is the man, who, if he thought himself dying, would not recommend to his children a religious and blameless life? And where is the man, who, if he had loft a virtuous fon, would not take comfort in the character which he sustained, and in the hopes which he left?-The consciences of men witness within them, that religion is a reality; not a fiction-a folemn truth; not a trifle.

2. We see the wisdom of an early and immediate attention to religion.

If even ungodly men defire, at least, to lay hold on the horns of the altar, and, when they see that they muft die, with to die there, then let every one fly to the altar now, and lay hold on the hope of mercy, which is there held up to him.

How much foever you defpife religion now, the time is coming, when you will wifh for a fhare in its comforts. You perhaps can live indifferent to religion; but do you really think, you can die fo? If others have been convinced of its importance, when they were dying, fo probably will you; therefore attend to it now. You may then feel this conviction, and yet die in your guilt. It is not every kind of conviction, that produces repentance, and enfures pardon. And no conviction is more doubtful in its iffue, than that which is awakened by the immediate apprehenfion of death. With this conviction despair often mingles to defeat its efficacy. The teftimony of dying finners to the truth and importance of religion, fhould call your attention to it in this calm feason, when you are beft able to understand the nature of it, and to prove by correfpondent fruits the fincerity of your choice.

take

You have a better altar at which you may refuge, than that to which Joab made his flight. That yielded no protection to the prefumptuous

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finner. Joab fled thither; but ftill he must die For you there is an altar, to which you can fly and find fafety. The blood which Chrift fhed on the crofs, applied by faith, will cleanfe from all guilt from the guilt of the greatest fins. Through him all that believe are juftified from all things, from which they could not be juftified by the law of Mofes." He came to fave the chief of finners, and through him " the mercy of God is unto all and upon all that believe, and there is no difference."

Are you convinced of your violation of God's law? Do you hear its threatenings? Do you perceive them pointed against you? Do you feel your infufficiency to expiate your guilt, and evade the divine fentence? What will you do?-Lift up your eyes, and behold the altar, which God has erected-behold the facrifice which is offered there-It is the facrifice of God's own fon, who bare your fins in his body on the cross, that you might live through him. He through the eternal fpirit offered himself without fpot to God; and his blood can purge your confcience from dead works, and deliver your fouls from the wrath to

come.

Listen to the calls of the faviour; "Look unto me, and be ye faved. Come to me, and ye fhall find reft to your fouls." Hear the exhortations of his meflengers; "Repent and be converted, that your fins may be blotted out, and times of refreshing fhall come from the prefence of the Lord. Repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance; and ye fhall receive the forgiveness of fins, and an inheritance among them that are fanctified. Attend to their argument; "God is in Chrift reconciling the world to himfelf not imputing their trefpaffes, and he hath

committed to us the word of reconciliation.

We

are ambaffadors for Christ, as though God did befeech you by us; we pray you in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled to God; for he hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

You fee what a glorious hope is set before you. Arife now, flee to the altar of atonement, and lay hold on eternal life.

3. You are here warned not to take any encouragement in a finful life from the confidence and fecurity, in which fome wicked men seem at prefent to live; for fooner or later, these very men will condemn themselves. Other wicked men have done fo; and fo will they, and fo will you, if you live like them.

When you look round on the world of mankind, you see thousands pursuing a courfe very different from that, which the gospel prescribes and you can obferve in them nothing, which indicates a diftruft of their own fafety. If you converfe with them, you hear many of them juftify their manner of life, and talk in terms of great indifference about a life of ftrict religion. Some of these appear to be men of difcernment in other matters; and you ask," why should they not be capable of judging in matters of religion? If they fufpe& no danger in their courfe, why fhould we?" But this is a prefumptuous way of reasoning and acting. Why judge you not of yourfelves what is right? Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Call no man your mafter on earth; for you have a mafter in heaven. Make not wicked men your guides, for however wife they may be in worldly matters, in the concerns of religion the god of this world has blinded their minds. But if you are disposed to give

weight to their opinions, fee what their opinions are, in feasons when they are most likely to judge right. Obferve how they feel, and hear what they fay, in the near views of another world. If they then condemn their own irreligious fentiments and manners, be not you governed by them.

Perhaps you have never feen these men in that folemn fituation. But others of the fame character have been in it; and they discovered a sense of the importance of religion. It is probable many of these will do the fame. Never follow the example of thofe, who, you think, will condemn this very example in those serious hours, when their judgment will be moft impartial. Never purfue a course, which, you know, you must condemn, when you come to the end of it. The example of good men you may wifely follow, for your own confcience now approves it, and will approve it in the review. You have heard and read of many, who condemned their own ungodly life, as they were entering into another world but you never heard or read of a man, who in that fituation condemned a religious life, as what appeared foolish and vain, or as what gave him fear and anxiety. Many good men have died in fear; but their fear arofe from a diftruft of their own hearts; not from a distrust of religion. They never fufpected, that religion was a vain thing; much less that it was a dangerous thing; their only concern was, left they had not fully embraced it, and cordially yielded to its influence.

You fee, then, where your interest and safety lie. They lie in the religion which the gospel teaches. This is not a vain thing; it is your life.

The falvation of the foul is the one thing need

ful. This is offered in the word of God, and the terms of it are there ftated. It is by a compliance with the terms, that you are to fecure the benefit. The terms are repentance of paft fins, application to the mercy of God through a dying faviour, and a life devoted to God in holy obedience. Thus only can you enjoy peace in life, hope in death and happiness in eternity. In favour of fuch a choice you have the teftimony of good men, and of wicked men too; you have the teftimony of the word of God, and of your own conscience. Embrace now the pardon and falvation offered you; and truft not in a flight to God's altar, when you fee the avenger of your crimes close at your heels, left, when your guilty hands attempt to lay hold on the horns of the altar, you be taken thence, that you may die; or if you refolve to perish there, ftill you perish in all your guilt.