end of the world, then all his faithful laborers have a bright and glorious prospect before them. Though they are now really wheat, and the excellent of the earth, yet they are in a green and imperfect state, and can scarcely be distinguished by themselves and others from the tares in the field. But all intelligent beings are constantly laboring to ripen them for the harvest, and bring them to maturity and perfection in knowledge, holiness and happiness. Though they are now the sons of God, yet it doth not yet appear what they shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, they shall be like him in every natural and moral excellence, and shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. They will rejoice to find themselves, and so many myriads of rational and immortal creatures brought to a state of perfection, and completely prepared for everlasting rest and enjoyment. But, above all, they will rejoice that God had perfectly obtained his supreme and ultimate end in the creation of the world, by his rich and plentiful harvest. For his harvest will be their harvest, and they shall enjoy the fruits of all his and their own labors, so far as they shall be capable of enjoying them. Thus light is continually sowing for the righteous, and gladness of heart for the upright. Though the harvest they are preparing will not be ripe until the end of the world, yet let them not be weary in well doing; for in due season they shall reap, if they faint not. Success in any business is the most animating motive to activity. It was the prospect which Moses had of the recompense of reward, that animated him to labor so long and so faithfully for God. It was the prospect of success in bringing home many sons unto glory, that induced Christ to endure the pains and reproaches of the cross. And the apostle urges christians to the greatest activity in the service of God, from the same motive of success. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

5. If God always has been, from the beginning of the world, carrying on his original design of producing a rich and plentiful harvest at the end of it, then none can cordially approve of any part of his conduct, without approving of the whole. Many, however, imagine, that they approve of many things he has done, who say they do not approve of his eternal purpose, nor of innumerable instances of his conduct in the dispensations of his providence and grace. But none can really and heartily approve of any one thing he has done, in creating, preserving, governing and redeeming the world, who do not approve of his ultimate design in the creation of the

world, and of every thing he has done, and employed others to do, to produce a rich and plentiful harvest at the end of it. His design is uniform and consistent, and, in its very nature and operation, deeply affects all his intelligent creatures, who either approve, or disapprove of it. Some approve of it, and desire and endeavor to promote it; and some disapprove of it, and desire and endeavor to prevent its accomplishment. None are neuters. Every one is on the Lord's side, or against him; every one gathers with him or scatters abroad. All in the invisible world, are openly for him or against him; and all in this world are really, though not visibly, for him or against him. And it is because mankind are not so well acquainted with God's ultimate end in creation as the good and evil angels are, that they do not as openly appear and act for him, and against him. Did all men now only know and realize that design which God formed in eternity, and which he has been pursuing, and will finally accomplish at the end of the world, there would not be a doubting christian, nor a doubting sinner on the face of the earth. When the tares and the wheat are ripe for the harvest, there will be no difficulty in distinguishing them one from another; so, when saints and sinners are ripe for God's harvest at the end of the world, there will not be a doubting saint or sinner. And it is in the view of God's harvest, that both saints and sinners can now best discover whether they are really for him or against him. Let them then only consider what he has plainly told them concerning his harvest at the end of the world, and what a separation he will make between the tares and the wheat, the sheep and the goats, and his faithful and unfaithful servants; and they can scarcely doubt whether God's harvest will be a day of the greatest joy, or of the deepest sorrow to them.

6. This subject calls upon you all to inquire, for what, and for whom, you have been laboring. There is no doubt but you have generally been industrious and laborious about something; but for what have you been laboring? Have you been laboring for the meat that perisheth, or for that which endureth unto eternal life? Have you been laboring to lay up treasures in heaven, or to lay up goods for many years, and to become great, and rich, and happy, in this present life only? Have you been laboring for God, or for yourselves? Have you been seeking his interest, or your own? Have you been workers together with him, or with his enemies? It is easy to answer these questions in the view of this subject. If you have approved of God's ultimate end in the creation, preservation, government and redemption of the world, which he has been pursuing, and which he will certainly accomplish at the end

of it; and if you have been laboring to prepare yourselves and others for a state of perfection in knowledge, holiness and happiness, you have been laboring for God; if not, you have been idle and worse than idle all your days. God says of Israel, he "is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself." "Now, therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts," to those who bring forth fruit unto themselves, "Consider your ways; ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes." It seriously concerns all to consider their ways, whether they have been laboring for God and laying up treasure in heaven; or whether they have been laboring for themselves, and are exposed to suffer an everlasting and irreparable loss.

Finally: If any are conscious to themselves that they have never been laboring for God, let them immediately devote themselves to his service. He has determined to carry into execution his eternal and ultimate end in the creation of the world, and to prepare all things for a rich and plentiful harvest. He has been laboring, his Son has been laboring, his Spirit has been laboring, his angels have been laboring, and multitudes of mankind have been laboring, for several thousand years, to bring millions and millions of rational and immortal creatures to the highest perfection in knowledge, holiness and happiness; and yet there remains a vast deal to be done, in order to bring about this most important and desirable event. And we have reason to think that God will still employ human as well as other subordinate agents, in preparing things for his rich harvest at the end of the world. Here then let me observe, that it will not interrupt any of your lawful business to enter into God's vineyard and labor for him. It will make all your labors more pleasant, more prosperous, and unspeakably more useful. It will entitle you to as large a portion of the knowledge, holiness and happiness of heaven, as you can desire, or possibly enjoy. "Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for he shall eat the fruit of his doings." "And he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." But if you continue to neglect to serve God, he will bring his harvest to maturity, gather in his wheat, and separate the tares to unquenchable fire. "There shall be wailing and gnashing

of teeth."

"Who hath ears to hear let him hear."

GENERAL INDEX.

345.

ABRAHAM-trial of, VI. 339; God's right to command, to sacrifice his
son, VI. 339; not commanded to murder Isaac, VI. 339; whether he
could know the command to be God's, VI. 341; why God commanded,
to sacrifice his son, VI. 342; whether the command to, answered its end,
VI. 343; obeyed the command to sacrifice Isaac, in contrariety to all his
natural affections, VI. 344; obeyed the command cheerfully and prompt-
ly, VI. 345; in obeying the command, obeyed the mere will of God, VI.
ACTIONS-of men their own, IV. 350; of men, necessary, not compelled,
IV. 351, 398; of men, properly ascribed to both human and divine agen-
cy, IV. 365, 369; of men, important to be ascribed both to themselves
and to God, IV. 367, 375; divine agency as much concerned in the bad,
as the good acts of men, IV. 371; of men, all will glorify God, IV. 373;
of men, flow from the heart, IV. 520; of sinners, why the best, as well as
worst, condemned, IV. 526.
ADAM-posterity of, immensely numerous, II. 21; holiness of, might
have been concreated, IV. 354, 448; as easy to account for the first of-
fence of, as any other sin, IV. 354; what meant by his being made up-
right, IV. 447; God must have made him holy or unholy, IV. 450; God
did create him holy, IV. 452; nobility and excellence of, in his primitive
state, IV. 454; happiness of, in his primitive state, IV. 455; difficulty of
conceiving of his becoming sinful, without the immediate agency of God,
IV. 455; fall of, a most melancholy event, IV. 456; spiritual death of, his
sin, not his punishment, IV. 472; the occasion of all men's being by nature
sinners, IV. 487; did not make men sinners by causing them to commit
his first sin, IV. 487; nor by transferring to them his guilt, 488; nor by con-
veying to them a corrupt moral nature, 490; God treats men according to
the conduct of, as their constituted head, IV. 490; why God constituted
such a connection between, and his posterity, IV. 491; proper that human
nature should be tried in, IV. 492; being placed holy in a state of trial,
answered the same purpose as would have been by placing his posterity
in the same state, IV. 492; trial of, prepared the way to bring Christ into
view immediately after the fall, IV. 492; the only person guilty of original
sin, IV. 493; no ground to suppose he knew himself, before his fall, to be
the public head of his posterity, IV. 495; being appointed public head of
mankind, no injustice, IV. 495; laid us under no necessity of sinning, IV.
496; moral depravity of, consisted in selfishness, IV. 548.
ADVERSITY-may be much more useful than prosperity, III. 100; all
to inquire if they have derived spiritual benefit from, III. 470.
AFFECTIONS-of christians to correspond with the personal distinction
in the Godhead, IV. 121, 132; essential to God's moral perfection, IV.

2

201; of benevolence, the beauty of God's character, IV. 202; ascribed to
God in the Bible, IV. 203; objections against, in the Deity, IV. 204;
strength of the divine, IV. 206: of sinners, always sinful, IV. 548; good,
the treasure of a good heart, V. 133; of saints, some perfectly good, V.
202; some, of saints, perfectly sinful, V. 203; nothing but sinful, prevents
saints being perfectly holy, V. 203; selfish and holy, often follow each
other in quick succession, V. 227; holy and sinful often produced by the
same means, V. 227; men no right to mistake the nature of their, V. 228,
229; wide difference between holy and unholy, V. 228; men cannot mis-
take the nature of their, unless under the influence of some selfish motive,
V. 230; men may mistake their benevolent, for selfish, V. 230.
AFFLICTIONS-benefit of, III. 53, 57, 126, 196, 279; severest, the source
of greatest advantages, III. 60, 242, 361; can be made profitable to other
than saints, III. 61, 199; those visited with, should be of a teachable spirit,
III. 64; communion with God in, III. 93; means of reclaiming from re-
ligious delusions, III. 94; a test of sincerity, III. 95, 125, 244; saints
wish to know the reason of, III. 96; how to conduct under, and to obtain
divine support under, III. 97; same ground of submission under heavy,
as under light, III. 190, 241, 243, 261, 263, 271, 308, 361; wisdom of hear-
ing the voice of, III. 193, 198; appointed by God, III. 193, 274; teach
dependence on God, III. 195; turn the thoughts upon the most solemn
subjects, III. 197; voice of, the voice of God, III. 198; refusal to hear
the voice of, displeasing to God, III. 198, unwise, 203, and exposes to se-
verer marks of God's displeasure, 199, 468; may be the last call, III.
199; beneficially instructive to all, unless they take pains to prevent it,
III. 201; a trying and dangerous situation, III. 204; every one disposed
to think his own, peculiarly severe, III. 231, 232; none have good reason
to think their, too severe, III. 234; none know that they endure severer
than others, III. 234; never greater than deserved, III. 235, 263, 279;
never more than necessary, III. 236, 323; never more than God's glory
requires, III. 237; unwise for the afflicted to brood over their, III. 239;
afflictions repined at, no benefit, III. 240, 306; silence under, III. 260;
God's conduct in respect to, to be cordially approved, III. 262, 306; God
has a right to send, III. 264; always sent at the proper time, III. 265;
and in the best way, 266; tend to prepare men for their final state, III.
280; presumption for any to expect they shall escape, III. 283; all ought
to inquire whether theirs have been instructive, III. 299, 470; personal,
designed to promote the general good, III. 305; of some, lighter than those
of others, III. 306; propriety of conversing with God under, III. 307; the
lot of man, III. 319; when have a salutary effect on their subjects, III.
323; no more reason to be anxious about future, than impatient under
present, III. 362; why God sends, to teach men out of his word, III. 459;
how God employs, to teach men out of his word, III. 461, 463; happiness
of those who are savingly taught by, III. 464; alone, unproductive of good,
III. 467; time of, to be improved by saints in counselling the afflicted,
III. 467; christians no reason to think strange of their, VI. 348.
AGENCY-some things decreed to take place by human, IV. 300; of God
consists in what, IV. 378; of God universal, IV. 381; human, consists
wholly in volition, IV. 384, 522; denial of God's, a virtual denial of his
existence, IV. 386; free, not obstructed by God's forming as many ves-
sels of mercy and of wrath as he chooses, IV. 388; divine influence to
keep men from sinning, consistent with their moral, IV. 603; of God, no
ground of sinners complaining of their eternal punishment, VI. 157.
AGENTS-as many free moral, as intelligent creatures, IV. 385.
ANGELS-description of, IV. 415; the highest order of created beings,
IV. 416; beings of superior power and wisdom, IV. 416; fixed in a state
of holiness, IV. 416; not encumbered with gross bodies, IV. 417; various