August 21

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."—Ecclesiastes 12:7.

LET us now look at the other and more dignified part of man's nature.

THE SOUL. Notice it in three points of view.

Its spiritual essence. It is here called "the spirit." How different is its nature to that of the body! How wonderful are the powers and capacities of the soul! It is the mint where our ideas are coined, and the storehouse where they are laid up for future use. Man is capable of receiving into his mind the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and of holding communion with God. If man were composed of nothing but matter, there could be no association with that Divine Being whose nature is spiritual. What a treasure does man possess in his mind, that is capable of such improvement, cultivation, and intellectual enjoyment! How delightful when it is enlarged and expanded with religion; when all its powers are sanctified to holy ends and purposes!

Its sublime origin. "God who gave it." The soul has been called a spark of the Deity. It is the breath of God. When man was formed, God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul." Whatever powers and faculties the soul possesses, God gave them: — "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding."

Its solemn destiny. "The spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Here is a proof the soul's immortality. The living, thinking, reasoning principle within, cannot become extinct. If the soul were to be annihilated, God would not have endowed it with such powers and capacities; neither would he have sent his Son to redeem it. Even the heathens had their elysium, or scenes of happiness, and places of punishment. It shall return to him as its Creator, and as its Judge, to surrender the final account. How different will be the destinies of the righteous and the wicked! The one shall return with the smiles of joy and peace; the other, with feelings of terror and dismay. The one to be fixed in eternal happiness with God; the other to be driven from the Divine presence, into everlasting woe. With what serious and solemn feelings ought I to contemplate myself as the possessor of an immortal spirit!