renders suspicious, your attachment to the Saviour." "Some religionists," he goes on to say, "are fond of the marvellous and the sudden: and our obituaries are often filled with the triumphant departures of those who began to pray a few days before. This is often peculiarly the case with malefactors. Few of these, if attended by some divines, but in a few hours are quickly ripened for a confident and joyful death. We do not wish to limit the Holy One of Israel in the freeness of His mercy and grace. But wiser people hesitate about these prodigies. They wish for more certainty, more evidence than can satisfactorily be obtained in cases where the impressions of the condition can scarcely be distinguished from the operation of the principle: and therefore, while they may sometimes indulge a hope, they will rarely be disposed to proclaim it." The fact is, there is often too much religious excitement used in such and other cases, and the man is thrown into a fever when he should be left coolly to think.* But who can read these opinions of Mr. Jay, and not commiserate rather than condemn Dr. Johnson. The words of this aged and venerable minister have a vast effect upon thousands and thousands of persons of his way of thinking in general on religious matters; and, we may

* I remember reading in a dissenting publication, (1848,) of the death of a young person under such circumstances, and indeed I believe the instances to be not uncommon. In this case, there was so much prayer, shouting, singing, &c., so much the more renewed whenever the poor patient seemed to relapse into a tranquil state of body or mind, that really she had scarcely time to commune with herself and be still : she was forced into an unnatural excitement, and probably her end was hastened, and her soul by no means improved, by such injudicious and unnecessary proceedings.

ask, should not these persons apply them to the cases of fear of death in those who usually think differently from Mr. Jay and themselves?-and hence these religious persons are bound no more severely to upbraid Dr. Johnson, than to find fault with one of their own communion. And when they recall to their memories the natural temperament of Dr. Johnson, they will be the more inclined to pass a merciful judgment. For, as Mr. Jay remarks, there is "the case of constitutional malady. In this condition our heavenly bard died: and we have known others who have died under a physical depression, with which religious encouragements have contended in vain. But though their end was not peace in the exit, it was peace in the issue. Their despondency did not affect their right to the tree of life. They condemned themselves, but God delighted in them. And what an exchange; what a surprise did such sufferers experience! They departed, expecting to awake in torment, and found themselves in Abraham's bosom! They left the world in a momentary gloom, and entered into everlasting sunshine!" We should feel very thankful for these sentiments: most thankful to know that a minister of Christ's gospel can conscientiously give deliberate utterance to them.

Men do not rush, then, upon their promised inheritance of glory, because not only a love of life is implanted in them, but because also the fear of death, though mitigated, is not extirpated by feelings of rational certainty as to the future destination of their souls. And, in addition to this, there is the love of our fellow-creatures in this present world. This forms

a very strong tie to the present life. The poor man whom we picture as longing to enter upon his worldly estate, would probably fling that estate to the winds if he was told that for twenty or thirty years after he was in possession, his wife and family would be living in utter destitution. A man knows that his family are dependent on his labour; that not only sustenance of body, but independence of mind, and protection from assaults and sneers of the world are theirs so long as he is alive and in health; but that when once he lies on the bed of sickness, or sinks into the grave, all these comforts are most probably, if not quite certainly, over and past for them. Oh what foreboding thoughts will almost invariably cast a gloom on the days of his departing life! And even where maintenance is not involved, how must we feel the pain and grief that our departure gives to dear friends! This is far more difficult to bear than any sufferings of our own; and we have known something of its bitterness during the grief of previous farewells! How when we take leave of dearest friends are we pondering on their sorrow, their loss of our individual presence which we know gave delight, and how do we picture their dreariness and wretchedness, and thereby magnify our own immeasurably !* What then must be our sensation on the death-bed, when we have evidence

* Dr. Johnson, after saying that our sharpest sorrow arises from the loss of those we have loved with tenderness, remarks, "Friendship between mortals can be contracted on no other terms, than that one must some time mourn for the other's death;" and he feelingly adds, "This grief will always yield to the survivor one consolation proportionate to his affliction; for the pain, whatever it may be, that he himself feels, his friend has escaped."-Rambler, No. 17. This number cannot be too diligently read, as also Nos. 71, 78, and 203.

all around of the grief we are causing to others, and even only for the heart's joy of these, would give worlds to arise up from that couch of death, and walk among them cheerfully as in olden times. Every man will assign this feeling as a cause preventing joyfulness in, or longing for, death: and the great consolation in this trying hour consists in a firm belief of our reunion with all our friends in the presence of God and the Lamb hereafter. The man who commits suicide is commonly one who feels he can no longer be a benefit to his family and friends, or who thinks himself deserted by friends, but the vast bulk of mankind are influenced by the contrary knowledge and experience; and blessed be God, that we may be allowed to acknowledge ourselves bound by these earthly ties, that we may cherish the desire to remain in this world, without, by such feelings, becoming apprehensive of being charged with fault or offence before God, and endangering the safety of our souls when our time comes: still believing with St. Paul, that to die, whenever it happens, may be gain. Mr. Jay felt that Christians must commonly have those fears and regrets in the contemplation of death, which have been mentioned above: for he says, "The sepa ration from weeping friends-the pains, the groans, the dying strife-the destruction of the body-the consigning of it to the lowly grave-the conversion of it into food for worms-their immediate access into the presence of Purity and Holiness-the judgment that follows after-doubts of their acceptance with Goduncertainties about their future state-is there not enough here to try all their confidence and courage?"

CHAPTER XXII.

CLOSE OF DR. JOHNSON'S LIFE-HIS CALMNESS IN

DEATH.

of

MANY persons are fearful only of the bodily pang death. This is the ignobler fear: and hence we find that criminals, and others who have no acute sense of religion, when they once from surrounding circumstances and sensations overcome this fear, have nothing else to call forth or stimulate that passion. We are told of a king of France (Louis IX.) who had a great fear of the physical pain of death. He once stopped a priest, who, after praying for the welfare of his body, was commencing prayer for the salvation of his soul. "Hold, hold," cried the king, "you have gone far enough for once. Never be tiresome in your address to

God Almighty.

Stop now, and

Stop now, and pray for my soul another time." One of his physicians, Jacques Costier, governed him through this fear. He was used to say, "One of these days you will send me packing, I suppose, as I have seen you act by your other servants: but, mark my words, if you do, you will not live eight days after it." The king not only kept him about his majesty's person, but loaded him with gifts in order to appease such menaces. Doctor Johnson's fear was, as