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trary, they spoke of themselves as strangers upon earth, looking for a better home in heaven. Indeed, from the first, God Almighty was pleased, not only to lead men to expect a life to come, but to place it clearly before them, that they might almost see with their own eyes that there is a world besides this,—a heaven for the righteous, and a hell for the wicked. This did God do when he took up Enoch into heaven, and this did he do when he took up Elijah.

Did he not then open to us, as it were, the gate of heaven, that we might look for a moment into that happy world, and long to go, after our death, where Enoch and Elijah were taken up without dying? Happy, my child, shall we be if we make this use of the prophet's story: happy, if our thoughts follow his chariot of fire, and lead us to fix our affections above and not upon the earth. We believe that there is a heaven above us; but how little do we really wish to get there! how much better do we love this earth, so full of trouble, than that heaven which is full of joy; where God is present in all his goodness; where our Saviour reigns in glory; where the blessed angels live; and where all the righteous shall for Christ's sake hereafter meet, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: but everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.

Let us remember that Elijah was not the only person to whom the gate of heaven has been opened. Christ has made a way for us all, if we will but follow it. If we are really sorry for our sins, and

trust in him for the pardon of them; trying by his help to do all things which he has taught us in his holy Word, then we may expect to follow Elijah.

E. But we cannot go as he did, mother, without dying.

M. No, my child; he went up, it is true, in a very unusual manner, ascending gloriously in a chariot of fire. But let us serve God as truly, and our funeral bier, which carries us to the grave, shall be to us what Elijah's fiery chariot was to him. They may indeed lay us down in the dust; but it is only for a short time; it is only to prepare us for our ascent. The moment of our triumph will soon When death is over, although the wicked who forget God will be turned into hell, all pious Christians, who trust in Christ and serve him faithfully, shall be raised again from their graves, and shall be caught up, as Elijah was in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall they ever be with the Lord.

come.

FORTY-NINTH SUNDAY EVENING.

ELISHA SUCCEEDS ELIJAH.

E. OH! dear mother, I am glad you are come at last; I wish so much to hear what Elisha did after he left the place from which he saw Elijah go up into heaven. I think, mother, I like the history of

Elijah rather better than any you have ever told

me.

M. I do not wonder that it has delighted you so much; Edward; for it is a very interesting part of the Word of God. We will now see what became of Elisha, who took the place of Elijah in Israel. I think there are many stories about him which will please you as much as than those which I have told you of the prophet Elijah.

E. You said, mother, that as soon as Elisha had gathered up the mantle that had dropped from Elijah, he went away. Where did he go?

M. He returned directly to Jericho, crossing over the river Jordan, whose waters divided before him the moment he touched them with the mantle of his master, and said, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" And many sons of the prophets who had gone to witness the departure of Elijah from one of the mountains near Jericho, and who had seen the waters of Jórdan divide again at the word of Elisha, came to meet him as he entered Jericho, and bowed themselves to the earth before him; for they could plainly see that the spirit of Elijah rested on him, and they were willing now to show all that respect to him, which they had been used to pay to that beloved teacher who had been taken away from them.

They were soon to have their confidence in their hew guide greatly increased by several miracles which he worked, all equally surprising, and following closely upon each other. dare say you would

like to know what these were.

E. Yes; that I should.

M. "The first miracle was performed at Jericho, to which place he was returning when he crossed the river Jordan. Before I give you an account of this miracle, I should like to ask you, whether you remember any thing about this city of Jericho?

E. Oh! yes; I remember that it was the first city Joshua took from the Canaanites, when he led the people over the river Jordan; I have not forgotten at all the account you gave me of the taking of Jericho; but, mother, I thought Joshua had the whole city pulled down?

M. He had, my son; and you may remember, perhaps, how he pronounced a curse upon any one, who, in days to come, should attempt to build again that city, which it had pleased God utterly to destroy on account of the wickedness of those who dwelt in it. For many years after this, the spot where this famous city had once stood, remained a place of ruins, a monument of the wrath of the Almighty against sin. Nor was it till the days of Ahab that any hands were bold enough to build up that city, which the Lord had caused to fall, and against the building of which he had himself pronounced so awful a curse. The words of that dreadful sentence which God had spoken against the builder of Jericho were these:-"Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates thereof."

E. I do not quite understand the meaning of those words, mother.

M. They meant that the man who rebuilt that city, should lose his first-born child the moment he began the impious work; that as he went on with the building, others of his children should die ; and that as soon as the city was finished and the gates of it set up, his last remaining child should perish also.

Now a wicked man, named Hiel, dared to act against such dreadful words as these. He lived at Bethel, that place where Jeroboam had fixed one of his golden calves for the people of Israel to worship. From living in this place he might either be so far gone in idolatry as to trouble himself very little about any words of the Lord, not believing in him, and not expecting his threatenings to come to pass; or he might not have known the dreadful sentence that had been pronounced against the builder of Jericho; for we cannot suppose that in a place where a golden calf was worshipped, and during the reign of such a king as Ahab, that the law of God could be much read to the people.

E. But, mother, if he had not heard that God had forbidden any one to build up Jericho, what was there wrong in his doing so?

M. It was his duty to have known the will of God, and sometimes our ignorance may be our greatest sin. Suppose, for instance, you were to refuse to be instructed in the Bible, do you not think that would be very wicked? Now God, as you have seen, had his prophets among the people, calling them continually to forsake idols and return back to God: nor is it likely that they had forgotten what

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