" he had any, it is probable he would have "been amongst the first of the Apostles, "who was firft in the Kingdom of Hea❝t ven."

Thus St. Austin; and we may gather clearly from his Words, what his Thoughts were of Death-bed Penitents, fince he will not allow them to be upon equal Footing with one, whofe Life had been notoriously fcandalous, and whofe Converfion was undoubtedly the Effect of an extraordinary Grace. But let that be as it will, 'tis certain that an extraordinary Event is no Precedent in any Cafe whatsoever. For who would, for Example, be fo mad as to throw himself into the Sea, because fome few have in the like Danger been preferyed from Drowning? or leap into the Fire, because some have efcaped without being burnt? As therefore these extraordinary Deliverances are no Encouragement to any one to venture his Life upon the bare Hopes of fuch a Prefervation, so neither ought the Example of the good Thief to embolden any one to hazard the eternal Life of his Soul, upon the Hopes that an extraordinary Grace will come in to his Affiftance in his laft Extremity.

Let us therefore all refolve to put in Practice this excellent Advice of the pious Thomas à Kempis; Do now, my dearest Brother,

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Brother, do now whatever thou art able to do. Now, whilft thou art in perfect Health; now, whilft the Sun of Grace and Mercy fhines yet bright upon thee, for the Night cometh, when no Man can work, John ix. 4. 'Tis well, if in our last Sickness we shall be able to maintain the Ground we got whilst we were in Health. 'Tis well, if we can then fupport ourselves under all the Trials incident to that Condition by the Stock of Virtue we have laid up beforehand. But let us never flatter ourselves with vain and groundless Hopes of doing great Matters, at a time when we are not only of ourselves the moft unfit for it, but the Devil is most active to put all manner of Obstacles in our Way: For he knows we are then at our laft Caft, upon which our eternal Happiness depends, and will therefore employ his utmoft Skill and Malice to procure our Ruin.

Say not that Repentance never comes too late; for, tho' it be beyond all Queftion that true Repentance is never too late, yet a late Repentance, as St. Auftin tells us, is feldom a true one. Becaufe 'tis much to be fufpected, that meer fervile Fear, or Self-love, has a greater Share in the Motive of it than the Love of God, 'Tis to be feared, that fuch a Repentance is like the Trouble and Remorfe of a Malefactor

led

led to Execution, who is forry for having followed a Courfe of Life, which has brought him to an untimely and fhameful End.

I heartily wish it may prove otherwise to those who will have the Misfortune to put it to the Trial; and tho' in Reference to any particular Perfon, Charity obliges us to hope favourably, yet I cannot hinder my Fears from prevailing when there appears nothing but a meer Death-bed Repentance to ground my Hope upon. But when a Sinner repents, being yet in perfect Health, and applies himself seriously to the Methods proper for his Cure; when it is evident, he refolves to quit Sin before the Power of finning is just ready to leave him; oh! fuch a Repentance has a fa vourable Aspect, and yields a solid Ground to build our Hopes upon. Such a Repentance will be a Comfort to us at the Hour of Death; as being the most affured Pledge we can have, that our heavenly Father regards us with an Eye of Mercy, and has a Bleffing in Store for us.

The Sixth ENTERTAINMENT.

The Deceitfulness of a Death-bed Repentance.

God is not mocked, what a Man foweth that alfo fhall be reap, Gal. vi. 6.

N my last Difcourfe I reprefented at large the Difficulties that attend a Death-bed Converfion. But fince the feeming Piety and Devotion of fome Death-bed Penitents, who after a wicked Life have in Appearance died the Death of the Just, has given a kind of Credit and Reputation to the most dangerous Cheat the Devil can invent to ruin Souls, it will not be amifs to fay fomething concerning those fair outward Appearances of Repentance, which many well-meaning Perfons, out of an Abundance of mistaken Charity, are apt to judge too favourably of, and mifcall dying very happily. They fee a poor fick Man confeffing and bewailing his Sins, imploring God's Mercy, and receiving the laft Sacraments with the fame fenfible Marks of a truly contrite and humbled Heart, as the moft ferverous Christian could do; and conclude immediately he has made a happy

a happy End. Perhaps he has; nay, it is beyond all Question, if his Repentance was hearty and fincere. But all is not Gold, that glitters. And there is a large Difference between the Appearance and Reality, the Ceremony and Subftance of Repentance.

'Tis true, we are allowed to have favourable Thoughts even of the most proAligate Sinners, as long as there is any reafonable Encouragement to ground our Hopes upon. But Charity has its Bounds, and is to be governed by Prudence as well as other Virtues. A meer Death-bed Converfion, tho attended with Circumstances the most favourable in Appearance, ought always to be fufpected, nay, marked as a dangerous Rock, to be avoided by all who have a ferious Concern to fecure their Soul's Salvation. And, tho' it may be allowed to afford fome Degree of Hopes in favour of the Party concerned, it never ought to be magnified into an Encouragement for Sinners to hazard their eternal Intereft upon so weak a Bottom. My prefent Defign then is to lay before, you the Uncertainty and Deceitfulness of those outward Marks of Devotion and Repentance, which are apt to mislead Men into an over-favourable Opinion of a Death-bed Converfion; and this fhall be the Subject of this Entertain

∙ment.

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