Redeeming the Time by Jonathan Edwards (1703-175)
"Redeeming the time." (Ephesians 5:16, KJV) Christians should not only look for ways to improve the opportunities they have, for their own advantage, but also labor to rescue others from their evil ways; so that God might defer his anger, and they might be redeemed from that terrible destruction, which, when it does come, would put an end to the time of divine patience in their lives. And it may be because of this, that the reason is added, "Because the days are evil." It is as if the apostle had said, the wickedness of the times tends to accelerate the coming judgments of God, but your holy and guarded walk will tend to redeem time from the devouring jaws of those calamities. Our text today commands us to set a high value on our opportunities in life and to be very careful that they are not lost; and we are therefore exhorted to exercise wisdom and caution, in order that we may make the most of our time. Therefore it appears, that the time allocated for us in our l