The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 252

Ver. 15.-The "alue of time. I. ALL TIME Is oF HIGH VALUE. They who kill time destroy one of the best talents God has given them and rob him of a sacred trust ho has lent to them. L Time ,·s nol our own pruperly. We are servants and have to account to our Master for our use of his hours. 2. Great roncerns have to be attended to. .Kot only is art long while life is short, but duty is great, the claims of service are many, and the wants of our fellow-men are numerous. In this world of toil and strife and sorrow e.ery moment is of value for some good deed of mercy or some solid work of rruth. 3. lhst time is irrerovera.ble. We cannot redeem the time that has been wasted. A repentant diligence may bring back the inherit.a.nee that was squandered away in enra.agant folly; careful attention may bring back the wasted health; but time once gone is gone for ever. 4. Time may be made of increasing '1alUll. An hour is worth more in the use of one man than a day with another man. II. SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES .All.E OF SPECIAL VALUE. St. Paul nrges us to buy up "the seasons." All time is not of eqnal value. There are moments of peculiar precious- ness. Woe to him who, through heedlessness or wilful negligence, lets them slip I The moment when the rope floats by the drowning man it must be seized or he dies, Strike the iron while it is hot. Sow the seed in the spring if you would reap the harvest in the autumn. 1. Youth has its golden opportunities that belong to no other age. Young men especially shonld make the most of their own season. 2. Manhood has its time of vigour for work that will be beyond the strength of old age. The wise man will watch for occasions of usefulness that his word may be "in season." III. TBE TRUB VALUE OF Tll[E CAN ONLY BE OBTAINED AT A COST, We have to buy it np before we can make use of it. 1. We must spend thought in considering how we can best UBe our time and in watching for right opportunities. For want of due con- 6i.deration there is a frightful lack of economy of energy and time. 2. We must sacrifice our own plea.sure in giving np time that we are tempted to expend on our- selves, our amusement or our rest, to the service of God. He who only gives to God his leisure moments, when he is worn and jaded with his own selfish work, makes but a poor offering. 3. We must put out gT«zter emrgy in order to make our time of more .-alue. Few of us work on the highest subjects at full pressure. The busiest might do more good if, when they cannot as yet find time for serving Christ, they would make time.-W. F. A. Ver. 18.-Drunkennes, and it, antidote. I. THE SIN. It was the mistake of some of the earlier advocates of temperance to dwell too much on the economic ari!:Uments against drunkenness, to the neglect of those which are supplied by religion. That dis• sipation wrecks a man's position in the world is plain and sad enough. But it is not worldly self-interest that is chiefly outraged thereby. The sin of drunkenness is its great condemnation. It is a sin against God and man. 1. It desecrates the temple of the Holy Ghost. 2. lt unfits a man for his mission in the world. 3. It occasions brutal unkindne.Ba to others, robbing the family of daily bread for the sake of gross CH. V. 1-33.] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 253