14. Consider, thou hast but a little time to do good in, therefore it concerns thee to set speedily upon it, and to be diligent at it. Alas, how short is thy whole Life, from the Womb to the Tomb; It's but a shadow that fleeth away, and continueth not; a Vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away, it's nothing, Job 14.2. James 4.14. Psal. 39.6. And how much of this time is gone, hath been spent as a tale that is told, impertinently, and to no purpose, in doing nothing, or in doing that which is worse than nothing, Psal. 90.9. How short that time is that remaineth God only knoweth; for thy time is in his hand, not thine own; surely then it behoveth thee to redeem the ⟨p. 360⟩time, to make the most of it, and whilst thou hast it, to improve it for the doing of good, O Friend, hast thou loitered so long; is thy work so great, thy day to work in so short; and yet is it not time to bestir thy self? Is death at thy door? art thou within a step of eternity, within the view of the other World, and yet wilt thou not up and be doing? Can any assure thee of standing in the Vineyard another year; nay, another month; nay, another day; and is it not yet time to be fruitful? Dost thou not see that as Labourers are sent into the Vineyard at all hours, so they go out of the Vineyard at all hours. Thou owest a debt to Nature, to the God of Nature; the day of payment is not expressed, therefore it may be demanded at any time. Reader, though some fruit falls from the Tree by reason of its maturity; yet how much more is blown off, or cudgelled off, whilst it is green? Do not thine eyes see Coffins and Graves of all sorts and sizes? And wilt thou be as the silly Beasts, who though the Butcher come one day to the Field and fetch away one, another day ⟨p. 361⟩and fetch away another to the slaughter; yet those that remain neither miss them that are gone, nor dread their own destinies. O Friend, what dost thou think to do, when time is gone, and death comes? wilt thou stop the Sun of thy Life in its career? Will it hear thy Voice, and obey thy Command? Or wilt thou call to Time, as Israels General did to the Sun; Stand still, that I may be avenged of all my Sensuality, and Idleness, and Pride, and Impenitency, and all my spiritual Enemies, which have robbed me of God and Heaven? Do you imagine Time will be at your beck?
14. Consider, thou hast but a little time to do good in, therefore it concerns thee to set speedily upon it, and to be diligent at it. Alas, how short is thy whole Life, from the Womb to the Tomb; It's but a shadow that fleeth away, and continueth not; a Vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away, it's nothing, Job 14.2. James 4.14. Psal. 39.6. And how much of this time is gone, hath been spent as a tale that is told, impertinently, and to no purpose, in doing nothing, or in doing that which is worse than nothing, Psal. 90.9. How short that time is that remaineth God only knoweth; for thy time is in his hand, not thine own; surely then it behoveth thee to redeem the ⟨p. 360⟩time, to make the most of it, and whilst thou hast it, to improve it for the doing of good, O Friend, hast thou loyter'd so long; is thy work so great, thy day to work in so short; and yet is it not time to bestir thy self? Is death at thy door? art thou within a step of eternity, within the view of the other World, and yet wilt thou not up and be doing? Can any assure thee of standing in the Vineyard another year; nay, another moneth; nay, another day; and is it not yet time to be fruitful? Dost thou not see that as Labourers are sent into the Vineyard at all hours, so they go out of the Vineyard at all hours. Thou owest a debt to Nature, to the God of Nature; the day of payment is not expressed, therefore it may be demanded at any time. Reader, though some fruit falls from the Tree by reason of its maturity; yet how much more is blown off, or cudgeld off, whilst it is green? Do not thine eyes see Coffins and Graves of all sorts and sizes? And wilt thou be as the silly Beasts, who though the Butcher come one day to the Field and fetch away one, another day ⟨p. 361⟩and fetch away another to the slaughter; yet those that remain neither miss them that are gone, nor dread their own destinies. O Friend, what dost thou think to do, when time is gone, and death comes? wilt thou stop the Sun of thy Life in its career? Will it hear thy Voice, and obey thy Command? Or wilt thou call to Time, as Israels General did to the Sun; Stand still, that I may be avenged of all my Sensuality, and Idleness, and Pride, and Impenitency, and all my spiritual Enemies, which have robbed me of God and Heaven? Do you imagine Time will be at your beck?
