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satisfaction. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord! My choicest hopes, my best desires, and all the sacred treasures of my soul are already gone before. And now, O Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit; for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.

In this manner the children of the kingdom, from age to age, have joyfully followed one another to their promised inheritance: and they will continue to do so, till their number shall be completed, and time be known no more. Then shall be realized that apocalyptic description of St. JohnI saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven Aed away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to his works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This forms one of the finishing scenes of the mystery of God. And when this victory shall be completed, then shall this corruptible put on incorruption, and

this mortal shall put on immortality. And there shall be no more curse: but the tabernacle of God shall be with men; and they shall see his face, and behold his glory, and celebrate his triumphs over sin and death in songs of everlasting praise.

But while I am speaking of these things, I perceive some of you sitting before God with the tear in your eye. As Rachel wept for her children, and refused to be comforted, because they were not; so you are lamenting the loss of a dear departed son, the ornament of your house, and the delight of your eyes. The great Proprietor of the universe has visited your garden, and gathered thence a rose not fully blown. But who shall challenge him for this? Does not all you possess belong to him? And has he not a right to do as he will with his own? Perhaps, my mourning friends, you were building too much upon the promising appearance of this tender plant, whose removal now affords you an affecting proof of the instability of every earthly comfort. Your whole flowery plot of ground might have been stripped, at once, of all its lovely productions: and, for a time, this appears

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to have been threatened. But, in the midst of judgment, your heavenly Father hath remembered mercy, leaving you still surrounded with a little goodly band of blooming descendants. These he still continues in your charge for an uncertain season, that your remaining son may be trained up his service, and that your daughters may be made as the polished corners of his temple. And here permit me to remind you, that your ultimate rest must be, not in them, but in that gracious God, out of whose watchful care and keeping no security can be found. He is our refuge and our rest; and whenever we cease to depend upon Him, we cast away the only prop that can support us in the day of trouble. Let no man, then, presume to say, I will build my nest on high, where I shall dwell above the reach of evil for were we privileged to make our choice among all the trees of this wide wilderness for such a purpose, it would be utterly in vain; since the whole forest is sold into the hand of death, and will assuredly come down.

Here we have no continuing city; but we seek one to come, where we shall see

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ourselves fixed in a state of inconceivable felicity, hard by the throne of God, and far beyond the utmost range of death's destroying shafts. Hear this, O thou, who art bitterly mourning and breaking thine heart over those endeared relations and those sweet contents, which have been torn from thine embraces. A time is coming, when all of these shall be restored to thee with wonderful advantage; when thou shalt find thyself re-associated with them in a state of blessedness, which will remunerate thee richly for every pang thou hast endured, and immeasurably overpay every loss thou hast sustained.

Seeing therefore, brethren, that ye look for such things, endeavour daily to rise above the restless cares and wasting sorrows of the present life, setting your affections on things above, and having your conversation in heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

THE END.

LONDON:

IBOTSON AND PALMER, PRINTERS, SAVOY STREET, STRAND.

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