over the flood to the far-away shore." He saw not the gloom of the grave. He looked beyond it to the sunlit glories of heaven. He feared not the loneliness of the valley of death, for the Saviour was with him, and bright spirits beckoned him away to his mansion of rest.

3d. Man fears the unknown world beyond the gravethe "evil that we know not of."-There is another state of existence, and death introduces man into it. Just what that state is we know not. The mode of existence, the means of enjoyment, the external scenery, and a thousand other questions connected with it cannot be answered by us. It is a dark shadowy land to This renders it an object of dread to man; for we fear what is dark and unknown, more than real evil with which we are well acquainted. The feelings of the human soul on this subject are correctly and graphically drawn in the soliloquy of Hamlet:

us.

-to die; to sleep

No more; and by a sleep; to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks,
That flesh is heir to-'tis a consumption
Devoutly to be wished. To die-to sleep-

To sleep! perchanee to dream;-ay there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come:
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause:-there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long a life:

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patiert merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear
To grunt and sweat under a weary life;

But that the dread of something after death-
The undiscovered country from whose borne
No traveler returns-puzzles the will;
And makes us bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience makes cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprizes of great pith and moment
With this regard their moments turn away
And lose the name of action."

Christ delivers the Christian from this fear, and enables him to contemplate as the avenue to an immortal life, where there are no scenes of sorow nor sources of misery. With the poet he can sing:

"The vision of the tomb is past;

Beyond it who can tell

In what mysterious region cast,
Immortal spirits dwell?

I know not, but I soon shall know
When life's sore conflicts cease,
When this desponding heart lies low,
And I shall rest in peace.

For see, on death's bewildering wave,

The rainbow hope arise,

A bridge of glory o'er the grave,

That bends beyond the skies.

From earth to heaven it swells and shines.

The pledge of bliss to man;

Time with eternity combines,

And grasps them in a span."

St. Louis died among the ruins of Carthage; a Christian King, laboring in vain to expel the religion of Mahomet from the spot where Dido had planted the religion of Syria. "My friends," said he, "I have fin

ished my course.

Do not mourn for me. It is natural that I, as your chief and leader, should go before you. You must follow me. Keep yourselves in readiness for the journey." Then giving his son his blessing and the best advice, he received the sacrament, closed his eyes, and died, as he was repeating from the Psalms: "I will come into thy house; I will worship in thy holy temple." The closing scene in the life of "Paul the aged" beautifully exhibits the sublime power of Christianity in its elevating influence on the soul when contemplating the near approach of death. He was a prisoner in the city of Rome, doomed to die by the hand of the executioner. As he stands thus on the verge of the past, and exclaims: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course. I have kept the faith." Then turning to the future, by an eye of faith, he describes the glorious scenes of heaven,

Where seraphs gather immortality,

On life's fair tree; fast by the throne of God,"

and gives utterance to the deep emotions of his soul in the sublime language of immortal hope. "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

all

4th. Man dreads the solemn appearance of God.-In

ages he has felt that death would somehow introduce him into the immediate presence of God, and this thought unnerves the soul, and makes him turn pale at the approach of death. All men are conscious that they are sinners; that they have sinned against God; that they are unprepared to meet His approbatior. This causes them to dread death. They would shun his presence, and hide themselves forever from Him

if they could. They feel as Adam did after he had eaten the forbidden fruit. He dreaded the appearance of the Lord, and trembled at His approach. For the same reason man fears death. It is not so much death itself that he fears, as the consequences that follow it. The solemn trial at the bar of God is what causes him to tremble at the approach of death. The thought that he must meet God face to face, and give a strict account for all the thoughts, words, and deeds of his life is what renders death terrible to him. Christ delivers man from this fear of death by reconciling him to God, and thus leading him to seek the forgiveness of his sins. When reconciled and pardoned, man no longer dreads the presence of God; but longs to be with Him.

VII.

CHRIST OUR TEACHER AND MASTER.

We know that thou art a teacher come from God." Joh. 3: 2. "One is your master, even Christ." Matt. 23: 10.

The love of high-sounding names and titles has been a characteristic of man in all ages of the world. This desire has its foundation in the pride of the human heart. Man aspires to superiority to his fellow men; to rise above them in rank and power; and he has invented and assumed names expressive of his real or imagined greatness. In our Lord's day, as now, many were excessively fond of these names. These titles make distinctions, engender pride, and a sense of superiority in those who receive them; and carry and display a sense of inferiority in those who do not. They tend to destroy the spirit of brotherly love among men, and are contrary to the "simplicity that is in Christ."

Our Saviour forbids His disciples receiving any such titles. "Be ye not called Rabbi." Neither be ye called Masters." The reason assigned is: "one is your master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren." Christ is our Master, or Leader, and all His disciples are on a