victory." It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural, it is raised a spiritual body; and whatever changes the one must undergo, to constitute the other, it is still declared to be the same body that shall be raised for that purpose, and receive this transformation. Yes, blessed assurance, the soul of man is not to sleep in eternal night; it is spiritual and immortal. We are intended for the society of angels and the "spirits of just men made perfect," in the beatific vision of God, where our employment will be to hymn the throne of grace, and ever to be seated in glory at the right hand of our Redeeming Lord.

Enquire of the saints who have attained to this blissful consummation, wherefore are they before the throne of God? They came out of great tribulation, have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," and by that means they are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, for without holiness of life,

none can obtain the perfection of their nature. Sanctification must be effected on earth, before glory can be enjoyed in heaven. He who created the world, who rules it in mercy and in wisdom, who hath redeemed it by his blood, has the whole ordering of our lot in time, and will provide for us through eternity. The propriety, the mercy, and the expediency of all his dispensations, however dark and mysterious they may now appear, shall then be discerned, acknowledged, and lauded. When his divine economy is then openly displayed in its finished state, as terminating in the consummate felicity of his servants, its absolute rectitude, its supreme holiness will fill even angels with astonishment, silence for ever the murmurings of the wicked, and realize the most sanguine expectations of the good.

Thou mayst be terrible, O death,
To those who hold by vital breath
Each treasure of the heart;

Whose happiness is found below;
Who with this life must all forego,

From all they prize must part.

But to the Christian, who serene

Has look'd through faith on things unseen,
Thy solemn trying hour
Is far from dreadful; for his soul
Knows who can nature's fears controul,
And trusts a Saviour's power.

His treasure is laid up on high,
"Where moth or rust shall come not nigh,
Nor thieves break through, nor steal.'
The only bonds that hold him here

Are duty, reverential fear,

And ties that all should feel.

But duty, is he called above,
Prompts upward; and perfected love
Can cast out every fear :

And nature's ties, though strong their force, Are loosed by God, their all-pure source, gave them earth to cheer.

Who

Then thou, O Death, the insatiate foe

Of man, art laid for ever low;

No longer to appal.

From sin redeemed, with humble trust,

The spirit waits to join the just,

Where God is all in all!

B. BARTON.

THE MOURNER'S HOPE.

The path of sorrow, and that path alone, Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.

In his own spirit man is still
Or most debased or dignified :
If there his duty he fulfil,

CowPER.

may

hide

And, faithful to his heavenly guide,
Walk on in hope-though clouds
At times the pole-star's cheering ray,
Those clouds at seasons thrown aside,
Shall give a glimpse of glorious day :
Of day more bright, and skies more pure,
Than ever dawn'd or shone on earth;
Of hopes that faith can render sure,
Since faith alone could give them birth.
And in the all-transcendent worth
Of thoughts unearthly and sublime,
The soul with joy, surpassing mirth,
Shall triumph o'er the woes of time!

PEACE BE WITH YOU!

With my peace,

Now dying, I endow you: of that peace
The powers of this world never shall despoil you.
Calvary.-Book 2nd, 91.

:

IN that wish, in that peace, all good things are combined but without piety thou canst not have peace. Like the rainbow, peace rests upon the earth, but its arch is lost in heaven! Heaven bathes it in hues of light. It springs up in the midst of tears and clouds. It is a reflection of the eternal sun; it is an assurance of calm; it is the sign of a great covenant between man and his God.

Such peace is the smile of the soul. It is an emanation from the glorious orb of immortal light. What are the pleasures and the pomps of life? As the lamp shines, so life glitters for an hour, but the soul's light is the star that burns for ever.-BULWER.