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TtiE DEAtH
OF
KiND`RED
IMPRO'nD.
DERM. XLII.
to
the
land
of
silence, they lie
asleep
in
the dust and
darkness
;
Zech.
i.
5.
Thus
death
is
made
of
advantage
to
us,
even
when
it
strikes
us in so
tender
apart:
For
it teaches
us this
sacred
lesson,
how
vain
and empty are
all
our
hopes
in
crea-
tures
!
The
dart
of death
is
like a
pen of iron
in
his
hand,
and
he
writes emptiness
and vanity
on every friend, on
every relative,
that
he
takes from
our
family,
from
our
side, from
our
bosom
:
He
writes
it
in
deep
and
painful,
'characters,
and
holds
our
souls to the solemn
lesson.
The
same
truth
stands written in many a
part of
the
book of God,
in divine
and
golden
letters
:
but perhaps,
we
would
never have learned
it,
had
not death
copied
it
out
for
us
in
letters
of
blood.
H.
The
death
of
our
kindred drives
us
to a more
im-
mediate and constant dependance
on
God. When
the
stream
is
cut
off,
what should
we
do
but
run
to
the foun-
tain?
If
the stars
vanish,
we
seek
the sun beams. And
'O may the
sun
arise,
and
shine upon
our
.souls
with grow-
ing
light
and
comfort
as
the stars disappear.
!
While our friends or kindred
were alive,
we
made them
our
refuge
in every distress
;
we
have
trusted
in them
perhaps
too
much
;
we
have
lived
too
much upon them,
with
the neglect
of
God. A
parent, a brother, or perhaps
a
dearer
relative
;
these were
our
high tower,
our
de-
fence,
our-sun, and our
shield
:
These
assumed
that
sta-
tion
in
our
hearts,
and
that
high
place
in
our
esteem,
which
is
due
to
God
only. But, when this
tower
is
bat-
tered
down to dust, when
the
shield
of
clay
is
broken to
pieces,
and
this dim
and
feeble sun
turned into
darkness,
then
we
make
God
alone our
sun,
our
shield, and our
high
tower
of
defence.
Then
we
search out
earnestly,
what
kind
and condescending characters and
relations
God
has assumed
in his
word
;
and
we
read and
survey
the gracious
titles
of
our Lord
Jesus
Christ, with
new
and
unknown
delight.
Have
any
of
you
lost
your earthly parents
?
Then
you read
with
pleasure those
words
of
the Psalmist,
If
my
father
or
my
mother
forsake
me, as
they
must
do
at
the
hour of
death, then
the
Lord
will
take
me up,"
Ps.
xxvii.
10.
And
you rejoice in
that
glorious promise,
"
Be ye
separate
from
idols,
saith the Lord
;
that
is,
separate
yourselves
3