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 a miserable death  in  unendurable  agony. Contemplate the  once  proud king on  his  death-bed. His flatterers  have  forsaken  him;  his  servants cannot endure  to  be  near  him. Day and  night  he  is  tormented;  day and night  he  complains  and  laments — but  there  is  no  help  for  him! In the  days  of  his  health  he  had  tormented  many,  and  now  he  himself is tormented  by  bodily  pain  and  remorse  of  conscience,  “and  indeed very justly,  seeing  he  had  tormented  the  bowels  of  others  with  many and new  torments”. Let this  story  teach  you  to  know  and  fear  the justice of  God. “It is  a fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the living God”  (Hebr.  10,  31). Another instance  of  God’s  justice  is  given in the  death  of  the  Jewish  soldiers. Judas Machabeus  was  convinced that the  reason  of  their  death  lay  in  their  secreting  the  idolatrous amulets; for  he  believed  that  God,  on  account  of  their  sin,  had  withdrawn His  protection  from  them,  and  punished  them  by  death.

Repentance must  be  supernatural.  Why  did  not  Antiochus  obtain mercy? Because he  was  not  truly  penitent. It is  true  that  he  did repent of  his  offences  against  God’s  people,  but  his  repentance  was natural, not  supernatural,  and  sprang  not  from  fear  or  love  of  God, but from  horror  of  his  temporal  punishment  (i.  e.  his  fearful  disease), and from  terror  of  approaching  death. He wished  to  be  well  again, and to  live  and  reign  longer;  this  was  the  only  reason  why  he  repented of his  cruelty. Such is  not  supernatural  repentance. It is  true  that  he also  made  good  resolutions,  but  these  were  of  no  value  in  the  sight  of God,  for  they  were  as  little  supernatural  as  his  repentance. It is  only supernatural repentance,  and  supernatural  purpose  of  amendment  which make a man  truly  penitent; and,  not  possessing  these,  Antiochus  failed to obtain  pardon,  and  died  impenitent. As he  lived,  so  he  died. “The death of  the  wicked  is  very  evil”  (Ps.  33,  22).

Death-bed conversions.  For  the  same  reasons  that  the  conversion of Antiochus  was  not  real  or  sincere,  most  death-bed  conversions  are very doubtful  and  untrustworthy,  since,  as  a rule,  they  do  not  proceed from supernatural  motives,  but  only  from  fear  of  death. Therefore sinners should  never  put  off  repentance  till  they  are  near  death;  because, firstly,  they  might  be  called  away  suddenly  without  any  preparatory illness; and,  secondly,  it  is  very  difficult  for  a sinner  to  be  sincerely converted on  his  death-bed  after  a long  life  spent  in  resisting  grace, and heaping  sin  upon  sin. “Delay not  to  be  converted  to  the  Lord, and defer  it  not  from  day  to  day. For His  wrath  shall  come  on  a sudden, and in  the  time  of  vengeance  He  will  destroy  thee”  (Ecclus.  5,  7.  8).

The immortality  of  the  soul.  Judas  and  his  companions  believed that the  souls  of  those  who  had  died  still  lived,  and  therefore  they prayed for  them.

Purgatory. The Machabees  and  their  followers  believed  that  those who fell  were  not  eternally  lost  in  hell,  seeing  that  they  had  fought and died  for  God’s  honour. But, on  the  other  hand,  they  did  not