shall never be wrapped in the cloudy sheets of darkness. A man may have his name written in the Chronicles, yet lost; written in durable marble, yet perish; written on a monument equal to a colossus, yet be ignominious; written on the hospital-gates, yet go to hell; written on his own house, yet another come to possess it. All these are but writings in the dust, or upon the waters, where the characters perish as soon as they are made. They no more prove a man happy than the fool could prove Pontius Pilate a saint, because his name was written in the Creed. But they that are written in heaven, are sure to inherit it. Adams.

THE DELIGHTS OF THE INHERITANCE.

F the mere conception of the reunion of good men, in a future state, infused a

momentary rapture into the mind of Tully, if an airy speculation (for there is reason to fear it had little hold on his convictions) could inspire him with such delight, what may we be expected to feel who are assured of such an event by the true sayings of God? How

should we rejoice in the prospect, the certainty rather, of spending a blissful eternity with those whom we loved on earth--of seeing them emerge from the ruins of the tomb, and the deeper ruins of the fall, not only uninjured, but refined and perfected, "with every tear wiped from their eyes," standing before the throne of God and the Lamb, in white robes, and palms in their hands, crying with a loud voice, Salvation to God that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever! What delight will it afford to renew the sweet counsel we have taken together, to recount the toils of combat and the labour of the way, and to approach not the house but the throne of God, in company, in order to join in the symphony of heavenly voices, and lose ourselves amidst the splendours and fruitions of the beatific vision?

To that state all the pious on earth are tending; and if there be a law from whose operation none are exempt, which irresistibly conveys their bodies to darkness and to dust, there is another not less certain or less powerful, which conducts their spirits to the abodes of bliss, to the bosom of their Father and their God. The wheels of nature are not made to roll backward; everything presses on towards eternity.

From the birth of time an impetuous current has set in, which bears all the sons of men towards that interminable ocean. Meanwhile, heaven is attracting to itself whatever is congenial to its nature-is enriching itself by the spoils of earth, and collecting within its capacious bosom whatever is pure, permanent, and divine, leaving nothing for the last fire to consume but the objects and the slaves of concupiscence; while everything which grace has prepared and beautified shall be gathered and selected from the ruins of the world, to adorn that eternal City, which hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God doth enlighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Hall.

THE REST OF HEAVEN.

DAY we show what this rest contains, as well as what it presupposes?

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Alas,

how little know I of that glory! The glimpse which Paul had, contained what could not or must not be uttered. Had he spoke of the

things of heaven, in the language of heaven, and none understood that language, what the better? The Lord reveal to me what I may reveal to you! The Lord open some light, and show both you and me our inheritance! Not as to Balaam only, whose eyes were open to see the goodliness of Jacob's tents and Israel's tabernacles, where he had no portion, and from whence must come his own destruction! Not as to Moses, who had only a discovery, instead of possession, and saw the land which he never entered! But as the pearl was revealed to the merchant in the Gospel, who rested not till he had sold all he had, and bought it! And as heaven was opened to blessed Stephen, which he was shortly to enter, and the glory showed him, which should be his own possession! The things contained in heavenly rest are such as these:— A ceasing from means of grace; a perfect freedom from all evils; the highest degree of the saints' personal perfection, both of body and soul; the nearest enjoyment of God, the chief good; and a sweet and constant action of all the powers of body and soul in this enjoyment of good.

One thing contained in heavenly rest is, the ceasing from means of grace. When we have ob

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tained the haven, we have done sailing. When the workman receives his wages, it is implied he has done his work. When we are at our journey's end, we have done with the way. "Whether prophecies, they shall fail; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it also, so far as it had the nature of means,' shall vanish away." There shall be no more prayer, because no more necessity, but the full enjoyment of what we prayed for; neither shall we need to fast and weep, and watch any more, being out of the reach of sin and temptation. Preaching is done; the ministry of man ceaseth; sacraments become useless; the labourers are called in, because the harvest is gathered, the tares burned, and the work finished; the unregenerate past hope, and the saints past fear for

ever.

There is in heavenly rest a perfect freedom from all evils; all the evils that accompanied us through our course, and which necessarily follow our absence from the chief good; besides our freedom from those eternal flames, and restless miseries, which the neglectors of Christ and grace must remedilessly endure: a woeful inheritance, which both by birth and actual merit was due to us all as well as to them!

In