that Saviour directs, through whom alone you expect falvation; live as you are assured he will approve. The profpect of death will then animate your foul with fortitude and delight: and you will have a defire to be dif folved, and to be with Chrift, which is best of all.* There again we enjoy another confolation, exquifite and unspeakable, under the apprehenfions of death! "We fhall be with Chrift!" We shall live with him, and be like him! Like him in purity and holiness, and like him in happinefs too! Tranfporting thought! Can death be esteemed an evil-nay rather, muft we not welcome that as our greatest good, which conveys us from a dying world, like the prefent, to a kingdom, where joy, and reft, and peace, fhall eternally furround us?—But of this we shall speak more hereafter. Another reflection which ought to abate our fears, and reconcile us to death is "the abfolute certainty, and unavoidable neceffity of it." Could our fears at all avail to prevent the stroke, or even to refpite it, they might well be allowed, and we should have fome plaufible reafon to urge in their fupport. But alas, the stroke is inevitable.+ Surely then it is our wisdom, to familiarize ourselves to an event which must come shortly, and which, to render us ftill more watchful, may come inftantly. Claim ye then no more the character of ra tional, ye fimple ones of the earth, who start at the thoughts of death, and ufe every method which ingenious thought can devife to diffipate and drive it from you.-Lo, the moment comes, and utterly unprepared, ye muft ftand before your God.-Conquer yourfelves: and remembering that death will come when it will come, review it in all its circumftances, and learn, Philippians i. 23. + Duft thou art, and unto duft thou shalt return. GENESIS . 19. The thought of death alone the fear destroys. DR. YOUNG. through through Chrift, to gain a happy victory over this dreadful leveller of all human diftinctions. Reflect of what will death deprive you; not of being -which to us muft certainly be of all things moft dear. No; the foul cannot ceafe to be, it only changes its circumftances and state. "But it feparates thofe old and familiar friends, the body and the foul."-And let us blefs God for the fe. paration. For can we regret a feparation from that flesh, which is the feat of fin and of diseases, and which from both, hath so frequently afflicted us with the most piercing diftrefs? No; farewel then to the body (we will fay with joy) fince thereby we bid an eternal farewel to fickness, pain.and fin.* "But death feparates us from this world!" True; and it introduces us to one, utterly unlike the prefent, where forrows and loffes, difappointments and trials, fhall never more be known." But it feparates us from our friends!”—Afflicting separation! The tender heart muft bleed, and the affectionate eye cannot fail to drop a tear! Yet look forward, and behold-fee in the blifsful realms to which thy fpirit is foaring-friends, immortal and unalterable friends, awaiting thy glad arrival!-and perhaps many already, many near to thy heart, have gone before thee, and will give thee a joyful and bleffed welcome. Nay, yet a little while, and thou halt receive to thy rejoicing embraces, thofe whom thou haft left weeping in this vale of forrow.† Armed with thefe confolations, who fhall fear the ftroke of death? Who but muft rejoice to relinquish this fcene of trial and trouble, and to commit their fouls into the arms of an ever-living Redeemer,‡ who died to fave To be abfent from the body and prefent with the Lord, will be, more or lefs, the wifh of every real believer in Christ. 2 Corinthians v. 8. + Tho' death will come, yet give your forrows o'er, G.W. his people from their fins; of a Father, whofe unwearied care is over all his works, and whofe watchful providence extendeth to the minuteft concerns of all his creatures? In that reviving truth the foul must find comfort, as under every trial and affliction, fo efpecially when the moment of death approaches; which a child, fubmiffive to the better will of fuch a father, will receive with thankfulness, and Chriftian refignation! As therefore death must come, and after death judg ment, and a state of blifs or mifery unalterable, let us, like the wife virgins, keep our lamps always ready trimmed and burning, that we may never be found unprepared. And that we may ftill be excited to a ftricter watchfulness-let us contemplate thofe great things that are to come hereafter; let us now fuppofe ourselves, as fummoned to appear before the judgment-feat of God; and as about to receive the eternal reward of our deeds, Heaven or hell--affecting thought! Holy Father-we tremble and adore! Bleffed Jetus, be our advocate and interceffor! And is there a last day? and must there come The judge defcending, thunders from afar, DR. YOUNG's Last Day. CHAP. CHAP. XIX. Shall man alone, whofe fate, whofe final fate I fee the Judge inthron'd! the flaming guard! NIGHT THOUGHTS, Night ix. DID our exiftence end with this life, how little to be dreaded; yea, in many cafes, how much to be defired, were death! But our existence doth not end with this life; eternity is before us, and it is eternity which makes death of fo much confequence.* How awful, how alarming is that reprefentation, which the facred fcriptures give us of the folemn day approaching, which is to determine our fate for this eternity! Let us contemplate the ftupendous fcene;-for who can dwell upon fuch interefting Reflections, without ferious thoughts, and Heaven-directed refolutions? The fteady belief of a future judgment is fufficient to make all men zealous in duty.f * Beyond the grave two states alone remain, Of endlefs pleafure, and eternal pain. SOLITARY WALKS. If there is an hereafter, And that there is, confcience, uninfluenc'd BLAIR'S GRAVE. The The doctrine of a future judgment is peculiar to the Chriftian Revelation. Human reafon could not discover it; for human reafon could not difcover how the God of the whole earth would be pleased to deal with his creatures, and with that world which he has formed for them. But in much mercy, to animate and awaken our beft defires, the eternal Lord of all hath declared, that an endless and unalterable ftate is referved for us, happy or miferable, as we comply with, or refuse the terms of his covenant: and that upon a day appointed, he will pass the righteous fentence upon all; when thofe who have done good fhall go into eternal life, and those who have done evil into everlasting fire.* Alarming, important truth! What thinking creature can be indifferent to it! Picture the awful fcene to your view; imagine yourfelf now called to the bar of inviolable justice! there enthroned in glory unutterable, fits the Sovereign Judge, the gracious Redeemer! Thousand thousands miniftering unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him! See that earth, once the feat of all your cares and fears, now wrapped in univerfal flame: hark, the heavens are paffing away with infufferable noife; the fun is extinguifhing; the ftars have started from their spheres, and all this system of created things is haftening into utter deftruction! The trump, the awakening trump hath founded, and all the dead, rifing from their fepulchres, are fummoned to appear before the impartial Judge!† Oh, terrible diftrefs! Where, where shall we fly, if confcience condemns us, and we dare not approach that impartial judge? In vain fhall we call upon the rocks to * Matthew xxv. 46. + Man ftarting from his couch, fhall fleep no more; NIGHT THOUGHTS. |