God. His deficiencies will indeed be painful, but still these successful efforts will be greatly consolatory in their retrospect. The enjoyments of the past will ever connect themselves with the anticipations of the future, as the same in kind though not in degree. To such a mind, the life of earth is more or less similar to the life of heaven.

Inferior but still sacred, are his recollections, who having a long time, perhaps, struggled against the dictates of conscience, and undervalued the mercies of revelation, has at length listened to the voice of truth, and submitted to the invitations of love. The history of the cross has overpowered his hostility, and forced the tears of contrition from his eyes. He has quitted the service of sin, and cast himself upon the grace of his Lord. He has escaped from "death unto life," and "from the power of Satan unto God." The scenes of the past are thus checquered by regret and gratitude. The moral darkness is very visible, but it is seen as struggling with the light; and the nearer objects are bright and cheerful. He remembers the change and is happy.

Perhaps both these classes of recollections were united in the history of the apostle Paul. He had been always conscientious, though at first proud and mistaken. He had "served God," he tells us," from his forefathers, with pure

conscience." He had not deliberately contended with his Maker; yet in the fury of a blind zeal," he had persecuted the church.' At length he had received mercy, and had welcomed the tidings of salvation through the cross, with undissembled joy. Henceforth he gloried where formerly he had expressed his scorn. He now counted not his life dear to him for Christ's sake. He now devoted the powers of his mind and the feelings of his heart, to the culture and enjoyment of heavenly truth. He expanded his largest sympathies in the directions which God had marked out; and he placed before him the great and generous objects which his master had himself pursued ; so that Memory, ere long, not equally indeed, but still largely, became with Hope the source of his happiness. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day." Or as in the words of the text,

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our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world." Let us here contemplate

I. THE

TESTIMONY OF CONSCIENCE ΤΟ

WHICH THE APOSTLE REFERS.

II. ITS DIRECT CONNECTION WITH OUR HAP

PINESS; and

III. THE CONSISTENCY OF THIS TESTIMONY OF CONSCIENCE, WITH THOSE MUCH ENFORCED VIRTUES OF CHRISTIANITY, HUMILITY, AND SELF A BASEMENT.

I. In the first place, let us inspect a little more minutely the testimony of conscience to which the Apostle refers. His conscience, he tells us, bore this testimony, "that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, he had had his conversation or conduct in the world." This testimony consists of two parts. It refers to what we term "conscientiousness," and likewise to the cordial reception of the divine counsel, in order to direct and enlighten the conscience. And both these circumstances are essential to the honest and just testimony of conscience. It is our duty to act according to our conviction of right; but it is equally our duty anxiously to inform ourselves as to what is right. In the former part of his life, the apostle had endeavoured to separate these indissoluble parts of a good conscience. Through ignorance he had thought it right to do many things offensive to God. In the latter period of his life, he had submitted his understanding to the teaching of God. Hence his convictions of duty were much altered. It is of the last importance to us to recollect this. There are many persons who imagine themselves to be acting conscientiously,

who like the apostle, are acting blindly, and under the influence of the most fatal prejudices. Conscience will speak very partially, except it be enlightened by revelation. It may speak loudly against dishonour, or falsehood, or fraud, or inhumanity; but it may be silent under neglect of God, ingratitude to Christ, pride, worldliness, and the infringement of the positive institutions of religion. The man who would be miserable, if he violated his word, if he materially defrauded his neighbour, if he cruelly outraged the dictates of humanity, will be, nevertheless, quite contented to blaspheme habitually the name of God, to live without prayer, to violate the sanctity of the sabbath, to despise the record of the gospel of Christ. He will often make a resolute stand for integrity, and will meet any sacrifice rather than dishonour; and yet he will, without remorse, oppose the whole scope of Christianity, and despise real godliness. Hence to be fairly conscientious, he must be informed as to God's will. To remain in voluntary ignorance of that will, if he has the means of knowing it; or to be indifferent as to the progress of religious knowledge in his mind, when the sources of information lie before him; or to imbibe the prejudices of those around him, without taking the anxious trouble to ascertain whether those prejudices be agreeable or not to the will of God; this is

voluntarily to continue in culpable ignorance of duty, and to cast a shade of practical insincerity over his profession of conscientiousness. Many a parent, for instance, who deemed himself to be acting conscientiously, has expressed his willingness rather to see his children involved in the greatest outward calamities, than to see them acting under the influence of what he calls fanatical principles: and yet those principles, so far from actually meriting that name, are perhaps the fair results of Christianity-the principles on which God has stamped the seal of his approbation. Such a parent has judged religion by the prepossessions of his own mind, or by the current maxims of the world, or by the hasty and partial interpretation of some parts of revelation. Had he studied the Scriptures fairly; had he taken their estimate of human character; had he contemplated the stupendous fact of the Son of God offered in sacrifice for human guilt; had he fathomed "that profound love to man;" had he considered the spiritual character which it is God's design to form in the human heart; had he weighed the value of time against that of eternity; had he formed his opinions in prayer and humble scrutiny of his Maker's will; he had then found, perhaps, that his conscience was acting under the tenfold mists of spiritual darkness, and that the conduct which he had dreaded lest his children should pursue, would have been,