The Redemption of Time: OR, A WORD TO THE WISE; Perswading and earnestly entreating them, as they tender the Salvation of their Souls to all eternity, to mind the time past, present, and to come, before it be too late; drawn from those pathetical words of Moses,
‘O that men were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their later end.’Deut. 32.29.
- O that Men would
- Be wise in lamenting things past with sorrow, viz.
- The evils they have committed against
- God in
- their neighbour in harming him in
- body.
- soul.
- fame.
- substance.
- themselves by
- sinning without fear.
- proceeding without shame.
- persevering without remorse.
- The good they have omitted in
- rooting out vices rising out of
- not getting vertue for to
- rule passions.
- break evil customs.
- overcome evil occasions.
- not serving God as
- nature bound them.
- grace moved them.
- promise in baptism urged them.
- The time they have lost, then which nothing is more
- precious to
- gain heaven.
- avoid hell.
- lessen temporal pains.
- slippery, because time
- past is ended.
- to come is not begun.
- present is but a moment.
- irrecoverable, either by
- The death of Christ,
- by his enemies cruelty, because
- the man was innocent.
- the manner unmerciful.
- the malice excessive.
- by his friends ungratefully, because they either
- betrayed him.
- denied him.
- fled from him.
- for his friends and enemies willingly,
- to save them from hell.
- to procure them grace.
- to buy them heaven.
- Understand things present with shame, viz.
- the multitude of Gods benefits in
- soul, by
- curing it from sin.
- enduing it with grace.
- helping it with Sacraments.
- body, by keeping it
- from infinite diseases.
- from maims and deformities.
- from want and necessities.
- goods, by
- substance.
- children.
- friends.
- The vanity of the world, whereof the
- pleasures are
- miseries are
- infinite in number.
- grievous in quality.
- common in experience.
- fruits are
- contempt of God.
- carlesness of the soul.
- final perdition.
- Their frailty in sinning by reason of the
- flesh that
- followeth sense and appetite.
- resisteth reason and grace.
- betrayeth the soul.
- devil, whose
- malice is implacable.
- deceits are infinite.
- assaults continual.
- world, that ministereth
- occasions of sin.
- oppressions of vertue.
- cumbers of body and mind.
- infancy is a dream without use of
- will.
- memory.
- understanding.
- youth is a madness full of
- idle words.
- roving thoughts.
- disordered deeds.
- manhood is a combate with
- evil customs of things past.
- occasions of things present.
- fear of danger and evil to come.
- age is a sickness wherein the
- body languisheth.
- senses fail.
- judgment impaireth.
- Provide for things to come with fear of
- The day of death, then which nothing is more
- certain to
- sever us from the body.
- cut us off from the world.
- summon us before the judge.
- uncertain
- in what manner.
- in what state.
- in what time and place.
- bitter, by reason of
- the pangs of the body.
- the remorse of conscience.
- the fear of damnation.
- The appearance before the Judge, whose
- wisdom is infallible, for that it
- seeth into all places.
- searcheth the hearts of all persons.
- knoweth the course of all times.
- justice is inflexible, for that his
- mercy was refused.
- injuries must be revenged.
- enemies must be confounded.
- presence is unavoidable, for that
- Angels withold.
- the Devils draw back.
- no place will protect.
- The danger of hell, where the
- place is
- torments are
- infinite.
- uncessant.
- everlasting.
- company consisteth of
- the devils.
- the wicked.
- the worm of conscience.
- The loss of heaven, where the
- place is
- delightsome.
- ample.
- glorious.
- company is
- the Trinity.
- the humanity of Christ.
- all the Saints.
- felicity is such as
- neither eye hath seen.
- nor ear hath heard.
- nor heart hath conceived.