cut us down in the morning of our days; yet we did not die too soon; for we had bowed betimes at the feet of Jesus, and had found eternal life in him. He washed our sins away; he renewed our hearts; and prepared heaven for us, and us for heaven. He taught us to set our af fections on things above. We saw others engaged with all their hearts in the shadowy concerns of time; we pitied them, and trod the path of life. We smiled in death. Divine grace made us conquerors over the grave; and we now rest from all our labours. Heaven is a long, long, happy home. Follow our Lord, and he will be. your Lord. Receive him, and he will receive you. Commit your souls to him, and all will be well with you, for time and eternity.'*

A meditation on the subject of the chapter, concluding with prayer.

Come, O my soul, and, in serious meditation, again review these pleasing motives for yielding thyself, thy all, to God. I am passing through the world, like an eagle through the air. I am young, but youth and health have vanished from millions, and will soon vanish from me. Could I now gain the throne, and become the ruler of this mighty kingdom, yet in a little while, a throne and a kingdom would be of no importance to me; but I hear of things that will concern me for ever; of blessings that may enrich me for ever. I hear of treasures of eternal worth; treasures, like those which angels enjoy, and which make even angels happy. Thrones and kingdoms upon earth never will be mine, even for a fleeting hour; but these far better riches may be mine "when rolling years shall cease to move; these may be mine through one eternal day. O let me glance again at this list of blessings! Forgiveness-how much I need it! Forgiveness so free, and full, and entire, that though my sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Peace with God; peace even in this troublesome world; peace far above all that earth can impart, and which "nothing earthly gives or can destroy.' The love of Jesus! love stronger than death, and more lasting than time; love, which was

*The author has here, and in two other places, taken a few lines from another small publication of his own.

manifested for me when he groaned on Calvary, and love, which would be manifested to me, infinite years beyond the day when it shall be said, The judg ment is finished, the world, the sun, the stars, are no more. Adoption into the family of God, and the privilege of becoming a child of the Most High; the dear object of his eternal love. O precious blessing! what more precious can even an archangel possess! what higher privilege! what nobler honour! Can he go higher than to say, I am a child of God! O my soul, wonder and adore! The highest distinction of archangels themselves may be thine; and thou mayest have the privilege of saying, Now, even in this dying world, am I a child of God, and it doth not yet appear what I shall be; but I know, that when he shall appear, I shall be like him, and see him as he is. Even here I may enjoy his kindness and his care; know him as my Father, and rejoice in him as my portion: even here may have an interest in all his exceeding great and precious promises; and in the heights and depths, and lengths and breadths of his immeasurable and everlasting love. Even here I may look to Jesus as my elder brother, my friend, my Saviour, my Shepherd, my forerunner, my guide, my guard, my boast, my bliss, my King, my God. But, beyond all the scenes of time, his word reveals a brighter world. There I may possess an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away; an inheritance, compared with whose pure delights, the sweetest earthly pleasure is but bitter pain-compared with whose wealth, the treasures of kings are poverty itself -and compared with whose duration, ten thousand times ten thousand years are but as the twinkling of an eye. All this, and infinitely more than any tongue can express, or heart can conceive, I may possess. When Jesus invites me to go to him, and take his yoke, he invites me to make all this my own. And canst thou hesitate, O my soul, or canst thou delay? Shall I refuse so kind án invitation? Shall I lose all these eternal treasures for the things of a moment, that perish in the using? O let me not act so base, so foolish, so unprofitable a part! I see, indeed, that Godliness is profitable for all things, and would be infinitely profitable to me; without it I had better never have been born; without

it I must be a mere cumberer of the ground. Then my very being would be a curse to myself, and I should be a curse to my friends, and a curse to the world; but with it, in my humble sphere, I should be enabled to glorify my God; I should live to my blessed Redeemer, and might die leaning as it were, my languishing head for support upon his almighty arm.

Great and blessed God; from revolving these things in my mind, to thee would I turn. O let them not be lost upon me! Let these precious blessings all be mine. Deny me other treasures, if thou wilt, but give me these. Let me win Christ, and know him as mine, and know all the blessings which flow from his love, either on earth or in heaven, as also mine. Give me the comfort of hope, the assurance of faith, and the heaven of holy love, that heaven in the soul on earth, which is the forerunner and the earnest of an eternal heaven, within me, and around me, when time shall be no more. Let me not have merely a wavering hope, but a strong, unshaken confidence, that thou art my God-that thy promises are my charter-thy love my portion-thy kingdom my inheritance. While early religion is thus profitable, and honourable, and easy let it be my immediate choice. Let me not, by delay, make repentance more bitter, and conversion more difficult; but may I feel true humility and sorrow for having wasted, and worse than wasted, so much of my life; and again, let me intreat thee to give me grace, gladly to yield the rest to thee; or if, O compassionate Father, thou seest that I have been led to this happy choice, then confirm me in it, and never let sin or the world divide the bands which bind my soul to thee; but may I be blest in Jesus, and humbly and faithfully cleave to him. Grant me but these blessings, and then make whatever pleases thee welcome to me. Let affictions be welcome, as the chastisement of thy hand; and pain, as sent to meeken me for the rest where there shall be no more pain. If thou art pleased to prolong my days, let life be welcome for the sake of living to my Lord; but if thou hast determined otherwise respecting me-if a few weeks, or months, are to finish my pilgrimage below, let even early death be welcome, as a speedier removal to eternal life; and

let those years which are taken from my mortal course be added to that eternal day to which thou hast promised to conduct all the humble followers of thy Son. Great God, thou seest nothing in me to add weight to these requests-and never wilt thou see such worthiness in a creature so unworthy; but grant them for his sake, whose blood was shed to wash away my sins. Amen.

CHAPTER XI.

The Pleasantness of Early Piety.

SECT. 1. The Scriptures represent Religion as a source of real joy... Sect. 2. That it is so, confirmed by the testimony of pious persons, who are the only competent judges in this case.... Sect. 3. Religion gives pleasure by giving peace.... Sect. 4. Its various privileges and ordinances, a source of delight.... Sect. 5. Its possessors find pleasure in reflection on past, and in anticipation of future blessings.... Sect. 6. Religion yields pleasure even in the midst of pain.... Sect. 7. And in the day of death itself....Sect. 8. Prayer.

SECT. 1. As another reason for early piety, I would now glance at some of the pleasures which true religion yields. It is the common delusion of the world, that religion is a melancholy thing; unsuitable to the young and sprightly; and of such a nature, that it would blast all their pleasures; and render their lives dark and dreary. The word of God, on the other hand, describes true religion as the only source of real comfort; it is the only remains of Paradise below. That holy book declares, that the ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness, and that all her paths are peace. It also tells us of joy and peace in believing ;2 of rejoicing in God rejoicing in the Lord always ofrejoicing in Christ, with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, of delighting in the Lord; of having gladness put into the heart by his presence, superiour to that which the man of the world obtains from his corn and

Prov. iii. 17. 1 Pet. i. 8.

2Rom. xv. 13. Ps. xxxvii. 4.

3Rom. v. 11. 4Phil. iv. 4.

wine. The Scriptures represent it as the christian's portion, to possess a peace which passeth all understanding 8 if sorrowful to be always rejoicing; to glory even in tribulation;10 and, even if the fig tree should not blossom, and there should be no fruit in the vine; if the labour of the olive should fail, and the fields should yield no meat; if the flocks should be cut off from the fold, and there should be no herd in the stall; if, in short, famine and desolation were ravaging all around, still to rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of his salvation."1

Sect. 2. If, after this, you wish for human testimonies to the comforts which true piety affords, you may have them in abundance; not that you should ask the men of the world. This would be as absurd as to request a man born blind to describe to you the beauties of a fine prospect, though he had never seen the light; as he who never saw, cannot tell you what pleasure sight affords; as he who never heard, cannot describe to you the delights which fine music yields its admirers; no more can they who never knew religion, tell you what its pleasures are. But, would you know whether religion is the best source of happiness, ask those who possess it in reality. How many such would tell you, they never knew what true delight was till they found it in religion; how many such would unite their testimony with that of a young person known to the writer, on the evening after her solemn admission into the church of Christ; This has been a happy day to me; I hope I shall be faithful unto death, and then my last will be a happier."

Sect. 3. True religion, though it forbids conformity to this world, and directs you to set your affections on the things above, yet forbids no lawful use of the innocent comforts of earth and time. It is true, it denies you the play-house, that hot-bed of vice, the licentious romance, the silly novel, and those scenes of worldly revelry, which a poor deceived world call happiness; yet these are not sources of real happiness, even to those who love them so well. On one occasion,

"Ps. iv. 7. 8. 8Phil. iv. 7. 92 Cor. vi. 10. 10 Rom. v. 3. 11 Habakuk iii. 17. 18.