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concern by all. For any thing I know, it is within a step of myfelf. It cannot be at a very great distance from any one. Time is fhort: Compared with eternity, it is nothing. The wife man fays, "There is a time to be born, and a time to die:" In which brief account of man, he paffes over the time of his life, as if he judged it too inconfiderable for no. tice. The facred writers, ever remarkable for the juftnefs and propriety of their expreffions, represent human life as being but a span ; a hand's-breadth; an inch or two. They compare it to the withering grafs; the fading flower; the flying fhadow and the vanishing vapour. Surely then my life is but a dream, and mine age is nothing! Surely every man walketh in a vain fhow, and, at his beft ftate, is altogether vanity.

When death appears, every effort to refift his stroke proves ineffectual. Gold cannot bribe him, nor will he be awed by power. The pleas of youth, beauty, worldly bufinefs, or unfitnefs for the change, are equally inadmiffible. Let me then fo number, and improve, my few and fugitive days, as to apply my heart unto wifdom. Let me diligently prepare for the all-important change I cannot poffibly avoid. I will no more fay to my foul, Soul, take thine ease, thou haft goods laid up for many years; but I will fay, Soul, prepare to meet thy God, for this night he may require thee to appear in his prefence. What a fool should I be to ftrive to keep my end out of fight; as if the evil day would forget to come, on account of my forgetfulness of its coming. Whereas its coming would thereby be made fo much the more terrible. I muft not be like those who think all men mortal but themselves, but rather imitate holy Job, in waiting all the days of my appointed time for my folemn and final change. Human life is always ringing changes but Death, both to faints and finners, will be the greateft as well as the laft. Thereby, all diftinctions, except thofe of righteous and wicked, will be forever levelled and deftroyed. The tall, the wife, the reverend head, muft lie as low as others. His honour, his reverence, his lordship, his grace, and even his facred majefty, with every other title, will all be loft and swallowed up in thofe emphatical words: Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust." To whom I was related, or to what inheritance I was born, will avail me nothing in a dying hour. No earthly object can either take away the fting, or avert the ftroke of Death. Their fupports under it, likewife, are utterly feeble. Indeed, for fenfual gratifications, no relish will remain. Money, fine houfes, garments, furniture, and fumptuous fare; together with carnal mirth, friends, and

fashionable amufements; will all be miferable comforters. Party names and empty notions in religion will then be found of fmall importance. I may be a Papist, a Churchman, or a Proteftant Diffenter of any denomination, and still be expofed not only to the ftroke, but also to the fting and terrors of Death. What is it then, let me feriously inquire, that will avail, in the clofing fcenes of life? The infpired volume informs me, that I must either have my guilt forgiven, or remain guilty for ever. As the tree falls, fo it

lies.

There are no acts of pardon past
In the cold grave, to which we hafte ;
But darkness, death, and long despair,
Reign in eternal filence there.

WATTS.

If I die in my fins, I must be driven away in my wickedness. After death the judgment. So then, as Death leaves me, Judgment will find me. It is here, and not beyond the grave, that the fountain ftands open for fin and uncleannefs. Only on earth doth the Son of Man exercise his forgiving power, Bleffed be God, the Gofpel trumpet is ftill founding in my ears, that accefs to the door of mercy is free for all: But fhould the curtain of time drop, before the Lord's mercy be found, to feek it afterwards would be utterly in vain. A fingle drop of water, to cool a fcorching tongue, would be denied, To folicit rocks and mountains to fall upon me and hide me from my judge, would all be labour loft. The feafon for prayer, repentance, and falvation, will then be over and gone for ever. O folemn thought! May I fo improve it, as not to loiter another moment! My foul, expand thy wings, and fly for refuge to the hope exhibited in the Gospel. Acquaint now thyfelf with God; and do it more and more. Whatever thou haft to do, do it with, all thy might; and furely there can be nothing of equal moment with thy own eternal welfare. Canft thou bear the thought of being found unprepared? of being turned out of the body out of the world, and into hell? If thou canst not bear the thought at a distance, how wilt thou bear the dreadful calamity when at hand?

To be ready for death, I must experience the renewal and fanctification of my nature, as well as the pardon and remiffion of my fins. Except any one be born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Without holiness no man fhall fee the Lord. Without a divine nature none would, or could, be happy in the divine pre

fence. Thrice happy are they to whom Chrift is made wif dom, righteousness, fanctification, and redemption. O how precious, in the near views of death, is this Jefus to the eye of faith! Particularly in his blood and righteousness. Here is full atonement for fin, and a clear indubitable title to the heavenly inheritance. If Death find me washed in my Saviour's precious blood, clothed in his perfect righteousness, and completely fanctified by the effectual working of his Holy Spirit, then I have nothing to fear, but much to hope. The end of life will be the end of grief. To die will be gain. I fhall exchange my painful toils and labours, for a peaceful, fafe, and everlasting reft. Leaving the tempeftuous ocean of this world, I fhall arrive fafe, in the blissful harbour of Heaven. Then I fhall end my race, and receive the prize. My foes, too, will all be flain. Sin, Satan, and the world, fhall break my peace no more. I fhall come off more than conqeror, and fheath my fword with shouts of Victory, Victory!

The days of mourning will not only be ended, but every defire and wifh fhall be granted. I fhall be near and like my God. Awaking in his likeness, I fhall be fully fatisfied with thofe pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore. Then, with angels and the fpirits of juft men made perfect, I fhall mingle my fongs of endlefs praife. Yes,

Praise fhall employ my noblest powers
While immortality endures.

WATTS.

S. B.

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TO MOURNERS IN ZION.

Y dear mourning friends, attend a little to these precious words, "Thus faith the Lord, the mighty God, Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me *."

Whatever be your trouble, thus faith the Lord, the mighty God, who fpake, and the earth was made, who commanded, and it ftood faft.- "Call upon ME, I will deliver thee." Fear not, I will do it, do it fo abundantly, that "ye fhall glorify me."

Doft thou fear, doubting foul, that thou haft no interest in the Lord Jefus, fo that he will be no Saviour to thee? Is this, thy fear? Call upon the Lord, he will give thee faith; yea,

*Psalm 1. 15.

he hath promifed, that he will give his Holy Spirit to them that afk him, and "he fhail teach them all things." But why doubt ye? Is not Jefus a free and an all-fufficient Saviour-Yes, furely: But fay you-" My heart is exceeding finful-I have no love to God-and very little desire after holinefs." Is this thy trouble? Believe me, foul, the unregenerate careth for none of these things? therefore take courage, come to the Lord, here is a promise exactly fitted to thy condition; yea, I verily believe, this is a trouble from which the Lord delighteth to deliver.

Do outward circumstances diftrefs? fear not; the cove. nant God hath made for his people is well ordered in all things and fure; and whatever they meet with, however dark it may appear, yet be affured it is part of the very coyenant by which they are faved. Know ye not that all things work together for good to them that are called accor ding to God's purpofe?" O! but I fear I am not called." Well, let us examine a little; you are a finner-a great finner-everlafting punishment is your due. Do Do you believe this? But have you not heard that Jefus Chrift came on purpose not to condemn, but to fave fuch as you? You have broken the law of God. Jefus fulfilled every tittle of it for you. You deserved death-eternal death. Jefus fuffered for you; and his fufferings are a more valuable fatisfaction to divine juftice than the eternal punishment of ten thousand fuch fouls as thine. Are you willing to be faved by Jefus? Are you defirous to commit your foul wholly to him? Do you defire to be made holy by him, that you may be fit to dwell with him? Speak, O doubter; is it not your foul's defire to be with Jefus, and to have him for your all? If fo, fear not; he hath loved thee with an everlasting love, and therefore hath he drawn thee with loving-kindness. Be not afraid of the remains of fin; it fhall never have dominion over thee. Neither things prefent nor things to come fhall ever feparate thee from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord; for the Lord hath promised to uphold thee with the right hand of his righteoufnefs.

Dishonour God no more then by thy unbelieving fears; but render unto him glory for the work begun in thy foul, and look unto him in confident expectation of all the bleffings he hath promifed. Look unto him, and thou shalt be faved; and he fhall give you the fpirit of praise for the garment of heaviness.

O ye fons and daughters of affliction! God is merciful and gracious; but ye are unthankful. Take shame unto thyfelf, O foul of little faith, that thou fhouldeft have been

doubting and fearing, inftead of glorifying God thy Saviour. Confider his love, his unbounded goodnefs, which hath faved thee, which hath called thee, and which will, ere long, bring thee to his prefence, where there is fullness of joy; where there will be no more fin, no more doubt, no more fear, no more forrow, but God will be thy everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning will be ended.

OLD EVERTON's SON.

I

The actings of Faith in times of desertion.
[In a Letter to a Friend.]

DEAR FRIEND,

HAVE read your valuable letter, and there appear to me manifeft tokens of God's grace in you, while you complain fo much of the want of it. You would be kiffed with the kiffes of Chrift's mouth, a deirable thing; but fometimes we must be content, if, with Mary, we may kifs his feet. Stay a little, and he will turn the shadows of death into morning. Much patience is required in bearing ordinary evils, but in nothing more than in times of defertion to wait upon God in the conftant ufe of means till comfort arrive. You, may fee in the Book of Pfalms how holy David was exercised with thofe temptations, when he faith, “Mine eyes fail with waiting fo long upon my God." Young Chriftians think they live by faith when they live by fenfe, as young fwimmers think they know how to fwim while the bladders are under their arms. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen. You fay you have not an heart to pray or refilt fin; but is there no balm in Gilead, is there no Phyfician there? Should we not truft in Christ for fanctification as well as juftification? He is made unto us of God, wifdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption. Let us endeavour to apply God's promifes; a plaifter will not heal if not applied to the wound. The Lord faith, I will take away the heart of stone, and give them an heart of flesh. I will subdue their iniquities. Sin shall not have dominion over you. He that has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Christ. St. Peter faith, God has given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. Now when we go to God in prayer for the fubduing of any fin, or the ftrengthening of any grace, if we do

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