lived all their lives in a course of fin, and their minds have been always taken up with it, and their hearts wholly enslaved to it; it is no easy matter to bring them off, and to fill them with fuch firmness of purpose, and ftrength of pious refolution, as would be able effectually to mortify and fubdue it. This is a moft laborious work, and a difficult undertaking. It requires much time, and the freedom of all our faculties. For how hard a thing is it, even for men in health, when their thoughts are free, diftracted by no business, interrupted. by no pain, and difturbed by no disease or. other hinderance, to work themselves up to an effectual and prevailing refolution against any one fin, to which they have been habitually inured? And even of them, who do at laft effectually refolve against it, how few are there who come to fuch a pitch of refolution at the first trial? No, their proceeding is gradual; they go on from ftep to step; every following refolution is more firm, and ftronger than that which went before; till after feveral repetitions and advances, they arrive at laft to a de gree gree and pitch of holy purpose fo compleat, as can effect that virtuous change of life and action which they aim at. So that their fpiritual life, is not brought on to perfection in a moment, more than their natural; but requires much time, and much exercife: For as their finful habits were not at firft acquired, fo neither are they to be conquered, by one action, but by many. And fince the procefs in repentance, even from one fingle fin, is fo long and tedious, before it has arrived to a faving pitch; and fo difficult to a healthy man, who has nothing to trouble and distract him: what muft an univerfal reformation be, to a dying perfon, whofe time is fhort, and much disturbed; who cannot repeat many refolutions, nor make a trial of the force and power of any one; and who is most likely to be weak and languid in all those good purposes which he makes, by reason that his thoughts are heavy, and his attention broken, and all his faculties are oppreffed with pain, and become weary and unactive through a wasting disease? Surely if the first refolutions of healthy men, are generally K 3 generally fo ineffective and infufficient; these purposes of dying penitents, which in all advantages for a strong and prevailing refolution fall much below them, must needs be generally of this ineffective fort too. And when they are fo, they will not pafs in God's account, but are utterly unavailable to any man's falvation. A man who only purpofeth, but doth not practife; who barely wills, but is not able to perform; is in the way to life indeed, but he is far from having yet attained to it. He is ftill in a fad cafe, and under a damning fentence. For the change of mind which God requires of us, is fuch as works a change of practice. If he fees it fufficient to effect that, he will graciously accept it indeed, before the effect follows. But if it be only an impotent and ineffective will, and he difcerns plainly that no obedient works would follow it; it is no fuch will as he accepts for the deed; and as for fuch. penitents, they must not expect that he. will abfolve, but utterly condemn them. And And fince the change of mind and penitential purposes of dying perfons, even when they are upon genuine and lasting grounds, fo as in the following parts of a man's life, if God should please to spare him, they would do fomething,-would yet be weak and infufficient, and so unable to do enough: Here is ftill a further reafon, of the ordinary infufficiency of such repentance, and why thofe dying men will not ordinarily be faved by it, but perish notwithstanding it. To conclude this whole matter: We fee that it is poffible for fuch repentance to fave a man, as has not yet produced a new practice; and for dying penitents to be accepted upon a change of mind, without a like change of life and actions. This, I fay, is poffible; it fometimes is, and fometimes has been done. But this indeed is very rare and feldom; fo that no man in his fober wits, who has time before him, will dare to trust to it. And the fum of all is this: That to men who are fo unhappy as to be brought into |