and sickness may perhaps have been long wearying the child of God, and it may be, have given additional gloom to the shadowy valley of death-who can conceive of his happiness, when his foot first touches the peaceful happy shore,- when he that was so lately weary, now finds himself at rest, when all trouble, he knows, has ceased for ever, and he finds himself in "a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," in the act of offering his first sacrifices of joy, and love, and thankfulness, in the blessed company of angels. The name of Jesus had, even here, ever sounded sweet in his ears, though heard in the midst of much that was jarring and discordant; but who can tell the sweetness of it when first heard there, when all discord has ceased, sounded forth by ten thousand thousand tongues which have all learned the new song, "Glory to him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever?"

In vain our fancy strives to paint

The moment after death,
The glories that surround the saint
When yielding up his breath.

Thus much, and this is all we know,

They are completely blest;

Have done with sin, and care, and woe,

And with their Saviour rest.

But let us remember that while Noah was thus piously celebrating his deliverance, there was another scene in view. There was a visitation, as awful in wrath, as this was glorious in grace and love. And who can conceive what a quickening pang of horror would have seized upon the soul of some poor perishing sinner, if any such could have lived in the flood till he had just witnessed the uplifted hands of the devout patriarch, and heard the first breathings of his soul to his gracious deliverer, and had time to contrast the blessedness which he saw in Noah, with the ruin and misery which he felt in himself. And

in the day of judgment, when those on the right hand are moving upwards with their Lord and Saviour to the everlasting mansions, what sensation will arise among that other company on the left hand, at the view of such blessedness now lost to them for ever,-at the distant sounds of the joyous hallelujahs which they hear, while they themselves are departing far away to the place prepared for the devil and his angels-the place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

While the Gospel solicits us, the door of the true ark is open, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; if we neglect the time of grace, in vain shall we seek it with tears. We may suppose that many came to Noah, and asked him what he meant by his strange work, whether he meant to sail on the dry land; and when he told them of God's purpose and his own design, perhaps they went away laughing at his supposed folly, and told one another in sport, as men say in this day, that too much religion had made him mad. But the same scoffers, when they saw the violence of the waves descending and ascending according to Noah's prediction, probably came wading middle deep to the ark, and importunately craved admission: but as they formerly rejected God, so they are now justly rejected of him. Ere vengeance begin, repentance is seasonable, but if judgment be once gone out, prayer is too late. No doubt others more bold than these hoped to escape the judgment, and climbing up to the high mountains, looked down upon the waters with more hope than fear. And when they saw their hills become islands, they climbed up into the highest trees; there, with paleness and horror, at once looking for death, and studying to avoid it but the waves overtook them at last, half dead with famine and with fear, while they descry the ark floating on the waters, and behold with envy that which before they had beheld with scorn. In vain does he fly

whom God pursues. There is no way to escape from his judgments but to receive his mercy, by turning to him through Jesus Christ. How secure is Noah amid this uproar of heaven, earth and water! He hears the pouring down of the rain above his head, the shrieking of men, and bellowing of beasts on both sides of him, the raging and threats of the waves under him; he sees the unavailing shifts of the distressed unbelievers; he neither feels nor fears evil, knowing that he who rules the waters can direct his course, that he who shut him in would preserve him. Oh, how happy is he who lives by faith! What a quiet repose, what a heavenly peace doth it impart to the soul in the midst of all the trials and distresses of life !

Now the word of God, which cannot lie, has spoken of this visitation by water in the days of Noah, as typical of that visitation by fire which is yet to come upon the earth, when the hills and the mountains shall be called upon by the Lord's enemies to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb; but these shall fail and disappoint them, for they shall be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. Thus saith the prophet to the Edomites-"The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the cleft of the rock, whose habitation is high, that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord." Obad. i. 4. But for our exceeding fgreat consolation, we may remember, that had any repented at the preaching of Noah, who is declared to have been a preacher of righteousness, that soul should have been saved; and had the waters arisen, and the floods came, and the winds have blown never so furiously, he would have smiled in the midst of the calamity. So is it now, if any repent at the preaching of the Gospel of the Lord

Jesus Christ; and turn to him, he shall find a sure resting place and when the Lord's judgments come upon the earth, when the heavens are dissolving, and the elements melting away with fervent heat, he shall obtain a blessed entrance into the new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.-But as God Almighty shut the door of the ark of Noah (Gen. vii. 16), so when the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door, and sinners begin to stand without and to knock, saying Lord, Lord, open to us, he shall answer and say to them, I know you not whence ye are. Luke xiii. 25. Then, as among the wretched outcasts from the ark, there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth among those who shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdout of God, and they themselves thrust out. Luke xiii. 28.

THOUGHTS ON MATT. XII. 14-21.

It appears that Jesus, after having performed a miracle on the Sabbath day, went with his disciples to the Lake of Gennesaret, and a great multitude from all parts followed him, that they might learn of him or be healed by him, for they said if they could but touch the hem of his garment they should be made whole. The Pharisees, however, consulted together to destroy him, but were unable. At the 16th verse we read that Jesus particularly charged his hearers not to make him known. His humility and his fear of the Scribes led him to give this charge; probably the latter was the chief reason. Instead of commending him for his mercy and goodness, the Scribes spoke evil of his good deeds; it was therefore his wisdom to get out from the ways of those who were jealous of him and anxious for his death-that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

"Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."

This is the character given of our Saviour foretold by Isaiah in the fourth chapter, and first three verses. Is it not one which all Christians should endeavour to imitate, graced as it is throughout with meekness and constancy and humility? "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." He would not needlessly excite a party against him, and bore all the insults which were heaped upon him with resignation. And we should do the same, knowing that, if we ask him aright, God will give us his Holy Spirit to cheer the desponding, to comfort the sorrowing, and to strengthen the feeble. How contrary with the world! False or faint is the hope it frequently gives to the sorrowful and desponding. Instead of real comfort being afforded them, their neighbours often increase their fears by saying, "It must be so." But Christ does good to all men, especially to the meek and patient. To those who seek him by well-doing, on them he bestows his richest mercies. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; who can know it? But if we strive through divine assistance to do our duty, we then stand on the right side of God and truth. But let us remember that

they that are in the flesh cannot please God, becaușe