praise him from whom all blessings flow, and with their last breath of agony, to pray for their per

secutors.

But the fires of persecution have been extinguished, and Christians are not now called upon to such trials of their faith and patience; and when they meet the last enemy, it is commonly under circumstances very different; when the body has been worn down by disease, and is crumbling into dissolution; when one after another of the energies of life have been daily loosened; when the attention has been distracted by pain; when perception has been rendered obtuse by the gradual failure of the integrity of the brain; when the power of memory, reason, and intelligence are enfeebled; when reflection is almost impossible, and the agency of the will over the thoughts is suspended; when in fact, this feeble tabernacle, which with all its beauty and utility, has served but as a material prison for the immaterial and immortal principle, is fast giving way, and sinking under the influence of disease; and refusing much longer to remain the servant of that spiritual essence; it is not then that the language of triumph is to be expected; expiring nature refuses to give utterance to such intellectual manifestations; and the peace of hope, the quiet and serene confidence of faith, are more consonant with its state than the song of exultation and of joy. And even these, faith and hope, may be obscured by disease, and enfeebled by decay.; and however gratifying it may be to surrounding

friends, to witness a triumphant death-bed; still it must be recollected that the little incidents of the last hour so greedily treasured up by memory, are more frequently the evidence of an exhausted, or excited, or irritated brain, than proofs of the actual feelings of the immaterial principle, when contemplating its separation from the body; and that the song of victory is more appropriate to the disembodied spirit, than when undergoing that pang of dissolution which is to it, the last consequence of sin. Besides they who have witnessed the fast closing hours of numbers, will have perceived that there is no relation between them, and the years of conduct which have preceded and which have formed the character. These have been the days of struggle, the appropriate field for the display of Christian heroism; for combating with sin, subjugating passion, weeding out every idol from the heart, and fighting the good fight of faith; these are the bright spots, on which memory should delight to dwell, on the days of those who like Asa, "took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and renewed the altar of the Lord; whose heart was perfect all his days, although the high places were not taken away out of Israel." 2 Chronicles, xv. 8, 17.

Courage is to be distinguished from fanaticism ; the one appeals to principle as its basis, the other rests on feeling; the object of the one is the extension of obedience to the will of Heaven, that of

the other proselytism; the means by which these objects are to be accomplished are respectively persecution, and the exhibition of a holy and consistent life. The fanatic may be stimulated to deeds of intrepidity from which the humble and diffident Christian shrinks; the fanatic rests more on the tone of his organization, the Christian on the rectitude of his principles; the one acts from the fervour of emotion, the other from the consistency of duty; the one is stimulated by the prospect of some fancied joy, the other by the desire of obedience to the will, and imitation of the character of Christ. Fanaticism will not be very scrupulous about the means of accomplishing its purpose; the only weapon of Christianity is the example of the incarnate Saviour, in his life, and ministry, and sufferings. The Christian's courage is an abiding principle, while that of fanaticism is evanescent, and will wear itself out if not contradicted and opposed. Fanaticism earnestly contends for, and holds most dear, some points which are contrary to reason, while the Christian's courage is exerted only in the defence of that which is rational. The course of the fanatic may be marked by a more brilliant glare, but it will be a lurid and deceitful light, and will diffuse less warmth than the clear and steady shining of the Christian, uniformly pursuing his unwearied track, and by its genial warmth calling into life many excellent virtues.

Finally, the courage of the Christian is evinced

by patience under the many difficulties and vexations of life, those minor ills, which scarcely call for exertion to fight against, and which, from their very minuteness and diminutive power, are too often overlooked, as not requiring the exercise of Christian principle; and thus frequently prove a snare, from the want of watchfulness. There are many occasions of life too trifling to demand a serious struggle, in which the mind is disturbed and rendered uneasy and irritable, and on which courage, if duly exercised, wonld produce that intrepid resignation, that imperturbable calm, that victory over passion, that effort of self-denial, that abandonment of our own will, that ready sacrifice of earthly good, and present opinion, and wounded pride, and disappointed hope, which would preserve the mind quietly resting on that sure and steady centre of peace, and patience, and confidence, which will save it from becoming the sport of every wave of passion, or feeling, or prejudice; and will lead it to wait until the providence of God shall see fit to deliver it from these circumstances of trial: "wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm xxvii. 14.

Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom: a man's enemies are the men of his own house, therefore I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." Micah vii. 5, 6, 7. Such then are the principles upon which Christian

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courage is to be educated, and led forward from victory to victory, unto the measure of the stature of the perfect man in Christ Jesus.

SECTION X. Of Ennui.

ENNUI is the sad prerogative of civilized life, and of that absence from energetic pursuit, which is so essential to the happiness of man. It will generally be found in inverse proportion to the manifestation of intellectual and bodily vigour; and it haunts particularly the footsteps of the rich and the luxurious, whose situation would be improved, could they exchange the gloomy shadows with which it surrounds the evening of life, for the real sorrows, the toil and care of those who are struggling with adversity, and who have no hope of obtaining the bread of their daily meal, but by daily exertion. Ennui too commonly fastens upon the retirement of him who has laboured for years to obtain freedom from business; whose mind has been harassed by incessant application, and who has sighed from day to day after the leisure of the country. But now, having realized the object of his desires, and having obtained for himself all that will be necessary to exhaust his wishes, he sits down in his rural villa, and finds too late, that enjoyment has fled with the recurrence of daily pursuit. He is amused, indeed, while the charm and freshness of novelty