despair, mifery and woe.

lift

With joy they

up their heads, fee their Lord and Saviour; not in the mänger and ftable of Bethlehem, not as a man of forrows and acquainted with grief, not despised of the people, nor having where to lay his head, not arraigned at Pilate's judgment bar, nor fuffering on the bloody crofs and giving up the ghoft; but coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory'; in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels; the Almighty God, the Judge of quick and dead, their Friend, who once did die for them; and are joyfully caught up to join the happy train, and meet him in the air.

The wicked, as trees twice dead, plucked up by the roots, Jude 12. fhall be adjudged and caft into eternal burnings; while the righteous, as trees planted by the Lord, fhall be acquitted from all the afperfions thrown on them by men and devils, and removed to the higheft heavens, there to flourish and grow ever green with happiness, glory and joy through all the countless ages of eternity.

Here is an apple tree, which in its wild ftate bears nothing but crabs, hard and four fruit, which are only fit for feeding fwine; whereas if contrary to nature, it were cut out of its natural stock, and ingrafted into a good tree, the fruit of it might be much improved, and rendered useful to its owner. Juft fo is it with refpect to men while in their natural state; all the fruits they bring forth are corrupt, hard, and four, fit only for feeding their fwinish lufts, hateful to God, and destructive to themselves.

Their own righteousness, a fruit being produced from the foil of a broken covenant, instead of nourishing the foul that eats it, will only poison it at last, if it be not prevented from feeding thereon; whereas, when they are cut out of their own natural stock, and ingrafted into Christ Jefus, they bring forth the fruits of righteoufnefs and true holiness in, and through him, acceptable to God, useful to themselves, and grateful to others.

How much then doth it concern me to know whether I have been cut out of my

natural stock in Adam, and ingrafted into Chrift Jefus, that true vine, John xv. 1. who maketh every branch that abideth in him fruitful: And by thefe marks I may know if I be in him:

Am I bringing forth the fruits of love to him, more for what he is in and of him felf, and what he hath done for me, than on account of what he hath purchased for me? and the fruits of love to men, and good works, as a teft of this love to him, in a cheerful compliance with his autho rity in his commands, depending nothing on my own righteousness for falvation, but entirely on his active and paffive righte ousness for that alone. If fo, then I may conclude I am certainly in him.

Here and there are trees cut down, of various ages, kinds, and fizes: Here lies an aged elm, and there a young ash; in that place a small chefnut tree, and in this a lofty oak. So death is doing his work upon perfons of all ranks and all ages, on our right hand and on our left, behind and before us every day, and yet how little are we concerned! almost as little

attentive to those warnings of mortality as the infenfible standing trees are to the fall of their neighbours, which know not how foon the axe will be laid to their own roots, nor we how foon we muft die.

Strange ftupidity! to be every day as it were in the midst of deaths, and yet think fo little about our own! How many of us live here as if this world were to be our eternal home, and as if it had been the main end of our creation to indulge the flesh, and amass wealth together; fcarcely ever confidering that this world is only as an inn by the way to the next, and the good things in it, conveniences of it; while we are as travellers and way-faring men, which turn aside to tarry therein for a night, Jer. xiv. 8. and muft quickly be gone: Therefore, as a traveller fets light by all that are in an inn, farther than what ferves his own convenience while he lodges there; fo ought we with refpect to the things of this world.

There grow a few mulberry trees, the leaves of which are greatly esteemed in fome places for feeding the filk worm, and the berries for making a kind of wine; but

for neither of thefe purposes do I fo highly esteem those, as for that great deliverance and victory which the found of a going on the tops of them was made a fignal of tó Ifrael's king, from, and over his and Ifrael's enemies, 2 Sam. v. 23, 24.

A

If I were to hear fuch a going at prefent on the tops of thofe trees, how would it alarm me! but David being forewarned of the fign, no doubt fuch a found greatly rejoiced his heart, added fwiftnefs to his feet, and strength to his arms, in pursuit of, and fighting with the Philiftines. Ought not then the call of him who is the Lord of hosts to us, to arife and fight against his and our enemies, and his promises of fupport and victory, to encourage our hearts, and strengthen our hands while we fight the fpiritual combat against these worfe than Philistines, fin, Satan, and the flesh.

The woods now clothed in green, are filled with harmony, love, and care: while fome of the feathered people diftend their variegated throats in graceful vibrations, finging their artlefs tales of love to the gay charmers which they eye with defire on