Another year has fled. Its joys and its sor­rows, its pleasures and its vexations, its successes and its disappointments are past. To some of you it has been a favored year. Death has not invaded your family circle; you have enjoyed health, and are to-day living monuments of God's preserving mercy. To others it has been the saddest of years. While the earth has brought forth its fruits abundantly, the chilling winds of adversity have howled around your dwellings. The partners of your joys and sorrows have been taken from you; your children have died, your parents have gone to their long home, and you are left to weep and wonder why God has dealt with you thus.

      We have entered upon a new year. Whether we shall see its close is known only to God. What occurrences shall take place while its days and weeks and months pass away, no created being can tell. We can not say whether we shall
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* A New Year's Day Sermon, January 1, 1856.

      I. The Value of Time
      That time is of great value will be denied by no person capable of rational reflection. A va­riety of arguments may be adduced in proof of its value. I will mention a few.

      1. Its relation to eternity. — Our existence in this world is the introductory period of our being, and will be succeeded by our initiation into the solemnities of an eternal state. Time hurries all its generations to eternity. Yes, every voyager on the ocean of time is bound for the port of eternity. It is not optional with any of the race of Adam whether they will make this voyage. They are already embarked, and willing or re­luctant, must proceed to the point of destination. Dying man, you must go, however earnestly you protest against it.

      It should be remembered, too, that there is not among men an indiscriminate preparation for eternity. Indeed, none in their natural state are prepared. Nor can the appliances of reason and philosophy prepare them. There is, however, a method of obtaining preparation. Jesus has died for sinners, and salvation is offered to the world

      2. It is short. — Inspiration says, "time is short." "Man, born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble." Life is compared to the grass which soon withers and dies. It is termed a vapor. Contracted, indeed is the space intervening be­tween one's birth and death. The cradle rocks on the verge of the grave. The helpless infant opens its eyes and beholds the light — but if that infant becomes an adult, and even reaches three­ score years and ten, how soon are the same eyes closed in the darkness of death! Is it necessary to elaborate the proposition that time is short? Surely not. But it follows that if time is short, it is valuable. Its shortness contributes materially to its value. If you were destined to live here thousands of years, you might argue, with some plausibility, that time would not be so valuable as it now is. But when you know that it is short, and that during its continuance, transac­tions of infinite importance are to be performed, or, if unperformed, the soul will be lost, do you not see the value of time? Truly our moments are golden moments!

      3. The flight of time is irrevocable. — The mo­ment once gone, is gone forever. No regrets, no tears, no prayers, no lamentations will bring it back. It hastens to make its report to eternity. And so of days, and months, and years. The

      II. The Improvement of Time.
      Under this division of the subject, two ques­tions arise: How should time be improved? And why should it be improved? How, etc.

      1. By securing our eternal interests. — If this is not done, there is no improvement of time. Men may amass wealth, secure secular distinction, establish kingdoms and empires, but their time is wasted, worse than wasted, if they neglect their immortal interests. We have seen that time sus­tains an important relation to eternity, and that it is, on this account, of great value. It must follow, then, that there can be no adequate improvement of time, unless the interests of eter­nity are secured. That man, who neglects the salvation of his soul, has not the remotest con­ception of what is meant by improving time. Those who improve their time look not at the

      2. By a fixed determination to do some good every day. — Unless there be a settled purpose in the mind, nothing can be done. Idleness, needless sleep, unprofitable reading, and useless conversa­tion, must all be abjured. Without industry, there can be no improvement of time. The Bible pronounces its condemnation on idleness. Noth­ing is more at war with the spirit of Christianity than idleness. An indolent disposition prevents multitudes from improving their time. Some good may be done every day, and ought to be done. Opportunity to do good always creates obligation to do it. It is lamentable to think how many who profess to be Christians, do little or no good in the world. They profess to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. What are they in fact? Instead of being trees of right­eousness, bearing the fruits of the Spirit, they are, like the barren fig tree, cumberers of the ground.

      Christian friends, will you not, during the present year, inquire every morning, What good can I do to-day? Aim to be useful. Wisely em­ploy your time. Gather up the fragments of time that nothing be lost. Consider it practica­ble to do good in a moment if you have not an hour. Be not deterred from an attempt to do good, because you can not do so in a regular, formal way. Be willing to do good irregularly and informally. And be sure to be willing to do good in little things. Comparatively few can operate

But why should time be improved?

      1. Because of its value. — It is worse than folly to waste that which is worth so much. All generations since the days of Esau, have condemned his folly in selling his birthright for a mess of pottage. He who squanders his precious time, acts more foolishly. He disregards all the weighty considerations which prove the value of time. The fact that time is of so much value, is surely a good reason why it should be improved.

      2. Much of our time, has already run to waste. — How many precious moments have we misspent! How much more good we might have done in the world! How much better Christians we might have been! Alas, we are not what we ought to be. And why is it so? Because we have not improved our time. Much of it has been useless for purposes of good. And as so much of our time has run to waste, but little re­mains. How important, then, to employ it ad­vantageously. Let saints and sinners do with their might what their hands find to do; for there is no work in the grave to which, they are hastening.

      3. The improvement of time will have a material hearing on our eternal destiny. — The Word of God informs us that whatever a man sows that he shall reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the

      1. How manifestly does it appear the part of wisdom to improve time! The wisdom of im­proving it will be much more manifest when the light of eternity dawns upon us.

      2. How great the folly and wickedness of em­ploying time unprofitably! We sometimes hear men speak of killing time. To kill time! What a phrase! Sinners plunge into their amusements to kill time. Alas, those who kill time secure for themselves a miserable eternity.

[From J. M. Pendleton, Short Sermons on Important Subjects, 1859. This book is from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Library, Wake Forest, NC via ILL through Boone County Public Library, Burlington, KY.]

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