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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 within
the
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 such
meditations
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
week
and 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,
if
we
turn
the
deaf
ear
to
all
these warn
-
ings
?
St.
Peter
advises
us
to
" count
the long-su«fering
of
the
Lord
for
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