which ended in his diffolution, he faid, "Let all who "come to inquire after me, be allowed to fee me, I "ought to be an example of religion, dying as well as "living; and Chrift fhall be magnified in my body, "whether it be by life or by death." "Let me die

"the death of the righteous, and let my last end be "like his." But in order to this it will be neceffary for us,

III. To examine the condition upon which this privilege is fufpended, and which is obviously here implied; "FOR fo an entrance fhall be ministered "unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom "of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift." There are two things which it will be proper for us briefly to premife. First, There are cafes in which Chriftians may be affected all through life by bodily causes, having fomething morbid and atrabilarious in their conftitution, which fubjects them to various changes and depreffions with which religion has no concern. There is no reasoning from these instances. Secondly, It is not for us to determine what God may do in particular cafes; for he does not always deal with his people according to their defert; he is flow to anger and ready to forgive. Nevertheless he has given us a rule by which we are to walk; and has wifely established a connection between duty and privilege. And I am perfuaded that there is not an individual in this affembly, who would not rationally and fcripturally expect to find one course of life attended with a more favoured and happy death than another; nor can there be much dispute in determining the nature of

this course; this being one of those cases in which men are very nearly agreed. It would be well if their knowledge and their practice equally harmonized; but, alas! what ignorance and infidelity cannot make us deny, fin and the world can make us negle&t! this course requires, that fhould habituate youryou felves to familiar thoughts of Death. This will diffipate the terrors which arife from distance and imagination; this will break the force of furprise; this will turn a frightful precipice into a gentle flope. He who can fay, "I die daily," is the most likely to die comfortably. It requires, that you fhould loofen your affections from the world. A gentle breeze, a flight effort will bring down the tree around which you have dug, and whofe larger roots you have cut off. And the lefs powerfully you are attached to earthly things, the more easy will be your separation from them. This is the man to die, whofe mind advances with his time; who feels himself a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth; whofe treasure is in heaven; and who views dying as only going home. It requires, that you fhould obtain and preferve the evidences of pardon; without these you cannot be fearless and tranquil in the near views of eternity, fince" after death is the ❝ judgment.". It requires you to keep a confcience void of offence towards God and towards man. Is he in a condition to die, who has tice of fome known fin, and in the known duty? Is he in a condition to die, who has worn a mask of hypocrify, which will now drop off and expose him in his true character? Is he in a condition to die, who by artifice, unfair dealing, grinding

lived in the pracomiffion of some

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the faces of the poor, has amaffed gain which will difhonour him if reftored, and damn him if retained? It requires us to live in the exercise of brotherly kindness and charity. Of all we do for Him, nothing pleafes him more than this, this we know he will acknowledge in the day of judgment, and why not in the day of death? "Bleffed is he that confider"eth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of "trouble." "The Lord will ftrengthen him upon "the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed "in his fickness." Many are praying for him; the widows and the fatherlefs cry, and their cry entereth "the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." It requires an attention to religion in your families. I pity that father, who will be furrounded when he dies with children, whofe minds he never informed, whofe difpofitions he never curbed, whofe manners he never guarded; who fees one an infidel, another a profligate, and all irreligious. I know that you are not anfwerable for the converfion of your offspring, but you are refponfible for the ufe of all proper means; and if these have been neglected, you will plant your dying pillow with thorns; whereas if you have feriously and perfeveringly attended to them, your dying repose fhall not be disturbed by want of fuccefs; but you shall be able to fay, "Although my house be not fo with God,

yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, "ordered in all things and fure; for this is all my "falvation and all my defire, although he make it not "to grow." "

In a word, it requires you to live in the strenuous cultivation of practical and progreffive religion.

"And befides this, giving all diligence, add to your "faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to "knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, pa"tience; and to patience, godlinefs; and to godli"nefs, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kind"nefs, charity. For if thefe things be in you, and "abound, they make you that ye fhall neither be "barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord "Jefus Chrift. But he that lacketh these things is "blind, and cannot fee far off, and hath forgotten "that he was purged from his old fins, Wherefore "the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your

calling and election fure; for if ye do these things "ye fhall never fall for fo, an entrance fhall be min"iftered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting "kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift."

My Brethren, If there be fuch differences among Christians in dying, we may be affured that there will be inequalities in heaven. If there be fuch diverfities in the order of their admiffion, who can fuppofe they will all be upon a level as foon as they have entered ? There are various ranks and degrees among our fellow-fervants and elder brethren, thrones and dominions, principalities and powers. The works of God on earth and in the vifible heavens are diftinguished by a pleafing variety; "All flesh is not the fame. "flesh but there is one kind of flefh of men, anoth "er flesh of beafts, another of fishes, and another of "birds. There are alfo celeftial bodies and bodies "terreftrial: but the glory of the celeftial is one, "and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the fun, and another glory of the

Cc c

"moon, and another glory of the ftars; for one star "differeth from another star in glory. So alfo is the "refurrection of the dead." Let us therefore "look to ourselves that we receive a full reward.”

It is impoffible to close without asking you in the prefence of God, What preparation have you made for a dying hour? Surely you do not expect to live here always; you know that you muft die; and if ever you think of it, you cannot help wishing to die in peace. But can you hope to conclude in comfort, a life paffed in guilt? "Be not deceived; God is not "mocked: for whatsoever a man foweth, that fhall "he alfo reap. For he that foweth to his flesh, shall "of the flesh reap corruption: but he that foweth to "the Spirit, fhall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." You are not in a ftate to die even SAFELY. You have only heard what you have to lose. To you No entrance will be administered.

But I addrefs myself to Christians; and call upon you to think much of a dying hour. The care of dying well, will influence you to live fo.

Value things according to the views you will have of them, when you look back from the borders of the grave. You fee the bleffedness we speak of does not depend upon genius, learning, earthly riches, worldly diftinctions. But fome things have a favourable influence over a dying hour; value, felect, pursue thefe. By fuch a death, regulate your plans of living. Be piously ambitious; feek after fpiritual profperity; be rich in faith; be filled with the fruits of righteoufnefs; give all diligence to the full affurance of hope unto the end. Happy is the man who is no longer " in bon