the swine of this world? You that hope ere long to trample upon the moon, and to be advanced above the stars themselves, is it fitting for you to lie under a clod of earth? In a In a word: you that expect ere long to be invested with all the bliss and happiness that a creature is capable of, is it a comely thing for you, in the mean while, to spend your time in running after shadows, and in playing with childish gewgaws; in raking in the dirt, or treading in the mire? Is this proper work for the heirs of heaven to be employed in? Or is this to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called?" No, surely; and therefore so long as you suffer your affections to be bent upon the things below, you act below yourselves as men, much more as Christians. The things upon earth can never satisfy your desires; for nothing can do that but what is better than yourselves; although you may have too much of them, you can never have enough of them; never so much as to satisfy your souls, and make you happy. Give me leave to mind you of the Apostle's sayings, that "covetousness is idolatry," Col. iii. 5; and that whosoever minds earthly things is a shame to the gospel, and an enemy to the cross of Christ, Phil. iii. 18-19; and then, of consequence, in setting your affections upon them, you thwart God's intentions in giving of them; who gave them not but that you should improve them for his glory. And, therefore, have a care lest your table become a snare, and your earthly wealth an occasion of your eternal ruin. Have a care lest in catching at the shadow, you lose the substance, and exchange your future happiness for present misery.-BEVERIDGE. ever But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.-There is a foolish disposition in the hearts of men to think that they shall ever continue in that state which they are once in. The proud and wicked man hath said in his heart, "I shall never be moved, I shall never be in adversity. God hath forgotten; he hideth his face; he will never see it." Psalm x. 6-11. And David was overtaken with this gross error, "I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved." This was the vain conceit of the fool in the gospel. "Thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Luke xii. 19. This hath been the language of secure and wicked men; "None evil can come upon us." Micah iii. 11. "I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart," Deut. xxix. 19. "To morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant," Isa. lvi. 12. If men would but consider how easily God can break down all their cobwebs, and sweep away their refuge of lies; how easily he can spoil them of all the provisions of their lusts, they would be more fearful of him, and less dote upon things that will not profit; they would take heed how they abuse their youth, strength, time, and abilities, as if they had a spring of them all within themselves, and consider that their good is not in their own hand; that the scythe can get as well through the green grass as the dry stubble; that utter ruin, or at least, of a heavier stroke. Any that is set against the Lord, and will not be humbled, whether by what he sees on others, or what he feels on himself, Isa. xxvi. 11, shall find he hath an overmatch to deal with, that will either bow or break him. Tremble before the Lord, and search your own hearts, and let us think, though we may not be guilty of such public scandalous evils, as others fall into, and are punished for, yet how full are we of secret malice, pride and lust, and wonder at the patience of God to ourselves, while multitudes have been swept away round about us. Think you that they who have died by "sword or pestilence" were greater sinners" than we that are behind? Oh no! "but except we repent, we shall all likewise perish." Enough of these arrows are still in God's arsenal; and though he use not these to us, yet remember death, and judgment, and eternity are before us, and they call for wise and speedy consideration and repentance.-LEIGHTON. of late I tell you, nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.-Poor hard hearted sinner! dost thou ever consider upon what terms thou standest all this while with him who calleth on thee to turn? Thou art his own, and owest him thyself and all thou hast; and may he not command his own? Thou art his absolute servant, and shouldst serve no other master. Thou standest at his mercy, and thy life is in his hand; and he is resolved to save thee upon no other terms. Thou hast many malicious spiritual enemies, that would be glad if God would : but forsake thee, and let them alone with thee, and leave thee to their will: how quickly would they deal with thee in another manner! and thou canst not be delivered from them but by turning unto God. Thou art fallen under his wrath by thy sin already and thou knowest not how long his patience will yet wait. Perhaps this is the last year, perhaps the last day. His sword is even at thy heart, while the word is in thine ear; and if thou turn not, thou art a dead and undone man. Were thine eyes but open to see where thou standest, even upon the brink of hell, and to see how many thousands are there already who did not turn, thou wouldst see that it is time to look about thee. Well, sirs, look inwards now and tell me, how are your hearts affected with these offers of the Lord? You hear what is his mind; he delighteth not in your death: he calls to you, Turn, turn: it is a fearful sign, if all this move thee not, or if it do but half move thee; and much more if it make thee more careless in thy misery, because thou hearest of the mercifulness of God. The working of the medicine will partly tell us whether there be any hope of the cure. Oh, what glad tidings would it be to those who are now in hell, if they had but such a message from God! What a joyful word would it be to hear this, Turn and live: yea, what a welcome word would it be to thyself, when thou hast felt that wrath of God but an hour! or, if after a thousand, or ten thousand years' torment, thou couldst but hear such a word from God, Turn and live. And yet wilt thou now neglect it, and suffer us to return without our errand! Behold, sinners, we are sent here as the messengers of the Lord, to set before you life and death. What say you? Which of them will you choose? Christ standeth as it were by thee, with heaven in one hand, and hell in the other, and offereth thee thy choice: which wilt thou choose? "The voice of the Lord maketh the rocks to tremble," Psal. xxix; and is it nothing, to hear him threaten thee, if thou wilt not turn? Dost thou not understand and feel this voice, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?" Why, it is the voice of love, of infinite love, of thy best and kindest friend, as thou mightest easily perceive by the motion; and yet canst thou neglect it? It is the voice of pity and compassion. The Lord seeth whither thou art going better than thou dost, which makes him call after thee, Turn, turn. He seeth what will become of thee, if thou turn not. He thinketh with himself, "Ah, this poor sinner will cast himself into endless torments, if he do not turn; I must in justice deal with him according to my righteous law;" and therefore he calleth after thee, Turn, turn, O sinner! If you did but know the thousandth part, as well as God doth, the danger that is near you, and the misery that you are running into, we should have no more need to call after you to turn.-BAXTER.. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, &c.-The great Lord is himself the planter of the vineyard; his own hand sets each tree, and the soil is fruitful; there is sap and moisture. This is to be understood of his visible church and ordinances, for the planting here is that. Christians are much compared to things living, growing, and fruitful, to the vine and fig tree; there is such high engagement to be so, Isaiah v, and real Christians are truly so. (And he sought fruit thereon.) Good reason had he so to do, having so planted it; those trees that are left wild in the barren wilderness, no fruit is to be expected on them, at least no garden fruit, such as grows in the garden of God; some natures have some kinds of fruits, and some sweeter than others, but they are but wild figs. God's delight is to "come into his garden, and there eat his pleasant fruits." Natural men may, after their fashion, be temperate, and patient, and charitable; but to believe on God, and to love him above themselves, and from such principles to do all they do, this is not to be expected. Now all that are planted in the Church of God, are, in name, such trees as should have their sap in them, that is faith and love, and bear answerable fruits: they are called "trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified;" Isaiah xli. He himself knows who are indeed such, and knows that the rest can bear no such fruit; yet in regard of outward dispensations, and their own profession, he speaks after the manner of men : "he comes and seeks fruit." Men think that they may ני live in the face of the church, and make use of his ordinances, and yet be as excusably barren of all the fruits of holiness, as if they grew upon a common heath: it is strange they should not perceive their own folly, and know that God reckons otherwise, and according to the ground he hath set them in, and manuring he bestows on them, looks for some suitable fruit. Oh, what joy and glory were it to our God, to have unobserved, obscure Christians abounding in sweet spiritual fruits, loaded with fruit, and hanging down the head, stooping the lower, still the more humble for it, referring all to himself, living to him, doing all for him. Now, for this are requisite, -first, much prayer, for though he speaks here as an ordinary master, yet it is his secret influence does all, "From me is thy fruit found," and prayer draws down that: secondly, much faith in Christ, living to him and drawing sap from him; such as do all in his strength, and are much in application and attraction, shall be found the most abundant in all choice of sweet fruits.-LEIGHTON. Lord, let it alone this year also, &c. -It is the voice of every mercy thou dost possess. If thou couldst but hear and understand them, they all cry out unto thee, Turn. Why doth the earth bear thee, but to seek and serve the Lord? Why doth it afford thee its fruit, but to serve him? Why doth the air afford thee breath but to serve him? Why do all the creatures serve thee with their labours and their lives, but that thou mightest serve the Lord of them and thee? Why doth he give thee time, and health, and strength, but to serve him? Why hast thou meat, and drink, and clothes, but for his service? Hast thou anything which thou hast not received? And if thou didst receive them, it is reasonable thou shouldst bethink thee, from whom, and to what end and use, thou didst receive them? Didst thou never cry to him for help in thy distress? and didst thou not then understand that it was thy part to turn and serve him if he would deliver thee? He hath done his part, and spared thee yet longer, and tried thee another and another year; and yet dost thou not turn? You know the parable of the unfruitful fig tree, Luke xiii. 6-9. When the Lord had said, Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? he was entreated to try it one year longer, and then, if it proved not fruitful, to cut it down. Christ himself there makes the application twice over, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," ver. 3-5. How many years hath God looked for the fruits of love and holiness from thee, and hath found none! and yet he hath spared thee. How many a time by thy wilful ignorance, and carelessness, and disobedience hast thou provoked justice to say, Cut him down, why cumbereth he the ground? and yet mercy hath prevailed, and patience hath forborne the killing blow to this day. If thou hadst the understanding of a man within thee, thou wouldst know that all this calleth thee to turn. Rom. ii. 3—6. -BAxter. HYMN. The Lord of earth and sky, The God of ages, praise, Who reigns enthron'd on high, Ancient of endless days, Who lengthens out our trial here And spares us yet another year. Barren and wither'd trees We cumber'd long the ground; No fruit of holiness On our dead souls was found: Yet doth he us in mercy spare Another and another year. When justice rais'd the sword To cut the fig-tree down, The pity of our Lord Cried "Let it still alone:" The Father mild inclines his ear, And spare us yet another year. Jesus, thy speaking blood From God obtain'd the grace, On us a longer space : Then dig about our root, To thy great praise abound; So shall we all thy blessings share And fruit unto perfection bear. $ CC. WESLEY. CHAP. XIII. 10-21. Christ healeth the crooked woman; and sheweth the powerful working of the word in the hearts of his chosen, by the parable of the grain of mustard seed, and of leaven. 10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. в : 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the |