pleasures, and possessions; and when they come in an unapprehensive age, they come as a cordial when the bell rings out, as a pardon when the head is off. We rejoice in the comfort of fire, but does any man cleave to it at midsummer? We are glad of the freshness and coolness of a vault, but does any man keep his Christmas there; or are the pleasures of the spring acceptable in autumn? If happiness be in the season, or in the climate, how much happier then are birds than men, who can change the climate and accompany and enjoy the same season ever. XIV. EXPOSTULATION. My God, my God, wouldst thou call thyself the ancient of days,[194] if we were not to call ourselves to an account for our days? Wouldst thou chide us for _standing idle here all the day_,[195] if we were sure to have more days to make up our harvest? When thou bidst us _take no thought for to-morrow, for sufficient unto the day_ (to every day) _is the evil thereof_,[196] is this truly, absolutely, to put off all that concerns the present life? When thou reprehendest the Galatians by thy message to them, _That they observed days, and months, and times, and years_,[197] when thou sendest by the same messenger to forbid the Colossians all critical days, indicatory days, _Let no man judge you in respect of a holy day, or of a new moon, or of a sabbath_,[198] dost thou take away all consideration, all distinction of days? Though thou remove them from being of the essence of our salvation, thou leavest them for assistances, and for the exaltation of our devotion, to fix ourselves, at certain periodical and stationary times, upon the consideration of those things which thou hast done for us, and the crisis, the trial, the judgment, how those things have wrought upon us and disposed us to a spiritual recovery and convalescence. For there is to every man a day of salvation. _Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation_,[199] and there is _a great day of thy wrath_,[200] which no man shall be able to stand in; and there are evil days before, and therefore thou warnest us and armest us, _Take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day_.[201] So far then our days must be critical to us, as that by consideration of them, we may make a judgment of our spiritual health, for that is the crisis of our bodily health. Thy beloved servant, St. John, wishes to Gaius, _that he may prosper in his health, so as his soul prospers_;[202] for if the soul be lean the marrow of the body is but water; if the soul wither, the verdure and the good estate of the body is but an illusion and the goodliest man a fearful ghost. Shall we, O my God, determine our thoughts, and shall we never determine our disputations upon our climacterical years, for particular men and periodical years, for the life of states and kingdoms, and never consider these in our long life, and our interest in the everlasting kingdom? We have exercised our curiosity in observing that Adam, the