in many places, needs no great travail of mind or eminency of understanding to determine.

2. It is declared in the proposition laid down, that such a day, such a season, is diligently to be attended unto and improved. And the reasons or grounds hereof are,

(1.) Because God expects it. He expects that our applications unto him in a way of obedience should answer his unto us in a way of care and tenderness, that when he is earnest in his dealings with us, we should be diligent in our observance of him. Every circumstance that he adds unto his ordinary dispensations is to have its weight with us; and in such a day they are many. See Isa. v. 1, etc.: "My well-beloved hath a vineyard," "in an horn of a son of oil" ("planted in a fat and fruitful soil;" that is, furnished with all possible means to render it fruitful): "and he fenced it" (protected it by his providence from the incursion of enemies), "and gathered out the stones thereof" (removed out of it whatever was noxious and hurtful,-it may be the gods of wood and stone in an especial manner out of the land); "and planted it with the choicest vine" (in its order, ordinances, and institutions of worship), "and built a tower in the midst of it" (that is, for its defence; namely, the strong city of Jerusalem, in the midst of the land, which was built "as a city that is compact together," all as one great tower, "whither the tribes went up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel," Ps. cxxii. 3, 4), " and also made a wine-press therein" (the temple and altar, continually running with the blood of sacrifices): "and he looked that it should bring forth grapes." His expectations answer his care and dispensations towards his church. That is the meaning of the word 'P1,-he "looked," he "expected." Expectation properly is of a thing future and uncertain, so is nothing unto God; being therefore ascribed unto him, it only signifies what is just and equal, and what in such cases ought to be: such a vineyard ought to bring forth grapes answerable to all the acts of God's care and grace towards it; and we may see in that place what is the end of frustrating such an expectation. Such are the dealings of God with churches and persons in the day we have described, and an expectation of such fruit is it accompanied withal.

(2.) Such a day is the season that is allotted unto us for especial work, for especial duty. Some singular work is the end and design of such a singular season. So the apostle informs us, 2 Pet. iii. 11: "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" The supposition in the words, concerning the dissolution of all these things, is an intimation of such a day as we have described from one circumstance of it, namely, the impendent judg

ments of God then threatened to the church and state of the Jews, which was now expiring. And the inference that he makes from that supposition is unto a peculiar holiness and godliness. That this at such a time is intended, is a thing so evident, that he refers it to the judgment of them to whom he wrote. "What manner of persons ought ye to be?"-Judge in yourselves, and act accordingly.' Great light, great holiness, great reformation, in hearts, houses, churches, are expected and required in such a day. All the advantages of this season are to have their use and improvement, or we lose the end of it. Every thing that concurs to the constitution of such a day hath advantages in it to promote special work in us; and if we answer them not our time for it is irrecoverably lost; which will be bitterness in the end.

(3.) Every such day is a day of great trials. The Lord Christ comes in it with his fan in his hand, to sift and try the corn; to what end is declared, Matt. iii. 12: "His fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." The "fan" of Christ is his word, in and by the preaching whereof he separates the precious from the vile, the "wheat" from the "chaff." He comes into his "floor," the church, where there is a mixture of corn and chaff; he sifts and winnows them by his word and Spirit, so discarding and casting off light, empty, and fruitless professors. Such a day is described by Daniel, chap. xii. 10: "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." "Many," that is, of the saints, "shall be purified,"

an, "purged" (made clean from such spots, stains, or defilements, as in their affections or conversation they had contracted); "and made white,"an, (shall be whitened in their profession,-it shall be rendered more eminent, conspicuous, and glorious); "and tried," (as in a furnace, that it may appear what metal they are of). Thus shall it be with believers, so shall they be exercised in their spirits, and so approved; but wicked and false professors shall be discovered, and so far hardened that they shall go on and grow high in their wickedness, unto their utter destruction. So it fell out on the day of his coming in the flesh, and so it was foretold, Mal. iii. 1–3. The whole people jointly desired his coming, but when he came few of them could abide it or stand before it. He came to try them and purify them; whereon many of them, being found mere dross, were cast off and rejected. Christ in such a day tries all sorts of persons, whereby some are approved, and some have an end put to their profession, their hypocrisy being discovered. And it therefore concerns us heedfully to regard such a season; for,(4.) Unto whom such a day is lost, they also themselves are

lost. It is God's last dealing with them. If this be neglected, if this be despised, he hath done with them. He says unto them in it, "This is the acceptable time, this is the day of salvation." If this day pass over, night will come wherein men cannot work. So speaks our Saviour concerning Jerusalem, which then enjoyed that day, and was utterly losing it: Luke xix. 41, 42, "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." Both the things, and words, and manner of expression declare the greatness of the matter in hand. So doth the action of our Saviour, -" he wept;" which is but once more recorded of him in the gospel, John xi. 35. And the word here used, exλavos, denotes a weeping with lamentation. The consideration of what he was speaking unto moved his holy, tender, merciful heart unto the deepest commiseration. He did it also for our example and imitation, that we might know how deplorable and miserable a thing it is for a people, a city, a person, to withstand or lose their day of grace. And the words here used also are of the like importance: "If thou hadst known, even thou." The reduplication is very emphatical, "Thou, even thou, -thou ancient city, thou city of David, thou seat of the temple and all the worship of God, thou ancient habitation of the church;' "if thou hadst known." And there is a wish or a desire included in the supposition, which otherwise is elliptical, "If thou hadst known,"

"

O that thou hadst known!' E is sometimes well rendered by "utinam." And again it is added, "At least in this thy day." They had enjoyed many lesser days of grace, and many before in the messages and dealings of the prophets, as our Saviour minds them in that great parable, Matt. xxi. 33-36. These they despised, persecuted, and rejected, and so lost the season of their preaching; but they were lesser days, and not decretory of their state and condition. Another day they were to have, which he calls "This their day;" the day so long foretold, and determined by Daniel the prophet, wherein the Son of God was to come, who was now come amongst them. And what did he treat with them about? "The things which belonged unto their peace," of repentance and reconciliation unto God, the things which might have given them peace with God, and continued their peace in the world; but they refused these things, neglected their day, and suffered it to pass over them unimproved. What was the issue thereof? God would deal no more with them, the things of their peace shall now be hid from them, and themselves be left unto destruction. For when such a dispensation is lost, when the evening of such a day is come, and the work of it not accomplished,

[1.] It may be God will bring a wasting destruction upon the per

sons, church, or people that have despised it. So he dealt with Jerusalem, as it was foretold by our Saviour in the place before insisted on, Luke xix. 43, 44: The things of thy peace are now over and hid from thee.' What then will follow or ensue? Why, "The days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation; "- Because thou hast not discerned thy day, nor regarded it, hast not answered the mind of God in it, all this shall speedily befall thee,'-as it did accordingly. The same hath been the issue of many famous Christian churches. The very places where they were planted are utterly consumed. Temporal judgments are ofttimes the issue of despised spiritual mercies. This is the language of those providential warnings by signs and prodigies, which ofttimes such a season is accompanied withal. They all proclaim the impendent wrath of God upon the neglect of his gracious call. And with examples hereof are all records, sacred and ecclesiastical, filled.

[2.] God may, and sometimes doth, leave such a people, church, or persons, as have withstood his dealings in a day of grace, in and unto their outward station in the world, and yet hide the things of their peace utterly from them, by a removal of the means of grace. He can leave unto men their kingdoms in this world, and yet take away the kingdom of heaven, and give that unto others. They may dwell still in their houses, but be in the dark, their candlestick and the light of it being consumed. And this hath been the most common issue of such dispensations, which the world groans under at this day. It is that which God threateneth, 2 Thess. ii. 11, 12. Because men would not receive the truth in the love thereof,-that is, because they would not improve the day of the gospel which they enjoyed,—“God sent them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." And how came it to pass? By removing the sound and sincere preaching of the word, he gave advantage to seducers and false teachers to impose their superstition, idolatry, and heresies upon their credulity. So God punished the neglect and disobedience of the churches of Europe under the papal apostasy. And let us take heed lest this vial of wrath be not yet wholly emptied; or,

[3.] God may leave unto such persons the outward dispensation of the means of grace, and yet withhold that efficacy of his Spirit which alone can render them useful to the souls of men. Hence the word comes to have a quite contrary effect unto what it hath under the influences of God's especial grace. God in it then speaks unto a people as is expressed Isa. vi. 9, 10: "Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the

heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed." "I have now done with them,' saith God; 'I have no design or purpose any more to deal with them about their conversion and healing. And therefore, although I will have the preaching of the word as yet continued unto them, yet it shall have no effect upon them, but, through their own unbelief, to blind them and harden them to their destruction. And for these reasons, amongst others, ought such a day as we have described carefully to be attended unto.

This duty being of so great importance, it may be justly inquired, How may a man, how may a church know that it is such day, such a season of the gospel with them, so as to be suitably stirred up unto the performance of their duty? I answer, They may do so two ways:

1. From the outward signs of it, as the day is known by the light and heat of the sun, which is the cause thereof. What concurs to such a day was before declared. And in all those things there are signs whereby it may be known. Neglect and ignorance hereof were charged by our Saviour on the Jews, and that fre quently; so Matt. xvi. 3: "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" How they discerned "the face of the sky" he shows in verses 2, 3; namely, they judged by usual known prognostics what the weather would be in the evening or morning, that so they might accordingly apply themselves unto their occasions. But,' saith he, 'as God hath planted such signs in things natural, hath so ordered them that one should be a sign and discovery of another, so he hath appointed signs of this day of grace, of the coming of the Messiah, whereby it also may be known. But these,' saith he, 'ye cannot discern.' Où dúvacle, "Ye cannot." But withal he lets them know why they could not. That was because they were hypocrites, and either grossly neglected or despised the means and advantages they had to that purpose. The signs we have before mentioned are such, as being brought at any time to the rule of the word, they will reveal the season that they belong unto. And herein consisted the wisdom of those children of Issachar, who had "understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do," 1 Chron. xii. 32.

2. Such a day or season will manifest itself by its efficacy. When God applies such a concurrence of means, he will make men one way or other sensible of his design and end. The word in such a day will either refine and reform men, or provoke and enrage them. Thus when the witnesses preach,-which is a signal season of light and truth, they " torment them that dwell on the earth," Rev. xi. 10. If they are not healed, they will be tormented. So it was at the first preaching of the gospel,-some were converted, and