"To endeavour by all possible means to recover and rectify, to purify and sublimate our heaven-born souls, and to use well and rightly our seeing and foreseeing faculties and powers.'

EMULATION.

"If thy soul thirsteth for honour, if thy ear hath any pleasure in the voice of praise, raise thyself from the dust whereof thou art made, and exalt thy aim to something that is praise-worthy.

"The oak that now spreadeth its branches towards the heavens was once but an acorn in the bowels of the earth.

"Endeavour to be first in thy calling, whatever it be, neither let any one go before thee in well-doing; nevertheless, do not envy the merits of another, but improve thine own talents.

"Scorn also to depress thy competitor by any dishonest or unworthy methods; strive to raise thyself above him only by excelling him; so shall thy contest for superiority be crowned with honour, if not with success.

"By a virtuous emulation the spirit of man is exalted within him; he panteth after fame, and rejoiceth as a racer to run his course.

"He riseth, like the palm-tree, in spite of oppression; and as an eagle in the firmament of heaven, he soareth aloft, and fixeth his eye upon the glories of the sun.

"The examples of eminent men are in his visions by night, and his delight is to follow them all the day long.

He formeth great designs, he rejoiceth in the execution thereof, and his name goeth forth to the ends of the world.

"But the heart of the envious man is gall and bitterness; his tongue spitteth venom; the success of his neighbour breaketh his rest.

"He sitteth in his cell repining; and the good that happeneth to another is to him an evil.

"Hatred and malice feed upon his heart, and there is no rest in him.

"He feeleth in his own breast no love of goodness, and therefore believeth his neighbour is like unto himself.

"He endeavours to depreciate those that excel him, and putteth an evil interpretation on all their doings.

"He lyeth on the watch, and meditates mischief; but the detestation of man pursueth him, he is crushed as a spider in his own web."-The Ancient Bramin.

IV. OPINIONS, EXAMPLES, AND THEORIES UPON THE EMPLOYMENT OF TIME.

JOHN FOX.

IN the previous chapters, I have endeavoured to impress the reader with a conviction of the value of Time, the dignity of labour, and their profitable 'influence upon the condition of the human family. I purpose to strengthen that

"To open and clear the eye of our souls, to improve and brighten our reason, to ripen and strengthen our judgment, to enlarge and widen our understanding, and to live and act suitably to right reason and solid understanding."

conviction by reference to the opinions, examples, and theories of previous writers and persons of eminence, and then to place before the reader a system for the Economy of Time which I trust, after these preliminary readings, he will be prepared to adopt.

Many of the by-gone writers upon the Redemption of Time have treated the subject chiefly in a religious sense. Few of them have taken that wide and practical view of the subject which I propose to offer a view which makes it equally applicable to the duties of religion, the interests of business, and the rational enjoyment of life.

John Fox was born at Boston, in Lincolnshire, in the year 1517, in the reign of Henry the Eighth. In consequence of the religious controversies that took place at that time, and the persecutions arising out of them, he was obliged to fly from this kingdom, and while in exile he wrote his well-known work entitled "The Lives of the Martyrs," and another work, less known, entitled "Time, and the End of Time." As may be expected, this book treated the subject entirely in a religious view; but it contains many sentiments which are applicable to the practical Economy of Time in the various concerns of life.

Fox wrote of Time under a double notion: there is the space of time, and there is the opportunity of time. Time and opportunity differ; Time is the duration or succession of so many minutes, hours, days, or years, one after the other, from the beginning of a man's life to the end thereof. Job vii. 1, 14, 15, "Is there not an appointed time for man upon the earth ?" Opportunity is the time adapted and fitted

"To watch over and check the hanging and flagging of our souls' wings, the drooping and moulting of our souls, their losing those noble feathers by which they should nimbly raise themselves, and mount up and aspire to heavenly things."

in order to this or that work or business, viz., a meeting of time and means together, to effect the end. Eccles. iii. 1, "To everything there is a season or opportunity of doing." Time may be continued when the season of time is lost; the sails of time may be aloft when the opportunity is lost. Every time is not a spring-time, a seed time, a gathering time. 1. When Time may be said to be redeemed.

2. What Time must be redeemed?

3. How must Time be redeemed?

4. Why must Time be redeemed?

5. Motives and directions to help those who would Redeem Time.

When Time may be said to be redeemed,

When we are truly careful to make up former negligence with double diligence, Redeeming the Time we recover our loss. Time, according to this phrase, seemeth to be taken captive, and we must redeem it. Redemptions are made by purchase; to redeem a thing is to buy it at a price; the price we redeem it with is labour, travel, faithful and serious diligence, and greater activity and vigour in the prosecutions of our duty. When what of time or seriousness hath been wanting in one day or duty, is made up and supplied in the next; this is the way to repair our sad soul damages. Fox heard of one who, being a prisoner in a dark dungeon, when the light was brought to him for a little time to eat his diet, would pull out his Bible and read a chapter, saying, he could find his mouth in the dark, but not read in the dark. An argument that he made conscience of Redeeming his Time.

"It is to be feared that some of us have lost our whole Time ever since we came into the world; have stood idle all our lives long; have made no riddance at all of our work, but only made for ourselves more work to do."

What Time must be redeemed?

All time. Time is so precious that not any of it must be lost. The whole Time of our life must be employed either about our souls in the service of God, or in the works of our callings, or in order thereunto. Particularly the time of youth; the time of health and strength; the time of affliction; the time of the gospel; the time of the Lord's Day.

How Time must be redeemed?

By taking and improving all the opportunities for the glorifying of God.

By laying hold on the present time and now day of grace for settling and securing your everlasting state.

By improving the present means of grace for your speedy growth in grace.

By doing all the good you can to others while you may. By labouring to keep up constant communication with God in holy duties.

By improving every providence and outward cross for inward and spiritual advantages.

By casting up your accounts every day, that you may make even with God.

By labouring to order every day's work in reference to your last day; that having finished your work you may be fit to leave this world.

Before you lie down upon your beds at night, call yourselves to account by such questions as these:

I have lived many years in the world; what have I been doing all my days? Have I answered the end of my being?

"And such of us as have not quite lost our Time, yet how much of it have we wasted? how considerable a part of it have we fooled and trifled away."

Have I had a holy awe of God in the midst of my worldly business this day? What thoughts of death and judgment have I had? Where hath my heart been?

How have I performed duties this day? What have been the sins of this day, the mercies of this day, that I may beg the pardon of the one, and bless the other?

What assistance and communion with God have I had this day in the duties of worship? Have not God and my soul been strangers this day, and many days together?

What have I done or spoken for God and his glory this day, in my family or elsewhere? Have I demeaned myself like a child of God this day? This is to make religion our business, or to walk in the fear of the Lord all the day.

Why must Time be redeemed?

Because all days are evil. Because it is a considerable part of our Christian wisdom. Time must be redeemed because there is an Eternity. Let all wasters of time count upon it. It is as certain as anything in this world, that there is another world. You may venture your lives, your souls and all, upon the truth of it. Why should the blessed Apostle press believers so strictly to Redeem the Time, but in order to their everlasting welfare? Assure thyself of it, and believe it as firmly as if both eternities did now present themselves to thy bodily eyes, and thou didst see the devils and reprobates in their chains of darkness, and hear them cry and roar in those eternal flashes; and also see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the saints departed, upon the throne, singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. This is