N00393:266
Small offers towards the service of the tabernacle in the wilderness. Four discourses, accommodated…
Small offers towards the service of the tabernacle in the wilderness. Four discourses, accommodated unto the designs of practical godliness. The first, concerning the methods wherein men ought to engage both themselves and their houses in the service of God. The second, concerning the right and best ways of redeeming time in the world. The third, concerning the carriage which we should have under trials used by God upon us. The fourth, concerning the end, which in our desires of life, we should propound unto ourselves. Preached partly at Boston, partly at Charleston. / By Cotton Mather, Pastor of a church in Boston. ; Published by a gentleman lately restored from threatening sickness; as an humble essay to serve the interest of religion, in gratitude unto God for his recovery.Small offers towards the service of the tabernacle in the wilderness. Four discourses, accommodated unto the designs of practical godliness. The first, concerning the methods wherein men ought to engage both themselves and their houses in the service of God. The second, concerning the right and best waies of redeeming time in the world. The third, concerning the carriage which we should have under trials used by God upon us. The fourth, concerning the end, which in our desires of life, we should propound unto ourselves. Preached partly at Boston, partly at Charleston. / By Cotton Mather, Pastor of a church in Boston. ; Published by a gentleman lately restored from threatning sickness; as an humble essay to serve the interest of religion, in gratitude unto God for his recovery.
Boston: printed by R. Pierce. Sold by Jos. Brunning, 1689
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Direction. III.
Let us discern our Time, and make none but Good Bargains about the time. The Scripture once and again tells us, as in Eph. 5. 16. that we are to •uy up the time, or buy out the time. This is to discern the Time! We must be at some Cost, and at some Charge for it, if we would not be ill-husbands of our time: We much pay down either Money or Monies-worth for it; we must forego and undergo many things for it. Many things must we give up, that our time so may be well employed. The case is ordinarily ⟨p. 81⟩so, that either we must resign many Pleasures, many Profits, many Honours, or else we must part with our time Now rather give up all Delights, than suffer precious time to be pirated away. All the things of time, are sometimes Expense little enough for time. Yea, many things must we give back, that so we may not misemploy our time. The Devil and our Lusts have been trucking for our time. The Devil, that hellish Huckster, would engross all our Time for his own. He deals with us as the Europeans dealt at first with the filly Indians who let go their Gold, and Silver, and Diamonds for glass-Beads and sinful-Toys. The Answer that our Lust makes to the Tempter i•, Let me have the pleasures of sin for a season, and every season of my time shall be thine. O but we should be content to give back all that Satan has proffered us for our time; let it be never-so-much that we might have had for the misuse of time, begrudge it not. 'Twas the Speech of Austin Perde aliquid at Deo vaces If you would have Time for God, or any Good, you must part with something for it.