soul, what if thou hadst now been snatched away, and thy body left a mass of loathsome corruption? Where wouldst thou have been? Wert thou ready for glory? What assurance hadst thou of a better state? Didst thou not then wish to have been in a more prepared condition? If so, let it serve as a warning to thee. Give God the glory of thy deliverance; devote thyself more entirely to Him; do at once whatever needs to be done to fit thee for meeting Him in peace; and live in constant readiness for the hour that shall summon thee to His presence.

When the shades of evening fall around you, and the sky is full of stars, think: Another day of my life is gone, and I am so much nearer to eternity. What improvement have I made of these precious hours? Have I used them to the glory of God? Am I more ripe for heaven now than when the morning dawned? O Lord, lift up the light of Thy countenance upon me. I walk through a dark night of error, perplexity, and trial. Show me the path of life. Let the blessed day-star arise in my heart. When, O when shall my soul be translated above yonder twinkling stars, to shine in the celestial firmament for ever and ever! And when you lay aside your garments and seek your wonted repose, meditate thus: Even so must thou, my soul, put off the body at death,

and be unclothed that thou mayst "be clothed upon with thy house which is from heaven," and "that mortality may be swallowed up of life." O, then, daily undress thee of corruption and sin; give up thyself into the hands of Christ; and lay thyself asleep beneath His loving eye, as thou wouldst wish to be found at death, or on the morning of the resurrection.

These, and similar seasons and occurrences, are well suited to call forth devout reflections, and to promote a spiritual frame of mind. Let me urge upon you the importance of so improving them. Give to every action and event of your life a religious character and aspect. Contemplate whatever pertains to you, and whatever surrounds you, in the light of the Gospel, and in its bearing on eternity. Thus matters, in themselves merely secular, cast into the alembic of faith and prayer, will produce the pure gold of soul-enriching wisdom and piety.

CHAPTER XVII.

HOW MEDITATION PRESERVES AND INCREASES

HEART-TREASURE.

EVERY intelligent observer, who has given any thoughtful heed to his own religious history, or to that of others, must be aware that the great majority of professing Christians, at the present day, attach far less importance to meditation, both as a means of grace and as a required duty, than is demanded by the position assigned to it in the Bible, and by the effects which it is calculated to produce. Multitudes, who are regular in their attendance on the public ministrations of the Gospel, who observe the stated seasons of social prayer, and who do not altogether neglect secret devotion and the private study of Scripture, are yet well nigh strangers to the habit of solemn and deliberate reflection on the import of what they read or hear, and on its application to their own spiritual state. It is, therefore, desirable to set forth, more distinctly than might otherwise be necessary, the claims of meditation as a divine precept, and the purifying and

elevating influence which it exerts on those who rightly practice it.

1. Meditation is clearly enjoined by divine authority. When the people of Israel were about to pass into Canaan, their almighty Leader and Protector, knowing the proneness of their hearts to forget His statutes, and the necessity of careful consideration to preserve them from apostacy, gave them the following charge by the lips of His servant Joshua ; "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." In the Proverbs of Solomon it is said, "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments." "Incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding." Should it be affirmed that these requirements belonged to a former dispensation, and are no longer binding under the freer economy of the Gospel, a sufficient answer may be found in the fact, that the New Testament itself contains many similar injunctions. Thus the apostle Paul exhorts the Colossians, "Set your affection on things above." "Let the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom." And to the same effect is his instruction to Timo

thy. "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all." And what is thus expressly inculcated in numerous passages, is no less plainly implied in all the practical announcements of Scripture. The exercise of devout meditation has, therefore, a firm basis in the revealed will of God. The same supreme and holy One, who commands us to repent, to believe, to pray, to hear and read His word, commands us also to consider, to think, to ponder His ways and our own, and so to reflect upon all the manifestations of His providence and of His grace, as to derive from them the teachings which He mercifully designs to impart. Accordingly, we find that all the holy men, whose lives are recorded in sacred history, were distinguished for the practice of this duty. Enoch and Noah "walked with God." Abraham and Job lived much in holy contemplation on divine things. "Isaac went out to

meditate in the field at the eventide." Moses was accustomed often to withdraw from the noise and bustle of the congregation, for the purpose of retired thought and solitary converse with God. David, though a king, and encompassed by the anxieties and labors of public affairs, found time to engage frequently in the delightful employment of meditating on the word and works of Jehovah. And not seldom did our Lord leave the society