alarm. Though the day is fast approaching, when thy place in the church and in the family circle shall be empty; that day shall introduce thee to the assembly and church of the firstborn, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Your body, defiled by corruption and sin, must indeed be "sown in dishonour;" but your emancipated spirit shall be admitted to the house of many mansions, and when the flight of time is ended, what is now sown in dishonour shall be raised up in glory. Pass therefore what remains of thy time on earth, with thine eye fixed on the glories and felicities of the celestial city. "See that ye walk circumspectly." Realise by faith things unseen and eternal; and thus, raised superior to the vanities of life, and the flight of time, go on thy way rejoicing. Let me improve the hours I have, Just as the tree cut down, that fell Those who may feel disposed to aid the Society in continuing and extending the gratuitous circulation of these Tracts, are requested to give their Subscriptions or Donations to the Distributors of the Tracts, or to send them to the Secretary of the ENGLISH MONTHLY TRACT SOCIETY, at the Office, 27, Red Lion Square, London. THE ENGLISH MONTHLY TRACT SOCIETY, 27, RED LION SQUARE. J. & W. Rider, Printers, Bartholomew Close, London. 33 "Know'st thou the value of a soul immortal? Ten thousand add, and twice ten thousand more, Of unintelligent creation-poor!" AND what is the soul-the human soul? Who can describe its nature, ascertain the extent of its capacity, or measure the period of its duration? We are fearfully and wonderfully made! The curious structure, the elegant formation, the diversified, yet harmonious, parts of the material portion of our being, are truly surprising. But these, with all their proofs of contrivance and adaptation, are low and inferior, compared with the intellectual and spiritual properties of the mind. The body was formed out of the ground, but the soul was infused by the breath of God, who created it in his own likeness, and stamped it with immortality. The soul is an intellectual property, or rational principle, which renders man an accountable agent, and places him in a position distinct from the brute creation. It is the most excellent part of our nature, the source of our thoughts and reasonings, and contains the spring of our motives and actions. It is the seat of understanding, of memory, of judgment, of will, of conscience, of imagination; and hence, possessed of attributes, which, according to the light of revelation, declare it to be an immaterial substance, capable of surviving the dissolution of the body, and existing in a separate state. Its capacity is such that, let its stores of knowledge be ever so large and diversified; and even if it were to go on increasing its stock of information, until it had explored every part of the universe, there would, with all its acquirements, be a miserable void, apart from the SUPREME GOOD. God only can inspire it with solid and permanent satisfaction. In its original state it was capable of the most sublime associations and enjoyments; and now, when renewed by the Holy Spirit, it seeks by faith to draw near to God, and derives its only happiness from the manifestations of his favour. And how solemn the thought! how momentous the consideration-the soul cannot die! It cannot forget, cannot cease to be conscious-cannot abandon or desert itself, and, therefore, cannot by any possible effort, or accident, fall back into non-existence. Having come into life, onward we must go. An endless progression of being awaits us!—And have I a soul? Am I one of those, who, though but of yesterday, can never cease to be? Are things brought to such an issue, that eternal bliss or eternal woe must be our portion? Must we at last enter the gates of heaven, or descend into hell; and have our fixed abode with the saints, or for ever perish with the ungodly? Are we immortal and accountable creatures? Let us then carefully inquire into our circumstances, and, with becoming seriousness, ponder over the solemn and weighty questions-" What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" We shall consider :— I. THE CONSEQUENCES INVOLVED IN THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. The loss of the soul is a calamity which exceeds all description, calculation, or comparison. Numerous and affecting are the losses which befal mankind. One is stripped of his property-another is bereft of his friends-another loses his health another his reason. What losses occur by sea, by fire, by vain speculations, by connexions in trade, and various other causes! But what loss, let it be ever so great or overwhelming, is equal to the loss of the soul? What calamity so dreadful, as that of an immortal spirit judicially abandoned to endless misery and despair? In a certain sense all souls are lost-lost by sin-lost by guilt and corruption,-lost under the sentence of wrath and condemnation-lost to God, holiness, and happiness. But to man, while in the body, the GOSPEL reveals a method of recovery. Christ is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour. "Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Behold, the fountain is opened!-See, the streams of mercy flow! Attend to the kind and urgent entreaty to come and partake of the benefits of a full and free salvation. "Incline your ear," says Jehovah, "and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live." But the condition of a lost spirit in another world is very different. The day of grace has closed upon it, and a dark and fearful night has overtaken it. The Divine forbearance towards it has ceased; mercy has retired from its view, and justice only is seen to occupy the throne.-What a loss! How tremendous! Consider the doom it involves-what exclusion!—what subjection!-what duration ! 1. What exclusion! The spirit departed hence, in its sins, with its guilt uncancelled, and its nature unrenewed, is wholly unprepared to enjoy fellowship with God, or to engage in the services and partake of the pleasures of the saints in light. The harp-the song-the society-the harmony-the contemplations-the purity-the blessedness of heaven, fur nish nothing that is congenial with the taste, or suited to the inclinations and habits of a soul alienated from God, and under the reigning power of corruption. It can have no sympathy with them. The countenance, the majesty, the throne, the sceptre, the splendour and manifestations of Deity, can yield nothing that is joyous or attractive to such a spirit. Truth and holiness, and the very nature of things, forbid its entrance within the walls of the celestial city. The heavenly life consists in the enjoyment of God and the Lamb-in loving and adoring Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-in obtaining immediate access to the possession and enjoyment of incorruptible treasures-in exploring the wonders of creation, providence, and redemption-in the attainment of views and feelings wholly refined and elevated, capable of being expanded and improved with ever new and increasing discoveries, and all tending to higher bliss and glory. But the soul, absolutely and irrecoverably lost, is completely cut off from God's mercy, deprived of all hope of his favour, shut out from the light of his countenance, and denied the felicity of his kingdom. It is lost to heaven, and heaven is lost to it. Instead of looking upwards with joy, it is compelled to look downwards with despair. There is no seat in bliss for it to occupy; no portion with God for it to inherit; no companionship with holy beings for it to participate; no heavenly fruits for it to reap and enjoy. 2. In the case of the lost soul-What subjection! The loss of God's favour is attended with subjection to his displeasure. The lost soul is not only excluded from the chief good, but doomed to endure evil to the uttermost, which, in the Holy Scriptures stands out in awful and fearful contrast to the purity and blessedness of the heavenly world. The lost soul, as a vessel of wrath, fitted by reason of sin, for destruction, is full of nothing but evil. There is no mixture of sweet, no cooling or mitigating property in its cup of woe. Wrath without mercy is its portion-the wrath of inflexible, unerring, impartial justice-wrath to the very uttermost! Who can tell what is comprehended in the displeasure of God, righteously poured forth in the execution of his threatenings upon the guilty and helpless spirit, in a separate state of being? The curse, no longer suspended by the intervention of mercy, descends with its dreadful weight upon the soul thus cast away from the Divine presence. And what must be its feelings upon finding itself shut up in the pit of deep |