6S THE CHRISTIAN NATURALIST. 



tira^ of his life, — who has suffered the happiest season 

 of grace, and the day most favorable to his salvation, to 

 pass awiy without improvement, to expect that comfort, 

 and true happiness which religion only can yield in 

 maturer age. Hence the sensation which •' men of the 

 world" have sometimes experienced at the return of 

 another Spring, has been only that of sadness ; for it 

 has seemed to recal the vision of earlier and better 

 days, when their time and talents had not yet been 

 suffered to run to waste. The vanity of life is more 

 sensibly felt by such men, from the associations which 

 are awakened by the sight of that external world, 

 which however beautiful, is as they are sensible rapidly 

 passing away, and bearing them nearer to that future 

 which they fear to contemplate. They feel, indeed, that 

 the spring of life can for them return no more, and 

 that they have none of these fruits of solid peace and 

 joy, of which they once hoped that their bright and early 

 days gave promise. Alas ! to the eye of one who has 

 none of the hopes and comforts of the gospel, nature 

 smiles in vain even at this beauteous season. She 

 seems to put on, not her bridal but her funeral dress. 

 As she rises from her tomb, her sweetest voice falls 

 upon his ear like the hollow voice of a spectre ; for it 



