_Direct._ V. Go hear and mark how other men at death do set by time, and how they wish then that they had spent it. It is hardly possible for men in health, especially in prosperity and security, to imagine how precious time appeareth to an awakened, dying man! Ask them then whether life be too long, and men have any time to spare? Ask them then whether slugging or working, playing or praying, be the better spending of our time? Both good and bad, saints and sensualists, do use then to be high esteemers of time. Oh! then what would an ungodly, unprepared sinner give for some of the time which he used before as nothing worth! Then the most holy servants of Christ are sensible how they sinned, in losing any of their time! Oh! then how earnestly do they wish, that they had made much of every minute! and they that did most for God and their souls, that they had done much more! Now if they were to pray over their prayers again, how earnestly would they beg! and how much more good would they do, if time and talents were restored! I knew familiarly a most holy, grave, and reverend divine, who was so affected with the words of a godly woman, who at her death did often and vehemently cry out, O call time again! O call time again! that the sense of it seemed to remain on his heart, and appear in his praying, preaching, and conversation to his death. Now you have time to cast away upon every nothing; but then you will say with David, Psal. lxxxix. 47, "Remember how short my time is." And as "Hagar sat down and wept when her water was spent," Gen. xxi. 15, 16; so then you will lament when time is gone, or just at an end, that you set no more by it while you had it! O sleepy sinner! thy heart cannot now conceive how thou wilt set by time, when thou hearest the physicians say, You are a dead man! and the divine say, You must prepare now for another world! When thy heart saith, All my days are gone: I must live on earth no more! All my preparing time is at an end! Now what is undone must be undone for ever! Oh that thou hadst now but the esteem of time, which thou wilt have then, or immediately after! Then, O pray for me, that God will recover me and try me once again! Oh then how I would spend my time! And is it not a most incongruous thing to see the same persons now idle and toy away their time, and perhaps think that they do no harm, who know that shortly they must cry to God, Oh for a little more time, Lord, to do the great work that is yet undone; a little more time to make sure of my salvation! May not God then tell you, you had time till you knew not what to do with it. You had so much time that you had many and many an hour to spare for idleness and vanity, and that which you were not ashamed to call pastime.
_Direct._ VI. Remember also that when judgment comes, God will call you to account, both for every hour of your mispent time, and for all the good which you should have done in all that time, and did it not. If you must give account for every idle word, then sure for every idle hour, Matt. xii. 36. And if we must be judged according to all the talents we have received, and the improvement of them required of us, then certainly for so precious a talent as our time, Matt. xxv. And how should that man spend his time that believeth he must give such account of all? Even to the most just and holy God, who will judge all men according to their works; and cause them all to reap as they have sowed. O spend your time as you would hear of it in judgment!
_Direct._ VII. Remember how much time you have lost already: and therefore if you are not impenitent, and insensible of your loss, it will provoke you to redeem with the greater diligence the remnant which mercy shall vouchsafe you. How much lost you in childhood, youth, and riper age! how much have you lost in ignorance! how much in negligence! how much in fleshly pleasure and vanity! how much in worldliness, and many other sins! Oh that you knew but what a loss it was, if it had been but one year, or week, or day! Do you think you have spent your time as you should have done; and as beseemed those that had such work to do? If not, do you repent of it, or do you not? If you do not, you have no hope to be forgiven. If you do repent, you will not sure go on to do the same. Who will believe that he repents of gaming, revelling, or other idle loss of time, who doth so still while he professeth to repent? He that hath lost the beginning of the day, must go the faster in the end, if he will perform so great a journey. Can you remember the hours and years that you have mispent, in the follies of childhood, and the vanities of inconsiderate youth, and yet still trifle, and not be provoked by penitent shame and fear, to diligence? Have you not yet cast away enough of such a precious treasure, but you will also vilify the little which remains?