This Sun shone with a mild and benign, but with a powerful, vivifying light.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  Such a light created unto the Jews this their day.  Happy Jews, if they had understood their own happiness!  And the days that followed to them (for a while) and the Gentile world were not inferior, in some respects brighter and more glorious (the more copious gift of the Holy Ghost being reserved unto the crowning and enthroning of the victorious Redeemer), when the everlasting gospel flew like lightning to the uttermost ends of the earth, and the word which began to be spoken by the Lord Himself was confirmed by them that heard Him, God also Himself bearing them witness with signs, and wonders, and gifts of the Holy Ghost.  No such day hath been seen this many an age.  Yet whithersoever this same gospel, for substance, comes, it also makes a day of the same kind, and affords always true tho diminished light, whereby, however, the things of our peace might be understood and known.  The written gospel varies not, and if it be but simply and plainly proposed tho to some it be proposed with more advantage, to some with less, still we have the same things immediately relating to our peace extant before our eyes ...

This day hath its bounds and limits, so that when it is over and lost with such, the things of their peace are forever hid from their eyes.  And that this day is not infinite and endless, we see in the present instance.  Jerusalem had her day; but that day had its period, we see it comes to this at last, that now the things of her peace are hid from her eyes.  We generally see the same thing, in that sinners are so earnestly prest to make use of the present time.  To-day if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.  They are admonished to seek the Lord while He may be found, to call upon Him when He is nigh.  It seems some time He will not be found, and will be far off.  They are told this is the accepted time, this is the day of salvation ...  As it is certain death ends the day of grace with every unconverted person, soit is very possible that it may end with divers before they die; by their total loss of all external means, or by the departure of the blest Spirit of God from them; so as to return and visit them no more.

How the day of grace may end with a person, is to be understood by considering what it is that makes up and constitutes such a day.  There must become measure and proportion of time to make up this (or any) day, which is as the substratum and ground fore-laid.  Then there must be light superadded, otherwise it differs not from night, which may have the same measure of mere time.  The gospel revelation some way or other, must be had, as being the light of such a day.  And again there must be some degree of liveliness, and vital influence, the more usual concomitant of light; the night doth more dispose men to drowsiness.  The same sun that enlightens the world disseminates