III. The third head is, to enquire into the causes of mens lofing their hopeful feasons. 1. It proceeds from their unbelict and doubting of the certainty of gofpeltruths. This keeps many hovering fo long between heaven and hell, death and life, Chrift and the world, and their fummer and harvest days are gone before they come to a refolution. Did men believe the certainty of wrath to come, and that they are born heirs of that wrath, they would think no motion swift enough in fleeing to Chrift, and closing with him in order to escape it.

2. Many trifle away their fummer-days and feafons of action, because they look on death and eternity at many years diftance, and that they will have time enough, before thefe expire, to mind falvation-work. By this delufion, fatan cheats many out of their most hopeful feasons. Did men look on death as within a ftep of them, and having no more but a fingle thread to cut, fo that within a few days they shall either be finging with the faints in heaven, or roaring with the damned in hell, they would not let their fummer-days pafs fo idly.

3. Promising fummer days are lost through indulg ling of floth. Many, before they will be at fome pains now in prayer and fecret duties, will venture upon endlefs pains in hell hereafter. Oh! prodigious folly! What pains was Christ at to fave you, and will you be at none to save yourselves? Hath not God an eternity of reft and pleasure to recompence your fmall tail and pains in improving your fummer,days?

4. Love of fenfual delights and carnal company proves a fnare to many. They are hereby drawn into idlenefs, games, paftimes, tippling, foolish talking, and jefting, and other finful pleasures; whereby their funmer-days are trifled away and mif-fpent. Even those diverfions which are judged the most innocent, ought to be used with fear and caution, left they steal away our heart and thoughts from our chief concerns; which, if they do, they are not innocent but hurtful. O they are fad diversions that would divert us from Chrift and heaven. It is unbecoming a Christian that looks for eternal delights in another world, and pleasures

of

of a higher nature, to have his heart fet upon the pitiful delights of this earth, which fly away as a dream, and leave nothing behind them, unless it be a fting in the confcience for fpending days of grace fo unprofitably. One hour's enjoyment of Chrift's prefence atid favour hath far more pleasure in it, than many years of fenfual delights.

But for fhortening this difcourfe, I muft pafs feveral things I had in view, and proceed to

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THE APPLICATION.

Infer. 1. Doth God in his mercy afford men hopeful feafons for faving their fouls; fummer-days of youth; harveft-days of gofpel-grace? O how lamentable muft it be to fee men wafting away thefe feafons by delays, putting off converfion-work, and closing with Chrift, from day to day, till both their fummer and harveft are paft. When confcience or God's Spirit

prefs them, they answer, with Felix, "Go thy way for this time, and when I have a convenient feafon, I will hear thee;" meaning nothing but to put off the prefent conviction. Oh, firs the work is fo weighty and neceffary, you cannot make too much hafte to expede it; it is work for your immortal fouls, and work for eternity. How careful would a man be to improve a day, if his natural life depended upon it? If a condemned man had an hour allowed him to beg his life from his prince, would he think he might delay till fome minutes of it were paft? No: he would apply at the very first, and use the most moving words and arguments he could devife to obtain it, and leave nothing uncffayed during that hour. But, O is there not much more at ftake here? When the falvation of the precious foul through all eternity depends upon the improvement of the prefent fummer-day of grace, it is your wifdom to take the morning rather than the evening of it. The morning is fitteft for beginning a journey; you would call him a foolish traveller that would fet out only when the fun is fetting.

Infer. 2. How much are they to be blamed, who wafte away their precious feafons of grace, in pursuing foolith lufts and pleasures, who take God's time and their foul's, feafons too, to do the devil's work in. Oh, Sirs! doth God create pleasant summer and harvestdays for you to ferve the devil, his grand enemy? Wretched ingratitude! Or, do you think that God fhould wait till the devil, the world, and the flesh, have done with you, and then be content to take their leavings! Be athamed of fo requitting the Lord, and dealing fo with your Maker, O foolish people and unwife!

Infer. 3. Surely, gofpel flighters, and neglecters of the seasons of grace, muft have an uncomfortable deathbed, feeing the mournful ditty of my text belongs to them, "Our harveft is paft, our fummer is ended, and we are not faved." Oh! how cutting must the review of wafted fummer-days be to you when death calls upon you! It will be fo far from yielding you, any comfort at that time, to call to mind your carnal company and converfe, your jefts and fports, your games and paftimes, your tippling and idle talking, that the very remembrance of thefe will increase your forrow.

Infer. 4 We may hence juftly conclude gospel lighters to be men befide themfelves, and without the free ufe of their reafon, feeing they act a part below the very brutes and infects. Thefe obferve the proper seafons in providing for winter; but ah! you neglect your's in providing for eternity. "The ftork in the heavens knows her appointed times; the turtle, the crane, and the fwallow obferve the time of their coming," Jer. viii. 7. The ant provideth her meat in the fummer, and gathereth her food in the harvest, and all to lay up for winter," Prov. vi. 8. But ah! you let your fouls fummer and harveft-days pafs over without minding the winter of death, or providing for them when diflodged of the body. It muft furely be the height of madnefs to trifle away the feafon which is given you for faving your fouls through all eternity. If fin had not wofully bemifted your eyes, you would have beet ready to have looked upon him as a monster or madman, that had but a few days to win or lofe his foul

for

for ever, and yet would be playing thefe away at cards and dice, or trifling them away in jefts and diverfions, tippling and idlenefs, and never once minding the faving of his foul! And yet how many of all ranks may I apply to, and fay, "Thou art the man!"

Infer. 5. If gofpel-feafons be the fummer and harveft for our fouls, it must be our unquestionable duty and intereft to improve them with the greatest care, by complying with the Spirit's motions, and the gofpel-offers, by clofing with Christ, and "giving all diligence to make our calling and election fure;" for, if the proper feafon for these be loft, the work cannot be done at all. You are all careful to obferve the feasons for your fecular profits. The hufbandman his feafon for plow. ing, fowing, and reaping; the merchant his time for attending fairs and markets; the mariner his time when the wind is fair for failing. And ought not you much more to be obfervant of your fummer and harvest feafons of grace? Remember and believe it, O trifler, the time is at hand, when you will be put to cry, "O for one of thofe fummer-days again! O for one of thofe fabbaths or communion-feafons, wherein I had the offers of a crucified Chrift! O how would I prize it; but alas! a thoufand worlds, had I them to give, cannot recal one of them to me." It was a vain with of that poor woman when dying, O call time again, call time again. No, no, a fummer-day or a harveftday cannot be recalled; therefore be wife to fpend them with fear and care, while you enjoy them.

May the Lord blefs gofpel-feafons to us. Amen.

Of

On Jer viii. 21. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, &c.

THE doctrine which now falls to be handled, is,

Doct. II. That every gracious fpirit is a public fpirit, and will lay to heart the calamitous cafe of the church or country of which he is a member.

the

So did Jeremiah here, and in feveral other parts of his writings, as in Jer. ix. 1. Jer. xiii. 17. and in his book of Lamentations: Such public-fpirited perfons alfo were Mofes, Samuel, David, Ifaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Paul, and other fcripture faints.

The method of handling this doctrine may be,

I. To enquire into the nature and evidences of a truly public fpirit.

II. To fhew the reafonablenefs and neceffity of a public fpirit.

III. Make application.,

I. As to the fir, to wit, the nature of this public fpirit which is in gracious perfons, especially as it is evidenced by their holy zeal, and concern for the church under diftrefs; it doth imply feveral things:

1. A fincere love to Chrift, and concern for his glory, which prompts us to prefer the things of Chrift to our own things. If we love not Chrift the head, we cannot have a true love to his body and church, nor a concern for its welfare. It is this love that makes gracious fouls" prefer Jerufalem above their chief joy," Pfal, cxxxvii. 6.

VOL. III.

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