May he, for his blessed Son's sake, hear and grant our petitions, when we beseech him to make us, in whatever way he thinks best, fit for his beatific presence. And whether in prosperity or adversity, in joy or in sorrow, in life or in death, may his Holy Spirit never leave us nor forsake us, so that under his gracious guidance, being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, and rooted in charity, we may so pass the waves of this troublesome world as finally to come to the land of everlasting life, there to reign with him for ever, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

SERMON XV.

FORGETFULNESS OF WARNINGS.

PSALM lxxviii. 34-37.

"When he slew them-then they sought him
And they returned, and inquired early after God:
And they remembered that God was their rock,
And the High God their Redeemer.

Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth,
And they lied unto him with their tongues :

For their heart was not right with him,

Neither were they steadfast in his covenant."

Ir cannot, I suppose, be doubted by any person who considers all circumstances, that pain, ill health, low spirits, and other such personal or domestic afflictions, are especially intended by our merciful God and Father as means of correction; to bring us back to himself if we have wandered away from him; to quicken our zeal and confirm our resolution, if we are already disposed to follow him and his holy will.

Nevertheless, it is a subject well worthy of the serious consideration of all persons who desire to be in the safe way to salvation, how lamentable in this as in other cases, the weakness and frailty of our nature is seen; how commonly it happens that the best intentions and resolutions, made in times of danger and affliction, are thought little or nothing more of when the alarm is passed over.

Herein, as in many other respects, alas! the history and conduct of God's chosen people of old, is but too correct a description of ourselves, of the conduct of too many Christians under the chastisement of their heavenly Parent.

"When he afflicts us, then (perhaps) we seek him;
We return and inquire early after God;
We remember that God is our Rock,
And the High God our Redeemer.

Nevertheless, we do but flatter him with our mouth,
And dissemble with him in our tongues;

For our heart is not whole with him.

Neither continue we steadfast in his covenant."

To this subject I desire, on the present occasion, to draw your attention, while I endeavor briefly to point out two or three considerations belonging to it, which though plain and obvious enough of themselves, yet are such as we all need to be constantly reminded of.

When we are in good health, and engaged in the daily concerns of this world's business, it is wonderful how different things appear from what they do to persons lying on a sick bed, or suffering under any other heavy affliction. I mean this is generally the case; though, of course, there are frequent exceptions; some persons so dead to all sense of their condition as to have neither hopes nor fears about their souls, whatever may come upon them; and some, too, so confident upon the fancy of inward feelings and supposed evidences of the divine favor toward themselves peculiarly, that they would even think it wrong and dangerous to have any doubts or fears about their own final salvation. But this, I should think, is rather to be accounted a kind of stoic philosophy, than the fruits of true evangelical faith, which ever leads to " reverence and godly fear." Nor is the disposition itself probably so common in reality as, at first sight, it might be supposed to be; the Scriptures so plainly warning us that we shall be judged according to our works; and the voice of conscience, too, so urgently, though silently, reminding us, if we will but attend to it, how unfit we are at the very best, and in innumerable respects, to meet our God. But, as I before said, to the generality of persons, if they are not dead and insensible to all serious reflection, the heavy afflictions to which we are now liable must, when they come, produce a great change in their view of things.

Particularly, one may mention the danger of death approaching, whether from illness, or some accident, or in any other way-how does it naturally-that is, by God's providential mercy-affect our feelings, and startle us (as it were) with the notion of being on the edge of such a precipice, death and judgment close at hand, and no more time for preparation.

Then, if ever, people feel (if I may so speak) the reality of religion; they are convinced that it is not a mere matter of words, names, and professions-they earnestly, and without hypocrisy or affectation, desire to have God for their friend, to die in peace and favor with him.

Then, if they are capable of reflection, they look back on their past lives with shame and remorse; they see how much they have to lament of actual transgressionand how much more of sins of omission; how much better they might have been; how much more good they might have done in their generation, if they had but improved the opportunities placed within their reach.

Then they see what a vain, restless, miserable round this world's business is: and how all the things that seem of most importance in it are, to a dying man, of no value at all.

Then they wonder at themselves how they could have acted in such and such a way on such and such occasions they remember the falsehood and deceit, the drunkenness, impurity, and blasphemy, the bad temper and unkindness, the neglect of God and religion, into which they have suffered themselves to be led from time to time, and if they are not utterly hardened, the remembrance of these things stings them with the sharpest pangs of remorse.

Indeed, the pain of this kind of recollection is so great, that few persons-I mean few who have led profligate irreligious lives-can bear to endure it; but rather would deaden it if possible, with a cold, heartless insensibility, and rejection of all serious thought; or else with the intoxicating drams of enthusiasm.

However, these thorns of a self-reproaching conscience will force their way more or less; and if allowed to have

their proper salutary effect-the effect intended by him who knows what is in man-these painful feelings, I say, would lead on the thoughts of the repentant sinner from the time past of his life, to what may yet be remaining of it. He thinks, if his life may yet be spared, if it should be possible he may be restored to his former health, O! how different a life he will lead from what he did before ;-how certain he is that he will never act, speak, or think in the careless way he has been used to that he now sees things in their true light, and that nothing shall ever have power to deceive him again, as formerly.

Every one who has been used at all to attend the beds of the sick and dying, must be aware that intentions and resolutions of this kind are very commonly then made, and expressed with the greatest apparent earnestness and sincerity; so that, humanly speaking, one could not doubt for a moment that it was impossible that persons so expressing themselves should ever return to their former course of life, or anything like it.*

Yet every one knows, whether they attend sick and dying beds or no, that numbers and numbers of persons who have been on the very brink of death, and have been restored, yet have been in no respect whatever the better afterward for such a fearful warning. Indeed it is so common a case, that no one scarce wonders at it.

Nobody wonders at it who looks only or chiefly to this world. But may we not well wonder, when we extend our view a little farther, and recollect what we are, and whither we are hastening. For we must always remember, what is a most unquestionable truth, that nothing whatever happens to us by chance-particularly of dangerous illness, accidents (as we call them), and any imminent perils to which we may be exposed, we may be sure that nothing like chance has anything whatever to do with them. These things, as we all know very well, are sent by Almighty God on the sons of men for various reasons; but very often, no doubt, for this

* See "The Christian year," fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.