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
which are of so strange and weighty an importance that the * 1 Pet. 1 1◠Angels themselves desire [o] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is an Allusion to the Cherubims which were made with their Eyes looking down towards the Mercy-Seat slooping down to look to peep and pry into them In gaining Knowledg and Understanding of the Wisdome Counsel Mind and Will of God In acquainting our selves with the Rule of our Lives in learning the Laws of the Kingdome and studying the Statutes of Heaven in using the Means of getting and growing in saving Grace in opening and reading our Elder Brother's Will and Testament in sucking those full Breasts of strong Consolation and in drawing the refreshing Water of Life out of those Wells of Salvation Let it be the shame and sorrow and trouble of our Souls that we have been careless of the Scriptures in any part of our whole Lives [p] In his Life written by Mr. W. Durham p. 2. Dr. Robert Harris President of Trinity-Colledg in Oxford was not a little afflicted to his dying day that even in his Childhood he was more willing of play than of reading the Scriptures to his pious Parents at their Call And let 's lament and sadly lay to heart the slight Thoughts that too many have of the holy Scriptures and their gross neglect and great disregard of the precious and venerable Book of God Mr. Fuller in his [p] Pag. 148. History of the University of Cambridge does give us a Relation of an excellent Meditation of the Reverend Dr. Richard Holdesworth which the Relater himself heard drop from him a little before his expiring I admire saies he at David 's gracious Heart who so often in Scripture but especially in the 119th Psalm extolleth the Worth and Value of the Word of God and yet Quantillum Scripturae how little of the Word had they in that Age the Pentateuch or five Books of Moses the Book of Job and some of the Hagiography a little of other holy Writ How much have we now thereof since the accession of the Prophets but especially of the New Testament and yet alas the more we have of the Word of God the less it is generally regarded Lastly let 's do our honest and utmost endeavour to win and draw others on to the Love and Liking to the Reading and Studying of the sacred Scriptures * Deut. 6.6 7. Let them be in thine Heart and teach them diligently unto thy Children and talk of them when thou sittest in thine House and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thon risest up †4.9 Teach them thy Sons and thy Son's Sons ‖ Gen. 18.19 Command thy Children and engage thy Houshold and Servants to reade the Scriptures and to mind what they reade and allow them Time for so necessary a Duty and let not any in thy Family want a Bible for their Use and Benefit [q] The Life of Dr. Rob. Harris written by Mr. W. Durham pag. 57. In all the Wills made by the forementioned Dr. Robert Harris this Legaey was alwaies renewed Item I bequeath to all my Children and their Childrens Children to each of them a Bible with this Inscription None but Christ The eighth Direction If we would effectually redeem the Time we must give our selves to frequent and serious [a] Meditatio soror lectionis nutrix orationis directrix oporis emntumque pariter perfectio consummatrix Gerson Meditation Meditation is more excellent than mere Study for the End of Meditation is not the filling our Heads with Notions but the quickening of our Affections and strengthning of our Resolutions the warming of our Hearts and putting them upon Duty the bringing them to an inward lively Sense of God to the Love and Fear of God to Thankfulness and Obedience to him to the Enjoyment of him and Fellowship and Communion with him Let 's use and inure our selves [b] See Dr. T. Goodwin of the Vanity of Thoughts pag. 8 9 10. to raise and extract holy Observations and spiritual Considerations from all ordinary Occurrences and Occasions and as the Bee sucks Honey out of every Flower let 's endeavour to distil heavenly and savory sweet and useful Meditations out of all God's Dealings with us and Dispensations towards us out of all Accidents that befall us or any about us out of the Things we see hear or hear of and out of all the Objects that any way come into our Thoughts This was the Practice of our blessed Saviour when he came to * Joh. 4. a Well he took occasion to discourse of the Water of Life And this has likewise been the Vsage of the most eminent practical Christians The Reverend and holy [c] His Life among Clark's Lives of ten em Div. p. 166 167. Mr. Jeremy Whitaker as he was riding with one of his intimate Friends by Tiburn which he had not seen or not observ'd before he asked what that was and being answered that it was Tiburn where so many Malefactors had lost their Lives he stop'd his Horse and utter'd these Words with much Affection O what a shame is it that so many thousands should die for the Satisfaction of their Lusts and so few be found willing to lay down their Lives for Christ Why should not we in a good Cause and upon a good Call be ready to be hanged for Jesus Christ It would be an everlasting Honour and it is a thousand times better to die for Christ to be hanged or to be burn'd for Christ than to die in our Beds When we are riding walking sitting alone in the day time or when we are awake in the night season let us commune with our own Hearts and fill up such spaces of Time and employ such Spare-Hours in holy Thoughts of the best Things yea let us set some Time apart for the solemn Duty of Meditation That which comes into our Souls by Meditation is like a Shower of Snow which falls soft and sinks deep 'T is a good Saying of St. Austin Intellectus cogitabundus principium omnis boni A thinking Mind is a Principle productive of all good [d] Dr. Annesly M. E. Serm. i. p. 9. The Father of a Prodigal lying on his Sick and Death-bed straitly charg'd his only Son that he would spend a Quarter of an Hour every day in serious solitary Thoughts leaving to himself the particular Subject of his retired Meditation The Son accordingly following this Advice at last cast in his Thoughts what might be his Father's Intention in such Injunction He concluded that his Father being a wise and a good Man designed to direct and lead his Thoughts to the consideration of somewhat of Religion which did so mightily operate upon him that he quickly became rationally religious Upon all Occasions particularly and especially often meditate and frequently think of the four last Things Death Judgment Heaven and Hell the serious Thoughts of which
natural Infirmities not to cause moral Distempers as means to * Eccl. 10.17 sustain and refresh our Bodies that our Bodies may be fit to serve our Souls and our selves may be enabled with vigour and alacrity to serve and honour God in the proper Duties of our particular Places We should eat our Bread before God as the Expression is Exod. 18.12 that is not only as in the sight of God but as the * 1 Cor. 10.31 Apostle speaks whether we eat or drink we should do all to the Glory of God Remember to direct these natural Actions to spiritual Ends and to make them an occasion of some Exercise of Religion Be never wanting to beg a Blessing of God before you eat And when you sit at Table as [h] Cùn manducas nequaquam totus manduces sed corpore tuo suam refectionem postulante mens suam non negligat memoria suavitatis Domini vel Scripturarum poscat Meditationes Bernard St. Bernard advises be not wholly employed in eating and drinking but your body requiring and receiving its due repast let not your Mind neglect its proper refection Refresh your Soul when you feed your Body and use such holy Meditations as may keep and preserve you from †Jam. 5.5 Rom. 13.14 nourishing your Hearts from ministring fuel to your Lusts and making provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof [i] Fox Act. and Mon. 2 vol. p. 1457. Mr. Fox reports of the holy Bradford that in the midst of Dinner he used often to muse with himself having his Hat over his Eyes from whence came commonly plenty of Tears dropping on his Trencher Whenever you recruit and repair your Nature strive then to provoke and stir up in thy self and others ‖ Mat. 5 6. hungrings and thirstings after Righteousness Remember meditate and discourse of the Sweetness of Christ of the refreshing strengthning Ordinances of Christ of being (*) Ps 36.8 abundantly satisfied with the Fatness of God's House and of drinking of the River of his Pleasures of feeding and living by Faith on the Promises of the Gospel and receiving the * Rom. 15.4 Comforts of the Scriptures With Job †Job 23.12 esteem the Words of God's Mouth more than thy necessary Food or appointed Portion With David acknowledg the Laws and Judgments of God to be ‖ Ps 19.10 sweeter than Honey and the Honey-comb than the sweetest and purest Honey Think and speak of the (*) Joh 6.48 50 51 55. living Bread which came down from Heaven of the Bread of Life the (†) Rev. 21.6 22.17 Water of Life of spiritual (‖) Isa 55.1 Wine and Milk * 1 Pet. 2.2 Desire the sincere Milk of the Word that you may grow thereby Have a longing Mind to that spiritual Food which is Meat indeed and Drink indeed Taste and relish the †Rev. 2 17. hidden Manna Delight thy self in the serious Fore-thoughts of ‖ Mat 8.11 sitting down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven of (*) Luke 22.30 eating and drinking at Christ's Table in his Kingdom Raise and lift up thy Mind to the Celestial Table strengthen and sharpen thy Appetite to the most delicious heavenly Banquets Let the Consideration and Hope of the spiritual Joys and purer higher Pleasures of the other World cause thee to despise these gross and brutish Pleasures to say in the Words and with the Affection and Spirit of Mr. Herbert [k] Home What is this weary World this Meat and Drink That chains us by the Teeth so fast [l] Church-porch p. 5. Look on Meat think it Dirt then eat a Bit. And say withal Earth to Earth I commit Entertain thy self with better fare and richer cheer Thank God you have * Joh. 4.32 Meat to eat which the World knows not of Let others †6.27 labour for the Meat which perisheth but do thou resolve rather to labour for that Meat which endureth to everlasting Life Account and reckon it thy Meat and Drink with thy blessed ‖ 4.34 Saviour to do the Will of thy heavenly Father And with (*) 4.31 32. him have a greater care of making provision for others Souls than of supplying thy own bodily Necessities When at usual seasons thou nourishest thy Body be sure thou doest not then forget to (†) 1 Tim 4.6 nourish up thy self and others in (‖) 6.3 wholesome Words in the Words of Faith and of good Doctrine which is according to Godliness Even while thou arc feeding thy Body as thou hast occasion and opportunity let thy * Prov. 10.21 Lips feed many I remember Cicero introduceth Cato giving this good account of himself that he loved to feast with his Friends and Neighbours not so much for the [m] Neque enim ipsorum convivtorum delectationem corporis voluptatibus magis quà n catu amicorum sermonibus metiebar Bene enim majores nostri c. Ego verò proster sermonis delectationem tempestivis conviviis delector c. Cicero de senect corporal Pleasure of eating and drinking as for the delight and refreshment of the good Discourses that were used among them at such Meetings And Tertullian informs us that much of Religion was mingled with the Meals the very common Meals of the Primitive Christians That they did not offer to [m] Non priùs discumbitur quà m oratio ad Deum praegustetur It a suturaatur ut qui meminerint etiam per noctem ado andum Deum sibiesse c. Aequè oratio convivium duimit non tam coenam coenaverint quà m disciplinam Tert. Apol. c. 39 take their Meat before they had tasted the spiritual sweetnesses of Prayer and Devotion That they fed as those who well remembred that they were to go upon their Knees to God before they went to Bed and therefore narrowly watch'd over themselves that no degrees of Intemperance at Supper might dull and indispose them to the Duty of Prayer and unfit them for the Worship and Service of God that night That they talk'd and confer'd as those that knew God heard And after Supper as any was able either out of the holy Scriptures or out of his own Invention he was called forth into the midst of the Company to sing a Psalm or Hymn to God which was a manifest Proof what temperate measures he had at that Meeting kept in drinking having loaden neither his Stomach nor his Understanding Prayer in like manner dismiss'd the Company who then departed with setled dispositions and sirm resolutions to lead most modest chast vertuous godly Lives as those who at that very season had not so much made a Meal as kept a Discipline had at that time been at a Lecture rather than at a Supper and then had more replenish'd their Souls than satisfied their Bodies And both [n] In ipsa mensa magis lect onem vel disputationem quà n epu ationem
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
assisted him [l] In his Life centracted and translated out of French by Mr. Edward Stern Fellow of P. Hall in Cambridg among Mr. Clark's Lives p. 74. fol. I have a great Account to make having received much and profited little So the painful and pious Dr. Robert Harris when a Friend told him in his Sickness Sir you may take much comfort in your Labours you have done much good His Answer was [m] In his Life written by Mr. W. Durham p. 55 56. Oh! I am an unprofitable Servant I have not done any thing for God as I ought Loss of Time sits heavy upon my Spirit Work work apace Assure your selves nothing will more trouble you when you come to dy than that you have done no more for God who has done so much for you Yea the Reverend and holy Bp. Vsher a most laborious and sedulous Servant of God a Prodigy of Industry a Person that never was known to lose an Hour by was ever employed in his Master's Business either praying preaching studying writing reading or hearing others reade to him either resolving of Doubts or exhorting instructing giving good wholsome and holy Counsel to such as came to visit him yet as [n] Pag. 110. Dr. Bernard relates in his Life the very last Words that ever he was heard to utter in praying for Forgiveness of Sins were these But Lord in special forgive my Sins of Omission If the choicest Saints on Earth the faithfullest Servants of God in the World who have surpassed and transcended us by many Degrees do close and end their Lives with an humble Confession and earnest Petition for Forgiveness and Pardon of their Sins of Omission Surely then we have reason to conclude that we our selves do what we can shall repent at last of doing too little and not repent and complain of having done too much And if those that have well redeem'd their Time complain especially at the Hour of Death that they have lost too much of it What a case then will the careless negligent World be in when their sleepy Consciences shall be roused and awakened and they be hastened and hurried out of this world and their Souls and Bodies shall be just a parting and they shall look behind them upon an idle loose and lazy Life and look before them upon a dreadful horrible terrible Judgment I have done with the Motives to press you to the Duty In the next place I shall give you some Directions which may be so many Means to help you to regain the Time and redeem the Opportunity Take these twelve following CHAP. VII Direction 1. If ever we would redeem the Time we must endeavour to be throughly convinc'd 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 Considering what precious Thoughts the more improved Heathens had of Time And what damned Spirits and dying Persons who have not made their Peace with God think of Time Direct 2. If we would well redeem the Time we must often examine our selves and call our selves to a serious strict Account for the spending of our Time This was the Precept of Pythagoras and Cicero and the Practice of Sextius Seneca 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 Stand much in aw of thy own Conscience which will either acquit and absolve thee or surely judg and condemn thee 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 The apprehension of God's all-seeing all-searching Eye will be of excellent Vse and Advantage to us at 4 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 that God stands by and sees your dealings 3. Consider this in your secret Retirements and in your private Families 4. Whenever we come to the publick Worship of God let us seriously consider that we stand in his Presence and are in his eye 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 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 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 of secret Prayer and Family-Prayer 2. Be ready to betake thy self to Prayer upon special extraordinary emergent Occasions 3. Vse thy self to frequent suddain ejaculatory Prayers to God 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 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 that Time past which the Scripture gives us the History and Account of 2. Our reading the holy Books of Scripture is a well improving the present time that is imployed in this religious Duty for 't is an honouring of God and a means of attaining divine Knowledg heavenly Grace and spiritual Comfort 3. It is moreover a means and help to the right redeeming of our Time for the future Direct 8. If we would effectually redeem the Time we must give our selves to frequent and serious Meditation Set some Time apart for this Duty Think of the 4 last things especially 1. Of Death of the Day of thy own particular Death and of the Time of the General Dissolution of this World 2. Of the Day of Judgment 3. Of the Joys of Heaven 4. Of the Torments of Hell 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 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 Direct 11. We must remember and consider perform and answer our solemn Sacramental Vows and Sick-bed-Promises and Resolutions Direct 12. Lastly If we would redeem the Time we must not give way to any Delay but strengthen and settle our Resolution against any farther procrastination The First Direction IF ever we would redeem the Time we must endeavour to be throughly convinced of the great Value and real Worth of Time Consider 1. How precious Time is in respect of the Price paid for it That
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-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
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
quo nemo te eji iâ—t sub evabunt Sen. de brev vit c. 14 15. There is not one of these but will call thee to hear them speaking to thee not any one of them but if you come to them will send you away more happy and more in love with them none of them will suffer you to go empty-handed away from them They may be met and spoken with visited and conversed with by all both Day and Night None of these will press you to die presently but all will teach you to die well at last None of these will waste your Years but will readily contribute and give their own to you for your Use and Service Profit and Benefit None of their Discourse will ever be dangerous none of their Friendship will prove pernicious your Acquaintance with them and Observance of them will not be costly and chargeable to you You may receive what you want and carry away what you will from them They will never hinder you from drawing as much out of them as you are capable of containing What an happy and lovely old Age is like to befal him who has given himself into their Tuition He will have those continually at hand with whom he may deliberate both of the smallest and greatest Matters whom he may daily advise with about himself from whom he may hear the Truth without Reproach by whom he may be commended without Flattery and after whose Similitude he may form and fashion himself These will set you in the way that will surely bring you to an happy Eternity and will mount you up into that Place out of which none shall be able to eject you This is in a sense a gaining of a great deal of Time that is past and an happy converting it to our own spiritual Profit and Use Our perusing the notable useful Histories and instructive Passages of the sacred Pages will after a sort make all that Time [c] Animus humanus arctam aetatem sibi dari non sinit Omnes inquit anni mei sunt nulium saecalum magnis ingentis clusam est nullum non cogitationi pervium tempus Seneca epist 102. ours and serve in a manner as much to our advantage as if we our selves had liv'd in the several Ages in which those eminently pious Persons appeared and acted that are recorded in sacred Writ 2. Our Reading the holy Books of scripture is a proper redeeming that Time in particular which is denied to worldly Profit or Pleasure and applied to such a spiritual Use It is a good husbanding and well improving the present Time that is spent and employed in this religious Duty for this is our Attendance on an Ordinance of God and in that respect an honouring of God It is also a Means of attaining divine Knowledg heavenly Grace and spiritual Comfort 1. Divine Knowledg By reading the Scripture we may be taught of God and come to be acquainted with the Mind and Will of our supreme Ruler and Governour with the righteous Laws of our Creator and Redeemer There we may sind * Ps 119.105 a Light unto our Feet and a Lanthorn unto our Paths a Pillar of Fire by Night to conduct us through the Wilderness unto Canaan a Star still before us to lead us unto Christ From thence we may receive suitable and seasonable Information Resolution Direction if with holy David we take God's Testimonies for our * Ps 119.24 Counsellers The Scriptures are apt to preserve and powerful to reduce Men from erroneous Opinions as Junius was mightily wrought upon and with clear Conviction and full Satisfaction recovered out of Atheism and converted to the Truth by reading the Beginning of [d] Lego partem capitis ita commoveor legens ut repentè divinitatem argum nti ser pti majest tem authoritatémque senserim longo intervabo omnibus eloquentiae humanae sluminilus praeeantem c. Junius ipse in descript vit suae St. John's Gospel The Scriptures are †2 Tim. 3.15 able to make us wise unto Salvation to make us so wise as to become truly good For 2. Our reading the Scripture is a means of obtaining heavenly Grace The holy Scripture is apt to terrify and affright the Sinner out of the Way of Sin The pure and clean Word of God is able to make thee pure and clean The holy just and good Law of God is able to make thee holy just and good St. Austin in his younger Years was an incontinent Person but being at length admonished by this Voice Tolle lege tolle lege take up the Book and reade he presently caught up and opened [e] Cod. cem Apestols St. Paul's Epistles and happily first cast his Eyes upon those Words in the thirteenth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans ‖ Rom. 13.13 14. Not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not Provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof With which his Heart was powerfully affected and touched to purpose [f] Nec ultra volui legere nec epus erat c. Jam liber erat animus meus à curis mordacibus ambiends acquirendi volutandi atque scalpendi scabiem libidinum Aug. Conf. l. 8. c. 12. §. 3. l. 9 c. 1. §. 2. I had no need to reade any further saies he How sweet and pleasant did I presently find it to want those trifling Pleasures of Sin How glad was I now to let go quite what a little before I was so much afraid to lose Thou didst make those seeming Sweetnesses vanish O Christ Jesus who art the true and highest Sweetness and didst come thy self in their Room and Stead sweeter than all the Pleasures in the World The Word of God's Grace is that holy * 1 Pet. 1.23 Seed of which you may be born again and is able when once you are truly converted from Sin and the World to God to †Acts 20.32 build you up and to give you an Inheritance among all them which are sanctified 3. Out reading the Scripture is a ready Way and proper Means of finding spiritual Peace and Comfort [g] Locus ille Pauli suit mihi verè porta Paradisi That Place of Paul was truly to me the Gate of Paradise So said Luther of the 17th Verse of the first Chapter to the Romans The Righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel from Faith to Faith as it is written The Just shall live by Faith Mr. Bilney or rather St. Bilney as [h] In his first Sermon before the Dutches of Suffolk fol. 5. Fox Act. and Mon. 2 v. p. 919. Father Latimer did not stick to stile him that holy and blessed Martyr of God that suffer'd Death for God's Word's sake was raised and revived cheered and refreshed by the 15th Verse of the first Chapter of the first to Timothy He confesses of himself
is the sincere Milk and strong Meat by which you may grow and be daily nourished the Wine with which you may be refreshed when weak the Physick with which you may be cured when sickâ— the Sword of the Spirit with which you may defend your selves when assaulted and resist and repel your spiritual Enemies Will you not readily and gladly repair to the Precepts which counsel you in all your Doubts and quicken you in all your Deadness and get and keep a spiritual Acquâ—lâ—tance with those exceeding great and precious Pronâ—â—ses that strengthen and stay relieve and refresh support and comfort you in all your Sorrow and Afflictions Troubles and Trials Dejection and Heart-breakings Disquietments and Discouragements Me-thinks a Man should never take up the Bible when he reads in private but with the greatest Comfort and Joy that can be and should say within himself Here 's that which very plainly proposeth the most excellent End and withal the most proper and sure Means to reach and attain it which clearly holds forth a sufficient Rule of Faith and Life which plentifully affords me most admirable Precepts and most select exact Patterns of exercising Graces and performing Duties most rare Exemplars of strong believing and holy Living Here 's that which contains the grand Charter of all my Spiritual and Heavenly Priviledges Here 's that that keeps me from Horrour and Despair notwithstanding all my Sin and Guilt Here 's that that teaches me how to live and that makes me able to think of Death without sinking and dying at the Thoughts of it Here 's that that makes me hold my Head above Water in the blackest Hour and saddest Condition that can befal me Love and delight in the Scriptures chiefly and especially for their Sanctity and Purity because they reveal and discover the holy Nature and Law of God the Necessity and Beauty of Holiness the Evil and Folly and Danger of Sin and are apt to win and draw us off from Sin and to bring us to a real universal Conformity to the Will of God and to a Participation of the Divine Nature an happy Participation of God's Holiness And apply thy self to the daily reading and diligent studying of the holy Scriptures with a sincere Desire to [b] This is the thankful Glass that mends the Lookers Eyes this is the VVell that washes what it shews Herb. Poem H. Script be made really holy in Heart and Life by them to be transform'd and renewed assimilated and made like to God by them to be conformed to Scripture-Precepts and Examples and to gain a Frame of Heart and a Conversation and Course of Life every way becoming the Gospel of Christ Whenever thou takest the Bible into thy Hand to reade a Chapter or any Portion of Scripture lift up thy Heart to God and say Now let me be made * Jo. 15.3 clean through the Word which thou shalt speak unto me Now let me be †17.17 sanctified through thy Word of Truth and Holiness Now let me gain some Degree of Grace and make some Improvement and Proficiency in Holiness by thy holy Word by this sacred Writ Allot and allow and ordinarily employ some Portion of Time every day for reading and considering the holy Scriptures If we don't in a manner task our selves usually to observe some certain set Times for this Use and Purpose our slothful Hearts will easily admit yea catch at any trifling Excuse to put by the Performance of this Duty and by Degrees we shall be drawn to an habitual Neglect of it We should therefore charge and enjoin our selves not to dispense with our stated Hours but upon very necessary and just Occasions and in such Cases be very careful that what we were forc'd to omit at such a Time we faithfully and honestly endeavour to supply and make up another It is convenient to reade commonly if it may be some portion of Scripture every Morning and every Evening [c] Luxin's Introduct to the holy Script p. 28. A worthy Divine well observes that our reading some Scripture in the Morning will be a good Antidote against the Infection of those Corruptions which we live amongst and is apt to fortify us against the Temptations of the ensuing Day as those who live where there is any Contagion do usually drink something in the Morning to prevent Infection And our reading Scripture in the Evening will be a means to compose our Minds and furnish us with matter of Meditation for the Night-season as Cattel feed towards the Evening that they may have something to ruminate or chew over again when they lie down to take their Rest That nothing may prove an Hindrance and impediment in this Employment 1. Redeem the Time from unnecessary wordly Businesses Nay let no ordinary Occasions of your Calling make you generally careless and negligent of the sacred Scriptures Do not idly pretend want of Leisure to reade the weightiest Matters in the World things of greatest Importance and nearest Concernment to your immortal Souls They that enjoy much Leisure from worldly Assairs God expects that such should employ and bestow more of their Time in this spiritual Exercise Yet they that have fullest Business and fewect Spare-hours cannot wholly be exempted from this Duty 'T is very remarkable that the * Deut. 17.18 19 20. King himself was expresly commanded to write him a Copy of the Law in a Book to write out the Book of Deuteronomy which is a Compendium of the Law yea to write out the whole Pentateuch saies [d] Totum Pentateuchum tenebatur describere primùm ut Israel ta quivis deinde iterum ut Rex ut sciret in privatis in publicis negotiis Legem sibi sequendam Sic legere eam debebat sibi peivatim in Templo audiente populo ut sciret populus neminem à lege excipi Grot. in loc Grotius to write it with his own Hand saies Philo that the divine Precepts might be the better imprinted and fastened in his Mind It was to be with him and he was to reade therein all the Daies of his Life notwithstanding the Multiplicity and Greatness of the Affairs of his Kingly Office 2. Redeem the Time from fruitless Pleasures from Play-Books Romances Fansyful Poems feigned Stories common Histories witty or elegant Speeches Never suffer these or the like to fill your Hands to entertain your Eyes to please your Phansies to get into your Hearts so as to keep the sacred Scriptures and divine Oracles out of your Hands and Hearts Alexander would find Time to reade Homer even in the Camp and chose to lay up Homer's Poems in a most precious Casket taken out of the Spoils of Darius And the Emperour Aelius Verus was so in love with Ovid de arte amandi as to reade it in his Bed and to lay it under his Pillow when he went to sleep But these were utterly ignorant of the Scriptures O let not us Christians have
potation◠nque d ligebat c. Poslidonius de vita August Possidonius and [o] Mensam habebat magis srugiseris sermonibus quà m exqu sitis e luliis opiparam Eóque firè velsacram lectionem adhibebat mensae vel de re quaptam frugisera commentabatur ut non minùs ammt convivarum resi erentur quà n cerpora Lrasm epist ad archiep Toletan ante Op. August Erasmus certify us concerning St. Austin that he had a Table richly furnish'd rather with fruitful Discourses than exquisite Dainties That he took great care that their Table-talk should be serious and pious or some way profitable at least charitable and innocent To which end he ordered that a certain Distich or two Verses should be written on it or hung at it as a necessary Law forbidding those that fed at his Table to gnaw the good Names of others or to fasten their Teeth in them by back-biting of them by detracting from or speaking evil of absent Persons A Disease as Erasmus there well observes almost peculiar to those who otherwise make a profession of Piety when nothing is more alien from true Piety for this Pest usually steals upon Men under a shew of Probity and guise of Goodness while it would appear to be an hatred of Vices and a Zeal of Vertue Which great Evil was so abhorr'd by this holy Man that sometimes he would not yield to the Authority of the very Bishops but when some of his most familiar Fellow-Bishops were forgetful of that Writing and spake what was not agreeable to the Direction of it he would very sharply reprehend them and be so mov'd as to tell them Let them either blot out those written Verses or he would rise from the Table in the midst of his Refection and go to his Chamber if they would not forbear such Tales and Stories He would not suffer his Table to be polluted with such Talk but either required some Scripture to be read while he sat at Table or held some useful Disputation or discours'd concerning some fruitful Matter at Meals that the Minds of his Guests might be no less refresh'd than their Bodies How instructive and edifying were the Table-colloquies of the excellent Luther and the holy Mr. Greenham And [p] In the Life of Bp. Usher p. 57 58. Dr. Bernard acquaints us that the Discourses which daily fell from Bp. Usher at his Table in the clearing of Difficulties in the Scripture and other Subjects especially when learned Men came to visit him were of great advantage to such as were capable of them To others he would apply and accommodate himself with wonderful Humility and Condescention to their meaner Capacities to inform and satisfy their Minds and to work upon their Affections in practical Matters and in his Discourses would sometimes rather incline toward such than to others more learned It put me often in mind saies that worthy Doctor of that Speech of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon Happy are these thy Servants that continually stand about thee and hear thy Wisdom We should all ordinarily stir up our selves to use savoury Expressions and shew holy Affections when we are eating We should still taste and commend the Goodness of God in the variety of his Creatures we partake of and give God solemn hearty [q] A young man lying upon his Sick-bed was alwaies calling for meat but as soon as he saw it was brought to him at the sight of it he shook and trembled dreadfully in every part of his Body and so continued till his Food was carried away and thus being not able to eat he pined away and before his Death acknowledged God's Justice in that in his Health he had received his meat ordinarily without giving thanks Mr. Swinnock's Christ man's Call p. 409. thanks after every Meal for his satherly Care of us and seasonable bountiful Provision for us and ours and charge our selves to spend the Strength we receive from his Creatures in doing him faithful and cheerful Service And as we should be spiritual and heavenly in eating and drinking so we should use Recreations and Sleep to holy ends that by doing for the present little or nothing we may become more apt to do some good thing to be usefully occupied and worthily employed The tenth Direction 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 1. A good Choice of our Friends and Acquaintance The sense Man has of his own Weakness and Indigency makes him naturally much [a] The Philosopher sitly calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 addicted and strongly inclin'd to Company and Society which he apprehends so necessary for the * Gen. 2.18 Eccl. 4.9 10 11 12. Help Relief and Comfort of his Life But of all Society that is the most inward and intimate which has its Rise from Choice and Election In the making of which Choice great Caution and Consideration Care and Prudence is to be exercis'd for Men are either made or marr'd as to the forming of their Manners and further'd or hindred as to the Improvement of their Time and their Preparations for Eternity according to the Company they sall in with And therefore we need Direction in no Action of our Life more than in the Choice of our Company especially of our Friends our closest and most familiar Companions They are excellent Counsels that are given by [a] Bp. Taylot of the Measures and Ossices of Friendship p. 14. Pythagoras and [b] Bp. Taylot of the Measures and Ossices of Friendship p. 14. Theognis to guide and conduct our Choice [a] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pvvhag Aur. Carm 5. Where Vertue dwells there Friendships make [b] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theogn sent 113. But evil Neighbourhoods forsake [c] Virtutum amicitia adjutrix à natura data est non vitiorum comes ut quoniam solitaria non posset virtus ad ea quae summa sunt perventre conjuncta sociata cum altera perviniret Lael apud Cic. de Amic Tully tells us that Friendship is given and intended by Nature to be an Assistant Helper and Advancer of Vertues and not a Companion Prompter and Promoter of Vices It therefore greatly concerns and becomes you so to pick and chuse your Friends and Acquaintance as may best serve some excellent End of Vertue And yet we sind when Persons are to chuse their most bosom Friends the Companions of their Youth and Age that they and their Relations who are their Guides and Governours do too commonly regard bodily Beauty and worldly Portion more than Piety and Religion and all the Riches and Ornaments of Grace and Helps for Salvation and Advantages of living and growing in the Knowledg and Faith and Fear of God Laelius in Cicero relates of Scipio that he was wont to complain that Men were exceeding diligent in all other Provisions would
Care for the things of the World on the other side these or such things as these have got the Possession of our Time at present or at least are ready to seise and lay hold upon it Now we should not suffer them to engross it but by all means strive to keep it out or else to recover it out of their hands that we may make a special Use and Benefit of it Our Time must be gain'd out of the hand of the World yea out of the hand of the very Devil who is continually busie to get Possession of it Since the World is so corrupt the Devil seems saies [r] Calvin in loc Calvin to exercise such a Tyranny that our Time cannot be consecrated and devoted to God unless it be after a sort redeemed 4. The learned [s] Annotat on Ephes 5. not e Dr. Hammond saies that the Phrase of Redeeming the Time of gaining or buying the Season seems to be a Proverbial Expression which use had made to signify more than the very Letter of the Words imported and he produceth several Instances out of Authors from which he gathers that the meaning of redeeming or buying out or gaining the Time is this for Christians to use good Caution and Cunning Wisdom and Dexterity to save themselves from Spiritual Dangers and the Snares that are near their Souls to use all prudent artificial Devices to preserve themselves from the evil Time in which they live Times of carnal Sensuality and high Corruption and so of great Temptation and present Danger to their Souls Besides this primary meaning of the Phrase he saies it may be applied also to that other Prudence for avoiding of Persecutions as those are expressed in Scripture by evil Daies not to throw our selves upon Dangers unseasonably where there is no probable Advantage in our Prospect but to speak and exhort when it is likely to prosper and at other Times to refrain And this saies he may properly be styled gaining the Time watching Opportunities and when interposing would prove gainless then to hold the peace and expect some fitter Season And in this latter Sense the most learned [t] Grotius in loc Grotius expounds the Phrase Redeem the Time saies he that is by any Pains and Labour and by all fair Language and respective Speeches and innocent condescending Carriages avoid the Dangers of the Times you live in and lengthen out your own Tranquillity Thus I have opened the First Term and shewn you what is meant by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commonly translated redeeming the Time The Phrase may signify these four Things to buy back the Time that is past to buy up the Time that is present that is to forgo and part with any thing for it and so to make it our own and use it for our spiritual and eternal Advantage Again 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 And lastly to use all Wariness and Wisdom of Behaviour all prudent and pious Arts 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 CHAP. II. What the Time is that ought to be redeemed largely explained Opportunity more than Time 't is Time with an Aptness and Fitness it has for some good The Opportunity to be redeemed is either General or Particular The General is all the Time of our Enjoyment of the glorious Light of the blessed Gospel The Particular Opportunity five-fold 1. The Morning of our Age. The well-redeeming your younger Daies will be most acceptable to God will make you more serviceable to others and prove most profitable to your selves They that redeem the Time of their Youth are likely to redeem their riper Years Instances of those that have redeemed their youthful Daies 2. The Morning of the Week the first Day of every Week Magistrates Ministers People Masters and Servants Poor and Rich should study to redeem this Opportunity and take heed they redeem it not by halves Our Observation of the Lord's Day a good help to the Redeeming of all the six Daies following both as to Temporals and as to Spirituals 3. The Morning of every Day that 's an Opportunity of giving God the first and best of our Time by redeeming the Morning we are likely to redeem the whole Day following 4. The Society and Company of the most Religious and Godly in which we have an happy Occasion both of doing and of receiving good 5. The special Seasons of practising and performing Particular Duties of getting and encreasing acting and exercising Particular Graces must be observed embraced and improved by us II. WHat is the Time that is to be thus redeem'd What is meant here by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Word is sometimes used largely and indifferently to note Time in common which is only the Succession of so many Minutes Hours Daies or Years one after another from the Beginning of a Man's Life to the End thereof So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But most properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken in a narrower Sense than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is used to denote not Time simply but [a] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tempus actionis opportunum Graecè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latâ—nè appellatur Occasio Modestia ut prudentia est scientia opportunitatis idoneorum ad agendum temporum Cic. l. 1. de Ossic Vbique in opportunitate multum est situm plurimum prodest suo rem quamque facere tempore quemadmodum alieno eandem facere saepe etiam nocet Certè vel primum est prudentiae officium vel inter prima occasionem videre non praetermittere Crellius Eth. christ p. 33. Opportunity Time with Advantage Opportunity is the Cream of Time the Flower of Time And in this Sense we must take the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here in the Text not only for the passing away of Hours and sliding away of Minutes for the bare Space and mere Leisure of any thing but for proper Seasons fair Occasions good Hours and fit Opportunities Opportunity is Time with an Aptness and Fitness that it has for some good with a suitableness and serviceableness to our use and Advantage 't is a meeting of Time and means together for the accomplishing of our End and the effecting of any Work or Business Now Opportunity is either General or Particular The General Opportunity to be redeemed The whole Course of our Lives is a General Opportunity of doing and receiving good We are to look upon all our Time which we live under the glorious light of the blessed Gospel as an happy Opportunity of laying out our selves for God and for our own and others Advantage When God continues the Gospel among us when he daily calls us to Faith and Repentance
when he stands ready with Strength and Assistance when he publisheth great and precious Promises when the golden Scepter is held out by God to us as it was to * Esther 5.2 Esther by Ahasuerus when gracious Offers merciful Tenders kind and loving Invitations are made and repeated and very sweet and comfortable Encouragements propounded and assured to penitent Sinners in the Ministery of the Word this is †Rev. 2.21 space given for Repentance this is a golden Season of Grace in which we may have Christ and all his precious and saving Benefits upon the reasonable Terms and acceptable Conditions of the Gospel When the Trumpet of the Jubile soundeth when Liberty to the Captives and the Opening of the Prison to them that are bound is proclaimed ‖ 2 Cor. 6. i 2. Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation O ‖ 2 Cor. 6. i 2. receive not the Grace of God in vain lose not so long and large a Season make your Advantage of the Time of the Gospel be thankful for it and faithful in the Use and Improvement of it close with the Gospel and daily and earnestly endeavour and pray that it may be made effectual to you Repent believe sincerely obey in this thy Day Repent think upon thy Waies be sorry for thy Sins hate them forsake them repent with a Repentance from dead Works never to be repented of So change thy Mind as to change thy Manners to reform and alter the Course of thy Life for the future So truly repent as to take care to bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance Believe not with a bare historical a meer intellectual Faith not with an idle dronish wholly ineffectual Assent but with a [b] Fortasse unusquisque apud seipsum dicet Ego jam credidi salvus ero verum dicit si fidem operibus tenet vera etenim fides est qua in hoc quod verbis dicit moribus non contradicit Fidei nostrae veritatem in vitae nostrae consideratione debemus agno cere Greg. Hom. 29. in Euang. Credere in Deum est credendo amare credendo diligere credendo in eum â—re membris ejus incorporari Putasne Filium Dei Iesum reputat quisquis ille est homo qui ipsius nec terretus comminationthus nec attrahitur promissonibus nec praeceptis obtemperat nec consiliis acquiescit Nonne is etiamsi fatearur se nosse Deum factis tamen negat Bernard in Octav. Pasc de tribus Testim in coelo ter serm 1. p. 88. practical active operative Belief So believe the Word of God as to take it seriously and in good earnest for the only Rule of thy Conversation in Matters necessary to Salvation So firmly receive and assent to the Divine Testimony as to have thy Heart rightly affected and thy Life powerfully influenced by it So cordially believe the Truth of the Gospel as to resolve and on all Occasions to endeavour to carry suitably to such Belief to live and act as a Person that does indeed believe it and to answer the end for which divine Truth was revealed which is the bringing us to good Lives So yield Assent to the Doctrine of the Gospel as to close and comply with the Terms of the Gospel and heartily to consent to the whole Duty of Man contain'd and delivered in the Word or God and Gospel of Christ so assent to the Commands of the Gospel as true as withal to love and like them to choose and embrace them as good and as good for thee yea as incomparably better for thee to observe than any other Rule that possibly can be respected by thee whatever they cause thee to lose or suffer here in this World So give your undoubted Assent to them as to cleave closely and stick invincibly to them against all flattering or affrighting Temptations to the contrary and still to engage and charge and provoke thy self to conform thy whole Heart and Life to them Farther So assent to the Truth of the Gospel-Promises as to take care to perform the necessary Conditions of them to trust in the Promises of the Gospel with an obediential Affiance with an obsequious and dutiful Reliance to trust in them according to the Tenour of them to trust in the Promises of Pardon and Remission in the Exercise of sincere and unfeigned Repentance and in the Promises of Sanctification in the Use of Gospel-Ordinances and Means and diligent Improvement of the Grace of God already communicated and received and in the Promises of Life everlasting in the way of new and sincere Obedience Assent to the Promises not only that they are true and real but that they are also the most valuable that can be * 1 Pet. 1 4. exceeding great and precious Promises so as to prefer the Promises of God above all the Proffers of the World as better than any thing that the Devil can offer or the World afford Farther yet So assent to the Truth of the Threatnings of the Word as to fear and stand in aw of them and to study to avoid those Sins which will put thee in Danger of temporal and eternal Sufferings and to keep thy self free from the Fear of the Menaces of Men while thou art in the way of thy Duty to God Believe the whole Word of God and Believe in all the Persons of the holy and blessed Trinity So assent to the Truth of whatsoever is spoken in the Scripture of God and Christ and the Spirit of God and Christ as deliberately to choose God the Father Son and holy Ghost for thy Portion and Treasure thy Happiness and chief Good To bring thy Heart to own love honour serve and worship God the Father as thy good and bountiful Creator and Preserver and very merciful God Redeemer by Jesus Christ and freely and gladly to consent to have God the Father for thy Covenant-Friend and reconciled gracious Father And to accept with all Love and Thankfulness even a crucified Christ for thy only Lord and Saviour to bring thee to God thy chiefest Good by reconciling thy Person and Nature to him to recover and bring thee back both in Heart and Life to God and to rest and rely upon Christ and on God only in and through Christ for Justification Sanctification and eternal Salvation according to the Promises of the Gospel Cordially receive him in all his Offices And here 1. Accept of Christ as a Priest to save thee by the offering of himself a Sacrifice in thy stead and by making Intercession on thy behalf And labour to answer the ends of his Death by Purity and Holiness of Heart and Life and to act becoming his Intercession to live so as it may be fit for Christ with Honour to present your Works and Services to his Father to be accepted by him to do nothing but what is worthy of such a Mediatour as Christ is to present unto God on your behalf Now tell me is
Do you spend your Time as religiously at home as you might do at Church Do you catechize read and pray and sing Psalms at home in the mean Time If you do you do it unseasonably and plainly break the Lord's-day by ordinarily performing private Duties in the Time of publick Ordinances The Lord's-day being chiefly appointed for the publick Worship and Service of God The most [d] The sixth Council at Constans decreed That whosoever was absent from the Congregation three Lord's-daies together without necessity If he was a Minister should be put from the Ministry and if he was a private Man he should be cast from the Communion of the Church publick Worship being the highest Honour that can be done to God and Christ Reading a Sermon or some Catechistical Doctrine at home in the Time of publick Preaching or Catechising though in it self it may be a better composed Sermon or Exposition yet is not so good as hearing a Sermon or Exposition at Church For the publick Ministry of the Word is a divine Ordinance which has a special Promise of God's gracious Presence Matth. 28. last Go teach says Christ lo I am with you alway even unto the End of the World You are therefore bound to frequent and attend upon it You must not mis-time and mis-place Duty You must not read at home in private when God calls you to hear in publick You must not use one Ordinance in contempt or neglect of another You cannot hope to profit if you do You can't expect not hope to profit if you do You can't expect God's Presence and look for the Gift of God's Grace in a way of Disobedience to his Command and Neglect of his appointed Means When God sets up the Ministry of the Word in any Place his Spirit then opens his School and expects that all who would be taught for Heaven should come thither Now whether is it most fitting that a Scholar should wait on his Master at School to be taught or the Master should run after his truant Scholar at Play in the Field to teach him there as the accurate Preacher [e] Christ Armour 2 part p. 552. in quarto Mr. W. Gurnal does well illustrate it Moreover in Attendance upon publick Preaching there are the Praiers of the [e] Deus pluris facit preces in ecclesia quà m domi factas non ob locum sed ob considerationem multitudints fidelium Deum communi consensu invocantium Rivet Cath. Oath whole Congregation put up for a Blessing upon the Word that is spoken and heard which is an Advantage that can't be enjoyed in private Reading There is also somewhat in this that the lively Voice of the Preacher is more affecting and powerfully working than private Reading And as for reading the Scripture and Books of Theology it is to be feared that they care but little for reading who pretend such reading to excuse their Absence from publick hearing But grant you do read yet certainly the Scripture and good Books were never written to divert and hinder you from publick Hearing so long as you are able to go to the publick but to fit you for it and help you in it Nay the Bible and good Books forbid you to stay at home in Time of publick Worship and Service and command you to be present at publick Praier Baptism the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Catechising Preaching * Heb. 10.25 Not to forsake the Assembly of your selves together as the manner of some is Take notice further that if you then every one as well as you may stay away and read a Book at home and so what will become of all publick Assemblies Once more consider you know not how much you may lose by but once neglecting a publick Ordinance [f] Joh. 20. from 19 to 29. †Thomas meritò privaetur communi fratrum suorum gratia quod tanquam vagus aut erraticus males ab unitatis vexillo discesserat Calv. ib. in vers 19. Thomas by reason of his Absence when Christ appeared to the Disciples that were assembled together lost the Advantage of receiving Satisfaction concerning the Truth of Christ's Resurrection and lay a whole Week in Unbelief That may be spoken in thy unnecessary Absence so agreeable and congruous to thy Condition as it may be thou maiest not meet with the like for a long time after if ever after The Devil may be busie to detain thee from the publick that very Day or Hour when he knows well enough that is provided and prepared which is most suitable to thee and apt to work upon thee Obj. But he that preaches is a Man of weak Parts mean Gifts and very ordinary Abilities Answ But if he be an approved ordained Minister be conscionable in his Place and unblameable in his Life and if what he delivers be sound and profitable blame your own Hearts if you do not profit by him and take more Pains with them in hearing and see that your Carelesness or Prejudice cause not your unprositableness It is a remarkable Saying of the Reverend and Holy [g] Hilders on John p. 241. Mr. Arthur Hildersam I am perswaded saies he there is never a Minister that is of the most excellent Gifts if he have a Godly Heart but he can truly say he never heard any faithful Minister in his Life that was so mean but he could discern some Gift in him that was wanting in himself and could receive some profit by him You know a Torch may be sometimes lighted by a Candle and a Knife be whetted and sharpned by an unhewn and unpolish'd Stone And it is considerable which the same judicious Author adds there that the Fruit and Profit that is to be received from the Ministry depends not only nor chiefly upon the Gifts of the Man that preacheth but upon the Blessing that God is pleased to give unto his own Ordinance and God does oft give a greater Blessing to weaker than to stronger Means and therefore despise not any sound Ministry because of the meanness of it Obj. But some may say The Exercise is too long and the Season is too hot or cold to come twice a Day Answ But let me ask you Could not you willingly stay in any Season of the Year as long again at a Play 'T is the Coldness of your Hearts and your frozen Affections that make you plead either the Heat or Coldness of the Weather in excuse of your Absence from Church-Assemblies and I pray seriously consider whether Hell at last won't prove too hot for wilful careless causeless Sabbath-breakers I shall further offer two Things to your Consideration to move and provoke you to a careful and diligent Redeeming of the Lord's-day Mot. 1. The right Redemption of the Lord's-day is an apt and likely means of redeeming the whole Week following Of redeeming it as to Temporals Of redeeming it as to Spirituals 1. As to Temporals They that serve God sincerely on the Lord's-day
unweariedly in the holy Path though he has but few to bear him company in the narrow Way to Heaven Though the common Vote should go against us yet with holy * Josh 24.15 Joshua le us be singular in our vertuous Choice and plous Resolution Let us with Noah be upright and walk with God even when †Gen. 6.12 all Plesh have corrupted their way Let us with Lot be righteous even in Sodom and keep our Garments underfiled and unspotted with the Flesh even in a Sink of Sin and Uncleanness Let 's use all possible Arts and Means to retain our Healthfulness in a very bad and corrupt Air to keep the Spark of Grace alive in the very midst of the Ocean to preserve and maintain a gracious Disposition in the mids of a Deluge of Temptation Let us labour to be like Fish sweet and fresh in salt Water like Pearls or Jewels sparkling in a Dunghill yea to be like the Sun shining upon a Dunghill whose pure Raies and clear Beams are no way polluted with the Filthiness of it Let 's endeavour to be righteous among the Unrighteous and zealous among those that are careless and negligent of God and Religion And let the Coldness of the ambient Air. without not extinguish or weaken but fortify and strengthen our supernatural Heat within Though we live in bad Times yet let 's keep our selves free from the Evil of the Times And the freer we keep and preserve our selves from the Taint and Infection of the common Corruption we shall the more notably reprove and condemn discourage and discountenance the reigning Sins and abounding Vices of the Times we live in Though we be in the World which lies in Wickedness yet let us not be of the World but pray to God to keep us and endeavour to keep our selves * Joh. 17.15 from the Evil of the World Let not us be the worse for these evil Daies for if we be made worse by them we shall also make them worse Let our Care and Endeavour be to be good in evil Daies and as the Evil of Sin abounds let us encrease in Holiness Farther 3. Let us labour as to be good so to do good in evil Daies As to be good our selves so to make others good in the worst Times that can be By a holy and exemplary Conversation to be instrumental to their Conversion and if it be possible a Means effectual to bring the very Worst and Wickedest home to God In the †Phil. 2.15 16. midst of a crooked and perverse Nation let us shine as Lights in the World holding forth the Word of Life By our vertuous Lives adorned with excellent Actions let 's shine as so many Stars before them and be as so many Lights set up in Towers to direct others how to steer aright their Christian Course and safely to arrive at the Port of eternal Rest and the Haven of heavenly Happiness Let us pity and pray for those who pity and pray not for themselves let us exhort admonish them rebuke reprove them and ‖ Jude 23. save them with Fear pulling them out of the Fire Let us labour in this manner to make the evil Men of the Times as much better as we can By way of Motive Consider seriously these three Things Mot. 1. That if we grow bad in evil Times we can fetch no excuse from the Times for our Sins Men are apt indeed to translate the blame of their own Actions upon the Times and Places in which they live [s] Intelligas tua vitia esse quae put as renum Non ego ambitiosus sum sed me mo aliter Romae potest vivere Non ego fumptuosus sum sed Vrbs â—psd magnds impensas exigit Quid nos decipimus non est extrinsecus malum nostrum intrà nos est in visceribus ipsis sed t. Seneca E0 50. Seneca complains of some too ready to do so in his Daies that would argue and plead thus for themselves I am not ambitious but no man can live otherwise in Rome I am not extravagantly sumptuous but the City enforces great Expences it is costly and chargeable living in the City But why do we deceive our selves says he This Evil is not from any Cause without us it is within us it is seated on and sticks in our very Bowels If our Minds and Hearts were well disposed and rightly enclined Temptations would prove like Fire falling upon [t] Nec interest ex quà m magna causa ira naseatur sed in qualem perveniat animum Sic ignis non refert quà m magnus sed quò incidat nam etiam maximum solida non receperunt rursus arida corripi facilia scintiliam quoque fovent usque adiacendium Seneca Ep. 18. in sine uncombustible Matter Evil Times and Places are indeed an Occasion of Sin but the Cause is our own Hearts and Wills If we would carefully watch over our selves and above all keepings keep our Hearts we might keep our selves * Jam. 1.27 unspotted from the World in the corruptest Times and Places as well as others recorded in Scripture for our Example and Encouragement have done before us The Badness of the Times as [u] Of the Decelifulness of Man's Heart p. 157. Mr. Dyke occasionally citing my Text notes well upon it did not serve with St. Paul for a Cloak to excuse our Conformity to the Times but as a Spur to excite us to be so much the more careful of our selves not to be swaied with the common Stream And good reason have we saies he to make this use of the Corruption of the Times for if the Air be generally infectious had we not need to be so much the more strict in our Diet and careful in the use of wholesome Preservatives Surely as the same Author adds the worse the Times are the nearer grow they to their End and therefore so much the more apprehensive ought we to be of the Occasions of good because the Day in which only we can work is declining apace and that fearful Night approacheth wherein none can work Consider Mot. 2. It will be our high Praise and Glory to be religious and holy when the Times are profane and ungodly To be good Husbands in redeeming the Time when others are prodigals round about us [i] Sicut gravior is culpae est inter bonos bonum non esse it a immensi est praeconit bonum etiam inter malos extilisse Greg. l. 1. Mor. c. 1. As it 's a great Sin to be bad in good Times so 't is an admirable Vertue to be good in bad Times It is not so praise worthy to be good in good Times and among good Persons But to resist the Stream of evil Times and Persons to tug hard against Wind and Tide to resolve to be good and to endeavour to do good against all Opposition and Discouragement whatever Not to follow others in any sinful Waies and
be raised good Estates in the World is not that of the same excellent Philosopher too true concerning too many of us [d] Adhuc non pueritia in nobis sed quod est gravius puerilitas remanet hoc qui lem pejus est quòd authoritatem habemus senum vitia putrorum Id. ep 4. Not Childhood but which is more grievous Childishness remains and continues still with us And truly this is yet worse says he that we have the Authority of old Men and the Vices of very Boies If as Alexander counted his Life by Victories not by Daies or Years So we should reckon our several Lives by our spiritual Victories and good Works and our answering the Ends the true Ends and proper Purposes of Life which is the justest Account and the rightest Reckoning of our Living Should not the most of us find that we have liv'd but a few Daies but a few Hours yea that many have hardly liv'd at all have scarcely as yet begun to live that little or nothing has been done that is truly worthy of a Man or Christian Have not we been wretched Scatter-Hours and desperate Prodigals of our precious Time We have some of us lived a great while in the World but the question is Whether yet we have learn'd to know God and Christ and to know our Selves to be just and honest to be modest and chast to be sober and temperate to deny a strong unruly Appetite to refuse a superfluous Morsel of Meat a forbidden intemperate Cup of Drink Have we learn'd in the many Years of our Lives to master and moderate one Passion to subdue and mortify [e] Raro unum vitium perfectè vincimus ad quotidianum profectnm non accendimur A Kempis l. 1. c. 11. n. 2. one Lust to break off one evil Custom to root out one vicious Habit to answer one Objection to resist one Assault to defeat one Art of the Devil Who of us have been careful all this while to run our Race to trim our Lamps and to dress up our Souls for a blessed Etetnity Did not we spend our Youth in Vanity Which of us was so forward in good as to shun and flie youthful Lusts To how few of us can it be said as * 2 Tim. 3.15 St. Paul said to Timothy that from a Child thou hast known the holy Scriptures Tell me how have many of you desperately omitted and lamentably neglected the Reading of the Scriptures all your Life long which alone are able to store your Mind with divine Knowledg and to make you wise unto Salvation What Numbers are there who know but little what is contained in the Scripture any otherwise than as they hear a Chapter now and then read in the Church and God knows too too many give but little heed to it and so are but little the better for it then neither How few among us who have liv'd long under the Enjoyment of the Means of Grace are yet so well acquainted with divine Things and so well versed and exercised in Religion as to be able to put up a pertinent Praier and to commend their own or another's Case and Condition to God as Occasion does require How many Lord's-Daies have we profan'd How many Sermons have we wilfully missed How many good Opportunities have we negligently lost How careless have we been of our own spiritual Good How regardless of the eternal Welfare of those who belong to us How ignorant are many of our selves of the Things of God and of the Duties of Religion How far not only from doing but from understanding our spiritual Business who had we taken Pains might now have been very knowing Christians How ignorant through our gross Neglect of them are our Children and Servants and those about us in the very Rudiments of Religion who might have had a good Understanding therein had we done our Duty in first informing our selves and then instructing them [f] Quemadmodum omnibus annis studere honestum est it a non omnibus institui Turpis ridiculares est elementatius senex Juoent parandum seni utendum est Sen. ep 36. How ridiculous and uncomely is it to see an Old Man ignorant of his Letters or to seek in his Primer But how much more absurd is it to find so many Old Men who * Heb. 5.12 for the Time ought to have been Teachers yet to have need that one teach them again which be the first Principles of the Oracles of God Which of us have ever gone about doing and receiving good in the Places where we have a long Time liv'd Who are we the better for Who is spiritually the better for us How very little Good have we done nay how much Hurt have we done in the World What Mischief have many Parents and Masters done in their Families by gross Neglect of Family Duties such as Reading Praying Catechizing and by their Loosness and Licentiousness before those that belong unto their Charge whose ungovern'd Youth had more need to be curbed and restrain'd by their sober Counsels and seasonable Reproofs than desperately misled and hurried head-long by their ill Examples into Sin and Wickedness Oh what a sad Consideration is it for any of us all to think with our selves how that for ought we know there may be some this Day in Hell who were occasionally brought thither by our unholy Walking and ungodly Living It may be some of our Friends and Companions some of our Neighbours and Relations some of our very Children and Servants are at present in Hell bitterly exclaiming against us and cursing the Daies in which they liv'd with us and were acquainted with us Instead of growing better and better are not some of us [g] Nemo inquit Epicurus aliter quà m quomodo natus est exit è vita Fulsum est pejores mor mur quà n nascimur en epist 22. worse now than we were many Years since more profane or worldly more sensual more hardened from the Fear of the Lord more without God and Christ in the World more useless more unprofitable than ever more unfit to live more unprepared to die now than we found we were many Years ago Have not some of us so ill husbanded our Time that the older we have grown the less Hope we have had of Heaven and Happiness As Pius Quintus is reported by [h] Cùm essem Religiosus sperabam bene de salute animae meae Cardmalis sact us extimui nunc Pontifex creatus penè despero Corn. à Lap. in Numb l. 1.11 Cornelius à Lapide to have said When I was first of a Religious Order I hoped well of the Salvation of my Soul But when I was made Cardinal I began to fear it But since I was created Pope I almost despair of it How many may be found in like manner who in their Youth have had it may be some reason to hope well of themselves but in their Middle Age more
their Time in slandering detracting whispering tale-bearing speaking [c] In primis provideat nesirmo vitium aliquod indicetinesse morst us Quod maxtmè tum solet evenive cum stuâ—tosè de absentibus detrahendt causâ aut per ridiculum aut severè aut maledicè contumel osèque dicitur Dicero l. 1 de Offic Evil of others when they have no lawfull Call to do it in talking uncharitably of others [d] De alterius vtta de alterius morte disputatis Seneca de vita beata c. 19. Lives and Deaths in private caracterizing judging censuring back-biting of others These are as perfect in the Enumeration of others Faults [e] Dr. Allestry's Sermons p. 35. as if their Memories were the Books that shall be opened at the Day of Judgment This is in it self a base Temper where-ever it is with the Fly to fasten now here but upon a Sore like a Cupping-Glass to draw nothing but corrupt Blood This is an ungodly Humour for any to suffer their Tongues to be busily medling with those Sins and Miscarriages Failings or Faults of other Persons which never grieved and troubled touched or came near their own Hearts and which they never secretly bewail'd and sadly bemoan'd before God To be continually judging and censuring those that were never privately and personally reprov'd lovingly and compassionately admonished nor once earnestly and heartily praied for by them This censorious Spirit is a Christless Spirit Jesus Christ is an Advocate with the Father he excuses he pleads for Sinners he makes the best of every Thing he covers a Multitude of Sins Now when we do nothing but rip open and aggravate others Faults behind their backs we are far from an Imitation of Christ This is so far from being a Christ-like that it is too evidently a Diabolical Spirit The Devil he is called an Accuser and we plainly play Satan's Part and act him to the Life and spend our Time just as the Devil does if we make it our Business to be ever prying and finding of Faults to be alwaies bringing Charges against and framing Accusations of others And the employing our Time thus is far from redeeming it Might not we spend our Time far better in meekly admonishing of others and in heartily praying for others than in rashly judging and censuring of others Let me tell you while we are alwaies pleading others guilty we do but make our selves more guilty and thus to lose our own Innocency is this to redeem our Time To render our selves uncapable of Heaven is this to work out our own Salvation * Psal 15.1 3. Lord who shall abide in thy Tabernacle who shall dwell in thy holy Hill he that back-biteth not with his Tongue nor doeth Evil Wrong Hurt or Injury to his Neighbour in this way of backbiting nor taketh up that is with his Mouth that uttereth not a Reproach against his Neighbour that does not curiously pry into the Businesses Affairs Infirmities secrets of others and then busily divulge and tell them abroad to other Persons thereby defaming disgracing disparaging and rendring Men contemptible one to another and stirring up Strife Hatred Enmity Division and Quarrels among Men. Where shall we now find the Christian who deserves the Commendation that once [i] Hieron ad Marcellam de laudibus Asellae St. Jerome gave of Asella of whom he says Sermo silens silentium loquens she was silent when she spake for she spake only of religious and necessary things not medling with other Persons or Fame How do many mis-spend their Time and talk in vain and ridiculous Self-gloriation and in uncomely affected if not false and ungrounded Commendation of themselves in complementing and flattering great Sinners to their very Faces And some very vile and wicked Wretches abuse their Time and Tongues in speaking a Multitude of Lies in frequent taking God's Name in vain in common and customary Swearing in [f] Dr. Allestry's Sermons p. 154. mingling horrid and bitter Imprecations with their sportive Talk and making the Wounds and Blood of God and other such sad Words their foolish or peevish Modes of speaking Many Mens Mouths run like an Issue nothing but Putrefaction They vent and pour out * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4.29 putrid unsavoury rotten †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coloss 3.8 filthy Discourse apt only to minister to a Vice instead of ministring Grace unto the Hearers Corrupt it self and tending to corrupt good Manners and to infect the Fancies and defile the Minds of those that hear it They pass the Time in uttering [g] The Apostle chargeth that Fornication should not be once named among them as becometh Saints Eph. 5.3 not meaning that the Vice should not have its Name and filthy Character but that nothing of it be named in which it can be tempting or offensive nothing tending to it or teaching of it should be named Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 Vol. p. 288. wanton loose lascivious Words in singing amorous and obscene Songs whereas he that is ‖ James 5.13 Private Christianâ— are to teach and admonish one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs Coloss 3 16 Etiaâ—n cùn htlaritati inser vimus addification is utâ—iâ—at is mutuae memores esse debemus Dav. in loc merry should sing Psalms Many mis-spend their Hours in * Ephes 5.4 inconvenient [h] Ipsum genus jocandi non profusum nec immodestum sed ingenuum facetum esse debet Vt enim puer is non omnem licentiam ludendi damus sed eam quae ab honest is actionibus non sit aliena sic in ipso joco aliquod probi ingenit lumen eluceat Cicero l. 1. de Office scurrilous immodest yea many mis-spend them in impious and profane Jesting in openly Scossing at good Men and making merry with their Imperfections and their own Slanders and in jeering the holy Waies and playing with the holy Word of God He that makes a Jest of the Words of Scripture or of holy things as a [i] Bishop Taylor 's Sermons 1 V. p. 305. learned Pen richly expresses it plaies with Thunder and kisses the Mouth of a Canon just as it belches Fire and Death he stakes Heaven at spurn-point and trips Cross and pile whether ever he shall see the Face of God or no he laughs at Damnation while he had rather lose Goal than lose his Jest nay which is the Horrour of all he makes a Jest of God himself and the Spirit of the Father and the Son to become ridiculous And is not this a monstrous cursed Improvement of precious Time to use and employ it in profanely deriding and desperately abusing the Word and Spirit of God that gave it 'T is a good Saying of the [k] Detestanda illorum insania qui hilares esse non pâ—ssunt sine Christi contumelia religionis ludibrio Dav. in Coloss 3.16 Thes if any do hilarem insaniam insanire ac per risum furere Seneca
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
of it but fail in the Principle and Manner of the Duty and never look to the [g] The end of all Exercises of Piety and Devotion is more and mine to dispose our Hearts to the Love and our Wills to the Obedience of our blessed Creatour and Redeemer And busying our selves in any of them without this Design may well be counted in the Number of the fruitless and unaccountable Actions of our Lives Thus to do is prodigally to waste and mis-spend our Time as the Jews were upbraided by one of their Adversaries with doing upon the account of their Sabbath saying They they lost one Day in seven Dr. Fowler 's Design of Christianity pag. 186. End of the Duty have no real Design and hearty Intention to please and glorify God thereby and to gain and encrease in true Holiness of Heart and Life If you act not out of a Principle of Love and inward Life and Liking but only out of some external respect If you perform your Services not out of a filial ingenuous Disposition but merely out of a Slavish Fear of being beaten or of losing the Wages you expect for your Work If you use only a careless and supine Devotion If you matter not at all how little you do for God or what is the Frame of your Minds and Hearts in what you do If you give way to vain Thoughts in holy Duties If you be not intent in your religious Services but instead of using the World as if you used it not you use good Duties as if you did not use them observe the Lord's-Day as if you observ'd it not confess and repent as if you did no such thing hear as if you heard not and pray as if you prayed not If you pray only out of Custom and do not mind and well consider what you say nor are affected with what you speak nor desire what you ask If you pray and reade and hear only because you are brought up so to do and have taken up such a Practice or because you would satisfy natural Conscience and have the good Opinion and Word of all in your Families and be commended by your Neighbours for religious Persons and do not pray to this necessary End that so you may enjoy Communion with God and get and obtain Pardon and Grace and Strength from God nor reade the Scripture and good Books and hear the Word preached that so you may know your Duty in Order to the Practice and Performance of it all the Time that is thus spent in Duty is in a manner Time lost and mis-spent in so doing you lose your Duties and you lose your Time too But especially if any shall dare to do nothing but whisper and talk and laugh to mock and jeer at the Word and the Minister of it to be undecent and rude and profane in their Carriage and Behaviour in a Christian Assembly in the Time of Divine Worship in the [i] Vae mihi quia ibi pecco ubi peccata emendare debeo Bernard de interior Domo c. 33. Presence of the great God and in the Sight of the holy * 1 Cor. 11.10 Angels This is to lose the Time of publick Duty if it be to be lost at all This is to lose the Time of Duty with a Witness And so I have done with the third Vse namely of Reproof and Rebuke to several Sorts of Persons who are guilty of the Loss the lamentable Loss of their precious Time and unvaluable Opportunities CHAP. VI. The fourth and last Vse is of Exhortation to Magistrates Ministers the People in general Six quickening Motives to press the Duty of Redemption of Time 1. Consider how notably Jesus Christ redeem'd the Time when he was here in the World 1. He redeem'd the Time to save us 2. He redeem'd the Time to be an Example to us 2. Consider further that as Christ did once redeem the Time to save us So the Devil does daily redeem the Time to destroy us 3. Consider how very notably many of the Saints and Servants of God have improved and redeemed their Time 4. Consider that it is an Act of spiritual Wisdom to rodeem the Time and mere Madness and gross Folly not to redeem the Time 5. Consider that if now thou losest and squanderest away thy Time thou wilt at last be forced thy self to condemn thy foolish Neghgence and to justify the Care and Diligence of others that were wiser for their own Souls then thy self 6. Consider that do what we can to redeem our Time we shall never repent at last of any Care we have had to redeem it but shall certainly blame and find fault with our selves for being so careless of our Time so negligent of good Opportunities as we have been Serious considerative Christians do blame themselves for their Loss of Time even in their Life-time but they are especially sensible of it and exceedingly ashamed of themselves for it at their Death THe fourth and last use shall be of Exhortation to put you upon the Duty of Redeeming Time Let Magistrates vigorously redeem the Time in the faithful Execution and impartial Administration of governing Justice and in being active and zealous bold and couragious in the Cause of God and Goodness * Rem 13.3 in being a Terrour to Evil and not to good Works and in acting for the †i Pet. 2.14 Punishment of Evil-doers and for the Praise of them that do well in repressing Vice and checking Profaneness and daily dashing Sin out of Countenance and in countenancing and encouraging nourishing and cherishing Sobriety and Temperance Vertue and Godliness Holiness and Religion Let Ministers industriously redeem the Time in ‖ Acts 20.27 not shunning to declare to the People all the Counsel of God in urging Truths upon their own Hearts and pressing and enforcing them upon others Souls in labouring abundantly in the Lord's Vineyard in (*) Verse 28. taking heed unto themselves and (†) 1 Tim. 4.16 to their Doctrine and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made them Over-seers in feeding the Church of God with the wholsome Food of sound Words in (‖) Heb. 13.17 watching for Souls as they that must give Account in [*] Acts 20.31 daily warning Sinners with Tears in perswading Men with Earnestness and Importunity as those that well [†] 2 Cor. 5.11 know the Terrour of the Lord in endeavouring to [‖] 1 Tim. 4.16 save themselves and them that hear them to () Jude 23. save some with Fear pulling them out of the Fire in taking all possible Care lest they [] 1 Cor. 9.26 beat the Air and * Gal. 2.2 Phil. 2.16 run in vain and labour in vain left their Peoples †Ezek. 3.18 Blood be required at their Hands and lest when they have preached to others they themselves should become * 1 Cor. 9.27 Cast-aways in discharging their Duty so painfully and faithfully that though
Play-house canst thou look that God with a Blessing should go with thee When thou art hunting after unjust Gain and hotly pursuing it all the Day long or using unlawful and indirect Courses to provide for thy self or Family canst thou expect that God should command a Blessing upon it Would the intemperate lustful covetous unrighteous Person proceed according to this Direction he would soon desist from his vicious Courses and unwarrantable Practices As the [i] Lukin's Pract. of Godliness p. 35. poor Man when he had stollen a Lamb to satisfy the hungry Bellies of his Family and having dressed it came of course to crave a Blessing upon it he was so disturb'd and troubled about it that he could find no Rest and Quiet in his Mind till he went and confess'd his Fault and promiss'd to make Satisfaction for the wrong he had done The Sixth Direction 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 a right And here 1. Be careful to keep up set and stated Times of ordinary Prayer 2. Be ready to betake thy self to Prayer upon special extraordinary emergent Occasions 3. Vse thy self to frequent sudden ejaculatory Prayers to God These three Particulars give the proper Sense and Meaning of those Scriptures * Eph. 6 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praying alwaies in all Time or Opportunity as the Word is †1 Thess 5.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pray without ceasing ‖ Heb. 13.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pray continually 1. If we would well redeem the Time we must keep and observe our daily set and stated Times of earnest fervent Prayer to God and solemn serious Supplication Thus it is our Duty to pray continually not to employ the Whole of our Time in Prayer as of old the Euchites dream'd but to pray continually in the same Sense as [a] Ames de Conse cas l. 4. c. 14. q. 5. Mephibosheth was commanded to eat Bread at David's Table (*) 2 Sam. 9.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 70. continually that is not to cram and load himself with Meat and Drink day and night but to refresh himself there at the set and customary Hours of Dinner and Supper 'T is a general Duty incumbent on us to * Luke 1.75 serve God all the Daies of our Life and therefore with the Worship and Service of Prayer in particular which may be conveniently performed daily We are directed in the Lord's Prayer to pray every Day for our †Mat. 6.11 daily Bread and therefore we ought more earnestly to ‖ Verse 33. seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness every Day (*) Exod. 29.38 39. The Morning and Evening Sacrifice strictly [b] Matutino hoc vespertino sacrisicio agnoscitur Deus noctis diei Creator Grot. in loc Bis de die sacrisicium illud volunt repeti Deus ut populus assiduè in memoria future per Christum reconciliatiouis se exerceret Voluit Deus hoc victimae genus bis de die pom ante oculos ut populus reputaret sibi opus esse identidem reconciliari Deo reaâ—â—s ac damnationis suae admonitus à principio usque ad finem diet ad ejus misericordiam confugeret Rivetus in locum enjoyned under the Law to be publickly celebrated every Day is a plain Pattern and apparent Direction for double Devotion every Day for the legal Sacrifice as also the Incense joyned with it was a Type of Prayer Psal 144.2 Heb. 13.15 The Jews had their (†) Acts 3.1 10.2 3. set Hours of Prayer Our blessed Saviour has not only given us a plain Precept for (‖) Mat. 6.6 Closet-Prayer but has afforded us his own Example to lead us to the Performance of solitary secret Prayer both Morning and sEvening [*] Mark 1 35. St. Mark Informs us that in the Morning rising up a great while before Day or in the first Twilight he went out and departed into a solitary Place and there prayed And [†] Mat. 14.23 St. Mathew acquaints us that when he had sent the Multitudes away he went up into a Mountain apart to pray and when the Evening was come he was there alone * Col. 4.1 2. Masters of Servants as such are required and charged by the Apostle to continue in Prayer and to watch in the same with Thanksgiving Which Words considering the Context which is wholly taken up in setling and setting forth the Christian Oeconomy may well be interpreted and understood of performing daily Family-Prayer [c] Dr. Arrowsm Tact. Sacr. p. 247 248. Let Governours of Families who assume and exercise a kind of Kingly Authority in their own Families understand and consider that their Master in Heaven expects that they should execute the Offices and act the Parts of so many Priests in their own Families by offering before them the Sacrifices of Prayers and Praises to God day by day There are daily Personal and Family Sins to be confess'd and pray'd against daily Personal and Family Wants to be spread before God in order to a Supply thereof Personal and Family Mercies daily received and duely to be acknowledg'd every Day Morning and Evening We generally find that they that have any shew of Religion are very observant of stated Times of Devotion so are the Papists and so are the Mahometans Nay the very Heathen guided by the dim Light of Nature have approved and recommended this Practice Hesiod in particular gives this as a necessary Rule [d] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the utmost of your Power perform your sacred Offices to the immortal Gods both when you go to Bed at Night and when the Morning-Light appears that they may bear a propitious Mind and carry a kind and loving Heart toward you And it is not unworthy of some remark that the Precepts of continuing in Prayer and redeeming the Time are so * Col 4.2 3 5. nearly and closely joined together in Scripture To pretermit and neglect to lay aside and cast off fixed determined Times and certain appointed Seasons of Prayer would be to lose our Time and quickly to lose our Religion too If you will not admit so much of the Form you are not likely to maintain the Power of Godliness If you reckon you have no call to pray but only when you find and feel a present inward strong Impulse and secret powerful Inclination to it you take a course to chase and drive away the Spirit from you and to deprive your selves of the holy and spiritual the sweet and seasonable Motions of it When the usual Times of Duty return pray though thou hast no present sensible Motion to perform it and pray till thou findest God's good Spirit sweetly and powerfully moving upon thee and working in thee enlivening and enlarging thy Heart in Prayer and enabling thee to enjoy some singular sensible joyful
saw Letters and yet taught him first to reade Dr. Bernard tells us that their readiness in the Scripture was marvellous being able suddenly to have repeated any part of the Bible I have read of one who was so conscientiously covetous of redeeming Time for reading of the Scripture that [w] Fox's Time and the end of Time p. 7. being a Prisoner in a dark Dungeon when a Light was brought to him for a little Time to eat his Diet he would pull out his Bible and reade a Chapter saying he could find his Month in the dark but not reade in the dark O mind the Scriptures in imitation of these and the like excellent Examples * 1 Tim. 4 13. Give attendance to reading †Joh. 5.39 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Search the Scriptrres as Christ commands As Diggers in [x] A Lapide in loc Mines with much Labour and Pains do search for Veins of Gold and Silver in the Bowels of the Earth So labour diligently to dig deep in the rich and golden Mines of Scripture for hidden Treasures of saving Truth Can you use your Eyes exercise your Reason improve your Hours in a better Employment Content not thy self with a slight and cursory reading but get a right and good understanding of these sacred Oracles Read them with Prayer to God before and after the reading of them Reade them with the [y] Quo Spiritu factae sunt Scripturae eo Spiritu legi desiderant ipsoetiam intelligendae sunt Bern. ep ad Fratres de monte Dei. Help of the same Spirit that wrote them Read them and hear the Voice of the blessed Spirit speaking in them Read receive and keep the Word in an honest and good Heart Luke 8.15 Hide the Word of God in thy Heart with David Ps 119.11 as a precious Jewel and Treasure as the Law was kept in a Chest or Ark Exod. 25.21 Let the Word of Christ dwell richly copiously plentifully in thee Coloss 3.16 and in this manner make thy Heart Bibliothecam Christi the Library of Christ as [z] Lectione assiduâ meditatione diuturnâ pectus suum bibliothecam fecerat Christi Hier. ep ad Heliod Epitaph Nepetiani St. Jerome tells us Nepotian did by his constant reading and daily Meditation Reade the Scriptures and fully assent to the Truth and Goodness of them Reade them and feed and feast upon them With the Prophet Ezekiel * Ezek 3.1 3. eat and fill thy Belly with this Roll 't will be in thy Mouth as Honey for Sweetness Do not only take the Scriptures into thine Hand and get them into thine Head but let them be deeply rooted in and fairly printed upon thy Heart Read them [a] Alimenta quae accepimus quamdiu in sua qualitate perdurant solida innatant stomacho onera sunt at cùm ex eo quod erant mutata sunt tunc demum in vires in sanguinem transeunt Idem in his quibus aluntur ingenia praestemus ut quaecunque hausimus non patiamur integra esse ne aliena sint Concoquamus illa altoquin in memoriam ibunt non in ingenium Assentiamur illis fideliter nostra faciamus ut unum quiddam siat ex multis Sen. ep 84. concoct and inwardly digest them do not only retain them in thy Memory but turn them into a new Nature Do not offer to deal with the Scriptures as little [b] Culpands sunt qui in lectione quidem Bibliorum versantur non tamen eum sibs proponunt scepum ut conscientiam suam aedisicent in pietate proficiant sed tantùm at scientiam aliquam sibi comparent qua velut artificio quodam apud alios se ostentent ibi Spiritum minimè quaerentes ubi maximè loquitur Spiritus non dissimiles pueris qui nuces ad ludendum quaerunt nucleo nec gustato nec aperto Andr. Rivet Isagog ad S. Script c. 30. §. 16. School-Boys do with their Nuts who often get them only to play with them having no mind or intention at all to crack the Shell and to taste the Kernel of any of them Reade and regard the Scriptures not only to get a notional Knowledg of them and merely to make them matter of Discourse and of Dispute but with an honest Purpose to profit in Piety and practical Knowledg by the frequent reading and constant studying of them Reade and receive the Scripture * 1 Thess 2.13 not as the Word of Men but as it is in truth the Word of God This will make all its Commands more strong and powerful more sweet and acceptable to think very seriously with thy self that they are the Commands of God who has Authority to command us and of a good God who shews as much Love in his Commands as he does in his Promises who gave his Son to die for us and therefore we may be sure will command us nothing but out of Love and for our good nothing but what will some way serve to sit us for and bring us to that Glory and Happiness which his Son has dearly purchas'd for us This also will mightily strengthen your Faith in Scripture Promises to consider that they are God's Promises who understands what he promises is true and faithful and cannot lie and is able to perform whatever he promises be his Promises never so large and great And this will render Scripture Threatnings very terrible and cause you to tremble at them and stand in aw of them to believe and consider that they are God's Threatnings who is arm'd with Omnipotency and able to execute to the utmost the most dreadful Threatnings that are denounced in his Word O bless and praise the good and holy Name of God that you are not left to the conduct of your purblind short-sighted Reason to the faint Light of the Candle within you to the natural Darkness and Blindness of your carnal Minds and corrupt Hearts that you are not guided with the Turks by a ridiculous Alcoran nor with the Jews directed to follow a few curious Rabbines nor with the Papists enslaved to humane unwritten uncertain Traditions But that you have the Bible open and intelligible in the English Tongue Highly prize and value the Scriptures and reade them with Thankfulness Love Joy and Delight as the best Book you can possibly reade in the whole World the most incomparable Writings which clearly and certainly declare the insinite Love of God and seasonably bring the glad Tidings of a Saviour to lost and undone Mankind which shew and discover to a miserable Sinner the only happy way and means of firm Reconciliation to an offended Deity and bring Life and Immortality to light which are God's publick Act of Indemnity and his free Grant of a full Pardon and of eternal Salvation to the penitent Believer Will you not prize and use the Word of God that incorruptible Seed of which you are or may be born again and have frequent recourse to that Word which
such strong Affections for any profane Writings as by means of them to be taken off from perusing and studying the Scriptures which were given by Inspiration of God and are every way profitable to the Edification and Salvation of our Souls [e] Scriptura visa mihi est indigna quam Tullianae dignitati compar arem Aug Conf. l 3. c. 5. St. Austin confesses it as his great Folly and Fault that in his unconverted State the Scripture-stile was a mean and contemptible thing in his Eye and not to be compared for Dignity with the Eloquence of Tully And [f] The Life of Bp. Usher p. 27. Dr. Bernard relates of Bp. Vsher that in his younger Years in the Times of his private Sequestration and strict Examination of himself he lamented his too much love of his Book and humane Learning that he should be as glad of Munday to go to that as of the Lord's-Day for his Service 3. We should take care to redeem the Time from the most plausible taking Treatises of moral Philosophers whose Precepts commonly make Men grow more in Knowledg than in Goodness We have an Account indeed of one [g] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen contra Cels l. 1. p. 50. Phaedon and one Polemon that were famous Converts to Philosophy and were reclaimed and reduc'd from a very luxurious and impure Life by Socrates and Xenocrates But what vast Numbers and great Multitudes have not only been brought to alter their Opinions but have been really recovered from the inward Love and Liking as well as the outward gross Practice of Sin and Vice by reading and ruminating on the Writings of the Old and New Testament St. Austin declares that Plato's Writings have not the [h] Non habent illae paginae visltum pietatis hujus August Conf. l. 7. c. 21. § 2. Visage and Colour of that Piety that is apparent in the sacred Scriptures The heathen Philosophy has nothing of that holy Nature and transforming Power which is to be found in Scripture-truth which has a rare Efficacy not only to civilize but to sanctify [i] Sapientia eorum non excindit vitia sed abscondit Pauca verò Dei praecepta sic totum hominem immutant exposito vetere novum reddunt ut non cognoscas eundem esse Lactant. l. 3. §. 25. Da mihi virum qui sit iraeundus maledicus effrenatus paucissimis Des verbis tam placidum quà m ovem reddam c. Num quis haec Philosophorum aut unquam prastitit aut praestare si velit potest qui cùm atates suas in studio Philosophiae conterant neque alium quemquam neque seipsos si natura paululum obstitit possunt facere meliores Id. ib. The Wisdome of Philosophers saies Lactantius it does not cut up Vices but only cover them But a few divine Precepts saies he do so change the whole Man and putting off the old make him every way such a new Man that you would not know him to be the same Person The most improved Discourses of heathen Moralists are also short in the relief and comforts which they offer to afford to troubled Minds If you peruse the Writings of all the Platonick Philosophers St. Austin will tell you you can never find such strong Cordials in any of them as those which the Gospel exhibits and holds forth to you you [k] Nemo ibi audit vocantem Venite ad me qui laboratis Aug. Conf. l. 7. c. 21. §. 3. can never hear there any calling and crying to you Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Nor do the Writings of the most raised sublime Philosophers furnish and fortify a Person with any Motives and Arguments to help him quietly and contentedly to bear the Afflictions and Calamities of this Life like those of the perfect Pattern of Christ's patient though undeserved Sufferings and the great and gainful Reward in Heaven that * 2 Cor. 4.17 exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory proposed and promised in the Gospel of Christ to those that endure the Evils and Sufferings of this present Life with Christian Patience [l] Feci ego persaepe periculum fugi semper od Codices sacros quod in iis quaerebatur levamen inveni nec à spe nec à desiderio meo fraudatus Baptist Mantuan de patientia l. 3. cap. 32. Baptista Mantuanus declares it as his comfortable and constant Experience that his recourse to the Scripture was on all Occasions a present happy Remedy against all Griess of Body Anxiety of Mind and Sadness of Soul and that he never fail'd of Ease in taking this course and using this means Once more 4. We should religiously redeem the Time not only from mere Philosophical Writings but from the Ecclesiastical Theological Writings of Men not immediatly inspired to spend in reading over the Bible which is the infallible Word of God and is peculiarly accompanied with the special Operation of the Spirit the Word of God being vehiculum Spiritûs the Charet in which the Spirit of God rides in Triumph This made Luther solemnly profess [m] Ego ipse eam ob causam odi mâ—os libros saepe opto eos interire quòd metuo ne morentur lectores abducant à lectione iâ—sius Scriptarae quae sola omnis sapientiae fons est Ac terreor exemplo superioris aetatis c. Luth. Loc. Com. collect à Fabricio prim Class cap. 24. pag. 70. ex Tom. 2do in Genesin in cap. 19. p. 143. that he hated the Books set forth by himself and often wish'd them perish'd and utterly abolish'd lest they should be a means to divert and withdraw Men from the reading of the Scripture which alone is the Fountain of all spiritual divine and heavenly Wisdome for fear of this he could like Saturn have eaten up his own Children destroyed his own Works the Fruit and Issue of his Mind Thus thus redeem and gain the Time from other Things to apply it to the busie study of the Scriptures Let the Scriptures have the Preeminence above all Books and Writings in the World Keep a constant course of serious reading those divine Writings reade them frequently reade them unweariedly [n] Septies ter imò septuagies septies seu ut plus dicam infinities legendae sunt vel milties relegendae sunt Idem ibidem pag. 70 71. It is a common proverbial Speech saies Luther that the Letters of Princes are to be read three times over Surely then the Divine Letters God's Epistles as Gregory calls the Scriptures are to be read seven times thrice yea seventy times seven they are to be read even a thousand times over they are to be read infinitely because they are the divine Wisdome which cannot be comprehended presently at first sight If any one reade them by the by as things known and easy he deceives himself Is not Time well spent in often and narrow searching into those things
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