What abundance is wasted in entertainments, and unnecessary visits, compliments, ceremony, and servitude to the humours of men of vanity! I speak not for nastiness, uncleanness, and uncomeliness: I speak not for a cynical morosity or unsociableness. When conscience is awakened, and you come to yourselves, and approaching death shall better acquaint you with the worth of time, you will see a mean between these two; and you will wish you had most feared the time-wasting prodigal extreme.[295]

Methinks you should freely give me leave to say, that though Martha had a better excuse than you, and was c.u.mbered about many things for the entertainment of such a guest as Christ himself, (with all his followers,) who looked for no curiosity, yet Mary is more approved of by Christ, who neglected all this, to redeem the time for the good of her soul, by sitting at his feet to hear his word: she chose the better part, which shall not be taken from her. Remember, I pray you, that one thing is necessary: I hope I may have leave to tell you, that if by you or your servants, G.o.d, and your souls, and prayer, and reading the Scriptures, and the profitable labours of an honest calling, be all or any of them neglected, while you or they are neatifying this room, or washing out that little spot, or setting straight the other wrinkle, or are taken up with feminine trifling, proud curiosities, this is preferring of dust before gold, of the least before the greatest things:[296] and to say, that decency is commendable, is no excuse for neglecting G.o.d, your souls, or family, or leaving undone any one greater work, which you or your servants might have been doing that while; I say, any work that is greater all things considered. Oh that you and your families would but live, as those that see how fast death cometh!

how fast time goeth! and what you have to do! and what your unready souls yet want! This is all that I desire of you: and then I warrant you, it would save you many a precious hour, and cut short your works of curiosity, and deliver you from your slavery to pride and the esteem of vain time-wasters.

_Thief_ V. Another time-wasting sin is needless and tedious feastings, gluttony, and tippling: which being of the same litter, I set together.[297] I speak not against moderate, seasonable, and charitable feasts: but alas, in this luxurious, sensual age, how commonly do men sit two hours at a feast, and spend two more in attending it before and after, and not improving the time in any pious or profitable discourse: yea, the rich spend an hour ordinarily in a common meal, while every meal is a feast indeed; and they fare as their predecessor, Luke xvi. deliciously or sumptuously every day.

Happy are the poor, that are free also from this temptation. You spend not so much time in the daily addresses of your souls to G.o.d, and reading his word, and taking an account of the affairs of conscience, and preparing for death, as you do in stuffing your guts, perhaps at one meal. And in taverns and alehouses among the pots, how much time is wasted by rich and poor! O remember, while you are eating and drinking, what a corruptible piece of flesh you are feeding and serving; and how quickly those mouths will be filled with dust! and that a soul that is posting so fast unto eternity, should find no time to spare for vanity; and that you have important work enough to do, which if performed, will afford you a sweeter and a longer feast.

_Thief_ VI. Another time-wasting sin is idle talk. What abundance of precious time doth this consume! Hearken to most men's discourse when they are sitting together, or working together, or travelling together, and you shall hear how little of it is any better than silence: and if not better it is worse. So full are those persons of vanity who are empty, even to silence, of any thing that is good, that they can find and feed a discourse of nothing, many hours and days together; and as they think, with such fecundity and floridness of style, as deserveth acceptance if not applause. I have marvelled oft at some wordy preachers, with how little matter they can handsomely fill up an hour!

But one would wonder more to hear people fill up, not an hour, but a great part of their day, and of their lives, and that without any study at all, and without any holy and substantial subject, with words, which if you should write them all down and peruse them, you would find that the sum and conclusion of them is nothing! How self-applaudingly and pleasingly they can extempore talk idly and of nothing a great part of their lives! I have heard many of them marvel at a poor unlearned christian, that can pray extempore many hours together in very good order and well-composed words. But are they not more to be marvelled at, that can very handsomely talk of nothing ten times as long, with greater copiousness, and without repet.i.tions, and that extempore, when they have not that variety of great commanding subjects to be the matter of their speech? I tell you, when time must be reviewed, the consumption of so much in idle talk, will appear to have been no such venial sin, as empty, careless sinners now imagine.

_Thief_ VII. Another thief which by the aforesaid means would steal your time, is vain and sinful company. Among whom a spiritual physician that goeth to cure them, or a holy person that is full and resolute to bear down vain discourse, I confess may well employ his time, when he is cast upon it, or called to it. But to dwell with such, or choose them as our familiars, or causelessly or for complacency keep among them, will unavoidably lose abundance of your time. If you would do good, they will hinder you; if you will speak of good, they will divert you, or reproach you, or wrangle and cavil with you, or some way or other stop your mouths. They will by a stream of vain discourse, either bear down, and carry you on with them, or fill your ears, and interrupt and hinder the very thoughts of your minds by which you desire to profit yourselves, when they will not let you be profitable to others.

_Thief_ VIII. Another notorious time-wasting thief, is needless, inordinate sports and games, which are commonly stigmatized by the offenders themselves, with the infamous name of pastimes, and masked with the deceitful t.i.tle of recreations; such as are cards and dice, and stage-plays, and dancings, and revellings, and excesses in the most lawful sports, especially in hunting, and hawking, and bowling,[298] &c. Whether all these are lawful or unlawful of themselves, is nothing to the present question; but I am sure that the precious hours which they take up, might have been improved to the saving of many a thousand souls, that by the loss of time are now undone and past recovery. Except malicious enemies of G.o.dliness, I scarce know a wretcheder sort of people on the earth, and more to be lamented, than those fleshly persons, who, through the love of sensual pleasure, do waste many hours day after day in plays and gaming and voluptuous courses; while their miserable souls are dead in sin, enslaved to their fleshly l.u.s.ts, unreconciled to G.o.d, and find no delight in him, or in his service, and cannot make a recreation of any heavenly work. How will it torment these unhappy souls, to think how they played away those hours, in which they might have been pleasing G.o.d, and preventing misery, and laying up a treasure in heaven! And to think that they sold that precious time for a little fleshly sport, in which they should have been working out their salvation, and making their calling and election sure. But I have more to say to these anon.

_Thief_ IX. Another time-wasting thief is excess of worldly cares and business. These do not only, as some more disgraced sins, pollute the soul with deep stains in a little time, and then recede; but they dwell upon the mind, and keep possession, and keep out good: they take up the greatest part of the lives of those that are guilty of them. The world is first in the morning in their thoughts, and last at night, and almost all the day: the world will not give them leave to entertain any sober, fixed thoughts of the world to come; nor to do the work which all works should give place to. The world devoureth all the time almost that G.o.d and their souls should have: it will not give them leave to pray, or read, or meditate, or discourse of holy things: even when they seem to be praying, or hearing the word of G.o.d, the world is in their thoughts; and as it is said, Ezek. x.x.xii. 31, "They come unto thee as the people cometh; and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love; but their heart goeth after their covetousness." In most families there is almost no talk nor doings but all for the world: these also will know, that they had greater works for their precious time, which should have always had the precedency of the world.

_Thief_ X. Another time-waster is vain ungoverned and sinful thoughts.

When men are wearied with vain works and sports, they continue unwearied in vain thoughts; when they want company for vain discourse and games, they can waste the time in idle, or l.u.s.tful, or ambitious, or covetous thoughts alone without any company. In the very night time while they wake, and as they travel by the way, yea, while they seem to be serving G.o.d, they will be wasting the time in useless thoughts: so that this devoureth a greater proportion of precious time, than any of the former. When time must be reckoned for, what abundance will be found upon most men's accounts, as spent in idle, sinful thoughts! O watch this thief; and remember, though you may think that a vain thought is but a little sin, yet time is not a little or contemptible commodity, nor to be cast away on so little a thing as idle thoughts; and to vilify thus so choice a treasure is not a little sin; and that it is not a little work that you have to do in the time which you thus waste. And a daily course of idle thoughts doth waste so great a measure of time, that this aggravation maketh it more heinous than many sins of greater infamy. But of this more in the next part.

_Thief_ XI. Another dangerous time-wasting sin is the reading of vain books, play-books, romances, and feigned histories; and also unprofitable studies, undertaken but for vain-glory, or the pleasing of a carnal or curious mind. Of this I have spoken in my book of "Self-denial." I speak not here how pernicious this vice is by corrupting the fancy and affections, and breeding a diseased appet.i.te, and putting you out of relish to necessary things. But bethink you before you spend another hour in any such books, whether you can comfortably give an account of it unto G.o.d; and how precious the time is, which you are wasting on such childish toys. You think the reading of such things is lawful; but is it lawful to lose your precious time?

You say that your petty studies are desirable and laudable; but the neglect of far greater necessary things is not laudable. I discourage no man from labouring to know all that G.o.d hath any way revealed to be known; but I say as Seneca, We are ignorant of things necessary, because we learn things superfluous and unnecessary. Art is long and life is short: and he that hath not time for all, should make sure of the greatest matters; and if he be ignorant of any thing, let it be of that which the love of G.o.d, and our own and other men's salvation, and the public good, do least require, and can best spare. It is a pitiful thing to see a man waste his time in criticising, or growing wise in the less necessary sciences and arts, while he is yet a slave of pride or worldliness, and hath an unrenewed soul, and hath not learned the mysteries necessary to his own salvation. But yet these studies are laudable in their season. But the fanatic studies of those that would pry into unrevealed things, and the lascivious employment of those that read love-books, and play-books, and vain stories, will one day appear to have been but an unwise expense of time, for those that had so much better and more needful work to do with it. I think there are few of those that plead for it, that would be found with such books in their hands at death, or will then find any pleasure in the remembrance of them.

_Thief_ XII. But the master-thief that robs men of their time is an unsanctified, unG.o.dly heart; for this loseth time whatever men are doing: because they never truly intend the glory of G.o.d; and having not a right principle or a right end, their whole course is h.e.l.l-wards; and whatever they do, they are not working out their salvation: and therefore they are still losing their time, as to themselves, however G.o.d may use the time and gifts of some of them, as a mercy to others. Therefore a new and holy heart, with a heavenly intention and design of life, is the great thing necessary to all that will savingly redeem their time.

_t.i.t._ 5. _On whom this Duty of Redeeming Time is princ.i.p.ally inc.u.mbent._

Though the redeeming of time be a duty of grand importance and necessity to all, yet all these sorts following have special obligations to it.

_Sort_ I. Those that are in the youth and vigour of their time. Nature is not yet so much corrupted in you, as in old accustomed sinners; your hearts are not so much hardened; sin is not so deeply rooted and confirmed; Satan hath not triumphed in so many victories; you are not yet plunged so deep as others, into worldly enc.u.mbrances and cares; your understanding, memory, and strength are in their vigour and do not yet fail you: and who should go fastest, or work hardest, but he that hath the greatest strength? You may now get more by diligence in a day, than hereafter you can get in many. How few prove good scholars, or wise men, that begin not to learn till they are old!

"Flee youthful l.u.s.ts," therefore, 2 Tim. ii. 22. "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth," Eccles. xii. 1. If you be now trained up in the way you should go, you will not depart from it when you are old, Prov. xxii. 6. Oh that you could but know what an unspeakable advantage, and benefit, and comfort it is, to come to a ripe age with the provisions and furniture of that wisdom, and holiness, and acquaintance with G.o.d, which should be attained in your youth! and what a misery it is to be then to learn that which you should have been many years before in practising, and to be then to begin to live when you must make an end! much more to be cast to h.e.l.l, if death should find you unready in your youth! or to be forsaken of G.o.d to a hardened age! Happy they that, with Timothy and Obadiah, do learn the Scripture and fear G.o.d in their childhood, and from their youth, 1 Kings xviii. 12; 2 Tim. iii. 15.

_Sort_ II. Necessity maketh it inc.u.mbent on the weak, and sick, and aged, in a special manner to redeem their time. If they will not make much of it that are sure to have but a little; and if they will trifle and loiter it away, that know they are near their journey's end, and ready to give up their accounts, they are unexcusable above all others. A thief or murderer will pray and speak good words when he is going out of the world. Well may it be said to you, as Paul doth, Rom.

xiii. 11, 12, "Now is it high time to awake out of sleep," when your salvation or d.a.m.nation is so near! It is high time for that man to look about him, and prepare his soul, and lose no time, that is so speedily to appear before the most holy G.o.d, and be used for ever as he has lived here.

_Sort_ III. It is specially inc.u.mbent on them to redeem the time, who have loitered and mispent much time already. If conscience tell you that you have lost your youth in ignorance and vanity, and much of your age in negligence and worldliness, it is a double crime in you, if you redeem not diligently the time that is left.[299] The just care of your salvation requireth it, unless you are willing to be d.a.m.ned.

Ingenuity and duty to G.o.d requireth it; unless you will defy him, and resolve to abuse and despise him to the utmost, and spend all the time against him which he shall give you. The nature of true repentance requireth it; unless you will know none but the repentance of the d.a.m.ned; and begin to repent the misspending of your time, when it is gone, and all is too late.

_Sort_ IV. It is specially their duty to redeem the time, who are scanted of time through poverty, service, or restraint. If poor people that must labour all the day, will not redeem the Lord's day, and those few hours which they have, they will then have no time at all for things spiritual: servants that be not masters of their time, and are held close to their work, had need to be very diligent in redeeming those few hours which are allowed them for higher things.

_Sort_ V. Those that enjoy any special helps either public or private must be specially careful to improve them and redeem the time. Do you live under a convincing, powerful ministry? O improve it and redeem the time; for you know not how soon they may be taken from you, or you from them. Do you live with G.o.dly relations, parents, husband, wife, masters in a G.o.dly family, or with G.o.dly fellow-servants, friends, or neighbours? Redeem the time: get somewhat by them every day: you know not how short this season will be. Do you live where you have books and leisure? Redeem the time: this also may not be long. Had not Joshua been horribly unexcusable if he would have loitered when G.o.d made the sun stand still, while he pursued his enemies? O loiter not you, while the sun of mercy, patience, means, and helps do all attend you.

_Sort_ VI. Those must especially redeem the time who are ignorant, or graceless, or weak in grace, and have strong corruptions, and little or no a.s.surance of salvation, and are unready to die, and have yet all or most of their work to do:[300] if these loiter, they are doubly to blame. Sure the time past of your lives may suffice to have loitered and done evil, 1 Pet. iv. 3. Hath not the devil had too much already?

Will ye stand "all the day idle," Matt. xx. 6. Look home and see what you have yet to do; how much you want to a safe and comfortable death! "Sow to yourselves in righteousness: reap in mercy: break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you," Hos. x. 12.

_Sort_ VII. It much concerneth them to redeem the time, who are in any office, or have any opportunity of doing any special or public good; especially magistrates and ministers of Christ. Your life will not be long: your office will not be long: O bestir you against sin and Satan, and for Christ and holiness, while you may: G.o.d will try you but a time. Let Obadiah hide and feed the prophets when he is called to it, and while he may, that G.o.d may hide him, and not think to shift off duty, and save himself to a better time. Saith Mordecai to Esther, "Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews: for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise from another place, but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther ix. 13, 14. Are you ministers? O preach the gospel while you may: redeem the time: all times are your season: so great a work, and the worth of souls, commandeth you to do it "in season and out of season," 2 Tim. iv. 2. A man that is to save many others from drowning, or to quench a fire in the city, is unexcusable above all men, if he redeem not time, by his greatest diligence and speed.

_Sort_ VIII. Lastly, it is especially inc.u.mbent on them to redeem the time, who, being recovered from sickness, or saved from any danger, are under the obligation both of special mercy and special promises of their own; who have promised G.o.d in the time of sickness or distress, that if he would but spare them and try them once again, they would amend their lives, and live more holily, and spend their time more carefully and diligently for their souls, and show all about them the truth of their repentance, by the greatness of their change, and an exemplary life. Oh it is a most dangerous, terrible thing to return to security, sloth, and sin, and break such promises to G.o.d! Such are often given over to woeful hard-heartedness or despair; for G.o.d will not be mocked with delusory words.

Thus I have opened this great duty of redeeming time the more largely, because it is of unspeakable importance; and my soul is frequently amazed with admiration, that the sluggish world can so insensibly and impenitently go on in wasting precious time, so near eternity, and in so needy and dangerous a case. Though, I bless my G.o.d, that I have not wholly lost my time, but have long lived in a sense of the odiousness of that sin, yet I wonder at myself that such overpowering motives compel me not to make continual haste, and to be still at work with all my might, in a case of everlasting consequence.

FOOTNOTES:

[280] See the directions how to spend every day, part ii. chap. 17.

[281] Ex ipsa vita discedimus, tanquam ex hospitio, non tanquam ex domo: commorandi enim n.o.bis natura diversorium non habitandi domum dedit. Cic. in Cat. Maj.

[282] See my book called "Now or Never"

[283] Mors iis terribilis est, quorum c.u.m vita omnia extinguuntur.

Cicero. Parad. 1.

[284] See the many aggravations of sinful delay in my "Directions for Sound Conversion."

[285] Numb. ix. 2, 3, 7, 13; Exod. xiii. 10.

[286] Deut. xxviii. 12; Jer. v. 24; x.x.xiii. 20.

[287] Hag. i. 2, 4.

[288] 1 Sam. xiii. 8, 9.

[289] Psal. lxx. 5; Lev. xxvi. 4; Jer. v. 24.

[290] Acts vi. 5; Matt. vii. 17; Luke vi. 45; Matt. xii. 34.

[291] 1 Cor. x. 31; Zech. xiv. 20, 21; Rom. vi. 19, 22; Luke i. 75; 1 Tim. v. 5; iv. 5; 2 Tim. ii. 21.

[292] Phil. iii. 11-14.

[293] Nosti mores mulierum: Dum moliuntur, dum comuntur, annus est.

Terent.

[294] Nihil mihi magis quam pompa displicet: non solum quia mala, et humilitati contraria, sed quia difficilis, et quieti adversa est.

Petrarch. in Vita Sua.

[295] Nimia omnia nimium exhibent negotium.

[296] Abundance of little things that have all their conveniences have all their inconveniences also, and take up our time, and so would shut out greater things, if they be not cast aside themselves, and would become great sins by such a consumption of our time, Luke x. 42.

[297] Convivia, quae dic.u.n.tur (c.u.m sint commessationes modestiae et bonis moribus inimicae) semper mihi displicuerunt; laboriosum, et inutile ratus vocare et vocari, &c. Idem.

[298] Laertius saith of Solon, that Thespim tragdias agere et docere prohibuit, inutilem eas falsiloquentiam vocans.

[299] 1 Pet. iv. 3.

[300] Eph. ii. 2.