Wesley Corpus

Well may you shudder at the thought ! more especially when you are about to enter on that untried state of existence. For what a prospect is this, when you stand on the verge of life, ready to launch out into etermity! What can you then think? You see nothing before you. All is dark and dreary. On the very best supposition, how well may you address your parting soul in the words of dying Adrian: Poor, little, pretty, fluttering thing, Must we no longer live together? And dost thou prune thy trembling wing, To take thy flight thou know'st not whither?' Thy pleasing vein, thy humorous folly Is all neglected, all forgot; And pensive, wavering, melancholy, Thou hop'st and fear'st thou know'st not what. “Thou know'st not what l” Here is the sting, suppose there were no other. To be “thou know'st not what !” not for a month, or a year, but through the countless ages of eternity What a tormenting uncertainty must this be What racking unwillingness must it occasion, to exchange even this known vale of tears for the unknown valley of the shadow of death ! And is there no cure for this? Indeed there is an effectual cure; even the knowledge and love of God. There is a know ledge of God which unveils etermity, and a love of God which endears it. That knowledge makes the great abyss visible; and all uncertainty vanishes away. That love makes it amiable to the soul, so that fear has no more place | But the moment God says, by the welcome angel of death, “Come thou up hither l’” she Claps the glad wing, and towers away, And mingles with the blaze of day. 20. See ye not what advantage every way a Christian has * Some to the piercing winds are stretch'd abroad; Some plunged beneath the watery gulf: The fire In some burns out the deep-imprinted stain, Till the long course of slowly-rolling years Has purged out every spot, and pure remains The ethereal spirit, and simple heavenly fire. over you? Probably the reason you saw it not before was, because you knew none but nominal Christians; men who professed to believe more, (in their way of believing,) but had no more of the knowledge or love of God than yourselves: So that with regard to real, inward religion, you stood upon even ground.