of heaven with precision and dispatch; rapid as the lightning are their movements; their discrimination unerring. "He maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flame of fire."

Although the tares are cut down with the wheat without distinction, yet afterwards are they separated, and bound up in bundles to burn. Not a chance of escape, sinner; there will then be no fleeing from the wrath to come; then no avoiding the awaiting doom: living and dying in sin, then you must burn; burn in company; burn in bundles! probably assorted; bundles of lewd sinners; bundles of drunken sinners; bundles of lying sinners; bundles of sabbath-breaking sinners; and, doubtless, many a bundle of young sinners!—all damned!—all banished from the glorious, and pure, and holy regions of blessedness !all exposed to the eternal wrath of God in unquenchable fire. Oh! think of this.

The angels are also busied in carrying the harvest. A field of corn ripe is a fine prospect; but the wheat in sheaves, just ready to be carried, is still finer; and this prospect is pleasing, especially to the husbandman, whose heart dances with inward joy, while he looks round upon the cheering sight. What this terrestrial harvest is to our eyes, that the harvest at the end of the world, or at the termination of the lives of individual believers, is to the angels; they behold the saints on the verge of heaven, about to be separated from the tares that have been growing with them in the church, and in the world; their holiness and their purity, and indeed all their graces, about to be fully matured; they come to their graves like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season, fully ripe for the heavenly garner.

We may here notice the care the husbandman has

for the wheat; it is the thing of all others that most interests him: "In the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers"-that is, in reply to the question that was put the servants observing tares springing up with the wheat, said unto their master, "Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat." This was manifest love and care for the wheat; it was precious to the husbandman, and by no means would he suffer the chance of one root being disturbed; rather, as the tares had got root in the same soil, rather let them grow together till the time of harvest; and then, then, after giving instruction respecting the tares; then will I say to the reapers, "Gather the wheat into my barn." There will be no possible chance of a single tare being gathered with the wheat; and, on the contrary, no possible chance of a single blade of wheat being lost; the same discriminating love that gives the charge, will observe the execution of it. Christ manifests great love towards the wheat while it is growing, that nothing may hurt or anywise injure it; and he will manifest similar care while it is gathering. In the church, there may be many growing who bear a likeness to true wheat, and there may be some ears of wheat that have been beaten down by the winds of temptation, and may appear groveling like the tares; but these the husbandman will purify from the dirt they may have contracted, and will eventually fit them for his garner; however some of the wheat may resemble tares, be sure he will distinguish, so that they may not finally be tied up in bundles to burn: nothing

shall be lost that has grown of the good seed; it is chosen and precious. Here, then, is encouragement to believers-" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.”

The Harvest Home is a season that affords a fine picture of rural happiness; every face is suffused with joy, not excepting the humble gleaners,

"Who here and there,

Spike after spike, their scanty harvest pick."

As the Harvest Home is a season of delight, so ought it to be a season of gratitude. From time immemorial, the ingathering of the harvest has been a time of feasting. In the book of Exodus we read of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and "the feast of ingathering." And how ought the joy of harvest to be expressed? Certainly not by excess in drinking; for, although it is too much the custom of the day, it is abusing the goodness of God. It is always pleasing to hear the shout of labourers when they have accomplished the toil of reaping and carrying; but it is far from pleasing to hear the shout of the drunkards, or to catch the noisy vociferations of their obscene mirth. It is a pleasing sight to see labourers with their wives and children clean attired, sitting down in order, and with decency, to partake of the bounty of the husbandman, and commencing their feast with a hymn of praise to their Maker, as is the custom in many countries; and this is giving the praise and glory to the God of harvest for all his favours: "O God, they joy before thee according to the joy of harvest." This rural happiness is, however, but a short-lived joy, if those who partake of it have no prospect of being gathered with the wheat into the heavenly garner; if they have no season of delight to which to look for

ward; if they have no rest in the love of God, and no desires after it. It has been said, desire is love in motion, delight is love at rest.

The righteous reap a harvest of joy in heaven : "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father;" then shall those of us who now give up ourselves to him, to be governed by the laws of his kingdom, to be ruled and guided by his precepts, and to be conformed to his image, then shall we be mantled in white, and crowned with glory.

The righteous will reap a harvest of triumph. Their temporal enemies will be no more; many will have been bound in bundles to burn; others will have been subdued by the force of almighty grace, and transformed into friends; the Devil, their great spiritual foe, will be confined under everlasting chains of darkness; sin will no more either disturb or disquiet. "The Lord will save Israel that day out of the hand of their enemies."

The Harvest Home ought to be a season of gratitude. "He who goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." That heart must be callous to every virtuous and praiseworthy feeling that can partake of benefits, and at the same time be unwilling to make returns; and yet there are many individuals who are hourly receiving blessings at the hand of God, and, devil like, returning evil for good; despising his counsel, opposing his government, rejecting his overtures, and defying his power. Reader, how is it with us? We are partakers of the blessings of providence ; we are conscious that the food we eat is from the hand of God; that his sun and rain causes the corn to grow. Being conscious of all his benefits, are we yet unwilling to ascribe to him the praise? Oh! my

reader, our mercies overflow. Ought not then the time of harvest to be a season of gratitude? Let a pervading sense of the compassions of our God fill our hearts with praise. We who have, in answer to prayer, gathered a harvest of spiritual enjoyments, have much more cause to manifest gratitude than those who have only received a harvest of temporal mercies. "He who hath ears to hear, let him hear."