SERM.
II.

Numb. xiv. 22. 23.

2.) With regard to the extent of the divine mercie, and the hope of sharing in it upon the latest repentance, several things may be observed..

The mercie of God is certainly very great. Nor does it become us to fet limits to it. It may be extended to some very late, if fincere penitents. We dare not deny, that whensoever finers forsake the evil of their ways and their doings, he will have mercie upon them, accept them, and pardon them. Nevertheless none are in more danger of being excluded, than those, who in the early days of life are favored with frequent and earnest calls and invitations, and withstand them. And there are in scripture some declarations and threatenings, which are very awful, and affecting. You know, that a peremptorie sentence passed upon the whole congregation of the people of Ifrael, who often repeated their tranfgreffions. Because, said the Lord, all those men, which have feen my glorie and my miracles, which 1 did in Egypt, and in the wildernesse, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice: furely they shall not fee the land, which I promised unto their fathers.

II.

}

Which event is emproved both by the SERM. Psalinist, and the Apostle in the epistle to the Hebrews, as a warning to men, not to Pf. xcv. provoke the divine being by long delays, 78. and repeated acts of disobedience, and to & iv. emprove the present opportunity, saying: To day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. And men are directed by one of the Prophets, in this manner: Seek the Lord, while he may be If. lv. 6. found. Call ye upon him, while he is near. And very moving are the warnings and expostulations of Wisdom in the book of Proverbs: How long, ye fimple ones, will ye love Prov. i. fimplicity,...and fools hate knowledge...Because I have called, and ye refused : I have stretched out my hands, but no man regarded: but ye have fet at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity, and will mock, when your fear cometh... Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall feek me early; that is, when difstresses and calamities have befallen them; but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

SERM.
II.

Mat. xx.

As for the repentance and acceptance of the penitent thief, we do not know, when he repented. The crime, for which he suffered, may have been committed by him, and repented of, some while before. Suppofing his repentance to be very late, and very fudden, on the day of his death only : his case is altogether fingular, on account of his suffering with Jefus. You know likewife, that the other malfactor repented not, even then. Moreover the penitent gave extraordinarie proofs of the fincerity of his repentance: under the pains of crucifixion acknowledging the justice of the punishment he underwent, profeffing faith in Jesus, and praying to him, in the time of his lowest abasement, when almost all the world rejected him, and the disciples themselves failed, through the weaknesse of their faith. Above all it should be confidered, that there is a great difference between his cafe and theirs, who live under the gospel-dispensation. He had not in early life such instructions, such warnings, such calls and invitations, as you have had.

The parable of the laborers hired into the

1.... 16. vineyard, at the third, fixth, ninth, and eleventh eleventh hours of the day, does not relate SERM. to the ages of man's life: but rather represents the dispensations of divine providence in the several ages of the world. They who were hired at the eleventh hour are the Gen

II.

tils, who had been long without the benefit of revelation. Therefore when afked, Why stand ye here all the day idle? they say, because no man bath hired us. Which shews, that the doctrine of this parable cannot countenance delays in things of religion : or encourage those to expect particular calls and invitations in old age, who have been favored with such advantages, and neglected them, in the time of their youth.

3. Once more, some may say: We are backward now, in the time of our youth, and the early days of life, to enter upon the ways of religion and virtue : because we fear, we shall not persevere. And if we should finally fall away, our guilt would be en

creafed.

To which I answer: You are in the right to be sensible of your own weaknesse, and the difficulties of a religious course of life. For there are difficulties therein. It is a great undertaking, and should be entered upon with

D4

II.

SERM. with mature confideration. Nevertheless, you have no good reason to defer, or hefitate in your choice. If you are ferious and fincere in the undertaking, your progresse and perfeverance may be reckoned very likely and hopeful.

21.

They who set out in the way of religion, with a mixture of worldly views and expectaMat. xiii. tions, may well fall away, if tribulation, or perJecution, arifeth because of the word. But they who have a true principle of virtue, will John ii. hold out to the end. They went out from us, says St. John, but they were not of us. if they had been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. But they went out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us.

19.

For

Observe the historie of the Old and New Testament. And I presume, you will scarce find any instances of total apostasie in men who were once fincerely good, but many examples of early and perfevering piety. Abraham immediatly obeyed the call of God, and went out, not knowing whither he went. And he continued to give frequent proofs of a strong and lively faith. Ifaac and Jacob walked with God all their days. Jofeph