for ever, and yet would be playing these away at cards and dice, or trifling them away in jests and diverfions, tippling and idlenefs, and never once minding the faving of his foul! And yet how many of all ranks may I apply to, and fay, "Thou art the man!"

Infer. 5. If gofpel-feafons be the fummer and harveft for our fouls, it must be our unquestionable duty and intereft to improve them with the greatest care, by complying with the Spirit's motions, and the gofpel-offers, by clofing with Christ, and " giving all diligence to make our calling and election fure;" for, if the proper feafon for these be loft, the work cannot be done at all. You are all careful to observe the feafons for your fecular profits. The hufbandman his feafon for plowing, fowing, and reaping; the merchant his time for attending fairs and markets; the mariner his time when the wind is fair for failing. And ought not you much more to be obfervant of your fummer and harvest feafons of grace? Remember and believe it, O trifler, the time is at hand, when you will be put to cry, "O for one of thofe fummer-days again! O for one of thofe fabbaths or communion-feafons, wherein I had the offers of a crucified Chrift! O how would I prize it; but alas! a thousand worlds, had I them to give, cannot recal one of them to me." It was a vain with of that poor woman when dying, O call time again, call time again. No, no, a fummer-day or a harvestday cannot be recalled; therefore be wife to spend them with fear and care, while you enjoy them.

May the Lord bless gospel-feasons to us. Amen.

Of

Of a Public Spirit.

SERMON II.

On Jer viii. 21.

For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, &c.

THE doctrine which now falls to be handled, is,

Doct. II. That every gracious fpirit is a public fpirit, and will lay to heart the calamitous cafe of the church or country of which he is a member.

So did Jeremiah here, and in feveral other parts of his writings, as in Jer. ix. 1. Jer. xiii. 17. and in his book of Lamentations: Such public-fpirited perfons alfo were Mofes, Samuel, David, Ifaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Paul, and other fcripture-faints.

The method of handling this doctrine may be,

I. To enquire into the nature and evidences of a truly public fpirit.

II. To fhew the reafonablenefs and neceffity of a public fpirit.

III. Make application.

I. As to the firft, to wit, the nature of this public fpirit which is in gracious perfons, especially as it is evidenced by their holy zeal, and concern for the church under diftrefs; it doth imply feveral things:

1. A fincere love to Chrift, and concern for his glory, which prompts us to prefer the things of Chrift to our own things. If we love not Chrift the head, we cannot have a true love to his body and church, nor a concern for its welfare. It is this love that makes gracious fouls" prefer Jerufalem above their chief joy," Pfal, cxxxvii. 6.

VOL. III.

C

2.

2. There is in it, a fympathy and fellow-feeling with the church in diftrefs, as being members of the fame body. We fee every living member of the body feels the injuries which are done to it, or to any of its fellow-members, and is ready to act for their relief: So the eyes and hands are ready to help the leg or foot when hurt, as feeling the fmart of it. In like manner the members of Chrift's body-myftical have a fellowfeeling together, and are ready to act for the relief of

each other in distress.

3. It imports not only a deep concern and forrow for the church in trouble, but alfo a difpofition to exprefs and evidence this concern, by using all the means in our power to help and relieve her; fuch as fafting, mourning, and weeping, for all the fins, whether of ourfelves or others, which draw down wrath and calamities upon the church; and wrestling with God by earnest prayer for her relief, looking to Chrift and his blood for pardoning and removing thofe fins which have raifed the ftorm againft her. Thus did Nehemiah, Daniel, Ezra, David, Jeremiah, and others.

II. The 2d head, is to fhew the reasonableness and neceffity of this public fpirit, and zealous concern for the church in diftrefs. Now this will appear from feveral grounds and confiderations; fuch as,

1. The near relation to, and intereft which Christ hath in his church. The church is his building, his houfhold, his peculiar treafure, his jewels, and dear purchafe; yea, fhe is Chrift's body, of which he is the Head. Now, if you have any love to Chrift himself, you cannot be unconcerned for the church, which is fo nearly related to him, when she is in trouble. If you love the Head, you cannot but love the body alfo. Again, as Chrift's relation to the church is near, so his love to her is proportionable; he compares his love to that of a tender mother's to her fucking child, which the cannot forget: and therefore "he engraves Zion upon the palms of his hands, and hath her walis continually before him," If. xlix. 15, 16. In that expreflion, he alludes to the practice of the Jews in fhewing their concern for Jerufalem in ruins, during the Babylonith captivity: They

engraved

engraved the effigies of Jerufalem upon their rings, to keep her in perpetual remembrance: In like manner, faith the Lord, I have the church engraven upon the palms of my hands, fo that I can never open my hand to beftow a bleffing upon any, but the church's cafe prefents to my eye. Now, if God fo loves the church, and is concerned for her welfare, it becomes us alfo to be concerned and Aff:cted for her.

2. This affectionate concern is reasonable and neceffary, because it is your intereft. Every one of you is nearly connected with that of the church, as being menbers of the fame mystical body, who must fuffer one with another; fo that in feeking the public good of the church, you confult your own private interest alfo; for your own profperity is bound up in her welfare. You are like paffengers in a fhip that have your perfons and all your effects along with you there; so that, if the hip be profperous, you are well, but if the fink, you lofe all. Your precious fouls in particular muft fuffer when the church doth fuffer: They cannot but be reduced to a melancholy fituation, when the church is diftreffed with fpititual judgments; fuch as the plague of dry breafts, and the withdrawing of the Spirit of God from ordinances. If the mother be fickly, the fuckling child muft languifh.

3. To be public-fpirited makes a man a public bleffing, and an inftrument of much good to others, which is a man's greatest honour. This would make you refemble your heavenly Father, who doth good to all, by making his fun to rife and his rain to fall upon them. And alfo like your Saviour, who was a public bieffing, while on earth, for he ftill "went about doing good," Acts x 38 And like Abraham, who was a "blefling to the nations," Gen. xii. 2. Job was a man of a noble public fpirit, upon which account he was had in the greateft love and efteem, refpect and reverence, by all ranks; when the ear heard him, or the eye faw him, they bleffed him; why? because (faith he)" I delivered the poor that cried, I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame," &c. Job xxix. 11, 12, &c.

4. Because God's glory fuffers when the church fuffers, "for Z.on is the feat of his glory," Pf. lxxvi. 1, 2.

It is the church that doth difplay and fhew it forth. God's revenue of honour and praise in the world would come to little, if God had not a church therein to pay him his rent; hence he calls his church "the branch of my planting, the work of my hands that I may be glorified,” If. lx. 21. The rest of the world embezzle their talents, but God's church and people improve theirs for God's glory. Now when thefe are fuppreffed and funk, they are difabled for fhewing forth his glory. Nay, then the enemy is ready to infult them, and to reproach both them and their God. Hence king Hezekiah called the time of Jerufalem's diftrefs, "a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blafphemy, Ifa. xxxvii. 3.

5. Because God is highly pleafed with a public fpirit, and with thofe who interpofe for his church in trouble; he reprefents himfelf in fcripture as feeking carefully for thofe to put marks of honour and refpect upon them, Jer. v. 1. Ezek. xxii. 30. Alfo we fee what fingular honour God put upon Mofes and Phineas upon that account, Exod. xxxii. 11, 14. Numb. xxv. 10. 11. Pfal. cvi. 23, 30, 31. Alfo he promises profperity to all fuch, and familiarity with himself, Pfal. exxii. 6. Ifa. xlv. II.

6. Because, on the other hand, God is much difpleafed with those who are unconcerned about his church when in distress, yea, he denounces a woe against them who are at ease in Zion, and are not grieved for the affliction of Jofeph," Amos vi. 1. 6. And we see what wrath was threatened against Esther, if she should be eafy or filent when the church was in danger, Esth. iv. 14. "For if thou altogether hold thy peace at this time, then fhall enlargement and deliverance arife to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's houfe fhall be destroyed."

THE APPLICATION.

Infer. 1. If God be well pleafed with thofe who are fenfibly affected with the church's cafe when in diftress, how flaming muft his wrath be against those who are the inftruments,