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that mother marvels at, and rejoices over the dawning and advancing intelligence of her little circle, one glimpse of her sainted boy should convince her that a few short years in heaven have done more for him, than a long and well spent life can possibly do for them.

Yet, what wonderful compensation in the Divine economy! Ripe Christians must begin their heaven on a loftier platform, and progress at a quicker pace in the ever-upward march towards perfection, than those who have all to learn after they have entered upon glory. Looking from the earthward side of life we say-happy souls, translated to heaven, in blessed unconsciousness of sin and sorrow! Looking from the heavenward side we exclaim-blessed ye, who lived and served on earth, to have your manifold labours recited and rewarded by the Saviour-Judge! We may speculate on the comparative advantages of early and later removals—of infancy with its unconsciousness of sin, and its feebler spiritual life, and of manhood with its large experience and greater power of progress within the one kingdom-but ever to fall back for comfort upon the all-wise God, and in adoring gratitude to say unto Him-"Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight."

The law of development is the law of life, alike on earth and in heaven. Exercise expands and invigorates the faculties. Enlarged capacities demand an ever-widening sphere of action. Why restrict to manhood and not extend to infancy the gracious provisions of that Divine law? Why not stereotype ex

hausted age as well as unfledged infancy? Must these germs of activity never rise into action? Shall the blossom never ripen into fruit? Can the noble faculties of mind and heart find an everlasting prison in the bosom of infancy? Must that child carry in him all the elements, and yet never reach the stature of a perfected manhood? To ask these questions is to answer them, and so as to affirm that man's loftiest hopes fall far short of God's glorious fulfilment.

The

The very thought of heaven suggests the absence of all imperfection-the non-appearance of feeble infancy and time-worn age-the universal manifestation of manhood in immortal beauty and strength. finished work of Christ demands a complete humanity; and man is still seriously incomplete in childhood. Soon the infant in heaven rises out of his infancy, and attains to a knowledge, wisdom, and spirituality, greater far than if he had lived and loved Christ for a hundred years upon the earth.

Great, however, as the progress may be prior to the resurrection of the body, and fully as entrance into heaven must compensate for an early removal from earth, let it be remembered that the spirit in heaven is not humanity perfected. The body must needs be raised, and in a form adapting it for union and partnership with the glorified soul, ere heaven can be enjoyed in its fulness. The recovery of the entire man into the likeness of Christ is the finishing of the work of redemption, and must be the introduction of ransomed and perfected humanity into the fulness of promised and prepared glories.

When musing sadly on the recent removal of our endeared Theodore from our family circle, narrowed so much by three beloved ones withdrawn before him, the tender and timely sympathy of a much loved friend whispered the precious sentence:-"Christ's covenant with His Father, that He should have all the infant spirits for His kingdom, is our only satisfactory foundation." The comfort in these priceless words is affectionately offered to all bereaved and sorrowing parents.

ADDRESS AT THE INTERMENT OF A CHILD. REV. J. P. CHOWN, BRADFORD.

WE must all sympathize with the grief of bereaved parents. I do not know that I have ever felt more of it than during the past week, over the sights I have witnessed in the cemetery on the hill-side. I have seen the coffins of two little ones placed side by side in the chapel, and another coffin by their side, containing the remains of a mother, and the motherless children and the childless mother were sorrowing together. And I have seen another dear one lowered into its last restingplace, and the parents almost dragged from the spot, as though they could not leave it there. And I have seen another laid side by side with its grandsire, as old age and infancy slept together in their cold chamber. And yet another laid in its narrow resting-place, and then the little ones that were left dropping their white roses, the parents' tears, precious dew-drops, falling

with them, upon the dear babe whose spirit had gone to glory, and whose body was left to moulder to its native dust. There is generally, however, in such a case, much to console us in our sorrow, if it may never be entirely taken away.

Sometimes the child is taken, when God sees if it were spared it would engross too much of the parents' affections, it would be idolized instead of loved-would be in the place of the Saviour and heaven to the parents, and that would not be well either for them or the child.

Sometimes the child is

Justice does not say,

taken instead of the parent. "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee," but Mercy says, instead, "I will call the child, and that may arrest him in his course, and the shock may break the ties that bind him to sin," And so the child, who is ready for heaven, is taken-the parent, who must have been cast down to hell, is spared. Sometimes God sees that our affections are becoming too closely entwined around earthly objects, and He takes the child, that those affections may be drawn up to heaven with it; it needs a painful wrench to tear them away, and it is thus He snatches from us a present treasure, to lead us to seek after future and everlasting joys. And then we know they are not lostthese dear departed children. The flower was given, and had just begun to bloom in its beauty and breathe its fragrance through your dwelling, and now it is gone; but it is not withered, it is not stolen, it is not destroyed; the Lord of the garden has sent His messenger, and he

has plucked it, and borne it up from the desert world, whose rude blasts chilled it, to the Paradise where it shall bud and bloom in the sun-light of heaven for ever. Remember, too, how many parents would have rejoiced if their flowers had been taken to Paradise, instead of being spared to be the poor wretched, withered, downtrodden things they are now,-rather weeds, indeed, than flowers, or crushed, it may be, almost out of existence altogether. And think, also, that if our little ones were taken from heaven to earth, or even if it were from earth to an unknown place, or to a worse place, then we might grieve over it; but it is not so, if we have them not here we have them in heaven. About whomsoever we may have doubts over their departure, there is no room for doubt here; the Saviour who gathered them around Him upon earth, and blessed them, is gathering them around Him in heaven, and blessing them in a manner of which we can form no conception; and so they are there, dwelling in His presence, blessed in His smile, rich in His glory, and waiting to welcome those who shall follow them, to their portion of everlasting peace and joy.

"IT IS WELL."

REV. DR. JOHN BRUCE, NEWMILNS, AYRSHIRE.

SURELY it should not require many words to persuade bereaved Christian parents, that with their children also "it is well." They may think on the object of their tenderest affection as for ever withdrawn from

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