Is it by such deeds as these, my friends, that you can purchase a right to eternal happiness? Is it by a mere abstinence from gross and flagrant sins to which, it may be, you have never been strongly tempted, or from which, at all events, you have been deterred more by the fear of man than by the love of your God and Saviour; or is it by heartlessly walking the formal round of outward devotion, by giving the service of the lips, and withholding the inward worship of the spirit, that you hope to please God, and open the gate of heaven? You know it cannot be. And yet what better claims have you to offer? More regular in the performance of duty, than at some former period of your life, you may have been; more sincere, more earnest, more pious; but after all, do not the very best services of the very best of you all, come infinitely short, and if your deeds of righteousness were weighed against your sins, would they not be as the small dust of the balance? O then is it not vain-is it not impious to trust to these for acceptance and favour in the sight of that God "who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity?" Think you that any efficacy can be added to the merits of the Saviour by such merits as yours? Suppose your sins were blotted out, and you stood to be judged only by the talents von had occupied-the opportunities you had improved-the piety you had cherished-the lessons you had dutifully learned under the discipline of Providence-let conscience say if even then your deeds of righteousness would deserve the blessing of heaven, or could indeed once be named along with the righteousness of Him in whom dwelt the fulness of the Godhead. Even the holiness you possess is not the fruit of your own labour, it is the gift of God. What do you call your own, which you have not received; and what have you received which you have not either neglected or misemployed? How different are the sentiments which Scripture puts into the hearts of those who freely and candidly devote themselves to its study!-how different the language which they employ, when they communicate with each other, or with their pastor, on the things which concern their everlasting peace! The death-bed of him whose understanding and heart have been subdued under the teaching of the Gospel, exhibits a scene at once humble and dignified, solemn, and full of peace! It is the consummation of a life spent not unprofitably in the school of God's providence; the last act of discipline to chasten the remaining corruptions of his fallen nature, and restrain and regulate his rebellious passions; the last lesson of knowledge and experience, to enlighten his mind, and train his soul for immortality. Such a death-bed we have witnessed. The pious sufferer referred to his past life indeed, but it was not to take comfort to himself from the temptations to evil he had resisted, or from the good deeds he had performed, as if these were meritorious in the sight of heaven, and could entitle him to that eternal happiness for which he so earnestly longed. He confessed-and while he made the confession, his whole countenance and manner bore testimony to the depth of his contrition—that he was an unprofitable servant-a sinner whose transgressions against light and warning had been frequent, and aggravated, and without excuse; and he therefore owned, that if the promises of the Gospel had been made to depend, either in whole or in part, on his own righteousness, there would have remained for him nothing but a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation. But when from his own deservings, he turned to the consideration of what his Saviour had done, and taught, and suffered for sinners, and professing his belief in the all-sufficiency of the salvation which had been accomplished on the cross, appropriated to himself the promises of the Gospel, what a different expression of countenance marked the changing feelings of his heart! He relied on the merit of labours not his own-he looked to the virtue of a sacrifice, of which all other sacrifices are but the type and in the fulness of his heart, exclaimed, “If God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" "It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ who died; yea, rather, who is risen again." "If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life." These blessed assurances cheered and elevated his soul. Sometimes, indeed, we have seen him oppressed by a sense of his own worthlessness, and trembling when he thought of the folly and vanity which betrayed his deep remaining corruption; but at other times placid, contented, and joyful; at peace with the world-at peace with his own conscience -at peace with God:-with the world, because in the spirit of Christian charity, he forgave his enemies, and loved all mankind with his conscience, because he inwardly felt a growing conformity to the Divine will-with God, because he knew that in Christ Jesus he was a reconciled Father to believers, and did not impute unto them their trespasses. Having mentioned the period of sickness as a time of trial, in which Christian principles are called into peculiar action, and the real character of these principles is exhibited to a discerning eye, we are naturally led to take notice of another circumstance connected with this subject. We allude to the anxiety which is felt by many only when laid on a sickbed, to see and converse with their spiritual instructor, and to obtain the benefit of his prayers. What we object to is, the spirit too frequently manifested in the time and manner of soliciting these visits, and in the unhappy effects which they are sometimes perverted to produce. It is instructive, though distressing, to observe the usual practices which are too often prevalent during the progress of an alarming disease. In the first period of illness, when the patient is confined to bed, or to the house, neighbours drop in after the hours of labour, and the sick man's chamber becomes a convenient place for retailing all the news and evil reports of the parish. His mind is led away from the consideration of his spiritual interests, and is frequently polluted, or at least unprofitably filled with matters of worldly concern, and tales of scandal. His family, from a mistaken kindness, think it necessary to provide for his amusement, often without regard to his edification; and, indeed, nothing is more common than to find, among those who surround the sick-bed of a friend, the utmost anxiety to withdraw his thoughts from solemn reflection. It is considered right to prevent the agitation of his mind, and to avoid alarm by abstaining from every thing which might induce him to think of his spiritual interests. By degrees, however, his malady becomes more serious-symptoms appear which seem to intimate the approach of a fatal crisis. Friends and relations from a greater distance now arrive, and accounts of their good or bad fortune, and of the circumstances of their families, and the events of their neighbourhood, give new employment to the mind of the patient." A minister, meanwhile, or some person fluent in prayer, pays an occasional visit; and for the first time, perhaps, during many days, or, it may be during many years, the voice of pious supplication and praise is heard beneath that roof. Worldly conversation, however, proceeds, and worldly feelings are cherished, interrupted from time to time by short intervals, in which more serious thoughts intrude, and the Bible is opened, and for the first time perused, with some passing anxiety, and sense of its value. Still the disease goes on, and the patient begins visibly to sink; while the doubtful answers of the medical attendant confirm the daily increasing fears of the family, and the suppressed sighs of a wife, a mother, or a child, and the tear wiped away by stealth from the care-worn cheek, open the unwilling eyes, and strike conviction to the heart of the sufferer. He perceives at last that the king of terrors is at hand; nor can he conceal from himself that he is unprepared for his approach. His spiritual instructor is now sent for in haste; and when he arrives, his voice sounds ominously on the ear of the unhappy man, as if the messenger of the gospel had come to extinguish in his heart the last ray of hope; for that on which he has hitherto rested for support, is earthly hope alone. But die he must; and he seeks in this visit a passport to a better world. He listens to his pastor's exhortations and prayers, rather as if they were to open the gate of heaven by the power of enchantment, than as they in reality are, the appointed means of enlightening the darkened understanding, and renewing the depraved will, and through the operation of the Holy Spirit, rendering the soul meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. Thus is the good seed sown in the beaten wayside or stony soil of a worldly heart, and either springs not at all, or withers as it springs. The dying man is appalled and bewildered, but not humble and contrite-he feels that danger is near, the most dreadful of all dangers, but his unprepared mind knows not, and may not now be taught how to avoid it. In the days of his health he has slighted the service of God, or walked the round of ordinances without faith and without edification; and, when at last the terror of impending destruction leads him to seek for refuge in unaccustomed acts of devotion, Divine grace, long offered in vain, is then denied; there is no avenue open by which his heart can be penetrated; and all his efforts begin and end in a bodily exercise which profiteth little, and an unhallowed reliance on outward forms. The inefficacy of that attention to religious duties, to which the worldly are driven by the immediate fear of death, is but too fatally proved by the conduct of many, who, under the discipline of this fear, having been induced to apply for spiritual aid, have afterwards been unexpectedly brought back from the verge of the grave, and exhibited the real state of their hearts, the insincerity of their vows, and the fruit of their devotional exercises, in the course of a prolonged life. How frequently do we see individuals of this descrip tion, as soon as the immediate terror of death is removed, casting away from them the feelings and impressions of Divine things, which for a time they have cherished, returning with redoubled eagerness to their worldly occupations, and displaying, as formerly, all the coldness of unregenerate hearts! Of such persons it is impossible not to conclude that their penitence was hollow, and that if their sickness had been unto death, they would, notwithstanding all their fair appearances, have perished in their sins. We dare not assert that a death-bed repentance is always unavailing; for of such a repentance there is one instance on the Scripture record, though only one; but we do say, that on such repentance it is presumptuous to depend; and that those professing Christians who delay the season of serious thought till it is forced upon them at the last hour, are in a state of extreme danger. NOT all the outward forms on earth, Nor rites that God has giv'n, The sov'reign will of God alone Born in the image of his Son, The Spirit, like some heav'nly wind, Our quicken'd souls awake and rise THE ENGLISH MONTHLY TRACT SOCIETY 27, RED LION SQUARE. J. & W. Rider, Printers, Bartholomew Close, London. |