MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS. 317 " Omnium fortunatissimm (" Prob dolor ! Proh pudor!) " Intestinas divisor & halloo, Did first divide, and then devour, And made wild waste where -e'er she spread her pow'r, Behold she meets her fatal hour And lies inchain'd in death. la " I Cage ¡dater, mali.num IS Shout at this grabe, O traveller; .Hnjusce sepulchri vaporees ! Triumphant joys that reach the sties " Lmtare, festina, & ora Are here the justest obsequies; " Ne sphingi adeo nefande Shout thrice; then flee afar " Gnus in sevens The pois'nous steams and sten ches a Resurrection's concedatur locus," of the sepulchre; Go, tarn thy face to heaven, and pray, That such a hateful monster never may, Obtain a resurrection -day. XXI. The Death of Lazarus. WHAT a wondrous difference there is betwixt the soul and the body of a poor distressed dying christian ? His flesh per- haps with Lazarus is full of diseases, and in a few moments time it lies dead upon the dunghill; a noisome carcase ! an unlovely and offensive sight ! Then, as though it were unworthy for the earth to bear it, it is thrown under ground to rot in darkness, as a companion and food for worms : But his soul (like one of the lamps of Gideon shining out .at midnight from a broken pitcher) appears immediately in its native brightness and beauty, as a crea- ture born of heaven, and a-kin to God ; it is taken up as an honourable burden for the wings of angels : it is swiftly convey- ed above the heavens, and made a companion for all the sons of God in glory. Luke xvi. 20, 22. Judges vii. 16, 19. Let us take a distinct review of each of these different cir- cumstances of the flesh and spirit, and set them in a just light and in due opposition. The body with all its bones and nerves lies dead and move- less, a demolished prison and broken fetters ; the soul all life and vigour, a prisoner released from all its chains, and exulting in glorious liberty. The body an unworthy load of earth ; the soul a burden fit for an angel's wing. The body thrown under ground, and hid in darkness ; the soul rising above the skies, and shining there in garments of light. The body, the entertainment and the contempt of worms the soul proper company for Christ and his saints. Was it not a stroke of divine love that demolished the pri- son-house, and released the captive ; that broke the dark earthen pitcher, and bid the lamp appear and shine?
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