have one purfe. My Son, walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path, for their feet run to evil, and make hafte to fhed blood. *-Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, faith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye fhall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty." + * Prov. i. 10-16 † 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. SERMON SERMON V. THE PENITENT THIEF. LUKE XXIII. 32, 39-43. And there were alfo two other malefactors led with him to be put to death. And one of the malefactors which were hanged, railed on him Laying, If thou be Chrift, fave thySelf and us, But the other, anfwering, rebuked him, faying, Doft thou not fear God, feeing thou art in the fame condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he faid unto Jefus, Lord, re member member me, when thou comeft into thy kingdom. And Jefus faid unto him, Verily, I fay unto thee, to-day fhalt thou be with me in paradife. THIS HIS remarkable circumstance which attended our Lord upon the Crofs, cannot but be very interesting to all Chriftians; to those more especially, whofe Sins render them obnoxious to temporal punishments. Every man muft, at fome moments of his life, think seriously of his condition; and in none is he more likely to call his own ways to remembrance, than when the Sentence of the law is hanging over his head, and he is in hourly expectation of its Execution. Whether that Sentence be, to inflict pains and penalties in our prefent State, or to remove us from this mode of Exiftence to another, is not fo material as to the final Iffue; for a few days, months, months, or years, will reconcile the difference of time, and teach us this ufeful truth, that "it is appointed unto all men once to die, and after this the Judgment." + Yet even in this condition, which the best of men cannot look upon without Emotion, how different is the conduct, how various the feelings of mankind! The malefactors were equally guilty, and were now fuffering the fame punishment. Their repentance, however, was not equal. One of them joined the crucifiers of our Lord in revi lings and reproaches, whilft the other behaved with penitent forrow, and expired in holy hope. Such may be the various conditions of you, my brethren! But the Gospel calls you to repentance; gladly would it rescue you from the fnares of Iniquity, and conduct you to the Grave + Heb. ix. 27. Grave in peace; gladly would it perfuade you, to feek all one End; and that End is, Everlafting Life through Jefus Christ our Lord. We No one that lives in the world, and conftantly beholds the infirm nature of man, will pretend to affert his Innocence. You, at leaft, who are here affembled, will grant me the truth of this obfervation. behold around us a bufy multitude, engaged in finful purfuits, rapidly following wherever Intereft or vicious propenfities allure, and labouring hard to earn the wages of Ini. quity. Such is the melancholy fcene that prefents itself to our view. Becaufe man, therefore, did not remain in that ftate of Innocence, in which he was created, but transgreffed the will of his Maker, and became obnoxious unto death, it was neceffary, that he fhould be penitent, if he entertained any ferious hopes of Salvation. The Mofaic law |