Pray for this spirit more and more: "Not as we will, "but as thou wilt." Keep in mind the Saviour's example and counfel; "My meat is to do the will of "him who fent me. Yet a little while have ye the light with you: Walk while ye have the light.' Thus will you be ready to fay, when the hour of your departure is at hand, Come, Lord Jefus.

Are there not numbers prefent who have never realized so obvious a truth as that before us, Your life is a vapour? a scene of disappointment, labour and forrow. If paft days, and years, and the history of the world have fhewn that changes, grief and perplexity are infeparable from the condition of man, you have no reason to suppose that there will be an alteration for the better, until the period fixed in prophecy, the times of the reftitution of all things. With all that earth can give, man faith not, It is enough. Shall he oppose the will of God, whose favour is better than life? Shall he affume to be independent? In his fulness, shall he deny the Being who giveth him richly all things to enjoy? If poor, fhall he fret against God, and envy others their poffeffions? If forrowful, fhall he indulge to that forrow which worketh death? If joyful, fhall he fay, To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant?

Would to God that all who have lived forgetful of him, all who have been indifferent to the work he hath given them to do, all murmurers, all who difquiet themselves in vain, might think foberly. He may require their foul this night. In what preparation are they to appear before him? To those who fay, To-day, or to-morrow, or the next year, we will get gain, or promotion, or take our ease, or acquire fame, what would be the advantage of many years to come? Continuing in their prefent temper, they will but treasure up to themselves wrath. What is your life? Be fober, and watch unto prayer. In vain will you ask, Who will fhew us any good? Rather learn to say, The

will of the Lord be done. Until this fhall be your heart's defire and prayer, you will be far from your defired

reft.

By the removal of our acquaintance, neighbours and kindred, with the attendant circumstances, we are conftantly reminded of fuch truths as the following: The progrefs of time-the vanity of human hopesthe folly and danger of depending on future years-the high importance of an habitual fenfe of our own infufficiency, and of making God in Chrift our hope-the wisdom of governing ourselves by the will of God in all relations and circumstances, waiting for our great change. If pain and sickness, disappointment and forrow, whether our own or of others, have not taught us difengagement from the world, we have lived to little purpofe. In vain are we afflicted in the distress or removal of those who are moft dear to us on earth, if we do not forrow after a godly fort-do not bring forth fruit meet for repentance. The way of peace is to have no will of our own-to feek first the kingdom of God-to wait on him, hope in his word, acquiefce and rejoice in his government, whatever may befal us. Have any present lived hitherto to the lufts of men? May the time paft of their lives fuffice them to have thus lived. May they live the rest of their time to the will of God. The time is fhort. The Lord is at hand. We are not our own. Whether therefore we live or die, it highly concerns us to live and die to the Lord. We are ftrangers and fojourners on earth, as all our fathers were. Lord, make us to know how frail we are to remember how short our time is. Teach us all, old and young, high and low, rich and poor, so to number our days as to apply our hearts unto wisdom.

SERMON XX.

PROCRASTINATION.

LUKE, xiv. 18.

I PRAY THEE HAVE ME EXCUSED.

You find thefe words in the parable of the mar

riage feaft. The gospel difpenfation is illuftrated by the parable of a certain king, who, in honour of his fon, made a great fupper, invited many guests, and fpared no coft for their entertainment. I fhall not tarry to examine the circumstances and application of the parable. The manner in which thofe, who were invited, treated the invitation, is obfervable. Upon different pretences, one, and another, and a third defired that their present acceptance of the honourable invita tion might be dispensed with.

The gofpel offers are full of grace and condefcenfion: They are made with divine fincerity to all. All are invited to partake of the unfearchable riches of Christ. The promises in him are "exceeding great and pre"cious. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have "entered into the heart of man the things prepared "for those who" cordially embrace the invitation of the gospel.

The children of disobedience, helpless and perishing, are inclined to excuse themselves, at least for the prefent, from accepting this grace. Be astonished, Ŏ ye O heavens, at this! and give ear, O earth!

PROCRASTINATION being the fubject which lies before us, we will confider, firft, the propenfity in man

kind to poftpone the greatest of all concerns, the care of their fouls.

Secondly, The true character of procraftination, apparent in the excufes for it; and the great inconfiftency and danger of this character.

FIRST, Of the propensity to procraftinate in the greateft of all concerns, the care of the foul.

Examples in abundance, in all times, under every difpenfation of grace, bear witness to this truth. The indulgence of a false hope, though it indicates much the fame temper, does not come under the head of procraftination. Sinners poftpone, because they prefume upon a more convenient feafon. They cherish the hope of the hypocrite, because they presume that God is altogether fuch an one as themselves. The inclination to poftpone religion, or to lower the terms, alike argues a mean thought of it. Nor is it easy to say who finks it most-he who will not give immediate attention to it; or he who accommodates it to his paffions, undertaking to reconcile it to his own iniquity. But we are now concerned with the former.

Confidering the worth of the foul, and the greatness of the falvation offered in the gofpel, we might be ready to suppose that no rational creature could postpone religion. A multitude of inftances, however, would lead us to imagine, that, far from being the one thing needful, religion is a small thing comparativelythat there is no good reafon for the various injunctions, exhortations and admonitions of fcripture on this head. "Go, work to-day in my vineyard. To-day, "if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. "Exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day. Now is the accepted time. Acquaint now thyfelf "with him, and be at peace. Yet a little while have ye the light with you, walk while ye have the light, " left darkness come upon you-the night when no man can work. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to "do, do it with thy might." The conduct of mankind

rejects this counsel of God. When they hear the call of the gospel, they are ready with their excufes, occupied as they are in purfuit of gain, or pleasures, or other things.

The propenfity to procrastinate being obvious, we proceed to examine the true character which it implies.

They who promise that they will, at a future time, apply their hearts to religion, and take pains to excuse their prefent delay, acknowledge that it justly claims their fupreme love, and is to be preferred to every other object. Admitting this, what can be faid for poftponing it? What can excufe an intelligent, accountable creature in poftponing the approbation of his God and his Redeemer? in acting from no principles worthy of the dignity of man? in limiting his views and pursuits, for the prefent, to earth and time? What one reafon is there to fupport the opinion, that there may be a better season than the prefent to attend to the fupreme concern of man? the greatest, most excellent, honourable and delightful work?

You reply, that it is peculiarly inconvenient in the days of youth. And you alledge, firft, that it is a facrifice of the amusements and pleasures, to which there is then a strong attachment.

We have fhewn, on a former occafion,* that religion abridges you of no other pleasures than fuch as would be prejudicial to your health, reputation and worldly intereft-fuch as impair the real enjoyment of life. We have shewn that it fupplies pleafures far fuperior to those which it forbids-that, if you will be the friends of it, you shall spend your years in pleasure that the God, whom you obey and ferve, will grant the defires of your heart-that the preference of other pleasures, instead of bringing the fatisfaction wifhed for, is vanity and vexation of fpirit. To poftpone religion, therefore, is not the course to obtain and enjoy true pleasure: It is a course which has a fure overbalance of for

* See Sermon xii.