66 66 66 66 but man." "But would you wish the law of God to be less holy? or, would you love heaven if it were not a holy place, John?" No, never!" replied he emphatically. That is a good sign," said his friend. Ah!" replied the dying man, God is a holy God, he cannot look upon sin; and I must have something better than a good sign, when I must so soon appear before him as my Judge.' "Very true, John; but is there no Mediator between God and man? No one on whom you have laid hold as the Lord your Righteousness?'" After a few moments pause, "Yes," said John, "I know it; One in whom he sees no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel,' He to whom I have long and often committed the keeping of my soul, and I know that He will keep it against that day.' But," said he, after musing a little while, " Jordan, Jordan may be a deep river, and its waters may overflow." And," said his friend, " will not He, in whom you have trusted, be able to divide the waters hither and thither? Will not his rod and his staff comfort you? Has he not said, 'fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will surely bring you up again?' "The words on which he has caused me to hope," said John, "and I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,' 'When I pass through the waters, they shall not overflow me.' 66 Next day, when the same friend inquired how he was, "My flesh and my strength faileth," said he, "but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." These were nearly the last words he spoke. Next day, so far as we have good evidence to believe, his soul was received into those mansions of bliss, which on earth it had so often sought after, and where its affections were. While such was the pious life, such the happy death of John Campbell, it was quite otherwise with Donald. Allan, although his occupation was the same as John's, had accumulated a much larger sum of money than his benevolent, honest, and unambitious neighbour. So that even, in this respect, the former spent a more comfortable old age than the other. He had besides, a large family; his sons, for their circumstances, were eligibly settled in business; his daughters, whose husbands were reputed "well to do," had their dwelling near him, and their children danced around their grandsire's knee. In due time too, they were able to accompany him as he took his accustomed walk along the beach. But all along his Bible was unread; the mercy-seat was never supplicated; and the God of his life never acknowledged. If he occasionally went to church on a sabbath-day, it was only from custom, and not because Jehovah had placed his name there; neither that the words of eternal life might be conveyed to his immortal soul. Indeed, one might have supposed, from his conduct, that Allan's only idea of remembering the sabbath-day to keep it holy, was, by having a good dinner provided, and his friends invited to his table; or by lounging on the sea shore, receiving and retailing the news of the past week. This, some may say, was not so bad as rioting, or spending his time in the ale-house; nor was it. But did it satisfy the demands of His law who has said, and said expressly, "Remember the sabbath-day, to keep it holy?" Could it even please the sinner himself if on a dying bed? And as the man who abstains, and merely abstains, from the grosser acts of wickedness, is, though not in more danger of the attendant punishment, yet in more danger of resting at ease, and deceiving himself, than are the more vicious and profane, so one cannot but feel the more regret at seeing such a one going "down to the pit, with a lie in his right hand.” Allan, however, enjoyed, and long enjoyed, as much happiness as he was perhaps capable of enjoying. A relative died, and left his family more substance, from which he lived to see the speculations of his sons prospering in their hands. When unable to walk abroad, many a varied way of moving about did his friends devise for him, and this though of itself trifling, was yet, in a comparative sense, to Allan, the summit of enjoyment; and often in not a very feeling manner did he contrast his circumstances with those of his neighbours, who had been less fortunate; with none more so, than with his, whose death has just been related. “But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they too shall be many." These days to Allan came at last. He was seized with an inflammatory complaint, and as it from the first appeared that it would prove fatal, his neighbours flocked into the house. Yet Allan seemed but little alarmed, and even on the nearness of death being hinted to him, he calmly or callously replied, that he was not afraid to die, as he had never taken anything from any man unjustly, except once a piece of wood from one of his neighbours. Allan had been often suspected, and sometimes even accused of various kinds of violation of the eighth commandment; but alas! he considered not that even the strictest moral integrity could not of itself have saved his soul; that it was written, and written on the authority of One who cannot lie, that, "without holiness" of heart "no man shall see the Lord," and that Jesus himself has said, "No man can come unto the Father, but by me." It is, however, one thing for a person to think he may die of this or of that complaint; and quite a different thing to feel that he is dying. This difference between probability and reality was fully exemplified in poor Allan's case. On the symptoms of dissolution becoming more apparent, and the king of terrors" coming more in view; he felt suddenly alarmed, and exclaimed, "Dying! dying! O God what will become of my soul?" Shortly after this, the same individual who had administered comfort to John Campbell in his dying hour, entered the house, to whom Allan immediately tried to raise his faltering voice. "Tell me," said he, "tell me, can I repent. O can I still repent?" The person addressed began to tell him, that there was no other name in heaven, nor on earth by which he could be saved but by the name of Jesus, but was soon interrupted by the afflicted man being seized with a violent fit of coughing, from which he never altogether recovered; and although he lived about twenty-four hours after this, yet he was never able, or was never heard to say more than the word "Repent." How he met his God, mortals have much to do besides inquiring. The Judge is at the door. The day is at hand, when the man that serveth God, and the man that serveth him not," must meet their God, and stand before the throne, and there give an account of their actions, whether they have been good, or whether they have been evil." Verily at that day a contrast will be displayed wide as heaven and hell, happiness and misery, eternal joy at God's right hand, and the endurance of the fire that is never quenched, with the devil and his angels. O reader, ponder this, that the one or the other of these, it will, ere long, be your unspeakable privilege to enjoy, or your awful punishment to endure. Remember that now is the accepted time, and while there is yet hope, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." See No. 424, First Series. CHRISTIAN LOVE. HOW miserable ought we to think ourselves without love? Men often complain for the want of necessaries, when it often happens that the things for the want of which they complain, may well be spared, for they are rather superfluities than necessaries. But alas! what is so necessary as true Christian love? many think they have enough of it, who yet have not one spark of this heavenly fire in their hearts. They think they have love enough to others, but that others are very different towards them! whereas it is a thing much more to be looked after, that we have fervent charity and sincere love towards others, than that we may taste plentifully of the fruits of love from others. W. GEARING. ARE YOUR CHILDREN ASHAMED OF YOU A FAMILY had removed from the neighbourhood where their little girl had long attended the sabbath-school and church of God; but another school was found where she still received the instructions of a pious teacher. From this school, however, she returned home at the hour of church worship, to which she had not been accustomed, and which gave occasion to the mother, who never attended the house of God herself, to ask “Why did you not remain?" There are no seats for the children," replied the little girl. "Then you should have asked your teacher to give you a seat," said the mother. And so I did," replied the child; "when she told me to go and sit with my mother: and, mother, I was ashamed to tell her you did not come to church." That gentle and affectionate reproof reached a mother's heart; she sought the house of God, and now rejoices in hope of eternal life. 66 THE LITTLE TRACT. Hail little messenger of love, So richly stor❜d with truths divine, No outward pomp, no useless show, No costly dress to please the eye, They warn the thoughtless and the gay, They lead the thirsty pilgrim where To heavenly springs which, pure and clear, They speak of Jesus, and his love R. O. ISRAEL is gone: Judah is left standing; or rather some few sprigs of those two tribes: so we have seen, in the shredding of some large timber-tree, one or two boughs left at the top to hold up the sap. Who can but lament the poor remainders of that languishing kingdom of David! Yet, even now, out of Judah, does God raise up a glorious light to his forlorn church; yea, from the wretched Ahaz, does God fetch a holy Hezekiah. The wisdom of our good God knows when his aid will be most seasonable, most welcome, which he then loves to give; when he finds us left of all our hopes, then he fails us not. Now, you might have seen this pious prince busily bestirring himself, in so late and needful a reformation. How seasonably has the providence of God kept the best man for the worst times! When God has a great work to do, he knows how to fit himself with instruments. Since Hezekiah was thus, above all his ancestors, upright with the Lord, it is no marvel, that the Lord was with himthat he prospered whithersoever he went. The same God, that would have his justice magnified in the confusion of the wicked princes of Israel and Judah, would have his mercy no less acknowledged in the blessings of faithful Hezekiah. The great king of Assyria had in a sort swallowed up both the kingdoms of Judah and Israel: he made Israel captive; Judah, on a willing composition, tributary. And with a mighty host he comes up against Jerusalem: therefore TRACT MAGAZINE, NO. 64. APRIL, 1839. E |