you to heavenly places by the track, sprinkled with the blood of the Saviour of the world. But each of these privileges has conditions annexed, the nature of which you have heard. Comply with them, repent, give your conversion solid, habitual, and effective marks; then the treasures of grace are yours. But if you should persist in sin (to tell you truths to-day, which, perhaps, would be useless to-morrow), if you should persist during life, and till approaching death, and the horrors of hell extort from you protestations of reform, and excite in you the scmblance of conversion, we cannot, without doing violence to our instructions, and exceeding our commission, speak peace to your souls, and make you offers of salvation.

These considerations ought to exculpate minis ters of the Gospel, who know how to maintain the majesty of their mission, and correspond with their character. And if they exculpate us not in your ess timation, they will justify us, at least, in the great day, when the most secret things shall be adduced in evidence. You are not acquainted without our ministry. You call us to the dying, whom we know either to have been wicked, or far from conforming to the conditions of the new covenant. This wick ed man, on the approach of death, composes him self; he talks solely of repentance, of mercy, and of tears. On seeing this exterior of conversion, you would have us presume, that such a man is more than converted; and, in that rash conclusion you would have us offer him the highest place in the man sions of the blessed.

d

But woe, woe to those ministers, who, by a cruel lenity, precipitate souls into hell, under the delusion of opening to them the gates of paradise. Woe tò that minister, who shall be so prodigal of the favors of God. Instead of speaking peace to such a man, I would cry aloud; I would lift up my voice like a

trumpet; I would shout. Isa. lviii. 1. I would thunder; I would shoot againts him the arrows of the Almighty, and make the poison drink up his spirits. Job. vi. 4. Happy, if I might irradiate passions so prejudiced; if I might save by fear; if I might pluck from the burning, a soul so hardened in sin.

But if, as it commonly occurs, this dying man shall but devote to his conversion an exhausted body, and the last sighs of expiring life; woe, woe again, to that minister of the Gospel, who, by a relaxed policy, shall, so to speak canonize this man, as though he had died the death of the righteous! Let no one ask, What would you do? Would you trouble the ashes of the dead? Would you drive a family to despair? Would you affix a brand of infamy on a house?.... What would I do? I would maintain the interests of my Master; I would act becoming a minister of Jesus Christ; I would prevent your taking an antichristian death for a happy death; I would profit by the loss I have now described; and hold up this prey of the devil as a terror to the spectators, to the family, and to the whole church.

Would you know, my dear brethren, which is the way to prevent such great calamities: Which is really the time to implore forgiveness, derive the Holy Spirit into your heart? It is this moment, it is now. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found. Yes, he may be found to-day; he may be found in this assembly; he may be found under the word we are now speaking; he may be found under the exhortations we give in his name: he may be found in the remorse, the anguish, the emotions, excited in your hearts, and which say, on his be half, seek ye my face. He may be found in your closets, where he offers to converse with you in the most tender and familiar manner: he may be found among the poor, among the sick, among those dying carcasses, among those living images of death,

and the tomb, which solicit your compassion; and which open to you the way of charity that leads to God, who is charity itself. He may be found today, but, perhaps, to-morrow, he will be found no more. Perhaps, to-morrow, you may seek in vain ; perhaps, to-morrow, your measure may be full ; perhaps to-morrow grace may be for ever withdrawn ; perhaps, to-morrow, the sentence which decides your destiny shall be pronounced!

Ah! who can estimate a moment so precious! Ah! who can compare his situation with the unhappy victims, which the divine vengeance has immoled in hell, and for whom time is no longer! Who can, on withdrawing from this temple, and instead of so much vain conversation and criminal dissipation, who can forbear to prostrate himself at the footstool of the Divine Majesty; weeping for the past, reforming the present, and taking salu. tary precautions for the future. Who would not say with his heart, as well as his mouth, Stay with me, Lord; I will not let thee go, until thou hast blessed me, Gen. xxxii. 20. until thou hast vanquished my corruption, and given me the earnest of my salvation. The time of my visitation is almost expired; I see it, I know it, I feel it; my conversion requires a miracle I ask this miracle of thee, and am resolved to obtain it of thy compassion.

My brethren, my dear brethren, we have no ex- ‹ pressions sufficiently tender, no emotions sufficiently pathetic, no prayers sufficiently fervent, to draw you to this duty. Let your zeal supply our weakness. If we have brandished before your eyes the sword of divine vengeance, it is not to destroy but to save; it is not to drive you to despair, but to induce you to sorrow after a godly sort, and with a res pentance not to be repented of. 2 Cor. ii. 10. It is incumbent on each of you who hear me, and regard what I say, to participate in these advantages. May you, from the present moment, form a resolution to

profit by an opportunity so precious. May the hour of your death, corresponding with the sincerity of your resolutions, and with the holiness of your lives, open to you the gates of heaven; and enable you to find in glory that God, whom you might have found merciful in this church. God grant you grace so to do. To Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honour and glory for ever. Amen.

SERMON III.

ON THE DELAY OF CONVERSION.

ISAIAH lv. 6.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.

[THE SUBJECT CONCLUDED.]

EXPERIENCE, my brethren, is a great teacher; it is a professor which adduces the most clear, solid, and indisputable proofs. Reason is an admirable endowment, given us for a guide in our researches after truth. Revelation has been happily added, to correct and conduct it; but both have their difficulties. Reason is circumscribed, its views are confined, its deviations frequent; and the false inferences we perceive it deduces, render doubtful its most clear and evident conclusions. Revelation, however venerable its tribunal, however infallible its decisions, is foolishness, says the apostle, to the natural man; it is exposed to the erroneous glosses of critics, to the difficulties of heretics, and contradiction of infidels. But experience is without exception; it speaks to the heart, to the senses, and the understanding; it neither reasons nor debates, but carries conviction and