brighter and more enduring hopes which are derived from a closer and more frequent contemplation of the life that is to come. And on which side lies the better reason and the safety of the immortal soul?-with the class of the " righteous overmuch," or with that of the righteous over-little? Do we not hear constantly of the holding of scientific meetings, embracing every description of knowledge, some monthly, others weekly, and a few almost diurnally? And shall it be said by any one, calling himself or herself a Christian, that while such societies teach, as they do, but the wisdom of this world, so very soon to pass away from the very longest liver, yet that the divine philosophy which teaches the way to an unchangeable happiness in heaven, may be taught too often, or should be excluded from the socialities of domestic life? Without wishing, for a moment, to be harsh or uncharitable, can such persons read their Bibles with humble and teachable minds, and not be aware of the practice of the primitive Christians? It is recorded in Acts ii. 42, of those three thousand souls who were, by the preaching of Peter, converted and baptized, that "they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers ;" and in the 46th verse, that " they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart." But an infinitely higher authority than the example of the primitive Christians has said, "that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;"* has also said, "Watch "Watch ye, therefore, and pray always ;" and has enforced the commandment by the most powerful and encouraging sanctions, by superadding, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."+ ↑ Luke xxi. 36. * Luke xviii. 1. E Now, although the divine injunction is to be understood with that necessary qualification which does not set aside, or dispense with, the various duties of life, yet does it strongly imply the necessity of a spiritual frame of mind,—the habitual presence in the heart of that spirit of prayer with which those duties should ever be performed. Such a state of the affections towards God is beautifully illustrated in the book of Deuteronomy, where, in allusion to the observance of the divine commandments, it is enjoined-" Thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." * Thus it appears, by the infallible declarations of Holy Writ, that in the days of primitive Christianity it was not merely once a month that the disciples of our blessed Lord assembled in each other's houses, but, as also in the temple, "daily; breaking bread from house to house." And this expression is to be understood as significant of that more solemn act of sacramental worship in which Christians have such near and devout communion with the Deity himself, and such affectionate fellowship with each other. In preferring religious wisdom to human science, as the author, as well as every human being, is under the most profound obligation to do, he does not mean, in the slightest degree, to depreciate that knowledge and learning,—those elegant and useful arts which adorn while they benefit humanity. He does, however, insist on their infinite subordination to those immortal hopes set before us in the blessed Gospel of Christ, and to those precious means of attaining to their realization in the eternal existence which is to come. * Deut. vi. 7-9. The human science of geography, for example, should but lead us, if we can allow it to precede at all, to the contemplation of the metes and boundaries of that glorious empire which lies beyond the limits of earth. The science of human learning should but conduct us to that divine knowledge which aspires to a heavenly inheritance. The mechanical sciences should but teach us how to construct a moral lever that should open the gates of heaven to our aspiring faith. While, lastly, the noble science of astronomy, which contemplates but the portals of the heavenly Jerusalem, should but direct us how we may enter that magnificent temple of the great Jehovah, whose vestibule, so resplendent with light and beauty, presents such a sublime approach to the divine sanctuary, where "God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away."' * Rev. xxi. 4. CHAPTER V. AT the period when this chapter opens, the happy domestic circle at Derwent Cottage were thrown into deep affliction by the death of Mr. Gracelove's sister, whose residence had been in one of the adjoining counties. She was a lady whose sincere piety, and exemplary fulfilment of the responsible duties of a Christian mother, in the tender care, and love, and education of her children,-had greatly endeared her to her family. They could not but truly mourn, for themselves, the loss they had experienced; while, at the same time, they could spiritually rejoice in the infinite gain which was now her happy portion. She had " fought a good fight;" she had "finished her course;" she had "kept the faith." Thenceforth there was laid up for her "a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give her at that day."* If anything could mitigate the grief of the survivors for their dear departed relative, and pluck the sting from death, it was the perfect peace, the unclouded serenity of mind, the more than submission to the will of her heavenly Father, with which she breathed forth her spirit into his hands. Full of the faith of the apostle, she had "a desire to depart, and to be with Christ." To her, indeed, " to live was Christ, and to die was gain."+ 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. + Phil. i. 21-23. "How bless'd the righteous when she dies! How mildly beam the closing eyes, How gently heaves the' expiring breast! So fades a summer-cloud away, So sinks the gale when storms are o'er, So gently shuts the eye of day, A holy quiet reigns around, A calm which life nor death destroys; Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears, Where lights and shades alternate dwell; Life's duty done, as sinks the clay, Light from its load the spirit flies; While heaven and earth combine to say, 'How bless'd the righteous when she dies !'"* Mr. and Mrs. Gracelove had just returned home, after paying the last mournful rites to their lamented relative; on which melancholy occasion they had been accompanied by the youthful Laura. It was the first time she had witnessed the solemnities of a death-bed scene; and which, as might well be supposed, had called forth all the sensibilities of her young and tender heart. Overflowing, nevertheless, as were her emotions, she felt not the slightest influence of terror, which, in one of so juvenile an age, naturally possesses and startles the imagination, on first beholding the stern tyrant of the human race. The happy * Mrs. Barbauld. |