overflow the hiding-place." Flying from one mischief, while they flee not to the great rock, they shall fall into another: Amos v. 19, "As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him." It imports,

6. That Christ is a sufficient shelter, however weary a land the world be John xvi. 33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Be the storms or heats as great as they will, he is as a great rock; and from him, though the troubles may be great, yet they may expect a great salvation. They will always be safe who are under the shade of the great rock, through which neither heats nor storms can pierce: Psalm xciii. 4, "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters; "yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." It is impossible they can be greater than they have been; nay, they can never be so great as once they were, when from heaven, earth, and hell, at once they blew upon Christ. Yet he bore them, bore up under them, bore them off his people; even as the heats and rains fall on the rock, while those under its shade are kept safe.-It imports,

Lastly, That the weary world makes Christ more precious to sinners than otherwise he would be. If the traveller were not scorched with heat, or tossed with tempests, he would never look near the rock. Ease in the world, is the neck-break of many. But it is well for the church and people of God, that the world is a step-dame to them; were they better entertained in the world's house, they would more seldom knock at God's door. We now proceed,

II. To shew in what respects the world to the people of God is a weary land. It is so, because,

1. The wind blowing in the traveller's face makes any land a weary land to him; and in this world, there is a wind of ordinary trouble, that is seldom if ever down, but blowing especially in the face of the travellers to Zion; Matth. vi. 34, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Sometimes it blows away the man's ease, blasts his reputation, blows away his worldly goods, his health, his relations, &c. It blows so that he is sure of nothing he has, unless it be Christ in him, the hope of glory. And the travellers must lay their account with this. This cannot fail but make the world a weary land. But the soul may find a calm under Christ's shadow, as Hannah did, when she poured out her soul before the Lord, 1 Sam. i. 16. Praying in faith is a great ease to a heart uneasy under trouble: Matth. vii. 7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Christ is

an anchor that can keep the soul sure and steadfast amidst all the tempests of a weary world. He has an open ear to their just complaints, and a soft hand, under which the uneasy heart and head may repose themselves. It is a weary land,

2. Because sometimes there are terrible tempests of common calamity, threatening to sweep all away before them, blowing in this world, which makes it a weary land. There are no tempests in the upper region, but in the lower region, where we are, they are very frequent, whereby nations, churches, and families, are thrown into the utmost confusion. David speaks of such, Psalm lv. 8, "I would," says he, "hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest." These often make a most miserable face on the places where they blow, and make the land a weary land indeed. But even in this case, there is found peace under Christ's shadow: John xvi. 33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace; in the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." In him believers have a peace the world cannot rob them of. He has hiding-places for his people, where he will hide them, if not from trouble, yet from the evil, the sting, and hurt of it: 1 Pet. iii. 13, " And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?" He will hide them, if not under heaven, yet in heaven; and they have no reason to complain who get there, though in a fiery chariot. Our Lord holds the winds in his hand, and they can blow no more terribly than he permits them; so that in the worst of times it is good news; Isa. lii. 7, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" And these that make Christ their friend, may bid defiance to all their enemies.-The world is a weary land,

3. Because the wild beasts in it make it a weary land. The scripture calls wicked men so, especially in their opposition to, and treatment of the people of God, and the world is the place of their abode Song iv. 8, " Come with me, my spouse, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards." And therefore, while they are travelling through the wilderness, they are often put to that prayer, Psalm lxxiv. 19, 20, "O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked, forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever, have respect unto the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." No wonder the world be a weary land to the people of God; for the wild beasts are often heard roaring there; Psalm lxxiv. 4, "Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregation, they set up their ensigns

for signs;" threatening to devour, and to swallow up, and to make the name of Israel no more to be remembered; as the Egyptian beast did, Exod. xv. 9. But while these roarings make the hearts of God's people to tremble, the voice of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, terrible to his enemies, is comfortable to his friends: Psalm xciii. 4, "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." This moderated the roarings of the Assyrian in Hezekiah's days, Isa. xxxvii. 22. These beasts are often heard yelling in the world: Jer. ii. 15, “The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste." Dreadful is that yelling they make when they are got together, uttering their blasphemies, curses, and reproaches, against God, his people, and his cause in the world, as if hell was opened, which is the den of the great lion. This makes the world a weary land, and it is most heavy and distressing to the people of God: Psalm 1xxiv. 10, " O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?" But there is refreshment and shelter under Christ's shadow in this case, while the soul sees that he will close up at length the blasphemous mouths, and tring them to the city above, where they shall hear no more of any such thing. But again, these beasts are often seen tearing and devouring in the world the men that are more righteous than they: Hab. i. 13,"Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he ?" God has his times wherein he lets them loose, to make havoc of the church, and shed the blood of his saints. But under Christ's shadow there is refreshing in this case. He can break out the teeth of the great lions with a touch; and while they are at the worst, he says to his people, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul," Matth. x. 28. It was the way they treated Christ himself when in the world, but he rose upon them to their confusion; and so shall the church in like manner, and according to their measure, Psalm xxii. 12, 13.

4. Darkness causeth weariness, and a dark land will always be a weary land to the children of light. The world at best is but a dark land, in comparison with heaven: 1 Cor. xiii. 12, "For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face." But sometimes the darkness increaseth mightily. We have had a long sunshine of gospel-light, but men have loved darkness rather than light. And now God is rising up to plead with the generation; and we may say, with Jeremiah, "Woe unto us, for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out." Do ye not see the darkness come, and coming on the land more and more? There is a

dark cloud already cast over the ministers and professors of Scotland; so that they have now been like a company of travellers in a mist; some crying this, and others that is the way; while many are at a stand, not knowing what hand to turn to. Hence there are an alienation of affection, divisions, and separations, amongst those who all profess that they are travelling to the same place, but cannot agree about the way. Terrible this at all times, but now especially, when the common enemy is at our gates, which should make us cease from these feuds, as it is said the beasts did, hare, dog, sheep, cat and rat, in the inundation of the Severn. Some pride themselves in these, but they will make the world a weary land to those that are led by the Spirit of truth and peace: Judges v. 16, "Why abidest thou among the sheep-folds, to hear the bleating of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart."

What shall we do in such a case? Get in under Christ's shadow, by faith, renouncing our own understanding, passions, and prejudices, and giving up ourselves singly to his guiding, and his shadow will be as the shadow on the dial, pointing to the hour of the day Psalm xxv. 9, "The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way." In the greatest darkness of the world, there is a light, even a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto we do well that we take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in our hearts," 2 Pet. i. 19. This oracle of heaven is never struck dumb; but at any time men's corruptions may make them both blind and deaf to its warnings. But again, the bushel is preparing to put the candle under, which God has lighted to give light to his church, if mercy prevent it not; and then people that have made themselves so many silent Sabbaths, will get them made to their hands; and they that have been wearying for the day, may come to get a weary fill of it. Preachers driven into corners, closed kirk-doors, and the songs of the temple turned into howlings, will make a dark day. And now, if God do not mercifully interpose, we cannot miss it. But Christ's shadow will be refreshing in this case to those that get under it. Though the enemy should get leave to tread down the outer court, and these that worship in it, they that are farther in shall be well seen to: Rev. xi. 1, 2. Though they should burn up all the synagogues of God within the land, yet there is a little sanctuary they cannot hinder you to carry about with you: Ezek. xi. 16, "Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God, Although I have cast them afar off among the Heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries

where they shall come." And though the stars should be stamped down to the earth, and no star-light shine in the church, ye shall not want light while the Sun of righteousness continues to shine.

Finally, The bottomless pit is already opened, the smoke is arising in our land, and the locusts are coming out of the smoke upon it: Rev. ix. 1-3. The Popish party are now begun to make head, with their brethren the malignants who carry on the war with Antichrist, and to set a limb of Antichrist upon the throne: and if they succeed, what can be expected, but that the smoke of Antichristian errors, superstition, and idolatry, will overspread these nations again? So that we must resolve either to take on the Beast's mark or Christ's fire-mark, either burn or turn. It will be weary work to get through the smoke, which it is to be feared will stifle most of us, and blacken many. But get under Christ's shadow now; seek now to believe, and feel the power of truth. An empty profession will not do here; lamps without oil will go out in the smoke. But be it ever so gross, it will hurt none but the profane and hypocritical professor: Rev. ix. 4, " And it was commanded them, that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." They that have Christ's mark of true piety, shall be kept from receiving the mark of the beast. Under Christ's shadow they will be as the Israelites in Goshen; when darkness is over all the land, they shall have light in their dwellings. The world is a weary land,

5. For blood and death going through it, make it a weary land. In heaven there are none of these things, it is the pleasant land, Rev. xxi. 4. But in the world they are very frequent; which often makes the weary sons of Zion to cry, "Woe is me now, for my soul is wearied because of murderers," Jer. iv. 31. The people that delight in war is a black character in the scriptures, Psalm lxviii. 30. The confused noise of the warriors is no pleasant sound, nor are garments rolled in blood a pleasant sight. The constant disquiet and terror that attends the sword's raging in a land, is a wearisome case, as it is described, Deut. xxviii. 67, "In the morning thou shalt say, Would to God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning; for the fear of thine heart where with thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see."

The white horse of the gospel has for many years made a pleasant parade through the land. But alas! neither it, nor the crowned head, the Son of God, that sits upon it, has been much regarded; nay; both he, and his bow, which is the word, have been despised; few, very few, have given him a crown, Song iii. 11, by closing with