said, "Because I live, ye shall live also," and it must be so ! "Else why this pleasing hope, this fond desire, Blessed, thrice blessed be the name of the Most High! Man shall live again! Those feelings which have rendered us so happy here, shall be renewed in a fairer and brighter world. The friendships which have been formed between us upon earth, shall be perfected in the realms of unbounded love, where the praise of God and the Lamb shall be the delightful employment of a beatified universe. Gospel Joys. The You have felt what I would fain express. gospel has often caused your bosom to thrill with the feelings of heaven; your heart to burn with the fire of love; and your eyes to be filled with tears of joy. And with such a precious treasure, engaged in a cause so glorious, how happy should we be! What ardent gratitude should we feel! What joy should be ours! We may be separated and cast far from each other; mountains may heave their towering summits, and rivers roll in grandeur between us; the silence of midnight - a and a hope may often find us wrapt in study; storms and tempests may howl around us; still we can be happy. We have a companion, whose soothing voice is ever heard. The Comforter, even the quickening Spirit, is ours. We have a light to guide us, which never grows dim a fire to warm us, which the troubles of earth cannot quench faith to sustain us, which never fails which takes hold on immortality, and gives us bright visions of "the spirit-land." O, then, let us cling to the gospel; it will stand by us when all things else shall fail. Our friends may leave us— those we love may lie down in death the eye of affection may grow dim, and the last farewell of many a fond one be spoken; but still, faith in the gospel will remain, shining brighter and brighter amid surrounding darkness. Above all things else, spare me my faith. "Then, should the earth's firm pillars shake, My steady soul shall fear no more Than solid rocks, when billows roar." Pleasure and Duty of Ministers. To preach the gospel - to proclaim good tidings. to make known "the unsearchable riches of Christ" - to reclaim the wandering to convince the doubting to bind up the broken-hearted! Can there be an employment more divine, a work more worthy the love and devotion of man? I know there are toils and trials, crosses and sufferings, connected with the labors of the Christian minister; but to me these are as dust in the balance, when contrasted with the joy, the bliss, the rapturous delight, which flow from a duty so pleasing, a privilege so precious and holy. Universalism, Heaven knows, I love. It is a treasure which I prize, a gift which I hold dear as existence itself. It is the angel of mercy! It is Christianity in its pristine purity and glory! And, its professed ministers, what responsibilities rest upon us! How holy should be our lives; how upright our conduct; how humble our spirits; how fervent our devotion; how ardent our zeal, in a cause so sublime and glorious! If there is one thing which I ardently desire, and for which I fervently pray, it is, that I may be a faithful minister of Jesus Christ; that my works may ever evince the purity of my religion; my example attest the sincerity of my profession; and my zeal and devotion show forth the strength of my faith; and so long as God shall bless me with existence, may my love for the world and its alluring vanities be swallowed up and lost in my love for the gospel of my Redeemer. Spread of Truth. THE Lord grant that this blessed truth may go on, from conquering to conquer, until darkness and error shall be known no more, and the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of God. As coworkers in this glorious cause, may we, my brother, be inspired with renewed zeal in the work which is before us be more engaged, and more faithful in our Master's service and be instruments, in the hands of the Most High, of hastening the happy era when the tottering walls of Mystery Babylon shall crumble into dust, and the anthems of victory shall be chanted on the watch-tower of Zion. This time will come. The bigot may murmur, and the Pharisee oppose; but truth will prevail. God hath declared it; angels desire it; good men pray for it; and, Heaven be praised, their prayers shall be answered. Flight of Thought. WHAT a privilege is that which we enjoy, in being able to hold intercourse, sweet interchange of thought, by the silent language of the pen! The travels of thought, the workings of the mind, how wonderful! With the rapidity of lightning the spirit flies through immensity-communes with kindred spirits grasps at infinity! Who can understand its greatness? Who can know its power? Who will unravel the mystery; for mysterious surely it is, that the spirit which now directs this pen should be at the same moment by thy side, beholding thy face, though thou art far away? O may its goings forth from the earthly tenement bring it nearer to Him in whose presence is "fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore!" Devotional Desires. We need more fire E more love more of the true spirit of devotion. Ours is a religion which demands continual perseverance. It forbids our standing still. It is continually urging us onward to higher attainments, to more glorious achievements in our warfare with ignorance and sin. It calls for the exercise of all our moral and intellectual faculties; it bids us "grow in grace;" it spurns the narrow fetters of a creed; lifts the soul above the alluring vanities of time; strips the free spirit of those chains which have bound it to earth, and unfolds to its expanding powers scenes of improvement and glory, which shall end only with eternity. |