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Show journey to Heaven, if a Winter overtakes you as well as others of the people of God ; think it notftrang• becaufe it is no new thin~. That God who hath ordained that as long as the Earth remains, cold and heat,[ummtr and winttr !hall not ceafe, hath alfo ordai,. ned that whiles his Church. remains, Summer and Winter !hall not ceafe there neither. What the Apoftle faith ofhimfelf is true of all the Church, and true of every believing Soul, 1 The[. 3. 3. fpeaking of Ailichons, Y•ur felvu (faith he ) know that we are appoi .. ted thereto, therefore he would have no man moved by his af· f!Wi.ns. The Winter is Gods Ordinance as to the world : the winter of per[ecution, the winter of outward aJJl•llions, inward defertions is Gods Ordinance there too; if therefore a~ you have had a Summer,fo God brings you into a Winter alfo,wonder not at ir, God dealeth with you no otherwifc than he hath appointed, no other wife than he hath faid, no otherwife than he hath dealt with all his Saints and io all Ages. Secondly, Learn as not to think It firange, fo·not to tbink;.hard· ly of God forit. You have heard that a Winteds as neceffary for the Church and for the Soul, as for the Earth, and as the Earth and plants of it have a great advanta.ge by the Winter, fo alfo the Church and people of God have ne fmaU .advantage. from their Winters; they are by it manifcfied tq be more than annual plants, to have fomething more than the leaves of an out ward profetlion, they are by it made more fruitful, Sin is kept down from getting the head againft Grace, and over-toppiag the work of God in the Soul;. they by it grow mote in faith and patience, and improve more in thofe duties which are inward, fecr.et and fpititual. Oh, do not think then the worfe of God becaufe of the Winter which he brings you under at any time : what wife Huf· 'bandman would haye aU the year to be Summer-time? Ask the Country-man if he would never have Rain nor Snow? we fay it is pity that fair weather !hould do hurt, but it is moll certain that ~ too much of it will do hurt, and thatfroft an,d {now and rain are every whit as ufeful and conducible to the ends of the Husband· man as fair weather is. It is as certainly true, that fuffiring and perfecution, that outward affii6l:ions and tribulations, that temptations and defertions are as ufeful to Gods ends, both in perfe6l:ing Holinefs, and preparing the Sou1s for glory ; as the fair weather of profperity, and fr.eedom from thofe fenlible"E viis a~e; You have h.eud.wbat is the Spo•fu. dc~i!fy, what is Iii<!~• bet:. lor. God hath ordained her to a Winter, and !he mu!\ look for Rainy-weather. Let us now enquire what is her duty upon the contemplation and conlideration of this. 1 will open it to you in five particulars. r. In Summer-time live ill t/>e view of your Willler. I caU it Summer-time with the Church while !he enjoys her Liberties, the Ordinances of her God in their purity and power, their Com· munion with God and their communion one with another. I call it the Summer of a particular Soul : whiles the Chrifiian is bleffed with outward ble,ffings, whiles ( as 1ob fpeaks of the wicked man) his feed is eftablijhed in his fit.ht, and his ojf-[pring btfore. hil <yes, his hou(e is Jafe from fear andtbe rod of God 14 "'' upo~th•m; hil buU gendret~; and failtth not, h14 cow calveth, andcafleth n.ot her • calf, he fends forth his little ones lik,.e a fl•!Ck.., and .hu chddreH dance he tak.!s his timbrel and, harp, and re]•yceth at the found of the .;gan. whiles as to his inward man, he doth not cry, My God! My God, why baj! thou for( ali!" 111e! but he can ~ake a~fwer . to fuch as fay unto hiq,., ,.bert 14 thJ God become? whtles he ts not crying out with the Pfalmifi, Pjalm 8 8. r S·. I ~m afflzlled and rea· dy to die, whiles I foffer thy mrourslam diftralJed, thy fierce wrath goeth over me, &c. While th~ Soul is. no~ b_uffetted ~ith Sa than but walks in a large place: I fay, wh1les 11 Is. thus. wuh you, live in the view of 11 Winter, do not put the evil day far from you : do .• not fay with · Babylon, I JhaU fit M a widow, neithlr fhaU I k,now Ellty 47· t; tbe lofi ofch.Zdren: but live in the view of Winter, look upon ali your outward comforts as fading, dying comforts, upon your fpi· ritual mercies as fuch as you may come to want. A two-fold excel-lent fruit will follow up<Jo it : r. Yvu will be mortifi•d to the world 11ud to the things thereof, you will be as if you pnffeffcd not, as if you had not thofe things ~hich you have. 2. You will labour t.o improve your Summer-fruitS to the be(\ advantage, your Ordl· nances, your Liberties and Y<?UI fpiritual freedom to the . be(\ ad- .- vantage • . 2. Secondly, Do your Summer-work.; while yaur Summer laff'~tb. - Solomon faith, To every thing there if a [ea[on, Eccl. 3. 1. 1htre 14 a • time to plant, and a time to pluck up. There'~ an Harvefi·time,and there is a Seed-time, and both thefe mufi be m Summer. 1. Mall.! ufe ofyolfr harv~ll:-time> what is rhe Churches barveft·time t Sme- · ly the time when !he enjoys. the Ordinances of God in their power ' and Pl!rity, in their plenty, variety, glory. This .is the Shpao:ruvfeells. ·, |