the flefhly appetite. If ever we expect to win the port of glory, we must be as diligent and careful as feamen are, to take every gale, that blows directly or obliquely to fet them forward in their voyage. The note from hence is this;

Doct. That the wisdom of a Chriftian is eminently discovered in faving and improving all opportunities in this world, for that world which is to come.

God hangs the great things of eternity upon the fmall wires of times and feafons in this world: that may be done, or neglected in a day, which may be the ground-work of joy or forrow to all eternity. There is a nick of opportunity which gives both fuccefs and facility to the great and weighty affairs of the foul as well as body; to come before it, is to feek the bird before it be hatched; and to come after it, is to feek it when it is fled. There is a twofold feafon, or opportunity of falvation. 1. One was Chrift's feason for the purchase of it. 2. The other is ours for the application of it.

1. Chrift had a feafon affigned him for the impetration and purchase of our falvation; fo you hear his Father bespeaking him, Ifa. xlix. 8. "Thus faith the Lord, in an acceptable time "have I heard thee, and in the day of falvation have I helped "thee," ", in tempore opportuno voluntatis, vel placito. It was the wisdom of the Lord Jefus Chrift to fet in with the Father's time, to comply with his season: and it became a day of falvation, because it was the acceptable time which Christ took for it.

2. Men have their feafons and opportunities for the application of Christ, and his benefits, to their own fouls: 2 Cor. vi. 1, 2. "We then as workers together with God, beseech you "alfo, that you receive not the grace of God in vain; for he "faith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of "falvation have I fuccoured thee. Behold, now is the accepted "time, now is the day of falvation." He exhorts the Corinthi ans not to dally or trifle any longer in the great concerns of their falvation; for now, faith he, is your day. Chrift had his day to purchase it, and he procured a day also for you to apply it, and this is that day: you enjoy it, you live under it: that gol den day is now running: O! fee that you frustrate not the defign thereof, by receiving the gospel-grace in vain.

Now two things concur to make a fit season of falvation to the fouls of men.

1. The external means and inftruments.

2. The agency of the Spirit internally by, or with thofe external means.

1. Men have a feafon of falvation, when God fends the means and inftruments of falvation among them. When the gospel is powerfully preached among a people, there'is a door opened to them; 2 Cor. ii. 12. "When I came to Troas to preach the "gospel, a door was opened to me of the Lord." God as it were unlocks the door of heaven by the preaching of the gospel : Souls have then an opportunity to ftep in and be faved.

2. But yet it is not a wide and effectual door (as the apostle phrases it, 1 Cor. xvi. 9.) till the Spirit of God joins with, and works upon the heart by those external means and inftruments; as the waters of the pool of Bethesda had no inherent fanative virtue in themselves, until the angel of the Lord defcended and troubled them; but both together make a blessed featon for the fouls of men. Then he stands at the door, and knocks, by convictions and perfuafions, Rev. iii. 20. ftrives with men, as he did with the old world by the miniftry of Noah, Gen. vi. 3. Now the door of opportunity is indeed opened; but this will not al ways laft; there is a time when the Spirit ceases to strive, and when the door is fhut, Luke xiii. 25.

There is a feason, when by the fresh impreffion of fome ordinance or providence of God, mens hearts are awakened, and their affections ftirred. It is now with the fouls of men as it is with fruit trees in the fpring, when they put forth bloffoms; if they knit and fet, fruit follows, if they be nipt and blasted, no fruit can be expected. For all convictions and motions of the affections are to grace, much the fame thing as bloffoms are to fruit, which are but the rudiments thereof, fructus imperfectus et ordinabilis, fomewhat in order to it; and look as that is a critical and hazardous season to trees, fo is this to fouls. I do not fay it is in the power of any foul to make the work of the Spirit effectual and abiding, by adding his endeavours to the Spirit's motions; for then converfion would not be the free and arbitrary act of the Spirit, as in Job iii. 8. neither would fouls be born of God, but of the will of man, contrary to John i. 13. And yet it is not to be thought or faid, that mens endeavours and strivings are altogether vain, needlefs, and infignificant; because, though they cannot make God's grace effectual, his grace can make them effectual; they are our duty, and God can blefs them to our great advantage. Now there are, among others, five remarkable effays, efforts, or frivings of a foul under the impreffion and hand of the Spirit, that greatly tend to the fixing, fettling, and fecuring of that great work on the foul; and it is feldom known any foul mifcarries in whom thefe things are found.

1. Deep, ferious, and fixed confideration, which lets conviction deep into the foul, and fettles it, and roots it faft in the heart, Pfal. cxix. 59. "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet <<< unto thy testimonies." There are close and anxious debates in those fouls in whom convictions profper to full converfion : they fit alone, and think close to their great and eternal concerns : they carry their thoughts back to the evils of their life paft, then fmite on the thigh, and cry, What have I done? They run their thoughts forward into eternity, and that to a great depth, and then cry, "What fhall I do to be faved?" They deliberate and weigh, in their most advised thoughts, what is to be done, and that speedily, for escaping wrath to come; thus they fix those tender, weak and hazardous motions, which die away in multitudes of fouls; and, in the lofs of them, the feafons of falvation are alfo loft.

2. The first stirrings and motions of the Spirit, upon mens hearts, do then become a feafon of falvation to them, when they are accompanied with fpiritual, fervent, and frequent prayer : so it was with Paul, Acts ix. 11. "Behold he prayeth." It is a good fign when fouls get alone, and effect privacy and retirement, to pour out their fears, forrows, and requests unto God. It is in the efpoufals of a foul to Christ, as it is in other marriages; a third perfon may make the motion, and bring the parties together, but they only betwixt themfelves muft conclude and agree the matter. Prayer is the first breath which the new creature draws in, and the last (ordinarily) it breaths out in this world. This nourishes and maturates thofe weak, tender, and firft motions after God, and brings them to fome confiftence and fixedness in the foul.

3. Then do thofe motions of the Spirit on mens hearts make a feafon of falvation to them, when they remain and fettle in the heart, and are in them per modum quietis, by way of rest and abode, following the man from place to place, from day to day; fo that whatever unpleafing diverfions the neceffities and incumbrances of this world at any time give, yet ftill they return again upon the heart, and will not vanish, or fuffer any longer fufpenfion but in others, who lose their blessed advantage and season, it is quite contrary; James i 23, 24. "They are as one that "feeth his natural face in a glafs, and goeth away and forgetteth "what manner of man he was:" He fees fome fpot on his face, or dilorder in his band, which he purpofeth to correct; but, by one occurrence or another, he forgets what he faw in the glafs, and fo goes all the day with his fpot upon him. This was an evanid light purpofe, which came to nothing for want of á

prefent execution; juft fo it is with many in reference to their great concerns: but if the impreffion abide in its strength, if it return, and follow the foul, and will not let it be quiet, it is like then to profper, and prove the time of mercy indeed to fuch fouls.

4. An anxious follicitude, and inquifitiveness, about the means and ways of falvation, fpeaks an effectual door of falvation to be fet open to the fouls of men, Acts ii. 37. and xvi. 30. "Sirs, what must I do to be faved? Men and brethren, what "fhall we do?" q. d. we are in a miferable condition; oh you the minifters of Chrift, inftruct, counfel, and fhew us what courfe to take: Is there no balm in Gilead? no door of hope in this valley of Achor? Alas! we are not able to dwell with our own fears, terrors, and prefages of wrath to come. Oh for a meffenger, one among a thoufand, to teach us the way of fai vation. Thus the Lord rivets and fixes thofe motions in fome Tous, that vanifh like a morning mift, or dew.

5. Laftly, That which fecures and completes this work, is the execution of thofe purposes and convictions, by falling, without delay, to the work of faith and repentance in good earneft, dallying no more with fo great a concern, standing no longer at fball I? fball I? when mean while time flies away, and opportunities may be loft: but bring their thoughts and debates to peremptory refolution, as the Lepers at Samaria did; and feeing themselves fhut up to one only door of hope, there they refolve to take their ftation, lying at the feet of Jefus Christ, and cafting their poor burdened fouls upon him, whatever be the iffue. When the Spirit of God ripens the first motions to this, and carries them through that critical season thus far, there is an effectual door of opportunity opened indeed; this is an acceptable time, a day of falvation: but oh! how many thousands mifcarry in this feason, and like trees removed from one foil to another, die in the removal!

But certainly, it is the moft folemn and important concern of every foul to watch upon all these feafons of falvation, when God comes nigh to them by convictions and motions of his Spirit; and to put the fame value upon thefe things that they do upon their fouls, and the falvation of them. This is the door of hope fet open, a fresh gale to carry you home to your port of glory. Salvation is now come nigh to your souls ; there is but a little betwixt you and bleffedness. Wife and happy is that foul which knows and improves its feafon. To perfuade and prefs men to difcern and improve fuch feafons as thefe, is the principal work of the preachers of the gospel,

and that fpecial work to which I now addrefs myself, in the following motives and arguments.

Arg. 1. And first, who, that hath the free exercise of rea fon, and the fenfe of a future eternal eftate, would carelessly neglect any seafon of falvation, whilft he feeth all the rational world fo carefully attending, and watching all opportunities to promote, and fecure their lower concerns, and defigns for the prefent life?

Is not the faving a man's foul as weighty a concern, as the getting of an eftate? You cannot but obferve how careful merchants are, to nick the opportunity which promiseth them a good turn; how do poor feamen look out for a wind, to waft them to their port, and induftriously shift their fails, to improve every flaw that may fet them on their voyage; how many miles tradesmen will travel to be in feafon at a fair, to put off, or purchafe goods, to their advantage: No entertain ments, recreations, or importunities of friends, can prevail with any of thefe, to lofe a day, on which their bufinefs depends; all things must give way to their bufinefs; they all understand their feafons, and will not be diverted. But, alas! what childish toys are all thefe, compared with their falvation! what is the lofs of a little money, to the lofs of a man's foul ? If a man's life depended upon his being at fuch a place, by fuch a precife hour, fure he would not over-fleep his time that morning; and had he but the leaft fear of coming too late, every stroke of the clock would strike to his heart; and yet remiffaefs, and careleffnefs, in fuch a cafe as this, is infi nitely more excufable, than in the matter of falvation. Certainly the follicitude, and care of all the world for the interests thereof, yea, your own diligence, and circumfpection in temporal things, will be an uncontroulable, and confounding felfconviction to you in the day of your account, and leave you without plea, or apology, for your fupine neglects of the feafons of falvation.

Arg. 2. The confideration of the uncertainty, and flippery mature of thefe fpiritual feafons, muft awaken in us all care, and diligence to fecure, and improve them: This nick of op portunity is tempus labile, a flippery feafon; it is but short in itfelf, and very uncertain: "To day, whilft it is faid to day *(faith the apostle) if ye will hear his voice," Heb. iii. i 5. q. d. You have now a fhort, uncertain, but most precious, and valuable feafon for your fouls, lay hold on it, whilft it is called to-day; for, if this feafon be let flip, the time to come is called VOL. III.