suitable to all the disciples of Christ, as the sheep of his pasture.

F. But can you tell us, Eliza, what it is that makes death so terrible to you?

E. I think every thing about death is fitted to make us dread it. The sickness, and disease, and distress, that are before it; our separation from relations and friends; the agony of death itself, and, above all, the uncertainty of what shall be our condition in another world.

C. You have forgotten to mention our bodies being devoured in the cold grave by worms? Oh! the thought makes me shudder.

E. That gives me no uneasiness, Catharine; for the body will no more feel the cold. ness of the grave, or the gnawing of worms, than a stone would do. It is particularly about another world that I am concerned.

F. We do find, in general, that death is preceded by disease, sickness, and pain. I do not know, however, if these be so terrible as that of being cut off without a moment's warning. Of the means by which God will bring us to the dust, and to "the house appointed for all living," we are altogether ignorant; and therefore we need not disquiet our minds in conjecturing what may be the cause of our dissolution. It is very natural for you to feel anxious about what follows: "The spirit," we are informed, "returns to God who gave it;"

but do we know what shall be done to it? will it be placed in a state of happiness, or in a state of misery? are questions which receive no satisfactory answer but from the Bible. The consciousness of our having sinned against God, and the assurance that God abhors sin, may well cause trouble, even to the youngest of us. But we are informed, that "it is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the chief;" and he himself has said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, who am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." If we do believe in him as able and willing to save us, and submit to be instructed and guided by him, we shall feel our souls comparatively at rest respecting death and all other evils, persuaded that he will guide us by his counsel, and afterwards receive us to glory."

C. Do the souls of Christ's people go to heaven when they die?

M. Yes, my dear, they go to where Christ is; and we are sure that he is in heaven. When the poor dying thief upon the cross prayed, "Lord! remember me when thou comest to thy kingdom;" our Lord replied, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." And when Paul speaks of his own death, he

called it gain; and the reason was, because he would be with Christ.

C. But will they not see others besides Christ?

M. Yes, Catharine, they shall mingle with "angels and the spirits of just men made perfect." They shall see all those prophets and righteous men that waited for the coming of Christ. "They shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God." They shall behold and enjoy the company of "the twelve apostles of the Lamb," and freely associate with "the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God;" but while they enjoy all the happiness which such society is fitted to communicate, they will ever be looking to him as the source of their felicity, who is the sun of that bright world, and join the heavenly chorus, saying, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen.

C. But will they be completely happy?

M. So far as their souls are capable of enjoying happiness, without their bodies, their happiness will be complete; for it is said,

They are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither

thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto fountains of living waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

E. I suppose the souls of the wicked, when they die, will be as miserable as the souls of the righteous are happy.

F. We are assured that "the wicked shall be cast into hell,” dying in their sins; he who made them will not have mercy on them; he that formed them will show them no favour. However much they contemned death, and laughed at the idea of future misery, they will then experience, that "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." And observe, my dear children, that by the wicked are meant, not only those who have lived vicious and profligate lives, but those who have sinned, and have not repented, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only refuge from the wrath to come; even such shall be accounted wicked, and shall be cast out "into outer darkness, where shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." There is no safety for any one, even the least. sinner, but in the Lord Jesus.

H. But, Father, shall every one suffer the same punishment?

F. There will no doubt be degrees of mise

K

ry, but the lowest degree of punishment will be inconceivably dreadful. In what an awful state of mind, Henry, must that person be, who endeavours to quiet himself in the thought, that because he has not been such a great sinner as others, his punishment will be lighter? The very frown of the great judge must blast the well-being of the soul, and render it completely miserable, allowing there were nothing else; but we are assured that

they who do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness," God will inflict "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil."

As you are young, you may be apt to indulge the deceitful thought that you have many years to live, and have sufficient time to think of death, and prepare for an eternal world; I entreat you not to indulge such a delusive thought. It is calculated that one half of the human race die before they are welve years of age, and another third before the age of thirty, what reason then have you to imagine that you shall not die soon? God has not given you an absolute promise of long life; your present health and strength afford you no assurance; dear as you all are to us, we could not prolong your existence a single moment beyond the appointed time. We would surely grieve if any of you were taken from us, but our grief could admit of no