the third hour, Mat. xx. 3. fome at the fixth hour, and fome at the ninth hour, ver. 5. yea, fome at the eleventh hour, ver. 6. Thefe are four periods and feafons mentioned; for he gathers fome in the morning, fome in the evening, fome at mid-day, and fome at midnight; whatever be the hour, it is an happy hour; "The hour comes, when the dead fhall hear :" and, O may this be the happy hour, with refpect to fome here? More particularly,

1. The morning is the gathering season, with respect to fome; I mean, the morning of their youth, the Lord hath gathered fome very early in the morning, before break of day, before ever they faw the light of day; fer fome are gathered before they be born, fealed and fanctified from the womb, as well as foreknown from eternity; Jer. i. 5. "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou cameft forth out of the womb, I fanctified thee:" which fome have applied to regeneration, that fome are spiritually born, before ever they are naturally fo. We are fure that infants are as capable of all the effentials of regeneration, as adult perfons are. The effential part thereof, is, God's putting his Spirit within them; and infants are as capable of this as aged perfons, if not more, while natural enmity is not strengthened by actual rebellions. But this I pafs, as more rare, and what cannot be known, but by fome remarkable effects thereof. It is not fo rarely that fome are gathered in the morning of their younger years; fo was it with Jofias, who was called at eight years old, 2 Kings xxii. 1, 2. fo was it with Timothy, who knew the holy fcriptures from a child, 2 Tim. iii. 15. And, if the morning of youth be a gathering feafon unto Shiloh, let this encourage young children, that are here, to remember their Creator and Redeemer, in the days of their youth: O remember to feek him early; "I love them that love me," fays God; " and they that feek me early fhall find me." See alfo, Pfal. cx. 3. "Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power: in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning, thou hast the dew of thy youth."

2. The evening is the gathering season, with refpect to fome God gathers fome in the evening of their old age. Thus we find Abraham was gathered in his old age; he was feventy-five years old, when God first called him, Gen. xii. 4. and it is propable, that Nicodemus was an old man, before he was born again, as appears from John iii. 4.-Is there any old finner here, that hath been a tranfgreffor from the womb, and been living without Christ all your days? Oh! it is more than time you were gathered in to Shiloh. Oh! hath the devil got the morning, and the noontide of your day, and will you give him the evening too? Alas! Sirs, he hath got too much of your time already; let Christ have the reft, if he can have no more. I dare not fay, that he will not take what the devil hath left; for I have no warrant from the word, to fay, that old age cannot be God's gathering time: I am fure my text excludes neither old nor young, To him fhall the gathering of the people be; therefore let even old and dying people gather in to the new and living way, which is confecrated for us, thro' the vail of the Mediator's flesh; fure it is the best way, that you can take, before you be gathered into a grave.

3. The mid-day is God's gathering feafon, with refpect to fome; I mean, the middle time of their age: and whom God gathers, he moft ordinarily gathers about the midst of their days. Some have judged, that God's remnant are moft ordinarily gathered in, betwixt the years of fifteen and twenty-five, others, between fourteen and forty. But I dare not limit the holy One of Ifrael: only, feeing the most part here are, perhaps, fuch as are about the midft of their day, O look to God, to hallow the middle of your days, as Solomon hallowed the middle of the court, 2 Chron. vii. 7. And when God fays of the Meffias, To him fhall the gathering of the people be; let all the people fay, AMEN. Ye that are young, ye that are old, and ye that are betwixt the two, O fay, AMEN; let gathering power come.

4. The midnight is a gathering season, with respect to fome: I mean, not only a midnight time of death and approaching eternity, at which feafon God hath gather

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ed fome, as he did the thief on the crofs, though it is not his ordinary time; but alfo a midnight ftate of fecurity, when the foul is in a dead fleep; even fuch a time hath been a gathering time. I need not infift -here on Manaffeh, Mary Magdalene, and others: when did the day of grace dawn upon Saul, afterwards called Paul? even when it was the darkest hour in the night; when he was fleeping moft found in the bed of fecurity. It is true, his body was not fleeping, for he was riding furiously to Damafcus; but his foul was fo far afleep, that he was fnorting and breathing very high in his fleep, Acts ix. 1. He was breathing out threatenings and flaughter against the difciples of the Lord; behold, even at midnight there came a cry from heaven, that awakened him, and rouzed him to feek Jefus. Now, it is, perhaps, a mid-night time with fome here; they are fleeping and breathing in their fleep; breathing out enmity against God, and the people of God, and the way of God; but a midnight time may be a gathering time, as it is faid, Mat. xxv. 6. when all the virgins, wife and foolish, flept, at midnight there came a cry, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him fo, though it be midnight, with the church, and midnight with poor miferable fecure fouls; yet at midnight there is a cry in this gofpel, Behold Shiloh is come, and let the gathering of the people be to him; go forth and meet him; for, behold he comes with falvation.-There is the initial gathering.

3dly, The gathering feafons may be confidered, with relation to the progreffive gathering of believers, in whom the good work is begun, and who have either now, or at fome former time, been engaged to come to Shiloh; yet they need to be ftill coming to him, and fill gathering under his wings. Now, many are the gathering feafons, that relate to the believer's progreffive gathering, and advances in nearnefs to, and communion with the Lord. I fhall confider them, for diftinction and memory's fake, in thefe four periods; namely, of fummer, winter, fpring, and harvest.And, 1. There

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1. There are fummer-times of refreshment, that believers fometimes have immediately after the gathering harvest of converfion; and thefe fummer times are further gathering times, and contribute to their progreffive gathering. When the foul hath been long under guilt and wrath, and under the frowns and difpleasure of God, and hath long feen the gates of heaven barred against him, and the mouth of hell open to receive him; then readily the Lord comes in, and fpeaks peace to the foul, faying, " I, even I am he that blotteth out thineiniquity, for mine own name's fake.”— Hearken foul, my thoughts towards you are thoughts of peace; here is mercy, to pardon thee; merit, to juftify thee; blood, to wash thee; balm, to heal thee; bread, to nourish thee; wine, to cherish thee; raiment, to cloath thee.-Thus after Paul was awakened, and converted, and gathered, then God takes him up to the third heaven, and makes fuch manifeftations of his love and favour, beauty and glory, as he is not able to utter. Thus, after the prodigal's return, the fatted calf is killed, the best robe is put upon his back, and the ring is put upon his hand, and fhoes on his feet; fhewing us, that upon the finner's converfion, and gathering in to Shiloh, God is gracioufly pleafed to give him fome choice and fignal manifeftation of his love and favour, grace and glory; and thefe contribute to his progreffive gathering; "He manifefted forth his glory, and his difciples believed on him," John ii. 11. Hence, Pfal. cii. 16. "When he builds up Zion, he appears in his glory:" When the ftones that are already gathered, and laid upon the foundation, are to be built up a spiritual house, in a progreffive work, he discovers his glory; that beholding his glory, they may be changed from glory to glory. But the fummer-time of fpiritual profperity may be but a fhort time, as David's, Pfalm xxx. 6, 7. though it ordinarily recurs to them in fome measure, even as fummer does year by year; yet it is frequently followed with a winter. Therefore,

2. There are winter-times of adverfity, which believers have, which yet may be God's gathering times,

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for making way for their progreffive gathering to Shilch. And thus,

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(1.) A winter-time of perfonal affliction does fometimes make way, for their further gathering; "It was good for me that I was afflicted, for before I was afflicted, I went aftray; but now I have learned thy law." He had been ftraying, but now a gathering again was the fruit of his affliction, according to Hofea v. 15. their affliction they fhall feek me early:" their afflicting times fhall be a gathering time, for bringing them nearer to the Lord; hence they have been made to rejoice in the Lord, though the fig-tree fhould not blof fom; and to glory in tribulation. As the ark was lifted up nearer and nearer heaven, by the rifing of the waves; fo, by affliction, believers are railed nearer and nearer to God in Chrift.

(2.) The winter-time of fore trial hath fometimes been a gathering time to them: gathering mercy prevents them fometimes before an eminent trial, to prepare them for it. Thus it was with Elijah: "Arife and eat, for thou haft a journey before thee, and the journey is too great:---And he went in the ftrength of that meal forty days and forty nights, till he came to Horeb the mount of God," 1 Kings xix. 7, 8. Sometimes gathering mercy fupport them in the trial, and under it, faying, "Fear not, for I am with thee; I will ftrengthen thee: when thou goeft through the fire, I will be with thee, that the flames kindle not upon thee." Thus many times the Son of man is with them in the furnace, gathering them in his arms, as he was with John in the ifle of Patmos; with Ezekiel, by the river Chebar; with David, in the wildernefs of Judea; and with the three Children, in the furnace of fire. Again,

(3) The winter-time of temptation is fometimes a gathering time unto them; as, after Paul was buffeted by Satan, he heard that fweet word, "My grace fhall be fufficient for thee; for my ftrength is made perfect in weaknefs." Yea, after the fharpeft conflict he ufually gives the ftrongeft cordial, for gathering their fpirits again; " In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my foul," Pfalm xciv. 19.

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(4.) The