The works of George Swinnock, M.A

Then the Nobles, and Kings, and Emperors of the world, will disesteem their honours and height, and trample upon their Robes, and Sceptres, and •rowns, for a little time. Then they who dally with their days of grace, and delay the preparation of their souls for death and judgement, as if time were at their command, and they could force it to attend their leisure, that live as if Death were their servant, and must wait on them till they thought fit to come to their graves, will find that time was time indeed; O my soul, of what worth will time be at that day, and wilt thou wa•te it at this day! Alas, how little is that time which thou hast to improve for thine unchangeable estate! My life is but a shadow, that is gone when the Sun hides his head; A Bubble that vanisheth when a small breath of wind appeareth; A day that is soon overtaken by a night, a span, nothing. Thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth, mine age is nothing unto thee. Wert thou able to secure a long life, though thou h•s• ⟨p. 545⟩work enough of infinite weight to employ it all, yet thou mightest have more colour of reason for being lavish; but when thy time is little, and thy business of such consequence, what unspeakable madness is it to be wasteful of it! He that hath thousands of acres of Land, will spare some for a Park, some for a bowling-green, some for a court-yard, some for pleasure and pastimes; but he that hath but a little land, upon which himself and his family must live, and by which they must be maintained, can spare none at all for vain pleasures, but must improve all to real profit. Man that is born of a woman, is but of few days; He comes up as a Flower, fleeth as a shadow, and continueth not; and wilt thou, O my soul, revel and riot away this poor pittance in which thou shouldst work out thy salvation! O that I could value this jewel in some measure answerable to its worth, and do the work of the day, in the day allotted me for work! Time rightly husbanded is acceptable time; a day well employed is a day of salvation. Lord, though my journey be great, my time is little; Nay, how much of that little time have I lost? A considerable part of it hath been taken up with my Infancy and Child-hood, wherein I did little above a Beast. My youth hath been squandered away in trifles and vanity, and too much of it in lust and iniquity.