decays of nature, and to prove that the blessedness of an immortal soul arises from himself. It is the last time till the resurrection morn, in which God permits the world to look upon his children; and then, when he is taking them away, he presents them with a smile of peace upon their countenance, and sometimes with the song of victory upon their lips. He seems to make it a point, to meet them in the dark valley, and reserve his strongest cordials for their expiring moments. It is said of those that believe in Jesus, that they shall not see death. The grim monster is in the gloomy passage; but Christ interposing between him and the dying believer, the Christian, looking only at the Saviour, passes by without noticing the terrors of the last enemy. God has promised not to forsake his people even amidst the troubles of life, but he compasseth them with his presence amidst the sorrows of death. Seldom is the consistent professor left to darkness and distress in his last moments; on the contrary, he usually finds his dying chamber to be the vestibule of heaven, where the anthems of the redeemed are heard within, inviting him to the work of everlasting praise.

BE with me in the valley,

When flesh and heart shall fail,
And softly, safely, lead me on

Until within the veil.

Then faith shall turn to gladness,
To find myself with Thee,
And trembling hope shall realize,
Her full felicity.

Angels shall gather round me,
And joyous greeting give

To sinners brought from sinful earth
With them to joy and live.

But angels shall be silent,
While dearer spirits press,
To mingle with my gushing joy,
Their calmer happiness.

And meekly shall they bear me,
Through that bright company,
Towards the higher throne of Him,
Who died to welcome me.

No further guidance needing,

Together we shall bend,

And bless the grace that loving once,

Hath loved us to the end.

Oh meet me in the valley,

When flesh and heart shall fail,

And softly, safely, lead me on,

Until within the veil.

And Saviour deal as gently,

With those I leave behind,

Till each shall in our heavenly home,

As sweet a welcome find.

D

THINK upon me, O my God, for good in this my affliction; in the midst of my thoughts within me, let thy comforts delight my soul, and make all my bed in my sickness.

If this sickness be unto death, prepare me for the solemn event, and be with me in it. But we are allowed to implore deliverance with submission; nothing is too hard for the Lord; thou canst heal as well as wound; I pray thee, therefore, if it be thy good pleasure, that thou wilt put efficacy into the means, rebuke the disorder, renew my strength, and prolong the days of thy servant.

Above all, let the dispensation be sanctified to me and my connexions; and may all of us have reason to acknowledge in the review, It is good for me that I have been afflicted. this I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen.

And

7.

REUNION OF SAINTS IN HEAVEN.

ROBERT HALL.

If the mere conception of the reunion of good men, in a future state, infused a momentary rapture into the mind of Tully; if an airy speculation, for there is reason to fear it had little hold on his convictions, could

inspire him with such delight, what may we be expected to feel, who are assured of such an event by the true sayings of God? How should we rejoice in the propect, the certainty rather, of spending a blissful eternity with those whom we loved on earth; of seeing them emerge from the ruins of the tomb, and the deeper ruins of the fall, not only uninjured, but refined and perfected with every tear wiped from their eyes; standing before the throne of God and the Lamb, in white robes, and palms in their hands, crying with a loud voice, Salvation to God that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever! What delight will it afford to renew the sweet counsel we have taken together, to recount the toils of combat, and the labour of the way, and to approach, not the house, but the throne of God, in company, in order to join in the symphonies of heavenly voices, and lose ourselves amidst the splendours and fruitions of the beatific vision!

To that state all the pious on earth are tending; and if there is a law, from whose operation none are exempt, which irresistibly conveys their bodies to darkness and to dust, there is another, not less certain or less powerful, which conducts their spirits to the abodes of bliss, to the bosom of their Father and their God. The wheels of nature are not made to roll backwards; every thing presses on towards eternity. From the birth of time an impetuous current has set in, which bears all the sons of men towards that interminable ocean. Meanwhile heaven is attracting to itself whatever is congenial to its nature is enriching itself by the spoils of earth, and collecting within its capacious bosom whatever is pure, permanent, and divine, leaving nothing for the

Let

last fire to consume, but the objects and the slaves of concupiscence; while every thing which grace has prepared and beautified shall be gathered and selected from the ruins of the world, to adorn that eternal city which hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God doth enlighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Let us obey the voice that calls us thither; let us seek the things which are above, and no longer cleave to a world that must shortly perish, and which we must shortly quit, while we neglect to prepare for that in which we are invited to dwell for ever. us follow in the track of those holy men, who have taught us by their voice, and encouraged us by their example, that, laying aside every weight, and the sin that most easily besets us, we may run with patience the race that is set before us. While every thing within us and around us reminds us of the approach of death, and concurs to teach us that this is not our rest, let us hasten our preparations for another world, and earnestly implore that grace which alone can put an end to that fatal war which our desires have too long waged with our destiny. When these move in the same direction, and that which the will of heaven renders unavoidable shall become our choice, all things will be ours; life will be divested of its vanity, and death disarmed of its terrors. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for, and hasting unto, the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.