tality," which has been implanted in the heart of every man, is itself no slight argument in favour of a belief in it; but it is only from the Word of God that we learn the certainty of it, and it is only from the Word of God that we learn those doctrines which make the expectation of eternal existence delightful; which without the revelation of an atonement and of the free and full forgiveness of sins, would, to a rightly thinking mind, be more terrible than that of annihilation itself.

CHAPTER LXXXIV.

MASONIC SYMBOLS.-THE COFFIN AND THE GRAVE.

A COFFIN beside an open grave, is a Masonic symbol, which, it hardly needs to be said, is intended to remind us of the certainty of death, that we may so number our days as to apply our hearts unto wisdom. But on the coffin-lid is a star, the emblem of divinity, calling us to remember that all things-even life and death-are under the control of Him in whom we live, and move, and have our beingcalling us also to think of our brother whose coffin we may be supposed to see there before us, as indissolubly united to Him who is the Life of the World, and who saith of Himself, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." Over the coffin also extend the branches of an acacia—evergreen, the emblem of immortality—which grows at the head of the grave; and this teaches us to raise our thoughts above the present state of things and all their gloom, to that better world in which there is no death, anticipating with joy the sound of the last trumpet, at which they that are in their graves shall come forth.

"I know," says Job, "that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms shall destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and not another, though my reins be consumed within me. (Job xix. 25-27).

"Behold I show you a mystery," says the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians; "we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For

this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor. xv. 51-54).

"For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again," says the same apostle in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you through the Word of the Lord, that we [those of us] which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent [go before] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we [those of us] which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and the dead in Christ shall rise first [and, first the dead in Christ shall rise]: then we [those of us] which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. iv. 14-17).

Thus should our hopes be raised, even in view of the coffin and the grave, the sad emblems of mortality, to the glory of the heavenly kingdom and the blessedness of everlasting life. All this is contrary to natural expectation: the only sure hope is founded on revelation and the promise of God. The natural feeling and the good hope which is

through grace are both beautifully expressed in the following passage of the book of Job:

"There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; so man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. Oh that thou

wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer

Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine hands" (Job xiv. 7-15).

For the encouragement of our souls in hope, let us call to mind the words of our Lord to the sister of Lazarus. "Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died; but I know that, even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die" (John xi. 21-26).

The evergreen acacia spreading over the grave suggests the thought of immortality: the star upon the coffin-lid directs our thoughts to Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, the Bright and Morning Star.

CHAPTER LXXXV.

MASONIC SYMBOLS.-THE CROSSING OF THE RIVER.

A WIDE river, flowing between luxuriant banks; boats crossing from one side to the other, all in one direction, and each with a single passenger; on the side to which they come, friendly hands helping the passengers to land. Such is the picture before us, symbolising the good man's passage over the Jordan of Death to the heavenly Canaan.

It is no scene from heathen mythology which is here presented to our view. It is not the river Styx which we behold: it is not Charon's boat that ferries across the passengers. The whole symbol is derived from the language and imagery of Holy Scripture, it represents truths which we learn from that book alone, and encourages us in hopes which are entirely founded on its revelations.

We know that we have death before us; but it is not an utterly unknown world into which we are to pass. Much, indeed, there is as to which we would fain inquire, but as to which the Word of God affords us no answer. This, however, is sure, that the land of promise is one of bliss. All is blissful there. And the promise is sure. The Word of the Lord can never fail. He is Lord of that world as he is of this, and he has given it to those who put their trust in him. As he gave the land of Canaan to Abraham and to his seed, so to the spiritual children of Abraham he has given the better Canaan. Years, centuries elapsed; generation after generation passed away, before the promise made to Abraham was fulfilled in the entrance of the Israelites under Joshua into the promised land. But the promise was fulfilled. And so will the better promise be fulfilled to every one who receives it and rests upon it.