me away; never expofe me to danger on that account. May I, like the hungry birds early feek after, God. "How brightly doth this morning-fun ascend, "while a thousand fons of diforder and floth drink "in their midnight fleep!" How thefe day-dreamers contemn this common, this free, ineftimable gift of Heaven! Yefternight candles gave them light; now they refuse God's bright lamp of day. Doth not this exchanging of day with night, cross the natural hints of the divine will? Doth it not hurt our bodies ? Is it not to lose the pleasant views, and the fresh gales of the rifing morning ?-to fqander away the most proper period of thought ?-Think, my foul, of Jefus the Sun of righteoufness: in death he fet all in red: in his resurrection morning he rofe, rofe with ten thousand charms: thrice-fure token of an endless blifsful day in heaven. But is Jefus duly prized? No; to their inexpreffible danger, thousands rather walk in the light of the Sparks which they have kindled, than walk in his free, his glorious, and refreshful brightness: thousands wafte the precious morning of youth, and of gofpel-opportunity, in floth and guilt; and thence spend their endless night amidst the sparks of Tophet. Come not, my foul, into their fecret; mine honour, be thou not united.-My flesh, like this morning fun, fhall hereafter rife from her grave; Jefus fhall change my vile body, and make it like unto bis glorious body, according to the working, whereby be is able to fubdue all things to himself. "How plentifully the early dew lies on the ground! "how nourishing, how refreshing to the plants and "foil." How often hath my foul been restored and re. vived with the gracious influence of my Redeemer, who is as the refreshing, the frectifying dew to his people people. "Neither can I reftain, nor bring down "this falling dew." No more, Lord, can I revive my foul before thy time of love; and when it cometh neither floth, guilt, nor rebellious oppofition, can prevent thy gracious approaches to her. O be always to me as the dew that waiteth not for man! "How numerous thefe pearly drops!" But far more numerous are Jefus' favours to my foul. I am loaded with his benefits: they are new every morning; and great is his faithfulnefs. And numerous as the dew, be the comely, the early converts of his church. "How dry are these hard ftones, amidst the rank"nefs of this dew!" O how hardness, and impeni tency of heart, bereave us of divine influence, and make us as these stones, which know not when good cometh while the gofpel is a favour of life to fome, it is a favour of death to others.-Lord grant me fpiritual fap, that to him that bath, it may be given, till be have abundance. "WHAT a marvellous change, the late rains, and "warmth, have made on the face of the earth! "how quickly the vegetables have grown up these "few weeks paft!" Even fo, Lord Jefus, when thy Spirit is powered forth as waters upon the thirsty, and flood on the dry ground; when the warming influence of thy bleeding love melts our heart; how doth thy church, how doth my foul grow up, "as willows by the water courfes !" But, alas! how of ten in the fummer-season of gospel ordinances, hath all been witherednefs and drought with me?-How often do the numberless plants on thefe delightful fields, bear awful witnefs against me? have they grown fo much in a few weeks, and my grace almost nothing thefe many years? "Lo, how they point, "and rife towards heaven, from whence they re"ceive their fructifying warmth and moisture!" Blufh Blush deep, my foul; tremble with a very great trembling: behold how these millions witnefs againft thy earthly mindedness; thy apoftacy from God; thy growth towards hell. Alas! why have not I more fet my affections on things above, where Jefus is at the right hand of God, and whence I receive every good and perfect gift? What mean my fond embraces, the wanton glances, which I caft on created. comforts? If my treasure be in heaven, why is my heart fo far from it? why are so few of my thoughts there? why fhould a moth-eaten creature steal one thought away from God. "HERE, through unwarinefs, I have fallen from my horfe." Alas how often hath my foul fallen by her iniquity! how fadly hath fhe been broken, and bruised? O what a mercy, that God "raifeth the bowed down, and upholdeth them that fall!" and that my fores, my fins, occafion Jesus' labour on my foul, as the Lord my God that healeth me! I am fearce hurt." What a mercy is it, thou Preserver of man and beaft! how excellent is thy loving kindness! "How quickly am I rifen again!" So when I fall by fin, let God speedily recover me, raise me up, fet my feet upon a rock, and establish my goings; and when I fit in darkness and distress, may he be a light and comfort to me. "WHAT late improvements have been made on "these fields! But ah, how little in my heart and life, or in the corner where I have my abode ! Alas! we improve in every thing but the principal, the one thing neceffary. "What ditching and hedging "are here!" Lord Jefus, dig about me; hedge up my way with thorns, or any thing elfe, that I may not overtake my lovers, nor follow my lufts: be thou my defence and ftay, to protect me from the blafts แ blafts of divine wrath, or the wild beafts of devils, and indwelling corruption :-I am not half redeemed, if fin, the tyrant, reign. "Did I break over "these dikes or hedges, and ride upon the inclofed ground; fhould I not expose myself to a penalty?" And if I break over the mound of the divine law; or, by defpifing it, tread upon the hedge of trouble; fhall not the vengeance of God, an awakened confcience, and the old ferpent, the devil, bite me? "How furprising the effect of industry on this field! now it is fat and fertile; not long ago it was quite "barren: the adjacent ground is ftill fo." So the gracious industry of Heaven, makes his chosen more excellent than their neighbour: what but this maketh them to differ Alas, my wretched felf, how little industry have I tried upon thee! and how little effect has the diftinguished induftry of God had on thee! I am of the fame curfed foil with Judas, Ahab, or Cain and how fmall is the difference betwixt their ways and mine! nor is that which is, in the leaft owing to me, but entirely to God's fovereign grace. : "HERE the high-way is turned about to please a gentleman." But blefs the Lord, O my foul, that neither great nor finall, height nor depth, nor any other creature, can either stop, ftraiten, or change my new and living way: they fhall be changed; but he is the fame: they fhall perish; but he fhall endure; he is "the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever."-"Excellent as this new way is, it beats my horfe "feet, and will need frequent repair" But never fhall my way to the Father need repair: he hath, "by one offering, perfected them that are fanctified, and obtained eternal redemption for us:" never fhall walking in him hurt the feet, the affections of my my foul; but fhall reftore, firengthen, and comfort me. “HERE a ditch and hedge ftop me; willingly I "deferted the high-way to obtain a shorter: but I "muft go back to recover it, and fo make my way "longer than I needed." When, my foul, did I gain by deferting the high-way of God's law; the high way of redemption, through the blood of his Son; or the high-way of the lot which he appointed for me? Have not all my attempts of this nature iffued in fhame, confufion, and double trouble! Tho' the whole day of my life is too fhort for my journey to eternity; yet, ah, how much of it has been worse than vainly spent the lofs of time is most dreadful and irrecoverable, and yet least thought of. Ah, how often have I fatigued myfelf with random excurfions from my proper path! But, bleffed be the Lord, who by sharp reproofs, and thorny hedges of trouble hath, times without number, ftopt me fhort, and made me fay, "I will go and return to my first husband; for then it was better with me than now." "WHAT a rich inheritance! what a charming "habitation hath this nobleman here! how pleasant "the evirons! how fweet the profpect how whole"fome the air! how fine the water!" Envy him not, my foul; perhaps it is his ALL: if he is without Chrift, better that he begged his bread in defolate places, and embraced the rock, for want of a fhelter: for "in how much he lives deliciously, so much torent and forrow fhall be given him."-Perhaps, amidft all this abundance, yonder beggar enjoys firmer health, founder fleep, and a more peaceful breaft than he. Earthly enjoyments, like scorpions, have ftings in their tails; they fting us with care while I |