Imatges de pàgina
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ner from me, and melted all my happiness into air, into thin air. A fever, in a few days, fnapt off the thread of her life, and made me the child of affliction, when I had not a thought of the mourner. Language cannot paint the diftrefs this calamity reduced me to; nor give an idea of what I fuffered, when I faw her eyes fwimming in death, and the throws of her departing fpirit. Bleft as he was, in the exercife of every virtue that adorns a woman, how inconfolable muft her husband be! and, to add to my distress, by the same fever fell my friend Tom Fleming, who came the day before my wife fickened to fee us. One of my lads likewife died, and the two fervant maids. They all lay dead around me, and I fat like one inanimate by the corps of Charlotte, till Fryer Fleming, (the brother of Tom,) brought coffins and buried them all. Thus did felicity vanish from my fight, and I remained like a traveller in Greenland, who had loft the fun.

on death.

§. 6. O eloquent, just, and mighty death! A reflexion (fays Raleigh) It is thou alone puts wisdom into the human heart, and suddenly makes man to know himself. It is death that makes the conqueror afhamed of his fame, and with he had rather ftolen out of the world, than purchased the report of his acC 2 tions,

tions, by rapine, oppreffion, and cruelty; by giving in fpoil the innocent and labouring foul to the idle and infolent; by emptying the cities of the world of their ancient inhabitants, and filling them again with fo many, and fo variable forts of forrows. It is death tells the proud and infolent, that they are but abjects, and humbles them at the inftant; makes them cry, complain, and repent; yea, even to hate their former happiness. It is death takes the account of the rich, and proves him a beggar, a naked beggar, which hath intereft in nothing but the gravel which fills his mouth. It is death holds a glafs be.fore the eyes of the most beautiful, and makes them fee therein their deformity and rottennefs; and they acknowledge it.

Whom none could advife, thou haft perfuaded: what none have dared, thou haft done and whom all the world hath flattered, thou only haft caft out of the world, and defpifed. Thou haft drawn together all the far-ftretched greatnefs, all the pride, cruelty, and ambition, of man; all the powerful charms of beauty; and covered it all over with these two narrow words, Hic jacet.

Nor is this all, mighty death! It is thou that leadeft to the refurrection of the dead; the diffolution of the world; the judgment day; and the eternal state of men.

It is

thou

thou that finishes the trial of men, and feals their characters, for happiness or mifery for

ever.

Be thou then, death, our morning and evening meditation: let us learn from thee the vanity of all human things; and that it is the most amazing folly, to melt away time, and mil-apply talents, as the generality of reafonable beings do: that we were not made men, thinking, rational beings, capable of the nobleft contemplations, to spend all our thoughts and time in fenfe and pleafure, in drefling, feeding, and fporting; or, in purchases, building and planting; but to prepare for a dying hour; that, when at the call of God, we go out of the body, not knowing whither we go, we may, like Abraham, travel by faith, and trust to the conduct of the Lord of all countries. Since

we must die, and thy power, O death, we fee, is uncontrolable: fince to the duft we muft return, and take our trial at the bar of Almighty God, as intelligent and free agents; (for under moral government, and God is a perfectly wife and righteous governor, the wickedness of the wicked will be upon him, and the righteoufness of the righteous will be upon him;)fince we must be numbered with the dead, and our circumftances and condition indicate a future judgment, furely we ought to remove our chief concern from this world

to the other, and transfer our principal regard to the immortal fpirit; that in the hour of agony, a virtuous mind, purity of confcience, and good actions, may procure us the favour. of God, and the guidance of his good spirit to the manfions of the bieffed, where new pleasures are for ever fpringing up, and the happiness of the heavenly inhabitants is perpetually increafing. This is the one thing needful. Death demonftrates, that this world of darkness and error, changes and chances, is not worth fixing our heart on. To fecure our paffage into the regions of perfect and eternal day, fhould be the employment of immortal mortals.

§. 7. Thus did I reflect as I fat among the dead, with my eyes faftened on the breathlefs corps of Charlotte, and I wished, if it was poffible, to have leave to depart, and in the hofpitable grave, lie down from toil and pain, to take my laft repofe; for I knew not what to do, nor where to go. I was not qualified for the world; nor had I a friend, or even an acquaintance in it, that I knew where to find. But in vain I prayed; it was otherwife decreed: I must go on, or continue a folitary in the wild I was in, The latter it was not poffible for me to do, in the ftate of mind I was in; overwhelmed with forrow, and without a companion of

any

any kind; and therefore, I muft of neceffity go to fome other place. I fold all the living things I had to Fryar Fleming, and locked up my doors. My furniture, linen, clothes, books, liquors, and fome falt provisions, inftruments of various kinds, and fuch like things, I left in their several places. There was no one to take them, or probability that any one would come there to difturb them; and perhaps, fome time or other, the fates might bring me back again to the lone place. Though it was then a defolate, filent habitation, a ftriking memento of the vanity and precarious exiftence of all human good things; yet it was poffible, that hearty friendship, feftivity, and focial life, might once more be seen there. The force and operation of cafualties did wonders every day, and time might give me even a relish for the folitude in a few years more. Thus did I settle affairs in that remote place; and, taking leave of my friend, the fryar, with my lad O Finn, rode off.

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