have seen what plentiful harvests followed a mild dropping season, so that it might be said without a figure "the clouds drop fatness." And you may see the influence of the holy Spirit equally fruitful in his province. Look into the early ages of the Christian church, and you will see how he blessed and enriched the first converts from heathenism; they put forth every blos som that is fair and fragrant, and were fruitful also in every good word and work: they had been like barren trees in a wilderness, without leaves, or blossom, or fruit, but so soon as they were transplanted into the church, they began to flourish abundantly, and watered with the continual streams of divine grace they brought forth fruit unto eternal life. And thus the wilderness was turned into a standing water, and the dry ground into water-springs; verse 36. "and there he maketh "the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city "for habitation." And in this fruitful soil he placeth the hungry. They wander no more as they did in the wilderness, they are no more lost and ready to perish ; but they here find an abiding city, and are securely settled within the pale of the church. And they sow "their lands," verse 37. Our blessed Lord has explained these words. The seed he says is the word— sowing the seed in the lands is sowing the word in the hearts of the hearers. And this was the office of the apostles, and of the succeeding ministers of the gospel. Indeed the apostles were most eminent and blessed in this great work for they carried the good seed into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world. They converted whole provinces and kingdoms to the faith, and they went on sowing the word without ceasing, until they had planted it in every wilderness upon the face of the earth, and had there watered it with the dew of heaven. O that our Almighty Lord would raise up in this our day an army of apostolical ministers, who, like their predecessors, have the good seed sown abundantly in their own hearts, and are therefore best able to sow it in the hearts of others! and by the

success of such men in sowing their lands may many "vineyards be planted." A vineyard is in scripture the established emblem of the church, where the true vine grows and flourishes. The psalmist and the wise king apply it in this sense, and the prophet Isaiah puts it beyond doubt in the 5th chapter, where, explaining the parable of the vineyard, he says, "the "vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel." And our blessed Saviour makes this application of the same parable; indeed the Jews themselves make it: for when he asked them what he should do to those husbandmen, who had injured some, and slain others of the servants of the Lord of the vineyard, and at last murdered his own son, they reply, "He will miserably

destroy these wicked men, and will let out his vine"yard unto other husbandmen." Accordingly he let it out to us. When he destroyed the wicked men of the Jewish church, he then let out his vineyard to us Gentiles. The apostles came and planted churches among us, and the almighty arm of our God has thus far protected them. O may his grace and favour continue, that we, "may bring forth fruits of increase," as the churches first brought out of the wilderness did. They brought forth all the fair blossoms of an holy life; and they were not like some early buds, which are apt to be cut off by cold winds and sharp frosts, but they had grace to withstand the severest storms of temptation, and both to set and to ripen their fruitfruit of increase-growing still in grace-increasing from one degree to another-and persevering, until they reaped the crown of eternal glory. And thus the last part of the beautiful image in the text was completed-He blessed them so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffereth not the cattle to decrease. By the particular blessing of the almighty God and Saviour they multiplied greatly, the Lord adding to the church daily such as should be saved. His grace went out along with the first preachers of the gospel, as he still does with all his faithful ministers, and he gave them a

fortitude, which no danger could intimidate, and a power of utterance, which the adversary could not withstand. Insomuch, that when the poor fishermen had been toiling all the night, and had taken nothing, yet when the Lord gave the word, and accompanied it with his blessing, they inclosed a great number of fishes, even enough to fill both the ships, both the ark of the Jewish, and the ark of the Gentile church. Then was his promise fulfilled, "I will make you fishers of men:" for they caught thousands at once. The first time they let down the net, they took three thousand, and the second time five thousand. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. And though this be a day of small things; yet the Lord's hand is not shortened. He can still bless us, and make us multiply exceedingly. We see some happy instances of it sufficient to convince us, that if we had more apostolical ministers, who had a single eye to the glory of their adorable master, and were inflamed with a fervent love to the souls of men, he would still bless our labours abundantly. O almighty Jesus, we are here waiting for thy blessing, now bless us; and since thou hast promised, that the very cattle of thy household the church should not decrease, enable us Lord so to increase, that every part of this scripture may be fulfilled to day in this whole congregation. And may his divine grace influence all your hearts, while I am endeavouring to speak unto them under the

Second general head, Which was to apply what has been said.

The words contain a new argument for thankfulness, taken from the loving kindness of our most gracious Redeemer, who found us in the dry barren deserts of heathenism, blind in ignorance, sunk in vice, and yet wretched as we were, his mercy was moved at the sight of our misery, and his grace flew to our relief. When the Jewish church rejected him, and persecuted his apostles and followers, then he sent the Romans to destroy it. Upon which we were taken into his love and

favour-we poor heathens, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death-we were admitted into his churchwatered with his grace-enriched with his blessingsand protected by his almighty arm unto this very day. And ought we not to be thankful for such inestimable and eternal mercies? Should we not speak forth the praises of this most loving Redeemer, and endeavour to inspire all the world with gratitude to him? Certainly this is a duty most right and equitable, and therefore I will make some short remarks upon the distinct parts of it in the order they are placed in the text. And

First, The holy Spirit here teaches us what a situation we were in before God turned away the streams of his grace from the Jewish church, and directed them to us. We were in a barren wilderness-barren of every thing spiritual and divine. Although the heathens flourished in arts and sciences, were polite and classical, although they could form the accomplished gentleman, and finish the character of the good moral man, although they had excellent systems of ethics, and knew all the moral and civil virtues, yet if the word of God be true, they were in a wilderness. The most refined classical scholars with all their knowledge were in a vast desert; for they knew not Jesus Christ. And without him the most polished genius is no nearer salvation, than the most barbarous savage; because without him they neither know the way to heaven, nor if known can they take one step in it. There was a total ignorance among them concerning the divine nature, and concerning the atonement for sin. And our ancestors in this island were sunk as low in ignorance and vice as any of the heathens. They were in a wilderness, where no saving truth grew; but superstition and idolatry flourished. That we are not still in this situation, is entirely owing to the free mercy of our blessed Redeemer, who sent the streams of his grace into our barren hearts. This is the

Second point remarkable in the text. The Psalmist

says, he sent waters into the wilderness to change its nature, i. e. he sent his grace into our hearts to change their nature, to shew them their dead and barren state, to make them sensible of it, distressed under it, and then cry to him for deliverance. And when grace has thus far disposed the heart aright, and it can pray for more grace, then will our Lord enrich it with abundant streams: for he is always disposed to give in the measure we are disposed to receive; and if we hunger and thirst for much, he has promised that we shall be filled. There is no doctrine of Christianity more opposed than this, nor any at present more ridiculed. And until men desire to have their barren hearts changed, it must sound strange to them, to talk of the necessity of doing, what they have no desire to do. They have found nothing of this barrenness in their own souls, they do not believe what we say of it, and therefore it appears to them like talking of a sixth sense. But the more

insensible they are, the greater is their danger. And if there be any of you in this state, thus dozing and sleeping away your lives in carnal security, be assured that you are yet in the wilderness, and the less you see it, the more barren you are. If you see not your hearts covered with sin and desolation, Oh! what blindness, what infatuation has seized you! for until you see your natural barrenness, you will find no want of grace to amend and enrich the soil, and without grace nothing can grow. It is equally necessary towards changing and reforming the soul, as water is to change and reform the desolate wilderness. And as in its hot dry sand no vegetable can grow without moisture, so in your barren hearts no good thing can grow without the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: "for without "me, says he, ye can do nothing." And therefore, my brethren, if you refuse to believe this doctrine, you must act against the evidence of your senses. And it will greatly increase your condemnation, that the scriptures have set in so clear a light the necessity of grace, and yet you would not be convinced, but would still