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my own character and conduct in a light in which I have never seen them before. I now see plainly that I have not loved God with all my heart, nor my neighbour as myself. The more I think of these commandments, the more I perceive how often I have transgressed them; and indeed I am most puzzled to find when I have kept them. My dear family here all try to comfort me, and tell me what a good husband, and father, and grandfather I have been; but these kind things that they say seem only to glance over my mind and leave no consolation behind them. Oh! if my dear friend and master had but tarried a little longer upon earth, he might have pointed out to me the paths of peace, and I should have followed his track to the realms of endless bliss. But I refused to be shown, I refused to be shown. Oh! could I tell you the load, the intolerable load, with which this thought presses down my soul; I think it would be a warning to you all to seek the Lord while he may be found; to call upon him while he is near."

CHAPTER VIII.

SEPHORA Was much touched with his anguish, and felt the most earnest desire to bring comfort to his troubled mind.

"I wish," said she, "that I could explain the way of salvation to you as well as my dear father would have done, but I feel that I know it better than I can tell it. I think I never wished for the tongue of the learned so much as I do at this moment. And yet I am convinced it is not the wisdom of this world that gives us understanding in the things of God. He reveals them to us by his Spirit, and he often blesses the meanest instrument, which makes me hope that he will bless even me, and that he will make you hear the glad tidings of salvation from my lips. He always teaches the knowledge of his way to all who desire to learn it. It is himself who implants that desire in our minds, it is himself who alarms our con

science with the conviction of sin. But, as in the famous pool of Bethesda, the angel of the Lord troubles the waters before the sick are healed, so he only alarms our souls in order to give them true peace, he only shows us the vanity of our own righteousness, to make us feel the need of something better, and teach us to look to the great, promised atonement, as our forefathers did to the brazen serpent, for that alone can heal the deadly wounds of sin, and bring saving health to our souls. I know I explain these things very awkwardly to you, but when you do not understand me, lift up your heart to God, and ask him, that if what I say is truth, and according to his revealed will, that he would make you comprehend it, and feel the comfort of it. And you must remember that this is not a subject of curious speculation, but one which concerns our everlasting happiness."

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Ah!" said Nicanor, "it is not to a man on his death-bed that you need observe that."

"I will begin," said Sephora, "by tell

ing you how we became exposed to the anger of God, though you probably know something on that subject.

Adam and Eve were created innocent, with every thing to enjoy, and only one prohibition to prove their love and obedience, and this they disregarded; they eat the forbidden fruit, and by this transgression, brought death, and the forfeiture of eternal happiness upon themselves and us."

"It seems a very heavy punishment for a very small fault," said the old man.

"The fault," replied Sephora, 66 was their disobedience to God-their contempt of the only injunction given them by that Almighty Creator, who had bestowed all things richly on them. This surely can never be called a small fault. If the test of their obedience was a very trifling thing, we ought to look on this as a proof of the mercy of God rather than as a mark of his severity; for if he had prohibited something essential to their happiness or comfort, they would have been more excusable in disobeying him."

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Well," said Nicanor, there does ap

pear some reason in what you say; but allowing that Adam and Eve deserved their punishment, surely it is a hard thing that we should suffer for their fault."

"We shall none of us suffer for their

fault; if we do suffer, it will be for our own sins and not for theirs. Or to speak more properly, it will not be even for our sins that we shall suffer, but for not looking to that remedy which is appointed to pardon and to heal them. It is true, we inherit from our first progenitors a sinful nature, and a mind at enmity with God; but to be born in the image of our parents is not a hardship peculiar to the human species. Animals of every sort inherit from their kind, their internal disposition as well as their outward form. If we now saw a lamb and a young wolf before us, we should as confidently pronounce on their nature as on their name. We should not think it any hardship that the wolf possessed from its parents a savage nature, we should not cry out on the injustice of God for not making it gentle like the lamb. And why should we be surprised or discontented that

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