"desires of their hearts." They have nothing further to desire, except the continuance of their present felicity, and the enlargement of their powers of enjoyment; and these are secured, beyond the shadow of a doubt, to all eternity. Even prayer ceases, being changed for unmingled praise and thanksgiving.

Had our honoured friend hungered and thirsted for aught except God and holiness, how would age and infirmity have been attended with bitter disappointments! how would the cruel flames have robbed her of all joy for ever! But, " hungering " and thirsting," and panting for God and righteousness; mourning and sometimes dejected because when" she would do good evil was present "with her;" because she had not attained, and could not fully attain, what she longed for; how extremely different is her case! Yes, my brethren, her sorrows are for ever ended; she "hungers no

more, neither thirsts any more;' imperfection and self-dissatisfaction no more damp her ardent joy in God; she no longer mingles groans and tears with prayers and supplications. Her prayers are fully answered; all is joy, and purity, and praise. When indeed her beloved Saviour came to perfect her deliverance, the beginning was even more appalling than his words to the woman of Canaan; but soon he said, "O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt."1

But, my friends, what are we longing and thirsting for? Should death seize us in the same manner, or in some manner equally sudden and

'Mat. xv. 21-28.

"life." The apostle saw a " river of the water of "life, clear as crystal, coming forth from the throne "of God and the Lamb." The Holy Spirit of life, and love, and purity, and consolation, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is doubtless intended. He prepares the soul of the believer for glory, and is "the earnest" of it in his heart, and he may be considered as the immediate agent in their felicity in heaven; but it is "the Lamb who leads them "forth beside these living fountains of waters. The "river proceeds from the throne of God and of the "Lamb." Here we drink a little from this sacred river," whose streams make glad the city of God:" but in heaven the saints are "led to the living "fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away "all tears from their eyes."

"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be "comforted."3 How often, and how long, has this departed saint wept in tears of godly sorrow, or in deep sympathy with the sufferings of her fellow Christians, her neighbours, and even her enemies! How have her cheeks been furrowed with tears on account of some near to her in the dearest bonds of natural affection! How has she wept also in sweet sorrow, so to speak, while contemplating the sufferings of her Redeemer, and the glory that followed! How has she made supplication " with strong cry

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ing and tears" for victory over sin and temptation! Her heavenly Father indeed, from time to time, " wiped away her tears;" yet still fresh sorrows caused them to flow anew, even to the very last night, or last hour, of her life. But now God

'Rev. xxii. 1. 2 Is. xxv. 8. Rev. xxi. 4.

* Matt. v. 4.

hath for ever" wiped away all tears from her eyes." The very crisis of her sorrow and anguish was the introduction to her final deliverance. "The ran"somed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion "with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow "and sighing shall flee away.' But to others, all others, "outer darkness, with weeping and wailing, "and gnashing of teeth," are reserved as their portions." Oh, that men were wise, that they un"derstood these things, that they would consider "their latter end!" How dreadful to have sorrow here, and to have sorrow hereafter, and for ever! And is not such a life, and even such a death, as hath been spoken of, infinitely preferable to the most prosperous life of sin and folly?

Having now gone through the words of my copious text, I shall only make some extracts from letters, which I have received, respecting the melancholy catastrophe, and so conclude. This ' event happened on Saturday evening, April the 8th. Her servant had taken up her supper, and 'left her for the space of about five minutes; when 'suddenly he was alarmed with a ringing of the 'bell, and violent shrieks. He ran, in great terror, ' and saw his mistress on the staircase, (to use his own expression,) a pillar of fire! It was with great difficulty that the flames could be extinguished, and not before she had received fatal injury. The shock produced on her body and mind seemed, from the first, to have brought on

ship to be wrecked, yet one surviving mariner remains the billows rage, the tide rises, the cliffs overhang, refuge fails, death still seems inevitable. But, behold, in this extremity an outlet, one of those sloping ascents through the cliffs, called gates by the inhabitants, being formed chiefly for agricultural purposes. Here at length the welcome έκβασις, “ the way of escape," the outlet is presented to his view; and security succeeds to deep despondency.

Now, if this is the meaning of the word in the text referred to, it cannot have a very different sense in the passage before us; and there can be no reasonable doubt that the deliverance of the persons in question from the trials and temptations of this evil world, and the happy event of all their labours, sorrows, and conflicts are intended.

It has been observed, that many of those concerning whom the apostle wrote had laid down their lives as martyrs, sealing their testimony with their blood; though some, no doubt, ended their course by a natural death, having worn themselves out with labours in the service of Christ and his church. But what was this termination of their lives on earth? How did it in prospect appear to them? How did it at the time and afterwards appear to others? Did they express concern, when death approached, that they had been so bold, so decided, so zealous, in the cause of Christ? Did they retract, or qualify, their former warm recommendations of his salvation and service to their fellow sinners? Did they speak and act as if sufferings, and the pros

pect of death, had convinced them that religion was less important, compared with other things, and Christ less precious, than they before supposed? Did they repent of their diligence, their self-denial, their disinterestedness Rather, did

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they not regret that they had not been more active, and more zealous? Did they not exhort their brethren to the last, " Preach the word; be "instant in season; out of season; reprove, re"buke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine? "Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do "the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry, for I am now ready to be offered, "and the time of my departure is at hand ?” Consider their dying testimony. Did they not say, "Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so "that I may finish my course with joy, and the “ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, "to testify the gospel of the grace of God?" Did they not add, "Let Christ be magnified in my body, whether by life or death?" "To me to " live is Christ, and to die is gain :" "I have fought "a good fight, I have finished my course, hence"forth there is laid up for me a crown of righte66 ousness?"

And where do you suppose that they are now? Doubtless, you will say, among those "who are "come out of great tribulation, and have washed "their robes and made them white in the blood of "the Lamb: therefore they are before the throne "of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall "dwell among them. They shall hunger no more,

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