p IBe. 3.] THE END OF TIME. 343 slumbereth not." The awful moment is hastening upon them, .which shall teach them terribly the true value of time. Then they would give all the golden pleasures, and the riches, and the grandeur of this world, to pur- chase one short day more, or one hour of time, wherein they might repent, and return to God, and get withinthe reach of hope and salvation : But time, and salvation; and hope are all vanished, and fled,: and gone out of their reach, for ever. Reflection IV. Learn, from suchmeditations as these, " the rich mercy of God, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in giving us so long a warning, before he swears that time shall be no more." Every stroke of sickness is a warning-piece, that life is coming to its pe- riod : Every death amongst our friends and acquaintance is another tender and painful admonition, that our death also is at hand : The end of every weekand every dawn- ing sabbath is another warning ; every sermon we hear of the shortness of time and the uncertainty of life is a fresh intimation, that the great angel will shortly pro- nounce a period upon all our time. Ilow inexcusable shall we be, ifwe turn the deafear to all these warn- ings ? St. Peter advises us to " count the long-su«fering of the Lordfor salvation." 2 Pet. iii. 15. and to secure our eternal safety, and our escape from hell during the season of his lengthened grace. Alas ! How long has Jesus, and his mercy, and his gospel waited on you, before you began to think of the things of your everlasting peace ? And if you are now solemnly awakened,` yet how long has he waited on you, with fresh admonitions and with special providences, siith mercies and judgments, with promises and invita- tions of grace, with threatenings and words of terror, and with the whispers and advices of his own Spirit, since you began to see your danger ? And, after all have you yet sincerely repented of sin ? Have you yet received the offered grace ? Have you given up yourselves to the Lord, and laid hold of his salvation ? " This is the accepted time, this is the day of salvation." 2 Gor. vi. 2.. " To-day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts;" Heb. iii. 7-11. It is never said, through all the bible, that to-niorrow is the day of grace, or to mor- row is the time of acceptance.: It is the present hour z
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