that in a general shipwreck mercy should cast forth a plank to save mel that when millions perish, I should escape that perdition! Was it the Father's good pleasure to bestow the kingdom upon a little flock, and to make me one of that number ? What singular obligations hath mercy put upon my soul! If but one of a thousand had been lost, yet my salvation would have been an act of infinite grace ; but when so few out of a thousand are saved, what shall I call that grace which cast my lot among them?

* 97 19 ch# 9 for W. T*6# »» 150 1

On the Cutting down of Dead Trees. Observation.-AFTER many years patience in the attempt to recover a fruit-tree, if the husbandman see it quite dead, and that there can be no more expectation of any fruit from it, he brings his axe and hews it down by the root; and from the orchard it is carried to the fire. He reckons it imprudent to let so useless a tree abide in good ground, where another may be planted in its room, tha that will better pay for the ground it stands on. Application. Thus deals the Lord with useless and barren professors who do but cumber his ground. "And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and n and cast into the fire," Matth. iii. 10. "Then said the dresser of the vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none; cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" Luke xiii. 7. This hewing down of the barren tree does, in a lively manner, shadow forth God's judicial proceedings against formal and empty professors under the gospel; and the resemblance clearly holds in these particulars

1. The tree that is to be hewn down for the fire, stands in the orchard among other florishing trees, where it has enjoyed the benefit of a good soil, a strong fence, and much culture; but, being barren, these privileges No. XVI.

Div.

L

secure it not from the fire. It is not our standing in the visible church, among real saints with whom we have been associated and enjoyed the rich and excellent waterings of ordinances, that can secure us from the wrath of God. "Bring forth fruits meet for repentance; and think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father," Matth. iii. 8. If Abraham's faith be not in your hearts, it will be no advantage that Abraham's blood runs in your veins. It will be a poor plea for Judas, when he shall stand before Christ in judgment, to say, Lord, I was one of thy family; I preached for thee; I did eat and drink in thy presence.

2. The husbandman does not presently cut down the tree because it shoots not forth as soon as other trees do; but he waits as long as there is any hope, and then cuts it down. Thus does God wait on barren persons from sabbath to sabbath, and from year to year; for "the Lord is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He waits long on sinners, but he keeps an exact account of every year and day of his patience. "These three years I came seeking fruit." And in Jer. xxv. 3. "These twenty-three years."

3. When the time is come to cut it down, the dead tree cannot possibly resist the stroke of the axe; it receives the blow, and falls before it. No more can the stoutest sinner resist the fatal stroke, by which the Lord hews him down. "There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death, and there is no discharge in that war,” Eccl. viii. 8. When the pale horse comes, away you must go into the land of darkness. Though thou cry with Adrian, O my poor soul, whither art thou going? die thou must, though it were better for thee to do any thing else than to die. "Oh!" said Henry Beaufort, the rich and wretched bishop of Winchester, and chancellor of England, when he perceived whereunto he must go, "wherefore must I die? If the whole realm would save my life, I am able either by policy to get it, or by riches to buy it. And will not death be hired? Will riches do nothing?" No; neither riches nor policy can then avail.

4. When the dead tree is carried out of the orchard, it shall never be among the living trees of the orchard any more; many years it grew among them, but now it shall never have a place there again. And when the barren professor is carried out of the world by death, he shall never be associated with the saints any more. He may then say, Farewell, all ye saints, among whom I lived, and with whom I so often heard and prayed. I shall never see your face more.

5. When the dead tree is carried out of the orchard, the husbandman cuts off its branches, and rives it asunder with his wedges. This also is the lot of barren professors. "The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and will cut him asunder." Now therefore "consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear, or rend, you in pieces." O direful day, when the same hand that planted, pruned, and watered thee so long and so tenderly, shall now strike mortal strokes at thee, and that without pity! "For he that made them, will not have mercy on them; and he that formed them, will show them no favor," Isa. xxvii. 11. The day of mercy is over; the day of wrath is come.

6. The fruitless tree is cast into the fire. This also is the end and sad issue of formality. "He is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire; and they are burned," John xv. 6. This is an undoubted truth, that there is no plant in God's vineyard, but he will have glory from it by its bearing fruit, or glory on it by burning it in the fire.

Reflections.-How often have I passed by such barren trees, with a more barren heart, as little thinking such a tree to be the emblem of myself, as Nebuchadnezzar did, when he saw in a dream the tree which represented himself, and shadowed forth to him his ensuing misery. But,O my conscience, my drowsy sleepy conscience, wert thou but tender, and faithful to me, thou wouldst make as terrible an application of such a spectacle to me as the faithful prophet did to him! And thus wouldst thou, O my soul, bemoan thy condition-Poor wretch! here I grow, for a little time, among the trees of righteousness, but I am none of them. Some green and florishing leaves of

profession indeed I have, and these deceive others, but God cannot be deceived; he sees I am fruitless and rotten at the heart. Poor soul, what will thine end be but burning? Behold, the axe lieth by thy root; and wonderful it is, that there it should lie so long, and I yet be standing. Still mercy pleads for a fruitless creature; Lord, spare it one year longer. Alas! he needs strike no great blow to ruin me; his very breath blows to destruction; Job iv. 9. A frown of his face can blast and ruin me; Psalm lxxx. 6.

PART III.

CHAPTER I.

On the Husbandman's Care for his Cattle.

Observation. MANY husbandmen are exceedingly careful about their cattle, rising early to attend to and feed them. And if at any time their beasts are ill, what care is taken to recover and heal them! You may be sure that they will want nothing that is necessary for them, yea, many will choose rather to want themselves, than suffer their horses so to do; and take a great deal of comfort in seeing them thrive and prosper under their hands.

Application.-What one said of bloody Herod, who slew so many children at Bethlehem, that it were better to be his swine than his son, may truly enough be applied to some parents and masters, who take less care for saving the souls of their children and servants, than they do for the bodies of those beasts which daily feed at their stalls and cribs. Many there are who do in reference to their souls, as Jacob did with respect to the preservation of the bodies of those around him, when he put all the herds of cattle before, and his wives and little ones behind, as he went to meet his brother Esau. It is a weighty saying of a grave author, "It is vile ingratitude to rejoice

when cattle multiply, and repine when children increase; it is heathenish distrustfulness to fear that he who provides for your beasts, will not provide for your children ; and it is no less than unnatural cruelty, to be careful of the bodies of beasts, and careless of the souls of children." Let us compare our care and diligence in both respects, and see, in a few particulars, whether we do indeed value our own or our children and servants' souls, as we do the life and health of a beast.

1. Your care for your horses is expressed early, whilst they are but colts, and not come to do you any service; you are willing to incur labor and expense to have them broken and taught. This is more than many do for their children. They can see them wild and profane, but yet never were at any labor or expense to check them. It is observed of the Persians, that they put out their children to school, as soon as they can speak, and will not see them again till seven years afterwards, lest their indulgence should do them hurt.

2. You keep your constant set times, morning and evening, to feed and water your cattle, and will by no means neglect them; but how many times have you neglected morning and evening duties in your families! Yea, how many are there, whose very tables, in respect of any worship God has there, differ very little from the very cribs and mangers at which their horses feed! As soon as you are up in a morning, you are with your beasts before you have been with your God. How little do such persons differ from beasts! And happy were it, if they were no more accountable to God than their beasts are.

The end of your care, cost, and pains, about your cattle is, that they may be strong for labor and the more serviceable to you; thus you comply with the end of their beings. But how rare a thing is it to find men as careful to fit their posterity to be useful and serviceable to God in their generation, which is the end of their beings! If you can make them rich and provide good matches for them, you reckon that you have fully discharged the duty of parents. If they will learn to hold the plow, that you are willing to teach them; but, when