Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

greater portion of our time we give to God, the more we treasure up for our felves; and No man is a better Merchant than he that lays out his time upon God, and bis money upon the poor.

2. Only it becomes us to remember and to adore God's goodness for it, that God hath not only permitted us to ferve the neceffities of our nature, but hath made them to become parts of our duty; that if we by directing these actions to the glory of God intend them as inftruments to continue our persons in his fervice, he by adopting them into religion may turn our nature into grace, and accept our natural actions as actions of Religion. God is pleased to esteem it for a part of

Πυθομένη τινὸς, πῶς ἐςὶν ἐσθίειν ἀρε

his fervice, if we eat or drink; fossets; dixalos isiv, in ad

it be done temperately, and as may best preserve our health, that our health may enable our fervi

ἐυΓνωμόνως, καὶ ἴσως, καὶ ἐγκρατώς, καὶ κοσμίως, ἐκ ἔσιν καὶ ἀρεςῶς τοῖς 90s; Arrian, Epift. l. 1. 6. 13.

ces towards him: And there is no one minute of our lives (after we are come to the use of reason) but we are or may be doing the work of God, even then when we most of all ferve our felves.

3. To which if we add, that in these and all other actions of our lives we always ftand before God, acting, and speaking, and thinking in his prefence, and that it matters not that our confcience is fealed with fecrecy; fince it lies open to God, it will concern us to behave our felves carefully, as in the presence of our Judge.

These three Confiderations rightly managed, and applied to the feveral parts and inftances of our lives, will be, like Elifba, ftretched upon the child, apt to put life and quickness into every part of it, and to make us live the life of grace, and do the work of God.

I fhall therefore, by way of introduction, reduce these three to practice, and thew how every Chriftian may improve all and each of these to the ad antage of Piety in the whole courfe of his life: that if he pleafe to bear but one of them upon his fpirit, he may feel the benefit, like an univerfal inftrument, helpful in all spiritual and temporal actions. SECT.

B 2

SECT. I.

The first general Inflrument of Holy Living,
Care of our Time.

HE that is choice of his time will also be choice of his company, and choice of his actions; left the firft engage him in vanity and lofs, and the latter by being criminal be a throwing his time and himself away, and a going back in the accounts of Eternity.

God hath given to Man a fhort time here upon Earth, and yet upon this fhort time Eternity depends: but fo, that for every hour of our Life, (after we are perfons capable of Laws, and know Good from Evil) we must give account to the great Judge of Men and Angels. And this is it which our bleffed Saviour told us, that we must account for every idle word: not meaning that every word which is not defigned to Edification, or is lefs prudent, fhall be reckoned for a fin; but that the time which we spend in our idle talking and unprofitable Difcourfings, that time which might and ought to have been employed to fpiritual and ufeful purposes, that is to be accounted for.

For we must remember that we have a great work to doe, many enemies to conquer, many evils to prevent, much danger to run through, many difficulties to be mastered, many neceffities to ferve, and much good to doe, many Children to provide for, or many Friends to fupport, or many Poor to relieve, or many Difeafes to cure, befides the needs of Nature and of Relation, our private and our publick cares, and duties of the World, which neceffity and the Providence of God hath adopted into the Family of Religion.

And that we need not fear this Inftrument to be a fnare to us, or that the duty muft end in fcruple, vexation and eternal Fears, we must remember that the life of every Man may be fo ordered, (and indeed muft) that it may be a perpetual ferving of God. The greateft Trouble, and moft bufie Trade, and worldly Intumbrances, when they are neceffary, or charitable,

or

or profitable in order to any of thofe ends which we are bound to ferve, whether publick or private, being a doing of God's work. For God provides the good things of the world to ferve the needs of nature, by the labours of the Plough-man, the skill and pains of the Artifan, and the dangers and traffick of the Merchant: These Men are in their Callings the Minifters of the Divine Providence, and the Stewards of the Creation, and Servants of a great family of God, the world, in the employment of procuring neceffaries for food and clothing, ornament and phyfick. In their proportions alfo, a King and a Prieft and a Prophet, a Judge and an Advocate, doing the works of their employment according to their proper rules, are doing the work of God, because they serve thofe neceffities which God hath made, and yet made no provisions for them but by their Miniltry. So that no man can complain that his calling takes him off from religion: his calling it felf and his very worldly employment in honeft trades and offices is a ferving of God, and if it be moderately purfued, and according to the rules of Chriftian prudence, will leave void spaces enough for prayers and retirements of a more fpiritual religion.

God hath given every man work enough to doe, that there fhall be no room for idlenefs; and yet hath fo ordered the world, that there fhall be fpace for devotion. He that hath the feweft bufineffes of the world, is called upon to spend more time in the dreffing of his Soul; and he that hath the most affairs, may fo order them, that they shall be a service of God; whilft at certain periods they are bleffed with prayers and actions of Religion, and all day long are hallowed by a holy Intention.

However, fo long as idleness is quite shut out from our lives, all the fins of wantonnefs, softness and effeminacy are prevented, and there is but little room left for temptation: and therefore to a bufie man temptation is fain to climb up together with his bufinefs, and fins creep upon him only by accidents and occafions; whereas to an idle perfon they come in a

B 3

full

Ezek. 16.

49.

Seneca,

full body, and with open violence, and the impu dence of a reftlefs importunity.

Idlenefs is called the Sin of Sodom and her daughters, and indeed is the burial of a living man, an idle perfon being fo useless to any purposes of God and Man, that he is like one that is dead, unconcerned in the changes and neceffitics of the world; and he only lives to spend his time, and eat the fruits of the earth: like a Vermin or a Wolf, when their time comes they die and perith, and in the mean time do no good; they neither plough nor carry burthens; all that they do is either unprofitable, or mischievous.

Idleness is the greatest prodigality in the world; it throws away that which is unvaluable in refpect of its prefent ufe, and irreparable when it is past, being to be recovered by no power of art or nature. But the way to fecure and improve our time we may practise in the following Rules.

Rules for employing our Time,

1. In the morning, when you awake, accustom your felf to think first upon God, or fomething in or der to his fervice; and at night alfo let him clofe thine eyes; and let your fleep be neceffary and healthful, not idle and expenfive of time, beyond the needs and conveniencies of nature; and fometimes be curious to fee the preparation which the Sun makes, when he is coming forth from his chambers of the Eaft.

2. Let every man that hath a Calling, be diligent in pursuance of its employment, fo as not lightly or without reasonable occafion to neglect it in any of those times which are ufually, and by the cuftom of prudent perfons and good husbands, employed in it.

3. Let all the intervals or void fpaces of time be employed in prayers, reading, meditating, works of na ture, recreation, charity, friendlinefs and neighbourhood, and means of fpiritual and corporal health; ever remembring fo to work in our Calling as not to negleft the work of our high Calling; but to begin

and

Sect. I and end the day with God, with fuch forms of devotion as fhall be proper to our neceffities.

4. The refting day of Chriftians, and Festivals of the Church, must in no sense be days of idleness; for it is better to plough upon holy days than to do nothing or to do vitioufly; but let them be spent in the works of the day, that is, of Religion and Charity, according to the Rules appointed *.

* See Chap.

5. Avoid the Company of Drunkards, and Bufie- 4. Sect. 6. bodies, and all fuch as are apt to talk much to little purpose: for no Man can be provident of his time that is not prudent in the choice of his company: and if one of the Speakers be vain, tedious and trifling, he that hears and he that anfwers in the difcourse are equal lofers of their time.

triplici cu

6. Never talk with any Man, or undertake any S. Bern, de trifling employment, merely to pass the time away: for Rodia. every day well spent may become a day f Salvation, and time rightly employed is an acceptable time. And remember that the time thou triflest away was given thee to repent in, to pray for pardon of fins, to work out thy falvation, to do the work of grace, to lay up against the day of Judgment a treasure of good works, that thy time may be crowned with Eternity.

7. In the midft of the works of thy Calling often retire to God in bort prayers and ejaculations, and thofe may make up the want of thofe larger portions of time which it may be thou defireft for devotion, and in which thou thinkeft other perfons have advantage of thee; for fo thou reconcileft the outward work and thy inward calling, the Church and the Commonwealth, the employment of the Body and the interest of thy Soul; for be fure that God is prefent at thy breathings and hearty fighings of prayer as foon as at the longeft offices of lefs bufied perfons; and thy time is as truly fanctified by a trade, and devout, though shorter, Prayers, as by the longer offices of thofe whofe time is not filled up with labour and useful Bufinefs.

Laudatur Auguftus Caefar apud Lucanum,

media inter prælia semper Stellarum cœlique plagis fuperifque vacabat.

[blocks in formation]
« EdellinenJatka »