Have you not been busily engaged with trifles, while matters of everlasting moment have been kept out of view? Have you not been sacrificing your real interests, to your pleasure? Have you not been neglecting the first, and the most important of your duties, while you have been labouring, in the performance of those, which, comparatively, are no duties, with as much assiduity and earnestness, as though you had been climbing up the steep ascent to Heaven? as though you had been toiling for immortal life? Surely, this is more than "labour in vain." This is folly in the abstract!

But this is not all. To delay repentance and reforma. tion-to put off the consideration, and the practice of religion, is not only unnatural, ungrateful, and unreasonable; it is also extremely dangerous.

First-Because time is not our own.

Secondly-Because the worth of salvation is great, and cannot be properly done in a short time.

Thirdly-Because it becomes more difficult, the longer it is put off.

Fourthly-Because, amid the infirmities of age, the pressure of calamities, or the terrors of a dying bed, if done at all, it will be done very imperfectly.

Fifthly-Because the more imperfectly it is done, the less will be our happiness in the world to come.

Lastly-Because God may withdraw from us, the assistance of his grace, and render it impossible for us to repent: and then everlasting, and irremediable ruin, must be the consequence. The consideration of these points will, I hope, be sufficient to convince you, of the danger, the folly, and the guilt of delay in religion; and will induce you to imitate the conduct of the Psalmist, who "made haste and delayed not to keep God's command ments."

First-Delay is dangerous, because time is not our own-is short-and is precarious. It is a truth, which ought to be forever on our minds, that time is Heaven's gift, or rather Heaven's loan; and that Heaven grants us this loan, not as a means of enjoyment, in this world, but as a means of procuring the enjoyment of the world to come. Now if we spent our time as God wishes us to spend it, in preparing for eternity, we might hope, that he would continue his loan, until we were prepared : but we can have no such hope, if we abuse it, and use it for a purpose, for which He never intended it. If a child abuse what the parent lent him for useful purposes, the child has nothing to expect, but that the parent will deprive him of it. For if the goodness of the parent gave it, the same goodness may take it away, to prevent him from turning it to his own destruction. Time is not our own; but is a talent put out upon interest. And it is a dangerous thing to neglect, or to misapply it. unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness.

The

Moreover, life is short, at the longest and it is a species of property, extremely precarious. In prospective, it seems as if it could never end; but when it is past, it is like a dream of the last night. And our thinking it so much longer than it really is, gives rise to some very dangerous, and fatal errors. The foolish Virgins, thinking they had time enough to furnish and trim their lamps, were called upon unexpectedly, and unprepared; and the consequence was, they were shut out from the Bridegroom's presence. Thus death often surprises those who delay their repentance, and reformation: and they must expect, with the foolish Virgins, to be shut out from Jesus, the great Bridegroom, and head of his Church.

After all, short as time is, delay would not be so dangerous, if we could always know the time of our visita

tion. But Heaven has, for wise purposes, rendered life not only short, but uncertain. We are never secure from the arrest of death. We can never call to-morrow our own. The duty that is put off till to-morrow, may remain for ever undone. If our everlasting happiness depends upon what is to be done to-morrow, that happiness may be irreparably lost. Procrastination is a moral vice, which has been the bane of thousands. If all those who have been deprived of their salvation by delay, could be piled up on the surface of the earth, they would make a column high as Heaven. Multitudes are constantly crowding the gates of death, who have been carried away, in the midst of their security, crying peace, peace; "when I have a convenient season, I will hear you again on this matter." It is indeed, a most dangerous thing, to put off the business of religion, to a future day. When the rich fool, in the Gospel, had laid plans to enlarge his barns and storehouses; and in the prospect of peace and plenty, for many years to come, had determined to eat, drink, and be merry, alas! poor wretch, he had not twenty-four hours to live! You, my dear fellow-mortal, may perhaps have no more religion than this rich fool. What if you should have no longer to live! Oh be wise, and consider your latter end-make haste, with David, and "delay not to keep God's commands." When Heaven or Hell must turn up, be not so unconcerned about the cast of the die. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." "To day while you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

Delaying our repentance, then, is dangerous, because time is a loan-because it is short-because it is uncertain. This danger is, Secondly, vastly increased, by the importance, and the greatness of the work of Salvation. Was there but little to gain or lose, men might be excused, for their indifference. To a man who was satisfied with his present wealth, one hundred pounds gained or

lost might be a trifle:-and to a worldling, delighted with his earthly gratifications, the hope or fear of a few years' happiness or misery hereafter, might be too inconsiderable, to make him change his course of life. But when we reflect, that everlasting ages of happiness or misery depend upon our conduct, the subject swells into dimensions, too vast for the human mind to conceive. To subject ourselves, to a whole year of pain, for a single hour's gratification, would be dreadful. Much more dreadful would it be, to suffer seventy years, for one hour's enjoyment. No one would be mad enough, to purchase pleasure, at so dear a market. And every thing that might possibly lead to these dreadful consequences, would be thought extremely hazardous. How much more dangerous then is delay in religion; where the consequences are important, beyond calculation. For one hour's enjoyment, in comparison of seventy years of misery, is much more, than seventy years of happiness are, in comparison of eternal ages of woe. Were each individual of the human race to be happy or miserable, for ninety-nine hundred thousand millions of years, and were we, in order to find the whole sum of happiness or misery, during that period, to add together the sufferings or enjoyments, of every one that has been born into the world, since the creation, the sum total of this happiness or misery of the whole human race, during the period of ninety-nine hundred thousand millions of years, would be inconceivably less, than the aggregate happiness or misery of one single soul, which enjoys or suffers through all eternity. Because the above period is limited, but eternity has no limits. And if such an eternity of happiness may, through the mercy of God in Christ, be purchased by a life of piety, is not a life of piety of incalculable importance? If all this happiness may be lost, and an eternity of suffering ensue, in consequence of delaying our repent

ance and reformation, is not such delay dangerous beyond conception?

Add to this, that the work of salvation is so great, that it cannot be duly performed, in a short time. We have so many passions and propensities to subdue, so many temptations and evil habits to overcome, so many trials and self-denials to undergo, so many virtues to cultivate, so many duties to practice, and so many graces to establish in our hearts and lives, that our religious character is the work of years. And, strange to tell, some nevertheless keep putting it off, and putting it off, and putting it off, till the very last hour of their lives. Is not this acting the fool on the very borders of eternity? Do these persons not seem to try, whether they cannot ruin themselves? What should we think of the man, who put off the whole business of the year, to the very last day of that year, particularly, if the happiness of the next year depended upon it? Should we not think that he was trying a very dangerous experiment? Nay, should we not think him deranged in his intellects? And what then shall we think of him, who puts off the whole business of life, to the very last period of life-when for what he knows, death may surprise him, the very next moment, and deprive him of everlasting happiness, nay, sink him into everlasting perdition? Oh, from hardness of heartfrom blindness of eyes-from security in sin-and from delaying our repentance and reformation, Good Lord deliver us!

If nothing more could be said, of the danger of delay, this would be enough. But this danger is increased, Thirdly-Because the longer the work of salvation is put off, the more difficult it will become. For through increased cares, and established habits, we become less and less disposed, and less and less able to undertake and perform it. That our cares grow less, as we grow older, F