Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

all living."

His exercises of mind, under his tedious and painful affliction, were, at its commence ment, and during a considerable part of its progress, very distressing. Nevertheless, he was resigned to the divine will; and, at some lucid intervals, when the anticipation of death would force itself upon his mind, he would give vent to his feelings in the language of Dr. Watts:

to the house appointed for | Is thy mercy clean gone for ever? Wilt thou be favourable no more?" But, amidst all this, I dare not give up; I dare not despair. I will, even against hope, hope to the end; and fain would I wait the Lord's time of deliverance, when he shall give me to see the reasons of his conduct, and explain the whole mystery of his dark dispensations; after which expla nation, either in part, or perfectly, I hope to join saints on earth, or in heaven, saying, "God doth all things well." I feel, that I love God so little, whom I am sensible I ought to love so much. I feel, that I serve him so indifferently, being always backward to the best of service. I feel that my mind is so seldom in heaven, where I would wish to have my portion, let it cost me whatever it would. I feel, I should so dis→ honour Christ, by being afraid to rely wholly upon him, when

• O glorious hour! O blest abode!
I shall be near, and like my God!
And flesh and sin no more control
The sacred pleasures of my soul!
My flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then hurst the chains with sweet surprise,
And, in my Saviour's image, rise.”

The emphasis with which he would repeat these words, can be conceived by none but those who witnessed it.

In a letter to a fellow-stu dent, he thus describes his general experience. "O bro-I am sensible that I have nother! methinks how trifling thing else to rely upon. But would all my pains and afflic-I will rely upon him, and, at his tions be, which weaken, and feet, either live or die. "Tis tend to bring down this body of only here that I can live while flesh, if only my soul were I live. "Tis only here that I healthful and strong, being al- can live when I am dead.” ways able to triumph in Christ. But it is otherwise with me, even at present, as, perhaps, you know it has been, during the whole of my illness. This kind of dark experience has long been mine, almost from my first attending to religion, though, I hope, I have both laboured and prayed that it might be different with me. Hence, I am, like the Psalmist, ready to say to God, "Why hidest thou thyself in time of trouble?

Such was the general tenor of Mr. Holtby's religious experience; but he, like most other Christians, had his more lucid, and his beclouded intervals. At one period, especially, he was greatly distressed, owing to his being unable to discover any satisfactory evidence of his personal interest in Christ. But a letter from his worthy tutor was of great service to him on this occasion. In this letter, Mr. Steadman mentioned hie

having been in circumstances | friends, at the time of his death,

[ocr errors]

very similar to those of his pupil-in expectation of death, but in great distress as to the safety of his state. But, in this situation, it occurred to his mind," that, if he never had applied to Christ for salvation, he was welcome to make that application then; and that Christ was as able and as willing to save him then, as he ever was to save him, or any redeemed sinner actually in heaven." Under this conviction, he did apply to the Redeemer, as a poor, guilty, helpless sinner, as though he had never applied before; and it was not long ere he found joy and peace in believing. The relation of this greatly encouraged Mr. H. and, by inducing him to adopt the same measure, was the means of imparting a considerable degree of comfort to his mind. But it did not perfectly remove the gloom which sometimes oppressed his spirit. He was often agitated with doubts and fears, till towards the close of life. But then, when he was led to relinquish all hopes of recovery, and to anticipate

and his going off rather sudden ly at last, little is known of his experience during his final struggle with the last enemy; but, from the account given by his, mother, he appears to have expired in circumstances which the sinner may envy, and the saint be thankful to enjoy in the same struggle.qinlas

[ocr errors]

ང་

To his friends in general; to the church, of which he was a member; to those who were favoured with an opportunity of hearing the gospel from his lips, but especially to his brethren engaged with him in academical pursuits, his affliction and death furnish an instructive lesson. To the latter, in particular, they loudly proclaim the necessity of watchfulness and diligence, and forcibly urge the improvement of the talents, with which they are instructed, working "while it is day, for the night cometh," how soon, none can tell," in which no man can work." J. J. Bradford.

death as already on the thresh- THE PRICE OF A VICTORY. old, and prepared to execute his commission, the gloom and

THE Providence which gothe fears which depressed his verns the affairs of mortals, has mind, and beclouded his pros-assigned us an existence in a pects, were graciously dis- very singular period of time. persed; "the Sun of righteous-Events of astonishing interest ness" arose upon his soul; and, have rapidly, followed each to use the words which he often other. Within a few years, we quoted in the last stage of his have heard of such occurrences affliction, as applicable to his as the history of any former age own case, (6 at evening time it does not contain. "The earth was light." has been removed, the mountains have been carried into the midst of the sea, the waters

Owing to his residing at a distance from his Christian

thereof have roared and been Alas!alas! how great is the price of a victory! It amounts, indeed, to an enormous total! When we rightly estimate the

troubled, the mountains have shook with the swelling thereof." But the inhabitants of

1

this country have been remark-powers of the human mind in ably preserved from the general one man, and especially in a calamity! We have only heard multitude, they are capable of of the din of wars, of the clan- astonishing effects; therefore, gour of trumpets, of the roar of we may regret that such enerartillery, of the shrieks of the gies are not applied to schemes wounded, and of the groans of of blessing mankind, rather than the dying! We have only read to military studies; for, if they the affecting descriptions of lead to victory, they terminate battles, and sieges, and human in human destruction. Considestruction. As a nation, our dering the almost incalculable sincere and most animated gra- sums lavished in making those titude is justly demanded; for, vast arrangements which introwhile other empires have been duce a battle, may we not dewrecked in the tempest, Britain, plore, that these heaps of trealike the sacred ark, has survived sure should be offered to bloody the storm; while some coun-Mars, and that they are not detries have been overwhelmed by voted to those benevolent inhostile forces, for us God has stitutions, which feed the hun appointed salvation as walls gry, clothe the naked, heal the and as bulwarks," while the diseased, instruct the ignorant, armies of other powers have and dispense that restorative to been defeated and routed, our all our woes," the gospel of troops have usually wore the the grace of God." But what laurels of victory. But, in how a vast price does a victory cost many instances have they been the country where the battle has wreathed with the cypress! Re- been fought. Through what an flecting on the dreadful slaugh- extent of territory do the enter of our countrymen, in a re- gines of war spread their desocent conflict, the mingled joy lation! How many square and grief of the men of Israel miles of fruitful land are devasdescribes our own feelings; "the tated! The domestic gardens, victory, that day, was turned the generous, corn-fields, the into mourning unto all the luxuriant vineyards, the valua'people." As pious patriots, we ble merchandise, and the habiwould ever express our grati- tations of numerous families, tude, if the decisions of the de- share a common ruin. And if plored battles are to our advan- we cast our eye on that extage; but, as serious Chris-tended plain, there we see a tians, we cannot approve of dreadful spectacle; thousands that frantic mirth, whose voice of slaughtered men, our fathers, is so clamorous as to drown the our brethren, and our sons, plaintive tones of the bereaved amongst whom death reigns in orphan and the disconsolate his most appaling terrors!widow. Alas! how are their bodies

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

“In human discord is thy dire delight,'
"The waste of slaughter, and the rage of
fight;

mangled, as if the voracious beasts of the forest had torn them in pieces! Or, if we turn« to those who survive the fate of their companions, we see thousands lying in agony, pierced with shots, or gashed with cuts; their wounds inflamed; some, every minute, dying a most excruciating death, others lingering in torture many weeks and months; and great numbers doomed to drag on a miserable existence the remainder of life, with diseased and mutilated bodies!

But who can calculate the sum of misery, which is the consequence of a victory, to survivors? If we suppose that, in late events, forty thousand have been slain (and this, we fear, is less than the amount), and that each one who has fallen, has left three persons to lament his loss (parents, wives, ́or children,) by this calculation there will be a hundred and twenty thousand human beings, whose eyes have been streaming with tears, and their bosoms swelling with grief!

No bound, no law, thy fiery temper quells."

*

POPE.

Here I would drop the curtain, and relieve my feelings by a more pleasant scene; for, if it be drawn yet higher, and I gaze on the distant prospect, something more awful presents itself to view. All those who have lately fallen were immortals, capable of the bliss of heaven, or of the miseries of hell; but their probationary state is ended, and they have entered on their final condition; and whither are they gone? By the fashionable sentiment of the day, all whọ fall in battle, are wafted to glory; by the plaudits of the multitude, they are promoted to the bliss of the celestial state. But where is the sanction of this popular opinion? shall we find it in the Christian scriptures; or in the epic poetry of Greece? and in the verses dedicated to their heroes, by our ancient British bards? Indulging a charitable feeling, we As yet we have taken no ac- may hope, that many, slain in count of the vast population, battle, were pious men; but, of plunged into poverty and misery the mass, we must form a difby the wide-spreading desola- ferent judgment; nor can we tions of war; nor of the multi- suppose, that the cause of a tudes of captives, driven, by war is ever so meritorious, as forced marches, into remote to cancel their numerous vices regions, shut up in miserable who may expire around its banprisons, subsisting on ordinary ners; and may we not fear, provisions, and dragging out a that, in many instances, the wretched existence. How ap-origin and progress of wars inplicable are those lines, in which Homer makes Jupiter address

himself to Mars:

"Of all the gods who tread the spangled

skies,

[blocks in formation]

volve in greater guilt their authors and their agents. In the hands of the righteous Governor of the universe, we must leave the future destinies of the victims of battle, confident that

his decisions will display the mingled glory of his justice and his grace; and yet, as we gaze at the horrific piles of slaughtered men, in pious soliloquy we may ask, “Where are now the immortal spirits which so lately inhabited those bodies?"

t

of man! Is it not too evident to be disputed, that man is an apostate from the God of love and peace? That he has lost the image of moral beauty, which he originally enjoyed, when we see him under the dominion of that spirit which war enkindles in How mysterious is the pro- his breast? His passions have vidence of God! That Jeho- subdued his reason; his huvah reigns over the circle of the manity is made cruel by his reskies, and that righteousness sentments; his conscience is and judgment are the habitation stupified by his ambition; fury of his throne, is a consolatory flashes from his eyes; indignaand animating truth. But how tion boils in his heart; his arm solemn is the darkness which aims the stroke of death on envelopes him! By our feeble creatures he has never before sight it cannot be penetrated, seen, and by whom he cannot that we may discover his secret have been offended; every mopurpose. In our present infant ral feeling which distinguishes age of understanding, we can- his nature, through the laws of not perceive the course and the combat, is expelled his bosom; termination of events, so as to the mutilated bodies and the compose our tumultuous spirits, bloody corpses of his brethren, and satisfy our anxious inquiry, are trampled beneath his feet; "How is it that a being of infi- limbs, torn from their former nite benevolence, and almighty frames, are scattered all around; power, should not restrain, but and misery, from ten thousand permit, the direful instruments tongues, sends forth its moanof war so hastily to destroying voice! O sin, what hast thousands of his rational crea-thou done? It is thou who art tures; and that, as in the pre- the universal conqueror, and sent instance, the primary spring war is one of thy dreadful enof this calamity should exist in gines! the breast of an ambitious indi- How excellent is the gospel vidual?" A depraved philoso- of Christ! A sincere friendship phy would solve this difficulty to mankind pervades the whole, by affirming," there is no pro- and presides supremely. "The vidence, but a blind fate pre- Prince of Peace," is the prosides, swaying an arbitrary phetic appellation of its Author. sceptre." The Christian spurns" Peace on earth, good-will tothe answer, devoutly listening wards man," was the angelic to the voice which proclaims, proclamation at his birth."I will do all my pleasure;"" Blessed are the peace-maand, in humble submission, he kers," is the style of the Sareplies, "I am dumb with viour's benediction. To prosilence; I open not my mouth, mote "peace with God, through because thou hast done it." our Lord Jesus Christ," is the nature of the dispensation.

How depraved is the nature

« НазадПродовжити »