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shadow of his gourd, we are sitting in a state of darkness and despair, where all is vanity and vexation of spirit, and where all things are given up as a prey to corruption and death.

If we look into the history of mankind, it presents us with little more than the records of a poor perishing world, rushing hastily on to its own destruction. We read of mighty empires founded, of magnificent cities built, of great political revolutions planned and accomplished: but, at the present period, they are so totally demolished and swept away, as to leave no trace behind. In one page, a crowd of mighty actors are brought forward, disturbing the earth with their long and loud contentions for superiority: we hear their vauntings, we mark their preparations, and wonder at their extravagancies. In the next page, we behold them disgraced and overthrown, loaded with chains, shut up in dungeons, or dragged to the scaffold. Thus one generation has followed another across the stage of life, with a degree of rapidity and disorder involving them in circumstances of almost inextricable confusion. While they lived, they kept the

world in a state of tumult and uproar: but now they are gone by, and passed away; like so many idle shadows. Ambitious monarchs have put away those tarnished crowns and sceptres, for which they waded through seas of human blood-illustrious statesmen have laid aside their splendid badges of office and mighty warriors have dropped from their hands the sword and the shield. Forgetting all their well-digested projects of aggrandizement, and divested of all their transitory honours, they have made their bed in darkness, and laid them down. in the dust. So all the grandeur and glory of the world pass away, and, “like the baseless fabric of a vision, leave not a wreck behind" He bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city he layeth it low, he bringeth it even to the dust; the poor shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

If we look into the records of our own memory, we are there also presented with the volume of death, and a gloomy register of things irrecoverably past and gone. How many of our early companions have made their rapid passage into the land of forget

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shadow of his gourd, we are sitting in a state of darkness and despair, where all is vanity and vexation of spirit, and where all things are given up as a prey to corruption and death.

If we look into the history of mankind, it presents us with little more than the records of a poor perishing world, rushing hastily on to its own destruction. We read of mighty empires founded, of magnificent cities built, of great political revolutions planned and accomplished: but, at the present period, they are so totally demolished and swept away, as to leave no trace behind. In one page, a crowd of mighty actors are brought forward, disturbing the earth with their long and loud contentions for superiority: we hear their vauntings, we mark their preparations, and wonder at their extravagancies. In the next page, we behold them disgraced and overthrown, loaded with chains, shut up in dungeons, or dragged to the scaffold. Thus one generation has followed another across the stage of life, with a degree of rapidity and disorder involving them in circumstances of almost inextricable confusion. While they lived, they kept the

world in a state of tumult and uproar: but now they are gone by, and passed away; like so many idle shadows. Ambitious monarchs have put away those tarnished crowns and sceptres, for which they waded through seas of human blood-illustrious statesmen have laid aside their splendid badges of office—and mighty warriors have dropped from their hands the sword and the shield. Forgetting all their well-digested projects of aggrandizement, and divested of all their transitory honours, they have made their bed in darkness, and laid them down in the dust. So all the grandeur and glory of the world pass away, and, "like the baseless fabric of a vision, leave not a wreck behind"-He bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city he layeth it low, he bringeth it even to the dust; the poor shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

If we look into the records of our own memory, we are there also presented with the volume of death, and a gloomy register of things irrecoverably past and gone. How many of our early companions have made their rapid passage into the land of forget

A A

shadow of his gourd, we are sitting in a state of darkness and despair, where all is vanity and vexation of spirit, and where all things are given up as a prey to corruption and death.

If we look into the history of mankind, it presents us with little more than the records of a poor perishing world, rushing hastily on to its own destruction. We read of mighty empires founded, of magnificent cities built, of great political revolutions planned and accomplished: but, at the present period, they are so totally demolished and swept away, as to leave no trace behind. In one page, a crowd of mighty actors are brought forward, disturbing the earth with their long and loud contentions for superiority: we hear their vauntings, we mark their preparations, and wonder at their extravagancies. In the next page, we behold them disgraced and overthrown, loaded with chains, shut up in dungeons, or dragged to the scaffold. Thus one generation has followed another across the stage of life, with a degree of rapidity and disorder involving them in circumstances of almost inextricable confusion. While they lived, they kept the

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