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7

384

SURPRIZE

IN

DEATH.

CDISC.

III.

dying.

friend

;

these

anxious

fears,

about

the departed

-

spirit,

swell

the tide

of

our grief

high,

and

double the

inward anguish.

They

are

gone,

alas

!

from

our

world,

but

we know

not

'whither they

are

gone, to

heaven

or

to

hell.

A

sad farewel to those

whom

we

love! A dismal

parting-

stroke, and a long

heart-ache!

And

what honour

can

be

'expected

to be

done

to

God

or

his Son,

what

reputation

or

glory can be given to

reli-

gion, and

the

gospel,

by a

drowsy

christian,

departing,

as

it

were,

under

a spiritual lethargy

?

He

dies

under a

cloud,

and

casts a gloom

upon the christian

faith. St.

Paul

was

a man

of

another

spirit,

a

lively

and active

saint,'

full

of

vigour

and

zeal in his soul

:.

It

was

the

holy

resolution

and

assurance

of

this blessed apostle, that'

Christ

should be

magnified=

in

his

body,

whether

by

life

or

death; Phil.

i.

O.

He spent

his life

in the service

of

Christ, and

he

could rejoice

in

death

as his

gain.

It

is

a

glory to the

gospel,

when

we

can

lie

down

and

die

with.

courage, in

the hope

of

its

promised

blessings.

It

is

an

honour

to

our

common

faith, when

it

overcomes the

ter-

rors of

death, and raises

the

christian to a

song.

of tri-

umph,

in

view

of

the last

enemy.

It

is

a new crown

put

upon

the head

of

our,

Redeemer,

and

a

living

cordial

put

into the hands

of

mourning. friends,

in

our

dying

hour,

when

we

can

take

our

leave

of

them

with holy

fortitude,

rejoicing

in

the salvation

of

Christ.

No

sooner does he

call,

but

we

are

ready,

and.can

answer

with holy

trans-

port,

"

Lord,

I

corne."

This

is

a

blessing

that belongs

only to the

watchful

christian. May every

one

of

us be

awake

to

salvation

in

our

expiring moments,

and

partake

of

this glorious blessedness

!

["

Here

this discourse may

be

divided.

"]

I

proceed

now to

a

few

remarks, and

particularl;

such

as

relate

to

the

necessity

and duty of constant watch

fulness,

and the

hazardous

case

of

sleeping

souls.

Remark I.

"

To

presume

on long

life

is

a

most

dan-

gerous

temptation,

for

it

is

the common spring

and

cause

of

spiritual

sleep and

drowsiness.

Could

we

take an in-

ward

view

of

the

hearts of

men,

and trace

out

the springs

rbf

their

'coldness

and

indifference

about eternal

things,

and the

shameful neglect.

of their

most

important

inter-

ests,

we

should

find

this

secret thought

is

the

-

Bottom

of

their

hearts,

"

that

we

are not

like to die -to-day of

to

-.