Page:Sermons preached in the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas', Philadelphia.djvu/242

238 by motives of piety to his Maker. Characters so essentially differing from each other, cannot fail to secure for themselves in the end widely different results. Fame and popular applause may be very soothing to the worldly mind in the day of health and manly vigor. But when the solemn hour of departing life arrives it vanishes, leaving the trembling spirit agitated under the most fearful and awful apprehensions of a judgment to come. But the faithful servants of the Most High, 'after' having "served their generation"  'by'  or according to, "the will of God," are said to "fall asleep." This is a figurative expression which is often used in Scripture to signify the peaceful and happy termination of the Christian's mortal life. Their death is represented under the idea of sleep. 1. On account of the sweet calm and composure in which they depart this life. The approach of death excites no terror in the bosom of the Christian, because he has the Lord Jehovah for his everlasting