tunities mifimproven, and fo little good has been got and done by you? May you not fay with Jacob to Pharaoh, Gen. xlvii. 9. "Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been?" Do you reckon you have lived no longer than fince you began to live unto God? Is it your grief, that you have lived fo little from him as your principal, and to him as your end, and that you lived fo long without him?

2.

What is the joy of your old-age? If it be a time of love, then as fin will be the grief, fo Chrift will be the joy of your old age, when your joy and comfort in the world is withering and dying. Is your joy in the Lord Jefus beginning to live? They are the true circumcifion, that rejoice in Chrift Jefus." Sorrow for fin, and joy in Chrift the Saviour, are very confiftent, yea, true forrow for fin, cannot be without joy in the Lord; and true joy in the Lord, cannot be without forrow for fin and if this be your forrow and your joy in old-age, it is a time of love.

3. What is the crown of your old-age? Solomon fays, Prov. xvi. 31. "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteoufnefs." Is the righteoufnefs of Chrift your crown? Is his righteoufnefs imputed for your juftification, your crown to cover you be fore God? Is his righteoufnefs of grace imputed for your fanctification, your crown for adorning you, and making you all glorious within, and being the principle of holiness and righteoufnefs of life and converfation before men? Is this the crown of your old-age? And is Chrift himself your crown, as the Lord your righteouf nefs and ftrength?

of

4. What is the ftaff of your old-age? Is the word grace and promife, the faff you lean upon for fupport and comfort in all your tribulations and difficulties: Do you walk and worship with this ftaff: as Jacob worshipped, leaning upon the top of his ftaff, in a common fenfe, Heb. xi. 21.; fo, do you worfhip, leaning on the ftaff of the divine promife. And are you refolved to walk through death with this ftaff, faying, "Though I walk through the valley and fhadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and staff they com

fort

fort me?" Pfalm xxiii. 4. Has God put this ftaff in your hand, and you refolve never to quit with it, but ftill to lean upon his word, and hope in his word? If fo, it is a time of love.

(4.) There is the time of DEATH a-coming; and would you know whether that will be a time of love? Some go to the devil, or his inftruments, to know what death they will die; but if you go to God, and his word, you may know indeed what death you will die, I mean, whether you will die in the favour of God, or if your time of death fhall be a time of love. Would you know what will come of you at death, and how it will fare with you? Whether you will fall in the lap of God's everlafting love, or fall into the fire of his everlafting wrath, when death comes, which may be nigh at hand? Why,

1. A time of love in life will certainly end in a time of love at death; for death cannot feparate from the love of God, once manifefted, Rom. viii. 38. If you be fure then of a time of love now, whether in youth, or riper age, or old age, you may be fure that the time of death will be a time of love alfo; for, "He refts in his love."

2. And more particularly, if Christ be your life now, Col. iii. 3, 4. "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Chrift in God." If to you to live is Chrift, then to die will be gain, Phil. i. 21. Is Chrift the hope of your life, the joy of your life, the ftrength of your life, the glory of your life, the Alpha and Omega of your life? Have you come to him for life? And do you live on him as your life? And do you reckon your life without him, to be but death? Then your time of death will be a time of love.

3. If Chrift be in you by his Spirit, then the time of death will be a time of love: for this is the well of water fpringing up to everlasting life, John iv. 14. "If any man hath not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his." But if you have the Spirit of Chrift, he will abide with you for ever, John xiv. 16. This is the earnest of the inheritance, as he is a fanctifying and comforting Spi

SER. XCIII. rit; a Spirit of prayer and praise; a Spirit of grace and love, a Spirit of faith and of a found mind.

4. Your time of death will be a time of love, if the fting of death be taken away by the Lamb of God, who takes away the fin of the world. Now, is fin taken away in the guilt and rule of it? How fhall I know that, fay you? Why, do you flee to Chrift for pardon of fin, as he is the Lord your righteoufnefs? And do you flee to Christ for victory over fin, as he is the Lord your ftrength? And do you ever win to rejoice in his pardoning grace, having fome peace of confcience in the faith of his atoning blood? And do you ever win to rejoice in his victorious grace, having fome begun victory, and fome hope of full victory over fin? Why then, according to the measure of this freedom from fin, which is the fting of death, fuch may be the meafure of your affurance, that the time of death will be a time of love; and you may fing in the view of it with Paul, "O death! where is thy fting? O grave! where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through Jefus Chrift our Lord," 1 Cor. xv. 55. If you know none of these things in any measure, you then have no ground, as yet, to conclude but that your time of death will be a time of wrath, and a porch to eternal death.

[2.] As to the next thing, viz. the particular trou, bles and trials of your time, by which you may try the time of love: I cannot now infift upon them; I only mention these two at the time.

1. Perhaps your time, at prefent, is a time of fear and perplexity about your STATE, not knowing if it be a ftate of grace; fearing you know nothing of communion with God, or of the power of religion; and you. would understand, if it is poffible that fuch a time may be a time of love, and how it may be known? Why,

(1.) Some of the Lord's people may have communion with God, and experience of the power of godli nefs, and yet not be affured of it, because they have not that measure of it, they would defire to have.-It is communion with God, when you have a dealing

with God, and God with you; when you afk, and he gives; you knock, and he fometimes opens a door of liberty unto you. There is fomewhat of the power of religion, when at times you find your indifpofition for duty, and that you can no more pray than remove a mountain; yet, behold quickly the Lord loofes your bonds, turns your darkness to light, your hard heart to a foft heart; and you pour it out like water; here is the finger of God; and thefe things demonftrate a time. of love, an intereft in God, acquaintance with him, fellowship with him, and the power of his way, though you difcern it not.

(2.) Is thy fear in this matter not a lazy, idle fear, but an active, diligent fear, stirring thee up to be about the Lord's hand, and his way? Some have an idle concern they are eafy though they know not their ftate; they reckon it only the privilege of fome, and attainable by few; and therefore no matter though they have it not. This looks like a total want of the knowledge of God and his way. But does your concern make you diligent? and are you as humble, holy, and circumfpect in your darkness, as others are in their light of affurance? There is hope in Ifrael concerning thee, that thy time is a time of love, notwithstanding thy darkness.

2. Perhaps your time of particular trouble is a time. of heavinefs with refpect to temporal calamities. I fhall fay no more of this at the time, but, to refer you to Pfalm lvii. 1. What is your refuge in a day of calamity? If your time of calamity be a time of love, then fuch will be your exercife. Two things take place in all God's children in times of calamity, if faith be any way exercised; and in none elfe but them.

(1.) They have a refuge, and God only is their refuge; they are obliged to abandon all other refuges; and though they may ufe means, as well as others, yet they have no other refuge but God, that they run to, as Pfalm cxliii. 9. "I flee to thee to hide me;" or, as it is in the Hebrew, I bide me with thee. They have no other refuge but the fecret of God's préfence, and VOL. VI.

+ K

the

the fhadow of his wings they are brought off from all confidence in themfelves, and in the creatures.

(2.) They are humbled to be content with a refuge without a delivery; even though the day of calamity be not over, yet they can rejoice in their refuge, till the day of calamity overpafs. They can rejoice in God, as a promiser, even when he is not yet a performer; and reft on a promife, without a performance; in a refuge, without a delivery.-Try if you know any thing of this, and if your time of trouble has been a time of love.

SERMON

XCIV.

EZE K. xvi. 8.

Now, when I paffed by thee, and looked upon thee, bebold, thy time was a time of love.

[The Fourth Sermon on this Text.]

BETWEEN the time of life and the time of death,

our concern fhould be, that a time of love interveen. Solomon fpeaks of a time to be born, and a time to die, intimating, that there is no time to live, that we can promife upon; and therefore, between our birth and our death, our main care fhould be to have a time of love; for, if death prevent us before we know that, wo will be to us that ever we were born. As fire kindles fire, and one flame lightens another; fo, nothing more reafonably demands love, than love; and no love fo powerfully commands love again, as the love of God: our love cannot but be beft laid out upon one who is fo far before-hand with us, that even, before time, prevented us: he provided for our cure, before ever we had received our wounds; for our healing, before we had contracted our difeafes; for our