whom God hath bleffed with plentiful fortunes, which fet them above the neceflity of engaging in any profeffion, are happy in this refpect, that they have more command of their time, and confequently may give a larger proportion of it to the improvement of their minds by reading, meditation, and prayer, as well as to the employment of difcovering and relieving the wants of their poor neighbours. They, on the other hand, who must go forth to their work and to their labour, whether of mind or body, are happy in this respect, that a great part of their time is laid out for them, and they are prevented from wafting it in idlenefs, by the order of Providence. Be it their care, to confecrate their labour to God, by regarding it as a penance impo fed on them for fin, and performing it in a spirit of contentment and refignation, chearfulness and joy, even as Chrift performed his, looking for and hafting to that time, when they fhall enter into the promifed reft. In the morning let the mind be feafoned with devotion and heavenly wifdom, to fit it for its employment; and in the evening, to prepare it for its repofe. Let the fabbaths and feftivals of the church be in no fenfe days of idleness, much less of vice and folly; but given to the works of religion and charity; that they may be to us, what they were defigned to be to all, ininute reprefentations of the fabbath that remaineth for the people of God; little preludes to that everlafting jubilee, that fhall be one day celebrated in the heavenly Canaan. Wo be to that man, who wastes thefe hallowed portions of his time upon the concerns of the world, and the lufts of the flesh, doing nothing, or worse than nothing: ftranger.to the refurrection of Jefus, the glories of the faints, and the joys of heaven, he rejects the pledges of

his

his eternal inheritance, and throws thofe jewels into the mire, that fhould have adorned his crown of righteousness.

Secondly, Be moderate in your recreations. Recreations, we all know, are neceffary. It is the Christian's concern to take care that they are innocent; which they will be, if they give rife to no evil paffion, fuch as anger, or avarice, too generally attendants upon games of all forts; and if no more time be fpent in them than is neceffary to unbend the mind, and fit it for a return to its employment. But when recreation becomes (as of late in this nation) a trade and a profeffion, and is made a means of putting the foul upon the rack of contending paffions, it no longer deserves the name, but is in reality a drudgery imposed by the adverfary of human happiness upon thofe, who will not -give their time to the fervice of their Maker. In one word, it is Egypt and the task-mafters over again. From which we have reafon to pray that our good Lord would vouchfafe to deliver us all!

Thirdly, Cut off, as much as may be, unneceffary vifits. Of all thieves, they are the worft, who rob us of our time, because for the lofs of that no amends can ever be made us.* And there are in · every place fome, who, being idle themselves, do their best endeavours to make others fo; in which work, partly through a disposition in those others to be made fo, and partly through a false fear and flame, which hinders them from fraying away fuch' birds of prey, they are often fuffered to fucceed. An affembly of fuch perfons can be compared to nothing but a flaughter-house, where the precious hours, and oftentimes the characters of all their, friends

* On the Robbery of Time, see a moft excellent paper in. the INLER. Vol. I. No. 14..

friends and acquaintance, are butchered without
mercy. And perhaps there are few maxims that
have more truth in them, than one laid down
by a great mafter in the art of Holy Living. «No
man can be provident of his Time, who is not pru-
dent in the choice of his Company.'

Laftly, Examine, every evening, how you have spent the day. For how can that man know the ftate of his affairs, who keeps no account? The task, at firft, will be irkfome, and the adversary will try every way to make you neglect, and by degrees drop the practice. And why; Because he knows that no perfon, who continues it, will long remain under his power. It will let you into fome fecrets, that will greatly fhock and alarm you. But you must know your follies, how elfe can you reform them? Whereas, when a conftant and faithful performance of this exercise (the benefits and advantages of which are without number and without end) has brought you acquainted with your errors," every day will correct thofe of the preceding. You will find that God has given you time enough for every good purpose,* but none to waste. You will foon know the true value of time, and become an adept in the management of it. And of this be af fured, for your comfort and encouragement, that` the time rightly employed, be it when it may, is with God "an acceptable time;" and that every day well spent is to yourselves "a day of falvation."

* This feems to be intimated to us in that question of our Lord
"Are there not twelve hours in the day ?" John xi, 9.

AMONG all the graces that adorn a Chriftian soul,

like fo many jewels of various colours and luftres, a gainst the day of her efpoufals to the Lamb of God, there is not one more brilliant than this of patience; not one which brings more glory to God, or contributes so much towards making and keeping peace on earth; not one which renders a man more happy within himself, more agreeable to all about him; infomuch that even they who themselves poffefs it not, yet are fure to commend it in others. They fet their feal to the truth, though by fo doing they condemn their own practice. Patience is a virtue common to us with God; it is the characteristic of Chrift, and the leading precept of the Gofpel; it is recommended by the examples of all the faints; rendered neceffary by the present state of man; and fet off by the manifold inconveniencies of its contrary, impatience, as well as its own incomparable excellencies and advantages. By enlarging upon these particulars, I fhall endeavour to recommend this celeftial grace to your efteem, and excite you to the attainment of fo invaluable a treasure.

In

I.. In the first place, Patience is a virtue common to us with God. Long-fuffering is his darling attribute; and what is dear in his fight, ought not to be less precious in our's. And how marvellous is his patience, who daily pours his bleffings on those men, who as daily offend, affront, and dishonour him; making his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, fending rain on the unjufi as well as the just, and not excluding the worst of us from those bleffings, to the least of which the best of us have no title! For the benefit of the guilty as well as the innocent, of the impious as well as the pious, of the ungrateful as well as the grateful, the feafons take their rounds, the elements work together, the light and air exert their kindly influences, the foun tains fend forth their falutary ftreams, the corn fields grow yellow, the grapes ripen upon the vines, the boughs of the fruit trees bend down, the groves are clothed, and the paftures flourish. The Gofpel is still preached to those who flight it; falvation is ftill held forth to thofe who have so often dafhed it from them; Chrift is ftill offered to those who have blafphemed him. And although God be provoked every day, yet he holds his hand, and waits patiently, till the last minute of man's trial and the world's duration be paft. Although he have the power in his own hands, and the weapons of his indignation are all ready, he defers to strike, if perhaps men may at length be led by his long-fuffering to repentance; because he wills not the death of a finner, but rather that he should be converted, and live;" and while judgment fleeps, mercy calls night and day to finners, "Why will ye die; Repent, and ye dhall be forgiven; turn ye, and ye fhall live." Yet God's bleflings are abused to the purposes of luxury and lafciviousnefs; his truth is denied, his comVOL. II. mandmeuts

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