ness. The Lord Messiah is represented in the fourth chapter of Zachariah by the olive tree, the branches of which empty the golden oil out of themselves, through the golden pipes, into the empty bowl upon the top of the candlestick, to feed its seven lamps. A beautiful and expressive emblem this to describe the fulness of Christ, which the Holy Spirit communicates like golden oil to the empty bowl of the believer's heart, in order to make his lamp to burn. To this source you must apply for sacred oil to supply the lamp of your experience and profession; and how great is the encouragement which the Saviour gives you, that the heavenly Father giveth his Spirit to them that ask him? And although your lamp may have been replenished with this holy oil many thousand times, and your lamp now burns very dim, yet you are assured, that the Lord giveth more grace, and on application you will not be denied; so you may trim your lamp afresh, and go forth to meet the Bridegroom. IV. By reminding you of some of the benefits and pleasures of having your lamp burning bright, I shall close this paper. Certainly you will see your path the better, and avoid those incumbrances in the way which have caused so many to stumble and fall. Your example will have a charming effect upon others; you will honour your profession, and enjoy more peace and happiness than those whose lamps are dim and expiring. When the foolish virgins arose to trim their lamps, they had gone out, and they could obtain no supply from those that were wise, therefore do you find the way to the fulness of the Saviour, and your lamp will not finally go out. The same Lord who required his disciples to let their lights be burning, also said, Let your loins be girded about; and Peter, taking the admonition from Christ, exhorts to gird up the loins of your mind, which Paul explains, by having your loins girt about with truth. This girdle of truth is far superior to the girdle worn by the Jewish high priest, though it was made of purple, fine twined linen, and richly embroidered, for that was a part of the vestments for the body, and taught the superior excellence of the girdle of truth for the mind, without which our pretensions and profession of religion are vain. Now you know that a man cannot gird himself correctly in the dark; and in proportion as your lamp burns, so will you observe your Lord's command, and fix the girdle of truth more correctly around you, which will answer the most valuable purposes. As an aged person you must imperceptibly grow feeble, and you need some expedient to aid you in walking, and much more so do you need the girdle of truth to enable you to walk humbly with your God and Saviour the short distance you have to reach your heavenly home. Besides the decay of your animal frame, you meet with trials peculiar to your advanced age, which are calculated to make you feeble-minded; and if, as Solomon says, the grasshopper is a burden, what a necessity is there for your light to burn, and the girdle to be close girt, in order to aid you to finish your course with joy? The Bridegroom's speedy approach forms a strong argument for your constant habitual preparation to meet him, for blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. The signal of approach you may have already heard, for when he cometh he knocketh. Every pain of your enfeebled body, and every fainting fit of your animal spirit, is a knock at the door; and eventually the gristly hand of death shall grasp the knocker, and give the final rap, to call you away to the mansions of rest and eternal felicity. THE AGED COUPLE. Full many a year the happy couple trod While each on other's arm reclin'd for aid. God, ever faithful to his charge and love, Smil'd on their souls, and welcom'd them above. CONNEXIONS formed in social life are designed by the Almighty for the good of the whole human family, but that which claims the pre-eminence is the marriage union, especially when consummated in the fear of God, which never fails to yield its thousand sweets. Different are the periods of life when the connubial bond is formed, and its history, if I may so say, admits of an astonishing variety. When this hallowed knot is tied in the bloom of youth, and a long succession of years are contemplated, how frequently the tyrant death strikes his dart, and the marriage bed is exchanged for a cold bed in the grave! If spared to the meridian of life, or arriving at the age of fifty, it seldom happens but that one or the other of the happy pair drop in death, and leave the survivor to water the remain H ing path of life with tears. Very few indeed are permitted to see old age, and fewer still who formed a union in early life, that continue together, like Zacharias, an old man, and his wife Elizabeth well stricken in years. Luke i. 18. Yet it is possible that this volume may find its way into some family where such an aged couple reside, and to whom a few reflections and advices may be acceptable, and thus contribute to make their last days still more refreshing and happy. I. Let me recommend you frequently and devoutly to reflect on the indulgent hand of God upon you, the greatness of his forbearance, long-suffering, and tender mercy, in your preservation together for so many years; and let your humility and gratitude bear some good proportion to the favours which you have received. In the course of your long lives, you may have attended many weddings, when the parties, after living a few years together, one or both of them were put into their graves, yet you are spared. It is equally possible, you may recollect, that one or other of you were laid upon a sick bed, and in your own apprehension, as well as in the opinion of your friends and attending physicians, death was about to dissolve the marriage union, and the survivor be left to mourn. But the Lord remembered you in your low estate, raised you up again, and has now continued you together to walk in the shades of old age. This certainly should excite your gratitude to God, and encourage you to take your last steps with more abundant |