never be; all men, whether good or bad, must live on for ever to receive the reward of their works, the righteous to enjoy unending happiness, the wicked not merely to lose Heaven, not merely to be turned out of this world, but to be cast into the misery of Hell, from which they never will be able to escape.

We speak of Hell often, perhaps, too lightly, often without thinking what the word means, but indeed it is a most serious matter, for there is no single man living who is not in danger of it unless he watches with constant care over all his ways. What, then, is Hell? It is described in Holy Scripture as a place of never-ceasing torment, "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched," a "lake which burneth with brimstone and fire," "outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth :" there there will be pain, and misery, and sorrow, such as our earthly minds can hardly imagine, far worse than any which can befall us on earth, for here all things come to an end, but there there will be no end. Who are they who may expect so dreadful a future, we are told by St. John, in the book of Revelation: "The fearful," he says, "and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:" no one, in fact, who disobeys the commands of God,

and dies without repentance, can be received into Heaven or can escape Hell; for there is no middle place, and no means of escaping the anger of God, for those on whom the final judgment has been passed, "Depart ye, cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

If we desire to escape so terrible a fate, now is the time in which we must repent and obtain God's pardon: we must beware of putting off the day of repentance, for, when death comes upon us, there will be no time for repentance; in the grave, to which we are all going, there will be no way of seeking God's favour; as we leave this world when we die, so must we appear at the Great Day, when we must rise again and stand before our Judge.

As, then, we know not the hour of our death, so should we make it our first business to be ready to die, praying continually to our Father in Heaven to forgive us the many evil deeds we have done in the past, and to give us strength to feel truly sorry for them, and to serve Him better as long as He spares our lives, so that "our sins may be done away by His mercy, and our pardon sealed in Heaven, before we go hence, and be no more seen."

THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE.

AL

LL are constrained to acknowledge that Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery," because we all see it is true in those who are around us; but do we think it is true for us, do we think we have but a short time to remain here? Alas! most of us behave as if we had only this present life to provide for; we put off the great concern of eternity; we say to ourselves, " To-day I will enjoy this pleasure, and to-morrow I will think about my soul;" some even defer the welfare of their souls for much longer, they think they will have notice when death is coming, and then will have time to prepare for it; and so they go on always putting off the day of repentance, until, perhaps, death comes upon them with a sudden stroke, and they have not a moment left them before they are called to meet their Judge.

Very few people expect to go to Hell, most people hope that the way to Heaven may eventually prove easier than it has been represented, forgetting that our Lord says that narrow is the way that leadeth to everlasting life, and few there be that find it. We intend to gain Heaven, but many of us think we shall get a quiet time when

we are old or sick, and that then it will be easy enough to be good, then we shall be free from the troubles and temptations of the world, and shall have complete leisure to attend to our souls. But if we wait until we are free from earthly trouble we must wait until we are in our graves, for trouble and pain are the lot of all living; God tells us all, He tells you especially, that now is the accepted time, now is the opportunity for serving God, now is the time for walking as a faithful disciple of Christ; put off everything, delay everything except the work of your soul and the service of your God, let everything give way to that. At your baptism you promised to be Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto your life's end; take heed that you keep your promise. You do not know that you will remain here long: perhaps a day or a week may bring your death, then what will all worldly interests matter to you? What will your worldly riches or poverty avail you? Try to make up your mind to resist all temptations and cares and follow Christ with all your heart; and do not think, because you are feeble and unable to join in the business of life, that you are subject to no temptations, for these will pursue you and try you as long as you live: you will be tempted to impatience, to murmuring against God because He afflicts you, so that you cannot do all you could when you were strong and well, and to disbelief in His goodness; and this last

may be for you the strongest temptation of all, which you must fight against with all your power. Remember that "Like as a father pitieth his own children, so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear Him," and that He will not suffer you to be tempted above that you can bear, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape. Strive, then, with all your strength to trust in God and to resist the devil, and ever pray for God's help, for He will hear you and give you comfort, however great your troubles may be; and, above all, if you do trust in Him He will provide for you, after this life, such happiness as will far exceed any pains you may endure here, for all eternity. The reward God offers you for patience and faith is a noble one, try to win it; you may get it, if you will try, for as long as we have life there is hope of salvation for us; God calls us to Him, let us listen to His call, and receive the kingdom which he offers us through the merits of His most Blessed Son.

Τ

THE USE OF TRIAL.

HE afflictions which befall mankind are intended to prove to us that we are all the sons of God, as we are told, "Whom the Lord