and yet in such a way as to prevent our attaching gross ideas to them. "And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever." Rev. xxii, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There is light without darkness; pure water, debased and poisoned with no dangerous ingredients; a tree of life, laden with abundant, never-failing fruit, but no tree of death. All there is purity and perfection.

But O, what will be the final portion of the wicked! Their misery will have no mitigation. The irrevocable decree has passed, which declares that they shall not see life. They are compelled to drink of the wine of the wrath of God,

which is poured, without mixture, into the cup of his indignation. He that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will show them no favour. If even a drop of water would allay, for a moment, the flames in which they must be tormented, it would not be granted. Those who have listened to the father of lies, rather than the God of truth, must share his terrible doom. Oh, dreadful state! to be shut up with impassable bars in the everlasting burnings of the bottomless pit! to have no companions but devils and condemned spirits; to hear nothing but shrieks of horror and groans of despair amidst the blackness of darkness for ever!

How different the exalted and thrice happy state of the saints. Every chosen vessel will be full of joy. All shall behold the unveiled glory of God, and adore him with seraphic transport. They will unceasingly triumph in the amazing and inexhaustible wonders of redeeming love. The song of the ransomed of the Lord will be, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests to God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

From the view which has been taken of the present consolations and future felicity of the

P

Christian, contrasted with the unhappy state of the wicked, may be seen, in its full force, the truth of the apostle's words, "To you that believe, Christ is precious."

I cannot close this little work without addressing myself in a few words more particularly,

1. To the unbeliever. I do not mean to direct my aim to those who openly avow infidelity, for there is little probability, that such will look into this book; but rather to those who vaguely acknowledge the Divine authority of the Gospel, without either feeling the force of its awful sanctions, or experimentally enjoying its blessings. Alas! there are too many of this description everywhere to be found. Are you, who now read these lines, of the number? Perhaps your mind has hitherto been quite void of serious reflection. You lie stupified and insensible amidst the lulling pleasures of sin, without the least concern about the soul. I would call you, as the ship-master did Jonah, "What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, that thou perish not." Perhaps you presumptuously think yourself already a believer in Christ. Beware of the danger of having a form of godliness, without the power of it. Do not rest content with a dead faith, which can no more quicken

and invigorate the soul, than a picture of fire can warm and revive the frozen limbs. Beware of listening to the specious pleas of self-righteousness, which disincline the heart to submit to the righteousness of God. Weigh seriously the design of God in giving us his revealed will. As the first and great command of the law requires of us to love God with supreme, unabated affection; so the first and chief command of the Gospel requires us fully to believe and honour the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only way of salvation. consider the inevitable consequence of living and dying in impenitence and unbelief. The lying enemy may tell you, you shall not die; the busy scenes of the world may amuse you; some vague, unscriptural ideas of the mercy of God may buoy up your spirits. But set yourself to answer the solemn question, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Consider the deceitfulness of sin, and the emptiness and vanity of the world. O let the weighty and solemn warnings of God's word be laid to heart! Lend a willing ear to the sweet invitations of the glorious Gospel. refuge appointed to afford

There is but one shelter from the

storm; then hasten to it. The blood of Christ has virtue to cleanse, and the grace of Christ

has power to save all that come unto God by him. To whom then can you go, but to him, for eternal life?

2. I address a few words to the believer. 0, Christian! you have been highly favoured of the Lord. He has taken from your hand the cup of trembling, and given you the cup of salvation; your privileges are of the highest order, of the greatest value. Redemption from the vilest slavery! deliverance from the plagues of hell! adoption into the family of God! union and communion with the Lord Jesus! the joy of the Holy Ghost! the bright hope of eternal glory! Ought not every feature to glow with smiles of complacency, and every heart-string to vibrate with emotions of gratitude? Ought not your mouth to be filled with his praise and his honour all the day long? O let Christ be magnified by you, both in life and in death. Let the rest of your time be devoted to the will of God. Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you. Be diligent to add to your faith virtue; to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. And as you find by happy experience the pre