venant people, carried by angels, and flying above you, away to meet the Lord in the air, with a shining glory on them?

Lastly, How will ye brook your last sight of them, when they having in the first place received their welcome to their kingdom from the Judge on the throne, ye shall get your sentence to depart from him into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; and so must turn your backs, and make away to your place, they being then the spectators of your begun misery, and your beloved world being set on fire?

Think on these things in time, and whatever ye are, or have been, know that you are allowed free access into the covenant; and therefore enter into it sincerely. Go alone by ycurselves, think on your lost state by nature, examine yourselves as to your liking of the covenant, and if you find your heart pleased with it, go to your knees, and solemnly declare before God, you accepting and entering into it, taking Christ in all his offices, and God in Christ for your God and portion for ever. And so be persuaded, that on this your gathering to Christ in the bond of his covenant now, depends your being gathered to him in glory at the last day.

THE SAINT'S LIFETIME IN THIS WORLD A NIGHT-TIME; THEIR EXPECTATION OF THE DAY'S BREAKING IN THE OTHER World, AND THE SHADOWS FLEEING AWAY; AND THEIR GREAT CON. CERN FOR CHRIST'S PRESENCE TILL THAT HAPPY SEASON COME.

The substance of several Sermons preached at Ettrick, in the year 1730.

SONG ii. 17.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away; turn, my Beloved, and be thou like a roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

In these words you have the breathing of a gracious soul, with respect to the time that may pass in this world, before one comes to enter into the other world; it is to have his countenance and the communications of his grace by the way, until they come there, where there will be nothing to intercept it. And it would be a good sign of meeting with a kindly reception from Christ into that world at last, that we were now saying from the heart, "Until the day break, and the shadows flee away; turn, my Beloved, and be

thou like a roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether." Where observe,

1. The connection of these words with the preceding verse, whereby they appear to be the breathing of a soul really married to Christ, having a sense of the marriage bond, and not ashamed of it, but resolutely owning it. "My Beloved is mine, and I am his.— Until the day break, and the shadows flee away; turn, my Beloved," &c. The spouse of Christ looks on herself as one that is married to a husband whom she dearly loves, but is not yet ready to take her home; she desires therefore, that until the time come of his taking her home, he will not be a stranger to her, but give her the comfort of his presence with her, that the present situation will allow; thereby intimating, that she is not to look for the comfort of her life from any other, but him, whether he be absent from her or present with her.

2. The words themselves: in which consider,

1st, The happy term that Christ's spouse lives in expectation of, which is expressed by two things, the latter consequential on the former, the "breaking of the day," and the "fleeing away of the shadows." By the day here is meant the day of eternity, that will break in the other world, in the light of glory arising to those that are married to Christ here. That is the or that day by way of eminency, 2 Tim. i. 18. This implies two things.

(1.) That she looked on her lifetime in this world as a nighttime; else why should she have expected the day breaking? and that in that night-time there were many shadows, darkening things to her, and allowing her but obscure views of them; else why should she expect their fleeing away? as one travelling by night, in a mountainous or woody country, if the night were never so clear, it is no wise comparable to broad daylight; and besides there are many dark and gloomy steps caused by the shadows that the hills and woods cast; which though they amount not to a total darkness, yet the light by their means is but a very faint one. Such is the believer's travelling through this to the other world.

(2.) That she believed and expected, that that night would not last, and that the shadows would vanish at length. She looks for the breaking, Heb. blowing of the day, because however dead a calm there may be through the night, ordinarily at break of day a gale of wind rises; and that break or blowing of the day will quickly chase away all the shadows, that they shall not be to be seen more. That blowing will be of the Spirit of Christ, in a full communication of influences to the believer, at the day's breaking to him in the other world; whereby all the shadows now intercepting the light from him, will in a moment evanish.

2dly, The great thing her soul desires, and she breathes after, till that happy term come. It is communion with Christ her Lord and Husband, in such sort and measure as the state of this life by divine regulation will allow. She is not for turning back to, and solacing herself with her former lovers, till her Husband take her home; no, being married to him, her eyes are shut now on all others, and they are towards him alone. Turn, my Beloved, and be thou like a the mountains of Bether." It consists

roe, or a young hart upon

of two parts.

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(1.) A desire of his countenance towards her, "Turn, my Beloved," &c. Heb. "Come round about it." It intimates, [1.] His turning his back on her, shewing some sign of dipleasure with her; the frequent lot of God's children in this world. [2.] That even in that case her heart was upon him as her beloved, and her eyes going after him, that she would have him turn his face. [3.] That she would fain have his countenance again when lost: q. d. Turn about to me, that I may behold thee with joy. (2.) A desire of nearness to him, and the "Be thou like a roe, or a young heart," &c. She lays not the stress of the speedy meeting on her motion to him; but as of free grace, on his motion to her; by his grace coming over mountains betwixt them, and that speedily; even as a roe comes to its mate, or a young hart to its dam, upon the mountains of Bether, 2 Sam. ii. 29. The word signifies a half part.

embraces of his love: Come to me speedily.

From the text thus explained, may be deduced the three following points of doctrine, viz.

DocT. I. A soul once truly married to Christ, will from thenceforth look on the lifetime in this world, as a night-time, a shadowy one, as indeed it is.

DocT. II. To those that are truly married to Christ, the day will break in the other world, and the shadows flee away; and they should live in the constant expectation of it.

DocT. III. It will be the great concern of those married to Christ during their night-journey in this world, that he may turn and come to them, till the day-breaking and the shadows fleeing away, they get to him in the other world.

I shall speak to each of these in order.

DocT I. A soul once truly married to Christ, will from thenceforth look on the lifetime in this world, as a night-time, a shadowy one, as indeed it is.

In touching a little on this doctrine, I shall,

I. Shew in what respect the saint's lifetime in this world is a night-time.

II. How the soul once married to Christ comes to look on its lifetime in this world as a night-time.

III. On what grounds such a soul justly looks on it as a nighttime, a shadowy one.

IV. Improve the point.

I. In what respect the saint's lifetime in this world is a nighttime. To clear this, consider,

1. The life of a child of God in this world, from the moment of the marriage with Christ, is a day-time, in comparison with the time he lived in his natural state, 1 Thess. v. 5. Therefore says the apostle, Eph. v. 8. " Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord." While they are in their natural state, they are in midnight darkness, it is black and dark night with them. But being united to Christ, the night of their natural state is at an end, and the day of grace is come with them. And this is such a day, as will never be succeeded by another night.

2. But in comparison with his state in the other world, it is but a night-time. When he enters there, a day of glory shall break to him, that will so far surpass all he has seen, that he shall be made to think, he never saw day before, Rom. xiii. 12. The natural man is in black and dark night, and the saints in this world are in a cloudy moon-light night; only the saints in the other world are in broad day-light, Col. i. 12.

II. We shall consider how the soul once married to Christ comes to look on its lifetime in this world as a night-time. There are four things concur to it.

1. They then have some new and precious light, however faint, that they had not before. They can say with the blind man cured by Christ, John ix. 25. " One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." They see that in sin, Christ, and in the other world, that they did not before perceive. Strangers to Christ are like blind men, to whom the night and the day are alike; but being once married to Christ they are like him who said, "I see men as trees walking," Mark viii. 24. They see, but find they do not see clearly, and so conclude, that it is night with them. 2. Being once married to Christ indeed, the sun of the world sets upon them. The world's love to them is turned to hatred, it conceives an antipathy against them, John xv. 19. And looks as when the darkness of the night follows the lightsome day, and sits down on the beautiful cities, the green hills, the pleasant meadows and gardens, all these lose their lustre and beauty, and become black and gloomy;

so when once a soul is married to Christ, the world loseth its former beauty to the man; it is quite another thing in his eyes than it was before; the vain world is turned out of its gaudy day-dress, into its night-dress, where its former beautiful appearance is gone, Gal. ix. 14.-"The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. "

3. Yet the son of righteousness is still hid to their eye sight, however he lets out some rays of light to them, and they discern him by faith, 1 Pet. i. 8. In some northern parts belonging to this kingdom, the body of the sun, about this time of the year, does indeed go out of their sight about the middle of the night; yet still certain rays appear all along; so it is with the believer. Therefore he must look on it it as night; though it is but a short one. That Jesus to whom they are joined in spiritual marriage, is gone to heaven, and there he abides hid from their eyes, though manifest to their faith, Cant. iv. 6. As Jacob married to Leah, got not a broad view of her till the morning; so the believing soul married to Christ, will not get a broad view of its Husband, till the day of eternity break.

4. Lastly, The beauty of the light let into them natively causes a longing for the perfection of it, Phil. iii. 13, 14. As one with a dim light discerning a beautiful object, presently calls for a clear light whereby to discern it fully; so the soul that has seen as much of Christ's excellency; as to engage the heart to him, longs for a full sight of his glory; and while the light will not serve that purpose, it natively concludes, that it is night still.

III. I shall next shew on what grounds they justly look on it as a night-time, a shadowy one.

1. They justly look on it as a night-time. For,

(1.) It is a time of much darkness with them, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. darkness of ignorance, and of uncomfortableness. However vain men may pride themselves in the knowledge they have reached, puffed up therewith as empty bladders; serious Christians will still be bewailing their ignorance and weakness in the divine mysteries, Psal. lxxiii. 22. Prov. xxx. 2, 3. And however lightsome a life the native vanity of mind may make some; it is not possible, but the imperfections, infirmities, and struggles attending the Christian life here, must make much uncomfortableness in it, Psal. xcvii. 11. How then can they but count it night?

(2.) It is a time, wherein the wild beasts are got out of their dens ranging about, Psal. civ. 20, 21. In the darkness of this life, what howling and yelling of the infernal crew, the devils and wicked men acted by them, do reach the Christian's ears and make his heart to shiver? So that to travel through the world is often as unpleasant, as through an howling wilderness in the night. And not only so,