mate the worth of the soul by its amazing capacity of suffering and enjoyment; by the infinite value of that precious blood which was given for its ransom; or by the eternity of misery, or of happiness, to which it is destined; 'we shall deeply feel for the millions of the human race who are without hope and without God in the world. We cannot cast the eye over a map of the globe, and see the vast tracts of country that are a moral wilderness, parched as the burning desert, wild and fruitless as the barren heath,—and not most earnestly pray that the Spirit may be poured out from on high, so that the parched ground may become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. Nor can we look round on the circle of our immediate acquaintance; on our beloved children, the pledges of our mutual affection, and the objects of our fondest hopes; and on those whom we employ in our service, and whom providence has committed to our care; without feeling the yearnings of compassion over such of them as are aliens from the common-wealth of Israel; and without putting forth every exertion that they may become fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. Time, like the silent yet rapid flow of a majestic river, is bearing us onward to the ocean of eternity. Soon our opportunities of usefulness will for ever close. Either those, in whose spiritual welfare we are most interested, will be removed beyond

114 DEATH-VARIOUS IN HIS INSTRUMENTS.

the influence of our instructions and prayers; or we ourselves shall be called from the sphere of our labours. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Sure 'tis a serious thing to die! my soul!
What a strange moment must it be, when, near
Thy journey's end, thou hast the gulph in view!
That awful gulph no mortal e'er repass'd,
To tell what's doing on the other side!
Nature runs back and shudders at the sight,
And ev'ry life-string bleeds at thoughts of parting!
For part they must: body and soul must part;
Fond couple! link'd more close than wedded pair.
This wings its way to its Almighty source,

The witness of its actions, now its Judge ;
That drops into the dark and noisome grave,
Like a disabled pitcher, of no use.

BLAIR.

ALTHOUGH the natural terrors of dying strike powerfully on the senses, and excite emotions of painful apprehension and alarm in the bosom, yet that which will most operate on the fears of the truly awakened sinner will be the consequences

of death. Some escape much of " the pains, the groans, and dying strife," to which others are subject, so that their departure appears more like a gentle dismission from the body, than an arduous conflict; and even those who are called to grapple most with the last enemy soon lay down their weapons, and pass through the iron portals of mortality: but what follows after death, none have returned to inform us,—it is an entrance on a state of untried being, either of inconceivable happiness, or infinite woe. From the final destiny which awaits us, none can escape: and should we

be adjudged to the pit of perdition, we can neither abate the fierceness, nor shorten the duration, of its glowing fires.

Even the Christian himself, in the fearful anticipation of death, will sometimes have many painful anxieties respecting the future. The region into which he is about to enter is the dwelling-place of the great Eternal, and the habitation of disembodied spirits. It is described by figures, all of which convey to us the idea of transcendent excellence and overwhelming grandeur. It is the excellent glory;" "the richly glorious inheritance;" the inheritance of the saints in light." This lower world, robed in her richest dress, and covered with a flood of noonday light, is only a shadow of the glory of the highest heaven: while the vast firmament, 'stud

ded with globes of sparkling beauty, is but the pavement of its lofty threshold. It was prepared by Jehovah "for the house of his kingdom, and for the honour of his majesty ;" and the excellency of the work answers to the skill of the mighty Architect, and the greatness of the end for which it was designed. When God, in condescension to our infirmities, would give to us a faint resemblance of the magnificence of the new Jerusalem, he speaks of the foundations as precious stones, the gates entire pearls, and the streets pure gold, as it were transparent glass. Such a description is overwhelming to the imagination of the believer, and he cannot feel himself on the point of rushing into this full blaze of glory, with feelings of indifference. "Whither," says the anxious Christian, "am I going? through what regions of unbounded space shall I be carried? what is the character of those celestial beings who may be appointed to conduct me; and what the nature of that state into which I am about to enter? how does spirit associate with spirit; and how, just loosed from this tenement of clay, shall I bear the immediate vision of uncreated grandeur ?"these, and many other inquiries, will naturally arise in the mind of the dying saint. But, alas! no satisfactory answer to these momentous questions can be obtained. He must make the trial; he must mingle with spirits, before he can form any adequate idea of the world of spirits; and