My dear young friends, you have tender and affectionate hearts, and I do not much wonder at what you say. I am as truly sorry as you are, that the parents of these little ones had to grieve so much as they had at losing so many of their children. Fancy dear little Charles living, a sweet little fellow, until at eight months and two weeks he sickened and died; and then there were the coffin and the funeral; and then would come the hope that there would not be such a trial again. But in six years all this was repeated, at little Charlotte's death; and in eight years, the same sad trouble was endured again, when little Herbert was called away, just a month older than Charles; and we can think of the parents saying, with dear old Jacob, "If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

But what do we learn from all this? Is it not how dreadful a thing sin must be, when it will cause all this grief, and cause also that these babies, whose bodies lie under this stone, should die ?

"But these babies never did sin," say my young friends.

True; but they were born with sinful natures, as would be very plainly seen in their different tempers, and in many wilful and naughty ways, had they been spared to live as long as you, who are now reading of their very early deaths. It is sin which brought death into the world, with all our woe, and sin which causes so much of the grief and misery which we see.

One of you, perhaps, did not behave well at family prayer this morning, and your father was obliged to reprove you for it. What caused this, but sin? You

forgot God, and instead of listening to his word and praying, you were playing with your dress.

Or, one of you said your lesson badly to-day, and your mother was vexed, and was obliged to punish you.

Or, you spoke crossly to the servant, or quarrelled with some one, or did not tell the truth, or would not go quietly to bed at night. Now, what caused this grief and pain which you have felt because you were naughty? Sin. And as you grow up you will see more and more of its sad effects, and perhaps suffer from it in many ways.

Jesus Christ redeemed these dear babies with his precious blood, and they are now singing his praises; for, as the verse on the tomb of these little ones says, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven;" and Jesus Christ will raise their little bodies from their tiny tomb one day. Then will they be more beautiful than they were on earth; for the apostle thus writes: “Our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself." Phil. iii. 20, 21.

From this we learn another lesson also, namely, how wise and powerful God is, out of evil to bring good, out of sorrow to bring joy, and out of the dust of our buried bodies to make bodies for us more beautiful than those were which he made in paradise out of the dust of the ground.

Out of the evil of sin God has brought great glory to himself, by sending his Son to save all who believe in him from suffering in hell. Out of the sorrow

which we feel for parting with dear babies and others, there will arise great joy when Christian parents and Christian friends will meet their children and Christian friends in heaven. I suppose, that as the flowers are so much more beautiful than the seeds out of which they grow, so will the raised bodies be much more beautiful than those which are sown in corruption." Indeed, the apostle seems to say as much in the 15th of 1 Corinthians-" For one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory : it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."

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How thankful, too, my dear young friends, ought we to be for the Bible, which throws light into the dark grave, and prevents us sorrowing as those who have no hope; for "if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."

But there will be a resurrection of the wicked as well as of the just; for "all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

You may live to be old. I trust you may, and that all your days may be spent in the service of the blessed Saviour, and that at last, when those who have loved you shall stand by your grave, they may read how you lived and died in the Lord. And when" the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed," may you and I meet Charles and Charlotte and Herbert one day in heaven.

THE AFRICAN GIRL AND HER ENEMY. THE one is returning evil for evil; the other is returning evil with good. Judge which is the best.

Two men, living in the southern part of Africa, had a quarrel, and became bitter enemies to each other. After a while, one of them found a little girl, belonging to his enemy, in the woods, at some distance from her father's house. He seized her and cut off two of her fingers; and as he sent her home screaming with her bleeding hands, he cried, "I have had my revenge."

Years passed away. The little girl had grown up to be almost a young woman. One day there came to her father's door a poor worn-out, grey-headed old man, who asked for something to eat. She knew him at once as the cruel man who had cut off her fingers. She went into the hut, and ordered the servant to take him bread and milk, as much as he could eat, and sat down and watched him eat it.

When he had finished, she dropped the covering that hid her hands from view, and, holding them up before him, she cried, "I have had my revenge!" The man was overwhelmed with surprise. The secret of it was that, in the mean time, the girl had become a Christian, and had learned the meaning of the verse, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." How beautiful the conduct of this injured Christian girl appears, in contrast with that of her heathen enemy!

In the courts of earthly kings it is always esteemed

honourable to do as the king does.

Jesus is our King. He conquers by kindness. When we "overcome evil with good," are we not like Jesus ? And is there any honour in the world like this?

GOD EVERYWHERE.

GOD reigns in glory, and on high
Sits on his throne of majesty ;
Yet from that glorious throne he bends,
And even to a child attends.

Asleep, awake; by night, by day;
Where'er I go, whate'er I say;

Although the Lord I cannot see,
His eye is always fixed on me.

He hears me when I pray or praise,
He also ponders all my ways;
May I so live as God approves,
May I be one whom Jesus loves.

God never will forsake his own,
He will not leave me all alone;
When not another friend is near,
May I remember God is here.

Oh, may I try to praise him still,
To know, and love, and do his will;
Then will my joy and gladness be,
That God's own eye is fixed on me.

D. A. T.