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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The foilow:ng diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre film6s A des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est f ilmi A partir de I'angle sup^rinur gauche, de gauche k droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. L?s diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 V. PrQB mmmmmm mmm ■W"^li| FOR A SMALL PARISH IN NEWFOUNDLAND; PLAIN SERMON TO A PLAIN PEOPLE. BY REV. W. MEEKE. ProBched by tho Aothor, at St. George's Chnrch ia this CUjr» tad whh his diffident consent, pablisbed by one of the congregation. HALIFAX, K. S. PRINTED BY WM. CUNNABELL, NO. t, COHNOE'f WgAlF. 1845, / ',.«^'- \ H, a A ■fl Xi It i' » 1 'I SERMON BY THB REV. W. ME EKE. "BUT THIS 1 SAY BKETHREN, THE TIME IS SHORT.'* 1 Cor. ehay. 7, verse 29. \ " But this I say Brethren, the Time is short." In these few, striking, and affecting words, does St. Paul seek to impress the transient nature of all the relation- ships, possessions, and pursuits of man. He had been writing to the Corinthians, about the lawfulness and ex- [ pediency of forming connexion^ by marriage in the then existing state of the Church ; in answer to enquiries, which had been made of hira on the subject, by the Christians to whom he was writing. In the text, he breaks ofF from the topic before him, and tliQ consider- ation of present circumstances, relationships, and inter- ests ; solemnly to remind them of the brevity and speedy conclusion of all earthly things. V But this I say, he exclaims with affectionate abruptness — the time is short ;" whatever connexions, are now formed, must very soon terminate. "It remains that both they that have wive.i . ric;hteousness— " the things that are above where Cht ^h at GorV's right hand for evermore." " The time is short." ' . 'oleir ■i;th may be esta- blished in whatever aspect*'", i.. V- ' " ' " ^° ^^' ^"^ ^^^^ let us view it in its relation to, and comparison with Eternity. What is Time ? The space we measure by hours — and days — ajid months — and years ! nearly six thousand years, thus measured, have passed .way, since Time began its rounds ; hov/ many yet remain, before it shall close, is a secret unrevealed to human enquiry. But the hour is fuSt drawing on, when the angel shall stand with one foot on the Earth, and the other on the Sea, and swear " by him that liveth forever and ever"— that there shall be Time no longer. And suppose it to last as long as it has already lasted ; yet put it all in comparison with Eternity, and what will it amount to ? For what is Eternity ? Sit down and (taloulate— measure its duration. Is it, 10,000 years ?— Is it, 10,000,000?— Is it ten millions of millions ?— Count eveij grain of saud on the sea-sliore ; suppose eacli to be a year, or a million of years ; put them all together ; tell up the vast amount ; still you will make no approach to a con- ception of Eternity — to one conceivable atom of its duration. What does this view reduce the whole duration of Time to in the comparison ? — To a speck— to a moment— to a span to nothing. One day, is, with the Lord, as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. What is Time to him who is the author of it ? He is from everlasting to everlasting 1" Here then in the view taken, the language of the text is strictly applicable ! The Time is short ! Sec. The Time of Life is short. In the early Ages of the World, the lives of men were of much longer duration than they have been since that pe- riod! Men lived more hundreds of years then, than at pre- sent, the oldest amongst us live tens. Methuseleh lived 969 yeai-s, yet at the end of his term — even his life ; it was doubtless viewed by him as but a short space ! At the usual period when we all die, the ancients were only just begin- ning to enter on life. Jacob at the age of 130 years, de- clared to Pharaoh, that, few and evil had been the days of the years of his life, and that he had not attained unto.th^ days of the years of the life of his father:, in the days of their Pilgrimage. What then must we say of our brief 60 or 70 years — if we last so long, which v^^ry few do — but that the time is indeed short '.—fearfully, afFectingly, alarm- ingly short ! And when added to this we lake into ac- count the fact that half the world die before they are seven years old ; — that multitudes arc cut down in the bloom of youth—in the midst of life, at every stage, and under every ciipumstance ; often in the midst of life without a moment's warning ; as well by some sudden stroke, some unforeseen accident, as by slow and wasting disease : take, I say,these circumstances into cons: deration, and the text confes home to us with a solemn force and meaning, — *< This I say, bre- thren, the time is short." Thirdly. The time, the brief time of our existence on earth, is siiort, if compared with many objects around us. The works of art, the ancient casfles, the venerable cathe- drals, built by hands long since ixiouldered into dust — still survive ! The Pyramid? of Egypt, half as old as the world itself, still eixist ! The same sun which shone on Adam, shines on us ! The same stars which glittered in Eden, still spangle the skies / Yea, even our own houses outlast us ; and many a hand which cut the trees, and raised the timbers which shelter some of us, is long since still in the grave ; and many of these buildings, frail as they are, will still out- last us, and be occupied by other tenants, while we occupy a narrow coffin and a gloomy grave. Fourthly. The time is short with reference to the great and infinitely important work we all have to do. Yes, bre- thren, I repeat it, — viewed in this connexion it is fearfully short. For why were we sent into this world ? Was it mere- tfao eat, and to drink, and sleep, and build, and plant, and amuse ourselves, and toil, and suffer, and die ? Oh no ! life is not ended here ! — i)ur existence is not confined to, or limited with these particulars ; there is not one of us, who is not born to spend along eternity, either in inconceivable blessedness in heaven ; or in tremendous misery and punishment in hell; and the few brief years— or days, bestowed upon us now, are given us to secure the former, and to escape the latter; To work out our own salvation ; To lay hold on eternal life; To obtain the prize of our high calling of God in Christ Jesus; a mansion in the skies; a house not made with hands, eter- nal in the heavens. * Now we all know, il.at in earthly things.-he who has but a short time to accomplish an importatU object, w.ll not foolishly waste the invaluable moments. A man who has but a week, or a month to Vork, in order to secure food- orforlune-or the maintenance of nis fam.ly for a whole year ; will be early up, ar-d late take rest, and d.hgent u^ seizing every minute ; call him away to a song or a dance he will not listen to you ; he must work, or lose all , he knows how much depends on the fleeting hour; he has nc time for trifles, for pleasure, for any thing, bnt to fimsl. to work, and secure his object. I must work the wo k of h,m Tat ent me, said the Saviour, while it .s day, the n.gh cometh, when no man can work. Yes, Brethren, the n.gh c methUe gloomy .ight of death / Repentance and U in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the correspondmg eff ts of holiness in heart and life, is the great »'^-''^!»S T JiZ all h»ve to do ; and the few brief hours of hfo, .s all the t,m_e appointed us, for it to be done in -I say then, the ume .s short; so sAort, that if you me«» to he hapr'J fir ever, you have not a single hour to lose ! Once more, the time is short-for much of it, too much is already gone. While we have been thmkmg and plan Itfor he future,-that future has become the past-an now, though we are perhaps still dream.ng of .d», s to succeed to take place next, in the year to covr.e, or even at r iU le dista'nt period ; one-and -ther -n^^^^^^^^ is laid by us in the grave, and our own t.me ,s ' «« f^' fully shorter; silently 'he stream of ume passe over our heads' we see it not ; we hear it not ; we know .t not . we X k-* that it is gone. Th, winter, we were so anx - ous to provide for is over ; the summer we -ranged abm is already on its way ; other plans are m our r.m.»•* y I 8 prospccls cheer or sadden our view ; but all along the time is getting shorter. A few more day., cr hours, and all will be ended. The grave will open ; the earth return to its earth ; th 3 ashes to their kindred ashes ; the dust to its na- tive dust ; The soul to judgment, :o God, to eternity, to Heaven, or to Hell. The text introduced to your notice ; • addresses itself with solemn earnestness, to several classes and descriptions of persons ; and first to the young. This, I say to you, the time is short ; Children / you have just emerged from childhood ; you have just icarnt to read the Bible , you think of little besides play and amusement ; and some g'ddy trifle, which will be no sooner obtc ^ d, than forgotten. Now the text says, the time is short. You have a soul, which will never die ; you are a sinn-r; you may soon die ; you will appear before the judgment s.at of Christ. You must give a strict account of your time, of your words, of your thoughts, of your sins : you will soon, if you live, be employed with the cares and business of life. Now is your time to learn, to think, to read, to become like Sa- muel, like Timothy, like the youthful Saviour. But the time is short, there is none to be lost. Be wiser, be better, be diligent, say no bad words, tell no stories, watch over, your tongues, your temper, avoid bad company, read the bible, strictly obseive the sabbath, pray earnestly, be ready for the worst, lest like many other children, you die while you are young, and your short time be all ended, before you have begun to any purpose to hve. And you who have advanced further in life, who have passed already, eighteen, twenty, thirty years You are entering, or have entered, into the business of life ; the buy- ing and selling, the building and planting, the feeding and clothing, the hoping and fearing ; the thousand cares of life, mmm^ ,.x. «ys, •o'*™"' • '^^j ""^j^,. «m soon be, .s ,hcugh i, had never been. A ye» '» _^^^ ^^„ ^„,_ .„d months to a child. A.f«w more g ^ whatever ,hen death eternity and b-ven. o^heU^ Je,^ w ^^^ ^:cito!:h!rr:bi-:^> b.. ..ee . nrcsent time and opporUmity. To the agod and advanced in yea. •, t.. ^^^^J^ ,i™e is short, y^s, very short, only a few br^ a y^at m ^ now remain. The house you now 'J'''" "*,"" „„,, another inhabitant^ J^'l*' ^'xt Cd; T^' nt L = in. .oon cease to ° J J^ ^/jrdu':. ' Oh seize the present C TaL you X -' election sure, repent of every blits, unfading gloiy* ,-'^'n:yhrif^:":tetri:''t:f^;: wT- yes,break the Sabbath if you will ; yes dare to l.e 1;.\ region, without repentance ^^^^^^^ remember, the time .s short you shaU "° J;- ^ does. ger. Death .t any '"«, -'^Xr after having If vou will not, after, all that is tola ycu I'sible, ..he Sabbath, the Church, days and mo^Je and •«r, men you to seek for heaven, and flee from hell, you liriTi. wN .h.n you must only take your cho.ce , ■'.-• ' ...v/ 10 Tou ma«t have your own perverse way ; you must sin on your few short days, and you know when these are »U gone, what you have to expect, and what you deserve. Lastly— To the righteous, this 1 say, Brethren, the time is short' Whatever sorrows now trouble you. Whatever temptations now assail you. Whatever sickness, pain dis- appointment, trials, now oppress you, yet the time .s short ! Sorrow will soon be exchanged for joy, pain for pleasure, death; for Ufe, earth, for heaven, this short time; for a never ending eternity. O then, gird up the loins of your mmd. Be sober, and hope to the end. Press toward the mark, or the prixe ; and soon the bright day of immortal, un- speakable. Celestial glory, shall burst on your astonished 4ion ; and transport your happy ransomed soul ; and the high Halleluiah's of the skies, shaU greet your immortal ears. "y ' u fZ< V I