Time is also painted with four wings, two of them are spread out, as if he was flying, and two of them are lying close to his back, as if he was standing still; the meaning of which is, that when time seems to stand still, it is in fact swiftly going forward.

Again, We are told that time has four eyes, two before, and two behind; two of which are always shut, and two are always open, to show us, that time regards the past, as well as the future; and that though it may seem to sleep, yet it is still awake, and always on the watch.

Such are the pictures given us of time; how full of meaning, how full of instruction, are such emblematical representations!

A certain wicked man upon his death-bed, said, “ call time back, call time back;" but time is deaf to every such call. Each moment of time is very precious. A mountain of gold is a great word; and a moment of time appears nothing: but if we misspend our time, we shall feel, when we come to die, that a single moment is worth more than all the golden mountains in the world.

You cannot call yesterday back again. To-morrow is not your's. To-day is all that you can call your own. All the time you now lose, is lost for ever. One day present is worth two to come. One to-day is worth two to-morrows; therefore, do not put off that until to-morrow, which you can do to-day. Time is given us that we may prepare for eternity: and if we waste our time, eternity will not be too long to mourn the loss of it. If you wish to be happy in eternity, make a good use of your time. It is one of those valuable blessings which we want most, but of which we often make the worst use; and for the waste of this precious treasure, we must give account to God when time shall be no more. We are always complaining of the shortness of time, and yet we act as if there were no end of it. O let us remember how short, and consequently how valuable, our time really is!

"Days, months, and years must have an end;
Eternity has none;

'Twill always have as long to spend

As when it first begun!

Great God! we children cannot tell
How such a thing can be;

We only pray that we may dwell

That long, long time with thee.

I propose in this Lecture on the right improvement of time,

I. To take a view of the SCHOOL.
II. To inquire for the TEACHER.

III. To notice the SCHOLARS.

IV. To describe the INSTRUCTION.

V. To speak of the APPLICATION necessary, in order to obtain this instruction.

I. Let us take a view of the SCHOOL.

Attend, my young friends; the school I mean, is not a private seminary, academy, or boarding school; but it is a public school, and a very large one. All the children now living, are scholars in this school. It is during the present life, and in the present world, that we learn to improve our time. It is here that we learn to number our days. It is in this life only, that we can apply our hearts to the true wisdom of seeking after God, studying the gospel of Christ, and deriving instruction from the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the book out of which the Spirit of God condescends to instruct us. While Satan aims to keep children from this instruction, Christ is tenderly entreating them to avoid his snares, and receive the wisdom that is from above. We are placed in this world, not to abide for ever, but to prepare for another and a better state. The period of our education will continue till life is over; we must be always learning; every day will present us with new lessons: so that if we rightly improve our time, we shall be continually adding to our stores of knowledge. Shall I tell you in what respect this world resembles a school? And will you listen to what I say? In a school different branches of knowledge are taught. In a school, you learn to read with correctness, to speak with propriety, to think with accuracy, and to copy faithfully whatever is presented for your imitation.

In the world there are different examples set before your eyes; and it is a sad sign of an evil heart, that you are prone to follow bad examples in preference to good ones. Those who cannot read books, can read lives; and though you may not be able to copy a single letter in the alphabet, you can and do copy the bad actions and evil examples of those around you. You tread in the steps of your school-fellows and playmates; you also follow the example of your parents; should they be so unhappy as to be walking in the broad road that leads to destruction. "There is way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." world is a place of learning, and its inhabitants are growing wiser every day. In a school, children are under "tutors and governors;" they are under some restraint, sometimes more than they wish: they dare not do every thing they please

The

while at school, nor is it proper they should. They are bound in duty to their teacher, to obey his orders and listen to his instructions. It is the same in the present world; many are restrained from bad actions, for fear their characters should suffer, and their reputation should be injured by the opinion of the world. What people would think and say of them has a great influence on their public conduct. How many are there who commit sins in secret, who would be ashamed if even a little child was present to observe them! In a school, children are divided into different classes. In this world there are two great classes of people; and though they might be divided into a thousand smaller ones, yet they are all called by two names-good and bad, the righteous and the wicked. There are but two classes of children in the world, good and bad. There is no middle way to heaven: therefore there must be no middle class of children. In a school, there is much noise and bustle in going out and coming in; so it is in the present world. What joy and noise are heard when some great folks are born; and what bustle and confusion when some great people die and leave this earthly state! In a school, some children are punished for bad conduct, and others are commended and rewarded for their improvement and good conduct. It will be thus at the

last day, with every boy and girl in the world, for the "dead, small and great, shall stand before God; and the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." In a school, the scholars frequently remove, and others fill their places: it is so with all the world, "one generation passeth away, and another cometh." In a school, there is generally a vacation, a rest from the duties and exercises of the school: at death, we must rest from all our exercises, from all our duties; our cares, our toils, and labours will then be ended. "We shall rest and be at peace." Let good children remember, that, in the present world, they are like children at school; but in heaven, they shall be as children at home, where they shall always behold the face of their heavenly Father and their blessed Redeemer. There they shall be for ever with the Lord.

God has placed us in this school,
Where ev'ry lesson of his grace,
And the discipline and rule,

Prepare us for a heavenly place.

II. Let us inquire for the TEACHER.

Who is the teacher of this school? The art of numbering

our days and improving our time is a divine art. It is heavenly arithmetic, and can be taught only by a divine teacher. Can you tell me who it is, or what is his name? It is the Lord; it is the Spirit of God alone that can teach us to number our days aright. It is God alone who bestows our days upon us; and it is to him that we must give an account of the way in which we have spent them. It is God alone that can teach us by his Spirit how to improve time to our present good and our eternal advantage. Happy will it be for you, my dear young friends, to have such a teacher as the Holy Spirit, who is able and willing to teach you the true value of time. You are often reminded in the sacred Scriptures of its shortness and uncertainty: "Brethren," says the apostle," the time is short. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Redeem the time, because the days are evil.' God, who is very liberal in all his gifts, teaches us, by the wisdom of providence, how careful we ought to be in the improvement of our time. He teaches us to number our days, hours, and minutes, by the manner in which he gives them. He never gives us two hours together; he gives us the second hour, when he takes away the first; and keeps the third hour entirely in his own hands, as if it were a treasure too precious to be trusted to our care. We are left in an absolute uncertainty, whether he will trust us with the third hour How many hours have you thrown away, either in trifles or in idleness, as if time were of no value at all! I have heard of a little boy's saying, "He was sure that he should live till to-morrow; he was sure that he should not die yet." Thousands think and say they are sure of life, as if it were to last for ever; and when any person dies very suddenly, they are surprised at it; but sudden death, which so frequently occurs, should warn us to spend our time well, and improve the present moments as they are flying away.

or not.

"Be wise to-day, 'tis madness to defer:
Procrastination is the thief of time;
Year after year it steals, till all are fled,
And to the mercies of a moment, leaves

The vast concerns of an eternal scene."-Young.

Oh! that you may be taught by this divine instructor, so to number your days, as to apply your hearts unto wisdom!

To-day attend, is wisdom's voice;
To-morrow, folly cries;

And still to-morrow 'tis, when, oh!

To-day the sinner dies.

III. Let us take some notice of the SCHOLARS.

What a noble company of scholars do I see before me at

this time.

Methinks I hear a whisper from several of my young and attentive hearers. One is saying, Lord teach me; another is saying, Lord teach me; and a third is saying Lord teach me. But I will say, Lord teach us ALL. The scholars in this school are very numerous indeed. There are not only a few hundreds, or a few thousands; but all the children in the world are scholars in this school, and, though the school is so very large, yet God is able to teach them all with perfect ease, without the assistance of any other teacher. He is infinitely wise, and knoweth all things. He is the fountain of all wisdom and knowledge.

We know but little; angels know more; but God knows infinitely more than men or angels; nay, even their knowledge comes from him. Though God is so wise, as not to stand in need of the assistance of any other teacher, yet, like your teachers, my dear young friends, he condescends to make use of a Monitor.

Methinks I hear another whisper, Who is the Monitor? Who is the Monitor? Hush, my children, be silent, be attentive, and I will tell you his name. His name is Conscience: yes, Conscience is the name of this Monitor. By him you are frequently reminded of the value and shortness of time-of the necessity of numbering your days- of the importance of improving every hour, and of the account which you must give to the great teacher and master of assemblies, of the manner in which your time has been spent.

Bad children are generally great wasters of time. How often do they hear the voice of the Monitor calling to them, and saying, 66 ye are idle ye are idle." Sometimes he sharply reproves them for their sinful waste of time, and then some of these idle scholars shed a few tears; but they soon forget what he has said to them. Indeed, they are like some children, I fear, in this school, they will not hear what the Monitor says. They do not mind him at all; and when he speaks to them, or tells them any thing, they only laugh at him, and sometimes they stop their ears.

Oh! what a sad report does the Monitor give to the great teacher, concerning the conduct of many of the children in this school! There are very bad scholars indeed, some are dull scholars, some are idle scholars, some are obstinate scholars, some are proud scholars, some are mischievous scholars, and some very careless and indifferent; they take no pains at ali to improve their time.

Still there are some, and, I hope, a great many scholars, who are teachable, diligent, humble, and obedient; desirous