....4.... "Death is armed with a dreadful fting, and accompanied with many terrors. His fting I feel within me, his terrors fhake my trembling foul, and pierce me through. I fee his ghaftly looks, I behold his horrid grin, and even feel his fangs fastening on my wafting flesh. My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me. O merciful Redeemer, speak peace to my anxious bofom, fay to my foul, I am thy falvation! I will deliver thee from going down to the pit, for I have redeemed thee, and given my own life a ransom for thee. I have tafted death for thee, I have encountered and subdued thy dreaded foe, to make thee more than conqueror over him.' 6 "Lord, help me to believe thy faithful word, and to take the comfort of it. Haft thou not faid, 'O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy deftruction?' Haft thou not wrested the weapon out of the enemy's hand, and destroyed him that had the power of death, that thou mighteft be the Deliverer of them who through fear of death were all their life-time fubject to bondage? Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.—I see, I feel the thick gloom begin to break, and the light of divine favour beaming on my foul. The wounds of my dying Saviour are healing to my languishing heart. He takes the fting of death away, and gives. me me peace by the blood of his cross. My God through this is reconciled, I hear his pardoning voice, I feel his celeftial confolations, and can now adopt the triumphant challenge, O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jefus Chrift! Now, Lord, letteft thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy falvation. Though I walk through the valley of the fhadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me!"* It The following truly fublime effufions of Dr. YOUNG'S evangelical muse, can never be too much admired. To man the bleeding crofs has promis'd all; A rebel 'midft the thunders of his throne! Nor I alone! a rebel univerfe! My fpecies up in arms! Not one exempt! O'er It is through the favour of God, that the foul immediately, on its difmiffion from the body, is received into the manfions of glory. None but the objects of his love are admitted into his prefencechamber. It is true, we hear not his audible voice, as the penitent thief did, faying, To-day fhalt thou be with me in paradife. Yet God fpeaks to us by his faithful word of promise, and on that ground the believer may fay with the Pfalmift, "God shall redeem my foul from the power of the grave, for he fhall receive me." That is, He fhall receive me O'er guilt (how mountainous!) with out-ftretch'd arms Stern juftice and soft smiling love embrac❜d, What but the fathomless of thought divine ......... me, by his fpecial favour, into a state of safety and happiness. With what holy joy and transport may we look through death's dark vale, when we fee the crown in our Redeemer's hands, ready to be placed on our heads! When we behold the bleffed Jefus ready to put the victorious palm in our hands, and to fix our station among the triumphant throng, who have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! The dying faint may, with holy confidence, commit his foul to the hands of his Redeemer, and be perfuaded of its fafety there. He may fay, "Lord, I am now taking my leave of this world, and of my dying body, receive my departing spirit; let angels be its convoy to Abraham's bofom. I leave my duft also to thy care, regardless of the infignificant ceremony of a pompous funeral. Let my unfettered foul, difmiffed from the burden of the flesh, afcend to thee, my portion and my happinefs; let it take the wings of a dove, let it fly away, and be at reft!" Through the divine favour, the dying faint cherishes the sure and certain hope of a blessed and glorious refurrection at the laft day. "The earthly house," fays he, "of this tabernacle must be taken down; ke down; I muft drop these clothes of flefh, as Elijah dropped his mantle when he afcended to the fkies. This my feeble frame is diffolving; it will presently be a lifeless mass, and must turn to duft and corruption. It will be the feaft of worms, and mingle with the common mould. Yet in this ftate of dif honour, through the favour of God, my crumbling bones and wafting flefh fhall be the care of Heaven. My body shall fleep in Jefus : it was redeemed by him, as well as my foul. And at the last great rifing day, my scattered duft fhall be gathered up again, and this vile body be fashioned like Chrift's glorious body, according to his working, who is able to fubdue all things unto himself. "I am fully affured by Him that cannot lie, that a happy re-union of body and foul shall take place, at the refurrection of the juft. The foul defcending with its triumphant Redeemer, fhall meet the glorified body, newly rifen from the tomb, and both be fweetly and happily united, to jar no more, nor ever more to know a separation. What a joyful union, what a happy marriage-day will this be, between the foul made perfect in purity, and the glorified body! Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The body will be dignified with fpirituality, with immortality, and with fuch ineffable glory, that it will fhine like the fun in the |