XCIX. When fball I come to appear before the prefence of God!-Pfalm xlii. 2. THIS is not uttered as a discontented wish; but as a pious ejaculation. The holy pfalmift was ready to continue in life as long as God thought proper but he confidered the next world as his home, and could not forbear looking fometimes wiftfully towards it. This world had no temptations for him. He was weaned from all its concerns. The beft ufe we can make of, the pfalmift's ardent wifh is to confider it as a teft. Let us try ourfelves by it. When we can bring our minds to fuch a confidence in God, and a future ftate-to fuch a contempt of the world, as to be able to say in earnest, When fhall we come to appear before the prefence of God! it is furely a good fign, that we are able.-On the other hand, if we cannot fay it, tho' I fhould be far from calling it a fign of our being out of favour with God, it is certainly a fign, that we are not yet enough weaned from the things of this world. However, in this cafe, we may dif tinguish between the fear of guilt, and the fear of death. If our fear does not arife from guilt, a gracious God, who has implanted in us a love for life, cannot be extreme to mark our fear of death. It may arife perhaps merely from the circumstances, which often attend death. To a good man, the act of dying is generally the most formidable part of death. C. There remaineth a reft for the people of God.Hebrews, iv. 9. THE fabbath was ordained as a day of rest for religious exercife. But the apostle to the Hebrews in this paffage, seems to place it in a new light. He gives it an allufion to that reft, which awaits us hereafter-that great reft, which remaineth for the people of God. In this light we confider the fabbath as a beautiful emblem. It first serves the great purposes in this world of drawing us to reflection--devotion-and religious inftruction-and then reminds us of that blessed rest, to which all our virtuous endeavours fhould lead. Thus we have every week an opportunity of contemplating this heavenly reft. Every returning fabbath reminds us of it.-The days of our pilgrimage go off quickly-one after another-and we approach every hour nearer the happy end of our labours. The world is full of monitors.-We may make this among the most useful. END OF THE HINTS, Printed by A. Stralian, |