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THE PRESENT SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

The reason why the church is thronged with persons undecided, and in doubt as to their interest in the covenant, is because they will not examine themselves faithfully upon those points, lest they should be compelled to give up some darling lust, or sacrifice something which their hearts are wedded to. Therefore, when iniquity abounds, their love to Christ becomes cold. O, that there was but more closet prayer, and watching unto prayer, than there is; then there would not be such halting and doubting as there is among christians. But, alas, this is a day when men like to speculate upon the word of God, and get their heads filled with vain delusions, rather than by a practical use of it to attain to the sanctification of the Spirit. They pray for sanctification; they beg of God to cleanse them from pride, covetousness, and so on; but, through not watching unto prayer, they do not discern the answer when it comes, though perhaps they receive it immediately, And the reason why they do not discern it is obvious; they expect or look for some magical change, forgetting that God ordinarily worketh by means. Therefore, when he, in answer to their prayer, sendeth something to mortify their pride, immediately they are thrown into a perturbed state of mind, declaiming against the person or circumstance which has occasioned their mortification, and, instead of being humbled before God for the hidden corruption of their heart, which the present

trial has brought to light, and thanking him for his fatherly chastisement, they add malice to their pride, by encouraging a spirit of revenge, which is the offspring of pride; so that their hearts become more hardened than ever. And all this follows in consequence of their not watching unto prayer; for if they had watched, they would have perceived that the present mortification was an immediate answer thereto. For Christ having tasted death for every man, knows exactly what kind of treatment the natural disposition of every man requires; for he does nothing by chance : but one would think by the conduct of some professing christians, that all he did was by chance. They talk about trusting in Christ; and, yet, when he chasteneth them for their profit, they fly in his face like demons; and, while they profess him by word of mouth, refuse to walk as he walked. Such men's faith is only the devils' faith-for they believe so far. But the man that hath a living faith in Christ, hath a faith that worketh by love, that purifieth the heart; because it is a faith that layeth hold on him, that feedeth upon him, that layeth hold of his words and keepeth them; a faith that enables a man to cast his all upon him; a faith begotten in him by the operation of the Holy Spirit of adoption; a lively faith that makes Christ the pole-star by which he steers at all times, and under all circumstances; a faith which fully assures him that all the circumstances and trials of his life are according to the everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. And, knowing that Christ has the ordering of, and is the Angel of that covenant, and "is able to present him faultless before the pre

sence of his glory with exceeding joy," he is enabled joyfully to submit to his righteous discipline; and, like the boy who was so cheerful at sea, although the ship was battling with a dreadful tempest, and all the rest on board quaking for fear, when asked what made him so cheerful, replied, "My father's at the helm." So the true christian, whilst the men of the world, and mere formal professors, are trembling for fear, because of the awful aspect of the times, is enabled to rejoice amidst it all, and is filled with a holy confidence at the thought that Christ sits at the helm.

Thus does the man that prays in the spirit, and watches unto prayer, receive joy and comfort, which the worldlings and mere nominal professors know nothing about; for "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom. viii. 14. And none but the children of God can enter into the secret of God; for "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant," Psa. xxv. 14; which "covenant is ordered in all things, and sure," 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.

Now, we know that among men a covenant is binding on both parties, even so is it with the covenant of grace; for as Christ hath bound himself by a covenant to “give eternal life to as many as believe in him," even so is every believer bound to the conditions of that covenant, to "walk, not after the flesh," (that is the carnal delights of the mind,) "but after the Spirit ;"— which Spirit is a spirit of meekness, patience, love, humility, long-suffering, &c. : by which marks a man may soon examine himself, whether

he be in the faith, and ascertain which way he is walking. For if he be in the faith, he must produce those fruits of the Spirit, in a greater or less degree. There can be no bearing of fruit to eternal life, except we be in Christ; "for without me," saith our Lord, John xv. 5, "ye can do nothing." A cold profession of christianity availeth nothing except we put on Christ, and are clothed with his righteousness, all our works, let them be ever so great, are dead works; and all professions of Christ which spring not from a sense of our own corruption, and the all-sufficiency of Christ to save us therefrom, and a thorough hatred to sin, a thirst for holiness, accompanied with a sense of reconciliation with God, through what Christ hath done for us; are but like the prating of a parrot, which, although it may speak like a child, is but a parrot still. And sorry am I to see so much prating in the church, and so little practice; and more sorry still am I to feel so much deficiency in myself, notwithstanding all my spiritual advantages of reading and studying the word of God. Ŏ, that I could feel my soul more alive to him, and more of the love of Christ in my heart, to enable me to be an humble means of stirring up others to stand forth publicly and boldly in the strength of Christ, to combat the horrible delusions which are deluging the land at this present time; and, thank God, he is lifting up the standard of his Spirit against them, and a most fearful struggle appears to be approaching. Therefore it is a time of decision, when all masks are being torn off, when wicked designing men, who have for a long season hid their pernicious principles for policy sake behind some specious

mask, are now throwing off all precaution, and appearing in their true characters, according to the words of Christ, Mat. xiii. from the 40th ver., "So shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

I believe that all commentators are agreed that these are the latter times, that we are drawing nigh to the end of this world, or age, noticed in the text. And if we look at the present signs of the times, I think that nothing can more exactly correspond with the prediction of our Lord in the text, than the present aspect of the times. Do we not see in the gathering together of the papists, the infidels, the sensualists, and the seditious, under their several leaders, the very fulfilment of the text? and are not those several classes cast out into outer darkness the darkness of infidelity? and are they not gnashing their teeth with vexation, because they cannot root out christianity from the earth, and take vengeance on those who propagate it? and do they not weep and wail because they cannot gratify to the fullest extent the abominable propensities of their vitiated minds? and are they not tormented perpetually with the fire of wrath kindled by their own evil passions, and kept alive by the political demagogues of this day, who are gathering them together in bundles? and how long the gathering will go on before the fulness of the iniquity of the Gentiles will be accomplished, I know not; but this I know, that the promise is, that in this