The vanity of the worldThe vanity of the vvorld

Sickness is usually a busy time with conscience, and when it is packing up for a remove into the other world, it will be sure to gather together all the sins of a mans life, and bind them as an heavy and insupportable burden upon his soul. Can thy sensual pleasures divert thee now? As they have served thee to pass away the tediousness of time, can they serve to pass away the infinite tediousness of Eternity? Nay, how can it otherwise be, but that a mind long soaked and ⟨p. 58⟩softened by these, should be made the more capable of receiving deep impressions of grief, anguish, and despair?

Sickness is usually a busie time with conscience, and when it is packing up for a remove into the other world, it will be sure to gather together all the sins of a mans life, and bind them as an heavy and insupportable burden upon his soul. Can thy sensual pleasures divert thee now? As they have served thee to pass away the tediousness of time, can they serve to pass away the infinite tediousness of Eternity? Nay, how can it otherwise be, but that a mind long soak't and ⟨p. 58⟩softned by these, should be made the more capable of receiving deep impressions of grief, anguish, and despair?

Indeed, while we eagerly pursue any of these worldly enjoyments, we are but running after a shadow: And as shadows vanish, and are swallowed up in the greater shade of night, so when the night of Death shall cast its thick shade about us, and wrap us up in deep and substantial darkness, all these vain shadows will then disappear, and vanish quite out of sight.