SERMON XVII.

LUKE XXIII. 43.

Verily I fay unto thee, to day fhalt thou be with me in Paradife.

XVII.

HERE is not perhaps in the SERM. whole affecting narrative of our bleffed Saviour's fufferings, as related by the holy Evangelifts, a circumstance more ftriking or extraordinary than that which is now before us; that a licentious and abandoned profligate, condemned for a crime the most atrocious, one who, as he was to die the death, had moft probably lived the life of the unrighteous; that he should become fo fuddenly and fo unexpectedly the object of divine mercy, and obtain a gracious promise from his Redeemer, not only of pardon, VOL. III. A a but

SERM. but of immediate reward, must doubtlefs

XVII.

be the fubject of our admiration and
aftonishment; the fact notwithstanding,
however surprising it may appear to us,
is indifputable, nor hath indeed the truth
of it, unless by thofe who deny the
whole gofpel of Chrift, been ever called
in queftion. Very different indeed have
been the inferences made, and the con-
clusions drawn from it, according to the
various prejudices, paffions and opinions
of men.
I fhall not waste your time and
attention by collecting and laying before
you the various interpretations of dif-
ferent commentators with which these
words have been perplexed; but (which
will doubtlefs be a far more ufeful con-
fideration) take notice of the very im-
proper ufe which habitual finners have
made of this paffage, and the many idle
and frivolous excufes too often brought

for

for their mifapplication and mifinter- SERM.

pretation of it.

It is indeed aftonishing to reflect how many wicked and impenitent finners fly for fhelter to this facred afylum; how many are mifled by this extraordinary inftance of a fudden converfion, to imagine, that as their faults and follies do by no means exceed, or even equal the guilt of fuch a criminal, their repentance, and contrition, however late, and however imperfect, muft confequently be attended with the fame fuccefs: they are even too often prefumptuous enough to fuppofe, that as the malefactor on the crofs was not only pardoned, but received into Paradife, without the painful task of repentance and reformation, that the fame degree of favour and indulgence may be granted them in the laft period of their existence.

XVI

SERM.

XVII.

But though this may have proved in fome degree a matter (however groundless and unreasonable) of momentary confolation to the profligate and abandoned, who have no other reed to catch at in their desperate fituation, never could it afford any rational hope to the fober and serious Christian, because there are many and most important peculiarities in the cafe before us, which cannot, by any fophiftry or mode of falfe reafoning, be applied to any other.

And here, the first thing which, with respect to a general comparison, will naturally suggest itself to our imagination, is, that the penitent mentioned in my text, to whom the gracious promise of pardon and reward was given, did, we may suppose, embrace the faith of Christ, as foon as fufficient means of conviction were laid before him. It has been the

opinion

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opinion indeed of many learned writers SERM. on this fubject, that this unhappy criminal knew nothing of our bleffed Saviour, but what he might have collected from common report, and confequently had no better opinion of him than the unbelieving Jews, than his cruel perfecutors and oppreffors, who confidered him, no doubt, as an hypocrite and impoftor; and if fo he did, the more powerful must have been his faith, and the more exalted his virtue, in that at once overcoming all his prejudices, in acknowledging that wisdom which he had contemned, and adoring that Saviour whom he had been taught to laugh at and deride; and our Redeemer might with reafon have faid unto him, as he did unto the Centurion, I have not found fo great faith, no, not in Ifrael. His heart we fee was open to the first impreffion of grace; fo far, therefore, from being