ple speak in these words, and fee how it will fet upon their minds.

And this brings us to the laft and greatest mistake of all, which is, of those many who place all their hopes of being holy and happy, in a death-bed repentance. Moft people being ferious when they come to die, and fhewing a great concern for having lived no better, this is called repentance. And it being often faid of fuch as had lived bad lives, that they made a very good end; and people, in their last wills, leaving their fouls to God, in hopes that he will receive them into paradife, as fure as their friends will give their bodies a christian burial; and none returning from the dead to fhew the fad miftake; hence it is that unthoughtful people flatter themselves with vain hopes, that all almost are happy when they die.

Christians would do much better to conclude, that God will not depart from the declaration he has made; Without holiness, no man fball fee the Lord; and therefore all who live without holinefs, muft die without hopes of mercy. And then, what will all these fad delufions we have mentioned profit those who depend upon them? Happy they who lay hold of the present time, and by a speedy converfion enter into the way of holiness, and continue in it unto their lives' end!

III. And this brings us to confider, How this holiness is to be attained. It is not the

work

work of nature but of grace, to perfect holiness in the fear of God. It is for this reason we are obliged to make use of all thofe means which God has appointed to fit us for heaven; the chief of which are, the word, and prayer: by the first our faith is increased, and by the second our graces.

Now every Chriftian, whofe heart God has touched with a fincere defire of becoming holy, (for it is to fuch only one can speak to any faving purpose) must seriously confider, what God has made known in his word concerning himself, his will, and concerning mankind.

For inftance:-In that word, we fee our own corruption, our weakness, and our danger. We there read, how men, ever fince there were men, have been provoking God by their wickedness, and how God has punished them continually. We there learn, that we are all of the fame race and make; all fubject to the fame fins, and to the fame punishment.

The fame word makes known to us the great goodness of God; that in order to rescue us out of the power of the devil, and to deliver us from the flavery of fin, he has put us under the government of his own Son; and has promised to make us eternally happy, if it be not our own fault. That he is fo good as to call us his children, that we may live as becomes children of fo holy a Father; and that we may depend upon his love, upon his promises,

2 Cor. vi. 1.

promises, and upon his affiftance, as a child may do upon the love of a tender father.

And knowing that if he fhould fuffer us to follow our own natural inclinations, we should certainly ruin ourselves, he has therefore given us laws, not only to keep us from fin and mifery, but to make us partakers of a divine nature; that is, to make us holy, that we may be capable of being happy.

That we may have these laws always before us, he has appointed his minifters to explain them, and to found them continually in the ears of all fuch as fhall be difposed to hear and to obey them: and to all fuch he has promised his Holy Spirit, to enlighten their understandings, to enable them to keep his laws, and to overcome all the difficulties they can poffibly meet with.

And left the difficulties of an holy life fhould affright them, or the commands of Jefus Chrift should seem hard to flesh and blood; this fame word of God fets before us the very different portion of good and bad men in the next life, in these most affecting words: The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves fhall hear the voice of the Son of God, and fhall come forth; they that have done good, unto the refurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the refurrection of damnation.

And now, what has a Chriftian to do, who has any concern for his everlasting well-being, but to lay hold of the other great means of falvation;

John v. 28, 29.

falvation; and that is, Prayer, which is the only fure remedy for all our wants and diforders? What has a finner, who is awakened with these truths to do, but to beg of God to give him a true fenfe of his unhappy state, and grace and ftrength to break his bonds? What has he to do, but to put his cause into the hands of Jefus Chrift, who is our advocate and peace-maker with God; the price of whofe blood is fufficient to procure a full difcharge of all his fins; to beg of him to remove all those hindrances to a true converfion, which the devil, or his own corrupt nature, have laid in his way; and to give him that repentance to which he has promised mercy and pardon?

He will alfo beg of God, to create in him a new heart, to enable him to wean his affections from things temporal, to redeem his misfpent time, and faithfully discharge the duties of his place; to convince him of the neceffity of mortification, of felf-denial, and of watching continually; that he may lay hold on all occafions of doing what he believes will please God, and of avoiding what God has forbidden.

And if to his prayers he adds the often thinking of what must come hereafter, thethoughts of death will help to cure him of a too great fondness for this world; the thoughts of a day of judgment will oblige him to strict holiness, juftice, and charity, that in

that

that day of vifitation he may find mercy; the fear of bell will oblige him to take any pains here, that he may escape the bitter pains of eternal death; and the hopes of heaven will help to fweeten all the troubles of this mortal life.

These are the most fure means of attaining holiness. And as no man who hopes for heaven can be excufed from being holy, fo no Christian (especially amongst us) can pretend to want the means of becoming so.

Every Chriftian has an opportunity of bearing the word of God, and of learning his duty; of joining in the prayers of the church for every grace, for every virtue, for every bleffing, he can poffibly ftand in need of; which God never denies to the fincere, and which the most unlearned have a right to, as well as the most learned, provided the heart be right; for there is the defect, if any, and never in the means.

Whoever therefore afpires after holiness, and lays hold of the means, will certainly be renewed by the Spirit that is in him.

And though to us evil habits may seem incurable, and true holiness almost impoffible, confidering our corrupt affections, yet they are not fo to HIM who hath called us unto holiness; and who, by doing fo, has obliged himself to give us all neceflary affiftance. But then let us remember, that we never fhall be holy, never happy, without our own fincere endeavours.

And