CHAP. FIRST. THE PARENT COMFORTED.

AH, wretched Father! Homar sym­pathizes with thee! thou hast lost thy Son, thy only Son, the staff of thy age the solace and support of thy declining days. And, now, abandon­ed to grief and despair, thou art resolved to go mourning to thy much desired grave.

Melancholy and afflicted Parent! my [Page 6]heart bleeds for thee, and for her the faithful Companion of thy life, the affec­tionate and distressed Mother, who sits weeping in silent sorrow by thy side! Great, indeed, is the calamity which hath befallen you; but let not the cries of anguish drown the so't and persuasive voice of consolation—let not the demon of despair prevail over the angel of truth and reflection.

Great is the calamity which hath be­fallen YOU: but, alas! not greater; than many fellow-sufferers have had cause to deplore.

Oh! my Son, my first born, how doth the remembrance of thy untimely fate recur to my mind! hearken unto me, ye afflicted Parents, and receive comfort from the lips of a partner in woe.

The Son of Homar was graceful, and pleasing to behold; he grew up as the lilly of the mountains, and flourished as the rose of Sharon; health mantled in his cheek, and sensibility spoke from his ra­diant eye! He lent his ear to instruction, and received with stall increasing thirst, the slowing cup from the hand of wisdom! Duty and respect bowed his head every [Page 7]morning to the Parents who well high adored him; and flattering felicity seem­ed proud to accompany his goings.

Lo he fell! my first born, my beloved! A sudden stroke left him a lifeless corps in my arms; the lovely flower withered in my bosom! God snatched him from me—"he had need of him"—And, O my God, thy severity was wholesome!

But could I, Oh ye Parents, say, could I refrain from lamentation and tears? Give to humanity it's tribute! Weep, Oh ye sufferers, your tears are allowed; weep Oh ye sufferers; but weep as men, as immortals as christians!

But reflect with me: Is your son, your child, your friend, lost—lost and gone for ever? Is there no hope, no probability of a future meeting?—Is all of the man buried with body in the grave?—And do all our thoughts and expectati­ons vanish there?—Forbid it Reason!—And thou divine display of high benevo­lence to man, thou glorious gospel of my Saviour, hail! hail THOU who has brought LIFE and IMMORTALITY to full and [...]!

M [...] T [...]sure is IMMORTALITY [Page 8]Sorrow, then, no more, thou Blessed Heir of this inestimable Treasure. For what is earth, or what is time to thee, who art appointed to live eternally in the Paradise of thy God?—There, trium­phant thought! there shalt thou receive again the son whom thou now lamentest so tenderly! There, Oh my Selim, my beloved! there shall thy Father' wel­come thee, once, more, to his embraces; and for ever enjoy the bright display of thy virtues, without fear of loss, or separation, without the dread of decay, or the alarming apprehension of seduction or defilement. Placed beyond the reach of temptation—beyond the power of sin: death shall never enter there,—all shall be stable and perfect, as the God himself who is the light and glory of his Saints!

Can the reflection fail to chear thy soul, O melancholy mourner, over thy departed child! He is not lost. Thou shalt go to him, but he cannot return to thee: where­fore, then, shouldest thou weep?—Study to resign thyself to the will of perfect Wisdom; so wilt thou secure to thyself the fruition of a happy future meeting. Shew not thyself un [...]u [...]ored and refractory [Page 9]to the disposal of Him, who ruleth over all, mighty in power!—Was not the Son thou lamentest, his gift;—and wilt thou be resentful, because he re-claims his own! Rather, Oh rather learn to bow thy head, and meekly say ‘The Lord “gave; and the Lord hath taken away: ”blessed be the Name of the Lord.’

Or canst thou think, that he deprived thee of thy child, be whose goodness is everlasting, for no other cause, but to af­flict thy soul, and to draw the throb of anguish from thy heart!—

Cease thy vain imagination. He cor­recteth not for HIS pleasure, but for OUR profit: he doth not a afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men!—Sovereign of the world, all-wife, and all-good, I humbly adore thy fatherly kindness!—The desire of mine eyes was cut off at a stroke; but the stroke which pierced the Father's heart, wounded it for God!—yea and reclaimed it to him! Selim, my Son, my Son, my first begotten, was deare; to me, than,—Oh, how shall I dare to speak! Pardon me, thou great gives of the blessing—that the gift occasioned a forgetfulness of thee. Let me adore [Page 10]thee, O thou gracious withdrawer of the blessing, that thou hast made what was so dear to me in life, by death, the in­strument of my eternal well-being!

Reflect, O ye suffering parents, and see the hand of God in the trial, which sinks your souls in sorrow! Reflect and look to that immortal kingdom, where, once more, we shall meet our friends departed; and which, if we are so blessed as to ob­tain, we shall thank the adorable Re­deemer for every kind chastisement here, Which has been in any sort instrumental to our obtaining so glorious a possession.

CHAP. SECOND. THE WIDOW COMFORTED.

BEHOLD and see, all ye that pass by! Behold that Vine, where branches were lately so strong and well supported, fallen to the ground, and stretching out it's feeble arn's in search of a stay! In vain are the purple clusters hanging upon it; for the rude feet of the p [...]ssenger will [...]ead upon them: they ly upon the [...], and the prop, which sus­tained [Page 11]them, is torn up by the roots: the elm, around which the fruitful tendrils twined, is levelled with the dust, and can uphold them no more!

Ah melancholy widom! ah vine be­reaved of thy stay and support, my heart bleeds for thee: Homar's soul is in sympathy with thine! Oh that he could suppress the throbbing anguish at thy heart! Oh that he could wipe away the tear from thine eye! Oh that he could give to thy draught the golden cup of Consolation; and cause thee to behold thy little Orphans around thee with the eyes of affiance and joy!

They are not orphans; nor art thou a widow! Rejoice in thy God. He is their Father—He is thy Husband! Happy wi­dow! Happy orphans! who, for a mortal, perishing, and weak Father and Husband; have now obtained One immortal, ever­living, and almighty! ‘I am the Father of “the fatherless, and the Husband of the ”Widow,’ says the GOD OF ALL COM­FORT, the eternal JEHOVAH. "Leave thy fatherless children to me!" To thee, all­gracious, all wise!—Blessed, thrice blessed are they who repose under thy care: what [Page 12]shall they want, what can they dread: the LORD is a Sun and a Shield! Oh then dejected daughter of distress! lift up thine heart, sing for joy, for thy GOD will now take thee more peculiarly under his wing. To him the care of the widow and the orphan hath always been interest­ing: search his word, and thou wilt find it; his word, whence flows rivers of balm to refresh thy afflicted Soul!

What then, if thou art deprived of some earthly enjoyment; Thy GOD is nearer to thee; nor will he ever leave or forsake thee, if thou art faithful to him. And what consideration can be equal to that which springs from the knowledge of God's constant and providential re­gard! Do thou thy best, and repose thy Soul, for God's eye is ever over thee:—thy Father and thy Husband, almighty to protect, all-bounteous to give, all-wise to provide, with sleepless eye, and unremit­ted love, watches over thee and thine—the Widow's and the Orphan's GOD!

‘“But, thy children, thy poor un­friended children—alas for them! they have lost a Father's tender and pro­tecting guidance!—who shall be their [Page 13]counsellor and defence?—how shall a weak and melancholy woman provide ”for these little ones?’

Leave thy despondency and be wise: GOD will provide: do thou thy best;—and—favorable to thy efforts, he will in­cline the hearts of those to thee, from whom unexpected good shall arise. He will raise thee friends, who is himself thy first and greatest friend: HE WILL BE THY SUN TO ENLIVEN ALL THY SPHERE WITH LIGHT AND COMFORT.

Hearken and be wise: the mother of Homar was early deprived of her Hus­band; she was drooping, as the lilly sur­charged with rain, she hung her head and wept continually: six defenceless orphans wept around her: when she beheld their innocent tears, her maternal heart was near to bursting; she clasped her hands, and, in despair, lifting up her eyes, swim­ing with tears, bewailed her hard fate to GOD!—That GOD, the FATHER OF MERCY and source of all comfort, whis­pered peace and resignation to her Soul. She heard the still voice of Reason and Grace: She listened to the Angel of Comfort, and learned wisdom. With [Page 14]patient and unremitting diligence she ap­plied to the instruction of her children: the taught them VIRTUE, she taught them GOD: she taught them JESUS their SAVI­OUR and rock:—and the OMNIPOTENT crowned her endeavours. He caused succour and aid to grow up, like rich plants all around her; he poured bles­sings, like the dew, upon her: he gave success to her early instructions, and her children feared GOD. She lived to a good old age; honoured and respected by them; she saw her sons all flourishing in the good things of this life, like the green bay tree, cloathed in perpetual verdure; and her daughters, samed for their beauty and virtue, espoused to Nobles of the Earth. Full of days, and full of honour, the thankful Widow went to her celestial Husband; and her children, with filial but mournful duty, attended her honored relicts to the grave.

Hearken, O ye Widows! and receive comfort; FEAR GOD, AND SERVE HIM, AND YE SHALL BE BLESSED, as was the widow of Hassan: commend to the Almighty your beloved Orphans, he will protect them: the greater their number, [Page 15]the surer your desence and their prospe­rity. Only be careful to bring them up in the fear and knowledge of GOD: be resigned, thankful, and humble—and GOD, the orphan's and the widow's GOD, will be your eternal reward.

CHAP. THIRD. CONSOLATION UNDER THE LOSS OF WORLDLY BLESSINGS.

LOOK to the ^* Babylonish Monarch, and learn understanding. See him GRAVEN from men, eating grass as oxen, and his body wet with the dew of heaven! Yet blessed was this chastisement; the angel of affliction instructed him in true widom! He fell only to rise more glori­ous! His Reason returned unto him,—Reason, far more valuable than his throne; and he ‘praised and honored Him who “liveth for ever and ever, whose domi­nion is an everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom is from generation to ”generation.’

Son of man, thou too art fallen. T [...]y [Page 16]glory and honor, and riches, are departed from thee! They have made themselves wings and are flown away? Search, then, thine own heart, examine truly thy own conscience;—had not the demon of pride erected her empire there? Had not a total forgetfulness of the SUPREME BENE­FACTOR spread a dark veil over thy me­mory? And didst thou not say, on con­templating thy possessions—"Is not this Great Babylon,"—Is not this large Estate, the acquisition of my hand, and the pur­chase of my might?—

Ah! vain and erring mortal! ‘The “Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh ”away.’ How soon is the abject de­pendency of thy state discovered! How soon is thy weakness and presumption shewn thee! shall the reed, that shaketh at every blast, exalt itself; and, as it bow­eth it's head to the waters, pretend to claim the stability of the cedar? No!

But—let not grief and disappointment absorb the whole man in thee! Lift up thine head and consider, and—like the Monarch of Babylon learn wisdom from thy fall and degradation. What is earth and all its possessions;—what is time and [Page 17]all its gratifications;—compared to the realm, where reigneth and shineth for ever the light of life, where the Sun of righteousness never goes down, and where perpetual brightness, and unfading felicity rejoice the immortal inhabitants? O glorious kingdom! O transcendent scene of blessedness! O treasures inex­haustible, and free from all vicissitude and decay! And shall man, poor, sinful, er­ring, perishing man, arrive at these realms—attain these treasures! Is immortality and glory his birthright, his ALMIGHTY FATHER's free donation!—Assert thy dignity then! Rejoice even in the great­est obscurity—exult even amidst the deep­est distress, even amidst the shipwreck of every earthly hope! Welcome poverty,—welcome disappointment,—welcome every loss, and every evil, which shows us ourselves,—which withdraws us from the flattering love of this alluring world;—which leads us to WISDOM, and introduces us to HEAVEN.

Reflect and thy eyes will be opened! Dazzled with the glare of worldly vani­ties, thou didst vainly imagine, Oh my brother! that there was no lustre which [Page 18]could out shine the diamond of Colcon­da;—no brightness to exceed the gold of Ophir; no glory to excel that which the paltry Princes of this little globe could give! but now, that this deceitful glory is removed;—now, that thy wealth and pos­sessions are diminished and decayed; WIS­DOM will lead thee to other and brighter gems; to gold more pure—to possessions more permanent—to honour more sure and real, which doth nor vanish into air! SHE points to HUMILITY; SHE would array thee with it, as with a beauteous robe; SHE would deck thee with the or­naments of a meek, resigned, and patient spirit; SHE would instruct thee in the love, and in the fear of GOD; SHE would teach thee that the ALMIGHTY is the only fountain of true honor; that GOD, who gave thee thy being, and will give thee a perpetuity of bliss in glory ineffa­ble;—if thou canst shun these transitory temptations, and give thine heart to him, to whom it is justly due!

O blind and deceived! and thou didst fancy, that these worldly possessions, which early and late it was thy labour to ac­quire;—thou didst conceive, that they [Page 19]were real goods! How are thy vain im­aginations confuted!—If thou placedst thy hope in them. Ah! how shall I de­plore thy case—sorrowing as thou now greatly art, that thy hope hath forsaken thee!—Real goods can never deceive or forsake us. But, behold the true estimate of all worldly greatness! Look to Pales­tine—cast thine eyes to Bethlehem—to Nazareth—to Jerusalem; and thou wilt there discern the value—the value poor and small of all earthly pomp and pagean­try and power.—

The SON OF GOD IS BORN!—The pro­mised IMMANUEL is given!—The long foretold—the long and much expected MESSIAH—The SON OF THE FATHER—GOD OF GOD—LIGHT OF LIGHT—VERY GOD OF VIRY GOD, hath assumed human nature, and appears A MAN, among his brethren the Sons of ADAM!—But—blush, grandeur blush!—wealth and lux­ury hide your diminished heads! He who made the worlds—he who gave the dia­mond to glitter in the mine,—he who bad the dust to mingle with the earth—he who gave and gives to all men all their power and all their glory,—HE chose for his [Page 20]birth place a stable,—for his cradle a manger—a poor ignoble Virgin for his Mother—a Carpenter for his reputed Fa­ther. Blush grandeur, blush;—and thou, who bewailest thy loss of substance, look to Bethlehem, and ADORE THY GOD.—Yet ceased not here the TRIUMPH of the MESSIAH over proud worldly pomp!—Why then wilt thou grieve, that thou art conformed to his outward estate? Con­form thy heart—thy inward estate to him, and thou shalt be blessed!—Travel with him therefore in contemplation, from Bethlehem to Egypt; from Egypt to Nazareth: think of his thirty years ob­scurity, and labour there; then think of his labours of love, his going about doing good, yet having no place where to lay his head! Oh think of these;—and ad­dress with humility and gratitude, HIM, who hath sanctified POVERTY; and will make, through faith and patience, disap­pointments blessings; and losses the great­est gain!

CHAP. FOURTH. THE SICK MAN COMFORTED.

THOU art laid upon the bed of sickness: thy head is bowed down as a bulrush, and thy strength is dried up as a potsherd. And dost thou murmur and complain! alas! thou feeble and er­ring mortal, consider a moment.—Oh consider and be wise! Wast thou not born to sickness, pain, and suffering? Are not these the conditions of thy existence? Are they not the common lot of all thy fellow-mortals? And wouldst thou wish, canst thou reasonably hope, to be exempt from that of which all they brethren par­take? Be silent and resigned.

But whence comes sorrow—whence comes sickness?—By whom is it commis­sioned, and whose is the hand that inflicts the stroke?—Hear IT with the voice of serious rebuke, declaring to thee, ‘Am “I come up without the Lord to try thee?—The Lord hath said to me, go ”up against this man and afflict him.’ And canst thou complain? Wilt thou presume to blame the wise purposes of HIM [Page 22]who is thy Father, the Father of the uni­verse, whose tender care is ever watchful of the whole race of rational beings, whose unerring wisdom provides for their complete welfare, and whose paternal love solicitously desireth their eternal happi­ness?

It is GOD who afflicts, the good, the gracious and wise FATHER of manking. And wherefore doth he afflict? Son of man, reflect, and be admonished. He is too benign to afflict thee for his plea­sure.—He is too good to take delight in thy sufferings. Wherefore then can he afflict—or, what end can be propose in sending his solemn messenger, DISEASE, to thee, but thy true and everlasting wel­fare? Say, therefore, with acquiescence in thy trouble, ‘I know, O Lord, that “thy judgments are right, and that thou of very faithfulness hath caused me to ”be troubled.’ I know, that ‘whom “ ”thou lovest thou chastenest.’ I know that thy gracious wisdom, Father of love I proposeth my advantage; that thou cor­rectest only to amend, and triest in the furnace, only to purify: I bow my head, therefore, and adore; I kiss the scourge—and, [Page 23]Oh may the correction im­prove me!

But who art thou that thou shouldst presume to complain?—Be silent and abased, son of sorrow! when thy mind contemplates all the great and virtuous of ages past, all the saints, and chosen ser­vants of God, visited with his scourge, and tried with sickness and sorrow? Look at the PATRIARCHS and PROPHETS, the APOSTLES and MARTYRS: look at the GREAT CAPTAIN of our common Faith and Salvation, and learn submission. Thy bed is a bed of roses, thy pillow, is of down, compared with that cross upon which his suffering limbs were stretched and tortured;—compared to that thor­ny crown which pierced, with agonizing pain, his lacerated temples! Son of man, contemplate every hour, that JESUS suffer­ed, who entered not into his glory before he suffered extremest pain: then patience will smooth thy pillow, and silent resig­nation lay her finger on thy humbled l [...]ps.

Man is born to suffering: and suffer­ing is one of heaven's b [...]st blessings. It [...]wakens us to knowledge;—it calls us [Page 24]from the world: it teaches us wisdom. "Before I was afflicted I went wrong."

Being of Beings! Fountain of Mercy! Thou eternal and incomprehensible I AM! Thou LORD of Love! All glory be to Thee! Homar will praise Thee for all thy kind paternal chastisements; nor least for the scourge of sickness, which hath opened his eyes to see the wonders of thy law, and redeeming love! When the seaver drank up all his strength, when life every moment stood in suspense;—when all the terrors of death were planted around him in terrible array, when the wife of his bosom bedewed his parched face with her affectionate tears, and the chil­dren of his heart stood sobbing by his melancholy bed,—then, O then, ADO­RABLE REDEEMER! then did thy com­forts refresh his soul. Homar, thou art a Man! did I say, and therefore must not presume to repine at human ^* fate: dust [Page 25]thou art, and unto dust must thou return! Homar, thou art a man! and man is born to suffering, as the sparks fly up­wards: willingly therefore, endure that burthen, from which none of thy fellow beings can plead an exemption!—And, Oh my SAVIOUR! my CONFIDENCE! thou hast gone before, and sanct [...]sied the thorny path; to thy cross I look, and submissive bow my head in humble ado­ration! I behold thy sorrows, and forget my own! Thou hast unbarred the ada­mantine gates of death! Thou hast van­quished [Page 26]the all victorious tyrant!— ‘“When thou hadst overcome the sharp­ness of death, thou didst open the ”Kingdom of heaven to all believers’—Thou hast given life and immortality to thy faithful servants persevering unto the end! LORD JESUS! I come! Oh be thou my support, and no terrors of death shall affright—No languishments of sick­ness shall sour—no pangs of accutest dis­ease shall draw a groan from my heart, or a whisper of discontent from my mouth!

I was established on a rock. He who puts his confidence in JESUS, shall be as the mount Zion, which cannot be remov­ed; health or sickness will make no dis­terence with that soul who builds upon HIS love, and walks by HIS pattern— HE heard and saved nor, for a while, from death! O may it be to speak his praises and to declare abroad his everlasting mer­cy and truth!—Come, then, and hearken all ye wretched and suffering sons of men, come all ye who in vain seek tor peace and rest, from sublunary things,—come, and listen unto m [...],—nor doubt the voic [...] of EXPERIENCE and TRUTH,—and I will "tell you what the LORD," in much [Page 27]mercy and undeserved loving kindness, "hath done for my soul."

‘“The knowledge of Jesus, is happi­ness, and his love consummates peace, ”and perfect fruition to the Soul.’

Reflect, O child of sorrow, whence thy a [...]ction comes! Reflect whose hand it is, which inflicts the stroke! Reflect for what cause this visi [...]ation, which thou wilt be apt to call an evil, is sent! Reflect on all thy fellow morrals of highest virtue in every age, who have been visi [...]ed with this scourge! Call to thy remembrance JESUS, the PRINCE of sufferers, who endured the severest agonies, in patience and silence; seriously reflect and thou wilt not fail to how thy head in humble submiffion, and say "God's will be done—and not mine O heavenly Father!"

But further, Son of Man! wouldst thou be exempt from the common lot of mor­tals? Or what are thy deservings that thou only wouldst CLAIM BLESSINGS from the hand of thy Father? Man's goodness is partial; his actions are much debased with evil mixtures: So is life, checkered with good and evil:—health and sick­ness, in just retribution of our deeds, befal [Page 28]us: 'till thou art perfect in virtue expect not a fullness of blessings. Thankfully then review the many days of healch thou hast enjoyed: more days of health than hours of sickness; and with gratesul re­signation adore thy CAEATOR, who is pleased to deal with thee, not according to thy offences, but "according to his MERCY IN CHRIST JESUS." He intends thy welfare. High in health, and full of life, thou sailest down the silver stream of prosperity, attentive only to the gay tack­ling of thy vessel;—to the musick that warbles melodious in thine ears;—to the prospects that gaily surround thee on all sides. Ah! foolish, and ill-advised! thou dreamest not of the inevitable gulph, which speedily must overwhelm thee with all thy false and flattering hopes! To remind thee of duty, and of that eternal haven, where only thou canst safely anchor, the storm of affliction ariseth, and causeth thee to look up to HIM who alone can give thee aid. Happy sickness which warns us of eternity! Happy sickness! which com­pells us to enter into that state of life most necessary and becoming a Christian Happy sickness! which obliges to humble [Page 29]and peaceable submission, and preserves from all the sins and all the evils of full and thankless health!

Thy Sickness is sent to correct thee for thy past sins:—hadst thou not rather suf­fer this light chastisement now, and amend by it; than uncorrected, fall into that bottomless gulf, where thy pains and punishments will be intolerable indeed?—But, rightly improved, thy sickness will not only be instrumental to preserve thee from future punishment; but it will be the means of brightening the lustre of thy celestial Crown; for it will be the means of perfecting those virtues in thee, which are of high estimation in the sight of GOD, and which, without pain and trouble, could neither have existence nor exercise.

Look around thee too, and consider the condition of thy fellow-mortals. Art thou the only sufferer?—Behold what numbers groan beneath the weight of affliction, languishing in sickness,—agonised with pain,—their minds dejected,—their spirits funk, and their senses wandering! See too, how many are denied the soothing attend­ance of sym pathizing friends! from how many is with-held the genial aid of heal­ing [Page 30]medicine! Left to their woes, to so­litude and sorrow, they pine in lonely distress, and heave the broken hearted sigh:—forlaken and deprived of every earthly comfort! Yet, O ye children of distress! yet even from you, divin [...] con­solation is not with-held; the religion of the blessed JESUS, can and will shed rays of light upon your melancholy darkness. His example can support; the everlasting blessedness of his promised mansions can fill, with humble hope and joy, the most afflicted soul.

Thou, then, O mortal! complain not, whom sore disease and enseebling sickness oppress. Thou, whose mind is yet free, and whose senses are perfect. The Soul cannot be chained down by the fetters of the body; tho' imprisoned, it can soar into the heaven of heavens, and, on the wings of meditation and prayer, present itselt before the ALL-RULING and ALL-GRACIOUS GOD. Complain not thou, around whose bed stand tender friends, heedful of all thy wants, and gently admi­nistring to all thy necessities. Think of JESUS neglected in his last extremity.—Think of him, whom all his disciples for­sook. [Page 31]Think of him who suffered on the cross, unattended—unpitied—unrelieved—and GLORIFY THY GOD!

But, knowest thou not, O man! that thou must die?—Knowest thou not that an eternal future state is the consequence—the certain consequence of thy existence in the present?—Wilt thou not then, with true piety and manly resolution, welcom the messenger, which informs thee, that the day of thy dismission approacheth?—O blessed Messenger!—ever to be desired day! which shall deliver the Soul from the prison of a corrupting Body, and give it leave to range the boundless fields of light;—which shall admit to the enjoy­ment of all the freedoms and all the bles­sings of a glorious immortality;—which, at once, shall deliver from sin, from sorrow, from sickness, disappointment, v [...]xation, and death!—which shall intro­duce to perfect holiness—perfect health—and perfect happiness:—which shall in­troduce to the sight and fruition of the tremendous and ever-adorable TRINITY; to the converse and friendship of the wise­est and bust men of all ages—and na­tions—to the innumerable Company of [Page 32]Angels—Cherubim and Seraphin, of Patriarchs Professors—Martyrs and Con­fessors;—which shall open every source of pleasure on thy enraptured Soul; and fill it with pure and satisfying delights, which never can satiate—never can end.

Raise thy desponding, languid eyes, thou poor, dejected, sick, and suffering Soul! O raise the eyes of thy faith to the unsupportable transports of this blissful eternity; and thy heart will glow with comfort—thy hopes will soring ardent upward to the throne of God—with these words in thy mouth, "IT IS BEST TO DEPART AND TO BE WITH CHRIST!"

CHAP. FIFTH. CONSOLATION—UNDER CALUMNY.

MORTAL! Thou hast known adversity and distress:—thou hast suffered shipwreck on the black rocks of calamity and misfortune:—and dost thou wonder that the eyes of those who for­merly smiled with rapture at thine ap­proach, humbly bowing themselves to the [Page 33]Earth before thee, in the day of thy pros­perity—that those now behold thee with averted aspect,—and deny thee any tokens of superiority or respect?—Dost thou wonder that the tongues which drop­ed honey, and poured the soft oil of flat­tery into thine ears, now roughly address, or severely condimn thee? Alas! the cause of their humiliation before thee is withdrawn: the motive to their adulating softness ceased with thy power to serve and assist. Nay, and further still: dost thou wonder that thy reputation is freely and rudely handled, and that obliquy dares to shed her envenomed poison on thy character?—which before, gilt with the bright rays of prosperity, appeared dazzling in the eyes of men, and was honored with universal applause? Ah! foolish and deceived! not thou, but thy condition was honored?—Ah! simple and unwise; not to thee, but to their own advantage, men bowed the suppliant knee when thou was raised on the lofty but tottering pinacle of fortune.

Fallen—thou art still thyself. Hear instruction, and be wise—divested of worldly wealth and worldly power—des­poiled [Page 34]by misfortune's unrelenting hand, of riches and greatness; what saith thine heart! What witnesseth all-faithful CON­SCIENCE?—Speaks that VICEGERENT of the ALMIGHTY in the language of con­demnation? Bears SHE testimony, that injustice and oppression were thy constant companions in accumulating wealth, that servility and base compliances led thee along the path of corruption to the seat of power?—Bow thy neck, trembling, to the keen stroke of censure:—bear with patience the just burthen which the pub­lic voice lays upon thee: and in humble recollection, adore the sovereign JEH VAH, who hath given wings to thy pernicious treasures, and struck from beneath thee the slippery seal of false greatness.

Doth [...]anh [...]ul CONSCIENCE, on the other hand, afford unblassed evidence to thy in­tegrity and truth? Doth SHE depose, in the court of that JUDGE, whom nothing shall deceive, that str [...]ct JUSTICE and FIDE­LITY have walked by thy side: that bright VIRTUE hath irradiated thy path:—that COMPASSION and HUMANITY have smiled beneath t [...]y aid?—Then boldly bear aloft thy sted alt and u [...]shaken countenance: [Page 35]scorn the public darts of invidious calum­ny;—INTEGRITY will hold up her ada­mantine shield before thee:—CONSCIENCE will be thy perpetual comforter, till IM­MORTALITY, GLORY AND HONOUR finally crown thee with unfading laurels.

Disciplined in AFFLICTIONS school—tried in the furnace of ADVERSITY, Ho­mar will at once be thy Instructor and thy Security: he hath tasted deep of every bitter dreg in sorrow's cup: despoiled of children, despoiled of fortune, despoiled of health, how could it be otherways, than that he should be despoiled of friends also?—When the dread lightening of the AL­MIGHTY with forked glare, had shivered the stately cedar, which had for ages stood awful on the mountain's top and afforded beneath it's spreading branches refreshing shelter to innumerable beasts of the earth, quickly all it's aged honors are lopped off from it, and every creature which once found shelter, fl [...]es from, and regards it no more. See in that Cedar, the once flou­rishing HOMAR, in adversity; ‘How “can it be said by the voice of man, that he, whom the ALMIGHTY'S vengeance hath thus visited;—that he, whose chil­dren [Page 36]GOD's hand hath levelled with the dust;—that he, whose fortunes are vanished with the winds;—that he, whose body is afflicted with disease, should be otherways than abominable in the sight of the JUST; who hath made him a signal example to detect his ”crimes and to admonish mankind!"—’

O hold! my trembling heart!—Let not the deep reflection pierce too deep!—And ye my fellow-men, and fellow-sin­ners, reverence the afflicted;—be less se­vere to yourselves; for ye too are mortals, and liable to misery. And why, will ye dare, feeble and erring as ye hourly are, to wrest from the hands of Omnipotence his tremenduous judgments! CAN YE READ THE HEART? CAN YE ENTER INTO THE SECRET SOUL?—'Till then, wait the decisions of an UNERRING JUDGE:—and pity the unfortunate, while you adore, with veneration, GOD'S INSCRUTABLE JUDGMENTS.

Homar bows his head, covered with ashes and confusion, in humble acknow­ledgement of his innumerable faults: with the lips of sincerity he proclaims, ‘“Thou, O GOD! art righteous, and of [Page 37]very faithfulness hast thou caused me ”to be troubled.’ HOMAR, consci­ous of his corruption from the womb of his mother;—conscious of ten thousand wanderings from the perfect, pure, and spi­ritual LAW OF GOD; owns his vileness—sues for mercy;—nor doubts of obtaining the inestimable blessing, through the in­finitely precious BLOOD of the holy JESUS, LAMB OF GOD—appointed before the foundation, and in the fullness of time ap­pearing to take away the Sin of the World—Yet, will HE maintain his integrity; yet, O ye children of the slanderer! will HE avow his right intentions, and his righteous dealings towards the Sons of men. FRAUD and CIRCUMVENTION were ever odious, as the crested BASILISKI, to his soul.—INHUMANITY and OPPRESSION were ever detestible as the GATES of hell. He heard not, unmoved, the cries of the afflicted: his heart was soft to feel;—his hand were prompt to relieve. Hear it, and be MERCIFUL, O ye who refuse MER­CY to a Son of SORROW!—

But hark! as if an Angel spoke, I hear the consoliatory sound— ‘Blessed are ye, “when men shall revile you, and persecute [Page 38]you, and shall say all manner of evil against you, FALSELY, for my sake: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your Reward in ”heaven.’ FALSELY, Omniscient and all benevolent CREATOR—Thou wor­thy JUDGE ETERNAL! To THEE who knowest all things gladly I appeal! FALSELY hath the tongue of persecution uttered her malevolence against me: Oh, that I could say "for thy sake," and "for thy love!" Then not only with pa­tience, but with triumph, should I see the envenomed shafts of malice from every quarter falling around me: and, armed, with the shield of FAITH, the helmet of SALVATION, the breastplate of RIGHTE­OU NESS and the sword of the SPIRIT which is PRAYER,—and shod with the prepara­tion of the GOSPEL OF PEACE—undaunt­ed and unhurt, I would bravely march amidst all the fiery darts of the wicked, following the invincible LEADER of the Armies of Israel, conquering and to con­quer;—even thro' the dark valley of the shadow of death, up to ZION'S hill—the celestial Kingdom, and thus thro' FAITH and PATIENCE enter into the joy of my LORD [Page 39]and SAVIOUR JESUS:—who for the Glory that was set before him, endured ‘the “ ”contradiction of sinners’—their bitter­est revilings—their falsest accusations and calumni [...]s—even ‘the death of the “ ”Cross,’ and the extreme malediction due to man's transgression of the Law—and ‘therefore GOD hath highly exalted “ ”HIM to be the HEAD of his Church,’ "giving him a NAME, above every name"—a NAME at the mention of which Good Angels adore—evil angels tremble—and ‘“every knee is commanded to bow—and every tongue to confess him LORD, ”to the glory of GOD the Father.’

Listen then, to Homar, O ye sons of distress! Ye, who; to the weight of other misfortunes feel that added, of disregard­ing friends and censuring tongues: here behold, and mark your proper, consolati­on. UNJUSTLY censured, ye are brought nearer to GOD. FALSELY calumniated, greater will be your felicity and final recompence;—conscience will speak mo [...]e peace and tenderness, and GOD will vouchsafe you a more ample and par­ticular reward. JUSTLY censured,—you have cause to be thankful even to the [Page 40]unfriendly voice, which marks out your faults, and shews you yourself. Thus the rough voice of enmity may prove more salutary to your soul, than the gentle blandshments of affectionate friendship: for it may teach you wisdom—correct your vices—improve your morals—and make you humble, resigned, and holy. Thus, from poisonous herbs, medicines of prime efficacy to health are extracted: and thus from the bitterest worldly evil, the reflect­ing Soul may draw all the sweetness of celestial bliss.