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children, that was death. And is it so dreadful, that you tremble when you hear of it, and try to put all thought of it far, far away? Let me tell you what the great apostle Paul thought of death. You have heard of him, no doubt, and read what a good man he was, and how he used to travel far and wide to tell about Jesus.

Well, this great apostle once said " To die is gain." And was it gain to that dear little babe, lying now so cold and still in its narrow bed?

Yes, surely. That babe can never more feel pain, will never shed another tear; but, freed for ever from all sin, its spirit has gone to join that holy, happy throng which surrounds the throne of God in heaven, singing glad hosannas. And increasing in happiness, as it learns more and more of Jesus, how joyfully will it welcome all those who join it in that "happy land!" You all sing that beautiful hymn, "I want to be an angel," and I know you all desire to join those angel bands when you die. Then go often in prayer to Him who said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me," and who took them up in his arms and blessed them. Lift up your hearts often to him, and pray to have all your sins washed away in his precious blood, and to be made pure and holy; for the Bible says, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."

THOUGHTS.

Be willing to want what God is not willing to give. Contentment without the world is better than the world without contentment.

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QUESTIONS ON THE PARABLES OF OUR

LORD.

THE GREAT SUPPER.

Luke xiv. 15-24.

15. In what house was this scene ?-What things had this guest heard ?-What did he mean by the kingdom of God? xix. 11.

16. What was the design of this parable?

17. What period is here called "supper time ?"— Describe the servant. ver. 21; Is. lv. 1.-What people were bidden to the feast? Matt. x. 6.—To whom is the invitation now sent ?

18. To whom did the first offer his excuse. ?Wherein was it improper ?-Was it the real, or pretended cause of absence ?

19. Was this excuse insufficient, or evasive, or both? -What disposition did this conduct show? Matt. xxii. 5.-How does this excuse differ from the first?

20. Was this apology better, or worse than the others P-What fault shall we ascribe to this man?

21. At what was the master of the house angry ?— What is here meant by the anger of God ?-Who are meant by the poor, maimed, etc.?

22. How much room is there at the gospel feast ? 23. What may be intended by the highways and hedges ?—What kind of compulsion was to be used? -Which of the above classes applies to the Gentiles ?

24. How was this declaration realized? Matt. xxi. 43, 45.-Were the whole, or a part of the Jews included in it ?

THE GOLDEN CITY.

You have heard of beautiful cities, of splendid build. ings, such as palaces and temples. Perhaps, if you are not a very little child, you may have read of countries where there are much more beautiful trees and flowers than grow in our land; of birds with feathers of all the colours of the rainbow; and of skies which are always of a bright blue. Yet you know that these beautiful things do not last for ever. The cleverest man that ever lived could not build a house that would not some time decay and crumble to dust.

I have seen grand old castles, where once lived noble lords and ladies, all broken down, and ivy and grass growing over their walls. Flowers of the most beautiful colours and pleasant scents, and birds with bright feathers and sweet voices, all fade and die; even the bluest skies are sometimes overclouded. It is so with everything in this world; but I will tell you of a far more beautiful city than any you ever saw or heard of on this earth; of a city not made with hands, and one that will never decay, for it is eternal.

You have seen, on a fine summer's evening, the setting sun. How splendid the sky then often looks. It is all crimson and gold; and the white clouds, moving gently along, look as if they were made of pearls. Yet this city that I tell you of is far more lovely; it is brighter than the purest gold. There Nothing ever fades or grows old. All is peaceful and happy; for sin cannot enter that holy place, and it is sin that causes all unhappiness.

This beautiful city may be yours. It has been bought for you, and the price that was paid for it was the life of our Saviour Jesus Christ. You know that this city is called Heaven. Do you not wish to go there when you leave this world? I am sure you do ; yet you must not only wish, you must live so that you will be fit to go there when you die. You must believe on the Saviour, and love him with all your heart; you must pray to him for his Holy Spirit to help you to do this. And if you pray to him, he will surely listen to you, for he has told us in his holy word "Ask, and it shall be given you."

In heaven there will be no trouble of any kind; no sickness or sorrow; no bad passions or evil deeds to vex us. In this world, though some have more good things than others, yet all have their trials. Even if we have no outward troubles; if we have everything we can wish for-good health, plenty of clothing and food, and, more than all, kind friends-yet we have our bad hearts to trouble us.

In the evening, if we look back on the day that is past, can we not see that we have done many things that we ought not to have done, and left undone many that we ought to have done? In heaven there will be no sin in our hearts; we shall be made like Jesus, who knew no sin; and because he suffered and died for us, we shall be numbered among his own people, and live with him for ever.

But we must not expect to be numbered among Christ's people at the last day, unless we are of them now; we must not think that he will remember us when he comes into his kingdom, if we forget him all

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