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płows, plows in hope, 1 Cor. vi. 19. And they are not: so irrational to think they fhall prefently be partakers of their hope; nor fo foolifh to anticipate the harvest, by cutting down their corn before it be fully ripened: but are content to plow, fow, and weed it; and when it is fully ripe, then they go forth into their fields, and reap it down with joy.

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APPLICATION.

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1AN a little corn cause men to digeft fo many difficult labours, and make them wait with invincible patience till the reaping time come? Much more fhould the expectation of eternal glory fteel and fortify my spirit against all intercurrent hardships and difficulties. It leaft of all becomes a Chriftian to be of an hafty and impatient fpirit." Light is fown for the righteous, and joy for the up" right in heart," Pfal. xcii. 11. " Behold the husbandman waiteth," &c. Jam. v. 7. "Be patient, therefore, my brethren, for the coming "of the Lord draws near." There are three great arguments to perfuade Chriftians to a long-fuffering and patient frame under fufferings. (1.) The example of Chrift, Ifa. liii. 7. To think how quietly he fuffered all injuries and difficulties with invincible patience, is fufficient to fhame the best of Chriftians, who are of fuch thort fpirits. I have read of one Elezarius, a nobleman, that when his wife wondered at his exceeding great patience in bearing injuries, he thus, answered her: You know fometimes my heart is ready to rife with indignation against fuch as wrong me; but I prefently begin to think of the wrongs that Chrift fuffered; and fay thus to myself; Although thy fervant should pluck thy beard, and finite thee on thy face, this were nothing to what the Lord fuffered: he suffered more and greater things; and affure yourself, wife, I never leave off thinking on the injuries done to my Saviour, till fuch time as my mind be ftill and quiet. To this purpose it was well noted by Bernard, fpeaking of Chrift's humiliation, Was Chrift the Lord of glory thus humbled and emptied of his fulness of glory? And shall fuch a worm as I fwell? (2.) 'The defert of fin, Lam. iii. 39. "Why doth the living " man complain?" It was a good faying of the bleffed Greenham; when fin lies heavy, affliction lies light. And it is a famous inftance which Dr Taylor gives us of the duke of Conde. I have read (faith he) when the duke of Conde had voluntarily entered into the incommodities of a religious poverty and retirement, he was one day spied and pitied by a Lord of Italy, who, out of tenderness wifhed him to be more careful and nutritive of his perfon. The good duke answered, Sir, be not troubled, and think not that I am ill provided of con. veniences; for I send an harbinger before me, that makes ready my lodgings, and takes care that I be royally entertained. The lord afked him who was his harbinger? He anfwered, the knowledge of

* Dr Taylor's great Examplar, p. 103.

myself, and the confideration of what I deserve for my fins, which is eternal torments; and when with this knowledge I arrive at my lodg ings, how unprovided foever I find it, methinks it is ever better than I deferve. (3.) And as the sense of fin, which merits hell, fweetens prefent difficulties, fo (to come home to the prefent fimilitude) do the expectations and hopes of a bleffed harveft and reward in heaven. This made Abraham willing to wander up and down many years as a ftranger in the world; for he looked for a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. The hopes of fuch a harvest is encouragement enough to work hard, and wait long: Yet fome Chriftians are fo impatient of it, that they would fain be reaping before the time but as God hath, by an unalterable law of nature appointed both the seasons of feed-time and harvest (which are therefore called the appointed weeks of the harveft) Jer. v. 24. and these cannot be haftened; but when we have done all that we can on our part, muft wait till God fend the former and the latter rain, and give every natural caufe its effect; fo is it in reference to our spiritual harveft; we are appointed to sweat in the use of all God's appointments; and when we have done all, must patiently wait till the divine decrees be accomplished, and the time of the promise be fully come; "In due "time we fhall reap, if we faint not." To which patient expectation and quiet waiting for the glory to come, thefe following confiderations are of excellent ufe.

1. As the hufbandman knows when the feed-time is past, it will not be long to the harvest; and the longer he waits, the nearer ftill it is: fo the Christian knows, "It is but yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry," Heb. x. 37.." And that "now his falvation is nearer than when he first believed," Rom. xiii. II. What a small point of time is our waiting-time, compared with eternity? Yet a few days more, and then comes the long expected and welcome harvest.

2. The husbandman can find other work to do before the reaping time come; he need not stand idle, though he cannot yet reap. And cannot a Christian find any work to do for God till he come to heaven? O there is much work to do, and fuch work is only proper to this feafon! You may now reprove fin, exhort to duty, fuccour the diftreffed; this is good work, and this is your only time for fuch work; the whole of eternity will be taken up in other employments. "I think it meet (faith Peter) as long as I am in this tabernacle, to "ftir up your minds, knowing fhortly that I must put off this taber"nacle," 2 Pet. i. 13, 14. q. d. I know I have but a little time to work among you; I am almost at heaven; and therefore am willing to husband this prefent moment as well as I can for you. O Chrif tians! you need not stand idle; look round about you upon the multitude of forlorn finners; speak now to them for God; fpeak now to God for them; for fhortly you fhall fo fpeak no more; you fhall fee them no more till you fee them at Chrift's bar; God leaves

you here for their fakes, up and be doing: if you had done all you were to do for yourselves and them, he would have you to heaven immediately; you should not wait a moment longer for your glory.

3. Husbandmen know, though they cannot yet gather in the precious fruits of the earth, yet all this while they are ripening and preparing for the harvest! they would not houfe it green, or take it before its time. And is not this alfo my preparation-time for glory? As God prepared heaven for his people by an eternal decree; Mat. xxv. 34. by an act of creation, Heb. xi. 10. by the death of Chrift, which made a purchase of it, Heb. x. 19, 20. and by his afcenfion into it, John xiv. 2, 3. So the reafon why we are kept here, is in order to our fitting for it. Heaven is ready, but we are not fully ready; the barn is fit to receive the corn, but the corn is not fit to be gathered into it. "But for this felf-fame thing God is now working "us," 2 Cor. v. 5. he is every day at work by ordinances, and by providences, to perfect his work in us; and as foon as that is finifhed, we fhall hear a voice like that, Rev. xi. 12. "Come up hither, and "immediately we fhall be in the fpirit;" for how ardently foever we long for that defirable day, Chrift longs for it more than we can do.

4. The husbandman is glad of the firft-fruits, that encourages him, though the greatest part be yet out: and have not you received the firft fruits of that glory? Have you not earnests, pledges, and firstfruits of it? "Tis your own fault, if every day you feed not upon fuch bleffed comforts of the Spirit, Rom. viii. 23. Rom. v. 2. 1 Pet. viii. 9. (how might the interpofing time, even all the days of your patience here be fweetened with fuch prelibations of the glory to come!

5. Husbandmen know it is beft to reap when it is fit to rcap; one handful fully ripe is worth many fheaves of green corn. And you know, heaven will be fweeteft to you when you are fitteft for it; the child would pluck the apple whilft it is green, but he might gather it eafier, and tafte it fweeter, by tarrying longer for it. We would fain be glorified per faltum. When we have got a tafte of heaven, we are all in hafte to be gone. Then, O that I had wings as a dove! I would fly away and be at reft. Then we cry to God for ourselves, as Mofes for his fifter Miriam, "Heal her [now] O God, I be"feech thee!" Numb. xii, 13. Glorify me now, O Lord, I pray thee! But, furely, as God hath contrived thy glory in the beft of ways; fo he hath appointed for thee the fitteft of feafons; and whenever thou art gathered into glory, thou shalt come as a fhock of corn in its feafon.

REFLECTIONS.

I have waited for thy falvation, O God! Having received thy firft-fruits, my foul longs to fill its bofom with the full ripe fheaves of glory: "As VOL. V.

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The longing foul's reflection.

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"the hart panteth for the water-brooks, fo panteth my foul for thee, "O God! O when fhall I come and appear before God!". I defire to be diffolved and to be with Chrift! When fhall I fee that moft lovely face? When fhall I hear his foul-tranfporting voice! Some need patience to die: I need it as much to live. Thy fights, O God, by faith, have made this world a burden, this body a burden, and this foul to cry, like thirty David, "O that one would give me of the waters of Bethlehem to drink!" The husbandman longs for his harvest, because it is the reward of all his toil and labour. But what is his harvest to mine? What is a little corn to the enjoyment of God? What is the joy of harvest to the joy of heaven? What are the shoutings of men in the fields to the acclamations of glorified fpirits in the kingdom of God? Lord, I have gone forth, bearing more precious feed than they; when thall I return rejoicing, bringing my fheaves with me? Their harvest comes when they receive their corn; mine cones when I leave it. O much defired! O day of gladnefs of my heart! How long, Lord! how long! Here I wait as the poor man at Bethesda's pool, looking when my turn will come, but every one steps into heaven before me; yet, Lord, I am content to wait till my time is fully come: I would be content to stay for my glorification till I have finished the work of my generation; and when I have done the will of God, then to receive the promife. If thou have any work on earth to use me in, I am content to abide: behold, the husbandman waiteth, and fo will I; for thou art a God of judgment; and bleffed are all they that wait for thee.

The lingering foul's reflection.

But how doth my flothful foul fink down into the flesh, and fettle itself in the love of this animal life? How doth it hug and wrap up itself in the garment of this mortality, not defiring to be removed hence to the more perfect and bleffed ftate? The husbandman is indeed content to ftay till the appointed weeks of the harvest; but would he be content to wait always? O my fenfual heart! is this life of hope as contentful to thee as the life of vifion will be? Why doft thou not groan within thyfelf, that this mortality might be fwallowed up of life? Doth not the fcriptures defcribe the faints by their earneft looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life? Jude 21. By their hattening unto the coming of the day of "God," 2 Pet. iii. 12. What is the matter, that my heart hangs back? Doth guilt lie upon my conscience? Or, have I gotten into a pleafant condition in the world, which makes me fay as Peter on the mount, It is good to be here? Or want I the affurance of a better ftate? Muft God make all my earthly comforts die, before I shall be willing to die? Awake faith, awake my love; beat up the drowsy defires of my foul, that I may fay, "Make hafte my beloved, and "come away."

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THE POEM.

O prudent husbandman expects
The fruit of what he fows,

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Till every caufe have its effects,

And then he reaps and mows:
He works in hope the ear throughout,
And counts no labour loft,
If, when the feafon comes about,
His harvest quits his coft.
His rare example juftly may
Rebuke and put to shame

My foul; which fows its feed one day,
And looks to reap the fame.
Is curfed nature now become

So kind a foil to grace,
That to perfection it should come
Within fo fhort a space?

Grace fprings not up with feed and ease,
Like mushrooms in a night;
But rather by degrees increase,
As doth the morning light.
Is corn fo dear to husbandmen?
Much more is heav'n to me;
Why should not I have patience then
To wait as well as he?

To promifes, appointed years,

By God's decrees, are fet;
These once expir'd, beyond its fears
My foul fhall quickly get.

How fmall a part of hafty time,

Which quickly will expire,

Doth me within this world confine,

And then comes my defire.

Come, Lord, how long my foul hath gafp'd!

Faith my affections warms;

O when shall my poor foul be clafp'd

In its Redeemer's arms!

The time feems long, yet here I'll lie,

"Till thou, my God, do call:

It is enough, eternity

Will make amends for all.

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