of his providence. Others have laboured, and you have entered into the field on which their labours have been carefully employed. Let this then engage your diligence, with a becoming fpirit and ready cheerfulness to apply to your work, and great shall be your reward." From the words thus introduced, the four following obfervations naturally arife.

I. That the ready attention of multitudes to hear and obey the Gospel, is fitly compared to harvest.

II. That when fuch a season comes, or fuch a disposition appears, it is the duty, and will be the pleasure and delight of every true friend of fouls, and especially of every faithful minifter of the Gospel, to be remarkably engaged in reaping and gathering in this harvest.

III. That even though the feed fown does not appear to spring up and grow to a fruitful harveft in our day, yet it may in another's who may fucceed, or, as the text expreffes it, afterwards enter into our labours, and there. fore we should not be difcouraged, but perfevere in the fame laudable work of fowing the feed, however little fruit may at present appear to spring from it, not knowing when or how it will profper. And because,

IV. Whether we are fuccefsful, and have the fatisfaction of seeing the fruit of our labours in our own day or not, if we are faithful, we fhall nevertheless receive wages, and rejoice with them who are so favoured as to from what we or others have fowed.

reap

To each of the above obfervations, I shall say a few things in their order. And as to the

I. That

I. That the ready attention of multitudes to hear and obey the Gospel is fitly compared to harveft, will ap pear from the confideration of the following particulars, wherein there is a refemblance.

1. That as harvest is the time when grain is ripe and fit for ingathering and use, so a ready and willing mind to hear and obey the Gospel, is that which renders men fit for ingathering into the church and kingdom of Christ. While they are careless and inattentive, there is little profpect of any good being done them, or any fruit from the preaching of the word unto them; it falls like feed by the way fide, which the fowls of the air, every vain thought and temptation, catches away and devours; or like feed on a rock, where it makes no impreffion, nor can take root, and so perishes for want of a proper foil or foundation for it to grow in; but when the minds of men are roused to hear and attend, when their hearts are pricked with a sense of their fins, and opened to receive the word, then, like a flourishing field of ripening grain, there is a profpect of a plentiful harvest-that numbers of fouls will be gathered in from the field of the world, where Satan reigns in the hearts of the children of difobedience, to the church and kingdom of Christ, as fheaves bound up in the bundle of eternal life.

2. Harvest implies an actual ingathering of the fruit and grain from the field into the barns and granaries of the husbandman for use; fo, when great and general attention to the word of God prevails among a people, then commonly numbers are gathered in from the world into the church, who will be finally ftored, if I may fo exprefs it, in the garner of that heavenly Hufbandman, whofe husbandry they are, and in whofe houfe, we are told, there are many manfions prepared, fufficient room to receive them all. Some, indeed, who at fuch a time put

put out fair, and appear green and flourishing for a while, yet like fields whofe grain is blafted, and trees whose fruit drops off before it comes to maturity, they foon fall away, and all the blooming profpects of future fruitfulness, which they gave, fuddenly vanish. The cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the love of pleasure, choke and stop their growth, or the scorching fire of persecution withers their verdure that they die.

But though this is the cafe with fome, and alas! with too many who appear to fpring up fair, and bloom and grow well for a time; yet, bleffed be God, there are others, who like grain and fruit matured by the gentle moisture of the dew, the enriching showers of falling rain, and the genial influence of the enlivening fun, continue to grow till they are ripe for the harvest-till they are actually gathered into the vifible church, and planted in the garden and vineyard of God on earth, from whence they shall be gathered and tranflated to his kingdom and glory above.

And when there are great numbers, who thus attend to the word, gladly receive it, fubmit unto it, and grow thereby to maturity,-this moft properly answers to the idea of harveft.-This feems to be the fenfe in which the phrase is used in the text, in allusion, not only to the readiness with which numbers of the Samaritans came to Chrift on this occafion, but to the vaftly superior numbers which were afterwards to be converted to the faith of the Gospel, by the preaching of the Apostles and others, to what there ever were before, by all the labours of the Patriarchs and Prophets. These holy men, comparatively speaking, did but fow the feed and prepare the way for that abundant harvest which the Apostles and others have fince reaped. When we read of three thousand converted in one day, by the preaching of

Peter;

Peter; of five thousand at another, by Peter and John, and of the fudden and extenfive fpread of the Gospel, and the numerous churches gathered not only throughout Judea, but throughout the whole Roman empire, which then extended to almost every part of the known world, truly we may fay, this was harveft indeed!

3. The time of harvest is a time of joy. Hence in the facred Scripture, any great joy is compared to the joy of harvest. The prophet Isaiah, fpeaking of the birth of Chrift, the happy change wrought thereby, and the great joy that should, or ought to fpring up in the hearts of men thereupon, faith, They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. God's ancient people, the Jews, by Divine appointment, observed a feaft, which they called the feast of harvest, when, as an expreffion of their gratitude, they offered up the first fruits of their fields to God, and, with joyful hearts, participated in the plenty with which he had increased their store; and in fome parts of our own country, it is ufual at the conclufion of wheat harvest, to exprefs their joy by fome extraordinary good cheer. In all parts of the world, a fruitful or plentiful harvest is confidered as a juft fubject of joy.

So when the word has due course, and numbers are gathered in by it, it is a matter of great joy both to them who fow the feed or preach the word; and to them who receive it, or are gathered in by it. They who receive and are gathered in by the word, rejoice in the happy change which is made in their prefent circunftances and future profpects.-Their enjoyments are now fo much more excellent and noble ;-their views and hopes of future good, fo elevating and tranfporting, that they fometimes know not how to reprefs or contain their joy. They are ready to fay with the Pfalmift, Come all R

ye

ye

that love the Lord, and I will tell you what he hath done for my foul: and with the woman when she had found her piece of filver, Come rejoice with me. They, indeed, rejoice before God according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil; with a joy, as Peter expreffes it, unspeakable and full of glory. They who fow the feed or preach the word, rejoice in being made the honoured inftruments of fo much good to them. Thus they that fow, and they that reap, may be faid to rejoice together, even in this world, and much more will they do so in the world to come. And if a rich harveft, or plentiful ingathering of grain from the field, for the support of our perishing bodies, is just matter of joy and thankfulness, much more is the ready reception of the word of God, and hearty fubjection of fouls to Jefus Christ, who is the bread of life, the food that nourisheth and fupporteth the immortal life of the foul.-This is matter of joy, not only to all the good and benevolent on earth, but to the angels of God in heaven; for we are told, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one finner that repenteth, and much more may we suppose over numbers who repent. In view of this and its happy confequents, they are reprefented at the birth of our Saviour, who is exalted to give repentance and remiffion of fins, in joyful anthems, proclaiming Glory to God in the bigbeft, and on earth peace, good will to man.

II. This brings me to the fecond obfervation, viz. That when such a season comes, or fuch a ready difpofition is manifested to hear the word, then it is the duty, and will be the pleasure and delight of every true friend of fouls, and especially of every faithful minifter of Christ, to be doubly engaged in forwarding the work, and affifting in gathering in this spiritual harvest. If what Solomon fays of him who fleepeth when the harvest of the field is gathering