13. Let all perfons of all conditions avoid all delicacy and nicenefs in their cloathing or diet, because fuch foftnefs engages them upon great mif-fpendings of their time, while they dress and comb out all their opportunities of their morning devotion, and half the day's feverity, and fleep out the care and provifion for their Souls. 14. Let every one of every condition avoid curiofity, and all inquiry into things that concern them not. For all bufinefs in things that concern us not is an employing our time to no good of ours, and therefore not in order to a happy Eternity. In this account our neighbours neceffities are not to be reckoned; for they concern us as one member is concerned in the grief of another: but going from houfe to houfe, tatlers and bufie-bodies, which are the canker and ruft of idlenefs, as idlenefs is the ruft of time, are reproved by the Apostle in fevere language, and forbidden in order to this exercife. 15. As much as may be, cut off all impertinent and ufelefs employments of your life, unneceffary and phantaftick vifits, long waitings upon great perfonages where neither duty nor neceffity nor charity obliges us, all vain meetings, all laborious trifles, and whatfoever fpends much time to no real, civil, religious or charitable purpose. 16. Let not your recreations be lavish spenders of your time, but chufe fuch which are healthful, fhort, tranfient, recreative, and apt to refresh you; but at no hand dwell upon them, or make them your great employment: For he that fpends his time in fports, and calls it recreation, is like him whofe garment is all made of fringes, and his meat nothing but fawces; they are healthlefs, chargeable and useless. And therefore avoid fuch games which require much time or long attendance? or which are apt to steal thy affections from more fevere employments. For to whatsoever thou haft given thy affections, thou wilt not grudge to give thy time. Natural neceffity and the example of S. John (who recreated himfelt with fporting with a tame Partridge) teach us that it is law lawfull to relax and unbend our bow, but not to fuf- Caffian.Colfer it to be unready or unftrung. lat. 24. C. 21. 17. Set apart fome portions of every day for more folemn devotion, and religious employment, which be fevere in obferving: and if variety of employment, or prudent affairs, or civil fociety prefs upon you, yet fo order thy rule, that the neceffary parts of it be not omitted; and though juft occafions may make our prayers fhorter, yet let nothing but a violent, fudden and impatient neceffity make thee upon any one day wholly to omit thy morning and evening devotions; which if you be forced to make very fhort, you may fupply and lengthen with ejaculations and fhort retirements in the day-time in the midft of your employment, or of your company. 18. Doe not the work of God negligently and idlely; Jer. 42. 10. let not thy heart be upon the world, when thy hand is lift up in prayer and be fure to preferr an action of religion in its place and proper feafon before all worldly pleasure, letting fecular things (that may be difpenfed with in themfelves) in thefe circumstances wait upon the other; not like the Patriarch who ran from the Altar in S. Sophia to his ftable in all his Pontificals, and in the midft of his office, to fee a colt newly fallen from his beloved and much valued Plutarch de mare Phorbante. More prudent and fevere was that of Curiofit. Sir Thomas More, who being fent for by the King when he was at his prayers in publick, returned anfwer he would attend him when he had first performed his fervice to the KING of Kings. And it did honour to Rufticus, that when Letters from Cafar were given to him, he refused to open them till the Philofopher had done his Lecture. In honouring God and doing his work put forth all thy ftrength: for of that time onely thou may'st be most confident that it is gained, which is prudently and zealously fpent in God's fervice. 19. When the Clock ftrikes, or however elfe you fhall measure the day, it is good to fay a fhort ejaculation every hour, that the parts and returns of devotion may be the measure of your time and doe fo alfo th Sect. 7. allo in all the breaches of thy fleep, that those spaces which have in them no direct bufiness of the world may be filled with Religion. Οἱ ἐν αὐτ 20. If by thus doing you have not fecured your Tis sub- time by an early and fore-handed care, yet be fure by κιμένες a timely diligence to redeem the time, that is, to be ois naglev pious and religious in fuch inftances in which formerEUT ly you have finned, and to beftow your time efpecially stear upon fuch graces, the contrary whereof you have forἀπολογίαν ogia merly practifed, doing actions of chastity and temείσει φέ perance with as great a zeal and earnestnefs as you did once act your uncleannefs; and then by all arts to watch against your present and future dangers, from day to day fecuring your ftanding: this is properly to redeem your time, that is, to buy your fecurity of it at the rate of any labour and honest arts. eval. Procop. 2. Vandal. I Cor. 7. S. 21. Let him that is moft bufied fet apart fome folemn time every year, in which, for the time quitting all worldly bufinefs, he may attend wholly to fafting and prayer, and the dreffing of his Soul by confeffions, meditations and attendances upon God; that he may make up his accounts, renew his vows, make amends for his carelefnefs, and retire back again from whence levity and the vanities of the world, or the opportunity of temptations, or the diftraction of fecular affairs have carried him. * Μηδ' ὕπνον μαλακοῖσιν ἐπ' όμμασι προσδέξαθαι Πριν ἡμερινῶν ἔργων, τεῖς ἕκαστον ἐπελθεῖν. Πῇ παρέβω, τίδ ̓ ἔρεξα, τί μοι δέον ἐκ ἐτελεπη. Pythagor. Carm. * 22. In this we shall be much affifted, and we fhall find the work more eafie, if before we fleep every night we examine the aftions of the paft daywith a particular fcrutiny, it there have been any accident extraordinary; aş long difcourfe, a feast, much business, variety of company. If nothing but common hath happened, the lefs examination will fuffice: onely let us take care that we fleep not without fuch a recollection of the actions of the day as may represent any thing that is remarkable and great either to be the matter of forrow or thanksgiving: for other things a general care isproportionable. 23. Let 23. Let all these things be done prudently and moderately; not with fcruple and vexation. For thefe are good advantages, but the particulars are not divine commandments; and therefore are to be used as shall be found expedient to every ones condition. For, provided that our Duty be fecured, for the degrees, and for the Inftruments every man is permitted to himself and the conduct of such who fhall be appointed to him. He is happy that can fecure every hour to a fober or a pious employment: but the duty confifts not fcrupulously in minutes and half hours, but in greater portions of time; provided that no minute be employed in fin, and the greater portions of our time be Spent in fober employment, and all the appointed days and fome portions of every day be allowed for Religion. In all the leffer parts of time we are left to our own elections and prudent management, and to the confideration of the great degrees and differences of glory that are laid up in Heaven for us, according to the degrees of our care, and piety, and diligence. The Benefits of this Exercife. This exercise, befides that it hath influence upon our whole lives, it hath a special efficacy for the preventing of, 1. Beggarly fins, that is, those fins which idleness and beggary ufually betray men to; fuch as are lying, flattery, ftealing and diffimulation. 2. It is a proper antidote against carnal fins, and fuch as proceed from fulness of bread and emptiness of employment. 3. It is a great inftrument of preventing the finalleft fins and irregularities of our life, which ufually creep upon idle, difemployed and curious perfons. 4. It not onely teaches us to avoid evil, but engages us upon doing good, as the proper bufinefs of all our days. 5. It prepares us fo against fudden changes, that we shall not eafily be surprised at the fuddain coming of the day of the Lord: For he that is curious of his time, will not eafily be unready and unfurnished. SECT. 2. 3: 4. 5. SECT. II. The fecond general Inftrument of Holy Living; THAT we should intend and defign God's glory chofen, is expreffed by S. Paul, Whether we eat or drink Cor. 10.31. doe all to the glory of God. Which rule when we observe, every action of nature becomes religious, and every meal is an act of Worship, and fhall have its reward in its proportion, as well as an act of prayer. Bleffed be that goodness and grace of God, which, out of infinite defire to glorifie and lave Mankind, would make the very works of nature capable of becoming acts of vertue, that all our life time we may do him 1ervice. This grace is fo excellent, that it fanctifies the most common action of our life; and yet fo neceffary, that without it the very best_actions of our devotion are imperfect and vitious. For he that prays out of cuftoin, or gives alms for praise, or fafts to be accounted religious, is but a Pharifee in his devotion, and a beggar in his alms, and an hypocrite in his faft. But a holy end fanctifies all these, and all other actions which can be made holy, and gives diftinctions to them, and procures acceptance. For, as to know the end diftinguishes a Man from a Beaft; fo to chufe a good end diftinguishes him from an evil man. Hezekiah repeated his good deeds upon his fick bed, and obtained favour of God; but the Pharifee was accounted infolent for doing the fame thing: because this man did it to upbraid his brother, the other to obtain a mercy of God. Zacharias queftioned with the Angel about his meffage ; and was made fpeechlefs for his incredulity; but the bleffed Virgin Mary questioned too, and was blameless for fhe did it to enquire after the manner of the thing, but he did not believe the thing it felf: Atticus eximiè fi coenat, lautus habetur; Juven. Sat. II. he |