I fhall difcourfe this point in the following method: I. Mention fome of these likely feasons, which should be carefully improved.

II. Who may be faid to have loft their fummer days. III. Enquire into the causes of men's lofing these hopeful feafons.

IV. Shew the great evil and danger of lofing them; if the time allow.

V. Make application.

I. As to the first, I shall inftance fome of the fummer days or hopeful feasons which we fhould carefully improve for faving of our fouls, and not fuffer them to be loft. Such as,

1. The fummer days of youth. O that is a hopeful feafon, when the heart is most tender and tractable, and easiest melted into tears for fin, and kindled into a flame of love to Chrift who died for our fins. God loves the first ripe fruits, young tears and prayers, young faith and love, and hence he makes the time of youth the ufual feafon of converting and efpouling finners to himfelf. O young folks, fuffer not thefe fummer days to pass away in vain; but begin in this feafon to be religious, and to remember God and eternity, Eccl. xii. 1.

2. It is a promifing feafon, when perfons enjoy lively means and ordinances, whereby Christ crucified is evidently fet forth before their eyes, as the only remedy for their perifhing fouls, and they earnestly called and preffed to come and clofe with him as fuch. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of falvation." O let not this fummer day of grace go over without clofing with Chrift in the offers of the gofpel.

3. It is a likely feason, when there is a noife and fhaking among the dry bones, by the motions and ftrivings of the Spirit in and with the word, as when the Spirit brings the word clofe home to the foul's cafe, finding and fingling it out, as Nathan did David, faying, "Thou art the man ;" thou art the child of wrath, the enemy of God, the unregenerate finner, against whom the fword of justice and curses of the law are leVOL. III. velled.

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velled. Or when the Spirit fo faftens the arrows of conviction on the confcience, as to bring the man to a reftlefs thoughtfulness about the guilt of his fins, and his eternal state, and to cry, "What fhall I do to be faved ?" And to make him diffatisfied with all his earthly comforts, and fay, "All thefe avail me nothing," while I go Chriftlefs. O this is a harveft-day of falvation, every minute of it is precious, and should be carefully improved for the foul.

4. The time of fatan's reftraint is a feafon not to be loft. Sometimes the devil is fo bound up, that he cannot difturb the church by bloody perfecutions, or by errors and fchifms, as at other times; that is a fair fummer-day of grace, which fhould be well improved. Though we cannot fay that fatan at this time is altogether bound up; nay, he is wofully let loose in respect of error and divifion: but, bleffed be God, he is reftrained with respect to perfecution; fo that, my brethren, he cannot presently drive your teachers into corners, nor put you to feek your fpiritual bread with the peril of your lives, because of the fword, in the wildernefs, as fometimes hath been the cafe in our land. then, do not fin away this calm fummer-day, but, with earneft attention and care, hearken to the sweet voice of the turtle, which is still to be heard through all corners of the land.

5. The time when God is vifiting a land with wakening and alarming difpenfations of providence, is a feason to be carefully improved for faving of the foul. When God doth premonifh us that either a ftorm is coming on the church and land in general, or that death approaches us in particular, we fhould take warning, like Noah, while the evils are at a distance, "be mov ed with fear, and provide an ark for the faving of our fouls," before the flood of wrath come upon us. Nay, my friends, you have God to blefs, that the ark is already prepared to your hand, and a window opened in the fide of it for your entrance. May you be fo wife as to take warning in time, get faith's wings, and flee into the ark Chrift, before the flood arife, and before death come. You have had a long harvest-day of grace

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in the land, and now have fhrewd tokens of night approaching: You may look for the night of death, or the winter of defolation, ftrokes, perfecution, and darknefs. Wherefore, as Chrift faith, "Work, while it is day yet a little while is the light with you, walk while you have the light, left darknefs come upon you. night cometh (faith he) when no man can work." Surely it draws towards even-tide, and the night of death: Yea, a fearful night both of fpiritual and temporal judgments feems to be drawing on; and fhould not the remaining light or day be well employed ? There are feveral figns of an approaching night.

1. When the force and heat of the fun do abate, it draws towards night; fo when the gofpel-fun, or preach, ing of the word, hath little heat or effect upon inners cold hearts, it betokens night coming on. 2. When the fhadows of the evening are ftretched out and grow long, it is a fign of approaching night. And, O how long are the shadows ftretched out beyond the fubftance! How much doth the profeffion of religion exceed the power of it at this day? 3. When the labourers go home from their work, it is a fign the night comes on. Ah! how many of our choice and faithful labourers do we fee going home, without others to fill their room? 4. When the evening wolves and beasts of prey creep out of their holes, it is a token of night. And furely there have been evening wolves feen a mong us, who have intruded upon the vineyard, fpoiled the vines, and miferably fcattered the flock of Chrift. 5. Growing darknefs is a forerunner of the night. Ah! how much doth darkness prevail among us at this time, yea, fo much, that feveral of the fharpeft-fighted are reeling and mistaking their way, not being able to difcern between fin and duty in divers cafes. Alas! many are wandering and lofing their way. Surely then it is our wifdom and duty to improve the light that remains, in feeking converting grace to ourfelves, and an affured interest in precious Chrift, before the darkness of the night overtake us: and alfo to pray for pity to the land, that " at evening it may be light. In the last place, Notwithstanding of thefe difmal

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tokens, it makes the feason somewhat promifing, that we hear of Chrift's goings as a conqueror in other parts of the world, and many bowing down at his feet. "Now if the King of Zion, be rifing up to make his circuit through his churches, to difplay his glorious power and grace among them; may it not raife our hopes, and encourage us to look out for his marching towards us, to make good that word, Zech. xiv. 7. "It fhall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light :" that is, when it was not expected. And, oh! what a pleasant furprize would this appearance be to all the lovers of Zion !

II. The fecond bead is to enquire who may be faid to have loft their fummer-days, or their likely feasons of grace. Though we cannot be peremptory about any, while life remains, yet of fome there may be fad grounds of fear, that the text is too applicable to them, "Their harvest is past, their fummer is ended, and they are not faved;" fuch as, I. Those who have had the Spirit long striving with them, and they have refifted all his motions and operations, fo that he is quite withdrawn from them. The case of such is very hopeless, according to Ezek. xxiv. 13. 2. Those who perfift in finful courses, and harden their necks against all challenges and reproofs for the fame, we fee what is faid of them, Prov. xxix. I. 3. Those who come the length to fin prefumptuously; that is, venture upon fin against light, in hopes of repentance and pardon, their cafe is dismal, according to Num. xv. 30. 4. Those who provoke God, by their bentnefs on fin, to cease to be a reprover to them, to ftrike both confcience and minifters dumb, that they may challenge them no more, Ezek. iii. 27. Hof. iv. 17 5 Thofe who deliberately relapfe into fin, after rods, convictions, refolutions, and vows, Ifa. i. 5: 6. Those who give themselves up to commit fin with greediness, and glory in it, Eph. iv. 19. Phil. iii. 19. 7 Thofe who defpife all gofpel-offers, and mock the meffengers who bring them, 2 Chron. xxxvi 16. Alas! fuch have reafon to fear " their harvest is past," &c. Their cafe is very hopeless, though none can fay it is paft the reach of fovereign grace.

III. The

III. The third head is, to enquire into the causes of mens lofing their hopeful feafons. 1. It proceeds from their unbelief and doubting of the certainty of gospeltruths This keeps many hovering fo long between heaven and hell, death and life, Christ and the world, and their fummer and harveft-days are gone before they come to a refolution. Did men believe the certainty of wrath to come, and that they are born heirs of that wrath, they would think no motion fwift enough in fleeing to Chrift, and closing with him in order to efcape it.

2. Many trifle away their fummer-days and feafons of action, because they look on death and eternity at many years diftance, and that they will have time enough, before thefe expire, to mind falvation-work. By this delufion, fatan cheats many out of their most hopeful feafons. Did men, look on death as within a step of them, and having no more but a fingie thread to cut, fo that within a few days they fhall either be finging with the faints in heaven, or roaring with the damned in hell, they would not let their fummer-days pafs fo idly.

3. Promifing fummer days are loft through indulg ing of floth. Many, before they will be at some pains now in prayer and fecret duties, will venture upon endlefs pains in hell hereafter. Oh! prodigious folly! What pains was Chrift at to fave you, and will you be at none to fave yourselves? Hath not God an eternity of reft and pleasure to recompence your fmall toil and pains in improving your fummer-days?

4. Love of fenfual delights and carnal company proves a fnare to many. They are hereby drawn into idlenefs, games, paftimes, tippling, foolish talking, and jefting, and other finful pleasures; whereby their fummer-days are trifled away and mil-fpent. Even those diverfions which are judged the most innocent, ought to be used with fear and caution, left they steal away our heart and thoughts from our chief concerns; which, if they do, they are not innocent but hurtful. O they are fad diverfions that would divert us from Chrift and heaven. It is unbecoming a Christian that looks for eternal delights in another world, and pleasures

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