by evil or envious men or angels, I will patiently bear it, and content myself with the serenity of my own conscience: Hic murus abeneus esto.*

7. When thy honor, or the good of my country was concerned, I then thought it was a seasonable time to lay out my reputation for the advantage of either, and to act it, and by and upon it, to the highest, in the use of all lawful means; and upon such an occasion the counsel of Mordecai to Hester was my encouragement. † Who knoweth whether God hath given thee this reputation and esteem for such a time as this?

* Let conscience be as a wall of brass,

† Hester 5.

OF

THE REDEMPTION OF TIME:

HOW, AND WHY IT IS TO BE REDEEMED.

I WOULD consider these particulars: 1. What that Time is which we are to redeem. 2. What it is to redeem that time. 3. How that time is to be redeemed. 4. Why that time is thus to be redeem. ed.

The first of these, What that time is, that is to be redeemed. The philosophers trouble themselves much what time is, and leave it very difficult; but we shall not need to trouble ourselves with that en quiry. The time that is here meant, seems to be under this double relation: First, in relation to some apt season for any thing to be done; and then it is properly called opportunity, which is nothing else but the coincidence of some circumstances accom. modated to some action suitable to it: as the time for the husbandman to reap his corn, is when the corn is ripe, and the weather seasonable; it is time for the smith to forge iron when it is hot, and there.

fore malleable. And so in matters moral; it is a time to show mercy when an object of misery occurs, and a power to give relief. This, as I take it, is that which the Greeks call kaιpòs, or opportunity Secondly, in relation to that continuance of the du ration of the reasonable creature in life, in this world, or the time of our life.

II. To redeem time, therefore, is in relation to both these viz. 1. In relation to seasons and opportunities; the redemption of time in this respect is, 1. Diligently to watch and observe all fitting seasons and opportunities of doing all the good we may, whether in relation to Almighty God, his service and glory; in relation to others, in all acts of charity, and justice; in relation to ourselves, in improvements of knowledge, piety, and virtue. 2. Industriously to lay hold of all these opportunities, and not to let them slip, but to apply suitable actions to suita. ble opportunities when they occur. 3. In relation to the times of our lives: and so we are said to redeem our time. 1. When we constantly employ our Time, and leave as few vacuities and interstitia* in it without employing it. The opposite to this is idleness, or doing nothing. 2. When we employ our time constantly in doing something that is answerable to the value and usefulness of our time. The opposites to this are, first, the sinful employment of our time, which is indeed worse than idleness: Or, se.

'Intervals.

condly, the vain, and impertinent, and unprofitable employment of our time, as Domitian did in the kill. ing of flies. 3. When we employ our time, not only in things profitable, but in such things as are of greatest use and importance; and therefore such employments as are of greatest importance and concernment ought to take up the greatest and most conside. rable part of our time; otherwise we are imprudent and irrational in the improvement or redemption of our time. And therefore this redeeming of our time is ordinarily called husbanding of our time, in resemblance of the husbandman's proceeding with his ground. If the husbandman doth not at all till and sow his ground, but is idle; or if he takes much pains in tilling of his ground, and sows nothing but cockle and darnel, or such hurtful seeds; or if he sows not that which is hurtful, but sows light or unprofitable corn; or sows that ground with a more ig. noble and unuseful grain, which would with more reason and advantage be employed to a more noble grain, that would yield more profit; or if he sows a sujtable grain, but observes not his season proper for it, that man is an ill husband of his ground: And he that with the like negligence or imprudence husbands his time, is an ill husband of his time, and doth not redeem it as he is here directed. But of this more in the next.

III. How time is to be redeemed. The particular methods of husbanding of time under both the former relations, viz. in relation to opportunity, and in