More literally, the expression might be rendered, " Buying up the opportunity ; " as the merchant, looking out for bargains, buys up every thing that promises profit. In the ordinary sense of the words, we can never redeem the time. Time once passed is gone forever, only to meet us with its record at the judgment-seat of Christ. We can never make it up if it has been misspent or wasted. Each hour carries its own responsibilities, and can never be made to atone for former wasted ones. Lost opportunities ! – what a solemn theme ! Wasted time ! Well may we pause at the close of another year, and think on the swift-flowing stream which has swept past us never to return, and ask ourselves how we have spent it. Humbling, no doubt, will it be to many of us to dwell on the past, but wholesome too if we take to heart the lessons it teaches, and learn from past follies to buy up present opportunities.

Opportunities are manifold, and each moment carries with it an opportunity. In general, they may be divided into two classes, given to us respectively in the two passages where the same expression is used. "See, then, that ye walk circumspectly; not as fools, but as wise ; redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Eph. 5:15, 16.) "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Col. 4:5, 6.) The first of these passages gives us more particularly the opportunities which relate to ourselves-personal; the second, those which link us with others-relative.

We live in evil times. The whole tendency is away from God, and it is only too easy for us, if unwary, to be carried along with the stream. Hence the exhortation " See that ye walk circumspectly," or carefully. We absorb easily the flavor of our surroundings; let us, then, be careful. The days are evil:God is not known, loved, or honored. But though the clays are evil, they are none the less crowded with opportunities. There is the open page of God's precious Word ever ready to reward the diligent seeker; the throne of grace invites to believing prayer; while there is not a circumstance or event of our lives but affords golden opportunities to learn, to do, or to bear. And how fleeting these opportunities are !The quiet time for reading and prayer, if not availed of, gives place to the turmoil of every-day life. The solicitation of temptation, to evil thought or word or deed, soon passes into actual sin, or gives place to something else,-in either case, leaving a scar upon the soul, unless the opportunity is availed of to resist it in the energy of faith. The merchant eagerly seizes upon every bargain which will profit him; let us too learn to make use of the opportunities which crowd upon us. Naturally, we look for the great events of our lives, and usually wait in vain. Our lives are made up of little things, and unless we make use of these, we will have nothing.

In Colossians, it is our relation to our neighbor which is contemplated, particularly " those who are without." Man is a social being, made for intercourse with his fellows. Conversion does not alter our natural constitution and tendencies, nor is this to be desired. Separation from the world is in spirit, not in contact." I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil." We are thrown with men of the world, on every hand; in business and travel, intentionally and accidentally; we are visited by strangers, are accosted on the street, asked the way or the time. Do we realize that we in this way have thousands of opportunities for speaking to men of Christ ? and are we buying up these opportunities, making use of them? Many of these opportunities come but once; we cross a man's path, and may never see him again. We are not saying that every one we meet can be spoken to, or that a tract should be thrust upon persons, without seeking guidance. There may be very much legality in such work, bringing one into bondage instead of ministering joy. But the fact remains that we are brought into contact with persons daily, and have many opportunities for influencing them. " Walk in wisdom toward them that are without." Alas ! how often does folly rather than wisdom characterize Christians in their intercourse with those that are without ! The unprofitable conversation,-frivolous remarks, levity, worldliness,-too often is heard rather than speech with grace, seasoned with the salt of truth, pungent and painful though it may be. Do we realize the lost condition of those that are without? Did we but think that we would never in this life see again such, would our last words be of this world, or would we not seek for an opening to speak for God and their immortal souls-at least, would we not be praying for them ? Surely we have a responsibility in all this which we cannot shun, -nay, if the love of Christ constrains us, we will not desire to shun it.

Nor need we confine this responsibility in speech to our intercourse with the unsaved. There are countless opportunities of helping one another by a word of advice, or the mutual edification which comes from talking over the things in God's Word. But if we follow the usual course, and allow the things of sense to absorb our talk,-or worse, if criticism, backbiting, and railing are indulged in, we lose an opportunity never to be recovered.

All this is plain enough, and familiar to us all ; we all assent to it, but a little reminder may not be out of place. If there is aroused a spirit of self-examination, of prayerful desire to avail ourselves of the opportunities afforded us, the admonition of these verses will not be in vain.

But how, in brief, can we be ready to buy up the opportunity ? By being right in heart. If the heart is in communion with Christ,_if His Word fills and occupies our minds, we will almost involuntarily avail ourselves of openings. It is easy to tell sinners of a precious Saviour if our own hearts are overflowing with His love ; easy to have a suited word for all-sinners or saints,-a word in grace seasoned with salt, if we imitate Him whose ear was ever open to learn from God, and who therefore knew "how to speak a word in season to him that is weary."