about him would justify the sin, and despise the reprover; then it becomes an auspicious testimony. Wicked men are strongly tempted to fall in with the current of public opinion. To do what will please and be what others will approve is very much the leading principle with unbelievers. When we see them face about, and stem the current of depravity, this conduct tells in their favor.

2. The believing malefactor freely acknowledged his sins, and the justice of his execution. "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds." There may be confessions of guilt, where sin is not hated. And yet a free and ingenuous confession, where there is no temporal advantage to be gained, is evidence of that compunction which always attends repentance, "He that confesseth his sins shall find mercy."

3. The penitent thief feared the Lord. Said he to his companion, Dost thou not fear God? They had none but God to fear. Human justice had exerted upon them its utmost rigor. And yet the dying thief confessed, that there was wrath for them to fear. It is manifest that he believed in a future righteous retribution, and was acting with reference to that day, when he must give account of the deeds done in the body.

4. There was evidence of meekness, humility, patience, and submission. He rebelled not against the authority that crucified him, submitted to what he deserved, and seemed willing to suffer, without complaint. He felt and acknowledged that he was receiving "the due reward of his deeds;" that no injustice, but the contrary, was done him, while he was made a public example of justice. He took to himself the punishment of his sins, and submitted, without a murmur, to the rigorous operations of human law. And with his submission there seems to have blended meekness, patience, and humility. In fact, these attributes of mind are very much the same, and have their distinct names because of the varied circumstances in which the same Christian grace is brought into exercise. When the suffering penitent cheerfully cleared the Savior of every fault, and charged crime, and guilt, and desert of punishment upon himself, he used the legitimate language of humility. He did what every sinner must do before he can be accepted of Christ, took to himself the punishment of his sins. He appeared to have received the death he deserved with meekness, and to have endured with patience the pangs that brought that death upon him.

5. The dying malefactor discovered strong faith in the Redeemer. He viewed the Lord Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, believed

that though he saw him dying, he should live again, that he was the possessor of a kingdom, that he had power to bless and save him, and in the exercise of this confidence, committed his soul to the Redeemer's care; "Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Now it would be no other than a strong faith that could thus operate at such a moment. It was the hour, and the power, of darkness. The object of his faith was, at that moment, in a state of debasement, shame, and contempt. He was believed to be an impostor, was viewed as a malefactor, had been condemned as a criminal, and was suffering the penalty of human law. Such would have been the view of unbelief. His disciples had forsook him; one had betrayed him, and one denied him. If we except the conduct of the Savior upon his trial, and while hanging on the cross, and the wonders that transpired at the time, the earthquake and the darkness, there was every thing to tempt an unbeliever to view the suffering Savior with scorn and contempt. And there were doubtless those present who would explain those strange phenomena so as to lay the fears they might awaken. And we do not perceive that they had any effect upon the Jewish Sanhedrim, or the Roman soldiery.

It must, then, have been a strong faith which would lead the dying thief to commit his immortal interests to one who was thus in the very depth of disgrace, and one, with whose character he was, probably, but very little acquainted. He doubtless saw in the Redeemer, while hanging on the cross, a dignity of deportment, illustrative of his high and holy character. He heard him pray for the presence of his Father, and the forgiveness of his enemies, which might convince him that an august personage, one more than human, suffered by his side. Still that faith was strong which could surmount so many obstacles, and commit such amazing interests to one apparently so unable even to help himself.

6. There was, in favor of the penitence of the thief, the evidence of prayer. One would hardly suppose that he had leisure to pray, as he hung upon the torturing nails, and groaned with every breath, and bled in agony at every pore-there could be but little leisure either to think or pray. But in the midst of all this he prayed, "Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." There is a prayer, I know, that is not of faith, nor can any form of prayer be to those who cannot know the heart, decisive evidence of piety. It is a sure negative evidence, but not positive. If one does not pray, he is unquestionably an unbeliever. Still it is said of Saul, "Behold, he prayeth," and this fact was mentioned as an evidence of

his piety. And prayer is frequently thus spoken of in Scripture, and must be viewed in the dying malefactor, as evidence of piety.

Finally, however, our only assurance that the dying malefactor went to heaven is to be gathered from the declaration of our Lord, "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise." But for this assertion of the Redeemer, we could only have hoped that the miserable man was saved, and it would have remained till the judgment day a doubtful question, like the conversion of Nicodemus.

II. I proceed to inquire into the probability of there being many late conversions. By late conversions I mean, what you will understand me to mean, conversions which take place in the late hours of life. Although I shall dwell more particularly on the scenes of the sick and dying bed, yet many of my remarks will apply to the period of old age. I confess my unshaken belief that the instances are rare when a person reaches heaven after spending almost the whole of life in sin. In support of this opinion, I refer you, in the

1. Place, to the Scriptures. The whole aspect of the sacred volume exhibits this truth. Of the many thousands of whose conversion we read in the Scriptures, but one is said to have been converted in the dying hour, and but few are known to have been far advanced in life. From the very nature, however, of this article, I can make no quotations. If any doubt the truth of the remark, it will belong to them to bring forward, if they be able, Scripture testimony to the contrary.

The promises and invitations of the gospel imply that God's chosen time to make up his jewels is the early part of life. "Those that seek me early shall find me." "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near." "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness."

The same may be inferred from the threatenings. "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh." If you will examine your Bibles, almost every page will teach you, in one form and another, that religion is to be the business of early life, and not of a dying hour.

2. That few are converted in the late hours of life is manifest" from the very nature of religion. It is spoken of as a thing that commences, and by time grows and is matured in the heart. It is compared to leaven hid in the meal, which gradually operates till

the whole is leavened. Paul speaks of the Christian as "forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth to those things that are before, pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." And again, speaking of the family of believers, says, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." From these representations, and a thousand like them, it would seem that the believer is converted generally long before he dies, and has time to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, till by degrees he becomes matured for the heavenly state. Converted late in life there would be no time for this gradual progress. The Christian's life could not then be a warfare-he would have no need of the whole armor of God. All the directions given to the Christian how to live, and how to feel, and how to speak so as to honor religion, would seem to be lost, if the great body of believers were not converted long before they die. Indeed, the very idea of a visible Church, makes it manifest that the great body of the redeemed will be enlisted early in the service of God, be members of his Church below, and in this world, by discipline, and instruction, and frequent communications of grace, become qualified for the rest and the glory of heaven.

3. The fact that a preached gospel is God's instituted means of salvation, goes to show that we are to expect but few conversions on the dying bed. For "the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God." "For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." Speaking of the heathen, the same apostle says, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" The three thousand on the day of Pentecost were awakened under a preached gospel. And ever since then, this has been the grand means of the salvation of souls. But these means are scarcely applicable to the dying man. True, he may have heard the gospel before, and the truths he has heard may awaken him when on the dying bed; or the gospel may be preached by his bed-side, if infidel associates have not fenced the truth from his dying chamber. Still it is not to be expected that when one has neglected religion till the last days of his life, God will then

send him the gospel, and give it such efficacy as to change the heart, and if not, the hope of a death-bed repentance is small.

4. As far as we can know the purpose of God from Scripture or fact, it is his purpose to employ his people in this world as instruments of his glory, before he takes them to heaven. Inquire of the children of God the date of their conversion, and they will almost uniformly point you to some early period of life. Our revivals prevail principally among the youth. The psalmist says, "Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." God says, "They that honor me I will honor." Believers go from strength to strength, till every one of them appeareth in Zion before God. We fight for the crown, we wrestle for the prize, and strive for the victory. But all this is incompatible with a death-bed repentance, and renders it, I think, clearly improbable that there are many such instances.

5. Many circumstances conspire to render the exercises of the sick and dying bed doubtful. In that situation we are to expect from the very nature of the case, that one will be filled with alarm. He views himself on the verge of eternity. All he does must be done quickly. Conscious that the whole of life has been misspent, that he must soon die, and that there is no work, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, nor device in the grave, and that judgment will tread upon the heels of death, he becomes alarmed of course. And if the paroxysms of disease do not prevent, he is very liable to become the subject of rational conviction. Shut up from the scenes of a busy world, he will naturally think on his case; and the more he thinks, the deeper will be his impression of his guilt and ruin. The truth he has heard he will now recollect. The invitations he has neglected, the admonitions he has slighted, the warnings and reproofs, will all return anew, and pour their congregated light upon his conscience. It is an honest hour, and the truth will be felt. Hence a state of alarm and conviction would seem to be a thing of course, if the ravages of disease leaves any leisure or strength for reflection.

And such a state of mind is very liable to be followed by calmness, hope, and joy. From the very constitution of our minds, and of some more than others, we are liable to vibrate from one extreme to the other, from a state of deep depression and despair, to a state of ecstatic joy. We have seen persons who, on the loss of some dear friend, seemed as if they should die, and yet, in a few days, would be even light and trifling. In times of awakening, some have seemed to be filled with the terrors of hell and in a