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little that any of the holy angels have ever died. Death is, then, the just sentence of God against sin, and a sentence which it is impossible to resist. As well might we think of checking or controlling the heat of summer and the cold of winter; as well might we think of quenching the light of the sun, or drying up the waters of the ocean. Death reigns, and must reign, till he who gave death his commission, swallow him up in victory.

We can only die once.--That which can occur only once during an eternal existence, must be invested with tremendous importance. He who is on trial for life, and whose life hangs for some time in an uncertain balance, cannot but feel the importance of his position; but how much more important is our position when we know that we can only die once, and that we may die at any moment! Surely, if there is anything for which we should prepare with anxiety, and without delay, it must be death. a comfort to the righteous! Once dead, they live for ever, and death hath no more power over them. What misery to the wicked! Once dead, they cannot come back again to prepare for death; they cannot undo the evils they have committed; they cannot repent in the grave. O my soul, whatever is to be done to meet death must be done now, or may never be done!

it

What

All must die.-"Unto men." Death is appointed for the whole race: no exception is made in favour of the good, the youthful, the lovely. Death has reigned from Adam to Moses, and from Moses to the present day, over infants and adults, over young and old; and except Enoch and Elijah, there has been no discharge in this war. Death pays no respect to the bloom of youth, nor the furrows of age-to the robes of the rich, nor the rags of the poor. Even Christians, though they hope to be equal to angels, and expect to be kings and priests in heaven, must say, "Corruption, thou art my father. Worm, thou art

my mother and my sister." O my soul, fix thyself on the Rock of ages; and then, though death separate thee from thy tabernacle of clay and this sinful world, it cannot separate from Christ, nor keep thee back from the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens !

MAY 11.

Judgment after Death.

"After this the judgment."-Heb. ix. 27.

AFTER death there are three judgments-the judgment of the body-the judgment of the soul-and the last judg

ment.

The judgment of the body.-It loses capability of action. Those eyes that could take in a large space of the visible creation at a glance, are closed in darkness. Those hands and feet, so strong, so active, and so persevering at work and walking, are cold and motionless. That blood which circulated from the heart to the extremities, and from the extremities back to the heart, warm and incessant, is now congealed and at rest. The wheel is broken at the cistern, and the whole machine reduced to dust. Its beauty is gone, its energy is gone, and its dwelling-place must be changed. Thus the judgment of the body is, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

The judgment of the soul.-Immediately after death, the spirit returns to God who gave it, that it may be judged. If the spirit of a righteous man, it is received into heaven; if the spirit of a wicked man, it is shut up in hell. Thus its destiny is fixed, and fixed for ever. The spirit of Lazarus is carried by angels into Abraham's bosom, while the spirit of the rich man is in hell. The spirit of the converted thief is in paradise with Christ, while the spirit of the other thief receives the sentence of the unprofitable

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servant: "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." O my soul, now is the time for securing thy completeness and happiness in Christ; for death will either conduct thee to glory, or cast thee down to the prison of hell.

The last judgment.—Its time will be the last day, wisely concealed from men and angels. Ere its arrival, the gospel will be preached to all nations, and the millennium gladden the church. The Judge will be Christ: "The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son." Every eye shall see this Judge, and all things shall be open to his eyes. His decisions will be all righteous, and he shall have omnipotent power to carry them into effect. The parties judged will be all nations: "We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." All the dead will be there, all the living will be there; and there will be a complete and final separation of the righteous and the wicked. To give evidence to all that the judgment will be accurate, the books will be opened. The book of remembrance, the book of conscience, the book of the law, and the book of life, will settle and accurately fix the doom of every man. The sentence of the righteous will be, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sentence of the wicked will be, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." How solemn is all this! Reader, thou canst not be a mere spectator on that great day. Thou shalt take thy place in one or other of the great companies. O settle it now on which side thou shalt stand!

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THE UNRIGHTEOUS EXCLUDED FROM HEAVEN.

MAY 12.

The Unrighteous excluded from Heuben.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?" -1 Cor. vi. 9.

THINK of the kingdom of God-the manner of possession -the characters excluded-and the certainty of the exclusion.

So

The kingdom of God.-Heaven is so called, because God made it, possesses it, and rules over it. The kingdoms of this world are formed by men, and are governed by men; but the kingdom of heaven is the empire of Jehovah. great is its glory, that its radiance would dazzle and blind mortal eyes. Think of its jasper walls, its foundations of precious stones, its gates of pearl, and its streets of shining gold. Think of its inhabitants, a multitude which no man. can number, clothed with white robes, wearing crowns of gold, and holding golden harps. Think of its delightful employments, exquisite enjoyments, and eternal duration; and then, reader, let your ambition be fired to become a subject of this kingdom, and a citizen of the new Jerusalem!

The manner of possession.-It is obtained by inheritance. Money could not purchase it, but Christ by his death hath procured admission and all its privileges to his genuine disciples. Merit could not procure it, but relationship to Jesus can. Through faith in Christ we become children, and then heirs. We read our title to this inheritance in the blood of Christ, and we obtain possession by believing in, and pleading his death. Blessed inheritance, which cost Jesus his life, thou art the summit of my ambition!

The characters excluded.—"The unrighteous." These form a dark catalogue: "Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,

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nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." Sinners unconverted and impenitent cannot get there; and such are the infidel, the indifferent, and the procrastinating. Mere professors cannot get there; for the self-righteous are so unrighteous as to add hypocrisy to all their other sins. And unholy Christians cannot get there; for "there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

The certainty of this exclusion.-"Know ye not." The just sentence of the Judge shall exclude them. They might have believed, but they neglected or delayed. They might have been saved, but they would not; hence, their exclusion and condemnation are deserved, dreadful, and eternal. Even though admitted to heaven, its dazzling glories would consume them, and they could no more live in its holy atmosphere than they could live in the depths of the ocean. Every one ought to know whether he shall be excluded from heaven or not. O my soul, canst thou read thy title clear to this inheritance? If so, it must be in letters of blood.

MAY 13.

The Death of the Cross.

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."—Phil. ii. 8.

HERE we have Christ's human nature-his humiliation— and the great depths of it.

Christ's human nature.-" And being found in fashion as a man." He had a body and a soul, and appeared like other men; and he was not a man merely in appearance, but in reality. He is "the man Christ Jesus." He