Page images
PDF
EPUB

induftriously to apply themfelves to all praife-worthy Things which make for the publick Benefit. They have really a great Work to do, if they would well confider it; for befides that, they are obliged to be Patterns to all others who are about them, and depend upon them, fetting them Examples of Religion, Sobriety, Humility, Modefty, Bounty, and Charity: and befides that, they have greater Revenues and larger Eftates to manage, and greater Families to take Care of, both as to Soul and Body, which will take up fome Part of their Thoughts and Time; and befides, the many Temptations to Idlenefs and Luxury, to Pride and Vanity, that their Fortunes will expose them to, which will require a conftant Watchfulness to refift, and a great deal of Pains to overcome: And lastly, befides the Trouble, and the Hurry, and the Ceremony of a daily Confluence of Company, that a great Eftate is generally incumber'd with, which one, who confults his own Care, would not buy at any Rate, and which, where-ever they are, do need a great Virtue to fupport them; I fay, befides all these Things, there are required greater Acquifitions and Accomplishments of Mind in the Nobility and Gentry, than in others of an inferior Rank. As they ought to understand Bufinefs and Converfation better than others, fo, if they would not make themselves contemptible and difparage

M 4

parage the Place they hold in the World, it is fit that they fhould be competently learned in all polite and ornamental Knowledge; but especially in all that fort of Knowledge which will render them useful to their Neighbours, or to the Publick. To be ignorant in Matters of this Nature, is a Scandal and Reproach to them. Now any one who confiders thefe Things, will not readily fay, that a Man of Eftate is without a Calling, and hath nothing to do. On the contrary, he muft be convinced that thofe Perfons have a great deal of very neceffary Work conftantly to employ themfelyes in. And as the Cafe ftands thus with Perfons of Quality of the one Sex, fo doth it also with those of the other. Women have a Calling to follow as well as Men; and if they feriously attend to the feveral Branches of it, they will find that they have little Time to lavish away idly. If they feriously confider the Duty they owe to God and their own Souls, in performing their Devotions regularly, and exercifing themfelves in all the Chriftian Graces and Virtues, in order to the fecuring their everlafting Happiness in the World to come; if they confider the Duty they owe to the feveral Perfons they stand in relation to; to their Husbands, in managing the Houfhold Affairs with Prudence and Difcretion; to their Children, by bringing them up carefully and virtuoufly; to

their Servants and Families, in well-governing and providing for them; to all their Neighbours, in being kind, and charitable, and helpful to them upon all Occafions (the Difficulties and Laboriousness of which they will find to be greater, in proportion to the Greatness of their Qualities and Fortunes); I fay, if they confider all this, they will be fenfible they have Work enough to do, and Time little enough to do it in, tho' they redeem, as much as they can, from Dreffing, and Vifits, and the Gaities and Pleafures of the World.

Laftly, To draw to a Conclufion of my prefent Topick; As to young Perfons of both Sexes, who are as yet under the Wing of their Parents, and free from the Business and Cares of the World, all that has been faid concerns them as well as others; for Youth is the Time of their laying the Foundation of all thofe good Qualities, which will enable them afterwards to spend their Days innocently and ufefully. And if they be not thus train'd up, and exercise themfelves in an active and ferious Way of Li ying, there are not fo great Hopes that they will make the right Use of their Time when they come to be Men and Women.

And here I leave the Confideration of my Text, according to the former Interpretation given of it, as circumfpect walking implies Diligence and Watchfulness in profe

cuting the Work of our Chriftianity in general; and redeeming of Time, the improving our Hours to the beft Advantage, fpending as few of them idly as is poffible.

I proceed in the next place to confider the other Interpretation of the Text, which I mentioned at the beginning of this Difcourse, viz. that it may imply Prudence, and Caution, and Discretion in the Management of ourselves and our Affairs with reference to this World, efpecially in Times of Difficulty and Danger, that by this means we may gain Time to ourselves, and avoid the Mischiefs that the evil Days threaten us with.

I own, that the Difcourfes and Sermons that are commonly made upon redeeming of Time, do run upon the former way of Interpretation, namely, in that Sense in which I have hitherto expounded and treated upon my Text; and that it is feldom expounded in this latter Sense which I have now given, and am about to confider. But yet, for all this, I must confefs, that I think this latter Senfe is preferable to the other, that it is the true one, and that which the Apoftle meant in this place.

This Phrafe εξαγοραζόμθμοι καίρον, which we interpret redeeming the Time, is but used three times in the whole Bible; once in the Old Teftament, and twice in the New Teftament. In that Place where it is ufed

in the Old Teftament, our Interpreters have rightly tranflated gaining the Time. The Paffage is in Daniel, where, when the Ma- Ch. 2. 8. gicians could not answer Nebuchadnezzar's Question about his Dream, but would have put him off, in great Anger he tells them, I know, fays he, of a Certainty, that ye would gain the Time. The Chaldee or original Word hath plainly this Meaning here, tho' properly and ftrictly it fignifies to buy the Time, as may be seen in the Margin of the Bible. And accordingly Theodotion renders it by the fame Greek Word which is here used in my Text; and which we have tranflated redeeming, but which might be as properly render'd gaining the Time. The Magicians are faid to gain the Time, because they used Delays and other Artifices to fave themselves from the present Displeasure of the King. And in the fame Sense undoubtedly the Word is to be taken in one of the Texts of the New Teftament, where it is ufed, viz. Col. 4. 5. and which indeed is exactly parallel to the Text we are upon, and is a juft Expofition of it. There, fays the Apoftle, Walk in Wisdom towards them that are without, (that is, towards the Jews and Gentiles, among whom ye converfe) Redeeming the Time. Redeeming the Time; What is that? Why gaining the Time, avoiding the prefent Dangers you are threaten'd with by your prudent and wife Behaviour.

« PreviousContinue »