Break radiant through the fhades of night,
And chafe thefe clouds away.

Then fhall my foul with rapture trace
The tokens of thy love,.
But the full glories of thy face,
Are only known above.

Death vanquished.

THE Ifraelites muft firft pafs over Jordan, before they land in Canaan; but no fooner did the feet of the priests who bare the ark of the covenant, reft in the water, than the proud waves faw it and fled, and the fwelling stream was driven back, and laid in heaps to let them pass over fafe and well; fo every child of God is like an Ifraelite in the wilderness of this world, travelling to the land of promise; death is that Jordan which runs between this wilderness and our Canaan; it is that fwelling ftream which overflows the banks of every mortal creature; it is that laft river which must be paffed over; but this is the happiness of a child of God, that Jesus Christ our high prieft, who bears the everlasting covenant upon his shoulders, hath already dipt his feet into the brim of this water, infomuch that the streams of bitterness are diverted, the fting of death plucked out, and the water of the falt fea is dried up; the power of the curfe is cut off, fa that death is but a fure ftep to glory. Why

then am I afraid to die? The channel is dry, I fee the footsteps of my Saviour at the bottom, and heaven and happiness on the other fide; fo that the waters fhall not go over my foul; they may go over my fins, they may go over my miferies, they may go over my troubles; but my foul fhall go over to its reft. Lord, therefore fit and fanctify me for my removal, and then I cannot be too foon with thee.

DEATH cannot make my foul afraid,
If God be with me there;
Soft is the paffage through the fhade,
And all the profpect fair.

Jefus, the vifion of thy face

Hath overpowering charms;

Scarce fhall I feel death's cold embrace,

If Chrift be in my arms.

'There everlasting spring abides,

And never with'ring flowers:
Death like a narrow ftream divides
That heavenly land from ours.

Sweet fields beyond the fwelling flood,
Stand dreft in living green;
So to the Jews old Canaan ftood,
While Jordan roll'd between.

O could I make my fears remove,
Thefe gloomy fears which rife;
And fee the Canaan which I love,
With unbeclouded eyes :

Clafp'd in my heavenly Father's arms,
I would forget to breathe,
And lofe my life amidst the charme
Of so divine a death.

The use of Riches.

THAT good which is in riches, lieth alto gether in their use ; like the woman's box of oint ment, if it be not broken and poured out for the fweet refreshment of Jefus Chrift in his diftreffed members, they lose their worth; therefore the covetous man may truly write upon his rufting heaps, Thefe are good for nothing. Chryfoftom tells us, that he is not rich who lays up much, but he who lays out much; for it is all one not to have, and not to ufe. I will therefore be the richer by a charitable laying out, while the worldling fhall be the poorer, by his covetous hoarding up.

1. THO' troubles affail, and dangers affright;
Tho' friends fhould all fail, and foes all unite,
Yet one thing secures us whatever betide,
The promise enfures us the Lord will provide.
The birds, without barns or ftore-houfe are fed;
Like them let us learn to truft for our bread:
His faints what is fitting fhall ne'er be denied,
So long as 'tis written the Lord will provide.

3. We all may like ships with tempests be teß Ón perilous deeps but need not be loft, Tho' Satan enrages the wind and the tide, Yet fcripture engages the Lord will provide. 4. Thy call we obey, like Abram of old;

We know not the way, but faith makes us bold;
Altho' we are ftrangers, we have a sure guide,
And truft in all dangers the Lord will provide.
5. When Satan appears to ftop up our path,
And fills us with fears, we triumph by faith:
He cannot take from us, tho' oft he has tried,
The heart-cheering promife, the Lord will pro-
vide.

6. He tells us we're weak, our hope is in vain.;
The good that we seek, we ne'er shall obtain
But when fuch fuggeftions our graces have tried,
Thisanfwers all queftions, the Lord will provide.
7. No ftrength of our own, nor goodness we claim;
Our trust is all thrown upon Jefus's name;
In this our strong tower for fafety we hide;
The Lord is our power, the Lord will provide.
8. When life finks apace, and death is in view,
The word of his grace fhall comfort us thro';
Not fearing nor doubting with Chrift on our fide,
We hope to die fhouting, the Lord will provide.

The absence of God on earth

WHAT is hell, what is damnation, but an exclufion from thy prefence? "Tis the want of that which gives the regions of darkness all their horror. What is heaven, what are the fatisfactions of angels, but the views of thy glory? What but thy fmiles and complacence are the springs of their immortal transports?

Without the light of thy countenance, what privilege is my being? What canit thou thyfelf give me to countervail the infinite lofs? Could the riches, the empty glories, and infipid pleasures of the world recompence me for it? Ah no; not all the variety of the creation could fatisfy me while I am deprived of thee. Let the ambitious, the licentious, and covetous, fhare thefe, trifles among themfelves; they are no amufements for my dejected thoughts.

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There was a time (but ah! that happy time is paft, thofe blifsful moments gone) when, with a modeft affurance, I could call thee "my father, my almighty friend, my defence, my hope, and my exceeding great reward." But thefe glorious advantages are loft, thofe ravishing profpects withdrawn, and to my trembling foul thou doft no more appear but as a confuming fire, an inacceffible majefty, my fevere judge, my omnipotent adverfary; and who fhall deliver me out of thy hands? where fhall I find a fhelter from thy wrath! what fhades can cover me from thy allfeeing eye?