admiring the decorations and braveries that environed the rich man; but, all such woes surmounted, endless felicity in near pros pect, and a home of unchanging prosperity assured, why, why should not its fortunate heirs enter, by faith, and with an avidity irrepressible, upon a critical survey of its peculiar beauties and glories? Alas, for us! we dwell too much among the tombs; mayhap, bemoaning those who the while are exulting in the open vision of the adorable Trinity. Not perceiving through the mist of tears the immortal crown held out to us, we shroud our brows with a funereal chaplet of cypress and yew! Happy were we could we become adepts in Paul's arithmetic, and adopt his estimate of the relative value of earthly and heavenly things: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us!" From the deepest shades of sorrow, I have looked upward for some consoling object of contemplation-some subject, which, by abstracting my thoughts from a fresh-made grave, might serve to alleviate some of the melancholy seasons of bereavement and solitude. And thus, surrounded by mementoes of the loved and severed, and listening the meanwhile to the blasts of autumn, and the muffled wail of the sere foliage as it drops fluttering to the ground, reminding me that "we do all fade as a leaf," this little volume has been designed and completed. It is now dismissed with the prayer that it may be the favored medium of calming the tempest in some troubled minds, of casting into some stricken hearts the consoling rays of peace, and resignation, and hope, and of lifting the soul to Him, who "Shows, beyond these mortal shores, A bright inheritance as ours; The subject of the ensuing pages-a series of reflections on some of the figurative external beauties of the Heavenly City, is, it is believed, in its views and treatment, original. There are brief dissertations on the twelve precious stones which, engraven with the names of the Holy Apostles, garnish the Foundations of Heaven, with the significations which seem most appropriate to each, and relative texts of Scripture. Associated with every stone are a few precious gems of human thought in lingual setting, generally similar in character. They consist of both prose and poetry, and with two or three exceptions, have exclusive reference to the future life. Some of them are extracts from eminent authors, but a majority are beautiful waifs which have been gathered while floating by on the current. With these are interspersed a few original poems and reflections. It is a source of regret that the names of the authors of the extracts could not always be ascertained. Such omissions, will not, it is hoped, be attributed to a spirit of literary injustice, which is ever seriously to be deprecated, but to a lack of the requisite information. BROOKLYN, Dec. 20th, 1858. A. B. G. The Precious Stones OF THE HEAVENLY FOUNDATIONS. ORGEOUS as is the imagery employed by the inspired apostle in his description of the great city, the Holy Jerusalem;—of its twelve gates of orient pearl; its wall great and high, and its refulgent foundations; its street of pure transparent gold; its crystal river, and its tree of Life-it yet falls infinitely short of the reality. Human language is utterly inadequate to portray even a faint similitude of the ineffable delights of the Divine Abode. Through the rainbow-hued radiancy of twelve of the most famous gems, Saint John essays to picture to us the blaze of glory and diversified beauty that girds it round about; and by the silver river gliding with melodious murmur between enamelled meads, and the tree hung with twelve manner of delicious fruits, and with leaves for the healing of the nations, to offer us a foretaste of the delectable banquet prepared for the white-robed multitude who tread the shining avenues. But, ah! though glowing his figures, and spirit-stirring his words, it as much transcends the power of mortal language to convey, as of human thought to entertain, conceptions so vast; for "eye hath not seen, neither ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive what the Lord hath prepared for them who love him." In vain do we, amid the flickerings of celestial light John affords us, and inspired by hope, strive to upward soar and catch a faint echo of the preludes of those golden harps, and a strain of those thrilling voices chanting the new song;-in vain; imagination hath but leaden wings for such a flight. Yet when we read the vision of the beloved apostle, and ponder over the glimpses therein revealed of future bliss, even at the partial transcription, our hearts must bound, our spirits must kindle with joy. Precious stones are frequently employed in Scripture to represent splendor and vivid beauty of |