fully augment the guilt and punishment of those who go on, stiff, in their tresspasses.

It was not the design of Christ's interposition to rescue men from natural death. This must be continued as a token of our fallen state, and as an admonition to apply to Divine mercy by repentance. After the mission of a Saviour was promised to destroy the works of the devil, the sentence of death was passed on men, to shew that they still must die. But the death of Jesus, the Redeemer, will save believing, penitent souls from the future consequences of sin's demerit, and secure to them the happiness of immortal life. Does it not, then, infinitely concern every son of Adam immediately to repair to the Saviour, apply by faith the blood which he has shed, and thus secure an interest in the glorious immortality which this blood has purchased?

The guilt of sin, considered simply as a transgression of God's law, is so great, that nothing less than the Saviour's blood could expiate it. What expiation, then, will be found for the guilt of those who despise and reject this blood? "If he who despised Moses's law died without mercy; of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy, who treads under foot the Son of God, and counts the blood of the covenant an unholy thing?" "Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life. If any man believe in him, though he be dead, yet he shall live." A glorious hope is presented to fallen mortals. Who would not lay hold on it? Who would run the hazard of delay, when he considers that life is the only season to secure the happiness of immortality; and that this season is short and precarious?

4. If the grave may, even now, be ready for us, let it be our first concern to be ready for the grave. "Be ye ready," says our Divine monitor, "for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

Were life a long duration, and its continuance certain, there might be more ground to plead some excuse for delaying our preparation for death. But under our present circumstances, delay admits not any excuse whatever. Our greatest interest demands our principal attention; and if this interest may depend on the present hour, it demands our immediate attention.

As death removes us to another world, readiness for death must consist in a due preparation for that world. To this preparation the first thing necessary in fallen creatures, is repentance of sin. Christ came to seek and to save them who are lost. He effects their salvation, not only by expiating their guilt and procuring their pardon, but also by calling them to repentance and preparing them for pardon. "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from iniquity, and purify us to himself, a people zealous of good works.”

We must then examine ourselves, gain a knowledge of our sins, humble ourselves before God, seek his grace for the renewal of our hearts, and devote ourselves to him to serve him in newness of life.

This repentance must be accompanied with faith and hope in the mercy and promise of God, and the atonement and intercession of the Redeemer. "For we are redeemed from our vain conversation, not with corruptible things, such as silver and gold; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; who verily was ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for us, that by him we might believe in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God."

That we may be in constant readiness for death, we must daily maintain the spirit and practice of religion. The servant who, when his Lord comes, is found ready, is one who watches always, keeps his loins girded and his lights burning, attends to the orders he has received, and when his Lord comes, is still found so doing. Serious christians, in the contemplation of death, sometimes feel an anxiety, lest they should not be able to possess that comfort, and manifest that resignation, which are most to be desired in the closing scene. But, my brethren, we ought rather to be careful how we live, than anxious how we shall die. Let us live every day as we ought, and then we shall die, at last, as we wish.

We must accustom ourselves to spiritual meditations and exercises; raise our thoughts and affections to the heavenly world; cultivate the temper of that world; live in peace and charity with

one another, and in piety and devotion toward God; mortify our earthly members; watch against temptations; examine ourselves with care; daily renew our repentance; seek pardon for our daily failures, and grace to help our remaining infirmities. Thus we must give diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end, and by improvements in the christian temper, make our calling and election sure.

5. Our subject teaches us the vanity of all worldly interests.

He too, in his Worldly propThe hand which

Beings, who have so short an abode, and so uncertain a continuance on earth, can here possess no great and important interests. All that we have is changing and precarious; and we are as precarious and changing as the world. What we call our own to-day, may be claimed by another to-morrow. turn, must retire and give place to a successor. erty, like a ball, is tossed from man to man. holds it now, will not retain it long, but cast it to another. Yea, it often deceives the person to whom it falls. It proves a bubble, which, as he attempts to grasp it, bursts in his hand. labour all their days to be rich, die in poverty at last.

Many who

Let a man realize, how soon he shall lie down in the grave, and how poor he shall be when he is there, and he will see, that the interests of the world are but trifles to him. When he is gone to his long home, what is it to him, whether once he was rich, or poor, and whether he has left behind him much, or little? "We brought nothing into the world, and we shall carry nothing out of it; having, therefore, food and raiment, let us be content." There is one thing needful. He who chooses the better part, will die rich indeed: He will die an heir of the glory and riches of a heavenly inheritance.

6. The uncertainty of life teaches us the reasonableness of daily prayer.

Our obligation to prayer arises from our dependence on God, and the spirit of prayer will be enlivened by an habitual sense of this dependence. That rational creatures ought daily to acknowledge and address that great and good Being, on whom they continually depend, is a truth obvious to every man's understanding, and to every pious man's feeling. Our dependence is visible in

every thing; but nothing gives us such striking demonstration of it, as our mortality. We see mankind going down to the grave: we feel ourselves subject to pain and sorrow, infirmity and death. We know, that no man hath power to retain his own spirit, or to redeem his brother from corruption. Ought not such creatures to live in prayer to that almighty and eternal Being in whose hands is the breath of all? If we are daily exposed to death, prayer should be our daily exercise. Would the man, who rose with an expectation of sleeping no more, until he closed his eyes in death, pass the last morning of his life without prayer? The man who realizes that each day, or each night may be his last, will devote to this holy exercise a portion of every morning and every evening.

Finally The aged and infirm, who with special propriety may say, "The graves are ready for us," ought, with great care, to examine their state, and with daily concern to look into the future world; and, in the religious improvement of their few remaining days, to keep themselves in readiness for a change, which they may daily expect. Happy, the aged saint, who, in a review of life, can say, "I am ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give unto me in that day, and unto all who love his appearing."

SERMON XVII.

THE NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE.

HEBREWS XIII. 18.

We trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

boTHE profession which the apostle here makes, is such as every man should be able to make.

As the conscience is the immediate principle of moral conduct, no man, without a good conscience, disposing him in all things to live honestly, can justly be denominated a christian. Sensible of this plain truth, many use the sacred name and authority of conscience to justify themselves in things palpably contrary to the spirit of the gospel; and where real conscience is wanting, they substitute passion, interest, obstinacy and prejudice in its place. And, perhaps, some may really impose upon themselves, and mistake the latter for the former. I shall, therefore, from these words, explain that moral principle, which is often recurred to, but not always well understood. And I shall shew, what conscience is the properties of a good conscience-how far an error of conscience may excuse a wrong conduct-the causes and springs of an erroneous conscience-the rules necessary to be observed,