Direction 2

Direction, II.

Let us discern our time, and attend every duty in the proper time.

There is a two-fold prudence which the wise man's heart is to be no stranger to.

The First Prudence is,

Let no duty be done out of its time. We are told in Ecclesiastes 3:11, God has made every thing beautiful in the time of it. There is a nick of time that we are to take for all we do. Not snow but fruit is beautiful in the summer. Tis not beautiful for the duty of prayer, to be done at a sleepy time, or at a busy time. Tis not beautiful for the duty of reproof to be done at a time when it can do no good at all. Set not upon this or that duty at a time when God calls to another duty. Tis said in Ecclesiastes 8:6, to every purpose there is a time and judgment. We may render all our duties like apples of gold in pictures of silver, by well timing of them.

The Second Prudence is,

Let no time pass away without its duty: let none of our times be unaccompanied with the duties which belong to them. As now, there are duties that belong to a time of prosperity, and duties which belong to a time of adversity.

Tis said in Ecclesiastes 7:14, in the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider. In a time of prosperity: now is a time for men to remember their Creator before the evil days come; now is a time for men to set their heart and their soul to seek the Lord who has given them rest on every side. In a time of adversity, now is a time for men to bring sin to remembrance; now is a time for men to meet the Lord in all the ways of repentance and obedience. This is to discern the time. But there are especially three sorts of times which we are to fill with the duties of those times.

First. Let the duties of worshipping times, be done in those times. We have our times every day wherein the Lord says, seek my face. Now let the echo of our souls be that in Psalms 27:8, your face, Lord, we will seek. We have every day our times for private prayer, our times for secret prayer, our times for reading of, and thinking on the Word of God. Let those things be faithfully done in those times.

Especially, remember the Sabbath day. Let Sabbath-time be sanctified time. On this day, lie all the day long at the pool of mercy; mercy, mercy, and salvation for an immortal soul is this day to be traded for. Tis a time that the great God is very jealous about. He does wonderfully curse the souls, and blast the houses, and ruin the countries where this holy time is not acknowledged. He will terribly break the rest of those whom his rest shall not be regarded by.

Secondly, let the duties of visiting times be done in those times. Tis too commonly seen that Amici temporis Fures; our friends are our thieves; they steal our time, because we don't use our time, when then they are with us. Tis observable, in Colossians 4:6, as soon as the Apostle had said, redeem the time, he adds, let your speech be always with grace. That, that indeed is a rare way to redeem the time. Let us ordinarily study to do some good, whatever company we come into. It was observed of that excellent Ursin by his renowned friend, I [illegible] was in his company, but I went away (Doctior [illegible] ut Melior) the wiser or the better from him. Abhor, O abhor the useless visits that are quite contrary to all such designs. Mourn if you have been in any company without being profitable thereunto.

Thirdly, let the duties of intervening times be done in those times. We have large fragments of time, that are the intervals of our businesses; about these fragments of time, I would say as our Lord said about the fragments of bread, in John 6:12, gather up those fragments that nothing be lost. How many thousands of happy thoughts might we have as we are sitting in the house, or walking in the street, otherwise wholly unimployed? The very filings of gold and of time are not to be cast away. To discern our time, is to adapt our time.