through every period of our probationary state, that men will neglect to comply with the conditions of salvation. No professed Christian can be certain of his prize, till he has completed his race, nor sure of his reward, till he has arrived at his goal. It was at the close of his life, that St. Paul triumphed in the prospect of an immediate possession of the glorious wreath of immortality. "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day."* No man can with propriety adopt this language, till the decisive period shall arrive. It is dangerous for men, amidst the temptations of the world, to flatter themselves with a certainty of their salvation; to entertain the supposition, that they are so effectually established in Christian habits, that it is impossible they should lose them. The rational hope of salvation is founded on a consciousness of an habitual course of piety and virtue. The hope of acceptance through Jesus Christ may increase in strength, in proportion to the progress made in the path towards Christian perfection; and if at the close of life men can with truth affirm, "Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sin cerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world,"† then are they entitled to that full assurance of hope, which above is declared to be the portion of those 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8.

† 2 Cor. i. 12.

who continue in the Christian course to the close of life. But the snares and corruptions of the world are many and great, and human resolutions are weak. Who, then, among the disciples of Jesus Christ, will dare solemnly to aver, There is no danger that I shall essentially fail in my duty as a candidate for immortality: I am absolutely sure of salvation. This bold declaration must shock every serious mind. The first consequence of it is, that the future sins which this man may commit are not strictly his; and the next, that Christian liberty is to sin with impunity. The hope which the gospel warrants, as we have repeatedly observed, is founded on a consciousness of a sincere and habitual endeavour to comply with the terms of salvation. "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he, (God) is pure. "* The hope of eternal life, thus founded, is the best support of man through all worldly vicissitudes: it will lighten the pressure of worldly adversity; increase the enjoyment of every present blessing; and ever prove a powerful motive to the cultivation and exercise of Christian virtues. If we were destitute of the hope of the gospel, the present life would often be felt as a burden, and immortality contemplated with dreadful apprehension. But Christian hope removes all objections which can be raised against the present condition of man. It sustains the pious and good, under the conflict of death, and illuminates before them the path to the world of spirits. Christians should guard against despondency as well as presumption.. "There is joy in believing."

1 John iii. 3.

Persons of undoubted sincerity are sometimes subjected to distressing fears, because they are not conscious of having experienced religious exercises similar to those of their brethren, whom they deem to be Christians of exalted piety. But all who realize the efficacy of religion upon their tempers and lives, may confide in the divine promise of acceptance through Jesus Christ, and may "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

CONCLUSION.

Though it be granted that the ministration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, under the influences of the Divine Spirit, produces its effects in a gradual manner, and that men slowly acquire the qualifications of the Christian character, yet it may be asked, is there not a given point of improvement at which they are fitted for the society of heaven, and, therefore, an instant of time at which they are converted? Suppose there is—who has any interest in the question? None but the man who means to push his religious assiduities till he shall rise to the lowest degree of goodness which will be accepted, and there stop. Little encouragement can be given to this lukewarm disciple. Though there may be a particular degree of Christian attainment necessary to the acceptance of every individual disciple of Jesus Christ, yet this degree cannot be fixed by any general principle; because individuals are under obligations of intellectual and moral improvement, in proportion to their natural talents and local advantages. Their acquisitions in Christian life must

be proportionate to the means afforded them. The inquiry respecting the particular moment at which the Christian improvements of an individual qualify him for heaven, is like the question, At what point of time does the night close, and the day begin? or, In the progress of human life, at what moment does an individual cease to be a youth, and become a man ?

May God grant us the spirit of truth, to lead us into all truth pertaining to life eternal. May we be found of our Judge in peace, without spot and blameless; and may an entrance be administered unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

THE last article in the Calvinistick confession of faith is the subject of our review this morning, viz.

5.

"Those whom God has effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall from a state of grace."

This position in theology might be opposed by general arguments, drawn from the accountable character of man, and from his sphere of action.

Man is the subject of moral government: the present life is appointed as the period of his moral education: one part of human life is as much pro bationary as another; and at its close, the religious character of man will be determined, and sentence pronounced on him according to his works. The promise of acceptance is made only to those who