X. 66 SERM. have transgressed God's holy laws) but for good and gracious and merciful ends, which one time or other, but not here, we shall more fully understand. This, however, we may be sure of, that sin and wickedness, drunkenness and debauchery, have this moral use, that they are sure to make a young man old before his time, and to bring him to an untimely grave; and therefore, that those who really " love life," and would fain "see good days," must needs, as an indispensable step towards it, refrain from all such hurtful and evil courses. The old man, therefore, we may reasonably suppose, has in his time done this; or if not, that he has been spared, because he was never altogether bad, and is now, therefore, probably in a state of repentance and righteousness, and there. fore on this account, at last, if not before, highly respectable. And, according to the common course of things, it would seem as if men were permitted to attain to great age, either to be an example or a warning. For, as there can be no greater example than to see a man full of hope, and confi dent dent in his God, when the pleasures of SERM. this life have lost all their charms; to see X. him not only at rest and at ease in his mind, while his body is every hour drawing nearer to the grave, but full of joy at the thoughts of passing into the presence of his Maker, and being received with that exhilarating welcome, "Well done thou "true and faithful servant;" so we must all know there cannot well be a greater warning, than an old man, with all his sins hanging about him, his senses all failing, and his body decaying, and no hope beyond the grave! No hope! do I say? nay full of fears, and apprehensions, and inexpressible anguish. For, who can give him any consolation ? No one can renew his relish for this life, no one can repair the waste and decay of his body, no one can save him from the stroke of death; no ɔne can dare to insure him against a judgment. to come, and punishment due to his evil deeds. Though, perhaps, we are not always ready to pursue this train of reflection, yet that it occurs to every mind, we may conclude from the general disgust and SERM. and horror that an aged sinner excites in X. our breasts. But we need not dwell longer on so hateful a picture, let us rather turn to a further consideration of the words of 66 my text: " an hoary head is a crown of 66 it fear of God is their glory*. A crown of glory is no earthly ornament; the King of Glory, while he sojourned on earth, had, as you all know, no better than a crown of thorns: a crown of glory is the inheritance of Heaven; it is our birth-right, not as the sons of men, but as the sons of God. We must needs conclude, therefore, that * Ecclus. xxv. 6. the X. the hoary head is only here said to be a SERM. crown of glory, as it is the best earnest of such a reward hereafter, be it but "found "in the way of righteousness," and well may we think thus of it; for when the head is silvered o'er with age, temptations have lost their force; the flesh is weak; the world uninteresting; and even Satan cannot seduce us any longer with the follies of life, for our body is too feeble to follow him. Our righteousness then, at such a time, if ever, must be fixed and confirmed; not in danger from the world behind us, and highly encouraged and supported by the immediate prospect of the world at hand; in the admirable words of the author of the book of Esdras, then "intem"perance is at an end, infidelity is cut off, righteousness is grown, and truth is sprung up;" upon which he justly observes, "then shall no man be able to save him that “is destroyed, nor to oppress him that bath 66 66 66 gotten the victory." As the body decays the soul is all we have to trust to; and the soul remains ready to point out an hereafter. But we may well suppose a man SERM. will not have passed to this last stage of X. life without learning much of the current : opinions about a future life; that he will know what expectations he may be allowed to indulge, with regard to his condition beyond the grave. What those of other persuasions, or other countries, may think upon these occasions, we have nothing here to do with we have, in the nature of things, only to consider what may be the condition of a true Christian at this awful and interesting period; and can any thing be more glorious than the hopes held forth in the Gospel of Christ? The Gospel of Christ, after the world from its first creation had been in doubts and perplexities about the future state of man, at length disclosed, in terms plain and obvious to the most simple understanding, this most animating truth, that we shall not all sleep for ever in the grave, but that we shall be changed-changed from this mortal and corruptible state we now are in, to a state of incorruption, honor, and immortality; that, when our Saviour and Redeemer, who is now ascended to the |