"For I am in a ftrait betwixt two, having a defire to depart, and to be with Chrift; which is far better."-Phil. i. 23.

HEAVENLY DESIRE.

Behold the Chriftian where he doubtful ftands,
Faft bound to Friends by blooming rofeate bands
He feels the touch of love on earth below,
And yet to heaven ftraightway would gladly go;
For them, more needful longer here to stay,
For him, far better thus to foar away;

As when fafe anchored in fome foreign bay,
The fhip of merchandize may proudly lay;
The Captain's cleared, with paffport, to fet fail,
He longs for home, and courts the coming gale.
The general interefts of the firm demand
His longer fervice in that far-off land;

He fain would weigh, and homeward point his prow,
Yet to his duty would fubmiffive bow;

This done, he'll trip, and loose the flowing fail,
And homeward fcud before the founding gale.

THE engraving represents an affectionate Father who, though standing on the world, and

bound with the ftrong cords of affection, yet looks upward evidently longing to depart and be. with Chrift, which, as the Apoftle fays, is far better. Though he may feel this, yet often times he feels ftrongly bound with the cords of love to remain with the objects of his affection here on the earth, to whom his stay at present seems needful. He, however, does not confider this world as his abiding-place; he has it beneath his feet, he is looking upward, and waiting for his translation to one above.

Thus the Christian stands ready prepared, and longs to depart and be with Chrift; but the interefts of earth exercise an influence over him and bind him down with the golden bands of affectionate love. When a finner becomes a faint, his relations become changed, "old things have paffed away. Behold all things have become new." A " new heart" is given, filled with love to God and man. A new world is prefented full of glorious realities, fubftantial and eternal. A new God is given, Jehovah is His name. He formerly worshipped the gods of this world. A new Saviour is embraced, who is the "altogether lovely." New companions, the nobleft, the wifeft, and the beft. He is the fubject of another King, one Jefus,-the citizen of another city which is out of fight, whofe Builder and Maker is God,-the heir of an inheritance, which is incorruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away.

No wonder, then, if he fhould often times de

F

fire to depart in order to poffefs all this happiness. Wandering on earth, "here he has no abiding city;" aftranger and pilgrim as all his fathers were. Nevertheless, he has interefts, affections, and duties of an earthly kind; these have a weighty claim upon him; they are connected with God and eternity. The religion of the Bible, while it ftrengthens the powers of the intellect, and fanctifies the foul, does alfo increase the power of natural affection, and makes us capable of the moft lively emotions.

The true minifter of the Gofpel, like the great Apostle, would cheerfully lay down his work and away to Jefus, but the interefts of his Mafter demand that he should stay, and build up the wafte places of Jerufalem; therefore he says, "All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come.

The pious parent, when vifited by fickness, would fain regard it as a call to heaven, but the dear pledges of love are weeping round the bedfide, and their youthful ftate demands a faithful guardian. He can only fay, "I am in a strait betwixt two, having a defire to depart and be with Chrift, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you; the will of the Lord be done."

"How happy is the pilgrim's lot!

How free from every grovelling thought,
From worldly hope and fear!

Confined to neither court nor cell,
His foul difdains on earth to dwell,
He only fojourns here.

"Nothing on earth I call my own :
A ftranger to the world, unknown,
I all their wealth despise;
I trample on their whole delight,
And feek a country out of fight,
A country in the skies."

WESLEY.

"Efcape for thy life."-GEN. xix. 17.

world."-Ephes. ii. 2.

"The courfe of this

THE FATAL CURRENT.

See! where the fatal current, broad and deep,
Rolls its fwift waters down the awful steep;
While from below the fteaming clouds arife,
And fpread and mingle with the distant skies;
Two men, behold! near the tremendous verge,
A moment finks them 'neath the boiling furge,
One rows for life, he pulls with all his ftrength,
And from the danger well escapes at length:
The other ftops, lays in his oars to drink,
While nearer drawing to the dreadful brink;
His jeers and taunts he ftill perfifts to throw,
And finks unaided down the gulf below.

THE engraving fhows the fatal current hurrying on its rolling waters to the dread abyfs; fee where the boiling cataract fends forth its cloudy vapours; like volumes of thick fmoke