vanity is very little, and, although we scatter much, yet we gather up but little profit: but, from the few hours we spend in prayer and exercises of a pious life, the return is great and profitable; and what we sow in the minutes and spare portions of a few years, grows up to crowns and sceptres in a happy and glorious eternity.

The greater portion of our time we give to God, the more we treasure up for ourselves; and no man is a better merchant than he that lays out his time upon God and his money upon the poor. Only it becomes us to remember, and to adore God's goodness for it, that God hath not only permitted us to serve the necessities of our nature but hath made them to become parts of our duty; that if we, by directing these actions to the glory of God, intend them as instruments to continue our persons in His service, He, by adopting them into religion, may turn our nature into grace, and accept our natural actions as actions of religion. God is pleased to esteem, for a part of His service, if we eat or drink, so it be done temperately, and· as may best preserve our health, in order that our health may enable our services towards Him.

He that is choice of his time will also be choice of his company, and choice of his actions; lest the first engage him in vanity and loss, and the latter, by being criminal, be a throwing his time and himself away, and a going back in the accounts of eternity.

"We must give account for every idle word :" not that every word, which is not designed to edification, or is less prudent, shall be reckoned for a sin; but that, besides our sinful and hurtful, our tempting or malicious language, even the time which we spend in idle talking and unprofitable discoursings; that time which might and ought to have been employed in spiritual and useful purposes that is to be accounted for.

We must remember, that the life of every man may be so ordered (and indeed must) that it may be a perpetual serving God. The greatest trouble, and most busy trade, and worldly incumbrances, when they are necessary, or charitable, or profitable, in order to any of those ends which we are bound to serve, whether public or private, being a doing of God's work. For God provides the good things of the world to serve the needs of

nature, by the labours of the ploughman, the skill and pains of the artisan, and the dangers and traffic of the merchant. These men are in their callings the ministers of the Divine Providence, and the stewards of the creation, and servants of the great family of God, the world, in the employment of procuring necessaries for food and clothing, ornament and physic.

A king, and a priest and a prophet, a judge and an advocate, doing the works of their employment, according to their proper rules, are doing the work of God, because they serve those necessities which God hath made, and yet made no provision for them but by their ministry. So that no man can complain that his calling takes him off from religion: his calling itself, and his very worldly employment in honest trades and offices, is a serving of God, and if it be moderately pursued, and according to the rules of Christian prudence, will leave void spaces enough for prayers and the retirements of a more spiritual religion.

He that hath the fewest businesses is called upon to spend more time in the dressing of his soul; and he that hath the most affairs, may so order them that they shall be a service of God.

RULES FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF OUR TIME.

In the morning when you awake, accustom yourself to think first upon God, or something in order to His service: and at night also let Him close thine eyes.

Let all the intervals or void spaces of time be employed in prayers, in reading, and meditating works of nature, recreation, charity, friendliness and neighbourhood, and means of spiritual and corporeal health; ever remembering so to work - in our calling as not to neglect our high calling ; but to begin and end the day with God with such forms of devotion as shall be proper to our necessities.

The resting day of Christians, and festivals of the Church, must in no sense be days of idleness; for it is in itself better to plough upon holy days, than to do nothing, or to do viciously; but let them be spent in the works of the day, that is, of religion and charity, according to the rules appointed.

In the midst of the works of thy calling, often retire to God in short prayers and devout breath

ings; and those may make up the want of those larger portions of time which it may be thou desirest for devotion, and in which thou thinkest other persons have advantage of thee; for so thou reconcilest the outward work and the inward calling, the Church and the commonwealth, the employment of the body and the interest of thy soul; for be sure that God is present at thy breathings and hearty sighings of prayer, as soon as at the longer offices of less busied persons; and thy time is as truly sanctified by a trade and devout though shorter prayers, as by the longer offices of those whose time is not filled up with labour and useful business.

Let every one of every condition avoid curiosity and inquiry into things that concern them not. For all business 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 neighbour's necessities are not to be reckoned: for they concern us as one member is concerned in the grief of another: but going from house to house, tatlers and busy-bodies, which are the canker and rust of idleness, as idleness is the rust of time, are reproved by the