Abba Father, Admonitions
Short and godly Admonitions concerning Time, and the v… of ing…ered out of Eph. 5.16.
Redeeming the Time; becauſe the daies are euill▪
Here are two par…
An exhortation, To … d…e… the Ti….
A reaſon: Becauſe … dayes are euill.
Redeeming the time.
TIme is the meaſure of Motion.
Opportunity is that part of time which is fitteſt for our affaires.
This is meant here, as it is the meaſure of good motions, called alſo occaſion, ſeaſon, due time.
It is the beautie of things; for eueryevery thing is beautifull in his timeaEccleſ. 3.11.
Meates are welcomeſt, when they are in ſeaſon; ſo a word ſpoken in due ſeaſon is comelybProu. 25.11; Euen a refreſhing of the wearie ſoulecEſay 51.4..
As ſome impriſon truth in vnrighteouſnes(d)Rom. 1.18., ſo doe, they time(e)Hierome..
It is charitie to redeeme time, by righteouſnes.
Opportunitie of time is a rich commoditie; the couetouſneſſe of it to doe well, is an honeſt couetouſneſſe.
As MerchantsfAuguſtine. obſerue carefully the ſeaſons of buying in, and venting their Merchandiſe, ſo buy thou and redeeme time to doe good.
They that looſe time, are the greateſt looſers, and waſtfulleſt prodigals; for of all other poſſeſſions, two may be had together: but two moments of time cannot be poſſeſſed together.
This precious commoditie is moſt out of requeſt with great and rich men; who conſume and miſpend time, as faſt as their vnthriftie children doe their inheritances.
Idleneſſe, vanity, and neglecting the pretious time, is the diſeaſe of great and rich men, as they ſay the Gout is: theſe can find time, to dally, to court, to be riotous, &c. but not to pray and ſerue God; therfore for the moſt part, they are moſt poore in the beſt things.
Time is the price of time; when thy profit, thy pleaſure, thy vaine delights, thy luſts, call thee after them: exchange time for time.
As thou giueſt thy money for meate, and apparrell; ſo giuegive theſe things to purchaſe the time of prayer, and weldoing.
Salomon ſaith, Buy the truthgProu. 23.23: but Pilate ſaith; What is truthhJohn 18.38? ſo Paul ſaith, buy the time: but our profane wretches ſay, What is time? let vsus ſpend it, ſay they, as though it were little worth.
Time is Gods creature, he allowes thee no time to bee vaine and wicked: but hee giues thee time, that thou mayſt repent and doe good. Make thy aduantage of it.
Of the time thou beſtoweſt, in prayer, ſinging of Pſalmes, reading the Scriptures, and good bookes, and in doing good, it ſhall neuer repent thee. But time otherwiſe ſpent, wil one day torment thy conſcience.
Thou muſt giuegive account for time; on this moment depends eternitie; of bleſſedneſſe if it be well; of miſerie, if it be ill imployed.
It is great wiſdome to know the time, and to redeeme itiEph. 5.15.16.
The men of Iſachar were in great account with Dauid, becauſe they had vnderſtanding of the times, to know what Iſrael ought to do; ſo are they in great account with God,k1. Chr. 12.32 who regard and vſe the ſeaſon of well doing.
When a poore man begs of thee, then haſt thou occaſion to ſhew thy charitie: when thou art in tentation, to ſhew thy faith: when thou art iniuried, to ſhew thy patience: when thou heareſt or ſeeſt men offend, to ſhew thy zeale: when there are publike meetings for the worſhip of God, to ſhew thy deuotion, &c.
Looſe not ſuch faire opportunities of weldoing to glorifie God.
The time of grace and of the Goſpell is an accepted time, euē the day of ſaluation. While the dore is open, enter into the Kingdom of heauen.
While thou haſt the light, beleeue in the light; and walke in the light, that thou mayſt be the child of light.lIoh. 12.35.36
To day if thou wilt heare his voyce, harden not thy heartmPſal. 95.7. Repe… while it is called to daynHeb. 3.13.?
The time is ſhorto1. Cor. 7.29.: the art of weldoing is long: the worke is great: the labourers are lazie: the Maſter is at hand: It remaineth that wee vſe the world as though we vſed it not, and that wee redeeme the time of prayer, and of the practice of godlineſſe.
Occaſions are headlong; and once paſt, not to bee recouered. The tide taries for none: take time while it is offered: while you hauehave opportunitie, doe good vntounto all; to thy ſelf, to others, ſpecially to them which are of the houſehold of faithpGal. 6.10..
The 5 fooliſh virgins came to late, and were ſhut outqMat. 25.10.11.12.. Ieruſalem in her day tooke no knowledge of the things belonging to her peace, and was deſtroyedrLuk. 19.42.. Eſau came not in time, and loſt the bleſſing, but found leiſure enough to crie bitterlyſGeneſ 37.33.34..
Our life is as a Fayre:tNazian. when the Fayre-day is ouer, there is no buying the things thou needeſt: ſo when this life is ended, there is no time of repentance. Repent now; for in death no man remembreth God, ſaith Dauid uPſal. 6.5..
As in warre, ſo in deat…, we are not permitted to erre twice: often doe well, that thou maiſt once die well, and thou ſhalt be happy.
Liue eueryevery day, as if it were thy laſt; and as at the laſt day thou wilt wiſh thou hadſt, or reioyce, thou haſt liued.
Examine thine houres eueryevery day: how many doeſt thou ſpend in eating and drinking? how many in ſleeping? how many in dreſſing and trimming thy painted ſheath? how many in doing nothing? how many in doing that which is ill? how few or none in prayer and weldoing?
How ill tenants are we to our grand Lord? wee hold all of him, but we thinke little of yeelding and paying at our due time.
Wee receiue all our time from God, and like vnthankefull wretches, ſerue him with the leaſt part of it, and that commonly the laſt and refuſe.
A Heathen EmperotxTitus, the ſonne of Veſpaſian. Hierom on the ſixth to the Galathians. accounted that day loſt, in which hee did no good. How many daies haſt thou loſt? Account thou likewiſe that a loſt day, in which thou becommeſt not better then thy ſelfe.
Hee that moſt redeemeth the time, liues long, though hee fulfill not much time; and he which is an hundred yeeres old, if he hauehave redeemed no time of doing good, hath been (but hath not liued) longySeneca..
The Vſurer ſels time to men, and the diuell ſteales time from men. He tells the Papiſts of Purgatory: that painted fire, yeelds but a cold comfort: for by this meanes he leades them to hell in a ſtring: Hee telles our gallants, that its time enough to pray and repent when they are old: And by this meanes, they ſpend ſo much time in euill, that they leaue none for repentance, prayer, and for vſing meanes to ſaue their ſoules.
As doth the Vſurer, ſo doth the diuel; the Vſurer giues the young Nouice faire words, till hee hath broken his day, and forfeited his lands▪ ſo doth the diuel-ſtroke vsus, till by continuance in ſinne we are hardned and paſt recouery.
Pray to day, repent to day: thou art not ſure of to morrow; he that is not ready and fit to day, will be leſſe to morrow.
Thy life is like a veſſell of weak wine, which is quicke and liuely at the firſt broching: but flat and ill taſted when it is tilted.
Wilt thou draw out the firſt, and beſt of thy life to the diuell, in following drunkenneſſe, whoredome, and thy lawleſſe luſts? & thē giuegive the dregs to God, which are fit to be poured out to the hogs?
Is it a time then, firſt to begin to liue, when thou art ready to die? then firſt to ſeeke God, when thou commeſt to thy brothes, and ſpectacles? when vnderſtanding, memorie, ſight, hearing, & ſenſes faile.
For the moſt part, they which defer the ſeaſon of ſeeking God till age; are then iuſtly giuen ouer to him whō they hauehave ſerued in their youth, which is the diuell.
Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth; while the euill dayes come not, nor the yeeres draw nigh, when thou ſhalt ſay, I hauehave no pleaſure in themaEccleſi. 12.1.. Thus did Samuel a1. Sam. 1.28; & Timothy c2. Tim. 3.15.: God delights in ſuch.
Art thou old, and haſt trifled out thy Time, neglecting the opportunity of knowing and ſeruing God? Diſpaire not, but repent; and be the more carefull to redeeme the Time that remaines.
Let it ſuffice, that in the Time paſt of thy life thou haſt walked as a Heathen, in abominable wickedneſſe: But now the end of al things is at hand; be ſober therfore and watch vntounto prayerd1. Pet. 4.3.7.
Doe here, as thou doeſt in thy iourney. If thou haſt ouer-ſlept thy ſelfe in the morning; thou makeſt the ſhorter bait, and ſpurreſt the harder on: ſo now, put thy beſt legge before, make ſpeed, leſt thou be benighted, and ſhut out with the dogs and Sorcerers, and whoremongers,eReuel 27.15, &c.
Becauſe the dayes are euil.
Time, is called Daies, becauſe it is counted by Dayes.
Dayes are not euill in themſelues, and as they are a neceſſary appertenance to the frame of this world,f2. Tim. 3.1.2. &c. which is Gods building: but they are ſo called, from euill perſons, and thingsgMat. 6.34. which are in thoſe dayes.
The time is euill, whē we which liue in ſuch Time are euill; & when by our euill of ſin, the euill of puniſhment is deſeruedly inflicted vponupon vsus. Which puniſhments no maruell if they continue, when that continues in vsus, which deſerues to bee puniſhed.
The dayes are euill: then great need to vſe Prayer: for it ſhall come to paſſe, that whoſoeuer calles vponupon the name of the Lord, ſhall be ſafehIoel 2.32. Rom. 10.13.
Many men cry out, that the world was neuer worſe, ſaying, O the Times! But are not the Times the worſe for thee? If thou beeſt wicked and prophane; it is thou which makeſt thē ſo bad. Complaine not of the Times, but of thy ſelfe, and amende the Times by thy amendment.
Achan made it an euill day to the Iſraelites, by his ſinneiIoſhua 7.; and Moſes made it a good day by his prayerskExod. 17 11
Wouldeſt thou ſee many dayes, and good? keepe thy tongue from euill, and thy lips from ſpeaking guile: depart from euil, and do good, ſeek peace & enſue itlPſalm. 34.12.13.14.
As a noble RomanmLucullus. turned a diſmall day, into a ſucceſſefull, by his valour: ſo turne thou euill dayes into good, by thy goodnes.
The worſe the Dayes and Times be, the more precious let bee eueryevery opportunity of welldoing.
As in times of derth, the poore man picks vp eueryevery kernell of corne that falles beſide: O (ſaith hee) It's deare, none muſt beloſt: ſo loſe thou not one crum of Time, wherein thou maieſt hauehave occaſion to doe good: For the daies are euill.
A man that ſhould in the time of famine giuegive his corne to the hogs, were worthy to bee hanged vp at his gate; ſo art thou worthy to looſe the reward of weldoing, which throweſt away the opportunities thereof.
There are millions in hell, who if they had it, would giuegive all the wealth in the world, for one dayes opportunity of repentance, which they deſpiſed and foreſlowed, when they liued vponupon the earth.
As the Bee, ſo ſoone as euer the Sun breakes forth, flies abroad to gather honey and wax; ſo be thou ready to eueryevery good workenTit. 3.1., waiting the occaſion therof.
Many ſay, that they hauehave no Time to learne to pray, to heare the word, &c. The voice of a beaſt. Haſt thou a time to eate, to ſleepe, to liue? Haſt thou Time to dance after the diuels pipe? and can'ſt finde no Time to learne godlineſſe?
Many ſay they would hauehave prayed, heard, &c. but that they had impediments? Redeem now the time, and ſtep ouer impediments.
Hee that obſerueth the wind ſhal▪ not ſo… and hee that is afraid … eueryevery cloud, ſhall n… reapeoEccleſi. 11.4: ſo hee that will not doe good becauſe of impediment… ſhall neuer doe good for ſo long as there is a diuell, and a world, and an vnregenerate part… there will bee impediments, euen a thouſand when thou wouldeſt do good, and a thouſand furtherances when thou wouldeſt doe euill.
If Paul had cenſed to preach at Epheſus, becauſe, of impediments, when ſuch a dore was opened vntounto himp1. Cor. 16.9., he had loſt the comfort of …ring there ſo famous Church.
The more are the ad…erſaries and impediments, be thou the more …atchfull vponupon all occa…ons of doing good.
The dayes are euill, & … men are euill that …ue in theſe dayes. La…our thou to be good; and ſo to liue, as thou wouldeſt wiſh to bee …ound liuing, when Chriſt ſhall come to iudgement.
Pray, pray, pray; Repent, repent, repent: Bleſſed is that ſeruant, when his Lord when he commeth ſhall find … doingqMat. 24.46.. Amen, Am…
ROM. 13.11.12.
Now it is high time awake out of ſleepe.
The night is far ſp… the day is at hand; let … therefore caſt off the … of darkneſſe, and put … the armour of light.
FINIS.
End of the text · Elnathan Parr, Abba Father (1618)