Jeremiah Burroughs (The Saints' Treasury, pp. 116, 117):
If the onely time that we have to provide for eternity be the time of this life, how then are those to be reproved that mispend and squander away this precious time of their lives about vanities, and neglect the great businesse that they were sent into the world for? If such great things depend upon our lives, then the losse of the time of our lives is a most dreadful losse; we all say time is precious, and it is so, and the through-understanding and applying of this point would make us see time precious indeed: If there could be an extract of the quintessence of all the pearles in the world put into one, it would not be such a precious pearle as this time of our lives, because there is that depends upon it that is infinitely more worth then ten thousand worlds; however men and women make little of their time, and play and sport it away, yet there is no moment of thy time that thou doest mispend, but for ought thou knowest it might be the very moment upon which thy eternal condition doth depend: thou goest abroad, and art merry, and jocund, and mispendest thy time, and abusest thy self; I say for ought thou knowest that instant of thy sinning might be the very moment upon which the very hinge of all thy eternall condition depends; and did we understand this doctrine aright, we should see it to be an exceeding great evil and folly, to mispend our precious time: men ordinarily live in the world as if they had nothing to doe here, but onely to make provision for the flesh.
If a man should come to the City about a businesse that concernes his life, and the time he hath to doe it in were very short, how industriously (doe you think) would he spend that time! every time the clock strikes, would strike to his heart; or suppose God should send a damned soul that is now in hell into the world againe, and should say thus to him, Soul, you shall goe and live againe in the world; and I will give you a little space, you shall live a quarter or half a yeare; (or if it were but a moneth or week) and I will put you in such an estate that there shall be a possibility for you to make your peace with me, and to deliver your self from this misery that you are under: I appeal to you, how doe you think such a one would spend his time? now as you are perswaded and convinced in your consciences, how such a one would spend his time, so doe you labour to spend your time; many would have rules to guide them in their way; why take this rule, if such a thing could be, that a damned soul could be sent into the world again, and be in a possibility of another estate, I say, What you think such a one would doe, that doe you: If one should come and say to him, what shall I give for your time that is granted to you? how would he contemne him? if you offer him Crownes and Kingdomes, yea all the world for his time, (be it but a week, or a day) he would scorne such an offer, and prize one day more then a thousand worlds. Now you have had dayes and weekes, one after another, and yet for ought you know you are liable to eternal ruine; and you know not whether you have a week or a day more before your eternal condition be stated upon you; O what need then have you to improve your time!
If a man should come to the City about a businesse that concernes his life, and the time he hath to doe it in were very short, how industriously (doe you think) would he spend that time! every time the clock strikes, would strike to his heart; or suppose God should send a damned soul that is now in hell into the world againe, and should say thus to him, Soul, you shall goe and live againe in the world; and I will give you a little space, you shall live a quarter or half a yeare; (or if it were but a moneth or week) and I will put you in such an estate that there shall be a possibility for you to make your peace with me, and to deliver your self from this misery that you are under: I appeal to you, how doe you think such a one would spend his time? now as you are perswaded and convinced in your consciences, how such a one would spend his time, so doe you labour to spend your time; many would have rules to guide them in their way; why take this rule, if such a thing could be, that a damned soul could be sent into the world again, and be in a possibility of another estate, I say, What you think such a one would doe, that doe you: If one should come and say to him, what shall I give for your time that is granted to you? how would he contemne him? if you offer him Crownes and Kingdomes, yea all the world for his time, (be it but a week, or a day) he would scorne such an offer, and prize one day more then a thousand worlds. Now you have had dayes and weekes, one after another, and yet for ought you know you are liable to eternal ruine; and you know not whether you have a week or a day more before your eternal condition be stated upon you; O what need then have you to improve your time!
