Life is for Life for work, death for rest. labour. Labour for the body; labour for the soul; labour for the family; labour for the church; labour for God. Solomon said, "Everything is full of labour." Life was intended for employment. Each of us should have something to do; plenty to do. That to do which is worth doing. Unless we are employed we cannot be happy. There is no law that any one should be happy unemployed. God has created no place in which an idle person can be happy. We must work, if we would eat with appetite. We must work, if we would sweetly sleep. We must work, if we would be respected by man. We must work, if we would be honoured by God. One of the canons of God's church is, " If any man will not work, nei ther shall he eat.' Let us think it an honour to work for our daily bread; but let us not labour only for the bread that perisheth, but for that also which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Lord Jesus hath promised to give us. Let nothing satisfy us but an interest in Christ, a part with Christ, and the enjoyment of Christ. 66 66 Having realized our own salvation by faith in Jesus, then life is to be spent for the good of others. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's welfare." 'Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Look at their ignorance, and endeavour to instruct them; look at their degradation, and try to raise them; look at their danger, and try to snatch them as brands from from the flames. "Others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire." The grand work of believers, is instrumentally to save souls from death. On this every Christian's heart should be set; toward this, all our energies should be bent. Labour for souls, to win them to Christ, is labour for God, and labour for God cannot be in vain. We never knew a case, we never heard of one, in which a be liever's heart was set upon the conversion of souls, praying for them, and using means in dependence on the Holy Spirit to win them, which was not crowned with success. Life is given us to spend for Jesus, in conquering his foes, aiding his friends, relieving his poor, teaching his young ones, comforting his old ones, and directing his bewildered ones. "We live unto the Lord;" so said Paul of himself, and of the primitive saints. Oh, that it could be said of all professors now! Death is for rest. Yes, the poor body will have rest enough in the grave. As the body of Jesus, worn out with labours, watchings, fastings, sufferings, and mental agonies, rested sweetly in Joseph's tomb; so shall our poor bodies, when worn out with disease, sufferings, and labours for God. In this we shall be conformed to Jesus, and there is something sweet in being where Jesus was, and in being made conformable to him. The shroud, the coffin, and the grave, will be sweet to the exhausted labourer in God's vineyard. He will have no dying regrets; he will have no fears of the future; but his work being done, he will lay down on his dying pillow in faith, and say with sainted Simeon, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word." Nor will the body lie always in the grave, for the morning cometh, and in the morning it will awake, and made like unto the glorious body of Jesus, will be a meet companion and residence for the glorified spirit for ever. Yes, the poor body must rise again, after it has rested, but not as when it went to sleep, but freed from all deformity, disease, weakness, and every cause of pain-like the beautiful body of unfallen Adam, or the more beautiful body of the risen Saviour, it will rise powerful, spiritual, and incorruptible, to unite with the soul in glorifying God for ever. Death is for rest; not merely for the rest of the body, but for the soul. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." They rest from labour, not from service; for they serve God day and night in his temple. Sweet, sweet, inexpressibly sweet, will be the rest of the soul in the presence of Jesus, when absent from the As one who has a taste, a passion for music, never wearies of it, but ever enjoys it, so glorified spirits never cease praising God, and while they praise, their joys kindle more and more. They who pray on earth, will praise in heaven. Prayer is the seed corn of praise; it may now be sown in tears, but it will assuredly be reaped in joy by-andbye. But I must let the dial tick on, and enlarge no further. One word at parting. Reader, you have life now, how do you employ it? Death will come to you soon; in what state will it find you? Are you in Christ? Do you believe in his blessed name, and rely on his precious blood? Rest not without full satisfaction on this point; it is of the greatest moment; life or death, eternal life or eternal death hangs upon it. Life is for work; how do you employ it? Have you obtained the living bread for yourself? If so, do you now labour to bring others to seek it ? Death is for rest; is that your prospect? Do you expect that death will introduce you to the rest prepared for the people of God? If you are one of God's people it will, not else. Death makes no mistake; it never sends a saint to hell, nor an impenitent sinner to heaven. O that you were wise; that you understood this; that you would consider your latter end! Life is for prayer; do you pray? Do you pray daily? Do you pray with the heart P Is prayer a part of the every day business of your life? IS IT? Death introduces the Lord's people to praise; have you any well founded hope of this ? It will either introduce you to the hallelujahs of heaven or the groans of hell. Which will it be? WHICH? May the Lord bless these lines to you, and make them a means of blessing to your soul. Oft as the bell, with solemn toll, Lord Jesus, help me now to flee, Then when the solemn bell I hear, Rather, my spirit would rejoice, |