-- Tit. 5. On whom the Duty of redeeming Time is principally incumbent. Eight sorts especially calle
and design of life, is the great thing necessary to all that will savingly redeem their time.
Tit. 5. On whom this Duty of Redeeming Time is principally incumbent Though the redeeming of time be a duty of grand importance and necessity to all, yet all these sorts following have special obligations to it.
Sort I. Those that are in the youth and vigour of their time: nature is not so much corrupted in you, as in old accustomed sinners: your hearts are not so much hardened: sin is not so deeply rooted and confirmed: satan hath not triumphed in so many victories: you are not yet plunged so deep as others, into worldly incumbrances and cares: your understanding, memory and strength are in their vigour and do not yet fail you. And who should go fastest, or work hardest but he that hath the greatest strength? You may now get more by diligence in a day, than hereafter you may get in many. How few prove good scholars, or wise men that begin not to learn till they are old? "Fly youthful lusts," therefore, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth." "If you be now trained up in the way you should go, you will not depart from it when you are old." O that you could but know what an unspeakable advantage, and benefit, and comfort it is, to come to a ripe age with the provisions and furniture of that wisdom, and holiness, and acquaintance with God, which should be attained in your youth! and what a misery it is to be then to learn that which you should have been many years before in practising, and to be then to begin to live when you must make an end? much more to be cast to hell, if death should find you unready in your youth? or to be forsaken of God to a hardened age! Happy they that
with Timothy and Obadiah, do learn the Scripture and fear God in their childhood, and from their youth.
Sort II. Necessity maketh it incumbent on the weak, and sick, and aged, in a special manner to redeem their time. If they will not make much of it that are sure to have but a little; and if they will trifle and loiter it away, that know they are near their journey's end, and ready to give up their accounts, they are unexcusable above all others. A thief or murderer will pray and speak good words when he is going out of the world. Well may it be said to you, as Paul doth, Rom. 13:11,
12. "Now is it high time to awake out of sleep;" when your salvation or damnation is so near! It is high time for that man to look about him, and prepare his soul, and lose no time, that is so speedily to appear before the most holy God, and be used for ever as he has lived here.
Sort III. It is specially incumbent on them to redeem the time, who have loitered and mispent much time already. If conscience tell you that you have lost your youth in ignorance and vanity, and much of your age in negligence and worldliness, it is a double crime in you, if you redeem not diligently the time that is left. The just care of your salvation requireth it, unless you are willing to be damned. Ingenuity and duty to God requireth it; unless you will defy him, and resolve to abuse and despise him to the utmost, and spend all the time against him which he shall give you. The nature of true repentance requireth it; unless you will know none but the repentance of the damned; and begin to repent the mispending of your time, when it is gone, and all is too late.
Sort IV. It is specially their duty to redeem the time, who are scanted of time through poverty, service or restraint. If poor people that must labour all the day, will not redeem the Lord's day, and those few
hours which they have, they will then have no time at all for things spiritual: servants that be not masters of their time, and are held close to their work, had need to be very diligent in redeeming those few hours which are allowed them for higher things.
Sort V. Those that enjoy any special helps either public or private must be specially careful to improve them and redeem the time. Do you live under a convincing, powerful ministry? O improve it and redeem the time; for you know not how soon they may be taken from you, or you from them. Do you live with godly relations, parents, husband, wife, masters in a godly family, or with godly fellowservants, 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: if these loiter, they are doubly to blame: sure the time past of your lives may suffice to have loitered and done evil. Hath not the devil had too much already? Will ye stand "all the day idleh?" 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."
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." 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 seasonl." A man that is to save many others from drowning, or to quench a fire in the city, is inexcusable 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 holy, and spend their time more carefully and diligently for their souls, and shew all about them the truth of their repentance, by the greatness of their change, and an exemplary life. O 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.