much work in a little time, as those who have borne the burden and heat of the day, and yet did not work fo hard, though they went in at the firft call. Hence Chrift faid, Many are called, but few chofen; that is, though many profess the truth, yet few in comparison, make fuch vaft improvements of their time, as by their extraordinary labours to render themselves eminent and choice fervants of God.

That extraordinary labourer, and most zealous apostle, St. Paul, the author of my text, was one of those few. He faid indeed, that he was the least of the apostles, and less than the least of all faints, and that he was as one born out of due time. But, though to fhew his great humility, and repentance for his fins, he spake fo disdainfully of himself; yet he filled up his time by his unexampled zeal and vigour; nor doth all the fcripture give us fuch another inftance as he was, to fhew what it is to redeem the time: I laboured, (fays he) more abundantly than they all. And these were not vain, boafting expreffions, but a juft acknowledgment, of

what

what he found himself obliged to do, to make God and man all poffible reparation. He would not lose an hour more; but ftrove to expiate his guilt, for coming fo late into the church, and for perfecuting it fo before his entrance.

By this great example of himself, which the penitent apoftle fet to his own advice, we may easily perceive what it is to redeem the time. He was ready to be at any coft, to retrive (what he could) those fair opportunities of doing the world and himfelf good, which upon folemn reflection, he faw were dropt out of his hands. Labour, fufferings, life itself, all, he thought little enough to make amends. So that to redeem our time in St. Paul's way is, with all poffible application and earneftness of mind, to make the best use we can of the prefent; to increase our diligence every new day; and to employ the remainder of our life, with fuch great care and husbandry, as if we were within a short space to die, and to go to judge

ment.

And

And if people would but seriously confider, how valuable time is, and what the confequences will most certainly be, whether they improve, or throw it away; one would think no other motive would be needful, to make them husband it well, but this fingle thought; that whatever they do, they are still dealing for an eternity. It is the only bufinefs we have in this world, to be evermore regular and conftant in the courfe God hath fet us, as the fun is in his motions. From the womb to the grave, we have our days numbered out unto us; or however we fpend them, whether well or ill, we may be fure it will turn to fome account: there is no medium, or remedy, but we must be infinitely gainers or lofers by it.

BUT, that notions of this kind may make the deeper impreffion, it will be requifite to confider more particularly the

II. THING which I propofed to fpeak to, namely, the Reafons why we ought to redeem the time. :

And

And they are these two; namely, 1st, That the want thereof is prejudicial to us already. And,

2o, That it will be much more fo bereafter.

1st, I fay, The want of redeeming the time is prejudicial to us already.

The perfections of the foul are not wrought on a fudden, but are acquired by degrees; knowledge, by observation and ftudy; virtue, by practice, by many repeated acts, which improve good difpofitions into a settled habit of living well. This neceffarily requires time; and therefore the scripture expreffeth it, by growing in grace; because those gracious difpofitions rife and increase gradually.

Upon this account, the lofs of time is very fenfibly prejudicial to men's fouls ; because thereby the business of their falvation (in the works whereof they should have kept equal paces with their time) -I fay, thereby, that great and urgent bufinefs of their falvation is put quite backward, and left behind-hand, never to be fetched up again without double di

ligence.

ligence. Their understandings are darkened or deluded, for want of that true information, which their minds might have received, had they not flept or fported away many happy opportunities, or spent them upon worldly concernments. Their fense of religion is comparatively very fmall, by their neglecting those hours, which fhould have been employed about it. Their virtues are inconfiderable for want of practice. In fhort, all thofe improvements which others have made, and which are neceffary for all, to prepare and fit their fouls for a bleffed ftate hereafter, fuch careless people are to feek for, and perhaps at last despair of making, when once they are thoroughly fenfible of their neglects, and find the inconveniences of a fick bed, or the dulnefs of old age to come upon them. Inftead of those perfections in grace and goodness, vice gets ground apace; every day it grows more and more habitual; till in the end, it is as hard a matter to reform those who are accuftomed to do evil, as it is to make an Ethiopian change his skin, (as the proVOL. IV. phet

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