called the "The Great Concern, or Preparation for Death." Y. Y.. ance. THE long-suffering of God should lead us to repentWhat infinite mercy it is, that God hath spared us thus long, and still does spare us, to set all things right, to make all ready for a dying hour! O, my brethren, how great is the sparing mercy of God towards us! We have been, some of us, ten, some twenty, some thirty, some forty, some fifty, some sixty years in the world; and still God spares us; still he lets us live and enjoy good. And why is all this? Surely to set things right in our souls, to make us ready for a dying hour. And shall we yet neglect it? O let us think a little with ourselves, how long ago the grave might have swallowed us up! How long ago might time and days have been at an end with us, and our souls fixed in a miserable eternity! But still God spares us, and we are yet in the land of the living, with a door of mercy and grace yet open unto us; at least, a possibility left us of knowing the things of our peace in our day, of making provision for death and eternity! Great, indeed, is this mercy. Consider how long God hath spared, and does spare us, beyond thousands and ten thousands of others. God does not spare all in this manner, as he has spared, and does still spare, us: alas! how many thousands are there now among the dead, who came into being long since we did! Their glass is run, their sun is set, their day is over, their hopes and expectations are all at an end; their souls are fixed in an eternal condition, a condition that will admit of neither change nor period for ever;-and yet we are still spared. They came into the world long after us, and are gone into eternity before us. Yea, how many are there, that never reached one half the years that we have arrived unto! their sun hath set in the morning. How many of us have out-lived our yoke-fellows, our children, our servants, our friends and acquaintance! We are still left: and all this that we might prepare for a dying hour. The patience of God should lead us to repentance, (Rom. ii. 4.) O that it may so do! 1834.1 PREPARATION FOR DEATH. 263 Consider and contemplate what a wide door of mercy there is open to you, and what a fair opportunity God gives you, to make a blessed provision for your souls and eternity. What shall I say? The way of salvation is made plain to you, and you are daily called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb: the great King of Heaven invites you to come and partake of His Gospel-feast. By one and another servant of his, which he sends to you, he lets you know that all things are ready, all that your souls can need to make them happy for ever; Christ is ready, and in him life is ready, grace is ready, peace is ready, pardon is ready, a complete righteousness, or your justification and acceptation with God is ready, heaven is ready, salvation is ready; and withal, he bids you come, yea, he earnestly importunes and solicits you to come and feast your souls upon these things; he freely and frequently offers himself and all to you, entreating your acceptance: yea more, when he calls you to repentance, he assures you of a most welcome and ready reception, notwithstanding all your sins and miscarriages. "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out;" my grace is full and sufficient, my blood has an infinite virtue in it, my spirit is powerful and efficacious, I am every way" mighty to save,"-"able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by me." This is really the language of Christ to poor sinners; he sends his Spirit to enlighten, to convince, to persuade, to draw and allure them. How wide a door of mercy is here open to you; and how fair is your opportunity of preparing for, and making sure of a blessed eternity! As you love your souls then, and would live for ever, seek through Christ for pardon, for the safety of your eternal souls: in his strength enter upon the work of repenting and believing, the work of your souls and eternity. Seek to know the things which belong to your peace in this your day! lest, neglecting them, Christ speedily say of you, as once, weeping, he did of Jerusalem, (Luke xix. 42.) "O that thou hadst known, even in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." THE CHRISTIAN CHILD AT THE HOUR OF DEATH. MR. EDITOR, THE insertion of the following testimonial in favour of national education, together with the anecdote of the little girl, who derived so much comfort from a knowledge of the Scriptures, may have the twofold advantage of encouraging a portion of your readers, who kindly interest themselves about the formation and management of schools; and also of directing the attention of parents, to the great benefits which their families derive from their institution. With an earnest hope that this may prove the case, I remain, your obedient Servant, The following anecdote of a little girl, only ten years of age, on her death-bed, will go far in proof of the good arising from religious instruction. At the meeting of the Committee of the Pancras National School in November last, a woman presented herself before them, to thank them for the great comfort which she and her family, and more particularly a dying child, had derived from the religious instruction imparted to her at the School. It appeared, that during the prevalence of the cholera, in the summer months, this poor child was seized by that dreadful disease, which soon assumed such a character that the case was pronounced hopeless. Her friends began to weep and lament-but their grief was shortly turned into admiration; for, with the greatest composure, during every pause from suffering, she quoted consolatory passages of Scripture, and referred them to others. In short, her whole thoughts were employed on her own preparation for eternity, and in the consolation of her relatives-and she died, repeating hymns and prayers which she had learnt at school. Here then was a child "rejoicing in hope," amidst the agonies of a violent and untimely death-and a mother "comforted," under the loss of her child;-and these are the blessed effects of a National School! 1834.] 265 THE BEGINNING OF A HOLY LIFE. (Continued from page 191.) "THE fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"and the first step towards a holy life, must be a serious thinking and turning our hearts to Christ, as him by whom alone we can have " access to the Father," and without whom we can do nothing. He it is whom Scripture sets before us as that gracious "Mediator," that" Prince and Saviour," who giveth "repentance and forgiveness of sins" to all who truly believe in Him, and call upon God for these blessings through Him. To Him, therefore, must we lift up our eyes, and pour out our souls, in earnest supplication for His Grace, and the quickening influences of His Spirit. Without these, we shall find ourselves feeble, even like those who have "no life in them;" no considerations, no purposes, or holy resolutions, will avail us anything; but always, and in everything we shall be finding "the flesh to be weak," even when "the spirit is willing." It is probably because we do not earnestly seek the strength of the Holy Spirit through Him, who is our effectual intercessor, that those good purposes and resolutions which we profess and make in sickness, or under any sudden alarm, or solemn warning, so often fail to produce any lasting change in our lives and conversation. At such seasons, we see, indeed, how much it concerns us "to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God;" -but we are apt to forget that this must be, and can be only through Jesus Christ. Ashamed of our follies, and dreading their consequences, we would gladly conquer and overcome those evil affections which lead to them, but we do not enough consider that in this spiritual warfare, we can be conquerors only through Him who loved us even unto death, through Him who is the Captain of our salvation, who hath himself " triumphed gloriously" over the enemies of our salvation--and who hath commanded us to cut off a right hand, and pluck out a right eye, rather than endanger the salvation of our souls. That salvation which He hath purchased, but which we must pursue through unwearied exertion, and patient perseverance in the path of duty. On Him, then, who is our strength, and under whose banner we have enlisted, on Him let us fix our hope and our heart! Conscious how many who engage in this warfare fail, because they do not offer themselves, soul and body, to Him in a feeling sense of their own weakness, and with a true desire of being wholly under the guidance of His Spirit. Do thou, O Christian soul, beware of so fatal a neglect! Lift up thine eyes and heart to Him "from whom cometh our help!" Do it fervently-do it devoutly -and in a feeling sense of thine own weakness say, Lord Jesus be thou my helper-Grant me true repentance, and bless me in turning from all my iniquities. Without thee I can do nothing--but let thy "strength be made perfect in my weakness." Raise me from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. And guide me in the paths of life and salvation by thy sanctifying Spirit! When thou hast thus offered thyself to thy Saviour, remember carefully what thou hast done. Frequently call thy ways to remembrance, and observe diligently what is amiss in the temper of thy heart, in the conduct of thy life, and in thy words, or way of thinking.. "Watch and pray"—is thy Saviour's command. Therefore, when thou hast offered thyself to Him, and earnestly prayed for His help; be watchful over thyself, and see that thou "receive not the grace of God in vain". "Keep thy heart with all diligence," and have a care of drawing back after thou hast once made a beginning, and set thy face towards heaven. "No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." C. P. F. EXTRACT FROM BISHOP HENSHAWE. - "GOD's Church must be a lily among thorns; and while I am a member of the Church, I must not look to fare better than the whole body. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, well may it be endured by those of the household; my comfort is, if I am reviled for His sake, I shall be blessed." |