season; and in laboring for the meat that perisheth, instead of that which endureth to eternal life. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Or is it wise or excusable in Christians to suffer the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches to check their faith and love, destroy their peace and hope, and render them unfruitful?

3. If God makes peculiar displays of himself in the time of harvest; then it is the most trying season to the hearts of men, and shows whether they are blind or deaf, or how far they are blind or deaf. It is light that tries men's eyes, and it is sound that tries men's ears. If men cannot see in the clearest light, it shows that they are totally blind, and cannot see at all. Or if men cannot hear the plainest and loudest voice, it shows that they are entirely deaf, and cannot hear at all. It is in harvest that God exhibits himself in the clearest light, and speaks with the plainest voice. If those who have eyes cannot see him in harvest, it shows that they are totally blind, and cannot see at all. If those who have ears cannot hear his voice in harvest, they are entirely deaf, and cannot hear at all. Or, if some who have eyes can scarcely see the light of the glory of God in the time of harvest, it shows that their sight is poor; or, if they can hardly hear his voice, it shows that their hearing is bad.

Harvest-time, therefore, tries all men, whether they are saints or sinners, and whether they are growing or declining saints. Those who cannot see the glory of God, and hear his voice, are sinners, who are totally blind and deaf, or totally dead in trespasses and sins. Harvest affords them no religious joy or gratitude. They do not say in their hearts, Let us now fear and praise the Lord; but then they most sensibly say to him, "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." But growing Christians have eyes to see the glory of God displayed in the fruits of the earth, and bounties of providence, and they "are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." They hear and obey his voice, which calls upon them to "praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of Their hearts are filled with the joy of harvest. The case is sensibly different in respect to declining Christians. They see but little, hear but little, and enjoy but little of God, though he is passing before them in the most visible, and calling upon them in the most endearing manner. Their sight is poor, and their hearing is bad.

men."

How few, alas, properly employ this precious season to try their own character, and discover their own spiritual state!

The essential difference between saints and sinners lies not in their external appearance and conduct, but in their internal views and exercises. Though they appear more alike, yet they feel less alike in harvest than in any other season of the year. For while sinners are laboring for themselves, saints are laboring for God. While sinners rejoice in themselves, saints rejoice in God. While sinners regard the gifts of Providence more than the Giver, saints regard the Giver more than the gifts. While sinners feel less and less obligations to love and trust in God, the more and greater favors he bestows upon them; saints feel greater and greater obligations to love God, and confide in his goodness and faithfulness, the more and richer blessings he bestows upon them. These are widely and essentially different effects, which harvest excites in the breasts of saints and sinners; by which both may and ought to judge whether their hearts are right or wrong in the sight of God, and of course, whether they are his friends or enemies, and preparing for future blessedness, or endless misery.

4. If it be altogether criminal and inexcusable for those who have eyes and ears, understandings and consciences, to overlook and disregard the goodness of God in causing the constant and regular succession of the seasons; then sinners increase in guilt extremely fast, and to a great degree. They constantly shut their eyes, and stop their ears, lest "they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted." They know that if they do but open their eyes, they must see God; and if they do but open their ears, they must hear his voice, and receive a painful conviction of the corruption of their hearts, the criminality of their conduct, and their indispensable and immediate duty to repent and believe the gospel, and renounce the world and the things of the world, in which they place all their present hopes and happiness. They therefore resolve to pursue their present course, and risk the awful consequences. And by pursuing their present course, they disregard God every day and in everything. By overlooking his hand in every blessing they enjoy, they abuse every blessing they enjoy. The blessings which God bestows upon them from day to day, from season to season, from year to year, and for a series of years, are more than can be reckoned up, and greater than can be described. The consequence is plain and irresistible, that they increase in guilt as fast as days, and seasons, and years can roll; and to as great a degree as their circumstances and capacities can admit. They do evil things, and as many evil things as it is morally possible for them to do. God has bestowed as

many and as great favors upon them in childhood, in youth, in manhood, and in every past period of their lives, as it was morally possible for him to bestow; and they have perverted and abused them all. Have they not reason to say as other sinners have said and felt, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not?" Hence, 5. This world is exactly suited to save, or destroy the souls of men. God is constantly exhibiting himself to their eyes, to their ears, to their consciences, and to their hearts. If they only open their eyes and their ears, all the works of God, and all the dispensations of his providence in every season of the year, are directly suited to make good men grow in knowledge and grace. And they do actually produce this desirable effect. In this light, Christ represents the influence of divine cultivations upon the children of the kingdom. He says, "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth the fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." And the Psalmist says, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon-they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing." They see and enjoy God in the blessings of harvest; in the blessings of providence, and in all the blessings of the gospel. They say in their hearts, let us fear the Lord our God, under all the tokens of his favor. All the manifestations of God serve to enliven and invigorate their graces, and ripen them for the kingdom of glory. But the world is suited to produce directly opposite effects in the hearts of sinners. All the beauties of nature, all the productions of the earth, all the varieties in the seasons, and all the profusions of divine bounties, directly tend to captivate their hearts, stupify their consciences, and allure them along in the smooth and broad road to destruction. It is just such a world as they love, as they wish to enjoy, and never to leave. The more God does for them, and the louder he speaks to them, the blinder and the deafer they grow. The more winters, and summers, and harvests, he gives them, and the longer he waits upon them to be gracious, the more they cling to the world, and the more averse they are to comply with the terms of salvation. All that God does to cause Christians to grow in grace and activity, serves to make sinners grow more stupid, thoughtless, and obstinate in sin, and to ripen them faster and faster to be cut down as cumberers of the ground. It follows,

6. That it is easy for sinners to destroy themselves, notwithstanding all human means and efforts to prevent it. It is only for them to persist in shutting their eyes to all the manifestations of God before them, and to stop their ears against the voice of God and man, and they will certainly maintain their stupidity, and stupidity alone will effectually destroy them. Stupidity is continually growing easier and easier. It is easier for the old than for the young to be stupid. The longer sinners resist truth, despise reproof, and violate the dictates of reason and conscience, the easier it is to maintain their habits of sin and sinful stupidity. This is the representation of the prophet, who demands: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil?"

But though sinners maintain their stupidity, yet they cannot obstruct or retard the wheels of time. The seasons will roll on according to God's appointment, and put a speedy end to their sinful lives. There is no room to doubt that the interval between this and the next harvest, will prove fatal to some, who are in God's view ripe to be cut down, and gathered into his garner, or blown away as chaff, and burnt up with unquenchable fire.

SERMON XVIII.

CHANGES AND REVOLUTIONS, WISELY ADAPTED TO OUR PRESENT STATE.

"THE fashion of this world passeth away."-1 Cor. vii. 31.

THIS we perceive to be true, every day, and everywhere. There is not a single object with which we are connected, or with which we are acquainted, that is, for a single moment, at perfect rest. All things are in motion. The world is per

petually changing.

To illustrate the truth and reason of this, is the object of the ensuing discourse.

The world here may be taken in its utmost latitude, as comprehending the material, animal, and moral world.

1. The material world is perpetually changing. The earth, the sea, the moon and the stars, are constantly moving, and some of them with a velocity beyond conception. The motions of these material bodies, however, would be of little consequence, did not their motions change the face of nature, and produce the interesting revolutions of day and night, summer and winter, seed-time and harvest. A succession of these seasons, we find, is essential to our living, and answering the ends of living, in this world. Accordingly God has promised. an uninterrupted succession of these to the end of time.

2. The animal world is perpetually changing. The power of motion is a property of all the animal tribes. And they are generally in actual motion. Some exchange elements, and others exchange climates. They all gradually rise, come to maturity, and return to the earth, from whence they came. Particular tribes of animals, at particular places, increase, diminish, and become totally extinct. This has always been observed in newly-settled countries. We have observed and regretted, the removal and extinction of some very valuable