Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

A GOOD MASTER.

good night's sleep, and restoring her strength and speaking to her attendant, who slept in the room with her, she added, "How happy am I that my soul is not in Hell, where I might have been!" And on going out of the room, Lady Ann added, as if under some doubt or difficulty, "The Lord will reveal himself to me to-morrow!" The person asked, if any outward She replied, "No; in those rematters made her uneasy? spects I am perfectly easy." These were the last words she was heard to utter; and lying down in her bed, apparently fell asleep. About five o'clock the attendant heard her cough slightly, and supposed her again composed. At six she got up; and going to her bed-side, saw her reposed, her head on her hand, and thought her asleep:- on a nearer approach, it was the sleep of Death!

So finished her course another faithful follower of the Lamb that was slain; and added one more to the list of honourable and devout women, whose memory is deserving of being held in everlasting remembrance. She lived to the age of sixtyfive years; more than forty of which she had spent in the works of faith and labours of love. Glory to God!

The surviving Trustees, to whom Mr. Grove, of Pimlico, was, by general consent, some time since added, will find no small difficulty to fill the place of their honoured colleague. Nothing is impossible with God. They, no doubt, will do their best to maintain the work in its present happily progressive state; and to commit it to others as they remove, who may prove equally faithful and successful.

A GOOD MASTER

"Knows that he has a Master in Heaven;" and the desire to approve himself a faithful servant of this supreme Lord, is the spring of his conduct towards his own servants. Hence, as he serves, so he wishes to be served, rather from love than fear. By his firmness he secures obedience: his servants respect him; for they see he respects himself and them. He would scorn to play the little tyrant, and render the yoke of obedience more galling, by proud and bitter words; but makes it sit easy, by forbearing threatening, tempering his commands with a kind tone, and forbidding his children to speak pertly to servants. He establishes a strict economy in his household, both because he considers himself only the steward of his property, and because he has many benevolent ways for his money; and he considers too, that it would be a personal injury to his servants to allow them to be extravagant. He never encourages them to bring him gossipping tales concern

[ocr errors]

ing their former places, or their present neighbours." Remembering" his servants' " frame, that they are but dust," he requires no other than a reasonable service; for he would be grieved at the thought of injuring their health, and shortening their days. When they are sick, he acts towards them the part of the good Samaritan. He increases the worth of their wages, by the manner in which he pays them; and would put himself to the greatest, rather than subject them to the slightest, inconvenience: so that you may be sure he never pays his weekly servants on Sunday morning, nor so late as eleven or twelve o'clock on Saturday night. When they quit his service, he does every thing in his power consistent with truth, to procure them another, and even a better situation. But must not a good master" watch for the souls" of his servants as one that must give an account?" He assembles all his domestics to the family-worship, every morning and evening. He mentions them particularly in his prayers; and when a fresh servant is present, he prays that their coming under his roof may be a blessing to them. When any one leaves him, he commends them to the providence and grace of God. If any of them cannot read, he endeavours to have them taught. In every servants' room there is a Bible; and he sees that they have proper time and place to worship God in secret. In his kitchen there is a little library for them, containing the sacred Scriptures; a Hymn and Psalm-Book; the Religious Tracts, bound together; the Cheap Repository Tracts; and some other useful books, which he has selected. He labours that, as much as possible, his servants shall have the Sabbath to themselves; so that he will put up with a cold or slight dinner that day; and would never expect to enjoy the presence and blessing of God, if, while he worshipped in the sanctuary, his coachman were lounging on the box. He suffers no servants to be many days in his house, without ask ing them their views and dispositions towards God; and he would tremble to dismiss any one from his service whom he had neglected to teach the way of salvation. He has been known, by such conversations, to bring his servants to tears, and to weep along with them. He suffers no temptation to wickedness to be found in his house; therefore, he never carelessly leaves money, or other valuables, in the way of his servants If any are found guilty of immoral words or actions, he first reproves; and if that has no effect, he dis charges them. In his manufactory he prohibits drinking, swearing, and lewd songs. Thus, while he relies for salvation on the merits of the Redeemer alone, he hopes to hear the Judge say to him, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." PHILOPEDAS.

THE PURIFYING TENDENCY OF

THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE.

THE religion of Jesus is a "doctrine according to godliness." It is not a system of speculative and uninteresting truths; but of facts, doctrines, and promises, which are wonderfully calculated to purify the passions, and reform the lives of men. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." There is not a single event recorded in Sacred History, not an institution in the authorized form of Christian worship, nor an individual blessing comprehended in the rich stores of the new covenant, which hath not an aspect towards moral purity and excellence the most benign and beneficial. The design of God is avowed and clear. That they might be holy and without blame before him, in love, were saints chosen in Christ, before the foundation of the world. That they might serve him, without fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of their lives, were they delivered out of the hands of their enemies. There is forgiveness with him, that he may be feared." The methods which he adopts to compass his designs, must be infinitely wise and suitable; accordingly, we find that genuine faith in Christ purifies the heart, overcomes the world, and works by love. On the same principle, the man who cherishes the hope of future blessedness, will be powerfully induced by this hope to purify himself, as the object of his hope is pure-the object of his hope is likeness to Jesus Christ. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." We shall be made like to Christ in the state of our souls; his image, which is the perfection of moral beauty, being superinduced upon our hearts: our affections, like his, shall burn with love to God, unmingled and permanent: the spotless sanctity of the divine nature shall engage our deepest reverence, while the unutterable blessings of redemption shall awaken and animate our lasting gratitude: our minds, like his, shall be all glorious, dignified, and adorned with every worthy and amiable disposition: the powers of the understanding too shall be augmented, when the soul becomes like to him," in whom are hid treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Her prospects shall open around her; the wonderful constitution of "the word made flesh, in whom dwells all the fulness of Godhead bodily;" the adininistration of the covenant of grace; the government of the world; the unfathomable depths of the divine perfection; these will furnish to the growing capacities of the understanding, abundant materials of delightful employment.

Beholding, as in an unspotted mirror, the glory of the

XIII.

I i

Lord, our minds shall be changed into the same image, as far as our limited natures are susceptible of such advancement, from glory to glory, the likeness becoming, every day, more clear, without a possibility of its ever becoming perfect and equal to the divine original, which we contemplate and adore. Our vile bodies, also, shall be fashioned like unto his glorious body, which, on the mount of transfiguration, shone as the sun, while his raiment was white as the light. Like his, they shall be incorruptible; no longer liable to sickness and disease, but possessing the implanted principles of undecaying health and vigour; purified too from their dross, and become, as far as matter is capable of transformation, "spiritual bodies:" they shall ever act in perfect harmony with the ennobled mind, and be assisting to her in all the devout movements and elevations of the heart. But our capacities must be greatly enlarged: ere we become able to form any just idea of the purity, the dignity, the blessedness, of being like to Christ in Heaven, we must ourselves possess the faculties of the blessed, and die to learn the stupendous nature of their felicity. It is something great and good, which far transcends our notions of greatness and goodness in this dark world.

66

The foundation of this hope is the sure word of divine inspiration. "Father," prayed our interceeding High Priest, whose petitions are always acceptable, and whose plea is ever sustained;" Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me." "When Christ," says Paul, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” "Blessed," said Jesus, "are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." "As we have borne the image of the earthly," argues the apostle, in behalf of the transformation of our bodies at the resurrection, "we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Good men have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings; and if they suffer with him, they shall also be glorified together." They are members of Christ; and if the head be honoured, all the members must share in that honour. He is the Captain of Salvation; and to all who follow his unfurled standard, he hath promised, "To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and have sitten down with my Father on his throne." Now the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but this foundation of the Christian's hope shall never be shaken! On this Rock let us rear our expectations of the future grandeur and sanctity of our nature; and though rains descend, winds blow, and torrents roll, we shall never be put to shame.

The Christian's Hope is distinguished by the sublimity of her views: the hopes of worldly men terminate on objects which the sun ripens, which the mine contains, which the

blood of the grape imparts. These objects of hope, like the views of the persons whom such hopes can satisfy, are limited, earthly, and degrading. Religious Hope lifts her young and animated eye upward and forward to perfection in holiness, conformity to Christ, the vision of God. She is distinguished also by her stability. Earthly hopes, resting on an insecure foundation, must necessarily disappoint our confidence: health, friendship, character, substance, mental powers, in their best state, supply to us but faithless anchorageground. The promises of our faithful Covenant-God, who is too great and too good to deceive them that trust in him, and the near and indissoluble relation in which we stand to the Redeemer, is safe ground for our hope against storms and currents, and all the power of the enemy. She is known also, by her power to comfort the soul in affliction, and satisfy her in the midst of want. In the trying hour of sickness and death, miserable comforters are earthly hopes; they often die before us, and always with us. But good men, who look not at the things which are seen, and which are temporal, but at the things which are not seen, and which are eternal; these men, environed with tribulations, their constitutions broken by disease, their souls drawing near to the grave, retain compo sure of mind, rise above the ills of life, and often rejoice, in hope of the glory of God. Full of immortality, their souls spring forward with delight, in spite of the load which presses them down; and the last act of their rational nature in this world, is an act of joyous anticipation of the boundless bless edness which awaits them.

"My heart is glad, my glory rejoiceth, my flesh shall also rest in hope; for thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life. In thy presence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." This hope satisfies the soul. Qur Redeemer is God all-sufficient; and in expectation of likeness to him in purity, honour, and blessedness, every craving. wish is satisfied: the heart asks no more, because the heart knows no more to ask. In this respect, the hope of the Christian is a fountain of living waters, a perennial spring, which, at all seasons, even when "the heavens are iron, the earth brass, and the rain of the land powder and dust," satisfies the soul; while earthly hope is like Job's deceitful brook, which gathering its temporary stream from the dissolving snow, soon vanished, and left the caravans of Tema and Sheba confounded by their disappointment, and ashamed of their hopes.

There is another property by which this hope is discriminated; its tendency to purify the heart where it lodges. In likeness to Jesus Christ, shall consist a very considerable measure of the happiness of the blessed; it is, therefore, viewed

« FöregåendeFortsätt »