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with fear. Sin always, sooner or later, fills the heart with terror.

They loved the good God, they delighted to meet him as their Friend, and Father; but now, they were ashamed to see him, and they vainly tried to hide themselves from him among the thick shade of the trees. Sin, though it promises happiness, covers the sinner with shame.

And God cursed the ground on account of their sin, so that it brought forth thorns and thistles. They were sentenced to perpetual toil. God himself also shut them out from that beautiful garden of Paradise. Was this any gain? O

no.

They lost the image of God, that is, their holiness and happiness, and at last died, and were laid in the grave. And was this any gain?

And does any one now gain any thing by breaking God's commandments? No. All the afflictions that ever were, and that now are in the world, are the fruit of sin. And are these gain?

Death came into the world because man sinned against God. He has cut down every generation of mankind. And is this gain?

When any one does what God says he should not do,-for this is sin,-con

science accuses him,-God is displeased -his word condemns him, and tells him that he shall assuredly be brought into judgment, and unless divine grace prevents, he will at last fall into hell for ever, and, is all this gain?

STORY II.

THE WICKED YOUNG MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER.

ADAM and Eve had two sons; their names were Cain and Abel.

They both used to work every day. It is a great sin to be idle.

Cain used to plough up the ground, and sow it, that there might be bread to eat and Abel, he used to look after the flocks, and cattle.

Cain was a bad man, he did not love the good God, or his brother, Abel; and he was so wicked, that he would not do what God bade him.

WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER.

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God had commanded his creatures to worship him, by offering a lamb in sacrifice, as a confession that they deserved to die for their sins; and to keep up the recollection of the blessed Saviour who was to come as the true Lamb of God, to take away, by his suffering, the sin of the world.

But when they came to worship one Sabbath day, Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground; but he would not bring a lamb, as God bade him ; and so God would not accept either him or his offering.

But Abel brought of the fruit of the ground, and he brought also a sacrifice; he picked out the very best from his flock. He justly thought that nothing was too good to be given to God. He knew that he was indebted for every thing he possessed or enjoyed, to God's loving kindness.

So God was pleased with Abel, and with his offering. But Cain was angry with his brother on this account: though there was no reason why he should have been so. If he had loved God as he ought, then he would have done as he bade him, and he would have been accepted also.

Cain harbored evil thoughts against Abel in his heart; he hated him; and

found fault of, and quarrelled with him; and at last, one day, when he was alone in the field, he rose up against him, and killed him.

How dreadful is sin! surely Cain could never be happy any more. He was in the highest degree vile and wicked.

We should guard against angry and wicked thoughts,-these lead to angry and wicked words; and angry and wicked words lead to angry and wicked actions. We know the beginning of sinbut who can tell where it will end!

STORY III.

THE GOOD MAN WHO WENT TO HEAVEN WITHOUT DYING.

THERE was a time, soon after the beginning of the world, when the people were almost all of them, very wicked. They forgot the great and good God, and they would not obey his holy will; they did not praise him for his mercies

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or give him the worship which is his due.

But there was one truly good man; and he was very different from all the rest of mankind.

We must not mind being singular. If no one in our families, or all around us, will serve God, we should do so.

Well,-so Enoch did. He walked with God, that is, he saw him to be present every where: he believed that his eye was on him wherever he was, and he acted, as if this were indeed the case. So his whole conduct was different from that of his fellow-creatures in general. It was well for him that it was

So.

To talk with God,-is to converse with him. So Enoch prayed to God; he told him the thoughts of his heart; asked him for the blessings which he wanted, and praised him for every comfort which he enjoyed.

To walk with God,-is to love him. We do not actually walk with those whom we do not love. God is so great and so good, that he ought to be loved with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul,and with all our strength.

To walk with God,-is to love what he loves. And this is right. For what

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