good Will would do nothing else but pray and study Yea so early as about the eleventh Year of his Age he was noted to be very diligent in private Praier and so fixed in that Duty that he would not be disturbed or moved by the coming of any Person accidentally into the Places of his Retirement And 't is remarkable what is storied [q] Mr. James Janeway's token for Children p 30 35. of a young Child who died about five or six Years old that he would so beg and expostulate and weep in Praier that sometimes it could not be kept from the Ears of Neighbours so that one of the next House was forced to cry out The Praiers and Tears of that Child in the next House will sink me to Hell because the forward Piety and Devotion of the Child did reprove and condemn his neglect of Praier or his slight Performance of it And to what a Degree of good Understanding and holy Affection had [r] Mr. White 's little Book for little Children p. 106 107. that child of Mr. Owen the Minister arrived who was but about fourteen Years old when he died and in his Life time would often write very serious Godly Letters to his Brother which shewed his great Piety and happy improvement And how savourily and spiritually he exerCised himself in Meditation notably appear in this Instance that though he much delighted in young Lambs yet one Day his Mother bringing a Lamb newly fallen of an Ewe of his and shewing a little Displeasure that he should take no more notice of her bringing it to him He told her that as he saw the Lamb in her Arms he was thinking of the Lamb of God how he presented him to the Father and that the Lamb his Mother brought him was but a poor thing for him to rejoice in for he had far higher Matters for his Joy Some young ones have redeemed the Time of their Youth O do you so too Be able to say upon better Grounds than the young Man in the Gospel that all God's Commands you have kept from your Youth up The Time of Youth is a special Season of doing and receiving good That 's the first The second Particular Opportunity to be redeemed 2. As the Mâ—rning of our Age so the Morning of the Week the first Day of the Week is a special Time to be redeem'd Let this Day be religiously observed by us which was applied and consecrated separated and appropriated to sacred Uses and holy Offices by the blessed Apostles who were either commanded by Christ to do it when for forty Daies after his Resurrection he instructed the Apostles and * Acts i. 3. spake to them of the Things pertaining to the Kingdom of God Or having received the holy Ghost Christ's Agent or Advocate promised and sent to inspire their Minds to teach and shew them how to manage Affairs and order Matters relating to the Church were extraordinarily guided and divinely directed by the Spirit of Christ in this weighty Business of the Surrogation and Substitution of the first Day in the place of the Jewish seventh Day Sabbath which was partly a Ceremonial Rest and was joined with the Ceremonial Law [a] Lawson's Theo-Polit p. 182 183. the Services and Rites whereof were to be observed in the Tabernacle and Temple upon this Day and was a distinguishing Sign and Part of that Partition-wall whereby the Jews were separated from the Gentiles and was therefore fit to be now removed and laid aside And were moreover plainly lead to it by the Providence of God which imprinted and put a most not able Character and signal Honour on this Day and made it more excellent than any other by Christ's Resurrection and Apparitions and the Spirit 's Mission upon it which were a remarkable pointing and special singling out of this Time and a clear Intimation that this very Day should be publickly kept and universally observed in perpetual Honour of the Lord Christ [b] Words that have their Termination in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signify actively As the Sacrament is called * 1 Cor. 11.20 23 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord's Supper not only because it is kept in Remembrance of the Lord's Death till his coming again but because it was instituted by the Lord himself So the first Day of the week is expresly stiled †Rev. i. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord's Day not only because it is observed by the Church in Memory of the Resurrection of the Lord Christ but because it was appointed by the Lord Christ because he was the Author and Ordainer of it either immediatly by himself or mediatly by his Apostles And we cannot imagine that there shall ever occur a sufficient Reason for the [c] VVho that is well instructed would endure to hear of a Pope Sy vester that durst presume to alter the Day decreeing that Thouâ—dâ—y thould be kept for the Lord's Day through the whole Year because on that Day Christ ascended into Heaven and on that Day instituted the blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood Bp. Huâ—â— Peace-maker p. 198. ex Hospinian de festis Christ Alteration of this to any other Day for we can never look to receive a richer Benefit in this World than Redemption by Christ who rose from the Dead and Sanctification by the Spirit sent down from Heaven on this very Day We can never have greater Blessings to remember on another Day and therefore the Sanctification of this Day must be perpetuated to the End of the World On this Day especially the Apostles performed those Offices which are most proper and most agreeable to a Sabbath-Day * Acts 20.7 There was a Convention and Congregation of the Disciples on the first Day of the Week to break Bread and St. Paul preacht to them the same Day And
though the Apostles preached and celebrated the Lord's Supper on other Dates of the Week yet why are the4se Things mentioned as done on that Day particularly and remarkably unless it were for some singular Eminency of this above any other Day and because they were bound to do those Duties on this Day more than on any other And the Apostle gave express Order that †1 Cor. 16. 1 2. the Collection for the Saints a Work especially fit for a Sabbath-Day should be made particularly on the first Day that is [d] Beza in loc every first Day of the Week which was the fore-ordain'd and customary Day of the Christian religious Church Assemblies Vpon or [e] Bp. of VV. Opuse Speech against Mr. Trask p. 73. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So the VVord is used Mark 15.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Sense is against the Feast against the first Day of the Week every Person was to lay apart what God should move and encline him to offer The Preparation and Separation of it was to be at home every Week but the Collation and Contribution to be in the Publick Congregation every Lord's Day For [f] Hammond's Par. it was not reasonable for any to come to the Lord * Exod. 23.15 Deut. 16.16 empty upon the Day of the most solemn Christian Assembly And this Day was appointed for the Oblation of their Alms because of the inestimable Benefits and infinite good Things we this Day had bestowed upon us And the Church of Christ has constantly observ'd this high Day ever since the Apostles Daies and spent it in Reading Exhortation Praier Sacraments [g] Si die Solis laetitiae indulgemus alia longe ratione quà m religione Solis secundo loco ab eis sumus qui diem Saturni otto victus â—ecernunt exorbitantes ipsi à Judaico more quem ignorant Tertul. Apol. c. 16 The Primitive Christians were suspected to worship the Sun because they used to celebrate the Sunday It was an [h] Bp. of VV. Speech in the Star-Chamber Opusc p. 74. usual Question put of old by the Heathen to the Christians before ever they offer'd to torture and martyr them Num Dominicum servasti Did you keep the Lord's Day To which they answer'd Christianus sum intermittere non possum I am a Christian and dare not omit or give over the Observation of it This is a Day in which God is to be solemnly worshipped and served and Christ to be pbulickly magnified and glorified A special Season to be laid hold on a particular Opportunity to be improved for our Soul's Good This is a special Day of Grace in which as I may say the Mint is going and in which we may take our Stamp of Holinefs [i] VVhole duty of man Partit 2. sect 18. This is the gainfullest the joyfullest Day of the Week a Day of Harvest wherein we are to lay up in store for the whole Week nay for our whole Lives This is a Market-day for our Souls in which we may trade for Eternity This is a Day in which we may hear and understand the Things that belong unto our Peace Pious and pathetical is that of the divine and holy Mr. Herbert Sunday O Day most calm most bright The Week were dark but for thy Light Thy Torch doth show the way Sundaies They are the fruitful Beds and Borders In God's rich Garden that is bare Which parts their Ranks and Orders On Sunday Heaven's Gate stands ope Blessings are plentiful and rife More plentiful than Hope This is a Day in which the most precious Commodities that ever the World saw or heard of are set forth in which the Riches and Treasures of the Gospel are opened Christ himself offered his Merit and Spirit tendred Pardon and Grace Light and Life Strength and Comfort held out and exhibited This is a Day in which no Pandora's Box is opened but in which the Cabinet of God's Jewels is unlocked and his precious Gifts and Graces dispensed This is a Day in which a spiritual Mart a divine Fair is publickly kept in which with the wise Virgins we may buy Oil for our Lamps buy spiritual Eye-salve to anoint our Eyes that we may see as our Saviour counsels excellently buy the Truth as the wise Man advises us and be perswaded so well to like it as never to sell or part with it buy Wine and Milk and Bread to fill and satisfy our empty hungry and thirsty Souls buy white Rainment that we may be clothed and that the Shame of our Nakedness may not appear buy the Christian 's compleat Armour that we may be furnished for our Warfare and well provided against the Assaults of our Spiritual Enemies buy Gold tried in the Fire that we may be rich yea in which we may buy the Pearl of Price in which we may receive and lay hold on Christ and all his Benefits and embrace and apply the great and precious Promises of the Gospel This is a Day in which the Word of God's Grace is opened and applyed and the holy Sacraments the Seals of the Covenant frequently administred in which we have the Priviledg of hearing God speaking unto Sinners and wooing and beseeching Rebels to be reconciled and in which we may enjoy the glorious Liberty of speaking our selves to God with an holy Boldness at the Throne of Grace and pouring out with one Accord our Supplications and Souls in Praier to him This is a Day of solemn Rest from servile Offices and worldly Works A Time of drawing nigh to God and of meeting the Lord in his own Ordinances of joining with the Saints and Servants of God in the Worship of God in Praiers to God and the Praises of him of having Communion and Fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ through the blessed Spirit and of enjoying a kind of Heaven here upon Earth The Lord's Day you see is a special Season of Grace and Mercy O let 's be spiritually thrifty of this Opportunity Let 's not live as if we were of the same Mind with the modern carnal Jews who think as the learned [k] Tempore Sabbati matutino non tam citò quà m solent alias cubitu surgentes in lucem multam voluptatis certè magis quà m Sabbati debitè colendi causâ stertunt Quantò enim voluptatis isti plus percipiunt tantò se devotrùs Sabbatum colere statuunt Buxtorf Synag Judaic c. 11. initio Buxtorf tells us that sleeping excessively on their Sabbath is a great Honour dòne to God Let 's not content our selves with an idle Rest Let our Rest be the Rest [l] Lawson's Theo-Pol p. 179. of Men and not of Beasts and the Rest of holy Men as holy Let 's not only cease from secular Works but exercise our rational and spiritual Faculties in heavenly and divine Employments and set our selves to Works of Piety Charity and Mercy Let us redeem this Time out of the Hands of
the Devil the World and our own carnal cozening corrupt Hearts Do not offer to work the Works of your Calling the Works of the Flesh the Works of the Devil on the Lord's Day Take heed of serving the Devil more upon the Lord's Day than on any other Day than on all the Days of the Week besides Let not the Lord's Day be leisure for the Devil as if the first Day of the Week were Daemoniacus potiùs quà m Dominicus the Devil 's and not the Lord's Day Let not any Temptations or Delusions of Satan keep and detain us from the publick Ordinance divert our Attention at it and hinder our Spiritual Benefit by it Let not any Recreations and sensual Pleasures upon this Day especially hinder the Performance or Family-Duties and private religious Exercises Let not vain Thoughts this Day lodge within us and justle out heavenly Meditations Let not worldly impertinent Discourses upon this Day shut out more profitable Christian Conferences The Lord's Day it is the most considerable Advantage the most notable Opportunity that is afforded us and the best Price that is put into our Hands all the Week long You have several Market-daies in the Week for civil Affairs and worldly interests but you have this one only for spiritual and eternal Interests and Advantages O do not neglect so great Salvation as is this Day offered and tendred to you Having such an excellent Price in your Hands O be not such Fools as not to make a good and a right Use of it [m] Mr. Valentine Marshal in his Preface before Capel's Remains Mr. Richard Capel pressing the strict Observation of the Lord's Day would usually say that we should go to sleep that Night with Meat in our Mouths as it were The Lord's-day being our best Opportunity if we mis-spend that we cannot be said to redeem the Time Now that we may redeem the Lord's-day to good Effects and useful Purposes let us not be wanting to put our selves in a sit Preparation for the due Observation of it not only by previous Meditation of the Day and the Duties of it but by ordering aright the constant Course of our Conversation and labouring for habitual Sanctification Let us every Day live as those that expect to have Communion with God the next Lord's-day Let us act so regularly all the Week that nothing may be done by us which may breed any strangeness between God and us and hinder our delightful Converse with him on his own Day that on that sacred separated Day we may not bring the fresh Guilt of any gross and wilful Sin along with us which may make us blush and be ashamed to come into his Presence Let us walk so circumspectly every Day that upon the Return of his own Day we may meet him with a pure and clear Conscience with clean Hands and clean Hearts and may be made joyful in his House of Praier That we may keep the Lord's-day holy let us strive and study to live holily all the Week and be so provident and diligent as to finish and dispatch in the six Daies all kinds of secular Works and common Employments that no Sin committed on the one hand nor any Business of our Calling omitted on the other may disturb and slacken our Attention distract and discompose us in the Exercise of our Devotion but that we may cheerfully and fruitfully spend the Lord's-day in the Lord's Work Let us every Day carry our selves so spiritually and perform our Closet and Family religious Duties so conscionably and constantly that we may be the fitter and readier to spend this choice select Day in the solemn Worship and Service of God and may go through the several Duties of it with less Tediousness and more Delight Let us be with God some part of every Day that so we may grow into Acquaintance with him and may taste the Sweetness and experience the Gainfulness of Communion with him and long for the return of the Lord's-day that we may meet and enjoy him in the publick Ordinances and have Opportunity of larger and freer Converse with him Let us pray to God every Day that so by using our selves to the Duty we may be the better disposed to join in Praier with the Congregation on the lord's-Lord's-day Let us read the Bible every Day and daily do whatever we know to be our Duty and this will make us more apt to hear and the better prepared to receive the Word that is preached on the Lord's-day And when the Lord's-day comes let us get up as early as may be that so we may have the more Time before us to work the Work of God in And take some Pains to prepare our selves in private for our better Attendance upon the publick Ordinances and timely [n] Quisquis incolit civitatem in qua extat Synagoga inibi non precatur cum coetis publico is est qui meritò dicitur malus vicinus Dictum Maimonidis resort to the Place of publick Meeting Follow the Counsel of holy Mr. Herbert [o] The Church-porch p. 14. Sundaies observe think when the Bells do chime 'T is Angel's Musick therefore come not late God then deals Blessings if a King did so Who would not haste nay give to see the Show O be drest Stay not for th' other Pin why thou hast lost A Joy for it worth Worlds Thus Hell doth jest Away thy Blessings and extreamly flout thee Thy Clothes being fast but thy Soul loose about thee And when thou art come into the Church watch over thy Behaviour there make thy self all Reverence and Fear Open thy Ears but shut thy Eies to all distracting Objects [n] The Church-Porch p. 15. Who marks in Church-time others Symmetry Makes all their Beauty his Deformity As the same Divine Poet pathetically expresses it Let God and Angels see your most devout Behaviour and serious Composure the whole Time of Praier And give all diligent close Attention to the Word of god read and preach'd Do not carp and catch jest and jear at the Preacher's Language or Expression Do not shew by your vain and prophane Carriage your ridiculous Gestures and unseemly Actions your Laughing and Whispering Toying and Talking that you slight and contemn the [o] God calleth Preaching folly Do not grudg to pick out Treasures from an earthen Pot. The Church-Porch p. 15. Foolishness of Preaching And when on the Lord's-day the Lord's Table is richly furnish'd with a spiritual Banquet make not needless and frivolous Excuses to absent your selves from this Marriage-feast If any croud in that have not a Wedding-Garment let not this make you stay out that have one Lose not your Portion of this heavenly Food because of others impreparation Though others eat and drink their own Damnation let your Faith feed on Christ to your own Salvation By your frequent receiving of this Sacrament shew your real Sense of your own need of it your high prizing and valuation of it your
dealt so graciously with thee as to transfer the Punishment from thee upon his Son and so bountifully with thee as to give his own Son for thee and to thee O bless and praise God by studying to do such good Works as may provoke others to bless and glorify him And when you come home from the publick Ordinance take heed you do not entangle your selves with Businesses or Recreations which have as much Power to render the publick Duties ineffectual after as before their Performarsce But carefully spend that which is not Church-time in Meditation Praier Reading savoury Speeches heavenly Discourses and the conscionable Performance of such Duties as tend to your own and others Edification Let Magistrates redeem the Lord's-day by personally frequenting open owning and countenancing the publick Worship of God and Ordinances of Christ and by improving the utmost of their Power for the Glory of God and Honour of Religion in the zealous Prevention or speedy Reformation of the horrid Prosanation of the Lord's-day and vigorous promoting the general Sanctification of it out of serious Consideration and a strong Conviction that the Preservation and Continuance of Religion doth much depend upon the due Observation of the Lord's-day And that a Disesteem and Neglect of the Sanctification of that Day does quickly cause a lamentable Decay of Christian Piety and hasten the infliction of [s] It is somewhat remarkable and not altogether to be neglected that even in this Nation upon the publick Allowance of Sports and Recreations upon the lord's-Lord's-day which is our Christian Sabbath Civil and bloody VVars and Ruin of the Royal Family should so shortly follow and that the Hand of God should be most against those who by VVriting VVords or Practice had maintained the lawfulness of that Doctrine Lawson's Theo-Polit p. 181. fearful Judgments upon a Land and Nation Let them do this in imitation of the brave and holy-spirited * Nehem. 13. from 15. to 22. Nehemiah who testified against and contended with the notorious Profaners and Violators of the Sabbath-day and would not suffer the open selling of Victuals and Wares the trading with Commodities and carrying of Burthens and doing the servil Works of their ordinary Callings on that Day Did not your Fathers thus saies he and did not our God bring all this Evil upon us and upon this City yet ye bring more Wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath Let Magistrates see to the Observation and look to the Sanctification of this Day and so become the happy Instruments and blessed Means of the subsisting and flourishing of Religion in the World of keeping up in the Minds and Hearts of Men a Sense of God a Sense of Sin a Sense of Duty to God and Man a Sense or believing Apprehension of a certain Reward or Punishment a Sense of Heaven and Hell a Sense of Eternity of begetting and preserving a Tenderness and Quickness in Men's Consciences which are apt to be roused and awakened under every Ordinance of maintaining the Life of Religion and the Power of Godliness of upholding the outward Worship and Service of God and heightning and increasing the inward Honour and hearty Love and Fear of him All which depend in a great measure upon Magistrates securing what lies in them the due and sacred Observation of the Lord's-day Let Ministers redeem the Lord's-day not by composing their Sermons or committing them to their Memories on that Day which Toil and Task is fitter to be the Labour of other Daies but by striving to work their Sermons and Discourses upon their own and others Hearts and Consciences Let them spend that Day in [u] Dexteriùs loquentur cum hominibus qui priùs totá mente cum Deo fuerint collocuti Erasm wrestling with God in secret for Assistance in and a Blessing upon their publick Employment In first confessing their own Sins in their private Closets and in begging divine Gifts and Graces to make them able Ministers of the New Testament in setting right their aims and ends in all their Exercises and Undertakings and in imploring the special spiritual gracious powerful Presence of God with his own Ordinances And then in humbly consessing the Sins of the People in the publick Congregation in earnestly praying for their Souls and praising God for his wonderful Mercies in the Mediator for the happy Restauration of sinful and miserable Mankind and the Communications of himself to the lost World by Jesus Christ In propounding and pressing the most sound and solid Reasons the most convincing cogent Arguments to engage them to their Duties and in giving with the greatest Expression of Affection the most proper Directions and seasonable Counsels to guide them in the Way to Heaven And Let the People redeem the lord's-Lord's-day by privately reading or hearing read some Part and Portion of Scripture which would season their Hearts and make them more teachable when they hear the Word publickly read or preach'd By praying for themselves to the Shepherd and Bishop of their Souls and by praying for their Minister to the chief Shepherd that Shepherd both of Shepherd and Sheep of Pastor and People that great Prophet and Teacher of his Church that he would teach their Teacher instruct their Instructor and so lead and guid him by his Word and Spirit that he may safely conduct them by sound and seasonable Doctrine and winning Example in the Way everlasting Yea Let them redeem the Lord's-day by attending on the Lord without Distractions by joining in the publick Prayers by being present at publick Baptism that they themselves may be minded and remembred of their own Baptismal Vow and Covenant By worthy and frequent receiving the holy Communion of the body and Blood of Christ By diligent hearing the Word preacht By serious Meditation on it and conscionable Practice of it and by charging themselves and humbly desiring God to help them to walk worthy continually of the Means Mercies and Priviledges they enjoy By maintaining heart-warning Conference By charitable Visitation of and Ministration of seasonable suitable Counsel and Comfort to any sick and weak afflicted or distressed Persons By acknowledging all their Offences to God and Amendment of the same and by endeavouring heartily to reconcile themselves charitably to their Neighbours where any Difference or Displeasure has been You that are Masters and Governours of Families redeem the Lord's-day for your selves and cause your Families to redeem it The Lord of the Sabbath commandeth that thou and thy Son and thy Daughter thy Man-servant thy Maid-servant and all within thy Gate keep that Day holy Set not suffer not your Servants to work nor your Children or Servants to play on this Day Be as much ashamed to see your Child or Servant steal and take God's Time to themselves as you would be to find them pilfering or stealing from your Neighbour You can keep your Servants close to your own work all the Week-daies See that they neglect not the Work of God on the Lord's-day
Will you make them labour for you six Daies together and will not you cause them to serve God one Day in seven Be at least as much concern'd in Case of neglect of God's Service as you are at any Time when your own Work and Family-business is neglected Do it for God's sake Shew that you love the Honour of God and not only respect your own Commodity and look to your own Advantage Do it for your Servant's sake Make it their Business to do God Service that they may be approved and rewarded by him Yea do it for your own sake Make your Servants God's faithful Servants that so they may prove more faithful to you and that God may bless them in your Service and that your Work may thrive and succeed in their Hands On this Day especially call thy Family thy whole Family to Family-duties prepare them for and hasten them to the publick Ordinances It is reported of [w] M. Clark in his Life Dr. Chaderton the first Master of Emmanuel-Colledg that he was married three and fifty Years and yet in all that Time he never kept any of his Servants from the Church to dress his Meat saying that he desired as much to have his Servants know God as himself And it was the Custome of the Reverend and pious [x] See his Life among Mr. Clark's Lives of ten Em. Div. Dr. Gouge to forbear providing of Suppers the Eve before that Servants might not be occasioned thereby to sit uplate neither would he suffer any [y] Die Dominicâ ut in festis licet etiam ciborum lautiorem apparatum habere quamvit in eis parandis ne majora impediantur servorum animae detrimentum non necessarium iucurrant summopere curandum est Baxter Meth. Th. part 3. c. 14. p. 172. Servant to stay at home for dressing any Meat upon the Lord's-day for the Entertainment of Friends whether they were mean or great few or many Take your Family to Church along with you and when you return home again examine catechize inform instruct them recapitulate the Sermon read the Scripture and good Books to them whet practical profitable necessary saving Truths on them sing Psalms among them and pray most heartily and affectionately with and for them And you that are Servants who have little leisure most of you on other Daies and who live too many of you in such profane and ungodly Families where you hear not so much as one Praier put up to God nor one Line of the Word of God read nor one serious Word spoken of God all the Week long what reason have you carefully to redeem the lord's-Lord's-day to redeem it in publick by devoutly attending to the Prayers that are made and the Word that is both read and preacht in the publick Congregation And to redeem it in private by taking all possible Occasions to retire and go aside by your selves to consider in secret the needs of your Souls to examine your Hearts and States to review your Lives and Actions to humble your selves in Confession of Sin and to pour out your Souls in Prayer for Pardon and Grace to read the Bible and some instructive practical Writings of the most judicious experimental Divines apt to inform your Judgments and to work and prevail upon your Affections to set your selves to meditate of God to draw out and engage your Hearts to God rather than to lavish out and throw away those precious Hours in foolish Talk and frothy Discourse or in gadding abroad and walking idly in the Fields and recreating your Bodies rather than your Souls and in thrusting God and turning Religion wholly out of your Minds and Hearts and nourishing your selves in Ignorance of God and Unacquaintance with him and in Encreasing the Atheism of your Hearts and Lives and hardening your own and others Hearts through the Ensnarements of the World and the Deceitfulness of Sin But it may be you will say you are hard wrought all the Week long and you have reason to take your ease and pleasure and to rest and recreate your tired Bodies one Day in seven that so you may endure your Labour and go through all your Work the better I answer that your very Cessation in any measure from your wonted Labour is an ease and relief to your weary Bodies and that the very change of your Work and Occupation from secular servile Employment to spiritual divine Worship and Service and the Diversion of your Minds from worldly Businesses to the Offices and Exercises of Religion if you would but acquaint your selves with them and use your selves to them would be delightful and refreshing to you And the Peace and Quiet Joy and Comfort of a good Conscience in the faithful Discharge of your Duty to God and a tender Care of your immortal Souls would strengthen and hearten you to bear all the Burthen of the hardest Labours of your domestick Ministeries in consideration that your heavenly Father Lord and Master will accept and reward your Works of Piety and bless and prosper the Works of your Hands in the Houshold-businesses and Family-employments incumbent on you and belonging to you Rather break your Sleep to rise the earlier than lose the Opportunities of that Day Or chuse to leave and live out of those Families in the which you are forced to live without God are debarr'd from his Service and can have no Liberty allowed you to mind God and your Souls on a Day that was purposely ordained and appointed for your spiritual Proficiency and Improvement Let the Poor of this World redeem this Day by taking this Opportunity to labour spiritually for the Meat which perisheth not but endureth to everlasting Life and by hearing the Gospel preach'd in this Season to them to become rich in Faith rich in Grace to know and to partake of the Grace and Favour the Love and Kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he was rich yet for our sakes became poor that we through his Poverty might be made rich You that are poor and mean and low in the World and who cannot take so much Time as others to worship and enjoy God on the Week-Daies see that you well improve this Day Now you are released from secular Businesses and common Services and your Bodies rest from their hard Labours be sure that you spiritually busie and holily employ your selves in the Service of God Let me likewise charge them that are rich in this World to redeem this choicest Part of their Time and in it to endeavour to be rich toward God rich in God to lay up for themselves a Treasure in Heaven to obtain the true certain durable Riches which when they fail will never leave them but when they remove will bear them company into the other World And here let me hint to you of the Gentry what [z] Fuller's Church-Hist B. 11. p. 146. Dr. Paul Michlewait once urged and pressed in a Sermon at the Temple that Gentle-folk of all
People are obliged to a strict observation of the Lord's-day The Gentry in comparison rest all the Week long their Cheeks are not moistened with Sweat their Hands are not hardened with hard Labour they are not tired and wearied out with pains-taking They who take their Pleasure and recreate themselves every Day in the Week have nothing to plead for Recreations on the Lord's-day Though for my own part I should be far from indulging a Liberty to any to take such Recreations as hinder the Devotions due to any part of the Lord's-day and are Impediments to the Sanctification of it aright Let all industriously redeem the Lord's-day And take we heed we redeem it not by halves but let 's religiously observe and covetously redeem the whole Lord's-day We are bound in justice to God to do it because God has set a Day not a Piece of a Day apart for himself and requires this Portion and Tribute of Time to be paied to him who has graciously given us all our Time We should be as much yea more afraid to steal God's Time than Mens Goods Do not only observe the former Part of the Day repairing to the Church or Chappel in the Morning but commonly and customarily absenting your selves and growing quite weary of any such Duty in the After-noon for God has allotted and appointed a seventh Part of our Time for his own Worship and Service but if you keep only one half of the Lord's-day you give God but a fourteenth Part of your Time Nay of one Day in seven I fear too many spare him no more than that Time only which their Morning-Attendance takes up in publick on the Lord's-day And here I appeal to their own Reason whether it be a meet and fit Thing that rational Persons created by God and redeemed by his Son should afford to the Worship and Service of God and Christ and the great concerns of their immortal Souls but two Hours at most of the whole Lord's-day and it may be no more of the whole Week and shall spend those Hours in a formal customary cold and heartless Worship of an infinitely holy and just Deity the tremendous impartial Judg of Angels and Men. Grudg not to give God one whole Day in seven who largely and liberally grants and allows six whole Daies in seven to you and who designs a greater Benefit and Advantage to you by your Observation of this one Day than possibly can accrue to you by the carefullest and painfullest worldly Improvement of all the rest O believe and consider that the taking out of this one Day and setting it apart for such an excellent Service and high Employment as you are called to in it is certainly the greatest Gift of all How can you be loth to spend one Day in seven in Familiarity with Heaven in communion with your Maker and Fellowship with your Saviour Let us all call the Christian Sabbath the Lord's-day a Delight take as much Contentment and Satisfaction in doing on this Day the Exercises of Religion as Men usually take in doing the Works of their ordinary Calling take as much Pleasure in God's Service as others take in Sin and Vanity Let us spend the Lord's-day as becomes those who profess that they love God better and delight in him more than in any Thing in the World Spend it as they that are glad of so honourable and profitable and pleasurable an Employment as the publick and private Worshiping of God Let us go to the House of God with Joy Let the Church on the Lord's-day be a Banquetting-house and not a Prison to us Do but bring your selves to spend the Lord's-day with Delight and then you will keep it to the End of it The Jews were bound to keep a whole Day holy in a grateful Memory of the lesser Benefits of the Creation and their Deliverance out of Aegypt And shall not we solemnly observe the whole Lord's-day in a thankful Remembrance of greater Blessings not only of the Goodness of God in our Creation but of his Grace and Mercy in our Redemption and Deliverance from Hell and Death eternal We have greater Engagements to do it than they not only greater Motives but greater [a] See Mr. Cawdrey's Sabbathum redivivum p. 563 564. Means too We have greater Variety of publick Exercises on the Lord's-day than they had on their Sabbath We have more Scripture to reade in private than they had We have the Old and New Testament many Expositors upon them many good Practical Theological Tractates written We have more Knowledg afforded us than they had more Grace offer'd us to do the Duties incumbent on us Now we that have more Means and Helps how can we offer to put God off with less Duty and smaller Service and shorter Performance Nay the very Heathens guided by the Light of Nature held it reasonable that the Daies consecrated to their Gods should be devoutly and totally observed with Rest and Sanctity [b] Saturn l. 1. c. 7. Macrobius tells us that on their holy Daies the People came together to spend the whole Day in learning Fables to be conferred upon and will you that call your selves Christians refuse to come together on the lord's-Lord's-day to spend one Hour in the Morning another in the After-noon in learning the Mysteries of the Gospel and in receiving saving Instructions out of the Word of God You that give your Bodies two Meals every Day will you feed your Souls but once on the lord's-Lord's-day Give me leave to deal with you in the winning Words of that sweet Singer of our Israel Speaking of the Lord's-day saies he [a] Church-porch p. 14. Twice on the Day his due in understood For all the Week thy Food so oft he gave thee Thy cheer is mended bate not of the Food Because 't is better and perhaps may save thee Thwart not th' Almighty God O be not cross Fast when thou wilt but then 't is gain not loss Consider that your own and your Families spiritual Necessities do require and call for a most strict Observation of the whole Lord's-day and a faithful Improvement of all the Helps and Advantages of it The Works of your Callings and your worldly Occasions and Employments do in a manner take up six Daies of the Week and you have but one whole Day in seven to provide for the Needs of your immortal Souls Now the Necessities of your Souls are far greater than those of your Bodies your spiritual eternal Estate is of nearer and higher Concern than your outward and temporal Estate And will you not labour then to improve every Hour and endeavour to redeem every Minute of this one Day Do but seriously think with your selves how much work you have to do in this one Day and then tell me whether in reason and Prudence you can spare any Part of it yea or no. What have you to do for God for your selves What for your Families for your Children and Servants How
or a Duty to observe the Lord's-day or to come constantly to the Congregation or to repeat Sermons and the like If these ungodly Wretches had one spark of spiritual Life within them and any taste and feeling of the matters that concern their own Salvation instead of asking How can you prove that I must pray with my Family or that I must keep the Lord's-day they would be readier to say How can you prove that I may not pray with nay Family and that I may not sanctify the Lord's-day and that I may not have Communion with the Saints in Holiness I can perceive in many that I converse with the great difference between an Heart that loâ—es God and Holiness and an Heart that seems religious and honest without such a Love The true Conveit perceiveth so much sweetness in holy Duties and so much spiritual advantage by them to his Soul that he is loch to be kept back he can not spare these Ordinances no more than he can spare the Bread from his Mouth or the Clothes from his Back yea or the Skin from his Flesh no not so much He loveth them he cannot live without them And therefore if he had but a bare leave from God without a Command to sanctify the Lord's-day and to live in the holy Communion of the Saints he would joyfully take it with many thanks for he need not be driven to his Rest when he is weary nor to his spiritual Food when he is hungry But the unsanctified Hypocrite that never loved God or Godliness in his Heart he stands questioning and enquiring for some proof of a Necessity of thâ—se Courses And if he can but bring himself to hope that God will save him without so much adoe away then goes the Duty He never was Religious from a true Predominant love to God and an holy Life but for fear of Hell and for other inferiour respects Mr. Baxter's Direct and Perswas to a sound Convers from p. 372 to 376. too strict of being too holy on this holy Day 'T is an excellent Saying of Tully Nemo pius est qui pietatem cavet The plain English of which is this No man is truly godly who is afraid of being too godly Will you so observe the Lord's-day as you were ready to promise you would when you lay last upon a Sick-Bed and as careless Sinners commonly wish they had when they come to lie upon a Death-bed Will you make every Sabbath here on Earth resemble in some Degree that eternal Rest which you hope to hallow more perfectly in Heaven Seriously consider how many Lord's-daies you have lost already and what reason you have to observe and improve those that remain Do you know how few such Daies you shall ever enjoy more It may be this Lord's-day may be the last Before the next Sabbath comes thou maiest be called to a reckoning for neglecting and mis-spending all that are past Thou art not sure that ever thou shalt pray in publick more that never the Liberty shall again be afforded thee of hearing another Sermon preach'd to thee Thou maiest never enjoy such a blessed Opportunity to take pains with thy Family and to save their Souls from Death before thou diest If God shall please to put such Prices into thy Hands God give thee an Heart to make use of them Carefully redeem the Lord's-day and every Day after shew in thy Life that thou hast redeem'd it Make it appear by the Frame of thy Actions and Course of thy Life all the Week long that thou hast been under spiritual powerful quickening Ordinances the last Lord's-day You that enjoyed Communion with God on the Lord's-day have no parley with Satan no familiarity with Sin no fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness on any of the Week-daies following Be sure you every Day avoid those Sins which you solemnly confess'd the last Lord's-day and live over the Praiers you made that Day and live up to the Sermons you heard that Day and obey from the Heart that Form of Doctrine which that Day was delivered to you Perform every Day those Resolutions and Promises which you made to God on the lord's-Lord's-day and keep the Covenant you renewed at the Sacrament on that Day and maintain the Warmth that was wrought on your Souls by the Word and Spirit on that Day Use every Day the Grace you ask'd obtain'd and receiv'd on the Lord's-day and act in the Strength and Power of Christ which was communicated and given in to you in your Attendance upon him in his own Ordinances on his own Day This is the second particular Season and special Opportunity that is to be carefully redeem'd by every Christian The Morning of the Week the Lord's Day And I have purposely treated so largely concerning the Redemption of the Lord's-day because it is so despised in the Judgment and disregarded in the Practice of the confident Men of this dissolute and degenerate Age. The third Particular Opportunity to be redeem'd As the Morning of every Week the first Day of the Week so the [i] Dr. Gouge was very conscientious in the expence of his Time from his Youth to the very Time of his Death His custom was to rise very early both in the Winter and Summer In the Winter-time he constantly rose so long before Day as that he alwaies perform'd all the exercises of his Private Devotions before Day-light And in the Summer-time he rose about four a Cleck in the Morning by which means he had done half his Work before others began their Studies If he happen'd to hear any at their Work before he began his Studies he would say as Demosthenes spake concerning the Smith that he was much troubled that any should be at the Works of their Calling before he was at his In his Life among Mr. Clark's Lives of ten Em Div. p. 116 117. He continued in King's Colledg for the space of mine Years and in all that Time except he went forth of Town to his Friends he was never absent from Morning-Praiers in the Chappel which used to be about half an Hour after five a Clock in the Morning yea he used to rise so long before he went to the Chappel as that he gained Time for his Secret Devotions and for reading his Morning-task of the Scriptures Ibid p. 97. Morning of every Day is a special Season that ought to be redeem'd and improved by a Christian to spiritual Advantage The Morning is an Opportunity of giving God the very first and best of the Day and the chief of our Life Spirits and Strength In the Morning our Spirits are recreated and repair'd and our Bodies strengthned and refresh'd with the Rest and Sleep of the Night past and our Minds are vacant and not disturb'd with those Images and Representations of Things which the variety of worldly Employments in the Day usually fill and possess us with In the Morning our Minds are most free and our Affections most lively as
Text because the Daies are evil 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 The Particular Evil of the Day is when any special Evil takes place in such a Time The particular Evil of the Apostles Times three-fold It stood 1. in dangerous Errours and false Doctrines 2. In the vicious and wicked Lives of scandalous Professors of the Gospel 3. In sharp and hot Persecutions How far these several Evils are to be found in these our Daies 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 The Special Reason laid down in the Text. I Come now to the Grounds and Reasons of this Duty There is a special Reason laid down in the Text. I shall first fully speak to that and then I shall add some others to it The Apostle here presseth Christians to redeem the Time with this Reason or Argument because the Daies are evil Now what is here to be understood by evil Daies Daies are said to be good or evil saies [a] Bayne in loc Mr. Bayne according to that which befalleth in them As a good Time when matter of Commodity or Merriment is in hand and an evil Time when the contrary The Hebrews call those Daies evil which are full of Troubles and Dissiculties saies [b] Beza in loc Beza Daies are not morally evil They are said to be evil not inherently but adherently or concomitantly by reason of any moral and sinful or penal and troublesome Evil that prevails and takes place within the compass of them Now the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Evil of the Day as Christ * Matth. 6.34 calls it is either General or Special The General Evil of Daies or Times 1. The General Evil is the Shortness [c] Omnia ad quae gemimus quae expavescimus tributa vitae sunt Sen Ep. 96. Trouble and Misery which does accompany the Time of this Life Of this Jacob speaks †Gen. 47 9 Few and evil have the Days of the Years of my Life been In this sence saies [d] Dies malos duae res faciunt miseria hominum malitia c. Istos putros qui nascuntur interrogemus quare à ploratu incipiant qui ridere possunt Nascitur statim plorat post nescâ—o quet dies ridet Quando plorabat nascens propheta suae calamitatis erat Lachrymae enim testes sunt miseriae Nondum loquitur jam prophetat in labore se futurum in timore August in Text. Hom. 10. inter 50. St. Austin the Daies were ever evil since Adam Fall because Mankind has been subject to Misery ever since Let us ask the Children newly born saies he why they begin with weeping that are capable of laughing The Child is born and cries immediately he laughs not till I know not how many Daies after By crying as soon as it came into the World it became the Prophet of its own Calamity Its Tears are the Witnesses of its Misery Before it is able to speak a Word it foretells the manifold Labours and Sorrows it is born to go through in this World We may likewise reckon into the general Evil of Times and Daies that [e] Dies mali unt id est tempus hujus vitae plenum est tentationibus amp laqueis peccatorum Estius in loc common Wickedness which is to be found in the World in all Ages of the World No Time or Age but may be denominated evil from the [f] Mali sunt non à temporis vitio sed hominum qui in tempore vivunt Id. ib Non suá naturá sed propter hominum malitiam quae in iliis grassatur Sunt igitur mali i. e. pericâ—lorum ab impits hominibus plem Zanch. in loc evil Men and evil Manners thereof 2. The particular Evil of the Day is when any special Evil takes place in such a Time And thus we must understand the evil Daies in the Text of some Particular Evil that reigned in them because it is spoken with an Eminency of those Times Now the Evil of those Times was three-fold There was the Evil of Errour the Evil of Loosness of Life and Manners and lastly the Evil of Persecution The first Particular Evil of the Apostles Daics and ours 1. The Evil of those Times stood in the Errours and salse Doctrines which were vented and broached in the Church and began to spread like a Gangrene That which made those Daies Evil was the great Danger from Seducers by reason of their * Eâ—h 4.14 slight and cunning Craftiness whereby they lay in wait to deceive Lay in wait as a Thief to rob or as a Fowler to take silly Birds and †2 Pet. 2.3 made Merchandise of People with feigned Words And by good Words and fair Speeches by plausible Pretences and Discourses deceived the Hearts of the ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 16.18 Simple of easy and seducible Persons That which made those Daies evil was those (*) 2 Pet. 2.1 damnable Heresies slily brought in by false Teachers and the (†) 2 Pet. 3.17 Errour of the Wicked as it is called by St. Peter Such Errour in Judgment as disposed Men to Wickedness in their Conversations Now this Evil of Errour is to be found in ours as well as in the Apostles Daies The Times we live in are Times of Seduction erroneous Times What a strong Head has Atheism gotten in this our Land in these our Daies God governs the World now by Wisdom which might sufficiently convince Men of his Deity But because there are now no more visible sensible Appearances of his Power in the World in the immediate exemplary Punishment of Sinners therefore they fear and acknowledg him no more And how doth Atheism in Life and Affection lead too too many to a radicated Atheism in Judgment and Opinion How many of the Gentry of this Nation are miserably tainted and poisoned with it So that our Nation comes far short of the State and Condition of the Heathen Rome which Cicero thus describes [g] Pietate ac Religione atque hâc unâ Sapientiâ quod Deorum immortalium numine omnia regi gubernarique perspeximus omnes gentes nationésque superavimus In Piety and Religion and in this one piece of Wisdom that we have known and acknowledged that all Things are ruled and governed by the Power of the immortal Gods we have excelled all Nations and People in the World How far are we this Day from deserving such a Character as this When Atheism Socinianism Arminianism Antinomianism Quakerism Popery have broke in like a Floud when Errours and Heresies have made such an Inrode upon us and
cause to fear and in their Old Age almost ground enough to despair I may here take up the Complaint of the devout [i] Quid prodest din vivere quando tam parùm emendae nur Ah long a vita non semper emendat sed saepe culpam magis auget Vtinam per unam diem bene essemus conversati in hoc mundo multiannos computant conversionis sed saepe pâ—rvus est fructus emendationis A Kempis l. 1. c. 23. n. 2. A Kempis What does it avail us to live long when we are so little better'd by it Ah long Life says he does not alwaies mend our Manners but does often the more encrease our Crimes Would we had a alked but one Day well in this World Many reckon Years of their Conversion but there is too often but little sign of a new Conversation Had we not been grosly wanting to our selves how much might we have known of God and of his Mind and Meaning in his Word and Works How much might we have done for God and received from god by this Time what a Stock of Grace might we have gotten before now What a Treasure of Experience might we have heaped up What a good Foundation might we have laid of a sound solid and well-setled Peace and Comfort to stand us in stead in a Time of Need What ground might we have gotten against our Corruptions What Growth in Grace What Strength in the inner Man What Skill to discern and avoid the Wiles and Snares of the Devil What Love to and Delight in the Law of God What Readiness to every good Word and Work What Ereedom and Enlargedness might we have attaineed to in God's Service How truly might it have been our very Meat and Drink to do the Will of God our constant Course daily Use and chosen cheerful Exercise to run the Waies of God's Commandments How forward might we have been in the Way to the spiritual Canaan who have it may be been greatly guilty of many Retrogradations How might we have been of another Spirit than we are of at present How publick-spirited might we have grown How zealous for the Glory of God and the good of Souls How active in the Cause of God and Religion How careless of the Pleasures that are but for a Season How spiritual and heavenly-minded How ready to die How ripe for Heaven O let this Consideration be laid to Heart by us and serve deeply to humble us that we have had much Time but have redeemed little or none that we have liv'd long to little to bad Purpose that we have trifled and squandred away those Seasons of grace that can never be enjoyed again and lost those Opportunities that can never return back again Let us put our selves to the Trial and bring our selves under Examination whether we have discharged our Dutyin Redeeming the Time yea or no. The third Vse by way of Reproof Is every Christian bound to redeem the Time Then here is a Word of seasonable serious sharp Reproof to several Persons who are grosly guilty of mis-spending their Time and divers Waies do foolishly cut this precious Commodity to waste Particularly to these following The first Sort of Persons reproved To such as mi-spend their Time in Idleness who lose their Time nihil agendo in doing just nothing or nothing at all worthy the naming Who live in Neglect of all honest and Useful Employment or do not sedulously exercise chemselves in the Duties of their Place and [a] There dwelled in Belsted a small Village some three Miles from Ipswich a Tanner who being very busie in tawing of a Hide Mr. Carter came by accidentally and going sostly behind him being familiarly acquainted with the good Man merrily gave him a little Clap on the Back The man started and looking behind him suddenly blushed and said Sir I am ashamed that you should find me thus To whom Mr. Carter replied Let Christ when he comes fiad me so dotag What said the man doing thus Yes said M. Carter to him saithfully performing the Duties of my Calling The Life of Mr. John arter inserted among Mr. Clark's Lives of ten Eminent Divines pag. 13. Calling How sharply may God reprove and say to many among us * Mat. 20.6 Why stand ye here all the Day idle What Cause have Ministers to complain of their People with the Apostle and say †2 Thess 3.11 There are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all To how many may we use the VVords of the VVise Man ‖ Prov. 6.6 Go to the Ant thou Sluggard 1. Idleness is a Sin against a Man's very Creation God did not so curiously work and accurately frame us to sit still and fold our Hands and give our selves to our ease and to [b] Desidea somnium vigilantis dream when we are awake Our Maker intended and fitted us for work To what End did God furnish us with so many useful instruments as the several members of our Bodies and endow us with those nimble and active Faculties of our Souls but that we might up and be doing and vigorously prosecute and pursue some worthy and good End in the diligent Use of sit and proper Means Adam even in Paradise was not allowed to be idle but before he feil we appointed and ordered to * Gen. 2.15 dress the Garden and to keep the Ground in which Employment he should have [c] Oberatus fuisser agrievlturâ non laboriosd sed deliciosa ad voluptatem experientiam Synops Crit. taken Delight and gain'd Experience And afterward when he had sinn'd not light and case but hard and painful tedious and wearisome Labour was enjoined him as a perpetual Penance for his Transgression and Offence and imposed as a [d] Andr. River Exercit. in Gen. p. 157. Bridle to rest rain the Flesh which by reason of Sin is now become wanton and rebellious against the Spirit (*) Gen. 3.17 19. In sorrow shalt thou eat all the Daies of thy Life In the Sweat of thy Face shalt thou eat thy Bread * Job 5.7 Man says Eliphaz is born unto Labour troublesome Labour †Psal 104.23 Man says David goeth forth to his Work and to his Labour until the Evening This is the Course which God has set him But by their Idleness Men attempt to overthrow the Purpose and Design of God and to frustrate the End whereto Man was created and plainly thwart and contradict cross and controul God's Curse while only in the Sweat of others Brows they eat their Bread and cast off the Means which God has ordain'd for repressing and taming the petulant and unruly Flesh Were these so wise as to accept of the Punishment threatned and inflicted and to become painful and laborious in their Places and Employments the Curse of God would by a Miracle of the divine Mercy be turn'd into a [e] The Labour and Sweat of our Brows is so far from being a
†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
raised Philosopher well observes the different Judgments and Affections of Men in the course of a pleasurable Life and under apprehensions of the Nearness of Death When Men think they have Time enough they have no regard of Time but are extreamly prodigal of it [g] At eosdem aegros vide si mortis periculum admotum est propius medicorum genua tangentes Sen. de brev vit c 8. But look on these Men when they are sick says he If they appear in any danger of Death you shall find them courting and crouching to Physicians and bowing down to their very Knees begging the Use of their Art and Skill to prolong their Daies and lengthen out their Lives Or if they fear they shall suffer capital Punishment you shall see them ready to lay out all to save their Lives But if as the Number of every ones past Years may be reckoned so the Number of those that are to come could be assign'd [h] Quemodo illi ui paucos viderent superesse trepidarent quomodo illis parcerent Id. Ib. How would they tremble saies he that should see but a few remaining and how apt would they be to be sparing of them Surely they that have all their Lives made it their Business to drive away their Time would at their Deaths give all the World to redeem it What would the dying Husband give for Time to spend more spiritually with his Wife the dying Wife for Time to spend more holily with her Husband the dying Master for Time to spend more godlily with his Family the dying Parent for Time to spend in a more religious Institution and conscientious Education of his Children a dying Neighbour for Time to spend in more profitable Converse with those about him Would he intend to spend his Time if he could live longer in tempting his Neighbour to the Tavern or Ale house to drinking or gaming or the like If God would but lengthen out such a Person 's Daies and afford him but a little more Space to amend his Life and to lay hold on eternal Life he would thankfully accept of it upon the hardest Conditions He would be content to be the poorest Beggar in the Street and to live a mean and outwardly miserable Life as long as he liv'd He is just now departing out of this World and immediatly going to his own Place and if Time were now to be redeem'd what would not the most voluptuous Man be willing to do or suffer What would not the most covetous Man be ready to part with for the purchasing of it What would not he give for [i] Considera quà m multi modo mâ—riuntur quibus si haec hora ad agendum pâ—nitentiam oneâ—â—erâ—tur quae tibi concessa est quomodo per aâ—taria quà a fâ—stinanter currerent ibi sleâ—â—s genibus vel cerè toto corpore in terram prestrato tamdiu suspirerent plorarent orare tâ— donec plenissâ—â—am peccatorum venâ—am à Deo consequi merâ—â—entur Tu verò comedendo bibendo jocanâ—o ridendo tempus ocâ—osè vivendo perdis quod tibi indulserat Deus ad acquirendam gratiam ad promerendaâ— gloriam Bernard de interiori domo c. 63. that Time which some of you it may be spend and throw away in Drinking Gaming Carding Diceing in Romances and Stage-Plaies in idle foolish Pastimes in Jeering and Jesting and carnal sinful Merry-making To what excellent Vses would he resolve to put his Hours if he could enjoy any more of them If God would grant him but one Year of Trial more how little would he design to give to the World and the Flesh and how much to God and Godliness and the Offices and Exercises of pure Religion and undefiled How would such an one purpose and promise to resist Temptations to shun all Occasions and Appearances of Evil carefully to provide for his immortal Soul diligently to study the sacred Scriptures strictly to observe the whole lord's-Lord's-Day attentively to hear the Word preach'd both in Season and out of Season frequently to meditate of it and constantly to frame and order his Life according to it to pray with his Family devoutly and fervently morning and evening to spend some Time every Day with God and himself in secret to make the purest and precisest Christians his constant Patterns and Examples and for the future to follow and imitate those whom heretofore he hated and derided nick-named and abused When once Men ly a dying and the near Approach of their latter End does awaken their sleepy secure Consciences and make the most stupid sottish Sinner begin now to be truly sensible and serious with what aestuations and perturbations of Mind with what anguish and akings of Heart with what Pangs and Agonies and fearful Tremblings with what doleful Accents and passionate piercing moving melting Expressions do they lament and beâ—ail their waâ—teful Mis-spence and miserable Loss of all the Time of God's most patient Trial of them and of all their special golden Seasons and rare Advantages and Opportunities When they take their leave of all about them how earnestly and importunately do they exhort and urge them to be better husbands of their Time and Talents How pathetically and feelingly do they then advise and counsel their Children and Servants Friends and Relations Neighbours and Acquaintance to number their Daies to lead good Lives to improve their Health and Strength for God and their own and others Souls and timely to prepare for Death and Judgment Let 's consider some of us who have thought sometimes that the Sentence of Death has past upon us and have look'd on such or such a Sickness as our last Arrest and Summons what would we then have disbursed for a Reprieve Would we not have given with Hand and Heart an House full of Silver and Gold if we had had it to have been sure to have lived another Year for the proving and evidencing the Truth and Sincerity of our Faith and Repentance by a course of Obedience and our making a larger and surer provision for our comfortable Reception and happy Entertainment in the other World Friends we shall ere long be all of us plac'd upon our Death-beds and if we make no matter of Time now if we won't value and prize it now we shall then sure enough highly prize it when alas it will be too late And if we now have worthy thoughts of it we shall suffer nothing to rob and deprive us of it [k] Quà m felix prudent qui talis nunc nititur esse in vita qualis optat inveniri in morte Thomas a Rempis lib. 1. c. 23. n. 4. Hic est apex summae sapientiae ea viventem facere quae morienti essent appetenda Let 's be of the same mind and judgment now in our Health and Strength that we shall certainly be of in Sickness and Weakness and not contemn and vilify that in our Life time which we shall wish we had worthily
esteemed and well-improved at the Hour of Death The second Direction If we would well redeem the Time we must often [a] Vide Ludov. Crocii Syntagm a p. 1207 ad 1212. examin our selves and call our selves to a serious strict Account for the spending of our Time Alas too many earnestly study to know and understand all things but themselves They observe and take notice of other Mens Tempers and Humours search and enquire into other Mens Actions and reade the Histories of other Mens Lives and [b] Quando omnia percur visti quid te neglecto profecisti A Kempis l. 2. c. 5. n. 2. yet are ignorant of their own Hearts and spiritual Estates unobservant of the Passages and unacquainted with the particulars of their own Conversations We can easily pass away the Day and the Night the Week and the Year in musing on a thousand Matters [c] Vt nemo in seso tentat descendere nemo Pers Sat. 4. But where is the Man that bestows any serious Thoughts on himself that questions and interrogates his own Heart and takes due notice of his own Life or is at all concern'd how his Soul is improved and his Hours employed Certainly some of the very Heathens will rise up in Judgment against most Christians for we find that they have been very famous for this Practice of being severe in taking Account of themselves and of their Time Suetonius relates of Titus Vespasian the Heathen Emperour that remembring on an Evening as he was at Supper that he had done no good that Day to any one [d] Memorabilem illam meritóque landatam vocem edidit Annci diem perdidi Suet in vit Vesp §. 8. he utter'd that memorable and deservedly commended Saying Alas my Friends I have lost this Day St. Jerom tells us of a wise Saying of the Pythagoreans [e] Pythago teum illud praeceptum est ducrum temporum maximè habondam curam manè vespert id est eorum quae acturi sumus eorum quae gesserimus Apolog. Hieron advers Russi um l. 3. Mone prepone vespere discute mores tuos qualis hodie suists in verbo opere cogit â—â—â—one quia ia his saepius sâ—itan offendssti Deum proximum A Kemp. l 1 c. 19. n 4 Quid quòqu die dixerim audiverim egerim commemoro vespers Caro apud Cic de Senect That a special Care is to be had of two portions of our Time of the Morning and of the Evening Of the Morning to consider and resolve to do what ought to be done and of the Evening to examine whether we have done what we ought And it is one of Pythagoras's golden Precepts Never offer to give sleep to your Eyes before you have thrice run over in your Mind the several Particulars of that Day 's Actions and put such Questions as these to your self [f] Examen Pythagoricum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where have I transgressed what have I well done what have I left undone which it became me to have done And if thou hast done any thing saies he that is base and unworthy charge thy self with it and chide thy self for it But if thou hast done any thing that is good and vertuous rejoyce and delight in it [g] Hoc nos pessimos facit quod nemo vitans saam respicit c. Sen. ep 83. This makes us so very bad says Seneca because no man reflects upon his own Life It may be sometimes though seldome we think what we are to do says he but what we have done we do not think But we are to deliberate what to do for the future from the consideration of what we have done already And in his third Book de Ira he has an excellent Discourse to this Purpose He says there That the Soul is daily to be call'd to give an Account And he tells us of one Sextius whose constant Course it was to do thus That when the Day was spont and he went to take his rest at Night he would demand of himself What evil of yours have you healed this Day what Vice have you resisted in what part are you better Anger and Passion says the Philosopher there will be moderated and abated when it knows it must daily come before a Judg And therefore says he what is more excellent than this Custom of examining the whole Day past O [h] Qualis ille somnus pâ—st recog itionem sui sequitur c. Sen. de Ira l. 3. c. 36. what a sweet Sleep is that which follows after the Recognition of a Man's self How quiet and free is a Man's Mind when it is either commended or admonished and a Man does secretly review and censure his own Manners I use this Liberty with my self says Sencea there in the same Place I have a daily Trial within my self says he When at Night the Candle is taken away and all is still and silent then I search and enquire into the whole Day I measure and run over I scan and consider all my Words and Deeds I hide nothing from my self I overlook and pass by nothing I say to my self you have done so and so see you do so no more You see how some of the wisest and best of the very Heathen did accustome themselves to this Self-scrutiny and took an Account of their Lives and Actions And many eminent and Godly Christians to this Purpose do use Diaries and daily set down in Journals or Day-books the observable remarkable Passages of their Lives And we must do at least somewhat like it Before we sleep every Night let 's be sure to make such a Recollection and Examination of the Actions of that Day as may represent any thing that is remarkable to be matter either of Humiliation or of Thanks-giving Accustome thy self before thou takest thy Rest and Repose to have some private Talk some secret Conference with thy selt to ask thy self such Questions as these and to use such Language as this What has been the Frame and Temper of my Heart what my Carriage and Behaviour this Day what the Principles of my Practice what the Ends of this Day 's Actions Did my Mind awake with my Body in the Morning did I then exercise the Consideration of a Man and Christian and deliberately renew and six and settle my Resolution for the purifying and right ordering my Conversation Did I early go to God by Prayer and in the * Matth. 6.33 first place seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Wherein have I offended or angred my good God this Day wherein have I injured or provoked my Neighbour or hurt his Soul Body Estate or good Name wherein have I wronged or any way prejudic'd my own Soul what proud discontented covetous ambitious malicious revengeful Thought what silthy or angry vain-glorious or idle Word what inconvenient abusive offensive Jest what ungodly Deed or unbecoming unseemly Action have I this Day been guilty of
and solemn-Prayer this is the right instant for Ejaculations whether orally utter'd or only poured forth inwardly in the Heart Fuller's Medit on all kind of Prayers p. 77. This is an excellent way to redeem the Time in the want of a proper Place for larger Prayer Wherever thou art though never so far from a Church or Oratory yet as to the Use of this kind of Prayer thou maiest be the Temple of God thy self and pray within thy self Yea once more This is an admirable way to redeem the Time in the greatest straits of Time in the midst of much Company in the Multiplicity Croud and Hurry of worldly Businesses and Employments For this is the Advantage and rare Priviledg of Ejaculation that the Work of God is performed in it and [a] Media inter praelia semper Stetlarum coe ique plagis superisque vacavi Caesar apud Lucan l. 10. v. 185. no secular Affair or worldly Occasion hindred or retarded impeded or interrupted by it It is a gaining of Time for the Exercise of Religion without any Prejudice Let or Hindrance to your Calling It is a taking Time for a spiritual Duty without taking it away from your civil Employment [b] The Field wherein Bees feed is no whit the barer for their biting when they have took their full repast on Flower or Grass the Or may feed the Sheep fat on their Reversions The reason is because those little Chymists distil only the refined part of the Flower leaving the grosser Substance thereof So Ejaculations bind not men to any bodily Observance only busy the spiritual half which maketh them consistent with the prosecution of any other Employment Fuller loc cit p 78. VVe should make some improvement of that Time in which we do the works of our particular Callings to some spiritual Advantage if our Employments be such as exercise the Hand and not the Head by some useful Meditations as some will plant their Hedg-â—owes with fruit-trees reckoning that what they get thereby is clear Gain because they take up no room which might be put to any other Use so what we get by such Meditations is clearly gained because it doth not hinder any other Employment Lukins Pract. of Godl p. 53 54. Art thou as much against this that worldly thoughts should mingle themselves with thy solemn Prayers as that holy thoughts should be mingled with thy worldly Business This shews the rottenness of thy Heart that thou wilt admit the VVorld to come and speak with thee in the midst of thy solemn Duties or converse with God but wilt not afford God a word or a look while thou art conversing with the VVorld White 's Power of Godl p 214. You may at the same instant follow your particular proper Vocation and send up an holy Ejaculation The Husbandman may dart forth an Ejaculation and not make a Balk the more The Tradesman may mind his Shop never the less for minding God in such a way as this Thy Ejaculatory Prayers will sanctify instead of hindring thy Employments will influence thy Conscience and keep thee from sinning in thy Calling and will draw down a Blessing upon every Business and Undertaking In a Word To give our selves to holy and heavenly Ejaculation this is the way * 1 Thess 5.17 to pray without ceasing And surely the Frequency and Number of Ejaculatory Prayers will bring us in very great and large spiritual Gains and notable rich Returns 'T is a noted and approved Saying That much Meditation short Prayers and often make an excellent Christian The eminently learned and holy Andrew Rivet did much accustome and inure himself to these short Prayers He used in his old Age as he himself declares [c] Ego sanè mi srater à multis annis hanc orationem singults diebus saepe hor is repoto qui sentio mihi haec eadem convenire Andr. Rivet ep ad Guil. Fratr De Senect bon p. 1260. in an Epistle to his Brother for many Years every Day and often every Hour to repeat * Psal 71.17 18. those Words of the divine Psalmist which were suitable to the Circumstances of his own Condition O God thou hast taught me from my Youth and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous Works Now also when I am old and gray-headed O God forsake me not until I have shewed thy Strength unto this Generation and thy Power to every one that is to come The seventh Direction If we would redeem the Time we must set our selves to the daily frequent diligent Reading and serious studying of the sacred Scriptures for 1. This is a gaining and making Advantage of all that Time past which the Scripture gives you the History and Account of Seneca advises his Friend Lucilius by the Peregrination of his Mind to go to the ancient Worthies and renowned great Men and by Cogitation to behold them in order to an Imitation of them This he proposes to him as a prudent way to get Vice extirpated and Vertue farther planted in him He would have him by Contemplation go live and converse with the Cato's with Laelius Tubero Socrates Zeno Chrysippus Posidonius These will instruct you saies [a] Hi tibi tralent divinorum humanor â—â—mque netitiâ—â—m Hi juâ—tbunt in opere esse Sen. ep 104. he in the knowledg of things divine and humane and will command and enjoin you to be busied and employed in some good Action Let me advise and counsel you that are Christians to travel srequently through the holy Scriptures to keep a constant Course of attentive reading those sacred Writings and they will give you the happy Advantage of spiritual and fruitful Converse with the Patriarchs and Prophets with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob with Moses and Elias with Noah Job and Daniel with David and Solomon with St. Peter and Paul and James and John with Christ and his Apostles and the Primitive Christians There you may get Acquaintance with and make use of those rare Persons that have been most exemplary and serviceable in their Generations and most deservedly famous in the several Ages of the Church of God and Christ and may take the Benefit of their holy Discourses their excellent Lives and vertuous Actions And what the same Philosopher wisely Discourses in his excellent Book of the Brevity of Life encouraging Persons to a daily familiar Acquaintance with Zeno Pythagoras Democritus Aristotle Theophrastus What he saies there to invite and engage Men to reade the Writings of such as excess in useful Philosophical Learning and good Arts is more truly applicable by way of Motive to prevail with Men to give themselves to the reading of the Pen-men of the sacred Scriptures and of the Sayings of those wise and holy Persons that are introduced discoursing therein [b] Nemo horum nen vocabit nemo non venientem ad se beatiorem ama 〈◊〉 émque sui dimittit Hi tibi dabunt ad aeternitatem iter te in iâ—um iocum ex
that when the New Testament was first set forth by Erasmus he was drawn to buy it more in consideration of the good Latine of that Edition than out of any regard to the Word of God of which he was utterly ignorant at that Time And by the Providence of God he fell at first reading on this Sentence This is a faithful Saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners of whom I am chief [h] O mihi suavissimam Pauli sententiam Haec una serâ—â—â—ntia Deo iatus in corde meo docente sic exhilaravit pectus meum c. Biln ep ad Cutb. Tonstallum Lond. Episc Fox Act. Mon 2 v. p. 915. O this Saying of Paul was a sweet and comfortable Saying to me saies he This one Sentence God inwardly teaching and instructing me did so exhilarate and comfort my Heart which before was wounded and ready to despair through the Conviction and Sense I had of my Sins that I felt immediatly such a marvellous Tranquillity and Gladness within me that the Bones which had been broken did rejoice and from this Time the Scripture began to be sweeter to me than the Honey and the Honey-comb As Adam and Eve went about in vain to cover their Nakedness with their Fig-leaves and were never quieted till they had believed the Promise of God that the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents Head so neither could I be healed saies he of the Stings and Bitings of my Sins before I was taught of God that Lesson of which Christ speaks Joh. 3.14 15. As Moses listed up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal Life Thomas à Kempis is said to have uttered and to have written this Sentence in his Books [i] In omnibus requiem quaesivi sed nusquam inveni praeterquam in angulo cum libello S. Torshel exercit in Malach. I have sought for Rest every where but have found it no where except in a Corner alone with a little Book The Bible is that blessed Book which will either alone or above all other Books afford a suitable seasonable Rest unto our Souls And now these Things considered is it not well worth the while to bestow your Time and Pains in reading and studying the sacred Scriptures 3. It is moreover a Means and Help to the right redceming of our Time for the future For here in the Scripture we have the plainest Precepts given us to oblige us to take due Care of our Time the best Examples and worthiest Patterns of Redemption of Time set before us in the Servants of God and in the Son of God and have here afforded us the strongest Motives and Encouragements to it and the most prudent Instructions and proper Directions about it For all that has been hitherto discoursed concerning it has chiefly been fetch'd from and drawn out of the holy Scriptures And these divine and sacred Writings will not only teach and instruct you but also inwardly dispose and qualify sit and enable you to make the best Improvement of your remaining Time by converting and transforming regenerating and renewing purifying and sanctifying you By giving you a new Nature they will enable you to lead a new Life And therefore be sure to redeem some competent Time for reading of the Scripture that you may the better redeem the Remainder of your Time by reading of the Scripture The noble Aethiopian * Acts 8.28 Eunuch would lose no Time but as he was travelling and sitting in his Chariot he read Esaias the Prophet And as St. Chrysostom well notes if he was so religiously employed in a Journey what a diligent Student of the Scripture was he at home yea though he found what he then read to be to him difficult and [k] Quae aperta sunt in quibus mentem suam Deus aperit avidè prompto animo susâ—ipere decet quae adhuc nobis obscura sunt praeterire couvenit donec plentor lux affulgeat Quod si legendo non satigabimur fiet tandem ut scriptura assiduo usu familiaris nobis reddatur Calv. in loc obscure yet he would not lay that holy Book away which he did not at present well understand We must esteem reverently of the Word saies the judicious [l] Mr. Arthur Hildersam Lecture 1. on the Title of Psal 51. pag. 2. The obscurity of any Place should increase our Diligence in searching the meaning of it and teach us to acknowledg the necessity of a learned Ministry and of that Gift of Interpretation God hath given unto his Servants Act. 8.31 And to see the Necessity of joining with our reading humble Prayer unto God that he would open our Understanding Ps 119. 18. And cause us to come to the reading of the Word with an Heart that is humbled and fearful to offend God For the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Ps 25.14 And this should move us to mark and lay up in our Hearts even those things which we understand not because they may do us good hereafter Luke 2.50 51. Joh. 2.22 Id. ib. pag. 2 3. Hildersam though we cannot at the first reading or hearing of it profit by it or discern what use it may serve us unto The Jews were so exactly versed in the Old Testament that [m] Contr. Appion l. 2. Josephus gives this Testimony of them Every one of our Nation being demanded of our Laws can answer as readily as he can tell his own Name * Acts 17.11 The Bereans are commended for spending their Time every Day in searching the Scriptures It is the honourable Character of Apollos that he was * Acts 18.24 mighty in the Scriptures one that had a great Insight and Skill in the Scriptures of the Old Testament But †Verse 26. Aquila and Priscilla ordinary Tent-makers had attained to such a measure of Knowledg in the Gospel that they were able to instruct an eloquent Apollos and to expound unto him the Way of God more perfectly ‖ 2 Tim. 3.15 Timothy had known the holy Scriptures from a Child Tertullian after his Conversion was taken up night and day in reading of the Scriptures and did with great Pains get much of them by heart and that so exactly that he knew each Period Origen having this daily Task set him by his Father to rehearse unto him some Portion of Scripture He though a Child not only committed the Words unto his Memory but inquired into the Sense and Meaning of them and diverse Times would gravel his Father with the Questions which he propounded to him And when he was grown to riper Years he spent much of the Night in meditating on the holy Scriptures [n] Quis sic universam divinam Scripturam edidicit imbibit concoxit versavit meditatus est Erasm ep
Nuncupat ad G. Varam praesix Epist D. Hieron Erasmus gives this notable Testimony of St. Jerome Who saies he did ever learn by heart the whole Scripture imbibe concoct handle it meditate upon it as he did This very learned and holy Father did moreover [o] Has omnes Hierontmus ad divinae Scripturae studium inflammavit inflammatas suâ doctrina provexit Hieron vita per Erasm contexta inflame and stir up diverse noble Matrons of his Acquaintance at Rome to an earnest and constant Study of the divine Scriptures exhorting and urging those holy Women not to lay the Bible out of their Hands until being overcome with Sleep and not able any longer to hold up their Heads they bowed them down as it were to salute the Leaves below them with a Kiss And by his instruction of them and interpretation of the Scriptures to them he assisted and promoted their pious Endeavours in those sacred Studies [n] Quò saediùs essâ—t ab ipsis Episcopis sacros libros negligi quos sexus insirmtor amplecteretur Id. ib. that it might be the greater shame for any Bishops in any wise to neglect those sacred Books which were so often read and so well understood by the weaker Sex And he attests particularly Marcella's Industry and great Proficiency in his Epitaph of her expressing himself in these Words concerning her Because I was at that Time of some Repute and Note saies he for the Study of the Scriptures [o] Nunquam me convenit quin de Scripturis aliquid interrogaret Id. ib. she never met with me but still she would be putting some Questions to me about the Scriptures And he further adds there [p] Quicquid in nobis longo fuit studio congregatum meditatione diuturnâ quasi in naturam versum hoc illa libavit didicit atque possedit ita ut post profectionem nostram si in aliquo testimonio Scripturarum esset oborta contentio ad illam pidicem pergeretur Id. ib. Inserant in aures margaritas verbi Tertullian de cultu foemin Whatever by long Study was gathered by me and turn'd as it were into my Nature by continual Meditation all that she pick'd out tasted learn'd and possess'd So that after my departure if any Controversy arose about the Testimony of the Scripture in any Matter they had recourse to her as a Judg therein Prosper was assiduous in reading the Scripture and usually had the four Evangelists in his Hands Venerable Bede read the Scripture with such Devotion and Affection that he would often weep in the reading of it and would conclude his reading of Scripture with Prayer The good Emperour Theodosius Senior wrote out the whole new Testament with his own Hand and read some Part of it every Day [o] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Niceph. Acclehast Historia l. 14 c. 3. Theodosius the second dedicated and consecrated a good Part of the Night to the Study of the Scriptures to which end he had as Nicephorus relates a Lamp so artificially made that it constantly supplied it self with Oil that none of his Servants might suffer any Trouble upon those Occasions He learned much of the holy Scriptures without Book and when he met and confer'd with the Bishops he expounded and explain'd obscure and knotty Places of Scripture as if he himself had been a Person in holy Orders Maccovius reports of George Prince of Transylvania that he had read over the Bible seven and twenty times And it is storied of Alphonsus King of Arragon that notwithstanding all his Princely Affairs he read over the Bible with a large Comment some say ten others affirm fourteen times Bonaventure wrote out the Bible twice with his own Hand and had most of it by heart Antonius Walaeus in his younger Years imprinted much of the Scripture in his Mind and when he was [p] Vit. Ant. VValaei ante Oper. Tom. 1. old could repeat without Book the Epistle to the Romans the second to the Corinthians to the Galatians Ephesians and Philippians Zuinglius wrote out St. Paul's Epistles and got them by heart [p] Fox Act. and Mon. 2 v. p. 1075. Thomas Cromwel afterward Earl of Essex in his Journey going and coming from Rome learned the Text of the whole New Testament of Erasmus's Translation without Book which was a Means of bringing him to the Knowledg and Savour and Love of the Truth [q] Id. ib. p. 1609 1610. Bishop Ridley in his Letter of Farewel to his Friends bidding farewel to Pembroke-Hall does thus attest his own Practice with the comfortable Fruit and Effect of it In thy Orchard saies he the Walls Buts and Trees if they could speak would bear me witness I learned without Book almost all Paul 's Epistles yea and all the Canonical Epistles save only the Apocalypse of which study although in time a great part did depart from me yet the sweet smell thereof I trust I shall carry with me into Heaven for the Profit thereof I think I have felt in all my Life-time ever after [r] His Life inserted among Mr. Clark's Lives of so em Div. p. 97 98. Dr. Gouge did tye himself to reade every Day fifteen Chapters in English out of the Bible five in the Morning five after Dinner before he fell upon his other Studies and five before he went to bed which course he first took up when he was a young Student in King's Colledg in Cambridg He was often heard to say that when he could not sleep in the Night time he used in his Thoughts to run through divers Chapters of the Scripture in order as if he had heard them read to him The like Practice he used in the Day time when he was alone whether within Doors or abroad for which end he wrote in a little Book which he alwaies carried about him the distinct Heads of every Particular Passage in every Chapter of the Bible that so when in any Place he meditated on the Word of God and was at a loss he might presently find help by that little Book By this means he made himself so expert in the Text that if he heard any Phrase of Scripture he could presently tell where it was to be found And besides all this he had his set Times of Study for understanding the meaning of the more difficult Places of Scripture [s] His Life ib. p. 163. Mr. Jeremy Whitaker usually read all the Epistles in the Greek Testament twice every fortnight [t] He had read that voluminous Book of the Acts and Monuments of the Church seven times over In his Life among Mr. Clark's Lives in 4. Mr. Ignatius Jurdain read the Bible above twenty Times over and that with special Observation as appeared by the Asterisks and Marks in the Bible which he used making particular Application to himself [u] His Life written by Dr. Bernard p. 22. Bp. Vsher had two Aunts who by reason of their blindness from their Cradles never
will have a mighty Influence upon the whole Course of our Lives and Actions The first of the four last Things proposed as the subject Matter of Meditation in order to the right Redemption of Time I. USE I. Use in thy Life time to think much of the Day of thy own particular Death and of the general Dissolution of all Things 1. [e] Mortem ut nunquam timeas semper cogita Sen. ep 30. in fine Vive me nor lethi fugit hora hoc quod loquor inde est Pers sat 5. Dum loquimue sugerit invida aetas Horat. carm l. 1. Od. 11. To think much of the Day of thy own particular Death Be not thou of Lewis the eleventh's Mind who strictly charged all about him that they sould not so much as name the terrible Word Death Do not only patiently hear of it but chuse to think and often to think of it Men are too commonly regardless of their End and unmindful of their own Mortality and Frailty The very Heathen have acknowledged Man's natural Proneness to forget his End and therefore they used several Arts to mind themselves and others of it Some Emperours on the Day of their Coronation have had several sorts of Marble presented to them out of which to chuse their Tombs Philosophers have had their Sepulchres before their Gates that they might neither go out nor in but they might still be put in mind of their Mortality And many great Men have had them in their Places of Pleasure And dead Men's Skulls have been served up in delicious Banquets And Philip King of Macedon had a young Monitor that came every Day and rubb'd up his Memory with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remember thou art but a Mortal Man And we plainly find in Scripture that this is naturally Man's Temper The Fool in the Gospel is a clear Instance of this who * Luke 12.19 said to his Soul Soul thou hast much Goods laid up for many Years take thine ease eat drink and be merry He never dream'd of a Stulte hac nocte Thou Fool this Night That was the farthest Thing off his Thoughts †Jam. 4.13 14. St. James reproves those who promise themselves to morrow and build upon the next Year for the driving of their Trade and getting of Gain Men in their Health think not of Sickness and in Sickness seldome reckon of Death Even dying Men often times think of nothing but recovering and living longer in the World Men are apt to look upon Death as afar off and when in all probability they have but a few Sands in their Glass to run they are ready to say that they ‖ Job 29 18. shall multiply their Daies as the Sand. Men can willingly measure their Lands and Grounds and number their Herds and Droves of Cattel and count the Revenues of their Manours and Farms and reckon their daily or yearly Incomes but who is willing to measure and number his Daies Yea we can willingly measure other Mens Daies and learn to know their End and take great Notice how frail they are We can point at an old Man and cry he is thus or thus old his Daies cannot be many he is past his best he has one Foot in the Grave Upon sight of one sick or in a Consumption we are apt to say Such a one is near his End he can't live long sure But we take little notice of our selves we make little Reckoning of our own End we little consider what may become of us to morrow We do not actually think we shall not die yet the most of us do not actually think we shall die God frequently reads Lectures of Mortality to us and yet we will not learn to remember them The Arrows of the Almighty have flown thick on every side of us and yet we live as if we thought to escape alwaies Though others have fallen round about us we are ready to count our standing sure We securely lie in a dead Sleep amidst many awakening providences I am afraid many of us are too like your common Grave-makers who often handle Skulls and dead Mens Bones but are so daily us'd to them that they are not at all mov'd or affected with them What senseless silly Creatures are we that we won't believe we are mortal till we feel it that we won't be perswaded we shall die till we our selves are struck with Death Ah Friends we do not live as if we believ'd it and were truly and really convinc'd fully and throughly perswaded of it We are apt to overmeasure our Daies to put more in than we should to promise our selves what God never promis'd us and to count those Daies ours which are wholly in God's Hand and quite out of ours We are ready to measure by [f] Reade Dr. Patrick's Div. Arithm. false Rules to reckon that because we are young we shall not die till we are old That because we are strong we shall last it out and indure long That because we are temperate we need not fear Diseases and Death That because some live much longer than others that we may live as long as the longest The Guilt of Sin makes many afraid to take a true Measure of their Daies The want of a good and well-grounded Hope of a better Life makes Men unwilling to know the End of this And the inordinate Love of the World makes Men loth to know their End and to think of leaving what they love Haec faciunt invitos mori These are the Things that make us unwilling to die was a discreet Answer given by the Emperour Charles the fifth to a certain Duke of Venice You are naturally backward and disinclin'd to the consideration of your latter End and therefore pray to God to enable you to it and help you in it Say with David * Psal 39.4 Lord make me to know my End and the Measure of my Daies what it is that I may know how frail I am And with Moses likewise †90.12 So teach me to number my Daies that I may apply my Heart unto Wisdom We need but a little Arithmetick to number our Daies as [g] Caryl on Job 4.21 one saies well but we need a great deal of Grace to number them A Child may be wise enough to number the Daies of an old Man and yet that old Man a Child in numbring his own Daies so as to apply his Heart to Wisdom Well then heartily beg of God that he would make you to know your End to know it so as to have your Heart touched and affected with the Knowledg of it To know your End and to live suitably and answerably to the Knowledg of it To know your End so as to make a good End of it Now give me leave to direct and assist you in this necessary Duty Suffer me to serve in a Death's-Head and to put a Turf of fresh Earth into your Hands 't is counted very wholsome to
smell of Remember and consider 1. That Death thy Death is certain 2. That the Time of thy Death is very uncertain 3. That when Death comes a great change will be made by it 4. and lastly Consider seriously what a sad and uncomfortable Thing it will be to be found unprepared to die at the Point of Death And how sweet and happy a Thing it will be to be in a readiness and preparation at the Hour of Death Consider 1. It is sure and certain thou must die at last Death entred into the World by Sin The Wages of thy Sin is thy Death It is now appointed unto Men to all Men once to die Death is the way of all the Earth Every Thing plainly points thee to it Thy very Sleep is an Image of thy Death The very Meat thou eatest as it breeds thy Nourishment so it breeds thy Diseases Thou hast apparently died already in thy Friends and Relations Neighbours and Acquaintance Thou hast lost thy Parents or Husband or Wife or Children or Servants and therefore thou hast reason to think thou shalt one Day lose thy own Life and certainly die in thy own Person Some one it may be that lately lay in thy Bed and lay in thy Bosom is now laid out of thy Sight laid in the Grave and Time will come when as lively and brisk as thou art thou shalt lie by them and be gather'd to them Surely every Sickness every Disease every Tooth-ach Head-ach every Pain and Distemper and bodily Weakness is an Harbinger and Fore-runner of thy Death and a plain Remembrancer to thee of thy latter End Thou seest enough in others thou findest enough in thy self to make thee to know thy own Frame and to cause thee to remember that thou thy self art but Dust Xerxes viewing his vast Army wept over them to think how within a few Lustres of Years there would be none of them all remaining Be affected to think how a few Years will wear out and carry off thy self and all thy Family the numerous Company of thy Friends and Relations Neighbours and Acquaintance The close Meditation of the Certainty of thy own Dissolution this will keep thee from living here as if thou wert to live here alwaies which is a common Fault among Men reprov'd and censur'd of old by [h] Tanquam semper victuri vivitis Seneca de brev vit cap. 4. Seneca And from building here as if thou shouldst here continue for ever as [i] Diogenis dictum est Megarenses obsonant quasi crastinâ die morituri aedificant verò quasi nui quam morituri Tert. Apolog. c. 39. Diogenes once severely charg'd the Megarenses When thou rearest thy Building this Course will cause thee to think of thy own Tomb and Grave and that thy earthly House of this Tabernacle must be dissolved And this will enable thee to live loose from the temporary Enjoyments of this present World and to have lower Thoughts of all earthly Pleasures which are but for a Season and would engage you to be [k] Vivere totâ vitâ discendum est quod magis fortasse miraberis totâ vita discendum est mori Seneca de brev vit cap. 7. learning to die as long as you live The frequent Thoughts of thy latter End would prompt thee to say thus to thy self How shall I dare to live in Jest who am sure I must die in Earnest Am I afraid to die and yet shall I use all Means I can to make Death dangerous and terrible to me Shall I venture [l] St. Jerom said well He deserves not the Name of a Christian who will live in that State of Life in which he will not die Bp. Taylor 's great Exemplar p. 558. to live in that State of Life in which I would not die 2. Consider farther That the Day and Means of thy Death is as [m] Ah stulte quid cogitas te diu victurum cùm nullum diem habeas securum Quam multi decepti sunt irsperatè de cerpore extracti Quoties audisti à dicentibus quia ille gladio cecidit ille submersus est ille ab alto ruens cervicem fregit ille manducando obriguit ille ludendo finem fecit Alius igne alius ferre alius peste alius latrocinto interiit sic omnium finis mors est vita hominum tanquam umbra subito pertransit A Kempis l. 1. c. 23. n. 7. uncertain as thy Death it self is certain Think when thou art eating that then thou maiest be digging thy Grave with thy Teeth and when thou art drinking that then thou maiest find and meet with Death in the Cup or Pot. When thou art ready to take thy Rest consider that God this Night may require thy Soul of thee and before Morning may take away the [n] Vine's Essex's Hearse p. 12. diry Difference between Sleep and Death Here practise according to Seneca's Direction [o] Dic tibi dormituro possum non expergisci Dic experrecto possum non dormire ampliùs Dic exeunti possum non reverti dic redeunti possum non exire Sen. ep 49. Cùm mane fuerit putate ad vesperum non perventurum vespere autem facto mane non audeas tibi polliceri Semper ergo paratus esto taliter vive ut nunquam te imparatum mors inveniat A Kempis l. 3. c. 23. n 3. Say to thy self when thou goest to sleep it may be I shall never wake again and when thou risest it may be I shall never sleep again Say to thy self when thou goest out it may be I shall never return home and come in alive again And when thou comest in at any Time say to thy self It may be I shall never go out of doors again Consider when thou art going a Journey that thou maiest be going to thy long home When thou art riding upon the Road that thou maiest be posting unto thy Grave that the Horse thou ridest on may be the pale Horse and his Name that sits upon him though unseen may be Death Conclude with thy self I must die shortly I may die instantly This Day may be the last that I shall see this Hour the last that I shall spend this Word the last that I shall speak this Deed the last that I shall persform this Place the last that I shall breath in When thou goest into any Company consider that it may be the last time that ever thou shalt come in the Company of those Persons that therefore it behoves thee to behave thy self among them and to spend thy Time and bestow thy Hours with them like a Man and a Christian not like a Beast or an Heathen to demean thy self there soberly and temperately and with good Government of thy Appetite and Passions and with the Exercise and Improvement of thy Reason and of Grace in some useful Discourse and profitable Converse not childishly and unmanly intemperately and luxuriously rudely and uncivilly wildly and
the Knowledg of those Things which God hath been pleased most clearly to discover and plainly to reveal in his Word to thee as any way necessary to thy own and others Edisication and Salvation Thou being assured and well perswaded that practice and doing is the ready way to further Knowing as * Ps 111.10 Joh. 7.17 to increase thy Knowledg here so to augment thy Knowledg hereafter 'T will cause thee to charge thy self to walk as a Child of the Light and of the Day to follow the Light of God's Word and Spirit that thou maiest be meet to be made Partaker of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light The foremention'd Meditation will moreover make thee wise unto Sobriety repress the itching Curiosity of thy Nature keep thee from spending thy Time in boldly prying into God's [m] Homo sum non intelligo secreta Dei investigare non audeo ideo etiam attentare sormido qâ—â—â— hoc ipsum genus quasi sacrilegae temerâ—tatis est siplus sone qupias quà m siâ—â—â—is Salv. de gub Del l. 3. Secrets and from immoderatly thirsting and reaching after the Knowledg of Things too high for thee Remembring and considering that in this Life thou canst not attain to clear and full and perfect Knowledg which is a Reward reserved for another Life And that thou maiest enjoy it in due Time 't will make thee willing to wait and stay God's Time to be humbly and modestly and contentedly ignorant of all those Things wherein God has been pleased to be silent and has though most fit in this lower imperfect State for Man to be ignorant The Consideration that thy Knowledg shall be perfected hereafter will bring thee at present to be quietly ignorant of those Things which God sees meet and most convenient for a Time to hide and conceal from thee and will help thee to wait very patiently for the Season of the fuller Manifestation of himself to thee this being the Way to have thy Knowledg encreased and perfected another Day Further This Meditation will also mind thee to fit thy self for the sure receiving the full Satisfaction of all thy Desires in Heaven hereafter 'T will cause thee now to curb and restrain thy sensual Appetite to moderate thy Desires to submit thy Will to the Will of God and to do his Pleasure here that so thou maiest have thy widest Capacities and largest Desires every way satisfied and fulfilled hereafter 4. Meditate how happy thou shalt be hereafter by dwelling in a most glorious beauteous blessed Place in thy heavenly Father's House in thy * Joh. 14.2 Saviour's Father's House in which there are many Mansions a stately Palace a spatious House indeed fit to receive and entertain an innumerable Company of glorious Inhabitants That thou shalt be placed and setled in the Seat of the Blessed an House not made with Hands a Building of God Paradise Heaven the third Heaven which is seated not only above the Region of the Air but above the Moon and highest Stars from whence thou shalt with Advantage take a pleasant Prospect of the admirable Beauty and comely Order of the Universe and of the Usefulness of all its Parts That thou shalt inhabit a Place which is so incomparably glorious that it is called in Scripture the Throne of God That thou shalt dwell hereafter in the better and heavenly Countrey of the Saints That thou shalt actually and personally enter into the promised Land and not only have a Pisgah-sight of it afar off That thou shalt be translated into the heavenly Canaan transported into the holy Land conducted and received into the holy City in which there is no Night and which has no need of the Sun or Moon to shine in it the Glory of God inlightning it and the Lamb being the Light thereof Think how the beautiful glorious precious Things of which there is mention in the 21th and 22th of the Revelation in the large Description of the new Jerusalem if meant of the Glory of the highest Heaven are but Umbrages and Shadows of the good Things to come which are contain'd and treasur'd up in the heavenly Kingdom Though Heaven be indeed more a State than a Place yet think how the Majesty and Amenity of the Place of Glory will add to thy Joy and increase thy Felicity And this Meditation will provoke thee to labour to become apt and fit to live in so holy and blessed a Place as Heaven To be alwaies travelling towards this heavenly Country though thy Way lie through a Wilderness To make the mention of Heaven and the Way thereto to be thy frequent Discourse thy most serious and most refreshing Conference To be careful to have thy constant Conversation in Heaven To give all Diligence to be prepared and disposed by an heavenly State for an heavenly Place To let the Kingdom of God enter into thy Soul that thou maiest be meet to enter into the Kingdom of God To become the Temple of God here an Habitation of God through the Spirit that thou maiest be worthy to be received hereafter into an heavenly Habitation To cleanse thy self because no unelean Thing can ever enter into that holy City To labour to get such a vertuous Disposition and generous Spirit such holy Habits heavenly Customs and divine Manners as may fit and qualify thee to be admitted Citizen of the new Jerusalem And to beg of thy Father which is in Heaven that as he hath prepared an Heaven for holy Souls so he would more and more prepare thy too too unprepared Soul for Heaven 5. Spend thy Thoughts in the Consideration of thy future Enjoyment of the most blessed Company in the most blessed Place Consider seriously that as thou shalt have Communion with the blessed Trinity in the heavenly Glory fully enjoy God and have Fellowship with Jesus Christ thy Head So thou shalt associate and be conversant with Angels and have sweet Familiarity with those blessed Spirits and shalt there enjoy the Communion of Saints shalt there meet with the holy Patriarchs be received into the goodly Fellowship of the Prophets be taken into the glorious Company of the Apostles and be joyned to the noble Army of Martyrs and with all the Faithful of all Ages recount the Mercies and chaunt the Praises of thy bountiful Creator and gracious Redeemer Think with thy self how that good Company is a great part of the Pleasure and Comfort of a good Man's Life and a kind of Heaven here upon Earth But that hereafter thou shalt have the best Company that Earth and Heaven can afford That there thou shalt converse with and delight in the most eminent Children and faithful Servants of God and famous Worthies of the Church of Christ [m] Esseror studio patres vestros quos colui dilexi videndi Neque eos verò solùm convenire aveo quos ipse cognovi sed illos etiam de quibus audivi legi ipfe conscripsi Cic. in Cat. Maj.
giving Nor in not forgiving never forgetting how the wicked uncompassionate Servant in the Parable was delivered by his Lord to the Tormentors Thou wilt strive and labour against sinful [w] Mr. Latimer having in a Sermon at Court in Henry the Eighth's daies much displeased the King he was commanded the next Lord's-Day to preach again and make his Recantation He coming prefaced to his Sermon with a kind of Dialogism in this manner Hugh Latimer Do'st know to whom thou art this day to speak to the high and mighty Monarch that can take away thy Life if thou offend therefore take heed how thou speakest a Word that may displease his Majesty But as recalling himself Hugh Hugh saies he do'st know from whom thou comest and upon whose message thou art sent even the great and mighty God that is able to cast both Body and Soul into Hell-fire for ever and therefore take heed to thy self that thou deliver thy message faithfully and so came to his Sermon and what he had deliver'd the Day before confirmed and urged with more vehemency than ever The King that day called for him and taking him off from his Knees embraced him in his Arms saying he blessed God that he had a Man in his Kingdom that durst deal so plainly and faithfully with him Mr. Newcomen's Serm on Heb. 4.13 p. 37. Fearfulness and not be drawn to do any Evil or omit any Good against clear and full Light of Conscience for Fear of any outward Trouble or Danger recollecting in thy Thoughts that the ‖ Rev 21.8 Fearful shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone Thou wilt be ready (*) Mat. 10.28 Luke 12.5 to set the Fear of God and the Fear of Hell against all carnal Fear of Men or of any temporal Evil whatsoever As the Primitive Martyrs did who when they were solicited by Heathen Emperours to sacrifice to their Idols with these Arguments That then they should save their Houses and Lands and Liberties and Lives but should otherwise lose all They put off all with this Answer [x] Da veniam Imperator tu carcerem minaris ille gehennam Pardon us O Emperour you threaten a Prison to us but God threatens Hell to us So Biblis as [y] Eccl. Hist l. 5. c. 1. Eusebius relates the Story a Woman who having fainted before and renounced her Profession of Christianity out of fear of suffering Persecution and being brought to the Place where the Christians Bodies were burnt to Ashes that others might be drawn from their Profession by means of her expected publick blasphemous Denial and Recantation was at the very Hour of Suffering thoroughly awaken'd as out of a dead Sleep by the sight of those Flames which were the Instruments of the Martyrs Torments to consider the intolerable eternal Torture of Hell-fire which she must unavoidably suffer if she should dishonour Christ and his Religion and asperse the innocent and unblameable Professors of it And thus expelling the lesser Fear by the greater and happily returning unto her self she disappointed her Persecutors Expectation and by being faithful unto Death obtain'd the Crown of a Martyr of Jesus and animated others to endure the Cross with Christian Fortitude and the Patience of the Saints Fix thy Cogitations on the Infernal Flames and this will make thee resolve and determine to chuse rather to do or suffer any thing here than to suffer the sad and bitter Pains of Hell hereafter Concluding that the Pains and Difficulties of Duty are no way comparable to the troublesome uneasy Condition and piercing raging Pains of Hell yea that the Suffering of Martyrdom here is a light Affliction to the dreadful Suffering of Hell-fire hereafter The serious frequent Meditation of the exquisite Punishments and dolorous Torments of Hell will moreover powerfully perswade thee to be far from [z] De horribili eorum exitio admoniti fideles praesentem illis sortem non invideant Calv. envying the greatest Prosperity of wicked Men who shall one day change their present Felicity for extream Want and utmost Misery lose the Presence of God and Christ and the full Fruition of endless Pleasures in Heaven and suffer an Eternity of distracting Pains and racking heart-renting Torments in Hell for a few bitter-sweet transient Pleasures here on Earth Yea this will help thee to bear any outward Affliction patiently and quietly to accept of any temporal Punishment of thy Iniquity considering thou deservest Hell it self and that all thy present Straits and Sufferings are nothing to the Wants and Losses the Pains and Miseries of damned Persons That eminent Pattern of Christian Patience the holy [a] His Life among Mr. Clark's Lives of ten em Div. p. 178. Mr. Jeremy Whitaker did humbly adore God's Goodness in the midst of his sorest sharpest Sufferings and violent excruciating racking and grinding Pains which were caus'd and continued by a complication of acute Diseases the Stone Ulcer Gangrene and expressed himself with marvellous Meekness in such Words as these Lord thou givest me no occasion to have any hard Thoughts of thee O who would not even in Burnings have honourable Thoughts of God Blessed be God there is nothing of Hell in all this Again This will throughly awaken and quicken thee to take heed of beginning the Hell here which will be compleated and consummated hereafter of being now of an hellish frame and temper of Mind of departing from and living without God and Christ which is not only Man's Sin but Misery which is a very Hell upon Earth and will be a great part of the future Hell of contracting and strengthning vicious habits here and of exposing thy self to the Misery that naturally arises from Sin to the Rebukes and Upbraidings of a guilty Conscience Considering with thy self that an hellish Temper and Disposition if thou livest and diest in that Condition will surely continue and be confirm'd in the other World and that an hellish State will prepare thee for and bring thee to the place of Hell This will also engage thee to bless God for Christ for giving his only begotten Son to * 1 Thess 1.10 deliver thee from the Wrath to come by suffering Tribulation and Anguish for thee and †5 9. not appointing thee to Wrath but to obtain Salvation by Jesus Christ. And to be truly thankful to Jesus Christ who condescended to be forsaken of God that thou mightst not be totally deserted and eternally forsaken of him and endured the Fire of God's Wrath that thou mightst be perfectly freed for ever from Hell-fire This will provoke thee by Faith and Repentance and bringing forth Fruits * Mat. 3.7 8. meet for Repentance * Mat. 3.7 8. to flee from the Wrath to come and to seek to escape the Damnation of Hell And this will cause thee to hate and abandon the cursed Arts and wicked Waies of †23.15 making others the Children of Hell to dread the
from whom we may reap and receive most spiritual Good or from whom we may reap and receive most spiritual Benefit Study and strive to chuse such an one for thy Friend to whom thou maiest give such reverential Respect in thy Carriage and Behaviour as may restrain thee from many uncomely sinful Actions which you might take more Liberty to commit in other Company Take him for thy special Friend and peculiar Companion who will be a constant Physician careful Tutor and spiritual Benefactor to thy Soul who will be a familiar tutelar guardian Angel to thee who will be as [k] Dr. Alle. bâ—â— Serm. p. 57. The second Soul and Conscience Dr. Ham. of srat Admoa and Correp p. 8. one well expresses it an [k] Dr. Alle. bâ—â— Serm. p. 57. The second Soul and Conscience Dr. Ham. of srat Admoa and Correp p. 8. assistant Conscience to thee who will not fail to perform that Office which the benumm'd or sleepy Conscience within thee shall at any time neglect Who will be as faithful a Monitor to thee as thy own Conscience should be Who daily does so improve in Vertue and Profit in Piety that whenever he comes into thy Company he will give thee the great Pleasure not only of seeing whom you would but of seeing such an one as you would Who will be careful to [l] Herb. Church-porch p. 6. salute himself before he visits thee and will surely bring himself a great Gift to thee as [m] Conspectus praesentia conversatio al quid habet vivae voluptatis utique si non tantum quem velis sed qualem velis videas Affer itaque te mihi ingens munus Prepera ad me sed ad te prâ—us Sen. ep 35. Seneca counsels his Friend Lucilius to order compose and carry himself toward him Chuse such Persons for thy intimate Friends who will be Friends and Helps in the best things to thee Friends in the concernments of the Life to come that will prize and value and on all occasions readily shew some real Kindness to thy Soul that will observe thy Motions and help to guide and direct thy Actions that will have a constant watchful Eye upon thy Life and Manners and not willingly suffer thee to misearry to Eternity for want of careful looking after Acquaint and accompany with those in the enjoyment of whom you may enjoy somewhat of God himself and whose sweet and gracious Converse will be a little Image of Heaven to you Take those for your Consorts and Associates here with whom you may desire and hope to keep joyful Company for ever hereafter If we make any Reckoning of our Time let us first make a good Choice of our Friends 2. And then a good Improvement of our Company and Society with them Be prudent and pious in the Vse as well as in the Choice of your Friends Let not your Friendship be a meer nominal formal empty juiceless thing Let your ordinary Visits to your Friends be out of Conscience as well as out of Courtesy out of a real Design to do some Office of Love especially to their Souls and to bring some spiritual Advantage to them [m] See p. 216. to the end of 219. Time is commonly lost by meer complemental Visits wherein no civil Business is dispatch'd no Service done to the Bodies Estates or Souls of others Let Christian Friends take heed especially that they come not together of purpose to waste their Time in unseasonable immeasurable Play and Sport that they be not found notoriously guilty of spending commonly and customarily as many Hours in Play together as if Gaming were not their Recreation and Diversion but their Trade and Profession their Calling and Occupation Can this be reckon'd a well redeeming the Time in evil Daies Would not some of that Time be spent more fruitfully and comfortably in the Communication of your Experiences and the Observations you have made relating either to God's Word or Works or in reading together some select and seasonable Scripture or else some part of practical Divinity or good Morality or useful History and in discoursing and conferring thereupon as you have Ability and find Occasion Let not Cards and Dice swallow up and devour the most of the Hours you spend together Nor ever suffer any Friends and Companions to rob you of your Time by [m] Nulla est excusatio peccati si amici causâ peccavâ—â—â— Strectum statuerimus vel concedere amicis quicquid veltur vel impetrare ab amicis quicquid velimus perseâ—â—â quideus â—pientià sumus si nibil habeat res vitu Haec prima lex in amicitia sanciatur ut neque rogemus res turper nec factamus rogati c. ut ab amicis honesta petamus amitorum can a honesta faciamus Lael apud Cic. de Amic yielding to them and complying with them when they unreasonably exact of you to hold out with them in their Sports If you perceive that any particular Game or Play does steal away your Heart and Time 't is high time then rather to lay it quite aside than to suffer such Detriment by Continuation of the Use of it When Bp. Vsher in his tender Years was taught by some of his Friends to play at Cards and found himself so delighted therewith that it not only took place of the Love of his Book but began to be a Rival with the spiritual Part in him upon apprehension thereof as [n] In the Life of Bp. Usher p. 24. Dr. Bernard informs us he gave it over and never played after When Christian Acquaintance meet together let them be as useful and profitable as helpful and beneficial as holy and heavenly in their Discourses as may be You may do more good by an honest Hint and a serious savoury Speech in Company than it may be a Minister may do by many Sermons Labour to spiritualize and ennoble your Friendship by making it a State of Love and Purity an Opportunity and Advantage of amending and reforming of benefiting and bettering one another [o] Dr. Ham. of frat Admon or Corrept p. 29. Let such as live either with or by one another by solemn Compact and Agreement strictly and strongly oblige one another to take some special spiritual Care of one another's Souls This would be real spiritual good Neighbourhood an high Advancement a rich and gainful Improvement of Friendship You that are Intimates and Familiars look upon your selves as one another's * Gen 4.9 Keepers Take a spiritual Charge one of another †Phil. 2.20 Naturally care for one another's spiritual State ‖ Heb. 13.17 Watch over one another's Souls as they that must give account an Account of one another as well as of your selves that you may do it with Joy and not with Grief Be (*) 2 Cor. 11.2 jealous over one another with a Godly Jealousy and shew your selves such fast Friends to one another's Souls as to do your best to prevent
disabled to do any Work and wholly unfit for Labour and Service What baseness is it to deal worse with God than fair condition'd and ingenuous Men deal one with another * Prov. 3.28 Say not unto thy Neighbour saies Solomon Say not unto God say I Go and come again and to morrow I will give when thou hast it by thee Thou hast thy Endeavours and thy Heart and Affections more by thee now than thou art likely to have hereafter and therefore do not causlesly and trislingly put God off The †Lev. 19.13 Wages of an hired Servant were not to abide with an Israelitish Master all Night until the Morning Nor may we defer the Payment of the Debt which we all ow to our great Landlord when it is at present justly demanded and he cannot in honour remit or forbear it Shall we unworthily and wickedly oppose our Wills to the Wisdom and Will of God who best understands what is the fittest Time and has Right to appoint and Authority to determine the Time of our Work as well as the Work it self When God so plainly saies To day Is it meet for us to say To morrow Shall we continue to delay when we promise so often to break off our Delaies Shall we make God wait who so pathetically calls and cries ‖ Deut. 5.29 O that there were such an Heart in them (*) Jer. 13.27 When shall it once be 'T is unworthy to deal worse with God than we would deal with Men. But how highly unworthy is it to deal worse with God than we have dealt with Sin and with the Devil himself To come on in the Service of God as slowly as a Snail when we used to * Jer. 8.6 turn to our sinful courses as engerly and violently as the Horse rusheth into the Battel To deny God continually what he requires and reasonably expects when we have so frequently satisfied and fulfilled the Desires of the Flesh and not once said Nay to the Devil's Temptations To linger and delay to keep God's Commandments who have made the greatest haste and speed and never in the least delayed to do the Lusts and Works of the Devil Once more What shameful Vnworthiness is it to deal worse with God than God himself deals with us When we stand in need of God God makes no unnecessary Delay Christ is represented as †Cant 2.8 coming leaping upon the Mountains and skipping upon the Hills [e] Bp. Reyn. in loc When the Time of Deliverance is come Christ makes haste and rejoiceth to save and no Mountains nor Hills either of Sin or Misery can stop him And shall we secretly justify maintain and plead for our Delaies by objecting the many Mountains of Difficulties that stand in the waies of Christ's Commands When at any time we want any thing it does not content and satisfy us that God at last will give us the Mercy but we are impatient till he does it We are ready to cry with David ‖ Ps 40.13 17. O Lord make haste to help me make no tarrying O my God We would be loth to be serv'd so by God as we do usually serve God When God himself has no delight to put us off what unworthiness is it for any of us to find in our Hearts to put God off God makes indeed many great and very long Delaies with relation to the Execution of his Judgments But here it is highly disingenuous for us to delay because God delaies Is it not an indication of an ill Nature a plain discovery of a bad Temper for any to defer their Repentance because God defers their Punishment and by prolonging and lengthning out our Disobedience to make God suffer from us because we do not suffer from him What wretched baseness is it to take liberty and encouragement to continue still in an evil way and run on presumptously in a course of Sin because God is merciful patient and long-suffering and * Eccl. 8.11 Sentence against an evil Work is not executed speedily whenas the Goodness and Patience of God should lead and oblige us to speedy Repentance And nothing in the World can possibly appear more unbecoming and a more ungrateful return to the Kindness of Heaven than to be bold to be evil because God is good What can be more contrary to all Ingenuity than to say in your Hearts and signify in your Lives though you will not for shame speak out such a thing that you earnestly desire to have some further Time afforded you to live in Sin and offend God yet a while longer by abusing his Mercies and disobeying his Commands and when all is done to receive at last a general Pardon upon a short and slight Repentance and Confession and without the Trouble of a holy Life or taking any pains in working out your Salvation to be freely and fully made Partakers of the Riches and Treasures of Mercy and Glory Shall we shew our selves so monstrously disingenuous as to delay to repent and obey when in the case of his Judgments God is so gracious as to delay But in the case of his Mercies he is so kind as not to delay to give what he sees we are fit to receive 2. Delaies are unworthy in respect of our selves For 1. The very Act of deferring plainly discovers a false rotten corrupt unsound and unsincere Heart Some are so weak as to think there is somewhat of Goodness in them because they resolve to redeem the Time by becoming penitent and obedient hereafttr But I think it is a Sign of great Baseness A Man that purposes to keep God's Commandments hereafter and delaies to keep and observe them at present the plain truth of it is he has no real honest good Mind to keep them at all He is just like a cheating Debter that puts off the Payment from day to day with good Words and fair Promises not because he really designs to discharge the Debt at the Time appointed but because he never intends to pay it if he can possibly shift and avoid it That which makes you now desirous to defer the Redemption of your Time will make you loth to redeem it hereafter as well as now 2. To delay the Redemption of our Time is very unworthy in respect of our selves because it infers the misimprovement and misemployment of our rational Faculties and the great Abuse of our bodily Members during our Delaies When every one of us have Souls capable of doing God and our Generation good Service what an unworthy thing is it either not to employ or to misemploy the noble Powers of our reasonable Souls which are alwaies fit for higher Services and better Uses than the dilatory Sinner puts them to Does it not too plainly speak a mean and low and base Spirit to chuse to continue a Slave to Sin a Drudg and Bondman to the Devil when thou might'st be busied and set a-work in God's Service and very honourably and gainfully
left to the last Art not thou asham'd saies he to reserve nothing but the Reliques the Dross the Dregs and Refuse for thy self and to set that Time for the bettering of thy Mind and amendment of thy Manners which can be bestowed on nothing else Is it not extreamly late saies he then to begin to live when thou shouldst make an end of Life What is so foolish a Forgetfulness of Mortality as to defer wholsome Counsels to the fiftieth or sixtieth Year of thy Age and to think to enter upon a vertuous Life at such a time as very few have lengthned out their daies to I may here apply those Words of Epicurus commended and adopted by Seneca [i] Quid est turpius quà m senex vivere incipiens Sen. ep 12. in fine What is more uncomely than an Old Man beginning to live Though the Truth is in the case of Godly Living Better late than never But is it any act or part of Wisdom to resolve to begin to redeem the Time at such an Age when thou wilt blush in consideration of thy Years to discover to any thy wonderful shameful gross Ignorance of the things of God in order to thy receiving Information and Instruction and furnishing thy Mind with necessary Knowledg and through Weakness of Understanding and Memory be more uncapable of learning the great things of the Christian Religion and Gospel-Institution than thou wast in thy Younger Time And wilt be backward to attempt so ungrateful a Work as openly to censure the Actions and Carriages of thy past Life and to condemn and discontent thy old Companions by forsaking their Fellowship and taking up a course of Life so wholly different from and directly contrary to theirs And when thou wilt find it so [k] God in Wisdom will have the Conversions of such as have gone on in a course of Sinning especially after Light revealed to be rare and difficult Births in those that are ancienter are with greater danger than in the younger sort Cavendum est vulnus quod dolore curatur Dr. Sibbs's Soul 's Const p 327. tough an undertaking so troublesome and uneasy a task to conquer and master to expel and extirpate inveterate vicious Habits which have been growing all thy Life and to get vertuous Dispositions and gracious Habits introduced and planted in thy Heart Is this to conclude and act rationally to think to turn thy self at large to the full Exercise of all thy Christian Duty when thou art reduc'd to a little Nook and Corner of thy Life What lamentable wretched Folly is it to defer all to an [l] Ante sonectutem curandum est ut homo bene vivat in seâ—â—etute autem ut bene moriatur Sen. Old Age But is not this the most marvellous Folly and Madness of all to adjourn the necessary Work and weighty Business of Redemption of Time to a dying Day and Hour or to put off all to a Death-bed and so to make that the Time of beginning which should be only the Time of renewing Repentance and to cast thy self into such straits in which thou shalt have no time to receive and make use of that variety of God's Grace his preventing restraining assisting furthering quickning strengthning confirming persevering Grace which it is his usual sapiential Method to dispense and afford for the gradual bringing returning Sinners in the way of Obedience and Holy Living to a participation of the great Rewards of a blessed Eternity Yea to conclude and shut up thy self within such narrow Cancels Bounds and Limits wherein thou shalt be utterly unable to discharge and perform a great part of that Duty which the Gospel expresly requires as the ordinary Qualification and common clearly revealed Condition in order to Salvation unable to * Rev. 22.14 do the Commandments of God †14.12 to keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus to do to keep them all when thou shalt want the Objects and Opportunities of performing the several Duties and exercising the several Graces which a course of Obedience plainly includes unable to answer the end of Christ's Death by ‖ 1 Pet. 2.24 living to Righteousness to exercise Chastity Temperance Mortification as acts of Election when thy Body is weak and low and languishing no Lust stirring no Temptation to such a Sin assaulting unable to (*) T it 2.12 live soberly righteously and Godly in this present World to (†) Heb. 12.1 run a Race (‖) Rom. 2.7 patiently to continue in Well-doing * Gal. 6.9 without faintirg For these are things which cannot be dispatch'd on a sudden perform'd in a trice or shrunk up into a narrow scantling so small a pittance of Time How can thy Light sufficiently shine before Men that they may see thy good Works when thy [k] Dr. Tillotson's serm 2. vol. p. 80. Candle is just sinking into the Socket What a wild Fancy and idle Imagination is it to [l] VVhen we are come to the very last cast our Strength is gone our Spirit clean spent our Senses appalled and the Powers of our Soul as numb as our Senses when a General Prostration of all our Powers and the shadow of Death upon our Eyes Then something we would say or do which should stand for our seeking But I doubt it will not serve This is the Time we allow God to seeking him in Is this it would we then seek him when we are not in case to seek any thing else VVould we turn to him then when we are not able to turn our selves in our Bed Or rise early to seek him when we are not able to rise at all Or enquire after him when our Breath faileth us and we are not able to speak three VVords together No Hour but the Hour of Death No Time but when he taketh Time from us and us from it Bp. Andrew's serm p. 180. flatter thy self into the perswasion that some sudden flashings of a passionate Repentance some short gleams of Piety and little scatterings of Devotion a few good Thoughts or Godly Words some weak ineffectual Purposes imperfect Promises fallacious Resolutions or at most the Performance of some single Actions will upon a Death-bed be acceptable to God without habitual Sanctity and an industrious persevering Piety That a few Prayers and Tears Sighs and Groans an extorted Sorrow and enforced Sadness a compulsory Confession of thy Sins and a Gift of Charity left to the Poor out of that Estate which now is [m] Defer not Charities till Death for certainly if a Man weigh it rightly he that doth so is rather liberal of an other Man's than of his own Sir Fr. Bacon's Essaies of Riches p. 2ii Let thy Alms go before and keep Heaven's Gate Open for thee 3 or both may come too late rather another Man 's than thy own since thou thy self art able to keep it no longer That such little slight things as these will serve as a sufficient Composition to be
offer'd to God and prove available to cross and cancel all the Debts and wipe off the many and great Guilts of a fifty or threescore Years Impiety and Iniquity And that the Pardon of all thy Sins will be comfortably sealed and thy Soul be certainly consign'd to the Joys of Paradise and Glory of Heaven by receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper immediatly before thy Departure That if thou canst but form and frame thy shortest Breath to call upon God with these five Words Lord have Mercy upon me but a little before thy last Gasp they will really [n] Dâ—ke prove as powerful and available for the happy Translation of thy Soul to Heaven as the mumbling over those five Words of Consecration Hoc est enim Corpus meum for this is my Body is by the Papists imagined to be effectual for the Transubstantiation of their Host Is this consistent with the use of Reason and Consideration to venture all upon a Death-bed Repentance to take a wilful Course to bring thy self into such a Condition in which thou shalt be utterly unable with all the help that can be afforded thee to find out one Promise or to meet with one Example in the whole Bible that will full reach or plainly and properly speak to thy particular case and afford thee sufficient support relief and Comfort in that dark and dismal Day and Hour Obj. No Promise may some object and say Why what do you make of those Words At what time soever a Sinner doth repent him of his Sins from the bottom of his Heart I will put all his Wickedness out of my Remembrance saith the Lord. Answ For answer give me leave to tell you what others make of these Words and those very great Divines too There are no such Words in the whole Bible saies the very Learned [l] Serm. of the Invalid of a Death bed Rep. part 2. Bp. Taylor nor any nearer to the sense of them than those Words of the Prophet Ezekiel chap. 18.21 But if the Wicked will turn from all his Sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die Or those chap. 33.14 15. in which you shall find Repentance more fully described When I say unto the Wicked Thou shalt surely die If he turn from his Sin and do that which is lawful and right if the Wicked restore the Pledg give again that he had robbed walk in the Statutes of Life without committing Iniquity he shall surely live he shall not die Here only is the condition of Pardon to leave all your Sins to keep all God's Statutes to walk in them to abide to proceed and make progress in them and this without the interruption by a deadly Sin without committing Iniquity to make restitution Satisfaction for all Injury to our Neighbour's Fame all wrongs done to his Soul When this is done according to thy utmost Power then thou hast repented truly then thou hast a title to the Promise Thou shalt surely live thou shalt not die for thy old Sins thou hast formerly committed This Place of Ezekiel is it which is so often mistaken for that common Saying At what time soever c. Repentance as stated by the Prophet cannot be done at what time soever not upon a Man's Death-bed Let that Saying therefore no more deceive you or be made a colour to countenance a persevering Sinner or a Death-bed Penitent And it is observable what a free reflection the judicious Chillingworth in a [m] P. 337. Sermon preached before King Charles the First was bold to make upon that Passage which then stood in the entrance to our Common-Prayer-Book I would to God saies he the Composers of our Liturgy out of a care of avoiding mistakes and to take away Occasion of cavilling our Liturgy and out of Fear of encouraging Carnal Men to security in sinning had been so provident as to set down in Terms the first Sentence taken out of the 18th of Ezekiel and not have put in the place of it an ambiguous and though not in it self yet accidentally by reason of the mistake to which it is subject I fear very often a pernicious Paraphrase for whereas thus they make it At what time soever saith the Lord the plain truth if you will hear it is the Lord doth not say so these are not the very Words of God but the Paraphrase of Men The Words of God are * Ezek. 18.21 where I hope you easily observe that there is no such Word as At what time soever a Sinner doth repent c. and that there is a wide difference between this as the Word repent usually sounds in the Ears of the People and turning from all Sins and keeping all God's Statutes That indeed having no more in it but Sorrow and good Purposes may be done easily and certainly at the last Gasp and it is very strange that any Christian who dies in his right Senses and knows the difference between Heaven and Hell should fail of the performing it but this Work of turning keeping and doing is ordinarily a Work of Time a long and laborious Work but yet Heaven is very well worth it and if you mean to go through with it you had need go about it presently And I find the Reverend and Learned Mr. Robert Bolton expressing himself to the same purpose [n] Mr. Bolton's Instruct for a right coms Affl. Conse pag. 254 255. I marvel saies he that any should be so blindfolded and baffled by the Devil as to embolden himself to drive off until the last by that Place before Confession At what time soever c. Especially if he look upon the Text from whence it is taken which me-thinks being rightly understood and the Conditions well considered is most punctual and precise to fright any from that desperate Folly The Words run thus Ezek. 18.21 22 c. Hence it appears that if any Man expect upon good ground any portion in this pretious Promise of Mercy and Grace he must leave all his Sins and keep all God's Statutes Now what space is left to come to Comfort by keeping all God's Statutes when thou art presently to pass to that highest and dreadful Tribunal to give an exact and strict Account for the continual Breach of all God's Laws all thy Life long But I must desire the Objector to remember that when some Alterations were made by Authority in our Liturgy the Paraphrase was removed and the proper Words of Scripture put in the room of it and now the self-deceiving Procrastinator will not well know what to do for want of a What time soever c. which is nowhere now to be found or met with in all his Bible or Common-Prayer-Book Obj. But a Friend to Delaies may further object and say Though I confess I was out in alledging the Promise yet certainly there is an Example that affords sufficient ground of