every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So that, though we all* have sinned and * It may be safely asserted, I apprehend, that all truly serious and religiously minded people are nearly of one opinion concerning the great doctrines of the Gospel. They live in the comfort and die in the faith of them. The Calvinist and Armenian here at least are of one mind. When the Rev. John Wesley came to die, his language was, “I the chief of sinners am, But Jesus died for me.” "There is no way into the holiest, but by the blood of Jesus.” "I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, &c." [*] The late Mr. Toplady also appears to have been greatly supported with divine consolations during his last sickness. A few days before his death he said to a friend: "O, my dear Sir, it is impossible to describe how good God is to me. This afternoon I have enjoyed such a season, such sweet communion with God, and such delightful manifestations of his presence with, and love to my soul, that it is impossible for words or language to express them. I have had peace and joy unutterable.' To another friend he said: “The comforts and manifestations of God's love are so abundant, as to render my state and condition the most desirable in the world. I would not exchange my condition with any one upon earth.” The same friend calling upon him a day or two before his death, he said, with hands clasped, and his eyes lifted up and starting with tears of the most evident joy: "O, my dear Sir, I cannot tell you the comforts I feel in my soul. They are past expression. The consolations of God to such an unworthy wretch are so abundant, that he leaves me nothing to pray for, but a continuance of them. I enjoy a heaven already in my soul. My prayers are all converted into praise." At another time he said: "O how this soul of mine longs to be gone! Like a bird imprisoned in a cage, it longs to take its flight. O that I had wings like a dove, then would I flee away to the realms of bliss, and be at rest for ever! O that some guardian angel might be commissioned; for I long to be absent from this body, and to be with my Lord for ever. At another time, and indeed for many days together he cried out "O what a day of sun shine has this been to me! I have not words to express it. It is unutterable. O, my friends, how good is God! Almost without interruption his presence has been with me." Near his end, waking from a slumber, he said: "O what delights! Who can fathom the joys of the third heaven?" And again, a little before his departure: "The sky is clear; there is no cloud; come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." [*] Mr. Wesley held the same doctrine for 50 years preceding his death.-Editor. come short of the glory of God, we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom The learned reader will not be sorry to compare here the dying scenes of two or three of the German Christians with the above of Wesley and Toplady. Musculus's Soliloquy before death appears to me in the highest spirit of the Gospel of Christ. "Nil superest vitæ; frigus præcordia captat: Sed tu Christe, mihi vita perennis ades. Quid trepidas, Anima? Ad sedes abitura quietis; Linque domum hanc miseram, nunc in sua fata ruentem, Peccasti? Scio; Sed Christus credentibus in se Horribils mors est? Fateor: Sed proxima vita est, Præsto est de Satanæ. peccato, in morte triumphans Translated by Merricke. My life decays, death's damps have seized my heart; This wretched tenement dissolving, leave, Is death terrific? Yes; but life is near: To his dear presence take thy joyful flight. Theodore Zuinger, a famous German physician, when he lay upon his death-bed, took his leave of the world in the following fine copy of verses, which is a liberal paraphrase of the 122d psalm. "O lux candida, lux mihi Jam visam Solymæ edita Augustam populo urbem: A God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God-to declare his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus Christ, being the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. These things being laid together, and duly considered, may we not exclaim with the same devout and admiring Apostle? Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Such are the doctrines of Christ, of which the Apostle declares he was not ashamed, and of which no Christian ought or need to be ashamed; because they are the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth in his name. And we may say of them what St. Paul says upon another occasion, Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so now I say again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Harsh as these words may seem, they were written in all the plenitude of apostolical authority, and apply to every case where the essential doctrines of the Sacred Writings are concerned. What those doctrines are may not be expedient for me here to say; the Scriptures are in every one's hands, and no man need continue in ignorance of what the Lord God requires of him. Jussam cælitus oppidis Cuncta in sæcla beati. Cedunt omnia recte. Semper pax tua mœnia Larga munera fundit. Spesque Fidesque valete." How different is the spirit of these dying scenes from those of our modern Philosophers, who usually depart from this life like the Emperor Adrian, or in a manner much inferior: "Animula vagula, blandula, And then, as to the precepts of the Redeemer's religion, they are such as have been admired in all ages, and as no man need feel himself ashamed to own. The substance of them is: Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: A precept so held in admiration by one of the Roman emperors, that he had it inscribed in various public places to be seen and read of all men. This excellent laconic sentence is more expanded by our Lord himself in another place: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind. And thy neighbour as thyself: and still more by St. Paul: The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men; teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godlily in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. May I not then exhort you, my serious readers, in the words of the same Apostle, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service? and not to be conformed to this world: but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God? Endeavour to be uniformly and conscientiously, inwardly and outwardly, religious.* Lay * There is need, in this time of general discontent, to call the attention of all good men to the obligations we are under, to be dutiful and loyal subjects. The Scripture is decisive, that as we are to fear God, so we are to honour the King. But, setting duty aside, selfinterest, if duly consulted, would induce every man to obey the civil government of the happy country in which we live. We have much to lose, little to gain, by any change that might take place. The ruin brought upon France may satisfy any man, how dangerous a thing it is to embark in public contentions, and disturb the regular order of things. If the experience of our neighbours will not determine us to peaceable and temperate measures among ourselves, we should do well to look back to the reign of the first Charles, when the three kingdoms were convulsed for seven years together, from one end to the another. Besides the many thousands of private men who fell in the bloody fray, the many millions of money that were spent, and the numerous families that were ruined, there were slain 17 earls and lords-45 knights and baronets-55 colonels 42 lieutenant colonels-53 majors-138 cap aside, as much as may be, all other thoughts and concerns, and let the pardon of your sins, the justification of your persons, the purification of your natures, and the salvation of your souls, be the grand business and aim of your life. Every thing within you, and every thing without you, will oppose this grand regenerating process of religion. Remember, however, this is your main concern in the world. One thing alone is truly needful. Secure this, and every thing beside is safe. "This done, the poorest can no wants endure; "And this not done, the richest must be poor." Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.-Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all necessary things shall be added unto you. If you are ever so rich, great, wise, learned, honourable; if you are not at the same time experimentally religious, you are a miserable man. Do you want proof of this? Look inward, and look forward to the close of life; or turn back, and impartially consider the experience of the several persons, whose declarations we have recorded in the beginning of this Treatise. Compare them, weigh them, discriminate their characters; reject what is base and unworthy your attention, take alarm at the warnings of the dying penitents, and resolve, by the grace of God, to have a name and a place among his people. Let others despise and neglect the Sacred Writings, as their humour shall lead, do you be much in the perusal of them. Let them dwell in you richly. They will tains-30 gentlemen volunteers-with about 30 others, who were either beheaded or died in prison. The spirit of the times was much the same as hath for these several years prevailed in France; nor were the clergy treated with much more humanity, 8 or 10,000 of them being turned out of their livings. See Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, p. 198-200. And if any convulsion should take place again in this country, I do not conceive that we should be much more humane towards each other, than people have been in cases of a similar nature. He was no inexperienced man who said-The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water; therefore leave off contention before it be meddled with. When the Almighty intends to punish us effectually, he will deprive us of wisdom, and set us at loggerheads one with another. The consequence will be ruin to the present race of Englishmen. If with the above two dreadful examples before us, we suffer a party spirit to drive us to extremities, we shall deserve all we can suffer. See the seventh chapter of Ezekiel. Were we united and religious we might defy the whole world. |