by the apostle between the behaviour of Esau and other profane persons, though it may not agree with the particulars of their sin, is, nevertheless, exact in the general notion of their folly, and is by him applied as a warning to Christians.

II. Secondly, we are instructed from the text that repentance of some kind must of necessity be the consequence of sin. Esau sought a place of repentance, and he sought it carefully, with tears.

All the pleasures of sin are vanity and disappointment. They are contrary to nature, contrary to reason, contrary to the will and appointment of GOD. Sooner or later, therefore, my hearers, the true nature of things will discover itself, and all false colours will be wiped off. Whenever this is the case, repentance succeeds, necessarily and of course. But much depends upon the time and the nature of the repentance to which we are brought, for there is a sorrow of the world, as well as a godly sorrow, which characterizes repentance. If in early life sinners are brought, by the grace of God working in them, through serious reflection, to discover the heinous and destructive nature of sin, and to resolve against it, then their repentance becomes effectual; it is a godly sorrow for sin, which brings forth fruits meet for repentance in reformed and amended life. But if those awakenings and convictions of the HOLY SPIRIT, which all under the gospel experience, are resisted and stifled, and the conscience becomes seared and hardened through the deceitfulness of sin; yet, finally, when their end draws near, when they would inherit the blessing but fear that they have forfeited their title to it, then the very worst of men must be brought to repentance. But this is a repentance which can avail them nothing, because it is not a virtue but a passion only, necessary and unavoidable, and a part of their punishment. It springs not from any godly sorrow and true contrition of heart for their sins, as against GoD, but from the passionate fear of the consequences of their sins to themselves, which they realize when it is too late, and dread to encounter.

Yet such will be the fate, my brethren and hearers, of every careless, delaying Esau, who makes light of the promises and threatenings of the gospel, who turns a deaf ear to the warnings

of God's word and the voice of his own conscience, who receives the grace of GoD in vain, and, by putting off till tomorrow the care of his soul, has to meet the righteous judgment of God in the awful condition described by the author of the book of Wisdom-when they cast up the account of their sins they shall come with fear, and their own iniquities shall convince them to their face; and they, repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit, shall say within themselves, We have erred from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us. For the hope of the ungodly is like dust, that is blown away with the wind; like a thin froth, that is driven away with the storm; like as the smoke, which is dispersed here and there with a tempest, and passeth away as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but a day.

Very awful and very affecting indeed, my brethren, are the descriptions given us of the state of the ungodly and impenitent, when surprised by death and summoned to judgment; but none more so, than that contained in the first chapter of the book of Proverbs-Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh, when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD. They would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Alas! my dear hearers, there is a time when GoD will be no longer entreated; when even the intercession of JESUS CHRIST, the friend of sinners, will no more be put forth for them; but as they have obstinately preferred sin to GOD, so shall sin and an awakened conscience be their companions and tormentors for ever, in the misery and despair of everlasting burnings. Let every impenitent sinner, therefore, consider seriously the danger of his condition-For, in the

III. Third and last place, we learn from the text that repent

ance may be put off and delayed, until it will be too late to be accepted. Ye know that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully, with tears.

What hope, then, for those who never shed a tear over their sins, as offences against GoD, in their lives; who have never once considered the blessing offered them in the gospel, or put forth an effort to obtain it; who give the prime of their days, their strength and manhood, to the world, the flesh, and the devil; and at the most, intend to give only the dregs of life to their Creator and Saviour? Oh! the folly of a delayed, perhaps a death-bed, repentance. Oh! the unspeakable danger of a sudden death-cut off with the morsel between his teeth, every sin ripe, and even bursting to judgment.

As reason must condemn the folly of delay on such an unspeakable interest as eternity, so does Scripture warn us that we may delay too long. My fellow sinner, thy day of grace is limited-there is a point beyond which thou mayest knock at the door of mercy in vain. The foolish virgins found it sothe city of Jerusalem found it so-Esau found it so. The foolish virgins were unprovided when notice was given that the bridegroom was near. They went in haste to buy oil for their lamps, but the bridegroom passed on-And they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterwards these same persons came and knocked at the door, but there was no admittance; and thus our blessed LORD applies the warning-When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, LORD, LORD, open unto us; he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not, whence you are.

The nation of the Jews also, and particularly the city of Jerusalem, had repeated warnings to repent and escape the judgments denounced against them, but they made light of them and derided the mercy that was in store for them, so that even their Messiah himself pronounced them shut up in judicial blindness and hardness of heart. And when he was come near he beheld the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong

to thy peace; but now they are hid from thine eyes, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. And of Esau we read in the text, that he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears. Esau, when he would have inherited the blessing, was rejected, notwithstanding his repentance and his tears, and this example is urged by the apostle upon Christians, as a warning or admonition that they amend their lives while there is yet time and means to perform their duty, lest afterwards, when they shall desire to inherit the blessing, (at the day of judgment certainly, upon their death-bed most probably,) their repentance and their tears both prove unavailing.

And let no man make his escape from the counsel and the warning of this example, by resorting to the miserable perversion of all religion. That Esau being in the number of those who are reprobated by GoD's eternal decree, and being consequently a castaway from all hope of favour and acceptance on any terms, his case cannot be brought into general application. For St. Paul, I presume, knew better than the inventors of such doctrine how the case stood, and he certainly uses it for general edification; besides, when it is said of Esau, as it is in the text, that he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears, it does not signify that he could not repent, that the power of repentance was withheld from him by any act of God; on the contrary, the text expressly says that he did repent, and earnestly too; but the meaning plainly is, that his repentance being too late, and being only the passion of repentance, what St. Paul calls the sorrow of the world, and not a genuine amendment of the mind, a repentance coming upon him at the time when the blessing was to be distributed, and not when his duty might have been performed; for that reason it could not be accepted. So likewise, in other places of Scripture-God's giving men repentance, or granting them repentance unto life, does not signify his causing them to repent, but his accepting their repentance, through faith in CHRIST, or allowing it to become available for their pardon.

Neither let any be deterred from setting about this essential work from the fear that it is now too late for him to find accept

ance; but rather let all be most seriously moved to make no longer delay, lest, indeed, the door be shut, and every effort to obtain admittance prove in vain. This is the true improvement of this example, and of what has been said to explain and enforce it. This improvement you are all capable of making; and may a gracious GoD, who has provided for your warning this day, incline and enable you to apply it to the health and comfort of your souls. AMEN.

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