A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

3. It is a day: and this should put us upon the present improving of it; for it is a clear day, a lightsome day. The sun of Righteousness is risen. The day-spring from on high hath visited our Horizon with the light of the Gospel. Now a lightsome, a sun-shiny day, is to be regarded, improved, for the present. 'Tis a dark day indeed compared with Heaven; but it is light compared with the shadows of Judaism, or the fogs of Popery. Work, work; work apace, you that have the sun-shine of the Gospel. I wish I could not say, I see a Cloud far bigger than a man's hand, and I hear a noise of much rain. Now you have sun-shine: cock your Hay; shock your Corn a pace; wanton not away your Summer, least you beg in Winter. God by giving of you so fair a day, showeth not that your Sun will always shine: but that now thou shouldst work. Slumber not away a sun-shiny day in harvest. The day, and such a day is surely intended for working. Man goeth forth to his work till the evening: the night is for sleep, but the day, especially a sun-shiny day, a clear day for working.

3. It is a day: and this should put us upon the present improving of it; for it is a clear day, a lightsome day. The sun of Righteousness is risen. The day-sping from on high hath visited our Horizon with the light of the Gospel. Now a lightsome, a sun-shiny day, is to be regarded, improved, for the present. 'Tis a dark day indeed compared with Heaven; but it is light compared with the shadows of Judaism, or the fogs of Popery. Work, work; work apace, you that have the sun-shine of the Gospel. I wish I could not say, I see a Cloud far bigger than a man's hand, and I hear a noise of much rain. Now you have sun-shine: cock your Hay; shock your Corn a pace; wanton not away your Summer, least you beg in Winter. God by giving of you so fair a day, sheweth not that your Sun will alwaies shine: but that now thou shouldst work. Slumber not away a sun-shiny day in harvest. The day, and such a day is surely intended for working. Man goeth forth to his work till the evening: the night is for sleep, but the day, especially a sun-shiny day, a clear day for working.

4. It is a day: and therefore puts us upon the present improving of it; because it is a wasting day, a day that passeth and runneth apace. We usually say the day is far spent. The day goeth, whether you sit still or no: the sun runs, yea like a Giant, like a strong man, though thou creepest like a cripple. Though the passenger sleeps in the Ship, the Ship carrieth him apace towards his Haven: thou art idle, but time hurrieth thee to the grave. Time is winged: thy hour-glass needs no jogging: there is no stopping the stream of time. It was a notable speech of one once to a person that was in a fit of anger; Sir (saith he) Domine, sol ad occasum: the sun is going down: this is my caution to every lazy Christian, if the sun must not go down upon your wrath, surely it must much less go down upon your loitering. If the sun in the Heavens must not go down upon your Wrath, the sun of your life should not be suffered to go down upon your Laziness. Cum celeritate temporis utendi velocitate certandum est, saith Seneca: Our swiftness in work must contend