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by his judgments; He lays us upon the bed of sickness; He brings troubles upon us; He takes from us our children, and our goods; He suffers us to be wronged and persecuted, and the like: not because GoD takes any pleasure in the miseries of his creatures, but "these things worketh GoD "with man for this, to bring back his "soul from the pit, that he may be enlight"ened with the light of the living" that is, to open his eyes, that he may see the time of his visitation; that he may profit by it; and so prevent the miseries of the next world; compared with which, all the miseries that can be endured in this, are light and trifling.

Thus, I repeat, does GoD deal with all mankind, willing that all should be saved. So that those who perish, perish through their own wilful blindness, because they will not see the opportunities which are mercifully afforded them, of working out their own salvation.

The hurry of this world's pursuits and business is too apt to make men blind to their true interest; to make them forget their errand here; and prevent them from seeing that this life is given them as a day of grace, in which they may fit and prepare. themselves for a better. But such inatten

tion to "the one thing needful" is utter destruction; and no worldly gains can make us amends for the loss which follows it: for CHRIST himself has said, "What will "it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, "and lose his own soul?"

Another cause of our blindness is, the want of humility. It was this that hardened the Jews, and prevented them from seeing the things that belonged unto their peace. They were too wise to be taught, even by the Son of GOD; they thought themselves too righteous to need repentance; they were too exact in lesser matters, to mind the great concerns of the law; in a word, they took some little care of their outward actions, but had no concern for the inward graces of the spirit; that is, for the amendment of the heart.

And is not this the case, also, of too many who call themselves christians?" How ought it to humble us, when we consider, that many of us, who know that we are made for the everlasting possession of the heavenly Canaan, yet never prepare for it with earnestness; that we who are made for the fellowship of angels, yet can be content with the lowest enjoyment of brutes! We that have a time appointed us by GoD, in which we may work out our sal、

vation; yet we carelessly neglect or defer this momentous business! We that are in danger every moment of being snatched away; and are sure, if we die in our sins unrepented of, we shall be lost for ever; yet remain as unconcerned, as if the command: of life were in our own hands! Gracious. GOD grant, that these considerations may awaken sinners to a sense of their unhappy state, and teach them to weigh the uncer-tainty of time, the shortness of life, and the comfort of living so, as to "bring fruits "meet for repentance," before "that night: "cometh, in which no man can work!"

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That we may not lose the opportunity now afforded us, it is our first and great duty to watch and pray; to watch against sin, and to pray for grace to resist tempta-tion in other words, to have the shortness and uncertainty of life, and the punishment: of unrepented sin, much in our thoughts; and prayer for grace and pardon fre-. quently issuing from our lips. The good effects of such exercises will be these: We shall endeavour to make good use of: our present time; for who can tell how short it may be?

We shall take every opportunity of doing good; for who can tell whether we may ever have another?

'We shall be just in all our dealings,

and moderate in all our cares for the riches or conveniences of life; for, "what would "it profit a man to gain the whole world, "if he lose his own soul?”

We shall be sober and temperate, lest that day should overtake us, as it has done many others, when we have not our thoughts and senses about us.

We shall be patient under the afflictions,. with which GOD shall think fit to exercise us; seeing plainly, that these cannot last long.

We shall be merciful and charitable, according to our power; knowing, assuredly, that we are thus laying up for ourselves a good foundation for the time to come.

This short life is our appointed day, in which we are to work out our salvation. "The night," that is, death, cometh," when

no man can work." If death overtake us, before we have prepared ourselves for it, by sincere repentance, and forsaking of our sins, we are undone and lost for ever; for "after death comes judgment." Some of our fellow mortals are every day going out of this world, of all ages and conditions, by all manner of ways; some by sudden and untimely deaths; some in their full age and. strength; and much the fewest number in a good old age. Nay, every day that we go to the

house of God, we tread upon the graves of those, who have already received their doom; whose souls are consigned to their respective places of happiness or misery. Surely, this ought to affect our hearts, and induce us to remember, that it must some time, and may very soon perhaps, be our own case; that the hour will shortly arrive, when we shall go hence and be no more seen; when our friends and neighbours shall speak of us only as those who have been; and when our place on earth "shall know us no more!"

Since all this must inevitably happen, my friends, let me beseech you to endeavour so to live, that, when you die, you may die in the LORD, and your "good works may "follow you." For, is there one amongst us, who can be insensible to the misery of being for ever separated from GOD? of having his portion with evil spirits, which are kept in darkness unto the judgment of the great day, when they must hear that dreadful sentence, "Go, ye cursed, into everlast"ing fire."

Let the consideration of these things seriously and frequently employ your thoughts; for it deeply concerns us all to remember that this life is the day of our visitation. GOD ALMIGHTY visits every one of us : to such as are ignorant, He sends instruction

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