It is an old proverb, The well is never missed till it go dry: The Jews made but light of their privileges and Mosaical ordinances when in their own land; but, after they were carried captive to Babylon, sensible of the value of these, how did they mourn for their loss! In like manner should we, if deprived of the blessed ordinances of the gospel.

Strange, then, that we should now esteem them so little, and prove so barren under them! Much need have we to pray that the Lord would accomplish that promise to us, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, "and floods upon the dry ground: I will

pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my

blessing upon thine offspring: and they "shall spring up as among the grass, as wil"lows by the water courses," Isaiah xliv. 3, 4.

1

As willows delight to grow by the cour ses of water, so ought we to delight to grow up by the refreshing and healing ordinances of the everlasting gospel. Seeing that the Lord hath planted us in a fruitful field in this land by great waters, even by, and un

der the ordinances of the ever-blessed gospel, (which are more refreshing to the people of the Lord, than waters are to a thirsty land) and set us as a willow tree; we ought to prove fruitful as a vine, in holiness and good works; being humble before him, and turning our branches of thankfulness and love towards him who hath thus planted us, and bestowed upon us in this island, such great privileges, whereas, if we misimprove them, and bend our roots, and shoot forth our branches towards sin and Satan to his dishonour, and find more pleasure in the ways of sin than in holiness, seeking satisfaction and happiness mainly in the enjoyments of carnal things; we may justly be afraid, that, though we have thus been planted in a good soil by great waters, even those ordinances of the gospel, for the purpose of bringing forth the fruits of holiness; he will pull up our roots, that they shall wither, and blast all the leaves of our spring; and the Lord, for ought we know, may do this without the power of a foreign enemy or people, to deprive us of those inestimable privileges, even by insensible decays *.

* See the ground of all this applied rather differently by the Prophet, Ezek. xvii. 5.-10.

And have we not reason to fear that this may prove the case with us in this land, and that we are already begun to wither? Where are now the visible tokens of God's favour; the power of the word, and the heart meltings under sermons which used to be seen and felt in the days of our forefathers?

When the shadows wax long, as the pious Gray observes, is it not a sign that the day is hastening to an end, and the night fast approaching? And is it not lamentable to observe, that the shadows of religion are more delighted in by many than the substance thereof? and hath not church-discipline of late years been more in shadow than in substance, and growing still more and more so? All which call loudly in the ears of church members, to sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof, Ezek. ix. 4.

May I be among this happy number of Zion mourners, so that I may have a mark set upon my forehead, which may distinguish me for safety in the day of destruction.

Willows are very pliable, easily twisted whatever way their owner chooses; so ought mortal men to be to their Creator.-Is it his will that we should be in prosperity and affluent circumstances? let us therein be humble, and rejoice with thanksgiving, joining trembling with our mirth, according to that beautiful direction of the royal Psalmist, Psalm ii. 11.

On the other hand, are we afflicted and poor? let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, with a cheerful resignation to the divine will, (not with a forced submission), saying, with the man of exemplary patience, when he was stripped of all his wealth and children, " Naked came I "out of my mother's womb, and naked shall " I return thither; the Lord gave, and the "Lord hath taken away; blessed be the "name of the Lord." "What? shall we "receive good at the hand of God, and shall "" we not receive evil?" Job i. 21. and ii. 10. and with the prophet, "Wherefore doth " a living man complain, a man for the pu"nishment of his sins?" Lam. iii. 39.

dant

On this rising ground stands the ever veryew, exposed to the northern blast; the ancestors of which have no doubt furnished many famous bows to our ancient warriors; but, ever since the invention of gun-powder, it has been but little regarded; nay, for some offensive qualities more imaginary than real, this once esteemed tree is banished the society of those trees planted in gardens and pleasant groves, to places more remote and barren, and here and there only one of this hardy useful race is now to be found.

Such trees are emblematical of the people of the Lord, whose verdure of grace and constancy to the truth still remain, in midst of the sharpest trials to which they are exposed, whether from men or devils.

If at any time, through the weakness of the flesh, and the strength of indwelling sin, they be overcome, (which indeed they often are, for there is no man that liveth here and sinneth not, 1 Kings viii. 46. 2 Chron. vi. 36. Eccl. vii. 20.) like bows made of this elastic wood, they immediately return to that bent from which they had been forced by the law of the members, Rom. vii. 23.