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between the knowledge of a diseased person, and that of a physician; the latter can speak more of the causes, signs, and symptoms of the disease, and more learnedly describe it, but the other feels what he says, and knows the working of the disease in another way than the physician who has only read of it, or heard of it from others. This is the difference of the knowledge between the sincere Christian and the hypocrite; the one speaks knowingly, experimentally, feelingly, truly; the other speaks by rote, dissemblingly, and falsely, pretending to experience which he has not.

O my soul, take heed of contenting and satisfying thyself with a bare notional knowledge, without experimental heart knowledge; it is not that which floats in the head, but that which sinks down and seasons the heart and life that will do thee good; the former a man may carry along with him to hell, yea, the devils have it in a greater measure than the most knowing man. Though bad words may, yea will condemn thee, if not repented of; yet good words, if any such can be, without good actions and good hearts, cannot save thee; yea, thou wilt be guilty of selfcondemnation in justifying what thou dost not labour after. If godliness and a holy life be good, why dost thou not live thus? If not, why dost thou speak thus? Why do not thy heart and tongue agree. Sincerity is the true philosopher's stone; it turns all into gold, and makes weak performances acceptable; hypocrisy turns all into dross.

O my God, grant me heart knowledge as well

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as head knowledge, lest I go to hell with a candle in my hand. Such knowledge may serve to sink me, not to save me. To talk of the way and not walk in it, little profits; to speak of heaven, and not enjoy it, will do me no good. Lord, let me be in substance what I am in show; yea, Lord, make me such as I ought to be in truth.

This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men, Isa. xxix. 13.

They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness, Ezek. xxxiii. 31.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.-But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking, Matt. vi. 5, 7.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, Matt. vii. 21.

The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power, 1 Cor. iv. 20.

XXXV.-UPON BIRDS OBSERVING THEIR SEASONS

OF COMING AND RETURNING.

WHEN I observed the cuckoo, the swallow, and many other sorts of birds, how exactly they obseryed their seasons, both in coming and returning; and all other birds, how exact they were in their building and breeding, and lost not the opportunity, nor neglected the season; it brought to my mind God's complaint against Israel, his own people, and I thought how justly it might be charged against us. "The stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord," Jer. viii. 7. As if he should say, "These silly birds, by a natural instinct, without the use of reason, know the times and seasons of their going and returning; but my people, who have greater helps and advantages, yet take no notice of the seasons of grace, and of the times of their visitation. He complains likewise, "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider," Isa. i. 3: few consider the time of their visitation, or take notice of the footsteps of God's departure. Christ also complains of such as could discern the face of the sky, but could not discern the signs of the times,

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Matt. xvi. 2, 3; as if he should say, Are you so weather-wise that you can foresee the rain, and are you so ignorant of Scripture that you know not the time when the Messiah should come ?" "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not," Matt. xxiii. 37. "When he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes," Luke xix. 41, 42. They had lived under the ministry long, but no change was perceived.

O poor man, how art thou degenerated, even below the fowls of heaven, or the beasts of the earth! Thou wast made a prince over the works of God's hands, and all the terrestrial creatures were subjected to thee, and now art thou sent to the ox and ass to learn of them thy duty; and does their understanding outreach thine? Most men are apt enough to take advantages for the world; they will not neglect seed-time, nor harvest, neither will they omit fair or market which their business may call them to; they suit their business to the season of the year; the mariner observes both the wind and tide. And yet these very persons, whom the world call good managers, are very fools in reference to the soul, and let slip spiritual advantages; they provide not in summer for winter, in the day for the night, nor in this life for that which is to come. Now

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the candle of the Lord shines upon our heads, and through his light we walk through darkness; the secret of the Lord is upon our pavilion, Job xxix. 3, 4: the season of grace is yet continued; the harvest is not quite over; the market-day is not past, and we may lay in provision for the soul; the means of grace are yet afforded us. But how soon winter may approach we know not; how soon the sun of the gospel may set, and night come, we cannot tell," when no man can work-the shadows of the evening are stretched out," John ix. 4; Jer. vi. 4; and the night seems to be approaching, and ere long our day may be over, and never dawn again. It is our wisdom to observe our season, and work while we have the light. The time of our visitation is called a day, for the shortness of it, and yet we are not sure this day shall have twelve hours; many a man's sun sets at noon. God may remove his candlestick from us, as he did from the seven Asian churches; or his dwelling from us, as from Shiloh; and where are we then? "Go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel," Jer. vii. 12. And may not he say thus of England? What assurance have we more than they of God's continued presence, if our sins equal theirs? The abuse of mercies, the contempt of the ordinance, the abuse of his ministers, and the making light of Christ himself, are crying sins, and may well awaken. anxiety.

O my soul, observe the seasons of grace afforded to thee by God; for, whether thou improve them or