set before her, by his death, to seek a new and holy
life? Was not the same grace--the same strength proffered to her, which,
if accepted and improved aright, would have enabled her to deny
herself--to take up her cross and to follow Jesus whithersoever he might
see fit to lead her?

But, alas, this was in nowise her happy experience. On the contrary, she
turned away from the consolations proffered to her in God's blessed
Word, and by his Holy Spirit, and in the teachings of that last touching
"farewell."

May we not suppose that her husband, on finding himself liberated from
the trappings of earth, from sin and temptation, as his thoughts would
naturally revert to the friends he had left behind--finding his chosen,
bosom friend, a mere clod of clay, sunk down in a state of hopeless
misery and sorrow, at his loss, having no sympathy with him in his new
and blessed abode, and in his more exalted employments and purer
enjoyments, would he not rather bless God, more ardently, that he was so
quickly removed from such chilling, blighting earth-born influences as
she might have exerted over him?

Oh, that this youthful mourner might now hear that voice of God to his
chosen people, "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough--turn you
northward." God grant that the past time of her life may suffice that
she has "wrought the will of the flesh." We most earnestly commend to
her prayerful contemplation the last words of our blessed Saviour to his
disciples, "In my Father's house are many mansions." I go to prepare _a
place_ for you--just such a mansion--such a place as each ransomed soul,
by improving the discipline of God--by holy and self-denying efforts in
this life, to do his will, is fitted to fill, and enjoy.

And so it will ever be with the heirs of salvation, while they remain in
a world of sin and temptation. They are daily and hourly working out
their salvation with fear and with trembling, while God is working in
them to will and to do of his good pleasure. The improvement which is
made of afflictions has a great deal to do in this process.

And thus, too, will it be with those who wilfully, or even thoughtlessly
neglect the great salvation--those who reject the overtures of pardoning
mercy and salvation by Christ. They will hereafter know and acknowledge
that "they knew their duty but they did it not." It is said that "Judas
went to his _own place_"--and that "Dives _made his bed_ in hell." And
herein will these