they undoubtedly came and conversed with him about the state of his mind, and a preparation for eternity. But all these means and motives left him still stupid and hardened. Soon the solemn day arrived when he was led to Calvary, the place of execution, and fastened to the cross, by the side of the Son of God and Saviour of the world, and there hung from the sixth to the ninth hour in agonies, and heard the melting reproof of his penitent companion in guilt and suffering, and the assurance of the divine Redeemer that he should that day be with him in paradise. But no instructions, no warnings, no reproofs, and no views of eternity, could awaken, or convince, or convert him. He obstinately persisted in stupidity, impenitence and unbelief, till he closed his eyes upon this world, and lifted them up in eternal torments. Here we see it demonstrated that no moral suasion, no human means or exertions, can subdue and soften any hard, impenitent heart. Every impenitent sinner had rather die eternally, than submit unconditionally to God, and embrace the humiliating terms of the gospel.

6. It appears from the fate of the impenitent malefactor, that impenitent sinners have no ground to rely upon the mere mercy of Christ in a dying hour. Many sinners, in a state of health and prosperity, place all their hopes of salvation upon what they shall see, and feel, and experience upon a sick and dying bed. They hope that such a scene will awaken them out of their stupidity, and give them a realizing sense of their danger and guilt. And they hope that when they do realize their lost and perishing condition, they shall cry for mercy. And when they do, in anguish and distress, cry for mercy, they hope that Christ will pity and save them from both sin and destruction. But such views, and feelings, and expectations of careless, delaying sinners are expressive of extreme ignorance, deception, and presumption. It is owing to their ignorance and self deception, that they expect that any external means, or motives, or circumstances will overcome their habits of sin and stupidity. They have no more reason to hope that any thing attending a sick and dying bed, will have more tendency to awaken and convince them of their perishing condition, than the tremendous scene through which the impenitent malefactor passed had to awaken him, from his habitual and obstinate stupidity, and lead him to cry to Christ for mercy, while actually suffering the pains and agonies of a dying hour. He appears to have had no bands in his death, no apprehension of his aggravated guilt, or of the aggravated punishment which awaited him after his day of grace and space of repentance expired. How many impenitent, hardened sinners have since exhibited the same melancholy evidence of the same stu

pidity in a dying hour! It is daring presumption for any careless, delaying sinners to expect that either sickness, or even the pains of death, will awaken them from their stupidity, till they open their eyes in torment. But supposing that sickness or the near approach of death should alarm their fears, and throw them into the most distressing sense of their guilty and perishing state; what ground have they to expect that Christ will then hear their cries, and pity, and pardon, and save them? He perfectly knew the guilt and danger of the impenitent malefactor, but he manifested no pity or compassion towards him, but suffered him to drop into destruction, under his eye, and by his bleeding side. Christ knew what would be the dreadful condition of the impenitent malefactor, before he was condemned and nailed to the cross, as well as afterwards; and therefore could see no new reasons for saving him then, which he had not seen before. And he saw no sufficient reason for saving him either before or at his death, and of consequence let him die the death he deserved. This instance of Christ's conduct forbids all impenitent sinners to rely upon Christ's mercy, to give them repentance and salvation in a dying hour. It is as consistent with the mercy of Christ to suffer them to die in distress, as in stupidity. And it is very likely that he does suffer many more to die in terror, than in carnal ease and stupidity. It is, therefore, presumption in any sinners to live in the hope of a death-bed repentance.

7. It appears from the conduct and condition of the penitent malefactor, that sinners may be saved at the eleventh or last hour of life, if they really repent and believe in Christ. When sinners are awakened to see their own hearts, and desert of future and endless destruction, they are very apt to despond under a painful apprehension that their day of grace and space of repentance are over, and that it is utterly vain and useless for them to strive to enter the strait gate; the door of mercy being for ever shut. This they gather from what they read concerning sinners' being given up; and from what Christ said in the parable of the ten virgins respecting those who came too late; and from what they read and hear in sermons. But their fears arising from these, or any other considerations, are groundless. There is but one unpardonable sin, and that is not the sin of delay or neglect, but the sin against the Holy Ghost. That sin excepted, all others are pardonable at the latest hour of life, upon the condition of repentance and faith. There is a sense, in which all the non elect are given up; but such a giving up is consistent with their being in a state of probation; and it is as true of them, as it is of any other sinners, that they may be saved, if they repent and believe the gospel, at any moment before they die. The impenitent mal

efactor was one of the non elect, but his day of grace and space of repentance lasted as long as the day of grace and space of repentance lasted in respect to the penitent malefactor. And we know that his day of grace and of repentance lasted to the eleventh hour. Had his fellow sinner hearkened to his reproof and admonition, and exercised a filial fear of God, and repented, and made the same sincere request to Christ, he would have met with the assurance of pardon and salvation. And there is reason to believe that there have been many individual instances of genuine conversion, at the latest hour of life. We may be assured, however, that it is never too late to repent and believe the gospel, before men breathe their last breath.

8. It appears from the instance of the penitent malefactor, that as soon as the souls of men leave their bodies, they do immediately pass into a state of endless happiness, or a state of endless misery. Christ assured that late penitent that he should that day be with him in paradise; that is, the kingdom of heaven. It is, therefore, an unscriptural, as well as absurd opinion that greatly prevails at this day, that the soul either dies with the body and becomes extinct, or else falls into a state of sleep or total insensibility. Notwithstanding all the figurative representations of death in scripture, which seem to imply either the extinction or insensibility of the soul after it leaves. the world; it appears to be true in fact, that it does exist in a state of sensibility and activity. It is a fact that Enoch, Moses and Elias are gone to heaven. It is a fact that the penitent malefactor has gone to heaven. It is a fact that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are gone to heaven. And it is a fact that Paul desired to die an early death, that he might go the sooner to heaven; which desire would have been absurd, if he expected that death would put an end to the existence of his soul, or throw it into a state of sleep or total insensibility. Now if it be true in fact that the souls of the righteous survive the body, and go to heaven immediately after death, then there is no doubt but that the souls of the wicked when they die, do still exist, and go into a state of endless perdition. And what our Saviour said respecting Dives and Lazarus, affords a strong argument in favor of this conclusion. If he did not mean to represent the state of good and bad men after death, it is impossible to know what he did mean by that most striking parable he ever spake. And if he did mean to represent the state of good and bad men after death, then there is full evidence that they exist in a state of sensibility, and either enjoy the happiness of heaven, or suffer the miseries of the damned.

Finally: It appears from what has been said, that the day of

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death is a very solemn and important day. The day when Christ poured out his soul unto death, was a solemn and distressing day. He then drank the bitter cup which his Father put into his hand, and which caused him to exclaim in the language of distress, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The day of death was extremely solemn and interesting to the two poor, guilty creatures, who were crucified and expired with him. That day determined their everlasting destiny. It put a final period to their probationary state, and fixed them both in an unalterable and eternal condition. It was a day of eternal salvation to one, and a day of eternal destruction to the other. The day of death has been equally terrible and interesting to thousands of other poor creatures, who have been sent into eternity under similar solemn circumstances. It was a day of awful solemnity, which the last week determined the eternal destiny of four poor, guilty, miserable creatures.* It appeared so, I presume, to all who beheld the awful scene. But the circumstances of death are never so solemn and interesting, as the eternal consequences which follow from it. And these are essentially the same, let death come at what time and in what form it may. Death is now on his way to arrest every one of us, and how soon he will lay his cold hand upon us, we know not. The day is certainly near to some of us, and cannot be far distant from any of us. We are all condemned to die, and the sentence will soon be executed upon us; for there is no reprieve from death; there is no discharge from that war. It deeply concerns each of us to ask himself, Have I cordially justified God and his law, in my condemnation? Have I condemned myself as the law condemns me? Have I accepted the punishment of mine iniquity? Have I with unreserved submission and a sincere faith turned my eye to Christ, and committed myself to his sovereign mercy? Have I ever felt as that poor, guilty, humble, submissive, penitent, believing creature, felt, to whom Christ said, "To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise?" If any of you, my hearers, can sincerely answer these questions in the affirmative to your own satisfaction, you must be, in your own view, prepared for the day of death. But if any of you cannot answer these questions sincerely in the affirmative, you are not, in your own view, prepared to meet the king of terrors. And if you are now, and continue to be impenitent and unbelieving, you must all, like the impenitent criminal on the cross, eventually and eternally perish. But why will ye die? Life, as well as death, is set before you. Choose life, and you shall live.

The execution of four criminals, near Boston, February, 1819.

SERMON XXXIII.

THE GIVER MORE BLESSED THAN THE RECEIVER.

I HAVE showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is

more blessed to give than to receive. - ACTS, xx. 35.

OUR Saviour went about doing good. He sought opportu nities of healing the sick, of relieving the distressed, and of supplying the wants of the needy. He labored, he suffered, and even died for the benefit of mankind. And besides displaying such a bright example of beneficence, he abundantly inculcated this duty in both his public and private discourses. He said at one time, "Give to him that asketh thee." He said at another time, "Give alms of such things as ye have." He said to his apostles in particular, "Freely ye have received, freely give." Being invited to a certain house, he said to the master of it," When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." He publicly applauded the poor widow, who cast her two mites into the treasury. He also spake the parable of the good Samaritan, to illustrate the beauty and excellence of a beneficent spirit; to which he subjoined this perpetual precept, "Go and do thou likewise." These sayings of Christ are alone sufficient to justify the exhortation in the text, "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." But since we do not find these identical words in any of the Evangelists, we are led to conjecture, that the writer of the Acts refers to a certain expression which Christ often used in free and familiar conversation with his disciples, and which they