Sort V. Those that enjoy any special helps either public or private must be specially careful to improve them and redeem the time. Do you live under a convincing, powerful ministry? O improve it and redeem the time; for you know not how soon they may be taken from you, or you from them. Do you live with godly relations, parents, husband, wife, masters in a godly family, or with godly fellow-servants, friends, or neighbours? Redeem the time: get somewhat by them every day: you know not how short this season will be. Do you live where you have books and leisure? Redeem the time: this also may not be long. Had not Joshua been horribly unexcusable if he would have loitered when God made the sun stand still, while he pursued his enemies? O loiter not you, while the sun of mercy, patience, means, and helps do all attend you.
Sort VI. Those must especially redeem the time who are ignorant, or graceless, or weak in grace, and have strong corruptions, and little or no assurance of salvation, and are unready to die, and have yet all or most of their work to do:[300] if these loiter, they are doubly to blame. Sure the time past of your lives may suffice to have loitered and done evil, 1 Pet. iv. 3. Hath not the devil had too much already? Will ye stand "all the day idle," Matt. xx. 6. Look home and see what you have yet to do; how much you want to a safe and comfortable death! "Sow to yourselves in righteousness: reap in mercy: break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you," Hos. x. 12.
Sort VII. It much concerneth them to redeem the time, who are in any office, or have any opportunity of doing any special or public good; especially magistrates and ministers of Christ. Your life will not be long: your office will not be long: O bestir you against sin and Satan, and for Christ and holiness, while you may: God will try you but a time. Let Obadiah hide and feed the prophets when he is called to it, and while he may, that God may hide him, and not think to shift off duty, and save himself to a better time. Saith Mordecai to Esther, "Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews: for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise from another place, but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther ix. 13, 14. Are you ministers? O preach the gospel while you may: redeem the time: all times are your season: so great a work, and the worth of souls, commandeth you to do it "in season and out of season," 2 Tim. iv. 2. A man that is to save many others from drowning, or to quench a fire in the city, is unexcusable above all men, if he redeem not time, by his greatest diligence and speed.
Sort VIII. Lastly, it is especially incumbent on them to redeem the time, who, being recovered from sickness, or saved from any danger, are under the obligation both of special mercy and special promises of their own; who have promised God in the time of sickness or distress, that if he would but spare them and try them once again, they would amend their lives, and live more holily, and spend their time more carefully and diligently for their souls, and show all about them the truth of their repentance, by the greatness of their change, and an exemplary life. Oh it is a most dangerous, terrible thing to return to security, sloth, and sin, and break such promises to God! Such are often given over to woeful hard-heartedness or despair; for God will not be mocked with delusory words.
Thus I have opened this great duty of redeeming time the more largely, because it is of unspeakable importance; and my soul is frequently amazed with admiration, that the sluggish world can so insensibly and impenitently go on in wasting precious time, so near eternity, and in so needy and dangerous a case. Though, I bless my God, that I have not wholly lost my time, but have long lived in a sense of the odiousness of that sin, yet I wonder at myself that such overpowering motives compel me not to make continual haste, and to be still at work with all my might, in a case of everlasting consequence.
[CHAPTER VI.]
DIRECTIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE THOUGHTS.
I have showed you, in my "Treatise of Walking with God," how much man's thoughts are regarded by God, and should be regarded by himself; and what agents and instruments they are of very much good or evil: this therefore I shall suppose and not repeat; but only direct you in the governing of them. The work having three parts, they must have several directions. 1. For the avoiding of evil thoughts. 2. For the exercise of good thoughts. 3. For the improvement of good thoughts, that they may be effectual.