fatherly chastisements, and are bettered by them, as becomes the dutiful children of fo good and kind a father: All these are sure grounds for a Chriftian to hope, that thefe graces have not been given in vain, but that God designs, and will crown them with pardon, favour, and happiness eternal.

This, we fay, is the comfort of all God's fervants, whether of those that die, or of thofe that lament the lofs of their dear friends.

On the other hand, with what a fad and heavy heart musft they leave the world, who, looking back, can fee nothing in their whole life, but what must render them unworthy of the mercy of God; who have lived an idle, ufelefs, careless life, and are cut off in their fins; who are going to appear before a Judge, whose laws they have broken, whofe graces and favours they have fet at nought; who have done little or no good in their generation. -What forrowful dying thoughts must such people have! What little comfort and hope will their furviving friends have!

But this is a fubject too foreign and too mournful to be infifted on, upon this occafion. I only hint it, that fuch as have any degree of seriousness may think in time, and to fome good purpose, what an ill-spent life must end in.

As to our fifter and friend, we hope, and we believe, that none of the graces which God vouchfafed her, were loft upon her; that she

died

died in the true faith and fear of God, after a well-fpent life; that she is gone to appear before a judge, whom the endeavoured, by a fober and useful life, to make her friend; and that she is happier, where fhe now is, than ever fhe was in this world.

May we all bless God, for fuch good examples, and endeavour to imitate them, that we may one day meet in the paradife of God, and be made partakers of a bleffed refurrection, for the Lord Jefus' fake.

To whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

,,

SERMON

PREACHED AT THE FUNERAL OF THE REV. THOMAS ALLEN, VICAR OF KIRK-MAUGHOLD.

THE PROPER DUTY OF CHRISTIANS IN GENERAL, AND OF THE MINISTERS OF CHRIST IN PARTICULAR.

JOHN Xvii. 4.

I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH THOU GAVEST

TH

ME TO DO.

HESE are fome of the laft words of our bleffed Saviour, and fpoken juft before he laid down his life for us. As he was man, he had a work given him by God to do, and to finish, before he fhould leave this world.

It was to make known the will of God to fallen man; that God would be reconciled to men upon certain conditions, which he had declared to them; and especially he was to make known to them, that God would call all men to an account, and adjudge them to happiness or misery, according to the works done in the body. This work our Lord declares he had finished; and makes it the fubject of his rejoicing before his death.

Now although the best of men come infinitely short of this pattern, yet every Christian

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is bound, at the peril of his foul, to strive to come up to it; that is, "to do his duty in "that state of life unto which it shall please "God to call him."

And yet this is a matter so seldom laid to heart, at least so seriously as it ought to be, that most people look upon their time as their own, to be difpofed of as they please; and that they are at liberty to choose what work pleases themselves, not what the providence of God had given them to do.

So that the account men are to give of the work they have done, is too often the leaft and last of their thoughts. And yet all Chriftians own, that upon this depends their everlafting happiness or mifery.

And every Chriftian, as he hopes to die in peace, and in the favour of God, as he hopes for heaven, ought to live fo as that when he comes to die he may be able to fay, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do; that is, according to the allowances made by our merciful God to human frailty, I have been doing my duty, the work which the providence of God appointed me. I was fenfible of my own weakness, and therefore I always prayed for his grace and affiftance, that I might do my duty fo as to please him. I found myself too often wanting to my duty; and as often as I did fo, I begged his pardon, and endeavoured to amend where I had done amifs: And this has been my constant care. Whoever

Whoever cannot say something like this to himself when he comes to die, will certainly die either with a feared or an uneafy conscience.

I do not fay this to terrify any fincere foul, who, though late, has repented of his unprofitable or idle way of living, and is now working out his falvation with fear and trembling. If his repentance be fincere; that is, if he is bringing forth fruits meet for repentance, answerable to amendment of life, he may comfort himself with the affurance of mercy, and pardon, and happiness.

But what I aim at is, to awaken fuch finners as are manifeftly in the way of perdition, and not to fuffer them to go on without fhewing them their danger and their ruin. Such for instance, as never think of the account they are to give, never mind their falvation, put off their repentance and conversion from time to time, till it may be too late to do them. any good.

Now; the way I would take to awaken fuch finners into a fenfe of their danger, is this:-I would endeavour to convince, (and may the grace of God make my endeavours effectual!) I would, I fay, endeavour to convince you and myself, of the real danger every Christian is in, who is not actually doing the work which God has given him to do.

And this we fhall fee very plainly, if we will but confider thefe following truths: That

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