their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh! go ye out to meet him! Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord! Lord! open to us! But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

FOR the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and

delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every one according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold! I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord! He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold! I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant! thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord! Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an_hard_man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strowed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: behold thou hast thine own. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant! thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strowed? Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers; and at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him who hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

WHEN the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father! inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee! or thirsty, and gave thee drink! When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in! or naked, and clothed thee! Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee! And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

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Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed! into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger, and ye took me not in naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee! Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

WHY seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.

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AND I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth! Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow with them.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold! I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every one according as his works shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are they that do his commandments! that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and doeth a lie.

[Then the Minister shall give some instruction suitable to the occasion. The following may be used.]

*.

We are now assembled to perform our last earthly duties to a departed We are about to consign + body -† soul is ascending into the world of

to the tomb, whilst

spirits.

- has come to an -t; for with our na

To our natural feelings the duty is a sad and mournful one; because our natural connection with end. We can no longer see or hear tural senses we can perceive nothing but what is natural. Therefore, to our natural views and our natural feelings, there appears to be a total separation. And consequently, while we permit our natural feelings to prevail in us, we shall

mourn.

But in the doctrines of the New Jerusalem we are taught, that this apparent separation is not a real separation; that our friends continue to live; and that they remain as near unto us spiritually, as they were before.

These doctrines teach us that nothing but the body of man

Brother or sister.

† His or her.

+ Him or her

dies; that nothing but his body is buried in the grave. They teach us that his spirit, when divested of its natural covering, continues to live; that when he casts off the natural body, he rises in a spiritual body; that he continues to exist in the human form; that he is in every respect more perfectly human than he was before; that his prevailing character remains the same; that his ruling affections and thoughts remain the same; and consequently, that he continues to be as properly an object of affection, as he was when present to our senses.

From the doctrines of the New Jerusalem we learn, that all the inhabitants of the spiritual world are arranged in societies according to their characters; that similarity of character draws them together, and that dissimilarity separates them: that all those who act from love to the Lord and the neighbor, are in the heavens; and that all those who act from the love of self and the world are in the hells: that in the heavens there are various kinds of good affections; and in the hells, various kinds of evil affections: and that those who have similar affections, and who are thus qualified to live together and act together, are drawn into the same society.

From these doctrines we learn, that all of us, who are in the natural world, are internally and spiritually associated either with good or evil spirits, who are similar to ourselves : that if we act from good affections, we are internally associated with, and act with, good spirits; and that if we act from evil affections, we are internally associated with evil spirits, and act with them also, that we can come out of an evil society into a good one, by resisting our evil affections, and cherishing those which are good; and that we go out of a good society into an evil one, when we resist the good, and cherish the evil.

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We learn that when a person dies, he comes into manifest association with the spirits that he was before internally and secretly associated with; that for this purpose he is divested of every thing which is not in agreement with his ruling affections. If his internal and ruling affections are good, he is cleansed from all external impurities; but if they are evil, he is divested of all the external appearances of goodness, which would enable him to deceive.

We learn that when a person dies he comes into the spiritual world; which is adapted to his spiritual body, as the natural world is adapted to the natural body: that there is a correspondence between the spiritual world and the natural

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