fices fully, which he happily began on earth; and to perform his promifes, that are Yea and Amen in him.Is there no lovelinefs here? Is this love and loveliness of Chrift discovered to you, and yet no time of love with you? No love of defire after him wrought in you? How inexcufable art thou, and wilt thou be, that loves vanity inftead of him!

Secondly, We next direct our exhortation in a word to thefe whofe time has been a time of love. And the fe are of two forts; either fuch as doubt if their time has been a time of love, or such as are affured their time has been a time of love.

ift, Such as doubt of it, and yet their time has really been a time of love. Thefe doubters are of two forts: fome are waking and mourning doubters; others are fleeping and flumbering doubters.

[1.] Some are waking and mourning in their doubts, and apprehenfive that they never had a time of love. "Alas! fay fuch, many a fermon and facrament have "I attended; but, to this day, I never met with a time "of love: wo is me, that I cannot get a discovery of "the glory and loveliness of Chrift, nor my heart engaged to love him!" If this be thy cafe and exercife, mourning and crying, O for a time of love! There are two fcriptures I would direct you to for relief.

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1. If you are mourning and in heaviness because you reckon your time has not been a time of love, or of power, read Ifa. Ixi. 1, 2, 3. " He is anointed to give thefe that mourn in Zion, beauty for afhes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praife, for the spirit of heavinefs."

2. If you are crying for a time of love, read Ifa. xxx. 18, 19. He is a God of judgment; and bleffed are all thefe that wait for him. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he fhall hear it, he will anfwer thee." He will turn at a cry, as that word need fignifies, Heb.iv. 16. "Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Preffing need, that makes you cry:

he turns, as it were, at the cry, according to the promise here," He will be very gracious to thee at the voice of thy cry." Therefore wait patiently, hopefully, and carefully for him, who has either begun, or is beginning the good work.

[2.] Some are fleeping and flumbering doubters, that have had a time of love, but now it is out of fight, by reafon of their backfliding, and leaving their first love. To you I would fay,

1. O remember whence thou haft fallen, and repent, and do thy first works! Confider what anfwer you will have to these questions: What iniquity have you found in him, that you have gone far from him? Have you feen any thing in Chrift to alienate your affections from him? Was he ever worfe than his word? Or, is there any uncomelinefs in his way?-What comeliness have you feen in other lovers? Have you found any other object like him? Is there any amongst the creatures that can do for you, what he has done? Can the world giveyou that which he has to give you? Do you find reft and fatisfaction to your heart and confcience elsewhere? What fweet days had you once when your heart went out after him? Could you not then have said, My Beloved is mine, and his defire is towards me, and the defire of my foul is towards him," when he brought you to the banquetting houfe, and difplayed his banner of love over you, making you to drink of the fpiced wines? May not a reflection upon these fweet days you had, when his candle fhined upon you, break your heart, that now you are fet to the back of the door, and fay, O that it were with me as in months paft?"-What fad days have you had fince you departed from him, and was fhut out of doors, and had a fcreen drawn between him and you? What a fad change is there, when you want that sweet communion with him that once you had? O then! remember whence you have fallen.

2. Return to him, faying, "I will go and return to my firft hufband.-Return, ye backfliding children, though you have played the harlot with many lovers, for I am married unto you, faith the Lord. I hate putting away.

I am God, and change not; therefore you are not confumed."-Return for he ftands ready to heal your backflidings.

To both forts, whether you be waking or fleeping Christians, to whom a time of love is dubious, I would exhort you to hear his loving cries after you, and let it be followed with your cries after him.

(1.) Hear His loving cries after you. One cry he fends after you, is that of the angels, Luke ii. 10. "Behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy; for to you is born a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord.-To you a child is born, to you a fon is given."-Another cry after you is that, Rev. iii. 20. "Behold! I ftand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in, and fup with him, and he with me." He is feeking to fup with you, to have communion with you, and you with him. with him. I am knocking at the door of your understandings, at the door of your wills, at the door of your hearts and affections: do you not hear me knocking?—Another call is that, Song v. 2. " Open to me, my fifter, my spouse, my love, my dove; for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night." I have fuffered the midnight-fhower and ftorm of divine wrath for you, it fell on my head; I have fuffered for you, and now I am here ready to apply the bleffing of my blood; open to me: I own you for my love, my dove, and my undefiled, having no spot but what my grace fhall cover.-Another cry is that, Song iii. 11. " Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him." He is holding forth the fceptre to thee, to go forth by faith and take a view of him, till your heart be fully fatisfied? O come, taste and fee; come and fee him; see what he has done for you, what he is doing for you, and what he will do for you.-Another cry is that, John i. 29. " Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the finof the world!" Are your fins great and many? yet, O let no fin keep you away!" The blood of Chrift cleanfeth from all fin:" there is infinite virtue in that blood for making you perfectly clean.-Another cry is that, Mat. xxii. 4. "All things are ready, come to

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the marriage." O was you never married to the Son of God? Come, and be the bride the Lamb's wife; give your heart and hand to him, and take hold of him for your Head, Husband, wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption. Or, have you been already married to Chrift? O come and get confirmation; get a new token of his love; come to the marriage-fupper of the Lantb.-Another cry is, in cafe you think it is not a free wedding, Ifa. lv. 1. "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, cone ye; buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money, and without price."—The poorer you are, the welcomer to the market: no money here is good price: here is grace and glory freely; "Whofoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely."-But, are you yet fighing under the burden of fin and guilt? Then another cry is, Matthew xi. 28. "Come to me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft to your fouls:" Come, and get reft to your minds in him, who, as a Prophet, is the wifdom of God; come, and get reft to your con-. fcience in him, who, as a Prieft, is the righteoufness of God; come, and get reft to your hearts in him, who, as a King, is the power of God, and has all the riches. of divine fulness in him.-Another cry that he is fending after you is, Jer. iii. 14. 22. " Return, O backflid. ing children; for I am married unto you, and I will heal your backflidings." As if he had faid, "However

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grievoufly you have revolted and rebelled from the "womb unto this moment, all bygones fhall be bygones; only henceforth let it be a bargain between you and me, an everlasting bargain never to be forgotten."— Another cry after you is, Song ii. 14. "O my dove, that art in the clifts of the rocks, and in the fecret places of the stairs, let me hear thy voice, let me fee thy countenance; for fweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." "Do not hide your face from me for fhame,

might he fay; do not blush to look to me, nor be afraid to fpeak to me; come boldly to my throne of grace, for I delight to hear thy voice of prayer and praife, though it be but a mourning like a dove;

"and

" and I delight to fee you coming boldly and confidently, depending upon me: you need not fear to face me, "for I am your kindly fuitor; come, trembling dove, "and flee in to my bofom."-Hear his loving cries. after you.

(2.) Let it be followed with an echo from you, even with a loud cry after him. I will tell you fome of the cries you may fend after him.-One is, Pfalm xxv. 11. "O Lord, for thy name's fake, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great." Let not your great fin hinder your crying after him, but be made an argument, inducing. you to cry after him more ardently and fervently.-Another cry is, Pfalm cxliv. 5. "O bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they fhall melt." Mountains are in the way, but let them fkip like lambs, and the little hills like rams, at the prefence of the Lord.-Another cry you may fend after him is, Song i. 4. "Draw me, we will run after thee.""Put "forth thy drawing power; for I cannot come, I cannot "move, I cannot flir without thee; but I promife to run "if thou draw."-Another cry you may fend after him, is that of blind Bartimeus, Mark x. 51. "Lord, that I may receive my fight."-" O enlighten my eyes, that I

may know the myfteries of the gospel, that I may "fee the glory, grace, and love of Chrift."-Another cry is, Pfalm xc. 13, 14. "Return, O Lord, how long? O fatisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may be glad and rejoice all our days:"-"Thou haft an infinite ocean "of mercy, O let the waves of the ocean reach my foul!

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pardoning mercy, purifying mercy."-Another cry is, Song ii. 17. Till the day break, and the fhadows flee away; turn, my Beloved, and be thou like a roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.""I want ability to mount up the hills of fin, guilt, and difficulty "between thee and me; but it is the glory of the roe "to afcend the rocks and mountains: O get glory this way!"-Another cry cry is, Song iv. 16." Awake, O north-wind, come thou fouth, blow upon my garden, that the fpices thereof may flow out.-Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these flain that they may live."-" O fend the promised Spirit like