proportion to the greatness of his obligations on the one hand, and of his unworthiness on the other. Let us remember, brethren, that we are all condemned criminals; and that our wise and gracious sovereign dispenses his favours according to his own good-will and pleasure. as a matter of right? God forbid! O let us receive it as the free gift of God through Christ Jesus. Let us be thankful for our own salvation, if we have evidence that we are partakers of it; and let us rejoice, and praise God for every display of his mercy and grace to our fellow sinners.

Shall we think of claiming salvation

3. Thirdly, this subject affords us some light in forming our judgment upon a late, or death-bed repentance.

Apparent repentance at this stage, and conversion are, generally speaking, much to be suspected. Probably there are but few who are truly converted to God at this late period. We have but one positive and decisive instance of such a conversion in the Holy Scripture; and this is not calculated to be drawn into a precedent for procrastination. A sick bed is a very unfavourable situation for the commencement of religion. And it is not frequently that God manifests such displays of his grace; particularly after the ordinary means of its communication have been disregarded and neglected to which it may also be added, that in many cases there have been appearances of repentance and faith, on what has been supposed to have been the bed of death, but on recovery these transient impressions have worn

off, and such seeming converts have manifested, that their goodness was as a morning cloud, and as the early dew which goeth away;" and they have "returned like the dog to his vomit, or like the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire." Nothing short, therefore, of strong and decisive evidences of a real change of heart, can afford any confident hope of salvation under such circumstances. But there are some cases in which it would manifest dishonour towards the God of grace, and distrust of his power and goodness, not to give credit to the abundant evidences of the reality of the change, and of the operations of the Holy Spirit in effecting it. We know that "the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save." We know that he can save at

the eleventh hour. And has he not given us sufficient reason to believe that he sometimes does so? His grace is all-sufficient; and with him all things are possible. If deep humility and repentance-if ardent love to the Saviour-if tenderness of conscience-if an anxious concern for the salvation of others-if lively faith and gratitude and joy, are marks of true conversion to God, then have cases been seen, in which a late repentance has been genuine and saving. In connexion with this subject a remark of some importance may here be made. With respect to those who are actually saved, it is impossible for us to determine when the incipient principle of regeneration was implanted in their souls, if we hesitate to admit that it was communicated in the ordinance of baptism with which the Scripture

has connected it.

The principle in some cases may
It is the incorruptible

for a long time lie dormant.

seed of God which at some period or other will spring up and grow; and unless this effect be produced, there can be no evidence of its existence. It must be remembered, that regeneration is the seed and commencement, as well as the fruit and perfection, of all true religion.

4. Fourthly, the gracious manifestations of God to his people, previous to their death, do not afford us any criterion whereby to judge of the degrees of glory and happiness which may be conferred on them in the heavenly state.

He whose ways are 66 higher than our ways, as the heavens are higher than the earth," may have reasons, unknown to us, for exhibiting his sovereignty in the consolations, and joys, and manifestations of grace, which he occasionally communicates to his people, previously to their death. There may, however, sometimes be reasons which may appear obvious to us. There are cases, in which we might be in doubt respecting the final state of some, were not God to remove those doubts by some peculiar manifestations of his mercy and love. We know that he is the sovereign disposer of his own grace. May he not, therefore, sometimes choose to illustrate his own words, "the last shall be first and the first last?" We are not, however, to suppose that such manifestations denote superior holiness here, or imply that higher degrees of glory will be conferred hereafter.

The most established, eminent, and holy

believers, sometimes die without experiencing any peculiar joys. The great and good Archbishop Usher, passed through the valley of the shadow of death, repeatedly exclaiming, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" Many other similar cases might be mentioned. If there are different degrees of glory in heaven, which seems to be intimated in scripture, they cannot be determined by the presence or absence of death-bed joys and consolations. We, brethren, are exhorted to "look to ourselves, that we receive a full reward; to be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord." We have, therefore, stronger motives to be diligent in the work of the Lord, and more solid ground on which to form our judgment respecting our future state, than any which can be drawn from the expectation, or the experience of the consolation and joy of religion, in the last days of our pilgrimage. We are required to grow in grace, to go on to perfection, and to be continually making progress religion. This should be our object as long as we continue in the present world; and for aught we know, there may be progress and advances even in heaven itself. The redeemed and sanctified, may be continually making nearer approaches to what may be termed perfection; like the mathematical line, which may be conceived as infinitely drawing nearer to another line, without ever reaching its actual contact.

5. Finally, one more remark may be added, which

in

giveness of sins. Of faith in the Saviour, we have already spoken. Let us now look at repentance. 'Jesus is exalted as a Prince and a Saviour, "to give repentance and forgiveness of sins."

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If therefore he confers repentance, he bestows remission with it. Again, let us glance at love to the Saviour. The woman who had been a sinner loved him; and this is adduced as a proof that her sins were forgiven. Let us farther observe what is said of the practice of righteousness, and of the love of our brother. "In

this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whoso doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." But the converse of the proposition is true. He that doeth righteousness, and loveth his brother, is of God; that is, he is a child of God. But those who are the children of God are the happy subjects of forgiveness of sins. Once more, it is asserted by St. John, "By this we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." It is clear, therefore, that if we know we have passed from death unto life, we likewise know that we have received the forgiveness of our sins. Now, dear brethren, if you are conscious that you possess repentance and contrition for sin, or that you love the Saviour, or that you practise righteousness and love your brother, you may without presumption draw the conclusion that your sins are forgiven. In this way the assurance of remission may be received and enjoyed.