without its proper share of duty; lest vain and fruitless wishes, a wounded and despairing con science, should be our only companions in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment.

If such then be the value and importance of time, it will afford us but a melancholy prospect to consider, how it is generally employed, either by ourselves or others. It will give us but little comfort to look back upon the many days we have spent in trifles and vanities, in idle discourses and childish recreations, calculated rather to beguile the flying moments of our time than to improve them to our profit.

But if we have little comfort in looking back upon the childish waste of our time, we have still less, I fear, in reviewing that, which has been employed to worse purposes, in the service of sin. It will give us little pleasure to remember, and yet the day will come when we shall be forced to remember, how much of the time allotted us we have spent in lewd thoughts, or unlawful lusts, in sinful pleasures, or dishonest persuits, - in dishonouring God, or injuring our neighbour, or in adding some way or other to the black catalogue of our sins and vices. And yet such is the view, which the retrospeet of life will too generally exhibit to us!

VOL. II,

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What then shall we do to compensate for this fatal loss of our past hours, which will one day lie so heavy upon our consciences? The plain answer is in the words of the apostle," Redeem "the time." Let those who are yet in the morning of life, and have lost but little of their time, press forwards with vigour to the end of their journey, without suffering themselves to be drawn aside by youthful lusts or irregular desires. Let those who are in the middle of their course, remember, that their sun will soon decline to the west, and may, even before that, be obscured with impenetrable clouds and darkness: That therefore it becomes them to work, whilst the light is with them; and whilst their faculties are yet fit for labour and application. And as to those who have almost finished their course, but without answering the great ends for which they were sent into the world, who are grown gray in sin as well as in age, what shall I say? What language can paint their folly in its proper colours? What eloquence can rouze them to a state of serious consideration? What voice can impress upon them, with effective energy, these awful words: "Awake thou that sleepest, arise from "death?"

Indeed, my friends, yours is a truly dangerous situation. It is the situation of Lot in Sodom, when

when the destroying angels stood over it: unrepented guilt is around you, and the flames of destruction are ready to burst forth under your feet. You have no time to lose. Summon therefore all your vigour to escape for your lives, before it be too late. Take up the fervid petition of Lot to the destroying angel, "Be"hold now this city is near to flee unto, and "it is a little one; : Oh! let me escape thither, "(is it not a little one?) and my soul shall "live." And may God inspire you with such a lively sorrow and compunction of heart, that you may truly repent you of your past sins, and be accepted into the kingdom of your heavenly Master, even at the last hour, though ye have stood all the day idle!

Lastly, let me recommend to every one of you, of whatever age, the serious consideration of that solemn prophecy contained in the book of Revelation: "And the angel which I saw " stand upon the sea, and upon the earth, " lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by " him that liveth for ever and ever, "That "there should be time no longer." My brethren, when this prophecy shall be finally accomplished, can be known only unto him who liveth for ever and ever, But to us it is fully accomplished, whenever death shall have closed

our eyes. To us, time is then no more. To us, the sun is for ever darkened, and the stars shall no more give their light. To us, the time of trial is ended, the time of grace is expired, the time of repentance is cut off, and an eternity of torments or happiness from that moment begins. How therefore does it become every one of us to guard against being surprized in an unlooked-for hour by that awful period! How does it become every one of us to redeem the time by acts of virtue and benevolence! How does it become every one of us to beseech the giver of all good gifts, that he would so teach us to number our days, that we may steadily and in earnest apply our hearts unto that wisdom, which can alone ensure to us a state of neverfailing happiness, when time shall be no more!

SER

SERMON XXXIV.

GALAT. iv. 4.

When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son.

INCE God, at the creation of the world,

Splaced mankind in

a situation perfectly

worthy of his infinite wisdom and goodness; since he made them rational and free creatures, and consequently capable as well of exalting and improving, as of debasing and impairing their natural faculties; it cannot justly be said, that he lay under any necessity of sending his Son into the world at all. However, when men in general had so far deviated from the paths of righteousness, and were so far degenerated into the grossest ignorance and stupidity, as scarcely to have any impression of their Maker remaining upon their minds, it was doubtless most earnestly to be wished, that the Almighty

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