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DISC.
I.]
TIM
END
OF
TiMB.
331
gospel
of
his
Son
Now
is
pardon
and peace, now
is
grace and salvation
preached unto
men,
to sinful
wretch-
ed
men,
who
are
at
enmity
with
God, and the objects
of
his high
displeasure;
now
the
voice
of
mercy
calls to
us,
"This
is
the accepted time, this
is
the
day
of
salva-
tion,"
2
Cor.
vi. 2.
"
To
-day if
ye will
hear
his
voice,
let
not
your hearts
be
hardened
to refuse
it,"
Heb.
iii. 15.
Now the
fountain of
the blood
of Christ
is
set open to
wash
our
souls
from
the
guilt of sin;
now all
the
springs
of
his
mercy,
are
broken up in the
ministrations
of the
gospel
:
now
God
is
in
Christ, reconciling sinners
to
himself,
2
Cor.
v:
]9.
and
he
has
sent
us his
ministers
to
"
intreat
you in
Christ's stead,
be ye
reconciled to
'God;"
and
we
beseech you in
his name,
continue
not
one
day or one
hour longer
in
your enmity and rebellion,
but
be ye
reconciled
to
God
your
Creator, and accept
of
his offered forgiveness and grace, verse 20.
Thè
moment
is
hastening upon
us,
when
this
mighty
angel, who
manages the
affairs
of
the kingdom
of
provi-
dence, shall swear concerning every unbelieving and
impenitent
sinner,
that
the
"time
of
offered
mercy shall
be
no longer, the time
of
pardon and grace and reconci-
liation
shall be no
more
:"
The
sound
of
this mercy
reaches
not
to
the
regions
of the
dead
;
those who die
'before
they
are reconciled, they die
under
the
load
of
all
their
sins
and must perish
for ever,
without the
least
hope or
glimpse
of
reconciling
or forgiving grace.
III.
At the term of
this
mortal
life,
"
the
time
of
prayer
and
repentance
and service for
God or man in
this world
shall be no
longer."
Eccles.
ix. 10.
"
There
is
no work
nor
device,
nor
knowledge,
nor
wisdom,
in
the
grave
whither thou
goest,
whither
we
are
all
hastening."
Let
every sinful
creature therefore
ask
himself,
"
Have
I
never yet
begun to
pray?
Never
begun to
call
upon the
mercy
of
the
God that
made
me
?
Never
begun to
re-
pent
of
all
my
crimes and
follies
?
Nor
begun
in
good
earnest
to
do
service
for God,
or
to
honour
him
amongst
men
?"
Dreadful thought
indeed
!
When,
it
may
be,
the
next hour
we
may be
put out of
all
capacity and op-
portunity
to'
do
it
for ever
!
As
soon
as
ever
an
impeni-
tent
sinner
has
the
veil
of death
drawn over
him,
all his
opportunities
of
this kind
are
for ever
cut
off:
He
that
has never
repented, never prayed, never honoured his