perience scenes utterly unknown to his senses, -scenes that will be important and durable for ever. Surely it must be some extraordinary support that must enable a man in these circumstances to rejoice and triumph. CHRISTIANITY says, Christ came to deliver men from the fear of death, that he has overcome him that had the power of death. The question then is, What is the way which the Gospel offers, whereby the man may rest his soul in peace in this alarming hour, and, what is more, may find after death that the peace was wellfounded? Many, while in health and bodily vigour, maintain that the scheme of relief and safety is this; The man must have sincere obedience; and that this, though imperfect, together with the merits of Christ, will save him. Try we, then, the force of this doctrine now in the hour of death. I suppose the man sensible of his approaching dissolution, and of the important interests of futurity. to apply the comfort of this How shall he know paid this sincere obedience? Is there a man in the world, as an excellent divine of our Church asks, that knows how to define what this sincere obedience is? no. Has any man stated accurately how far a man may go in obedience, and where he may with safety stop short of perfection? no. If it means something short of perfection, knows any man how much short will suffice? no. Can any

self.

Now is the time doctrine to him

whether he has

man tell what parts of the Divine law he may be allowed to neglect, and what parts he must observe? no. On the contrary, "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." There is no finding, then, what this sincere obedience is this way. If, then, it consist in obeying all God's laws equally, but all only in a certain degree, knows any man what that degree is? no. Bring the Bible to the man. See if you can find a passage that can resolve his doubts. He is looking back into his past life, and would hope he has performed this sincere obedience, but he cannot tell how to compare his life with the Bible, because he knows not what the rule is. The Bible helps him not in this way at all; for it does not say, Let three-quarters of bitterness and wrath and anger be put away from you, but "Let all bitterness be put away put away from you, with all malice;" and so of the rest. Thus does death, and that soul-concern which death should inspire, break the charm of this deceitful doctrine of sincere obedience. It is a pretty expression, with no determinate ideas affixed to it. It may calm the mind of the careless, and harden the insensible; but when you would apply it, and seriously make use of it, it can do no good; because no man knows what it is; and not knowing, how can he have a wellfounded hope in death, from that of which he is ignorant? But look the Bible through for this poor man from end to end, and you can

not find that this is the condition of salvation. You never find it said, Men will be saved if they do their best, if their obedience be sincere, though not perfect. No such phrase, no such idea, to be found in that book, which says, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." What horror and despair, at least what fear and uncertainty, must ensue to the man who is going into eternity on this sandy foundation!-Does he still hope to be saved? Perhaps he does, only he thinks it presumptuous to expect assurance beforehand! Admit, then, he does hope-though I have shewn his hope to be a false and ruinous oneyet he thinks it his duty not to be sure. must doubt then: let him then view himself just departing, uncertain whether he is not going to dwell with devils for ever; and can he be delivered from that fear of death which fills the soul with torment? Surely, if he think deeply at all, he must be alarmed at such a dreadful peradventure.-The sum, then, of what has been shewn hitherto is, that the doctrine of sincere obedience as the condition of salvation, and of uncertain hope of that salvation, may suit the state of a careless formalist, may give him ease who thinks not with earnestness for his soul; but apply them to him who feels the value of his soul, and who is going to surrender it to the God who gave it, and they cannot give him peace in death: and if they will not

He

stand this test, they ought not to give him peace in his life-time.

But the man, also, while in health maintained the dignity of human nature, and was positive that his will and other faculties were able to serve God aright, though with imperfection; and therefore derided the doctrine of the new birth, because that supposes man to need new principles wherewith to serve God to be implanted in him in this life, for that his natural principles are incapable of this. He is now on his death-bed, and the might of this self-confidence is going to be tried. Can he trust to it without flinching? Read to him our Lord's sentence, " Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He knows he despised this; never experienced in his life any such change of heart. He always thought he had a good heart. Dare he think then he shall see the kingdom of God, in express contradiction to his word? No, brethren. Death, thus considered, shews the vanity of all these doctrines; proves their unscriptural and ruinous nature; and if the man depart out of life thus, he dies unreconciled to God, with no true peace, no scriptural hopethe devils will tell what is done on the other side the wall with triumph!

It remains, then, that we look out for other supports in death, and try the power of the real doctrines of the Gospel. May we so number our days, as to apply our hearts to

In the midst of life we are in

real wisdom! death; and therefore should each one even now put himself in the place of the dying man, and ask, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul answers, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved....He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." There is a righteousness perfect and sure; he that believes on Jesus has it. While. he remained, indeed, careless of death and judgment, he was content with the notion of being saved by doing his best; but when he began to apply the doctrine in real soul-concern, 'How do these matters stand with me?' he found no place whereon to rest his foot. What if this be not enough? what if I am not yet good enough?' was his constant suspicion. He laboured indeed to become better, but in his own apprehensions he grew worse and worse; the farther he went, the more holy and extensive he found the law; and by experience he was so far from ever being able to gain sincere obedience, that he had not a grain of sincerity in his composition. He found he was, through the Fall, corrupt and abominable altogether. In this situation, gladly did he hear that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believeth;" and that "To him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt; but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the