Page:Sermons preached in the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas', Philadelphia.djvu/183

Rh but to have the awful commission executed upon them.—"Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth."

We ought to redeem time.

2. From vain and vicious pleasures. Man has found out a variety of ways to amuse his fancy, and give pleasure to his corrupt taste. And to gratify himself in this respect, he scarcely begins to calculate the cost. His estimate of the pleasures of the world is so high, that the cost of participation is scarcely thought of. To witness a theatrical performance, to participate in a ball, or some other convivial party, his hand readily opens, and his means are freely expended; but to contribute to the cause of God, religion and humanity, it is done, if done at all, with a mean, parsimonious and grudging spirit. All this clearly shows how strong