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{Since the Heavenly Trade Is the Best Trade …
Exhortation to Those Who Began the Heavenly Trade, But Have Backslidden
Search Out the Causes of Your Soul’s Decay and Get Them Removed
Cause: Needless Expenses and Waste of Resources}
Large expenses and great waste of resources will quickly help make traders poor when they become spendthrifts and prodigals, living beyond their means. When their expenses are more than their incomes, this must bring them low. It undid the steward: “Now He was also saying to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions’” (Luke 16:1 NASB). So it is with wisdom’s merchants also; when they turn wastrels of their graces, mercies, abilities, strength, time, and other goods committed to them, spending them on their lusts and carnal desires, then they soon find their situation altered for the worse.
Oh, how fast do people spend resources, and what a great proportion of their resources do they spend in their short day on things of no value—talking, eating, drinking, sleeping,1323 trifling, and sinning away their precious time as though they had no work to do or no better work to do. Souls give little thought about what a small pittance they have allowed for their vast concerns and multitude of important employments; they think little of what insanity it is to be so wasteful of this little inch of precious time. Oh, the hours, days, and years that professing Christians spend to no purpose in vain thoughts, foolish talking, useless conversations, and unprofitable duties and labor.1324 When these will all be totaled up by the great Creditor [God] and a list of all the wastes and their total read and handed to conscience, it will make an amazing, dreadful, and worrying sting when they are ready to die. The queen said that if her heart were ripped open, Calais would be found written on it.1325 Likewise if these wastrels’ hearts were as legible as their outward expressions, people might read in black capital letters, “LOST TIME. LOST TIME.”
How great also are people’s wastes of graces, peace, wisdom, and abilities, and all to obtain some poor empty, insignificant comforts that perish with the using. Christian, there are no locusts like your cursed lusts; they have devoured your precious things: your affections, time, strength, and graces. Much of your convictions, resolutions, hopeful frame of mind, tenderness of conscience, talents, abilities, privileges, ordinances, and providences have been consumed to serve your base lusts and carnal pleasures.1326 This has brought your soul to such straits and distressing urgent need.
When souls live above their abilities and portion of grace, that throws them back. It is the same as when people have little money, yet live high. If you have little light, but spend it in works of darkness, or if you have a short day, but consume many hours of it on vanity, this is to live above your spiritual means and it will soon be impoverishing. When people have only a little grace and strength, but venture into great temptations, run into soul-ruining dangers, or rush into vain company, this is to live beyond your means in Christianity. Similarly, to enter into entangling affairs or take too much business on your hands—with only a small portion of wisdom and grace with which to manage them—is also to live beyond your means in Christianity. To be low of spiritual stature but high in conceit or to be of little spiritual worth but think and speak highly of yourself and expect admiration from others also—this also is to live beyond your means.
You have nothing to maintain you except what comes in by your soul-labor; your daily bread depends on your daily work. If you no longer work, you will no longer eat. You are so poor. If in this condition you expect an easy life, to lie down to slumber, to live carelessly, and to do your work by fits and starts, you will live above your spiritual means. That will soon bankrupt you in the heavenly trade.
1323Just as there is sin in consuming too much of these first four things, so there may be sin in not using enough of them for health and strength.
1324Consider: if five dollars is wasted each day, the yearly loss is $1825 and $18,250 over ten years. Surveys show that many people do not have enough savings to meet unexpected expenses of even $400. Similarly, fifteen minutes wasted each day results in the loss of 91.25 hours per year or about the awake time of 6 days; this is a lost week for a vacation or project, or a two-month sabbatical over ten years.
1325This is a reference to the loss of the city of Calais by England to the French in 1558. What Queen Mary actually said is uncertain.
1326“Use it or lose it” applies to many things, such as knowledge, skills, perishable food, and so on. The practice of bad habits is even more destructive to good skills. Spiritual grace and godliness of heart are likewise perishable if not kept up.
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