his faithful followers. He accounted it no degra- dation to shew in every way his attachment to the Gospel, and his full conviction that there is sal- vation in no other name under heaven than the name of Jesus Christ. He was, in the highest sense of the word, " a child of light :" and verily he caused " his light so to shine before men," that all who beheld it were constrained to glorify God in his behalf.
To him then death came not as a thief in the night. Though it came suddenly, so suddenly that he had not the smallest apprehension of its approach, it found him not unprepared. His loins were girt, his lamp was trimmed, and he entered, a welcome guest, to the marriage-supper of his Lord.
O that we all might be found equally prepared, when the summons from on high shall be sent to us ! O that we may have in our souls an evidence, that we also are " children of the light and of the day!" Happy indeed would it be, if the state of religion amongst us were such, that we might adopt with truth the charitable expression in our text, " Ye all are children of the light and of the day." But if we cannot do this, we have at least reason to be thankful, that real piety is certainly more prevalent amongst us than it was some years ago ; that pre- judices against it have most astonishingly subsided ; and that, where it does not yet reign, its excellence is secretly acknowledged ; so that on this occasion we may doubt whether there be so much as one amongst us, who does not say in his heart, " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his."
Let me then proceed,
III. To point out the duty of all, in reference to that day —
We should " not sleep as do others." Those who put the evil day far from them, can live unmindful of their God, and regardless of the sentence that he shall pass upon them. They can go on dreaming of heaven and happiness in the eternal world, though