The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-12-11 00:00:00

ON DEATH.

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There is no subject to which the Matta mind eats be to aw-
fully directed. as the cootemplatioa of that moment, which is to
withdraw it from the ties, and the allictionl/4that engaged it
whits, in this world; nor is there any other mode in which it
can be employed with such a variety of advantage. Amidst all
the trocertaioty of life, * topic witch has furnished ample and
almost inexklinstible materials to the moralist, and which is so
strongly sgfiemplified in every moment of our existence, this one
point alone is unavojdably certain, that. however softened or
'delayed, the hour of dissolution must come at last, and with it
Will come feelings and ideas. perhaps peculiar to teat single
moment. This great truth. of which every hums* tieing is so
fully entire and the importance of which is so universally.
acknowledged,
d, is Ilse only one to which man is inclined to pay
little attention. tie Wee hi- k Wilmot and his friends stropping
;rood him a alum( alarm far himself, because habit has rendered
him callous from the frequency of the occurrence—he stes.tbem
shrouded in the garments of death, and sirlitig into the tomb,
Ant It to be their long Net resting place, and without ceasing.to
acknowledge that each must be one day Pis lot; be wishes to
treat the contemplation as he would the event itself, by putting
it of :o the furthest pinsible period. He beats the funeral bell
Bing forth its melancholy 'notes, and yet safe's the impressive
warning to fade away, as the sound dies upon his eor•—yet,
such i 3 not the purpose for which the..--e examples are a&rded ;
they are intended to teach a far more imports's. lesson, to speak.
to the 'edinfi9, the tears, end the understanding, in order; that
man, being acquainted with the iuspossihility utrivoidicat the
c,
fate obi is allotted to him, may learn rrrtneet it with the fur•
(d o ude ope, and the composure of resignation.
The time at which it may please ibegreat Disposer of rvents
to 1010110011 us to our 111111gccount, is Masan only to himself.—
Some, in the pride of health, and la the bloom of solitht are
eater in the midst of their enjoyment. as the flower that is to.
day admired for its beatify, and delighting by itafragrance, that
to-morrow is cast away to ;either on me ground, unheeded and
despised. Some others, and they are few, who are permitted to
wear out the full period of human existence, and to sink into
the grave surrounded with the honours of an advanced age; bat
of vs hat avail is that protracted duration of years, when the hour
of dissoluthin approaches: "for a thousand years are bat as
yesterdoy, when it is passed, Ind as a watch in the night. The
days of our years are three score yews and ten, and if by reason
orstrengtb they be fourscore stars. yet is their strength Wetter
and sorrow, for it is soon cut of, anti we fly nwas." If is from
examples of the former, when the bolt of death falls on the )oting
and unwary, that moralist: are more fond of d awing lesson. of
instruction, because the occurrence must be unexpected, and
the impression be far more pox erful—yet, the latter ease, where
man has lived his "three score years and ten, and comes in a full
age, like as a shock 4.f corn stoned; its. its season." ;Ilford* fine
opportunity for improvement, and teaches a tenon which wit-
dem can derive advantage front.
In the course of so hinge life, many must have been the cam
and sorrows is hich await humanity: to have borne them with re-
signation, and to have surmounted them with pietyeasiteely de-
serves our praise; numberless most have been the nesioasala-
tie-, both moral and religious, which calls for man', attention;
to have performed them with diligence and assiduity, excites our
admiratko. To have thus passed through a long term of years,
in the fear of God, and in the tote of noon,. aux iou,s to fulfil the
dime-, which his station in life may li•ive devolved upon him.
and sit Ilse same time, watchful to obtain the favour of the Al:
mighty, by obedience to his commands, and la-fly, to have
i closed his eyes hi peace, with all the relators:l whica can alone
I attend the death:bed oft; Christian, affords an exampteof envia-
ble happiness. and forces us to exclaim," let medie the death of
the righ:eou,, and let my latter sand- be like his." It is only at
the terminition of a life like this, the human character can he
bOrly appreciated ; it is only at this time, that man seems to
l eaist alone for himself. the 'praise or the blame of others i, alike
irdiffeneas ;Use pplgemstry 4 worLdly show, and. the-grandeur of
Worldly possession. appear alike contemptible:4. even the days
which have heenspent, and which to the young and thoughtless
are as of amazing length, are then as but an Pour I their me-
mory is us fleeting as their enjoyment had beets, they thy away,
end leave nothicg behind them, butt the certainty of their des
parture. Yet is is from the manner in which those days were.
spent, that support and consolation in this trying hour, can he
solely obtained, that calmness can be found to meet the arrow
of death, and fortitude to undergo his dominion.
Thus the promise of a length of years, can afford no lasting
happiness, sinless as it gives more opportunity of fervently
serving she Almighty, and leaving a worthy example to those
who are to come after us. One generation passeth !sway. and
another in good time succeedeth ; the persons who but a little
while ago, enjoyed the same prospects of life and health, now
havin4 fulfilled their time, are dropping around us, a: the trees
shed their leaves in autumn ; abate while and it shall be so with
us—our fathers have made way for us, and so shall we, io order
to give place to those who ore to succeed us. Resignation
should, therefore, teach us calmly to await the fate which na-
ture has prepared for us, and which we have seen 1,0 many un-
dergo, whifst wisdom should make us anxiously endeavour so
I to fortify ourselves, that we shrink not iu the hour of trial.—
, That if it shall please God, that we attain to an age of length
and honour, our days not) be passed in righteousness, and our
latter end in pence, that in our lives we leave an example to
those who follow after us. worthy of imitation, and in our
deaths, exemplify that calmness and hope, which only a Christian
i can know.