SERMON X. ON SUMMER. JUDGES V. 31. "Let them that love the Lord be as the sun, when he goeth forth in his might." THERE are principles of our constitution which lead us from the observation of the material world, to the contemplation of the mind that formed it, and which, from the spectacle of beauty, conduct us to Him "who has made every thing beautiful "in his time." There are uses too of no mean importance to happiness, to virtue, and to piety, which meditations of this kind are fitted to serve; and there is no way in which the young can better learn the sentiments of devotion, or the old preserve them, than in cultivating those habits of thought and of observation which convert Nature into the Temple of God, and render all its different scenes expressive of the various attributes of the Almighty Mind. Every age, in this view, has felt the analogy which subsists between the seasons of the year, and the character and duties of men. There is, in the revolutions of time, a kind of warning voice which summons us to thought and reflection; and every season, as it arises, speaks to us of the analogous character which we ought to maintain. From the first openings of the spring, to the last desolation of winter, the days of the year are emblematick of the state and of the duties of man; and, whatever may be the period of our journey, we can scarcely look up into the Heavens, and mark the path of the sun, without feeling something either to animate us upon our course, or to reprove us for our delay. It is now the pride and glory of the year. The "winter is over and gone," the spring has again unlocked all the annual promises of nature,-the earth around us is every where covered with plenteousness and beauty, and the sun is pursuing like a giant his "course through the Heavens," and dispensing light and life over the world beneath him. Are there no reflections, my brethren, which such a spectacle inspires? Are there no classes or conditions of men, of whose character and duties this season is descriptive? And are there no moral lessons which they, who love the Lord, may gather from that "sun which now goeth "forth in his might?" won. 1. Is it not, in the first place, emblematick to us of the maturity of human life, and of the virtues which that season ought to display? To those of that age, the spring, with all its weakness, and all its dangers, is past;-an unseen arm hath conducted them through the dawn of their infant journey, and led them on to that mighty stage, where the honours of time and of eternity are to be Whatever may be the station or condition in which they are placed, there is yet to all some simple and evident duty which they are called to perform, some course which they are summoned to run; and, what is far more, however narrow may be its bounds, or obscure its situation, there is some sphere to which their influence extends, and in which, like the summer sun, they may diffuse joy and happiness around them. In such seasons, let nature be their instructer; and, while they bless the useful light which pours gladness among the dwellings of men, let them remember that they also were made to bless and to improve. Let them remember, that to them have now arisen the lengthened and the enlightened days of life, when every thing calls them to labour; that the breath of Heaven has ripened all their powers of mind and body into perfection; that there are eyes in Heaven and Earth, which look upon the course they are pursuing; and that the honours of time, and the hopes of immortality, alike depend upon the use which they make of the summer of their days. Alas! too, let them remember, that the seasons of man have their varieties, like the seasons of nature; and, while they look around them and see the noon of life (as sometimes they must see it) darkened by vice, or obscured by folly, let it warn them of the dangers to which they also are exposed, and prostrate them in prayer before the Throne of God, that they may run their course like the sun in his brightness. 2. A second class of men, of whose character and duties the present season is descriptive, is that of those, whom the favour of nature, or the fortunate circumstances of education, have raised to knowledge, to wisdom, and to genius. There is no resemblance more familiar to our minds, than that which subsists between knowledge and light; and there is none which more significantly points out the great duties which are demanded of those whom Providence has so highly distinguished. They are, in the language of the Gospel, the "lights of the world,”—in the language of the text, "the sun when he goeth forth in his might," -the legislators of moral principle and speculative opinion; and, while others labour at the oar, amid the tempestuous sea of life, it is theirs to sit at the helm, and guide the vessel of society through the perils of the ocean. To extend the boundaries of human knowledge, and enlarge the sphere of human power; to give relief to pain, and consolation to wo; to fix the foundations of present prospe rity, and awaken the ambition of immortal hope; to unveil the splendours of the Almighty mind; and to unite the world in the sublime sentiments of the love of Him, and the love of every thing that he hath made; these are the mighty ends for which knowledge and genius were given, and to which all true wisdom ever strenuously aspires. Let then even the wise be instructed by the passing time. Let them consider the sun, which now 46 goeth forth in his might," as the true emblem of their duty. Let them remember that they also may give light and joy to the moral world of men; and let them never forget, that in this they most resemble him, when they break through the clouds of ignorance and errour ;—when, with the genial rays of truth, they disperse the mists of doubt and of fear which had been gathering over the souls of men ;--and when they bring forward to their view the magnificence of nature, and the benevo lence of the Eternal Mind which governs it." 3. There is yet another, and a more numerous class of men, of whose usefulness the present season is emblematick; that of the great and the affluent of those who enjoy the exalted conditions of society, and possess the awakening powers of wealth and influence. It is to this class of our congregation that the present season calls me in particular to address myself. The annual season of pleasure and of business is now drawing to its close, and many of those who hear me are prepar |