But they who make religion their early choice and habitual practice, are continually advancing in the divine life. The graces wrought in them by the spirit of God, in their renovation, are ftrengthened by exercise, and the duties of the Christian life are facilitated by ufe. And the virtues, which are most important to old age, fuch as fobriety, contentment, patience, devotion and heavenly mindednefs, come into familiar and agreeable operation. It is no eafy matter for an old man to be calm and cheerful under his present trials, if he has been anxious and fretful in all his former days. It is difficult for him now to have his converfation in heaven, if it never has been there before. He can have little relish for devout and fpiritual exercises, if they are all new to him, and he now begins to learn them. My friends; that religion may bring its confolations home to your hearts in that evil day, you must gain a familiar acquaintance with it in your better days.

5. Religion begun in youth, and continued through the fubfequent ftages of life, will be a fafe ground for ftrong hope in old age.

The man, who believes, that within a few weeks or months, he fhall enter into the eternal world, muft, if any fenfibility be left, earneftly defire a good evidence, that he fhall be happy there. But this evidence cannot ordinarily be acquired in a day or week. It must be the refult of experience and felf-examination. There must be opportunity to prove the inward temper and to compare it with the word of God. A fudden and hafty confidence is generally deceitful, and always precarious. There is no doubt, that some, even in old age, may be the subjects of a renovating change; but the reality of fuch a change must be

doubtful to them, until they have had more time to prove themselves, than the aged have reafon to expect. Such perfons, though they die fafely, yet cannot wholly disburden themselves of previous anxieties and fears.

Therefore, my friends, take up religion in fea fon, carry it with you through life, cherish it in your old age; then you will have comfort in the decays of your nature, and good hope in your death. Your conftancy and improvement in religion from early life will be an evidence in your favour, in which you may place confidence. How pleasant will be this period, when you can review a long life with confcious approbation, and can look forward into the eternal world with the full affurance of hope? How bright will be the evening of your life, when light breaks in on your eyes from the heavenly world? How cheerfully may you ftep forward into the valley of death, when the light of God's countenance gilds your paffage? "If you prepare your hearts and stretch out your hands to God; if you put away iniquity from your hands and wickednefs from your fouls, then fhall you lift up your faces without fpot; yea, you fhall be ftedfaft, and fhall not fear; your age fhall be clearer than the noon day; you shall shine forth, you shall be as the morning."

6. Early religion brings this additional advantage to old age, that it enfures a more distinguished degree of glory in the future world.

The fcripture affures us, that the heavenly rewards will be measured out to good men according to the works which they have done for God, and the attainments which they have made in holiness. "They who have fowed bountifully, will reap alfo bountifully; and they who have fowed fparingly, will reap fparingly." They who have spent

a long life in the fteady practice of religion, muft have acquired more virtue in their hearts, brought more honour to God, and done more good to men, than they who never attended to religion before the laft ftage of their probation. Confe quently they have a capacity to enjoy, and a title to receive a proportionably larger measure of hea venly felicity. There are fome, who will fcarcely be faved; and fome whofe reward fhall be great. The late penitent will be found in the former clafs; the early Chriftian in the latter. And, O how pleasant must be the contemplation of death to fuch aged faints, as can depart in the full perfuafion, that an entrance will be miniftered to them abundantly into the kingdom of God, and that there they fhall receive an exceeding and eternal weight of glory?

I have reasoned with you, my young friends, on the fuppofition, that you will live to be old. And now fay, Does not religion, on this ground, appear to be your highest wifdom? Is not your judgment brought fully over to the fide, for which I have been pleading? Then fix your refolution immediately. Do you hefitate ?There is anoth er argument in your cafe, which certainly forbids delay. It is not certain that you will live to be old. And with refpect to each of you individually, this is not probable. You fee fome die old; you see more die young. The uncertainty of life is a powerful reason, why you fhould choose God for your hope and your truft from your youth. Even though you fhould be fpared to old age, this early choice is, on many accounts, highly reasonable and advantageous; if you are to die in youth, and God knows whether this be not your destiny, then the choice, which I have recommended, is abfolutely neceffary. For this is the only time you can have.

If any of you, my aged brethren, have let this time pass away unregarded, you have loft your beft time; and I deplore your lofs. But for heaven's fake, lose not what remains. Be humble for paft neglect, apply with diligence to the work, which you ought to have begun before. Death is advancing; it lingers not. Time is paffing; it flumbers not. It is high time to awake out of fleep. Wherefore, let me apply to you the words of the apostle, "Awake, ye that fleep, and arife from the dead, and Chrift fhall give you light. And walk circumfpectly, not as fools, but as wife, redeeming the time, becaufe the days are evil."

SERMON V.

The Infirmities and Comforts of Old Age.

A Sermon to Aged People.

......ར་ ་་་

MY AGED BRETHREN AND FRIENDS,

YOU will permit an aged man, like yourselves, to speak, this afternoon, a few words to you.....Or, if you please, he will in your hearing speak to himself.......Pertinent to our case, and worthy of our adoption, is the petition of the Psalmist in

PSALM lxxi. 9.

Caft me not off in the time of old age........ Forfake me not when my ftrength faileth.

THERE is little doubt, that David was

the author of this Pfalm. And from several expreffions in it we learn, that he wrote it in his old age. He prays in our text, "Caft me not off in the time of old age." And, in verfe 18, "Now, when I am old and grey headed, forfake me not.' But David, when he died, was but about feventy years old, and he probably wrote the Pfalm fome years before his death; perhaps in the time of