O Hefbbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy fummer-fruits, and for thy harvest, is fallen. Chap. xvii. 11. In the day fhalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy feed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief, and of defperate forrow. And as we hear from the word, fo we fee it with our eyes at this day.

Object. But thefe things fall out of courfe; and there have been bad feasons before this, and will be after. Anf. There has fo; but I know no body who pretends to have seen fuch a long and fore courfe of it at once. Howbeit God has the management of all, and known to him are all things from the beginning; and he has fo ordered the course of nature, as to serve the purpofe of fulfilling his word thereby: fo that wind and rain are all let out by his order for that end, Job xxxvii. 12. 13.

Lastly, It is the taking away from finners that which they have used to the difhonour of God; and who fees not that to be moft juft? The corn is the Lord's ; it is given to the children of men, that they may be thereby ftrengthened to ferve the Giver; and instead of that they ferve their lufts with it.

USE. Let this ferve,.

1. To convince us of our abuse of former mercies, being the cause of this heavy ftroke in the case of the harvest. There have been good years; but what wonder the Lord return, confidering the unfruitfulnefs under the gofpel, abufe of God's good creatures, carnality and worldlinefs, &c.?

2. To humble us, as a people against whom the Lord is thus teftifying his difpleasure, as against abufers of his goodness.

He

3. To put us to justify God, and not to fret. is juft in all that he has done; for we have finned. Laftly, To ftir us up to repentance, to turn to a finiting God; that we be not as those who refuse correction.

DOCT.

DocT. III. God may have a defign of love in taking away his corn from a finful people, and depriving them. of fuch neceffary mercies and comforts of life.

1. In the general, that defign is to cause them to return to the Lord the firft Hufband. When the Lord was to bring back Ifrael to himfelf from her adulterous departures, fhe is ftraitened in her provifions, Hof. iii. 2. 3. The straits which the prodigal met with abroad, occafioned his coming home, Luke And this ftroke is a call to us to return to our

XV.

God.

2. More particularly, we may conceive that defign to be,

(1.) To teach finners dependence on God in their affairs of life, Pfal. cxxvii. 1. Except the Lord build the houfe, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Men may plough, and fow, and be at all pains, and yet not be fecure of the crop for God can make the harveft a heap. Therefore learn that it is the Lord, and not your wit and industry, that` gives power to get wealth.

(2.) To cut off from them fewel for their lufts, Hof. ii. 6. I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that he shall not find her paths. Abundance has been a fnare to many. And the best have fo little skill to guide wealth, that it is God's goodness to many, they are held fhort by the head. We are

often with the comforts of the world, like a child playing himself with a knife: he weeps as herried, when it is taken away; but it is the father's kindnefs to the child, that he will not let him keep it.

3. To bring them to be more about the throne of grace by prayer, and to live more by faith. When the ftreams run full, and there is wealth in the cifterns, we are apt to forget the fountain: fo God dries up the streams, gives one ciftern a crack after another, and it runs out, and then the foul comes away to God for all, Zeph. iii. 12. I will leave in

the

the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they fball truft in the name of the Lord. 1 Tim. v. 5. Są their fouls profper, though the world profpers not with them; while the profperity of others deftroys their fouls.

4. To enrich them another way, Rom. v. 3. 4. 5. Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not afbamed. The wildernefs-lot is oft-times the moft profitable part of the Chriftian's lot in the world. The most pathetic moving pfalms of David were penned on fuch occafions. The wilderness is often God's clofet, which he takes his people into, Hof. ii. 14. I will allure her, and bring her into the wildernefs, and fpeak comfortably unto her, or to her heart. And fome fharp trial is the fignal given them to come into the clofet. The Lord brings them into ftraits, that he may have occafion to fhew them his love in seasonable reliefs, and that he may entertain them with the fweet of the promises framed for their lot.

USE. 1. Entertain kindly thoughts of the difpenfations of this day, in the Lord's fo far taking away the corn. The patient believes that the physician, in opening a vein and taking away fo much blood, and in administering a bitter potion of phyfic to him, has no ill defign on him: the toward child believes. the father means no ill, but good to him, in correcting him. Why fhould we entertain harsh thoughts of God, in his taking away outward comforts of life? Surely he fees need for it. Without these kindly thoughts of the divine providence, there is no good of the trial.

2. Comply with the kind defign of providence. Learn dependence on God, mortify your lufts, live by faith, and fee to make fpiritual advantage of the difpenfation. Return to God who fmiteth, and humble yourselves under his mighty hand: and if

ye be lofers one way, ye will be fure to be gainers

another.

Lastly, Rejoice in the Lord, when the creatures fail. This was Habakkuk's exércife, and it ought to be yours, chap. iii. 17. 18. Although the fig-tree fball not bloffom, neither fball fruit be in the vines: the labour of the olive fball fail, and the fields fball yield no meat, the flock fball be cut off from the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the falls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

I will take away in the time thereof—in the season thereof.

DocT. God often fees it meet to take away temporal mercies, juft when they are brought to the point of enjoyment. As if one thould caufe the bread to fall out of one's hand, when he is just putting it in his mouth. Remarkable to this purpose is Hof. ix. 2. The floor and the wine-prefs fball not feed them, and the new wine fhall fail in her. Thus has he done in our cafe. He does it,

Reaf. 1. To make the trial ftrike the more home, Job xx. 22. In the fulness of his fufficiency, he fhall be in ftraits. The higher mens hopes are lifted up, the more piercing is the difappointment. Secure finners need a fharp awakening, and God points afflictions this way, that they may be the more roufing. The more the mercy is ripened, the lofs is the forer, and the trial the greater.

2. To teach us that we are always in his reverence, and all we have is at all times in his hand, Hof. ix. 11. 12. As for Ephraim, their glory fhall fly away like a bird; from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception. Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them that there fhall not be a man left: yea, wo alfo unto them when I depart from them. What we have we can sometimes put

out

out of the reach of men our enemies: but nothing we have can we put out of God's reach. Therefore there is as much need of dependence on God, for the corn when it comes to the hook, as when it is fown at first.

3. To punish mens carnal confidence upon fair appearances. When the creature blooms fair, men promise themselves mighty things on the head of it, without dependence on God: and then a jealous God ftrikes it down therefore in his wrath, Luke xii. 20. Thou fool, faid God unto the rich man, this night thy foul fhall be required of thee; then whofe fball thofe things be which thou haft provided? This is applicable to the affair of the blafted crop. It may bud and blossom fair whose fruit may be blafted, Hof. viii. 7. They have fown the wind, and they fball reap the whirlwind: it hath no ftalk: the bud fball yield no meal: if fo be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

Lastly, There may be fome new provocation, between the first appearance and bringing of the mercy to perfection, which may procure a turn of the wheel of providence. Hence faid the Lord to Eli, 1 Sam. ii. 30. I faid indeed, that thy house, and the house of thy father fhould walk before me for ever: but now the Lord faith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me, I will honour, and they that defpife me, shall be lightly esteemed. O how often do we by our miscarriages ftop the courfe of our mercies! Things go favourably a while: but when men forget God, and forget themselves, God is provoked to give a backward caft.

USE. 1. See here the uncertainty of all temporal things. One is never sure of them; there is not one ftage of all the way they come to us, but they may fall in it, and never rife again, Hof. ix. 11. forecited. In the bud, bloffom, and fruit too, they are liable to blasting. When they are at their full, they may suddenly suffer an eclipse.