(1.) Mourning for sin is a duty ; God loves a contrite heart; Psal. li. 17. how powerful with God is the weeping rhetoric that a poor sinner useth ! but yet there is a time when wee[)ing may not be so seasonable; when God hath given us some eminent signal de- liverance, and this mercy calls aloud to us to rejoice, hut we hang our harps on the willows and sit weeping; this sadness is fruit out of season ; there was a special time at the feast of tabernacles, when God called his people to rejoicing; " Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God, and thou shalt surely rejoice."
Now, if the Israelites had sat lieavy and disconsolate at that time when God called them to rejoicing, it had been very unsea- sonable, like mourning at a wedding ; when we are called to thaidcsgiving, and we mingle our drink with tears, is not this to be highly unthankful for mercy? God would have his people humble, but not ungrateful. It is the devil's policy either to keep us from duty, or else to put us upon it when it is least in season.
{'2.) Rejoicing is a duty; Psal. xxxiii. 1. But wlien God by some special providence culls us to weeping, now joy is unseason- able; this is tliat which God complains of, \<i\. XX ii. 12. " In tliat day did the Lord of hosts call to weeping, and behold joy and gladness," ike. CEcolampadius and others tliiiik it was in the time of king Ahaz, when the signs of God's anger, like a blazing star, did appear ; now to be ^iven to mirth was
very unseasonable, ver. 14. " Surely this ini- quity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts;" it is a concise form of an oath, as if God liad said, I swear it shall not by any prayer or sacrifice be expiated ; the fruit of joy must be brought forth in its season. To read at home, when the word is a-preaching, or the sacrament celebrating, is unseasonable, nay sinful, as Hushai said, 2 Sam. xvii. 7. *' The counsel is not good at this time : " one duty is to prepare for another, but not to jostle out another ; fruit must put forth seasonably. The great God who hath appointed the duties of his worship, hath appointed also the time. If, when public ordinances are administered, any person, whether out of pride or sloth, shall stay at home, though he may have his private devotions, yet he brings forth fruit out of season, and let that man know he shall bear his sin.
Let all the trees of righteousness bring forth seasonable fruit; in prosperity be thankful, in adversity patient. " To every thino: there is a season," Eccl. iii. 1. The Psalmist saith, " He appointed the moon for seasons," Psal. civ. 19.
To excite to seasonable fruit, consider,
1. The seasonableness of a thing puts a value and preciousness upon it. Duties of religion performed in their season are glo- rious.
2. Creatures, by the instinct of nature, observe their season ; Jer. viii. 7. " Yea the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle," &c. and shall not Christians observe their seasons, when to mourn, when to rejoice ?
3. Duties of religion not well timed are dangerous : mourning in a time of joy, pri- vate duties in time of public, is unseasonable, and will prove prejudici;d.
Use 1. Inform. It shows us who is a Christian in God's calendar, namely, the fruit-bearing Christian. As soon as the sap of grace is infused, it puts forth itself in evanarelical fruit. No sooner was Paul con- verted, but he became a plant of renown, he did bring forth rare fruit, humility, faith, heavenly-mindedness ; he was one of the most fruitful trees that ever God planted in his vineyard. The jailer, when God hM
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TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
chanffcd him from a wild tree, to a tree of righteousness, brought forth sweet and gen- erous fruit. How kindly did he use the apostles ? he set meat before them, and washed their wounds ; he who was before their jailer, becomes now their nurse and physician.
Use 2. Reproof. Here is an indictment against three sorts.
Branch 1. Such as bring forth no fruit; Hos. X. 1. " Israel is an empty vine." O how many unfruitful hearers are there, who evaporate into nothing but froth and fume, being like those ears which run out all into straw ! they give God neither the early fruit nor the latter. There are many Christians like arbours, covered only with the leaves of profession ; they may be compared to the wood of the vine, which is good for nothing, Ezek, XV. 2. He who hath not the fruits of the Spirit, hath not the Spirit, and " he who hath not the Spirit is none of Christ's," Rom. viii. 9. and if he be not Christ's, whose is he then ? I fear the sin of this age is unfruit- fulness. Never more labouring in God's vineyard, and yet never less fruit ; instead of the fig-tree and the pomegranate, we have abundance of barren willows growing among ns ; ministers say they fear they " spend their labour in vain ; " many are perverted, few converted. To the imfruitful Christian let me say four things.