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pleasure have I hitherto been ignorant of! When great Darius drank the puddled water, that had been defiled with dead carcaffes, which had been flain in that famous battle, he profeffed he never drank more pleasant drink. And famous Hunniades faid, he never fared more daintily, than when (in a like exigence) he fupped upon bread, onions, and water, with a poor fhepherd in his cottage.

Juft fo do the famine of the word raife the price and efteem of vulgar and defpifed truths. Oh! what would you give for one of those sermons, one of thofe fabbaths we formerly enjoy ed! in those days the word of the Lord was precious. When God calls to the enemy to take away and remove his contemBed, but precious, dainties, from his wanton children, and a fpiritual famine hath a little pinched them, they will then learni to prize their spiritual food at a higher rate.

4. In time of famine tome perfons fuffer more than others: it falls heavieft, and pincheth hardest upon the poorer fort; as long as any thing is to be had for money, the rich will have it. So it falls out in a spiritual famine; although the most experienced and beft furnished Chriftians will have enough to do to live in the absence of ordinances, yet they are like to fubfift much better than weak, ignorant, and unexperienced ones. Some Chriflians have husbanded their time well, and, like Jofeph in the seven years plenty, laid up for a scarcity. The word of God dwells richly in them. Some fuch there are, as Johu calls young men, who are ftrong, and the word of God remaineth in them; of whom it may be faid, as Jerom ipake of Nepotianus, that by long and affiduous meditation of the fcriptures, he had made his breast the very library of Chrift, Batothers are babes in Chrift; and though God will preferve that good work which he hath begun in them, yet these poor babes will fooneft find and be molt concerned in the lofs of their fpiritual fathers and nurfes

5. In time of famine there are pitiful cries, and heart-breaking complaints where-ever you go. Oh the many pale faces you fhall then fee, and the fad language that rings in your cars in every place! One cries, Bread, bread, for Chrift's lake! one bit of bread! another faints and falls down at your door. All her people figh, Lam. i. 11. Yea, the poor little ones are brought in, ver. 12. crying to their mothers, Where is the corn and wine? and then pouring out their fouls into their mother's bofom. Juft fo it is in a famine of the word; poor Chriftians every where fighing and crying, Oh! where are our godly minifters? our tweet fabbaths, fermons, facraments? My fa

thers! my fathers! the chariots of Ifrael, and the horsemen thereof! How beautiful were your feet upon the mountains? And then, weeping, like the people at Paul's departure, to think they shall see their faces no more.

6. Lally, In time of famine there is nothing fo coftly or precious, but the people will part with it to purchase bread. "They have given their plealant things for meat to relieve. "their fouls," Lam. i. 11. And, doubtless, when a spiritual famine fhall pinch hard, those that have been close-handed to maintain a gospel-ministry, will account it a choice mercy to enjoy them again at any rate. "Though the Lord feed you "with the bread of affliction, and give you the waters of ad"verfity; yet it will sweeten that bread and water to you, if "your teachers be no more removed into corners,” Ifa. xxx

20.

REFLECTIONS.

1. Is the famine of the word such a fearThe ungrateful ful judgment? Then Lord pardon my unfoul's reflection. thankfulness, for the plentiful and long continued enjoyment of fuch a precious and invalu. able mercy. How long lightly have I esteemed the great things of the gospel! O that with eyes and hands lifted up to heaven, I might blefs the Lord, that ever I was brought forth in an age of fo much light, in a valley of vifions, in a land flowing with gofpel-mercies! "Hath not God made of one blood all the na"tions of men to dwell on the face of the earth! And determin"ed the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habi"tation?" Acts xvii. 26. Many of thefe great and populous nations are involved in gross darkness. Now, that of all the several ages of the world, and places in it, God fhould efpy the best place for me, and bring me forth in it, in fuch a happy nick of time, as can hardly be paralleled in history, for the plenty of gofpel-mercies that this age and nation hath enjoyed; that my mother did not bring me forth in the defarts of Arabia, or waftes of America, but in England, where God hath made the fun of the gospel to stand still, as the natural fun once did over Gibeon; and that fuch a mercy fhould no more affect my foul, let shame cover my face for this, and trembling feize my heart!

The deprived Chriflian's reflection.

2. Is the gospel indeed departed? Its fweet influences reftrained? and a famine, worfe than that of bread, come upon us? Alas for the day! for it is a great day, fo that none is like it; it is even the day of Jacob's trouble!

Wo is me, that ever I should furvive the gofpel, and the precious liberties and mercies of it! What horrid fins have been harboured amongst us, for which the Lord contends by fuch an unparalleled judgment? Lord, let me justify thee, even in this fevere difpenfation; the provocation of thy fons, and of thy daughters have been very great, and amongst them none greater than mine. May we not this day read our fin in our punishment? O what nice and wanton appetites, what curious and itching ears, had thy people in the days of plenty! Methods, tones and gestures, were more regarded than the excellent treasures of divine truths. Ah, my foul! I remember my fault this day; little did I then confider, that fermons work not upon hearts, as they are thus elegant, thus admirable, but as they are inftruments in the hand of God appointed to fuch an end. Even as Austin said of the conduits of water, though one be in the shape of an angel, another of a beast, yet the water refreshes as it is water, and not as it comes from fuch a conduit: by this allo, O Lord, thou rebukeft the fupinenefs and formality of thy people. How drowfie, dull, and carelefs have they been under the moft excellent and quickning means? Few more than I. Alas! I have often presented my body before the Lord in ordinances, nès Vuxn ea, but my foul hath been wandering abroad, as Chryfoftom fpeaks. I fhould have come from under every fermon, as a fheet comes from the prefs, with all the stamps and lively impreffions of the truths I have heard upon my heart. But, alas if it had been demanded of me, as once it was of Aristotle, after a long and curious oration, how he liked it? I might have answered, as he did, truly I did not hear it; for I was all the while minding another matter. Righteous art thou, O Lord, in all that is come upon us!/ 3. I am now as a spring fhut up, that can The filent miniyield no refreshment to thirty fouls, ready to perish. Thou haft faid to me, as once to fter's reflection. Ezekiel, "Son of man, behold, I will make thy tongue cleave "to the roof of thy mouth, and thou shalt be dumb." This is a very beavy judgment; but thou must be justified and cleared in it. Although men may not, yet God, if he please, may put a lighted candle under a bufhel. And herein I must acknowledge thy righteoufnefs. Many times have I been finfully filent, when both thy glory and the intereft of fouls engaged me to speak. Most justly therefore haft thou made my tongue to cleave to its roof. Little did I confider the precioufnefs of fouls, or the tremenduous account to be given for them, at the appearing of the great fhepherd. I have now time enough to

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fit down and mourn over former miscarriages, and lost opportunities. Lord reftore me once again to a ferviceable capacity, to a larger sphere of activity for thee, for I am now become as a broken veffel. It grieves me to the heart to fee thy flock fcattered; to hear thy people cry to me, as once to Jofeph, "Give us bread; for why fhould we die in thy prefence?" The word is like fire hut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing. Oh! that thou wouldst once again open the doors of thine house, that there may be bread enough in thine house for all thy children.

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The POE M.

HEN God doth make the heavens above as brafs,
The earth's like iron, flowers, herbs and grafs
Have loft their fragrant green, are turned yellow;
The brooks are dry, the pining cattle bellow;
The fat and flow'ry meadows fcorch'd and burn'd;
The country's mirth is into mourning turn'd;
The clefted earth her thirsty mouth fets ope
Unto the empty clouds, as 'twere in hope
Of fome refreshing drops, that might allay
Her fiery thirft; but they foon pafs away;
The penfive husbandman with his own eyes
Bedews his land, because he fees the fkies
Refuse to do it. Just so stands the cafe,

When God, from fouls, removes the means of grace.
God's minifters are clouds, their doctrine rain,
Which when the Lord, in judgment, fhall reftrain,
The peoples fouls in fhort time will be found
In fuch a cafe as this dry parched ground.
When this fad judgment falls on any nation,
Let faints therein take up this lamentation.
- O dreadful, dark, and difmal day!
How is our glory fied away?

Our fun gone down, our ftars o'ercast ?
God's heritage is now laid waste.
Our pining fouls no bread can get;
With wantons God has juftly met.
When we were fed unto the full,
This man was tedious, that was dull:
But they are gone, and there remain
No fuch occafions to complain.
Stars are not now for lights, but figns,
God knows of what heart-breaking times,

Sare heaven intends not peace, but wars,

In calling home ambaffadors.

How long did Sodom's judgments stay,
When righteous Lot was fnatch'd away?
How long remain'd that stately hall,
When Samplon made the pillars fall?
When horfemen and commanders fly,
Woe to the helpless infantry.
This is a fad and fatal blow,
A public lofs, and overthrow.
You that fo long have with'd them gone,
Be quiet now the thing is done :
Did they torment you e'er your day?
God hath remov'd them out o' th' way.
Now fleep in fin, and take your ease;
Their doctrine shall no more displease.
But, Lord! what fhall become of us?
Our teacher's gone, and left us thus ;
To whom shall we ourselves addrefs,
When confcience labours in distress?
Oh! who fhall help us out at Deed?
Or pour in balm when wounds do bleed?
Help, Lord! for unto thee our eyes
Do pour out tears; our groans, our cries
Shall never ceafe, 'till thou restore
The mercies which we had before

'Till Sion's paths, where grafs now grows,
Be trodden by the feet of those

That love thy name, and long t' enjoy
The mercies they have finn'd away.

CHA P. XL

Upon the Corruption of the Seed before it springs.

Seeds die and rot, and then must fresh appear;
Saints bodies rife more orient than they were.

A

OBSERVATION.

FTER the feed is committed to the earth, it seems to perish and die, as our Saviour fpeaks, John xii. 24. "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abid"eth alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit." The VOL. VI.

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