ordered the world, that there shall be space for devotion. He that hath the fewest businesses of the world, 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; whilst at certain periods they are blessed with prayers and actions of religion, and all day long are hallowed by a holy intention.

However, so long as idleness is quite shut out from our lives, all the sins of wantonness, softness, and effeminacy are prevented, and there is but little room left for temptation; and, therefore, to a busy man temptation is fain to climb up together with his business, and sins creep upon him only by accidents and occasions; whereas to an idle person they come in a full body, and with open violence, and the impudence of a restless importunity. ib.

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, and let your sleep be necessary and healthful, not idle and expensive of time, beyond the needs and conveniences of nature; and sometimes be curious to see the preparation which the sun makes, when he is coming forth from his chambers of the east. ib.

Never talk with any man, or undertake any trifling employment, merely to pass the time away; for every day well spent may become a day of salvation, and time rightly employed is an acceptable time. ib.

Let your employment be such as may become a reasonable person, and not be a business fit for children or distracted people, but fit for your age and understanding. For a man may be very idly busy, and take great pains to so little purpose, that in his labours and expense of time he shall serve no end but of folly and vanity. ib.

Persons of great quality, and of no trade, are to be most prudent and curious in their employment and traffic of time. They are miserable, if their education hath been so loose and undisciplined as to leave them unfurnished of skill to spend their time; but most miserable are they, if such misgovernment and unskilfulness make them fall into vicious and baser company, and drive on their time by the sad minutes and periods of sin and death. ib.

Let all persons of all conditions avoid all delicacy and niceness in their clothing or diet, because such softness engages them upon great misspendings of their time, while they dress and comb out all their opportunities of their morning devotion, and half the day's severity, and sleep out the care and provision for their souls.

Let every one, of every condition, avoid curiosity, and all inquiry into things that concern them not. ib.

As much as may be, cut off all impertinent and useless employments of your life, unnecessary and fantastic visits, long waitings upon great personages, where neither duty, nor necessity, nor charity, obliges us; all vain meet

ings, all laborious trifles, and whatsoever spends much time to no real, civil, religious, or charitable purpose.

Let not your recreations be lavish spenders of your time, but choose such which are healthful, short, transient, recreative, and apt to refresh you; but at no hand dwell upon them, or make them your great employment; for he that spends his time in sports, and calls it recreation, is like him whose garment is all made of fringes, and his meat nothing but sauces; they are healthless, chargeable, and useless. ib.

The Second General Instrument of Holy Living. Purity of Intention. - Holy intention is to the actions of a man that which the soul is to the body, or form to its matter, or the root to the tree, or the sun to the world, or the fountain to a river, or the base to a pillar; for without these the body is a dead trunk, the matter is sluggish, the tree is a block, the world is darkness, the river is quickly dry, the pillar rushes into flatness and ruin; and the action is sinful, or unprofitable and vain. ib.

Have a care, that while the altar thus sends up a holy flame, thou dost not suffer the birds to come and carry away the sacrifice; that is, let not that which began well, and was intended for God's glory, decline, and end in thy own praise, or temporal satisfaction, or sin. ib.

If

any

accidental event, which was not first intended by thee, come to pass, let it not be taken into thy purposes,

not at all be made use of; as if by telling a true story, you can do an ill turn to your enemy, by no means do it; but when the temptation is found out, turn all thy enmity upon that. ib.

If any temptation to spoil your purposes happens in a religious duty, do not presently omit the action, but rather strive to rectify your intention and to mortify the temptation. St. Bernard taught us this rule; for when the devil, observing him to preach excellently, and to do much benefit to his hearers, tempted him to vainglory, hoping, that the good man, to avoid that, would cease preaching, he gave this answer only, I neither began for thee, neither for thee will I make an end. ib.

The Third General Instrument of Holy Living; or, The Practice of the Presence of God. God is especially present in the consciences of all persons, good and bad, by way of testimony and judgment. And although this manner of presence is in this life after the manner of this life, that is, imperfect, and we forget many actions of our lives; yet the greatest changes of our state of grace or sin, our most considerable actions are always present, like capital letters to an aged and dim eye; and at the day of judgment, God shall draw aside the cloud, and manifest this manner of his presence more notoriously, and make it appear that he was an observer of our very thoughts. ib.

He that remembers that God stands a witness and a judge, beholding every secrecy, besides his impiety, must have put on impudence, if he be not much restrained in his temptation to sin. "For the greatest part of sin is taken away, if a man have a witness of his conversation; and he is a great despiser of God, who sends a boy away when he is going to commit fornication, and yet will dare to do it, though he knows God is present and cannot be sent off; as if the eye of a little boy were more awful than the all-seeing eye of God. He is to be feared in public, He is to be feared in private; if you go forth, He spies you; if you go in, He sees you; when you light the candle, He observes you; when you put it out, then also God marks you. Be sure, that while you are in His sight, you behave yourself as becomes so holy a presence." ib.

He walks as in the presence of God, that converses with Him in frequent prayer, and frequent communion, that runs to Him in all his necessities, that asks counsel of Him in all his doubtings, that opens all his wants to Him, that weeps before Him for his sins, that asks remedy and support for his weakness, that fears Him as a Judge, reverences Him as a Lord, obeys Him as a Father, and loves Him as a Patron. ib.

This sense of the Divine presence produces a confidence in God, and fearlessness of our enemies, patience in trouble, and hope of remedy, since God is so nigh in all our sad accidents; He is a disposer of the hearts of men,