thering, is true, that he is a fon that causeth shame, much more is he who fleepeth, is indolent and inactive, or useth only a common diligence in this harvest of fouls. For as the harvest of the field has its particular season, and when it comes, every land is required to gather and get it in, fot there are some seasons which seem to be peculiarly favourable to the ingathering of this spiritual harvest. Particularly when the mind is impreffed,-the attention roufed, and the heart deeply affected, when the word falls with weight, when confcience fmites the finner, and the general cry is, What shall we do to be faved? Then may we say in the words of the Divine Husbandman, Lift up your eyes and behold! the fields are white for the harvest. Souls are then ready and ripe for the spiritual reaper's hand, and then, to keep up the metaphor, all hands fhould be engaged, and every nerve exerted to gather in the loaded fheaves, and bring home the precious harvest. This Christ and his Apostles have commanded and urged by the most powerful motives, and their own most shining examples in this great work. My meat, faid Chrift, is to do the will of him that fent me, and to finish bis work.

This is my chief delight: I have greater pleasure in it, than in any fenfual enjoyment; more fatisfaction than even my neceffary food can afford, when received to allay the extremities of hunger. Very eminently was this temper difplayed on this occafion, when, though our Lord was wearied and spent by the fatigues of his journey, he was yet fo intent upon his Father's bufinefs, the great work upon which he was fent, to fave ruined fouls, that he poftponed his immediate and needed refreshment, from the provision which his difciples had brought from the neighbouring town, till he had converfed with, and infructed the Samaritans in the nature of his own character and kingdom. Thus the Apostle difcovered an extraor dinary

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dinary pleasure and diligence, according to the more ́extraordinary calls of Providence, and the greater readiness to hear and attend their inftructions, which appeared in thofe among whom they laboured. And thus it is more or lefs with every faithful minifter and true difciple of Jefus Chrift. Not only a fenfe of duty urges, but fincere joy and pleasure give new spring to their exertions, and animate them with double diligence in all their work. When the benevolent minifter of Jefus beholds a multitude of precious immortals, all attentive to the important meffage he has to deliver, hanging upon his lips, greedily catching at, and drinking in the fincere milk of the word as it flows from his mouth, by a fort of fympathy and virtuous contagion, if I may fo exprefs it, his heart is melted, yea, his whole foul is moved and at. tracted, and, as though touched with a live coal from off the divine altar, his tongue is loofed, and then, if ever, he will preach and pray with the Spirit of his Divine and compaffionate Mafter. That deadnefs, languor, and indifference, which before fealed his lips, or, as it were, chilled his words as they fell from his mouth, will now be removed, and holy ardent love to God and the fouls of men, will warm his heart, give volubility to his tongue, and energy to his difcourfe :-It will fall with almost irresistible force, and like the electrical fire, communicate and spread the Divine flame with which it is filled, to every heart and foul of the audience. O then it is easy preaching! it is eafy praying! The fire is in the midft of the wheels, and like the chariots of Amminadib, the thoughts and affections run fweetly and swiftly in the work of the Lord. But, alas! this is a happiness that the best and most faithful of Chrift's minifters do not always enjoy. On the contrary, they are often ftraitened with languor, want of life and freedom in themselves. Their

fpirits

fpirits are often damped, and their hearts difcouraged by the deadness and lukewarmness of others;-that after much labour and toil, little vifible fuccefs appears ;-there is no ingathering, but great ftupidity and fecurity reigns among those whofe good they fincerely wish and labour for. Painful confideration this to the faithful labourer in Christ's vineyard, to see all his labours loft, or turn to fo little effect in his Mafter's fervice: But under fuch a melancholy and discouraging cafe, our

III. Observation is proper to afford direction and comfort, to wit, That though Minifters and Christians do not at prefent fee the good effects of their pious intentions and labours, they are not thence to conclude, that their labours are entirely useless and without effect, nor to fit down in despondence, as though no good would ever a rife from them, but perfevere in their earnest prayers and pious endeavours, not knowing which is to prosper, the feed fown in the morning or in the evening, and af furing themselves, that whatever be the present appear. ances, they shall in due time reap if they faint not. Though little or no defirable effects appear to arise from their labours at present, yet even now they may answer an important purpose, to check and reftrain the overflowings of ungodliness, which might otherwise, to much greater degrees, prevail; or to lay a foundation and prepare the way for a yet glorious harvest in fome future time, either in their own day, or the days of those who are to come after and fucceed them in their labours, when they are perhaps dead and gone. This feems plainly to be intimated by our Lord in the text.-Herein, faith he, is that faying true, one foweth and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that on which ye bestowed no labour. Other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

God is the fovereign difpenfer of his own favours, and confers them in what manner, and at what time to him feems beft. The labours of fome men, though they make little or no appearance as to any good effect in their own day, yet they often prepare the way for joyful and glorious events in the days of those who come after them. Thus the preaching of the Patriarchs and Prophets prepared the way for great and glorious things in the days. of Christ, and the preaching of Chrift prepared the way for yet greater and more glorious effects from the preaching of the Apostles; and thus one minifter is no doubt often made the harbinger or forerunner to prepare the way and usher in great and glorious things in the days of his fucceffor. Though little or no vifible good effect appears from his miniftry in his own day; yet the feed is not loft, it may take root, fpring up, and bear fruit to the glory of God, when he is laid in his grave; fo that both he that foweth and he that reapeth, may yet rejoice together with exceeding great joy; the one in having fown the feed, and the other in having reaped the harvest. This is a most animating and encouraging argument for minifters, after having put their hands to the Gospelplough, not to look back or fit down difcouraged under prefent ill fuccefs; and also for pious parents and friends, who have hitherto feen all their prayers and pious counfels of little effect for any good to their children or others, ftill to persevere in fervent prayer and unwearied endeavours for their converfion and falvation, not knowing what or when will be the effect. Great and glorious effects may yet attend their labours,

even in their own

days, or if not, yet in the days of thofe who fucceed them when they are laid in the grave. The fermons of faithful minifters, and the counfels of pious parents and friends, have in a multitude of inftances been known to

take

take fuch hold of the minds of their hearers and children, that though in the heat of youth, the pursuits of pleasure, or hurry of business, they may, for a time, be oppreffed and buried in oblivion, that no good effect of them is seen in their lives and converfation, perhaps for years; yet after all, these same pious inftructions, counfels and exhortations of their minifters, parents and friends, have been brought to remembrance; like a barbed arrow pierced them to the heart, with the bitter remembrance of their fin and folly, for rejecting these counfels so long, and under the influence of the Spirit of God, have been bleffed to a real change of heart and life. Is not this an argument Tufficient to encourage us all to go on in this benevolent work; the prospect of being the happy and honoured inftrument of gathering and bringing others to the participation of that eternal life, which we wish and hope for as our own fupreme, complete and never-ending felicity? Sure if any thing can animate our hearts, and fet our fouls on fire, it must be this :-Love to our neighbour and ourselves, their intereft, and our own honour, all confpire to encourage and engage us in it; for they that turn many to righteousness, the wife man faith, ball fbine forth as the son in the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever. But,

IV. Should we be fo unhappy as to be wholly unfuc cessful, and neither in our own nor in the days of those who follow us, any vifible good effects appear from our labours, (but be like feed that rots under the clods and never comes up at all); yet, if we are truly faithful labourers, we shall not mifs of our reward in the world above, however unfuccefsful we may be in this. Though Ifrael be not gathered, said the Prophet, I shall be glorious in the fight of the Lord. Was it not for this reflection,