treated the account of the women as idle tales, and would not believe.

Our blessed Saviour soon, however, convinced them Himself that it was no idle tale, and that He was risen indeed, for He appeared to them in Galilee, as He had promised, at different times, and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, and gave them the clearest proofs of his resurrection, associating and conversing with them.

And now let us turn our thoughts to the morning of the general resurrection, when we shall all leave our graves, and rise to meet Him who has risen before us and for us, and triumphed over death and the grave. Remember, my dear children, how different that morning will be to the good and to the bad, some, we are told, will awake to "the resurrection of life," and some

"to the resurrection of damnation." I hope you will so follow

your Saviour's steps on earth, that you may also rise to partake of His glory in Heaven.

How much of the fear of death has been taken away, to the Christian, when we reflect that our Master has passed through the grave before us. We die, indeed, it is true: but how? We follow our Redeemer's footstep to death, in the blessed hope of following Him also from the grave to all the glory of a joyful Resurrection.

"I am the Resurrection and the "Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth "in me, though he were dead, yet shall "he live."-John, xi. 25.

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XXVII.

THE ASCENSION.

AND now, my dear children, we come to the closing scene- our Lord and Saviour's last appearance upon earth,

His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God.

After He had given His disciples many important charges, He led them out as far as Bethany, where He again promised to send them the Holy Spirit, and desired them to wait in Jerusalem till they received it, after which He commanded them to preach the Gospel among all nations, and to baptize all people in the name of the Father, and

of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and ended by graciously assuring them of His continual presence and protection.

After He had thus given them His last commands, He lifted up His hands, and solemnly blessed them; but while His hands were yet raised, and the accents of His voice yet pronouncing the blessing, a cloud received Him out of their sight, and He ascended from those who had been His companions and followers on earth, to receive the worship and hallelujahs of all the hosts of heaven.

But the Apostles still remained on the spot He had left them, with their eyes steadfastly fixed on the clouds which had conveyed Him away, when two angels appeared before them and said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand "ye gazing up into heaven? This.

"same Jesus which is taken up from 66 you, shall so come in like manner as

ye have seen Him go into heaven." And then, having given them this assurance, the angels ascended, to join their hallelujahs to the song of triumph, which was welcoming the Lord of Glory into his Eternal Courts.

A few disciples only witnessed our Lord's ascension from earth to heaven; but at His second coming He will descend amidst the assembled world to judgment, and " every eye shall "see Him." The last accents of our Master's voice was heard in the language of blessing, and on His return it will still be so, to His faithful servants. May you, my dear little children, be amongst those, and receive "the "blessing from the Lord!"

So the Disciples and Apostles, find