broken." True image of my foul! through ignorance of spiritual exercife, through the rage of unruly paffions and lufts,-what hardnefs and unbrokenness remain in my heart! Not one ftep can I go ftraight forward in the paths of holinefs.-Lord, plough me fully, and let thy grace fufficiently direct me, while I live. "Here the deluging rains, fuc"ceeded by fcorching drought, and attended with "much treading down, have made the once plough“ed field, almoft as hard as ever." Alas! how many, after deep convictions, become more hardened in fin how often do men add drunkenness to thirft! -How often, by remaining corruptions, by withdrawment of divine influence, by down-treading temptations, from Satan and the world, do faints. lose much softness of heart,-much fitness to receive the word of God! "YONDER ftands a bag of feed, ready for casting " into the earth. No doubt it is choice grain; per"haps it hath been carefully fteeped, to encourage "its growth; and to preserve it from the hovering "fowl, or crawling vermine." Lord, how precious! how fitly chofen are all the words of truth! how fully steeped in Jefus' blood! Are they hot the new covenant in his blood; and in him all yea and amen, to the glory of God?-May the minifter whom I hear, may every minifter, thoroughly fteep it in earnest prayer, and ferious meditation, before he preach it. Lord, fave us from fermons, which are chiefly the product of human learning, and common ftudy. "Yonder the fower, with heedful fep and "fkilful hand, cafts abroad his feed." So let minifters; fo let every one, in his ftation, with labour and care, fpread abroad the favour of Christ's name.' So let them fow infpired inftructions, on all under their care, as to win fouls to him. So, Jefus, caft abroad abroad the influences of thy truth into our foul, and caufe thy word to dwell richly in us. "Without feed, we cannot expect increafe." And how can we expect the falvation of thofe, who grow up def titute of the knowledge of divine truth? Without this, how apt are fummer-feafons of gofpel ordi nances to be altogether in vain! how many, through want of early inftruction, live wicked and barren, and at last defcend to the darkness of Tophet !— There is no falvation in any other but Chrift; no eternal life, without the knowledge of the only true God, and Fefus Chrift whom he hath fent "Whofoever abideth not in the doctrine of Chrift, hath not God. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, which leadeth into all truth, he is none of his. God's profeffed people are deftroyed for lack of knowledge. To a people of no understanding, he will fhew no favour. All shall be damned who believe not the truth. Where no vifion is the people: perish. While men continue in heathenish ignorance, they are at that time without Chrift, being aliens to the commonwealth of Ifrael, and ftrangers from the covenants of promife, having no hope, and without God in the world." Rarely do we find any pleading for the falvation of heathens, grofs heretics, or grofsly ignorant perfons, but fuch as are practically of that number t. But, O the kindnefs of God! the kindness of parents to me! the very truths which were instil led by them into my childish mind, have to-day been made feed which fliall remain; a well of water that fhall Spring up to everlasting life. "Perhaps, this grain. "was pretty neceflary for its owner's fummer pro"vifion: but he cafts it into the earth, that it may "bring forth an abundent increafe, may produce "food to the eater, and feed to the fower for an † Acts iv, 12. John xvii. 3 2 John 9. 2 Theff. ii. xx. Prov, xxix, 18. Eph. 12. after "after feafon." Let me chiefly lay up for the future, the eternal period: be earthly cravings ever fo urgent, it is preparation for eternity that will produce the true, the abundant, the happy increafe: a bandful of this shall shake with fruit like trees: let me therefore bearken and hear for the time to come.~. A dread; a fweet eternity; how furely mine!-and if eternity belong to me, a poor penfioner on the bounty of an hour; let me not look at the things which are feen, which are temporal, but at the things which are not feen, which are eternal. "THRICE useful fields; the fupport; the ex"hauflless granary of a world!" Thrice more ufeful God! thrice more useful Jefus! thrice more ufeful new covenant! thrice more useful feripture !the exhauftlefs granary of eternal worlds.-Even the ranfomed kings are for ever ferved by this field. On what but Godhead fhall I for ever live !- Lord, if I lofe thy love, I lofe my all. "HERE the harrow follows harfi, hides the feed, "and fhuts the fcene: were not the fown field im"mediately harrowed, how would the fowls devour "or the froft deftroy the feed, and prevent the in"crease!" And if thou, Lord, do not, with thy gracious influence, hide in my heart, that feed which I receive in reading and hearing thy word; if thou enable me not, quickly to cover it by earneft prayer, and ferious thought; quickly fhall Satan and his agents rob me of it; quickly fhall my blafting corruptions rot it to my foul; and make it the "favour of death unto death.". -How often have I gone from public ordinances, without one fentence impreffed on my heart, and with scarce one retained by my memory! "What numerous ftrokes of the har"row doth this tough, hard foil require !" O what a hard, a tough, an uncommon foil is my heart ! Lord, never leave me, nor forfake me; never take thy holy Spirit away: never ceafe to ftrive with me:-And never weary, my foul, of pondering and praying over JEHOVAH's truths: thy hardness, thy ftupidity, will require ten thousand turns. "YONDER the clods are broken; the surface le"velled with the roller." By the hammer of thy word, the influence of thy Spirit, and the roller of neceffary trouble, O Jefus, bring down my pride, and foften my heart: without this, how unfightly will be my aspect! how barren my life! "HERE the feed dies under the clod, that it may fpring up to a glorious increase." In his incarnation, Jefus, the great corn of wheat, fell into the ground: on Calvary he died, that, in his refurrection, he might fpring forth, the joyful parent of innumerable faints, the root of countless and unbounded mercies. In natural death, the ranfomed die, that, at the resurrection, they may spring forth in endlefs glory. "In how thick; how beautiful a "breard, the feed here fprings up!" So let infpired truth, the feed of heaven, received into my heart, fpring forth abundantly, in holy thoughts, gracious words, and righteous works. "BUT, here the weeds overtop, and almoft cover the corny breard." Lord, how often do thick and high-fprung weeds of corruption in my heart and practice, hide, even from myself, every proper appearance of grace! how often do the numerous, and active, naughty profeffors of Christianity overtop, and bury in obfurity, thy true witneffes and fincere friends!" Here, with filthy, but useful dung, they fatten the land." O to count all things but “ lofs lofs and dung to win Chrift!-My filthy dung of finful corruption, is only evil, tends only to hurt and ruin: but bleed for ever be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that, in his infinite wifdom and knowledge, he hath made it the occafion, not the cause, of a most astonishing increase of glory to God himself, honour to his Son, and happiness to me; and that he makes it the frequent mean of driving me to the all-cleanfing fountain of Jefus' blood and grace; and of humbling me in the duft before him. "WITHOUT the warmth of the fun, and moisture "of the clouds, the care of the husbandman could produce nothing." Without the concurrence of Jesus' blood and Spirit, no human labours could convert a foul, produce a good work, or procure a grain of felicity. Nay, he must do all, and we nothing; but ftand still, and fee bis falvation. "How fweetly, "in this vernal rain, the clouds confign their trea "fures to the field! God's paths drop down fatnefs. Ye fons of men, mufe, praife; and look forth lively gratitude: In lovely fpring, and her foft fcenes, I fee my fmiling God; I feel a prefent Deity, and tafte his joy, to fee a happy world. Sweet vernal fields! Thrice fweeter facred word! How JEHOVAH pours his ftores of love, his melted heart, into thy darling page, that meffenger of grace,-where rapture flows on rapture; every line with rifing wonders filled! how from its rainy pools, my foul enraptured, drank the fpirit of eternal joy;-of that unutterable happinefs which LOVE alone beftows upon her favoured few!How foars my mind beyond the blooming) earth! On fwollen thought, my heart flies to the bofom of her diftant, her ETERNAL FAIR; my Lord and my God. "NOTWITHSTANDING the winter-ftorms, is not C 2 "this |