"On his death-bed he said, 'by the grace of God--_nothing else_--by the grace of God I have been enabled, under the influence of these resolutions to give away more than 40,000 dollars.' How good the Lord has been to me!" Mr. Cobb was also an active, humble, and devoted Christian, seeking the prosperity of feeble churches; labouring to promote the benevolent institutions of the day; punctual in his attendance at prayer meetings, and anxious to aid the inquiring sinner; watchful for the eternal interests of those under his charge; mild and amiable in his deportment; and, in the general tenor of his life and character, an example of consistent piety. His last sickness and death were peaceful, yea triumphant. "It is a glorious thing," said he, "to die. I have been active and busy in the world--I have enjoyed as much as any one--God has prospered me--I have everything to bind me here--I am happy in my family--I have property enough--but how small and mean does this world appear on a sick-bed! Nothing can equal my enjoyment in the near view of heaven. _My hope in Christ_ is worth infinitely more than all other things. The blood of Christ--the blood of Christ--none but Christ! Oh! how thankful I feel that God has provided a way that I, sinful as I am, may look forward with joy to another world, through His dear Son." GOD. APPROVAL OF GOD. _In the whole work we desire to stand with God, and not to depend upon the favourable or unfavourable judgment of the multitude._ CHASTISEMENTS OF GOD. _Our Heavenly Father never takes any earthly thing from His children except He means to give them something better instead._ The Lord, in His very love and faithfulness, will not, and cannot, let us go on in backsliding, but He will visit us with stripes, to bring us back to Himself! The Lord never lays more on us, in the way of chastisement, than our state of heart makes needful; so that whilst He smites with the one hand, He supports with the other. If, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we see that our Heavenly Father, on account of wrong steps, or a wrong state of heart, is dealing with us in the way of discipline or correction, we have to be grateful for it; for He is acting thus towards us according to that selfsame love, which led Him not to spare His only begotten Son, but to deliver Him up for us; and our gratitude to Him is to be expressed in words, and even by deeds. We have to guard against _practically_ despising the chastening of the Lord, though we may not do so in word, and against _fainting_ under chastisement: since all is intended for blessing to us. FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.