foul by reafon of fin, which like intercepting clouds prevents them from having this comfort: Yet let fuch folace themselves by viewing the Sun of righteousness with the eye of faith, as ftill fhining for their good in the firmament of his grace, though the eye of fenfe cannot behold him, ftill hoping and waiting for a brighter day, when their fky fhall be cleared, and they enjoy again, his gladening beams,

The naked eye cannot directly look the fun in the face, without great danger of being hurt (unless in some secondary way) his luftre is fo great, In like manner, finful man made naked by the fall, cannot look directly in the face of the Sun of righteousness, as he is one in essence with the Father and Spirit, the infinitely holy, juft, and pure, dreadful, almighty Jehovah, without great danger of eternal deftruction, unlefs in and through the Mediatorship of Christ Jefus; and fo through his human nature, behold his divine; for out of Chrift God is a confuming fire, Deut. iv. 24. Heb,

xii. 29.

The fun never takes the traveller at a disadvantage, but gives him timely warning of his going down, by his 'cooling the evening, and making the shadows long; fo that if he be benighted and lie in the fields, he has only himself to blame. In like manner, the Sun of righteousness gives warning to those who travel Zion-ward, in profeffion only, of his total withdrawment from them, by his leaving them to a coldness and carelessness about the things of God, and to delight in the fhadows, more than in the substance of religion; fo that with the rest of the reprobate they have only themselves to blame for being eternally benighted. How then ought not those who obferve fuch figns of his withdrawment, whether as individuals, or a particular church, Joshua like, to pray that this fun may stand still, and if they pray in faith, like Joshua they shall be heard, Josh. x,

12, 13.

When the fun goeth down, darkness doeth not immediately enfue; but though the light is protracted for a little, yet are there not the smallest hopes of his

rifing again that day; no, for it is ended.

In the twilight which is quickly lost, in the blackness of the night, the votaries of lewdness walk forth, as well as the beasts of the foreft, to hunt for their prey. So the Sun of righteousness may end the day of grace, and I doubt not, often doeth, before the day of a finner's life; but where there is the smallest hope of being again bleft with his beams, or the least desire after this, it is a fign the cafe is not defperate: the Sun of righteoufnefs, as to them, is not totally gone down; for the Lord is good to them that feek him, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; for he fatisfieth the longing foul-will be found of them that seek him, and accomplish the defire of them that fear him; at evening time it fhall be light, Lam. iii. 25. Pfal. xxxiii. 18. Pfal. cvii. 9. 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. Jer. xxix. 13, 14. Matth. vii. 7. Pfal. cxlv. 19. Zech.

xiv. 7.

"Thou haft ravished my heart "with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck," faith Chrift, Cant. iv. 9. But

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on the contrary, when the finner hath not the smallest hope of, nor the least desire of feeing and being bleft with his beams again, after having been once enlightened by him, and tafted of the powers of the world to come, Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6. It is a certain fign to them that their day of grace is ended. In this twilight of mercy, as it were, which is protracted to them for a time, they indulge their lufts with freedom, and the wild beafts of error and corruption walk thro' their foul without restraint, and make a prey of any good that was there remaining; till at length the finner is enveloped. in the horrible darkness of eternal night, mifery, and woe.

CONTEMPLATION V..

ON

PLOUGHING.

YONDER

ONDER ruftic fwain, fomewhat aged, driving his lufty team out to plough, calls to my remembrance Adam driven from the garden, and fent to till the ground, which was curfed for his fake; and happy had it been for his hapless pofterity had that been all; but alas! by his rebellion he and they were all laid under the eternal wrath and curfe of God, which rendered their hearts more hard and barren than that of the ground.