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knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Chrift is an anchor that can keep the foul fure and stedfast amidst all the tempefts of a weary world. He has an open ear to their just complaints, and a foft hand, under which the uneafy heart and head may repose themselves.-It is a weary land,

2. Because fometimes there are terrible tempests of common calamity, threatening to sweep all away before them, blowing in this world, which makes it a weary land. There are no tempests in the upper region, but in the lower region, where we are, they are very frequent, whereby nations, churches, and families, are thrown into the utmoft confufion. David fpeaks of fuch, Pfal. lv. 8. "I would," fays he, "haften my escape from the windy ftorm and tempeft." Thefe often make a most miserable face on the places where they blow, and make the land a weary land indeed. But even in this cafe, there is found peace under Christ's fhadow: John, xvi. 33. "These things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace in the world ye fhall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." In him believers have a peace the world cannot rob them off. He has hiding-places for his people, where he will hide them, if not from trouble, yet from the evil, the fting, and hurt of it: 1 Pet. iii. 13. "And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?" He will hide them, if not under heaven, yet in heaven; and they have no reason to complain who get there, though in a fiery chariot. Our Lord holds the winds in his hand, and they can blow no more terribly than he permits them; fo that in the worst of times it is good news, Ifa. lii. 7. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publifheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that faith unto

Zion, Thy God reigneth!" And these that make Christ their friend, may bid defiance to all their enemies.-The world is a weary land,

3. Because the wild beasts in it make it a weary land. The fcripture calls wicked men fo, efpecially in their oppofition to, and treatment of the people of God, and the world is the place of their abode: Song, iv. 8. "Come with me, my spouse, from the lions dens, from the mountains of the leopards." And therefore, while they are travelling through the wilderness, they are often put to that prayer, Pfal. lxxiv. 19. 20. "O deliver not the foul of thy turtle-dove unto the multitude of the wicked, forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever, have respect unto the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." No wonder the world be a weary land to the people of God; for the wild beafts are often heard roaring there : Pfal. lxxiv. 4. "Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregation, they fet up their enfigns for figns;" threatening to devour, and to fwallow up, and to make the name of Ifrael no more to be remembered; as the Egyptian beaft did, Exod. xv. 9. But while these roarings make the hearts of God's people to tremble, the voice of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, terrible to his enemies, is comfortable to his friends Pfal. xciii. 4. "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the fea." This moderated the roarings of the Affyrian in Hezekiah's days, Ifa. Xxxvii. 22. Thefe beafts are often heard yelling in the world: Jerem. ii. 15. "The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land wafte." Dreadful is that yelling they make when they are got together, uttering their blafphemies, curfes, and reproaches, against God, his people,

people, and his cause in the world, as if hell was opened, which is the den of the great lion. This makes the world a weary land, and it is most heavy and diftreffing to the people of God: Pfal.lxxiv. 10. O God, how long fhall the adverfary reproach? fhall the enemy blafpheme thy name for ever?" But there is refrefhment and fhelter under Christ's fhadow in this cafe, while the foul fees that he will close up at length the blafphemous mouths, and bring them to the city above, where they fhall hear no more of any fuch thing. But again, these beasts are often seen tearing and devouring in the world the men that are more righteous than they: Hab. i. 13. "Wherefore lookeft thou upon them that deal treacheroufly, and holdeft thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he ?" God has his times wherein he lets them loose, to make havock of the church, and fhed the blood of his faints. But under Chrift's fhadow there is refreshing in this cafe. He can break out the teeth of the great lions with a touch; and while they are at the worst, he fays to his people, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul," Mat. x. 28. It was the way they treated Chrift himfelf when in the world, but he rofe upon them to their confufion; and fo fhall the church in like manner, and according to their measure, Pfal.xxii. 12. 13.

4. Darkness causeth weariness, and a dark land will always be a weary land to the children of light. The world at beft is but a dark land, in comparifon with heaven: 1 Cor. xiii. 12. " For now we fee through a glafs darkly, but then face to face." But fometimes the darkness increaseth mightily. We have had a long funshine of gofpel-light, but men have loved darkness rather than the light.

And

And now God is rifing up to plead with the generation; and we may fay, with Jeremiah, "Woe unto us, for the day goeth away, for the fhadows of the evening are stretched out." Do ye not fee the darkness come, and coming on the land more and more? There is a dark cloud already caft over the minifters and profeffors of Scotland, fo that they have now been like a company of travellers in a mist; fome crying this, and others that is the way; while many are at a ftand, not knowing what hand to turn to. Hence there are an alienation of affection, divifions, and feparations, amongst those who all profefs that they are travelling to the fame place, but cannot agree about the way. Terrible this at all times, but now especially, when the common enemy is at our gates, which should make us ceafe from thefe feuds, as it is faid the beasts did, hare, dog, fheep, cat and rat, in the inundation of the Severn. Some pride themselves in thefe, but they will make the world a weary land to those that are led by the Spirit of truth and peace: Judges, v. 16. “ Why abideft thou among the fheep-folds, to hear the bleating of the flocks? For the divifions of Reuben there were great fearchings of heart."

What fhall we do in such a case? Get in under Christ's fhadow, by faith, renouncing our own understanding, paffions, and prejudices, and giving up ourselves fingly to his guiding, and his fhadow will be as the fhadow on the dial, pointing to the hour of the day: Pfal. xxv. 9. "The meek will he guide in judgement, and the meek will he teach his way." In the greatest darkness of the world, there is a light, even "a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto we do well that we take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in our

hearts,"

hearts," 2 Pet. i. 19. This oracle of heaven is never ftruck dumb; but at any time men's corruptions may make them both blind and deaf to its warnings. But again, the bufhel is preparing to put the candle under, which God has lighted to give light to his church, if mercy prevent it not; and then people that have made themselves fo many filent Sabbaths, will get them made to their hands; and they that have been wearying for the day, may come to get a weary fill of it. Preachers driven into corners, clofed kirk-doors, and the fongs of the temple turned into howlings, will make a dark day. And now, if God do not mercifully interpofe, we cannot mifs it. But Chrift's fhadow will be refreshing in this case to those that get under it. Though the enemy fhould get leave to tread down the outer court, and these that worship in it, they that are farther in, fhall be well feen to: Rev. xi. I. 2. 'i hough they fhould burn up all the fynagogues of God within the land, yet there is a little fanctuary they cannot hinder you to carry about with you: Ezek. xi. 16. "Therefore fay, Thus faith the Lord God, Although I have caft them afar off among the Heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little fanctuary in the countries where they fhall come." And though the ftars fhould be itamped down to the earth, and no ftar-light fhine in the church, ye fhall not want light while the Sun of righteousness continues to fhine.

Finally, The bottomless pit is already opened, the smoke is arising in our land, and the locufts are coming out of the smoke upon it: Rev. ix. 1.-3. The Popish party are now begun to make head, with their brethren the malignants who carry on the war with Antichrist, and to set a limb of Antichrift

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