Remember, that this is the only instance in the whole Scriptures of the acceptance of such a late repentance. How absurd then would it be to ground thy hope on so extraordinary an instance? suppose it had once happened, that a person had leaped down from a high precipice without losing his life, would it be prudent to run the risk, and leap down after him? no less unwise, are they who make a handle of this comfortable example for falling presumptuously into sin, and put off their repentance till the hour of death. Too many by such an infatuation exclude themselves from heaven. Alas, to sin is in our power; but when we are once fallen, to abstain from sin, to repent and be converted, is beyond the natural power of man; it is the goodness of God that must lead us to repentance. Now if sinners have been deaf to the kind admonitions and chastisements of God, he will also be deaf to their cries in their dying moments. If a man defers his repentance to the last, and in the mean time rejects all the faithful admonitions of the Holy Spirit, God frequently withdraws his gracious influence; so that his heart becomes alike incapable either of receiving comfort, or of praying for Divine assistance. Besides, it is very probable, that this malefactor never had such an opportunity before; and now he no sooner sees the patience and resignation, and hears the powerful prayer and affectionate words of Christ, but immediately, instead of hardening his heart as his desperate companion did, he relents, acknowledges his guilt, and humbly seeks the favour of Christ. But with Christians it is quite otherwise. The Lord Jesus stands at the door of our hearts, and waits for admission. Besides, the day of our death often comes as a thief in the night, sudden and unexpected. At the hour of death, generally the heart of man is extremely afflicted, his body is full of inexpressible pains his soul is overwhelmed with anguish and terror, his mental powers languid and confused, so as to render him incapable of any regular action, or recollection of

the errors of his past life. Therefore repent in the day of grace, and use that precious time before it be elapsed.

3. The instance before us is also a mirror of the kingly glory of Jesus Christ, which here beams forth from amidst the clouds of the deepest abasement and ignominy. By this instane, our crucified Saviour demonstrates, that he has not only the keys of death and hell, with which he opens the abyss of eternal darkness for the despises of his grace, and shuts it, that his faithful servants may not fall into it; but also the keys of Paradise, and of the glorious mansions in his Father's house. This is a kind of prelude to the last Judgment; for Paradise is here pron.ised to one malefactor; and shut against another, who is consigned to eternal misery. Acquaint yourselves, therefore betimes with this Lord of Paradise. Be not ashamed of having fellowship with him in his abasement, that he may not be ashamed of having fellowship with you, in his glory.

In this mirror we may see the manner of making a happy exit; and from hence we may learn, how to behave in our last moments. We must, after the example of this penitent malefactor,

First, Acknowledge our manifold sins, and confess that by them we have deserved God's wrath and displeasure, temporal death and eternal condemnation.

Secondly, From this terrfing thought we must turn ourselves to Jesus Christ, who alone blotteth out sin; and appeal from justice to grace, from wrath to mercy. We must pray to our Saviour to look on us with a favourable eye, as he looked on this malefactor, and to remember us in his kingdom of glory.

Thirdly, We must patiently bear the pains which God is pleased to inflict on us; and in order to alleviate them, we should fix our thoughts on that l'aradise, which our dying Mediator has obtained for his faithful servants.

Fourthly, We must acknowledge our blessed Saviour to be the Lord of that glorious Paradise, and

that he has power over life and death, heaven and hell, salvation and condemnation.

II. Let us now consider the second gift, which Christ bestowed while he hung on the cross; and this was a faithful Son to his disconsolate mother, to be her guardian and protector. The blessed Jesus, now languishing at the point of death, and in the most exquisite pain, is not unmindful of his mother; but expresses a tender concern for her : for as he had loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end,' (John xiii, 1.)

Our blessed Lord's affectionate mother had attended him to the place of execution, and there stood as near the cross to which her beloved Son was fastened as the croud would permit her. Then certainly was old Simeon's prophecy concerning her fulfilled, 'Yea a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,' (Luke ii. 35.) For every opprobrious, deriding, and abusive word that was thrown out against her innocent Son, penetrated her maternal heart like a keen arrow. But God, in a very singular manner supported the blessed Virgin in these melancholy circumstances; for we do not read that she made any lamentations, tore her hair, wrung her hands, or that she fainted away. On the contrary, she possed her soul in faith and patience; for she had probably been, many years before, inured to the mystery of the cross, and both from the prophetic writings, and her Son's own information, had learned that his sufferings should have a glorious issue.

But with Mary the mother of our Lord stood two. other devote women, namely, her sister who was married to a man called Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene, out of whom the Lord Jesus had cast seven devils (Luke viii. 2.) for which extraordinary favour she, on her side, shewed her gratitude to her deliverer, so as not to forsake him even at the cross. These feeble attendants, by thus approaching near the cross, shamad our Saviour's disciples; none of whom now dared

to shew their heads, St. John alone excepted. These devout women made good the saying of Solomon, namely, that love is strong as death,' (Cant. viii. 6.) For it is the nature of true love not to fear any danger, or to be separated from its beloved object by any distress.

Now the blessed Jesus, looking down from the cross, saw his disconsolate mother, and St. John, the disciple whom he particularly loved, standing by her.

Hereupon our blessed Lord said unto her, Woman behold thy son;' and thus gave his childless parent another son, who was to cherish, protect, and take care of her in her old age, and to be as a faithful guardian and sincere friend to her on all occasions. It is very probable that our blessed Lord perceived, that his mother's anxious heart was agitated with these or the like thoughts: Alas! what will become of me in the world, now my beloved Son is taken from me? who will protect such a poor, disconsolate, weak woman as I am? Jesus therefore calls out to her in the tenderest accents, There is my best beloved disciple! he will be instead of a son to you. He will take care of you, be a comfortable support to you, and will shew you all the tenderness and affection of a duti ful son.

III. Immediately after this follows the third gift, conferred by our blessed Lord while he hung on the cross. He now turns his benign countenance to his beloved disciple, and addresses him in these words: 'Behold thy mother!' By this speech, Jesus not only enjoins his disciple for the future to behave to Mary as if she was his own mother, and to perform all those duties, which an affectionate parent can expect from an obedient son; but he likewise commits to St. John a most precious jewel, the blessed among women,' who had found such favour with God as to bring forth the Seed of the woman. Thus our blessed Saviour, as it were in his last will, leaves to his favourite disciple what was dearest to him of any

thing in this world. The disciple was very far from looking on this as a chargeable incumbrance, but accounted it a singular honour, and immediately secured this valuable legacy. For we read, that' From that hour the disciple took her to his own home;' where he supplied every thing necessary for her support during the remainder of her life. She lived with this disciple, according to some commentators; till the sixty-third year of her age. St. John was the more expeditious to receive this precious deposit committed to him, being persuaded that his care of the mother of the blessed Jesus would entitle him to call the Lord Jesus his brother, in a stricter sense than other believers.

By these words Christ has confirmed the fifth commandment, and set to all children a pattern of the tender care and affection, which they ought to shew for their parents; and that this care should extend to their last moments, not only in acts of kindness and filial duty, but also by making provision for them if they survive their children. Hence we shall now deduce the following inferences:

1. No real detriment will happen to any Christian by partaking of the reproach of Christ.

How richly are the blessed Virgin and St. John rewarded for the fidelity, which they shewed to the blessed Jesus by attending him in his last moments. Nor was the attendance of the other devout women disregarded by our blessed Lord; for they had afterwards the honour of being the first witnesses and promulgators of his resurrection, (Mark xvi. 1-9.) Thus the blessed Jesus leaves none of those, who are not ashamed of the fellowship of his sufferings, without their reward. Infidelity would indeed persuade men, that they incur great damages by such a felowship; that it is a great detriment to their temporal callings, &c. But these are all groundless and fallacious suggestions, which may be confuted by numberless instances. Now supposing that all human