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Show houfed his flowers, that EliM (who knew them well enough ) complained to God that /11 '"'" hft •IMe. Now whco thefe flowers apprar, wh<;n yong Convorts appear, when old Profe1fors durfi openly thew their heads, 'Ihen tbe Spou[rs Win"r ir p.JI. The Church alfo hath her Vinrs; ( you know God calls for a Vineyard, Efay 5·) the hath her Fig trm; ((he is the Lords g•rdeM you know.) Thefe Vines fend forth their tender grapes when they fend lorth the fruits ofholincfs. Thefe fig·trees fend forth their green figs when they exercife good works: Is the Church the Vine~ is (he the Fig-tree~ her grapes, her green figs then _are the Children that in her are brought forth unto God: But I fr.all infifi no longer on the Doctrinal part ; I come to the Application. Obferve from hence ( in the firfl place,) That it is now Summer- time with us. It is one of the greatefl infirmities of humane nature, rhar we better underfiand our mercies by the want of them, than by the enjoyment'of them: Like children we cry for bread, and when we have it we are not contented. God hath again opened unto you r this day) the preaching of the Gofpel by your P•ilors ; not only the voice of the Turtle hath been,and ( bleffed be God) is heard, but the voice ofyoHr Turtles is heard; you h 1ve again liberty ro hear your Paflors; The /i~tgiHg of the birds is come: you have been finging to God a long time only in ..:ogcs and by your Fire-fides; the Winter hath been upon you, the Rai»y-wcatlur hath hind red your coming together .:, Ta cuTa, into the fame place to worChip God. Now this Winter is pall, this Rain is over and gone. I befeech you underfland your own mercies : Is the liberty too general ) Suppofe it, yet furely you have your mercy in it : Is it no Summer to the flowers bccaufe the weeds 11,lfo have a liberty to grow ~ Is it no Summer w~en the melodio11S Birds may ling, becaufe the warmth of it gives the F;rogsan adv>ntage to make a more ill-founding noife ~ For thofe who differ only in le1fer things, but agree in the fame fundamental truths of God ? what manner of fpirits are you of, that would have them forbidden becaufe they follow not us ? a1foon thall you fee all men agree in the fame 1i nes of their fac.e, as in the fame Propofitions of truth, and none have groater differences •· mongfl them than thofe who are mofl zealou-s in prefence againfl difference• in judgment, Mufi only one fort of Birds ling in the Summer ? what thouglt we be all obliged to lludy, to [pea~ and tbini{ T!ie Dollrine 11pplied. thin\ the ·fame tbiwg; it is to be endeavoured Indeed but will hardly be obtained· So we are bound to ft•dy perfelli;n iH thir life ; hut yet I hope there mufl be a room for thofe who have not ?"ai~ed. I am f~re a _rime of Perfecution to the Church ofChrill, IS W~nter,w_hen It rams blaod_and ruine to men fearing God; it is certamly Ramy-w~ather; and tf fo,rhe law of contraries, a time of fr~ttiom{~om tt,a t~me ?fLi?crty to enjoy God in his Ordinances, waho~t tnterrupuon, ts a ttme of Summer to ir. Our brethren may dtffer from us in fome notions of truth and yet be one with us in Chrifi. Let us therefore own and biers God for the mercy which we this day enjoy (I am fure we thould have done fo not many moneths fince.) But I pafs this branch. ' This in the next place may 'orred the errors of many good and g><acto~s perfons ;_ who have not fufficiently learn·ed to diflin- z. 7Jfe. gmCh betw~x~ a Summer and a 1fl~ter in their own Souls, and are read_y to mtf-tnterpret the difpenfations of God unto them and ro· 'alit! Wmt.er and Rainy-weathtr, if they have not jull wh~t the would have at the hand of God. This Notion tm us fee y I. Thai our Sttmmer is Hollo be }udged from Godr di[pm/ations to our outward man: No'!' 2. From Gods jrnfibie maHi{eftations I• o11r inward man. The molt ofthofe who do err in this judgment of their fiate,and of Gods refpeCl toward them, err upon one of the(e heads: Chrifl accounreth the_ Winter pall, and the Rainy- wear her over and gone, when the Ftg-tre~ putte~h forth g•eeH Figs, and the ViHe her tender Grapes. Th_e N~tton. I arm a~ is this, That if a 8oHI findttb diviH<. •nf/uenees tn4blmg 1t 10 brmgforth fruit Hnto,God, though it 'm•y R>ant fome bentgn f'trVidencrs to ~ht .,,,w,rd man, and {ome ftnfib/e confolaiJD".s to the ·~ward man;yetHil•ould nor call its Jlate a winter· ftate. I~ ts a~ ordtnary cou~le_ for Chtiflians· to judg the:nfelves from rhe_rr ~xp.runce_s; and 11 ts a good way of Judgment provided Chnfltans do rrghtly obferve their exptrirncrs and not call thofe exptrimces only, which areftnfible confolation~ and t"hc impr: flion! of fome divine' word llpon the Soul.! w~uld not be mtflak~n here,[tnfibleco11{olutioiiJ are the fweetell bkl!ings which aSoulrscapable.o~ that li ves not in the beatifical vifion of God. ' But a Souls Salvatton doth not depend upon them; nor ls a jadgmen! of a Souls flare to be made up by rhem. If the Vine puts forth '" lendrr G~apn; Ifrhe Fig-tree puts foHh her Figs, rhollgh it b" but green ftgs, yet the Winter is pall. If God i11ablrtb a Soul to I> ling |