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SEAM.

XTV

7

WERE AND

HEREAFTER.

247

night, and arise

in

the

morning,

and have

this

hope

not

increased? Have

I

so

little expectation

of

my

appearing

well

there, and

yet

rest

contented

under it

?

Do I

worship now with

that

sincerity

and

devotion,

as

those

who

must

hereafter

come to be

judged

?

Could

we,

dare

we,

indulge ourselves

in

the neglect

of

any

duty,

ar

cómmission

of 'any

sin,

or

careless

performance

of

the

religious services

we owe' to

God,.at

the

rate

we

now do,

had

this

great appearance

before

God at judgment

been

often

upon

our

thoughts?

Alas

!

these things vanish

from

our

minds, many times,

together

with

the

breath

and air that

forms the words

:

Business,

or

cares,

or

the

diversions

of

this

life,

turn

away

the

soul

from

God and

judgment. We

dwell in

flesh, we

see

not God, and

we

are

ready, foolishly,

to

imagine

that

we

shall

never

see

him

:

We

thrust

this

hour

at

such a distance,

as

though

it

would never

come;

we

put

it

afar off

as

an

evil

day.

But

let

us

stand

still

here, and

consider a

little:

This

evening

we

are

come to

appear

before

God

in

worship;

we see

ourselves here,

and

see

each

other;

we

are

sure

it

is

a reality,

and not a

dream; yet

seven

years

ago,

this evening

was

at

so

vast a distance from

us,

that

we

scarce

knew how

to

realize

it

to

our

thoughts,

and make

it, as

it

were,

present: but

now

all

that

long

distance

is

vanished,,

and

this evening

is

come; those

days

are

all

passed,

and

this

hour

is

upon

us,

Thus it

is

in

the case

of

death

and

judgment.

Seven

years

hence,

it

is

móst

likely, some one

or more

of

us,

and perhaps

every

one

of

us,

shall

appear

before

the

bar of God

our

Judge;

that

appointed hour

will come,

how-

ever it

seem

afar off

now

;

and then

it

will be

as

real

an

appearance

as this

present hour

is,

bùt

a much

more solemn

one;

we

shall

see

and

feel

ourselves there,

and

know

it

is

not

a

dream,

but

an awful reality.

Consider further,

that it

can be

but

a few

*wen years

more, before every one

of

us

must certainly

appear

at

the

judgment-seat of God

;

and

as

long

as

those years

seem.now, yet they

will

quickly

fly

away,

and the

last

hour

will be

upon

us.

Think

how many

of your ac-

quaintance,

in

Ramon.

years past, have made

their

ap-

pearance

before

-God,

have

past their

final

trial,

and

received

their everlasting sentence:

And each

of

us may

say,

"

Why should

not

I

be

the next?

What

is

there

in

x4