Page images
PDF
EPUB

or eminence of parts, the vifits may be longer, but yet fo as the time may be profitably spent in useful difcourfe, which carries with it as well profit and advantage as civility and refpect.

8. Be obftinately conftant to your devotions at certain fet times, and be fure to spend the Lord's day entirely in those religious duties proper for it; and let nothing but an inevitable neceffity divert you from it. For, 1. It is the best and most profitable spent time; it is in order to the great end of your being in this world. 2. It is in order to your everlasting happiness; in comparison of which, all other bufineffes of this life are idle and vain; it is that which will give you the greatest comfort in your life, in your fickness, in your death; and he is a fool that provides not for that which will most certainly come. 3. It is the moft reasonable tribute imaginable unto that God, that lends you your Time, and you are bound to pay it under all the obligations of duty and gratitude: And, 4. It is that which will fanctify and profper all the rest of your Time, and your fecular employments. I am not apt to be fuperftitious, but this I have certainly and infallibly found to be true, that by my deportment in my duty towards God in the times devoted to his service, especially on the Lord's Day, I could make a certain conjecture of my fuccefs in my fecular occafions the reft of the week after: If I were loose and negligent in the former, the latter never fucceeded well; if strict, and confcientious, and watchful in the former, I was fuccefsful and profperous in the latter 1.

9. Be induftrious and faithful in your calling. The merciful God hath not only indulged unto us a far greater portion of Time for our ordinary occafions, than he hath referved to himself, but also enjoins and requires our induftry and diligence in it. And remember that you obferve that industry and diligence, not only as civil means to acquire a competency for

This remark cannot be too strongly recommended to the notice of the man of business.

yourself

yourself and your family, but alfo as an act of obedience to his command and ordinance; by means whereof, you make it not only an act of civil converfation, but of obedience to Almighty God, and fo it becomes in a manner spiritualized into an act of religion.

10. Whatever you do, be very careful to retain in your heart a habit of religion, that may be always about you, and keep your heart and your life always as in his presence, and tending towards him. This will be continually with you, and put itfelf into acts, even although you are not in a folemn pofture, of religious worship, and will lend you multitudes of religious applications to Almighty God, upon all occafions and interventions, which will not at all hinder you in any measure in your fecular occafions, but better and further you: It will make you faithful in your calling, even upon the account of an actual reflection of your mind upon the prefence and command of the God you fear and love: It will make you actually thankful for all fucceffes and fupplies; temperate and fober in all your natural actions; just and faithful in all your dealings; patient and contented in all your disappointments and croffes; and actually confider and intend his honour in all you do, and will give a tincture of religion and devotion upon all your fecular employ ments, and turn thofe very actions, which are materially civil or natural, into the very true and formal nature of religion, and make your whole life to be an unintermitted life of religion and duty to God. For this habit of piety in your foul, will not only not lie fleeping and inactive, but almost in every hour of the

day will put forth actual exertings of itself in applica

tions of fhort occafional prayers, thankfgivings, dependence, refort unto that God that is always near you, and lodgeth in a manner in your heart by his fear, and love, and habitual religion towards him. And by this means you do effectually, and in the beft and readieft manner imaginable, doubly redeem your Time. 1. In the lawful exercife of thofe natural and civil concerns which are not only permitted, but in a

R 3

4

great

great measure enjoined by Almighty God. 2. At the fame time exercifing acts of religious duties, obfervance and veneration unto Almighty God, by perpetuated, or at least frequently reiterated, though fhort acts of devotion to him. And this is the great art of Christian chymistry, to convert thofe acts that are materially natural or civil, into acts truly and formally religious; whereby the whole course of this life is both truly and interpretatively a fervice to Almighty God, and an uninterrupted state of religion, which is the best and nobleft, and moft univerfal redemption of Time.

11. Be very careful to prefer those actions of your life that most concern you; be fure to do them chiefly, to do them most. Let thofe things, that are of lefs moment, give place to thofe things that are of greatest moment. Every man of the most ordinary prudence, having many things to do, will be fure to be doing of that firft and chiefeft which most concerns him, and which being omitted, and poffibly wholly disappointed, might occafion his most irreparable lofs. We have, it is true, many things to be done in this life, ars longa, vita brevis ; and we have feafons and opportunities for them; but of these many things, fome are barely conveniencies for this life; fome, though they feem more neceffary, yet ftill they rife no higher, nor look further, nor ferve longer, but only for the meridian of this life, and are of no poffible use in the next moment after death. The pleasures, the profits, the honours, the most florid accommodations of great human learning, ftately houses and palaces, goodly poffeffions, greatest honours, highest reputation, deepest policy, they are fitted only to this life; when death comes, they are infignificant pitiful things, and ferve for nothing at all the very next moment after death; nay the diseases and pains, and languifhings that are the preludia 2 of death, render them perfectly vain, if not vexatious and torturing. But there are certain bufineffes that are not only excellently useful in this

art is long, life is short. 2 harbingers.

life,

life, but fuch as abide by us in ficknefs, in death; nay
'go along with us with fingular comfort into the next
life, and never leave us, but ftate us in an eternal state
of reft and happiness, fuch as may be with much ease
acquired in the times of health and life, but very
difficult to be attained in the time of fickness, and
the hour of death, but never to be forgotten af-
ter death, such as are of that neceffity, that in
comparison of them, all other things are impertinent
and vain, if not defperately noxious and hurtful.
There is no neceffity for me to be rich, and to be
great in the world; to have fuch a title of honour,
fuch a place of dignity or profit; to leave fuch an in-
heritance or titular dignity to my fon; or to have fo
many thousand pounds in my inventory, when I die.
But there are certain matters of abfolute neceffity to
me, fuch as if I am without, I am undone and loft,
and yet fuch as if not attained here in this life, can ne-
ver be attained: and therefore, as it concerns me in
the highest degree to attain them, fo it concerns me
in the highest degree to attain them in this life, and to
take all opportunities imaginable in order thereunto,
and to redeem every minute of Time for that purpose,
left I fhould be for ever difappointed; and not be
like the foolish virgins, to be getting of oil when the
door is ready to be fhut; and with the truant-scholar,
to trifle away my time allotted me for my leffon,
and then to begin to learn it when my master calls
for me to repeat it; and those bufineffes are fuch as
thefe: The knowledge of Chrift Jefus, and him cru-
cified; the attainment of faith in God through him,
the acquaintance of myfelf with the will of God; the
comporting of myself with that will; the exercise of
true and ferious repentance for fins paft; the steady
refolution of obedience to his will for the Time to
come; the attaining of the pardon of my fins, and
peace with God through Christ our Lord; the fubdu-

ing of my lufts and corruptions; the conformation of

my will and life to the holy will of God, and the per

R 4

fect

fest pattern of holiness, Chrift Jefus; the working out my falvation with fear and trembling; the giving all diligence to make my calling and election fure; the fitting and purging of myfelf to be a veffel of glory and immortality, and fitted for the use of my great Lord and Mafter; the cafting myself into fuch a frame and posture of mind and life, that I may be fitted and ready to die, and give up my account to my Lord with peace and cheerfulness, and comfort; fo that if I fhould, either by the hand of fome disease or cafualty, or other providence, receive this folemn meffage, Set thy boufe in order, for thou shalt die, I might receive it with as much readinefs, willingness and cheerfulness, as a faithful and diligent fervant would receive this command from his mafter; You must take fuch a journey for me to-morrow. Thefe, and fuch like bufineffes as thefe, befides the constant tenor of a just, virtuous, and pious life, are the most inportant bufinefles of a Chriftian. Firft, Such as are of abfolute neceffity to him, he may not, he cannot be without them. Secondly, Such as cannot be done elsewhere than in his life. This world is the great laboratory for perfecting of fouls for the next; if they are not done here, they cease to be done for ever; death shuts the door, and everlaftingly feals us up in that state it finds us. Thirdly, And every feafon of this life is not at least so fuitable for it: fickness and pain, and wearifome and froward old age have business enough of themselves to entertain us; and any man that hath had experience of either, will find he hath enough to do to bear them, or to ftruggle with them. And, fourthly, We know not whether the grace and oppor tunities that God hath lent us, and we have neglected in our lives, fhall ever be afforded again to us in the times of our fickneffes, or upon our death-beds, but a little portion of time in our lives and healths are furnifhed with thoufands of invitations and golden opportunities for thefe great works. Let us therefore re

deem

« PreviousContinue »