To spur his congregation to consider the value of time, Edwards wrote two compelling sermons, one called, “The Preciousness of Time, and the Importance of Redeeming it,” and the other, “Procrastination, or, The Sin and Folly of Depending on Future Time.” Edwards understood that how we choose to spend our time reflects our desires and directs our worship, so he mourned when time was undervalued. “How little is the preciousness of time considered,” he lamented. “There is nothing more precious, and yet nothing of which men are more prodigal.”[2]

Editor’s note: In a previous post, Megan Taylor introduced us to the great American theologian Jonathan Edwards.  She directed us to consider the Small Pox vaccination which eneded his life. In this post. Megan once again enlists the great theologian, this time as a guide for us in our use of time during the Covid-19 crisis.

The children of early New England learned their ABC’s not through a whimsical song, but through serious biblical principles illustrated in their primers. The letter “T” was memorably accompanied by a woodcut of the Grim Reaper holding up an hourglass with the rhyme, “Time cuts down all, both great and small.” You can imagine such instruction would have made a deep impact on the little Puritans, perhaps even on a young Jonathan Edwards, who would later have much to say on the subject of time.

Since executive stay-at-home orders have been issued throughout the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, there has been much talk of time and its use. Some have found themselves with too much time on their hands. Others thought they had more time to spend with loved ones. Many simply want this time to pass.

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