First Part.

IF I should accuse any here of Imprudence in their tem­poral Concernes, I were justly to be condemned of a rash Imputation: You are all wise. For who of you has not the end of his employment lively fixt before his Eyes? Who provides not all necessary means? Who de­lays in the speedy execution of them? Who embraces not all opportunities of obtaining it? Each step you take ad­vances towards it. All your Study and Labours, your Care and Industry, your Thoughts in private, your Dis­courses in publick, your Conferences with Friends, your Vows in the day, your Wakings in the night, meet here as in their beloved Center. After this each motion of your Heart breaths, each aspiration of your Soul mounts to this as to its sphere of rest. This raises the Scholar to [Page 8] a Benefice, brings the Lawyer to the Bar, enriches the Merchant with Treasures, advances the Courtier to the favour of his Prince, and crowns the Souldier with Lau­rels. Hence I accuse my Christian Jew, my obstinate Sinner. Why not so much diligence in the main point, in the most important affair, in that unum necessarium the eternal welfare of thy Soul? Why does not the great Maxime of Salvation, taught thee by the God of truth, Quid prodest, &c. What doth it profit a Man, if he gain the whole world and sustain the damage of his Soul, take up thy time but half as much, and dwell as near thy heart. Obstupescite Coeli super hoc & portae ejus desolamini vehe­menter. Jer. ch. 11. v. 1 [...] Be astonied O heavens upon this, and O gates there­of be ye desolate exceedingly. He knows that at the same time he sins, he looses the friendship of God, his right to Heaven, and becomes a miserable Slave to Hell. And yet, because Heaven does not consume him with Fire, the Earth does not open and swallow him alive, because like a Baltazar, he is not summon'd from the midst of his Pleasures, to give a strict account at the severe Tribunal of Divine Justice, he boasts with the Wicked. Peccavi, & quid mihi accidit triste. I have sinned and what sorrowful thing hath befallen me, Eccl. chap. 5. v. 4. If you tell him with the Wise Man, that delays are dangerous, and sound in his Ear, Ne differas de die in diem, &c. Slack not to be converted to our Lord, and defer not from day to day. For his Wrath shall come suddenly, and in the time of Ven­geance he will destroy thee, Ibid v. 8, 9. Send him a Moses to know when he shall pray for him, and free him from the vexing Plagues of Sin, appoint me when I shall pray for thee, Exod. chap. 8. v. 9. And with the senseless Pha­rao he answers. To morrow. Let a Jesus inculcate a thou­sand Videte's, watch, pray, you know not when the time is, you know neither the day nor the hour, he answers, he is sensible enough of his condition, and would not for a thousand Worlds die in the state he lives in, and is resolved [Page 9] to repent when he comes to die; for to be saved it is not so absolutely necessary to live a holy Life, as to dye a holy Death; and so eludes all the remorses of his guilty and tortured Conscience, puts off all the Graces and Divine Inspirations of God, that daily invite him to Repen­tance, with the unhappy Felix to St. Paul, Quod nunc attinet, &c. For this time go thy way: but in time conve­nient I will send for thee, Acts chap. 24. v. 25. He will make use of them another time, he will hear them when he is more at leisure, when he grows old he will lay all other concerns aside, and attend wholly to the Salvati­on of his Soul. Is not this a Miracle sufficient to asto­nish Heaven and Earth? That a Man of reason, a Man that pretends to Christianity, should have so little sense of his Eternal Happiness, as to live as they did who are now damned, to Feast, Drink, Sleep, and be Merry, as if he had not one Foot upon the very brink of Hell, but were on the Wings of a Seraphim, in his flight to the Glory of Paradise; that he should have so little feeling of his only Soul, Ʋnicam meam, as with the Epicure to think it to be only like Salt unto his Body, to keep it from stinking? Pray tell me, what was the ruin of Pha­rao and the whole Kingdom of Egypt? Was it not his stubborness to the Calls of Heaven? Hear the most elo­quent St. Ambrose. Appoint me when, says the God-like Mo­ses, and senseless Pharao answers, To morrow: Cum deberet in tantâ positus necessitate roga­re ut jam oraret nec differret, re­spondit crasiinâ die, otiosus & negligens morae poenam Egypt [...] soluturus exci­dio. whereas press'd by so great necessity he ought to desire him to pray now, and not defer it, he answers to morrow. But this delay cost the lazy and negligent Prince no less than the ruin and destruction of E­gypt. What was the destruction of the famous Jerusalem? Was it not because she was deaf to all the invitations of her God? Neither the Promises of Isaiah, nor Prayers of Jeremiah, nor Threats of Joel, nor so many Exhortations, Graces and Miracles of the Son of God himself could a­wake her. Our Blessed Saviour expresses the cause in a Flood of compassionate Tears. Eò quòd non cognoveris [Page 10] tempus visitationis tuae. Because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation, St. Luke chap. 19. v. 44. Because she did not hearken when called, repent when invited.

For my part were I to write the cause of their Dam­nation upon the Forehead of the Damned, I would use no other Inscription then Eò quòd non cognoverint tem­pus, &c. Because they did not know the time of their visita­tion. All these suffer, and shall suffer in Hell for Eternity, because they mispent their time in this World, and did not make use of Divine Grace when offered. There is not one of these but intended to save his Soul, as much as you do. But alas! They deferred their Conversion too long, then went to buy the Oyl of Mercy when she had shut the Gates against them. Eò quòd non cognoverint tempus, &c. Because they did not know the time of their Vi­sitation. Do you not? O Angel, that keepest the keys of Death and Hell, Claves mortis & Inferni, Apocal. chap. 1. v. 18. open I beseech you those dark Abysses where all unfortunate Souls must eternally dwell; that with the Devout St. Bernard, we may descend in Contempla­tion to Hell whilst we live, never to come there when we are dead. Unhappy Dives! Who stript thee of thy Silks and Purple? What brought thee into this place of torments? What torments thee in these Flames? Oh! I often heard a Vae nobis divitibus, Woe to you rich men, St.Phil. ch. 3. v. 19 Luke chap. 6. v. 24. Quorum Deus venter est, quorum finis interitus? Whose God is their belly, whose end is destru­ction. Yet I clad my self in the richest Silks and Purples, eat and drank of the most exquisite Meats and choicest Wines I could get, I made my Belly my God, and spent my Youth in Mirth and Riot, still intending to fast, cloath my self with Ashes and Sackloth, in my old age, and save my Soul at last. But O! That ducunt in bonies dies suos & in puncto ad inferna descendunt. They lead their days in Wealth, and in a moment go down to Hell, was my unfortunate Exit. I stopt my Ears when [Page 11] called by the merciful admonitions of my God, deferred my Pennance too long, and therefore hurried away by sudden death, am buried, am buried in Hell. I see the once scorned Beggar in the bosom of delights, I beg of Father Abraham, not Oceans, nor Streams, but that the ulcerous Lazarus may only dip the tip of his Finger in Water to cool the unquenchable thirst of my schorched Tongue, and can't obtain it. Alas! All the comfort I receive is a reproachful Recordare fili, &c. Remember Son that thou didst receive good things in thy life time, &c. St. Luke ch. 16. v. 25. I omitted, when offered, to drink of those Wa­ters of Grace, which extinguish an eternal thirst, and therefore, Crucior in hâc flammâ. I am tormented in this slame. O miserable young man! What sad Chance cut off thy bloomy days in their prime, and brought thee hither? It was a Non-correspondence to the Admoniti­ons of his Friends, Suggestions of his good Angel, and Graces of Almighty God, which so often with an Ado­lescens tibi dico surge. Young man, I say to thee arise, St. Luke ch. 7. v. 14. call'd upon him to forsake that lewd Company, fly those occasions of Sin, and save him­self with Lott from the flames of Sodom. But he heard them not, he thought some liberty might be given to Youth, in­tending when the heat and servour of that was over, to become a Joseph in the victories of Chastity, so goes on, spends his strength and estate too Prodigal-like, vivendo luxuriosè. But alas! before he could return to the all-pardoning embraces of his Heavenly Father, a burning Feaver enkindled by the damnable Flames of Lust, posts him unexpectedly into another World of the same tem­per, Hell. Libidinosum e­nim hujus vitae incendium, ad fornacis intus incendium du­ [...]it. Isidor. Pe­lus. Ep [...]s. 533. For the lustful flames of this life lead us down to the burning fire of that Furnace. Poor unfortunate young Woman! How came you into these Shades of horror? She weeps; shame and Confusion will not per­mit her to speak. She often heard from her heavenly Spouse a Vides hanc mulierem? Do you see this Woman? [Page 12] She followed Magdalen the Sinner, but neglected to imi­tate Magdalen the Penitent, till the time of Repentance was elapsed, and therefore she weeps, and shall weep eternally, but never hear a remittuntur tibi peccatu tua. Thy Sins are forgiven thee. Unbelieving Soul! What shut thee out of Heaven, and condemned thee to an everla­sting death? Want of true Faith. I often heard a secret voice in my Soul tell me, that there was but one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism, St. Paul to the Ephes. chap. 4. and consequently among so many Contradictory Re­ligions, all could not be true ways to Salvation. I al­ways thought that to be the true Church, which by clear Texts of Scriptures, Authority of general Councils, Sentences of Holy Fathers, and a never interrupted Suc­cession of Supream Pastors, could prove its self to have the Marks of Christs true Church, as to be One, Holy, Catho­lick and Apostolick. I thought that infallibly must be the true Church of Christ, which notwithstanding all the Attempts and Persecutions of Schism, Heresie, and Hell, was yet visible, and could shew it had maintained its Do­ctrine in its Primitive Purity, and taught now the same that Christ and his Apostles taught. But whether I were a Member of this Church or no, I omitted (through too much love of the World, and desire of Liberty) to in­quire, and therefore dying out of its Communion, out of which there is no Salvation, eternally perished.

Thus it will happen to all, who refuse to answer when God calls.Ergo dum lu­tem habetis, cre­dite in lucem ut filii lucis si­tis, St. Jo. ch. 12. v. 36. Hodie si vocem ejus audieritis nolite obdurare corda vestra. Therefore, Whilst you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light. The un­believing Soul, if he will be saved, must bottom himself on true Faith. Ergo. Therefore if to day you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. The obstinate Sinner if he will be saved, must answer when God calls. Did I say to day? Oh let it be this very moment, before you depart from the Chappel, before you go home, and it will be the beginning of your eternal happiness; and thus I conclude my first Point.

Second Part.

THE most deluding Fallacy on which the obdurate Sinner builds the delay of his Conversion, is a presumptive confidence in the Mercies of Almighty God, so much the more treacherous and deceitful, because it carries an outward shew of Vertue. St. Chrysostom on the second Epistle to the Corinthians, takes him to task, and thus discourses. Dicis, says he, Alii mali fuerunt, & salvi facti sunt, dabit & mihi spatium paenitentiae. O­thers were bad and are saved; David was an Adulterer, Zacheus a Publican, Saul a Persecuter, and Magdalen a Sinner, and he will give me time to repent. So they speak who sin with confidence, and, as Tertullian said, are bad because God is good. The Saint replies and asks. An vere dabit spatium paenitentiae? Fortasse, in­quis, dabit. But will he really give you time to repent? Perchance, say you, he will. The Saint urges very home. Dicis fortasse? memento quod de anima loqueris. Do you say perchance? Remember that you speak of your Soul. In a business of so great concern, then which no man has, or can have a greater, do you proceed with the uncertainty of a perchance? When with so much Faci­lity you may put your self almost in security of your Sal­vation? You never admit of these doubts or uncertainties in the meanest affairs of the World. Nay, is your Friend condemned by some unfortunate accident to the fatal stroak of death, do you not use all possible care, all imaginable means, do you not imploy all your in­terest and Forces, to repeal the Sentence, to obtain his pardon? Why then must only the business of your eter­nal Salvation be managed with the uncertainty of time, which is not in your power. Fortasse dabit. And how numerous are they to whom God has not given time to provide for the main concern, and yet these very men had [Page 14] continually in their Mouths. Fortasse dabit. Perchance he will give us time to repent; they spent their days in Feasting, and lived pleasantly. It's true, says St. Augustin, and I err if you do not find written in the Gospel, with the Golden Characters of Light and Truth, that God promises pardon to all Sinners that repent: But though you had a hundred thousand eyes, you will never find registred by the Pen of God, in any page of the sacred Volumes, that he has promised a Sinner time to repent. Nemo ergo sibi promittat quod Evangelium non promittit. Let no man therefore promise himself that which the Gospel does not promise. St. Augustin, De verbis Do­mine, Ser. 16.

But say what I will, my Christian Jew is become a Rabbi in the Synagogue of the Obstinate. He tells me with his confederates in Isaiah. Percussimus faedus cum morte & cum Inferno fecimus pactum, Isaiah 28.15. He has made a truce with Death, and struck up a bargain with Hell. What? That Death shall not seize upon you unprovided? That it shall give you time by a perfect contrition and sorrow for your Sins to reconcile your self to Almighty God, to arm your self with the rites of the Church for that dangerous passage, that your death should be all mild, all pleasant, all melodious and joyful, that happy, as old Simeon, you shall close your Eyes with Jesus in your Arms, and depart in peace, singing a Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine, &c. Now thou dost dismiss, O Lord, thy Servant according to thy word in peace, because mine eyes have seen thy Salvation, St. Luke ch. 2? And we have made a bargain with Hell. That you shall be free from all temptations, that the Devils shall not molest you, that Hell shall not devour you? But you have cheated your self, as all the Adversaries of Vertue and Truth always do, either igno­rantly, or willfully taking a Sentence, and not minding the Context. Had you read on, you had found a Salve to that damnable errour in the same place. Et delebitur [Page 15] foedus vestrum cum morte, Isaiah the 5. ch. 14. v. &c. And your league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with Hell shall not stand. But above all, methinks that terrible Ego vado quaeretis me & in peccato vestro moriemi­ni, St. Joh. 8. ch. 21. v. I go, you shall seek me, and shall die in your sin; Threatned by our Blessed Saviour to the Jews, should strike a terror into the most obdurate Sin­ners. There will be then a time for certain, when you shall seek God and not find him, when you shall call upon him and not be heard. The darkness of approaching death will hide him from your sight, and you that have not found him by the lights he gave you in your life, will certainly never find him in the shades of death. In a word,Hoc est Christum male querere in peccato suo mo­ri, & in pecca­to suo morietur, qui in peccato suo permanet usque ad mor­tem. that Sinner seeks Christ, but finds him not, who repents too late, that is, lets Death surprize him in Sin, says Venera­ble Bede. Continue your favourable attention and I will prove it.

The lamentations of the Spouse in the Canticles, be­cause she could not find her beloved are certain, the cause uncertain. Quaesivi in lectulo meo quem diligit anima mea, & non inveni, Cant. ch. 3. I have sought in my little bed whom my Soul loveth, and have not found him. To omit other the reason in my opinion, why she could not find him, may be, because she only sought him in the bed of Sickness, when the darkness of death grew thick upon her, because the Sun of Justice seldom or never enlightens those horrid shades with the rays of Mercy. That is, you that expect to find God merciful on your death-bed, will be deceived. In vain you expect the health of your Soul, among the mortal distempers of your Body. It is in vain to think to gain Eternity in a moment. It is in vain to cover your self with the Ashes of Pennance, when the Dust of your Sepulchre is near. In vain do your eyes pour out scalding Tears, when a cold sweat of Death runs down your Cheeks. Your sighs are illtim'd for Pennance, when you groan for life. What force can Pennance have in such [Page 16] a weakness of Members? What fruits can she produce, planted in the Ashes of a Carcass. Vertues will not grow in a heart void of natural heat and strength. Wo then to the Soul that only seeks her Spouse on her Death-bed. And wo to thee, stubborn Sinner, that only beg'st mercy when thy gasping Soul hangs upon thy dying lips.

I do not intend to condemn the Pennance of many in their last Agony;Potest nobis ex­tremi temporis Indulgentia sub venire, at periculosissima est in ultimum diem promiss [...] securitas. Lib. de v. paen. perchance by labouring in the last hour of the day, they may deserve their penny and re­ceive the reward of Glory. But I must tell you, that all the holy Fathers look upon it as infirm, presumptive and to be suspected. St. Aug. affirms it to be very unsure and of little value. We may be so fortunate as to find mercy at the last hour: but it is a most dangerous security we promise our selves in the last day. For it does not often happen that he that has lived a Fool all his life, becomes a Wife man at his death. And can there be a greater Fool than he who commits his eternal concerns to a dying life? Not a feeble but strong Voice is requisite to plead a bu­siness of that Importance; it demands a weeping Eye not a dying one; exacts a grieving Soul, not a dead body. Because says St. Aug. Serm. 66. de temp. Parum est pecca­tori paenitere nisi paenitentiam peregerit. It little avails a sinner to repent, unless he perform his Pennance. Because as we esteem not the Tree, but the Fruit, nor is the Plant commendable that renders no Fruit to the Gardiner, so Almighty God values not a fruitless Sorrow or barren Repentance. Our Saviour and St. John exclaim, Facite fructus dignos paenitentiae. Yield fruits worthy of Pennance, St. Luke ch. 3. v. 9. But in such anguish of Soul, in such pain of body, in a head full of other concerns, in a distracted mind, in a heart not only barren of good deeds, but holy thoughts, what Fruits can Pennance pro­duce? And will you yet defer your Conversion? Do you know it? He that procrastinates in an affair of that Impor­tance, contests with his everlasting ruin. Pennance is [Page 17] a traffick you may purchase a blessed Eternity with: But who is that slothful and unfortunate Servant that hid it under ground? It is you that differ your Conversion, and think to do Pennance in the end of your Life. You will be numbred among the foo­lish Virgins t [...]at repented too late, &c. therefore Clausa est Janua; nescio vos. The gate is shut; I know you not.

But you think to deceive God, and rob him of Paradise, as the good Thief did on the Cross, reserving for your last breath, a Domine memento mei, &c. Lord remember me when you shall come into your Kingdom. As if this were the form of a Sacra­ment that operates independently of the Merits of the Mini­ster, and in vertue of this, you were to do presently what you say, and Christ were suddenly to answer you with a Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso. This day thou shalt be with me in Para­dise. The Divine St. Aug. condemns you of a pernicious er­rour. Ad emendanda crimina vox paenitentis sola non sufficit, nam ad satisfactionem ingentium peccatorum non verba tantum sed opera quaeruntur. Ser. 1. de paen. To the amendment of our Crimes the voice of the Penitent alone is not sufficient, f [...]r to the satisfaction of great sins, not words but works are required. What? Are the inveterate sins of your obstinate Soul so ma­ny flames that can be blown out with a gentle sigh? Are they Spots that can be washt away with a Tear? Are they Wounds, are they Ulcers that can be cured with the Divine Inchantment of four Words. Domine, Domine aperi nobis. Lord open the gate. So that at your command Heaven Gates shall fly open, and your Soul be received in Triumph? Ad satis­factionem, &c. And if you are not able to satisfy for your sins in that weak condition, how is it possible for you to o­vercome an army of Sins now in possession of your Soul? How will you conquer those Legions of Devils that lye encamped round about to defend it? Good God! Those sins that so many Preachers thundring the Judgments of the Almighty a­gainst thee, could not drive out! Those sins that the Sword of Justice hanging every moment over thy head, could not dislodge! Those sins that the fear of Hell fire could not van­quish, shall they now be conquered by a feeble Pennance, [Page 18] without Armes, without Forces, and as dead as thy dying Body? What shall I say but exclaim with the Divine St. Au­gustin. Paenitentia quae a moriente tantum petitur, timeo ne & ipsa moriatur. That Pennance which a dying Man only begs to do, I am afraid it will die. I fear she will be defeated, I fear she will die; and as the Body becomes a spoil to the Victo­ries of Death, so she will fall a Victim of Sin, and a Prey to the Devils. Therefore if you intend to become victorious in the last and terrible battel, why do you not quicken your Pennance with the vigour of Youth, arm it with the Wea­pons of Mortification, and curbing your unbridled Passions, strengthen it with noble Resolutions, and the powerful assi­stance of Christian Vertues? Assure your self a dying Age will never prove the fruitful Parent of a victorious Pennance. Poenitentia quae a moriente tantum petitur, &c.

You then, O holy Penitent, and most bright mirrour of Pennance, O holy Magdalen, teach my Auditory what time you observed to hear those most comfortable words, Remit­tuntur tibi peccata tua. Perchance you expected your lips should wither, before you fix'd those chast kisses on the Feet of Jesus. You waited perchance for death to break your Body, before you broke open your Box of Perfumes to an­noint his Divine Feet.Nec ipsa se ad [...]oc reservavit, [...]t in fine vitae [...]aenitentiam a­ [...]eret, sed dum [...]dhuc peccare [...]oterat sic Deo [...]nspirante volu­ [...]t peccata di­mittere, ut il­ [...]am de Adulte­ [...]iis suis, non ne­ [...]essitas sub tra­ [...]eret, sed vc­ [...]ntas & ideo [...]udire mervit, [...]uod ei omnia [...]erint peccata [...]imissa. S. Aug. [...]er. 57. de Paen, You staid perchance for old age to rob you of those charming Locks, before you offered them to your dear Lord, to insnare him in your love. You demur­red perchance till your sins left you, that you might run to God. Ʋt cognovit. Christian Auditory. Ʋt cognovit. As soon as ever she understood that her Heavenly Physitian was at hand, presently, without any delay, changing her sinful boldness into a fruitful confidence, she entred where he was, and prostrate at his Divine Feet, the Pillars of a non plus ul­tra, to her wicked life, pleaded her pardon with the silent groans of a contrite heart, and drown'd her sins in a Sea of Tears. Ʋt cognovit. As soon as ever she knew. Therefore, Quae­rite Dominum dum inveniri potest. Seek the Lord whilst he may be found. Now, this day, this moment. When he calls you, when he offers you his Grace, when he expects your return. [Page 19] Do not defer till the night of Death surprise you. Venit nox quando nemo potest operari. The night comes when no man can labour. It will then be too late. You'll seek your Saviour but not find him. Et in peccato, &c. And then you'll die in your sin.

Another reason which renders thy repentance almost im­possible, is thy custom of sinning, which once having got possession of thy Soul, is hardly rooted out. Because, says St. Aug. Consuetudo est quaedam habituata natura. Custom is a se­cond nature. And Seneca answers thee, That when thy Vices are become thy Manners, there is no place for a remedy. Tunc desinit esse remedio locus, ubi quae fuerint vitia mores fiunt. You read a strange example of this in the third Book of Kings, 13 chap. King Jeroboam, by his frequent Idolatry, was become harder to the voice of God then the Stones he adored. The Prophet Semeia, by Divine order, goes to him, and finds him standing upon the Altar, but directs his Embassy to the Al­tar not to the King. Altar, Altar. St. Chrysostom astonish'd hereat, asks him. Cum lapide verba facis? O Man of God, what do you do? Do you think God has given the Marble ears to hear your voice? Is your Tongue an Instrument of steel, that can imprint upon it the Character of your words? Certainly upon this Altar you sacrifice your Words to the Winds. Why do you not speak to the King who willingly hears you? Every one will judge you a mad Man, to treat Stones as Men, and Men as Stones. Do you think the King will not give you audience? Much less will the Stones re­turn you an answer. If the one will not hear what you say, do you believe the other will execute your Commands? If Jeroboam has not ears to hear you, much less has the Marble capacity to understand you. But it was not so. For the Pro­phet found more hardness in the stubborn heart of the obsti­nate King, than in the senseless Stone; and his voice which was not heard by the one was obey'd by the other, opening its Bowels, and delivering out the commanded Victim, in o­bedience to the same voice the stubborn King stopt his Ears to. Etiam quando rex minus compos est sensuum quam lapis, & au­divit lapis, ipse lapis in scissuras diffractus est, & victimam [Page 20] effudit, homo ille non audivit. St. Chrys. In proem. in Isaiah. This we see daily, and lament. How many Preachers by Sermons, Exhortations, and pious Discourses, tell the obstinate and habi­tual Sinner, the danger he is in by delaying his Conversion. They propose to him the patience of his God, his frequent in­vitations to repentance, his threats, his promises, his rewards, his punishments, nothing moves him. Percussisti eos & non dolu­erunt, says Jeremiah of the obstinate. Thou hast stricken them and they have not grieved, chap. 5. In vain does Heaven punish here, in vain do you propose divine Benefits. Ipsi fue­runt rebelles lumini. They were rebellious to the Light, says Job of the same, ch. 54. A cursed habit of Sinning has ren­dred thy heart more hard than the very Stones.

The Divine St. Aug. has a gentile reflection upon three Dead, raised by our Blessed Saviour. The Prince of the Syna­gogues Daughter dies. The Heavenly Physitian only takes her by the hand, not so much to feel the motion of her Pulse, as to give it; bids her rise, and she returns to Life. The Wid­dows Son of Naim, interpreted the City of Beauties, dies in the flower of his Youth, and Jesus meets the disconsolate Widdow at the City Gates, calls the young man with an Adolescens tibi dico surge, and in obedience to the command he stands up alive, and Jesus dries up the Tears of the afflicted Mother with the joyful sight of her raised Son. Lazarus dies and is buried, and Christ is troubled, sighs for grief, breaks out into Tears, groans, and with a loud cry calls him, La­zare, veni foras. Lazarus, come forth. And thus he rescues him from the Jaws of death, and brings him alive from the Sepulchre. But what sort of death is this, my dear Jesus, that will not give Lazarus the light of life, unless your all en­lightening Eyes set in a Sea of grief? That will not open the Grave and give up her dead, unless you open your Sacred Mouth to groans? That will see you, Author of all Joy, full of all sadness, before she rejoice the Spectators with their rai­sed Friend. Why was there not need of this in the others? Whence this novelty? St. Aug. answers the query. Because in the young Persons was expressed a Sin newly committed; [Page 21] not so much, out of Malice as Frailty. But this signifies a ha­bit of sinning. Cum consuetudinis malae quasi mole terrena pre­mitur animus, quasi in S [...]pulchro jam putet. When the Soul is oppressed by a bad habit, as with a heap of Earth, it corrupts as it were in her Sepulcher. And therefore the voice of our Saviour was sufficient alone to raise the First. But here Fremuit in Spiritu, & rursus infremuit, & deinde magna voce exclama­vit, Lazare veni foras. He groaned in Spirit, and groan'd a­gain, and then he cry'd out with a great voice, Lazarus come forth. To demonstrate how difficult a thing it is for a Sin­ner to be Converted, and do Pennance at the hour of his Death. It is a strange observation of St. Jerome upon the Epistle of St. Paul, where mention is made of the general Judgment. At the first sound of the Angelical Trumpet, which must summon all Men to the vale of Josaphat, the dead will presently arise and present themselves. But to the li­ving which remain on earth, the voice of the Archangel will not be enough, the voice and command of God must be added. What means this? That it is easier to raise a dead man to life, than Convert an obstinate Sinner. This will sooner come from his Grave, than that will leave his wick­ed life. This will sooner awake from the sleep of death, than that will rise from the Lethargy of Sin. And God is sooner heard in Graves than in Towns and Cities.

But my obstinate Sinner still replies, that the mercies of God are above all his Works. That he will not the death of a Sinner, but rather that he be converted and live. That his Mercies have most of all triumphed in the hour of death. He has invited, even then, the worst of Sinners to pardon. Manasses after a wicked life, became a Penitent. He invited Judas with a kiss of Peace, and saved a Thief on the Cross. It's very true, but here lies an errour that has Peopled Hell. Are you sure, or do you only hope that he will invite you? Vix dici potest, says St. Aug. quantos haec inanis spei umbra deceperit. It can hardly be expressed how many this empty sha­dow of vain hope has deluded. Serm. 100. de temp. This it was that ruined Judas and made him dux eorum qui compre­henderunt [Page 22] Jsum. Captain of them that apprehended Jesus. And whence so great boldness, such hardness of heart in an Apostle, a worker of Miracles, who had lived three years in the School and Company of Christ? St. Chrysostom found the Origin and discovered it for the Instruction and Correction of the like to him. Confidebat nimium in lenitate Magistri, quae res illum magis confudit, & omni venia privavit. He confided too much in the Meekness of his Master, which did more confound him, and deprive him of all pardon. The sweet behaviour of Christ to him, which ought to have made him love him more dearly, rendred him odious and despicable. He never saw him hurt any one, but do good to all, and therefore he betray'd him, because he did not fear him, but vainly confided in his Mercy. And tho' Manasses clos'd his wicked life with a peni­tent death; yet his graceless Son Ammon following the vi­cious steps of his Father died as he lived. Nor must you urge tha example of the good Thief. For in the day the Son of God died to redeem man, some extraordinary priviledge might be granted. But turn from the right hand to the left, it is a short passage, and you will see, that tho' he was converted and sa­ved, yet his Companion, and a thousand of the standers by, died as they lived. This then is an error the blind may see palmed on your self, not upon God. For he protests by the mouth of the Wiseman, Prov. 1. That he called, and you re­fused, you despised his Counsels, neglected his reprehensions, and therefore he will laugh in your destruction, and scorn when tribulation and distress shall come upon you. Then, says he, they shall invocate me, and I will not hear them. Oh dear Sinner! What a terrible menace is this to a poor Soul, to be forsaken at the last, and cast off by Almighty God.

But he has Eyes and will not see, Ears and will not hear, Feet and will not walk. He has affectedly lulled his Conscience a­sleep with the drunkenness of his sins, the Trumpet of Death and Judgment cannot rouze him; and he intends to awake at his death, and live to heaven, who living was dead to Grace. Would you know what becomes of him? A Message is dispatch'd, for Mercy has given him over, and Justice will [Page 23] no longer indure him; perchance the same that was brought to King Ezechias on his Sick-bed. Dispone domui tuae, quia morieris tu & non vives. Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and shalt not live, Isa. ch. 38. v. 1. A distemper sei­ses him, he is carried to his Bed, his affrighted Friends run to his aid, with weeping Eyes they beg of him Now, for Now is the time, or Never, to think on his Soul, to repent and re­concile himself to God, they mind him with most earnest in­treaties, of his so often repeated promises, I will, I will, when I come to dye. And what does this deluded Soul answer? Thanks be to God he is not so ill as to think himself at that point, in that extremity as they Imagin, who wou'd have him die before his time, or modestly to hinder them from re­peating what he would not hear, he gives his Friends many thanks in very obliging terms, and says he will do it speedily as soon as the dulness of his head clears up, the pain at his heart relents, which at present hinder him from performing any thing, with the seriousness a business of that importance re­quires. Jesus! As he spoke he fell out of his Senses, he has lost his speech, his eyes are set in his head, he breaths no more, he is dead. A punishment justly due to the merits of his Crime, that he who living never raised his Eyes to Heaven to desire it, dy­ing should not cast them down on hell to fear it, who living never thought on God, dying should forget himself. I am sorry I can't comfort his sad and afflicted Friends with a Requiescat in pace. The Lords peace be with him. The Antiphon that I wou'd have Sung before and after every Funeral Psalm, shou'd be that most true Sentence of St. Aug. It is the punishment of every sin­ner, that he forget himself when he comes to dye, who whilst he lived was forgetful of God.

Christian Auditory. You are all created to eternal happi­ness, all born to Immortal Glory, and consequently you have all Souls to save. But qui fecit te sine te, says St. Aug. non salva­bit te sine te. He that made you without you, will not save you without you. Your concurrance with the grace and calls of Al­mighty God, is of necessity to Salvation. If you have been e­ver called and neglected it, how do you know you shall ever [Page 24] be called again. If you have not been yet called, perchance the first is the last. You have seen what sad and lamentable ends have attended the Delayers. I have shewn the stubborn Sinner how difficult a thing it is to do Pennance in the last hour, and laid down the reason too, of the sad Exit of one of thy Compa­nions. And will nothing move thee? Will nothing mollify thy strong heart? Come along withme to the Throne of Mercy. If I can't convince thee, I le try at least if I can confound thee. Let's go to Mount Calvary. With your leave Blessed Virgin, room Courteous Souldiers Devout Magdalen you have heard already an all-pardoning Remittuntur tibi, &c. Thy sins are forgiven thee. Cast up thy Eyes then, O Sinner, and look if thou canst for shame. It is thy God that thought himself mise­rable unless thou wert happy; who after three and thirty years Preaching, Sweat, and Labour for thy sake, died that thou mayest live eternally. He is naked to cloath thee with the Robes of Immortality. He bows his Sacred head to give thee a kiss of Peace, he stretcheth forth his arms to embrace thee, he has his side pierced to open thee a passage to his heart to shew he loves thee; he is crowned with Thorns to Crown thee with a Diadem of Immortal Glory. Those Wounds from Head to Foot are thy Sins.Ipse autem vul­neratus est prop­ter scelera no­stra, Isa. 53.5. He has made a Bath of his pretious blood to heal them. Those wounds are so many to­kens of his bleeding love. Those wounds are so many elo­quent mouths that cry to thy stony heart, repentance, repen­tance. But I have something more to say, for thy God does yet more. He has written thee with wounds in his hands, for he cannot forget thee, with these he pleads thy cause in Heaven to his eternal Father. I hear the holy Spirit with un­speakable groans cry out for Mercy. And does not this melt thee into Sorrow and Compassion? Art thou not yet a Penitent? I leave thee then to plead thy own cause at the most severe Tribunal of Divine Justice. But you, O Father of Mercies, by the bitter death and passion of your most blessed Son, grant that so sad and lamentable an end may never happen to any one here.

In nomine Patris, &c. Amen.