of truth and heaven: to behold, in every society, an image of the employments and communion of the blessed! Of that time let us hasten the approach, so far as our influence and example extend. In the company of kindred minds, and in the circle of our families, let us often speak one to another of the concerns of religion. Let us secure, at least to those who are dear to us, the benefit of this exercise. Let us secure it to our own immortal souls. A time is fast approaching, when all other conversation will have lost the power to charm. As death draws nigh, the trifles about which we are occupied now, will interest us no longer. The difficulties that perplex, the dangers that threaten our worldly advancement, will then be accounted less than nothing. In the converse of those whom religion inspires, the dying seeks a cordial to his spirit-an antidote to that alarm which nature cannot still. While they speak of heavenly things, and 'open to him the Scriptures,' even the heart, from which life is ebbing, 'burns within' him. Fixing his stedfast gaze on the glories to which they point, he remembers his sufferings and his fears no more: as the mariner, who sees already from the vessel's side, the haven of his rest, forgets the waves that rage between.-Brunton. LINES ON THE DEATH OF THE AWAKE, Æolian harp! awake And hymn thy dirge of woe- His armour burnish'd bright and fair, Rest, holy warrior, rest in peace! The King now calls: He says, 'Well done! Why should we mourn thy blissful end? 'Weep not for me, but agonize Heaven's gate to enter in : Run, run life's race, with eager mind The deathless palm to win: Then, though you fall amid the strife, "Tis but to bloom in endless life!' D. J. THE PAST NEVER RETURNS. FOOLISH man thinks he is born to live to himself, and that he is lord of his own time to spend it as he pleases; but, alas! he is mistaken, for he should live to God, and spend his time to His glory. How a double account, watchful, then, on should I be over my time! First, Because I cannot recall it when past; I cannot bring again my childish years, or fetch back my more advanced days. Now, on the sea, I cannot recall the time I spent on land; nor, when at land again, this time I spend at sea: yea, I cannot lengthen out the minute, or make the passing moment lie to, till I finish the sentence. I cannot say to time, as Joshua once did to the sun, 'Stand thou still,' for it is in continual progression. The sandglass of my life pours down night and day; and though the gradual waste seems trifling, yet how soon shall the last sand be run, and not a dust left! and then there is no turning of the glass again. Secondly, As time cannot be recalled, so the things done in time cannot be disannulled. I cannot undo my deeds, unspeak my words, and unthink my thoughts. It would be less galling, did time fly off in a blank; but it is full of records, for as it is always on flight, so the soul is never idle, but is at work night and day, which we little think of. How would it mitigate our mournful reflections, if we could get our wicked deeds undone, and our bad actions annihilated! but still they are actions once done, and stand on record, to show either the mercy of God when we are pardoned, or to condemn us when we are judged. I said, time past never returns, and so it never does, for us to amend what we have done amiss; but misspent time is present to torment the wicked through eternity. How cautious should I be in spending time which is so precious, and on which so much depends! The past is entirely lost, the present is on the wing, and the future is uncertain. The past is mine no more, the future never may be mine, and the present is mine but for a moment. In the time past I can do nothing, as it is already fled; in the time present I can do little, as it is on the wing; and in the time to come, as it lies concealed, I know not what I may do. So then the present breathing, this very twinkling, the single moment, and naked now, is mine without the least appendix of time past or to come, but in reflection on the one, and expectation of the other. The present only is mine, which, while I use wasteth, while I possess passeth away. In a little, the angel shall lift up his hand to heaven, and swear, by Him that liveth for ever and ever, that time shall be no more. And as past time never returns, so the works I leave unfinished in time, cannot be wrought out in eternity. The foolish virgins will find no oil to buy in the other world; no acceptable repentance in the pit; no work nor device in the silent grave. I see, then, that every moment of time is of great consequence to one on whose time eternity depends. O to spend that well which is so valuable, till acquitted in mercy at the end of time! Now, as time passes not to return, so all the things of time pass, both troubles and pleasures, never to return; but to render eternity, in all its beatific excellencies, a state of truest and sublimest happiness, it is a permanent, present, and abiding duration, an eternal now, that knows no after state, no futurity, or succession of revolving periods. Then, may it be my happiness, that when time passes from me never to return, an eternity of glory, to consummate my bliss, may be present with me, never to pass away!-Meikle. DIVINE ORDINATION. He GOD is the Creator of all things, and the Disposer of all events: He is, therefore, the author of all those varieties which are to be found in nature, and of all those differences which exist in society. that formed the sun to illuminate and to rule, formed also the planets to be enlightened and to be governed; and He that raiseth the king to the throne, ordaineth the lot of the servants in the house, and of the labourer in the field. There is no such thing as chance; no, not in the material universe, where each bird that flies, each insect that crawls, each flower that blooms amidst the desert, which man's eye never explores, is the separate production of Divine power and skill, no less than the Alpine height that lifts its snow-crowned summit to the skies, and receives the admiring contemplation of millions. Nor is there any such thing as chance in society: the rank and station of the poor little servant girl in the humblest dwelling of the most obscure village, are as certainly determined by God, as the elevation of the conqueror and ruler of nations. The lot is cast into the lap; but the disposal thereof is from the Lord.' The rich and the poor meet together; but the Lord is the disposer of them all: that is, not simply their Creator as men, but the disposer of their circumstances, as rich and poor. This is comforting, this it reconciling. It prevents the poor from being degraded in their own eyes, or in the eyes of others. They are not like the dust, or the chips, or the dried and withered leaves in autumn, which, amidst the more stately objects of nature and art, are blown about by the gusts which sweep along its surface; but they are in the place which God intended for them: and God hath made every thing beautiful in its time and season. Who could mend what He hath made? What cause have we to sit down contented and thankful, in the place which He hath ordained for us! What obligation was He under to give us existence? And what did He owe to us, that He should have made us rational creatures, and not formed us beasts or reptiles? 'Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus ?' As God disposeth every thing, so it is the highest excellence of a creature, to discharge the duties of his station, and to shine in the orbit, and move with regularity in the course allotted to him. A good servant is more honourable than a bad master; and a valuable subject than a worthless prince. He that is not relatively good, is not really so; while he that acts his part well, is more truly dignified, though his rank be low, than he that stands on a pinnacle, but fails in the duty of his elevated station. What is true honour? Not riches, not rank, not beauty, not learning, not courage. No. But virtue; whether it be clad in the garb of poverty, or the robe of affluence; whether it hold the plough, or grasp the sceptre; whether it be seated at the table, or stand behind the chair. VIRTUE IS HONOUR. Let all servants write this sentiment on the heart, and ever act under its influence as the living principle of all their conduct.-James. ZION REMEMBERED. By the flowing streams of Babel Was of all their thoughts the chief. On the willow trees suspended, Harps had now been silent long; For their days of joy were ended, Since they dwelt the heathen 'mong. Haughty conqu❜rors Said, 'Of Zion sing a song.' How could they, to please their masters, Ne'er forgotten, Like Thy people, love I ever To have fellowship with Thee; And let me forget Thee never, Wheresoe'er my dwelling be. Blessed Saviour, Thou'rt above all joys to me! P. M. FOUR REASONS WHY WE SHOULD ENGAGE IN GOD'S SERVICE. 1. It is suitable to the rational nature; for we debase ourselves, and act not like rational men, if we act not resolutely, deliberately, and willingly, in a matter especially of so great moment. Not to act deliberately, speaks us foolish; not to act resolutely, speaks us weak; and not to act willingly, speaks us slaves. 2. The nature and honour of God makes such service necessary. That service which is unbecoming a rational nature, cannot surely be acceptable to God, who is the highest reason. What is reproachful to the nature of man to perform, must surely be so to the nature of God to accept. If man cannot act indeliberately, irresolutely, or unwillingly, without reproaching his nature, surely the holy God cannot accept of what is so done, without reproaching His own: and if it be dis honourable for man to perform such service, as is not the fruit of deliberation, choice, and resolution, surely it is also dishonourable for God to accept it. 3. The nature of the service requires it; for it is called our reasonable service.' It is so by way of eminence; and surely, without those three properties mentioned, it cannot deserve that name. 4. Unless it be done thus, we are not like to continue in it; and this will be both dishonourable and disadvantageous. What is rashly undertaken, is usually, quickly given over; what is irresolutely engaged in, is easily hindered; and what is the fruit of constraint, cannot be permanent: and this spoils all. For unless it be continued in, we lose what we have wrought, and all the length we have gone will not be remembered. When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done, shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.' IMPROVE THE PRESENT, IF you knew this were your last day, would you continue to slight this precious salvation? If you had reason to believe that when at night you close your eyes to sleep, you would wake in eternity, could you then pursue your guilty course of sin and folly? Yet little as you expect it, this may be the case. Not long ago, the writer knew a tradesman, apparently vigorous and to be feared a man of the world, who was on a journey. He spent the evening at an inn. He was fond of company, was cheerful that night, and sat up later than usual. In the morning he did not rise, and some one entered his chamber. There he lay a corpse. His bed was unruffled, and he appeared to have died without a struggle; probably while asleep. How solemn the change! Such has been the lot of multitudes, and it may soon be yours. And if it should, with what awful surprise will eternity open on your unpardoned spirit! Multitudes every morning awake on earth, in one place or other, that before the evening comes have finished their course, and are gone to meet their God. Every setting sun, many are found inhabitants of this world, who, before that sun rises again, are fixed beyond hope or fear in an eternal state. More than eighty thousand human beings are supposed to pass into eternity every four-and-twenty hours. How soon among these crowds, may you be one! : the MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY. LET us stop here for a moment weight of souls!' How tremendous is the thought! how awful the idea! Remember that you are not saved by proxy: you are saved or lost, according to your own works. But God has declared that your blood will be on the head of unfaithful ministers. Hear a statement of your danger in connection with our destiny-'Son of man, when I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him: but he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity: but his blood will I require at the watchman's hands!' He is lost himself, and his minister is involved in his guilt! What a knell is this! what a sound is this! The blood of a soul !—of a soul that cannot die!-of a soul that must exist in woe for ever!of a soul that will hiss out the curses of damnation against him who stood and saw him sinking, or blindly led him to perdition! And do you not feel for those who preach to you? Can you think of their inadequacy, can you see their weakness, can you reflect how subject they are to all the infirmities of humanity, can you meditate on their tremendous responsibility, and not pray for them? 'Who is sufficient for these things?' If we did not feel one behind us, who cheers us, and keeps us on, we should strip off the robes of our office, and sink into the tomb! But this is our consolation and joy-' Our sufficiency is of God.' MINISTERS, above all others, should be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.' We hate coldness in the work of God. Here, especially, we would have 'the thoughts that breathe-the words that burn.' 'Can a man hold fire in his bosom, and his clothes not burn?' Or shall the light emit only a pale and sickly ray, like a lamp in a sepulchre? We should be all fire. Yes; and should the fire eat out our very life, and leave us in the coldness of the tomb, what matters it? It is but to emulate the great Redeemer, who said, 'The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.' 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,' was the last injunction of the ascending Saviour; and hence the Christian ambassador goes forth in the name of Him who sent him, and offers His gospel to a ruined universe and an apostate world. As a present compensation for his labour, he is blessed with a mind superior to the corrosive influence of worldly anxiety. Like the mountain oak, he stands unmoved amidst the blasts of temptation and the fury of persecution; and though a thousand evils assail him, he shall still flourish in his native dignity; 'his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.' This, however, is but a small part of the honour which is to be conferred upon him. A reward is in reversion for him, before the splendour of which, the poet's laurels and the warrior's chaplets sink into perfect insignificance. They that be wise, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever.' What a stimulus is this to the faithful minister! What an incitement to holy zeal, and ministerial fidelity! With what delightful ardour must the aged minister anticipate the unfading crown-the sparkling diadem—the royal vestments! How must his veteran heart exult, when, from a contemplation of his ministerial success, he looks forward, with a hope full of immortality and eternal life, to the period when he shall present the fruits of his ministry at the feet of Jesus, as the trophies of His grace! Will not a Cæsar, an Alexander, and a Marlborough, at such a crisis, wish they had sustained such an important station, and regret that they did not fight the battles of the Prince of Peace, in order that that they might have shared in his triumphs, and received the sublime eulogy, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord?' MELANCHOLY CHRISTIANS. THEY that love God labour occasionally under a painful feeling of melancholy about themselves. Unfaltering faith and unclouded hopes are not the enjoyments of this sinful world. Fears and sorrows are, at times, the lot of the most advanced believers here. How many sounds of sadness fall from the harp even of him who was the favoured king of Judah, and a man after God's own heart!' But when the saints of God are bowed down in grief, the season of their despondency is generally of short continuance. 'Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning;' and when it comes, it is as the brightness of the rising day 'spread upon the mountains.' When their melancholy arises, however, from a constitutional inclination of their minds to take a gloomy view of things, its seasons are more frequent and protracted. Still, 'times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,' when the Divine purposes are accomplished in them, are vouchsafed to them, to cheer them in this 'valley of tears;' and, till these times come, they are sustained by the 'everlasting arms,' and prevented from 'sorrowing as those who have no hope.' In this way their faith is tried, and their trust in God grows stronger. The more they feel their own weakness and proneness to despond, so much the more do they rest on the Rock of Ages, and 'encourage themselves in the Lord.' Sometimes the feeling which oppresses them is occasioned by an anxious desire to have a stronger and more realizing conviction of their interest in Christ. They wish to have a constant and unhesitating assurance that they are inseparably united to Him; and when they cannot satisfy themselves on this point, their souls are distressed with fearful thoughts. Many good men, who are certainly chosen of God unto salvation, are not favoured with such convictions as persons in this state of mind desire. But, in withholding them, God does the more completely empty them of themselves, and fit them for that salvation which is the object of their anxieties-the very fear of not having a sufficiently strong assurance of an interest in it, is itself a symptom of salvation-the very thing about which they are so much distressed. The more, too, they are distressed, so much the more do they cling to their Saviour. Hence, out of weakness they gather strength; out of despondency they extract joy.- Whyte. 'EXAMINE YOURSELVES.' ACQUAINT yourselves with yourselves. The trial of yourselves is the ready road to the knowledge of yourselves. No man begins to be good till he sees himself to be bad; till you see how foul your faces are, you will never pay tribute to Christ for washing them. He can never truly relish the sweetness of God's mercies, who never tasted the bitterness of his own misery. The bottom of our disease lieth here, that we search not our disease to the bottom. He that trusteth in his heart is a fool, and yet such fools are we that trust our hearts. The conversation may be rectified, when the affections are not sanctified. A man may be acquainted with the grace of truth, who never knew the truth of grace. Therefore, 'examine yourselves, and prove yourselves, whether ye be in the faith or no;' or whether the faith be in you or no; whether your hearts be the cabinet of such a jewel. For want of this, many are like travellers skilled in other countries, but ignorant of their own. Many have their evidences of grace to seek, where they should have their evidences to show. I beseech you be more in searching of your own hearts; it is of greater concernment to know the state of your hearts, than to know the state of all your estates. A man may profess like a saint, pray like a saint, speak like a saint, look like a saint, and yet not be a saint. You cannot always tell what o'clock it is in a man's breast by the dial of his countenance; the humblest look is sometimes linked to the proudest heart. |