The writer of these few lines has had these remarks verified in his own experience by the removal of a beloved child, preceded merely by an affliction of forty hours duration, and he has penn'd a few circumstances connected with the event, believing that, by the blessing of God, they will prove encouraging to pious parents, devoted teachers, and obedient children. Hannah, for that was the naine of the dear departed one, was a loving, as well as a beloved child. She was dutiful and obedient to her parents, so much so that they have no remembrance of chastisement in any one instance in reference to her: she loved, and was much beloved by her brother and sisters; likewise by her Sunday and day school scholars, and the pious and devoted teachers of the same. Hannah loved to read her bible, and was very desirous to do so, especially in reading verse by verse in union with the rest of the family previous to morning prayer. Hannah valued, and took great care of her books, being, as they now are, put carefully away in her bag with her own hands. Although poorly with severe cough, she had expressed a hope that she should be well by Good Friday, to assemble with the hundreds of Sunday school children in King-street chapel, Portsea, to hear an address from her minister; but the Lord had otherwise determined, and permitted the flower to fade. Perhaps my young readers will like to know the circumstances of Hannah's death. We have great pleasure in saying they were interesting and delightful. On the day preceding her death, knowing her to be very ill, though having no apprehension of her dissolution, I said to her, "You are not afraid to die should you not get better, are you?" She answered, "no." "I cannot make you well, but God can; I cannot make you fit for heaven, but God can; we need not fear to die, because Jesus has passed through death before us, is gone up again to heaven to die no more, that all who love and serve him, when they die, may HAPPY DEATH OF HANNAH. be with him too for ever." The night before her death was a season of unremitting restlessness, but she was perfectly sensible, and did not appear to be in much pain, and was inexpressibly happy; she was not only happy herself, but did all she could to comfort her mother - her looks, smiles, and caresses, being equally impossible to describe or forget. About three o'clock in the morning, her happiness was exceedingly great: it pleased the Lord in some way unknown to us, to communicate joy to the immortal spirit; this was evident, not only from the beaming of her countenance, but from expressions which fell from her lips. "O mother," said she, "look at those ladies there." "Where my dear ?" said her mother. "Over in that room therethey have my bonnet." Perhaps intending to convey the idea of a welcome invitation to a happier shore: "Sister spirit come away." From this time she became gradually weaker. About nine o'clock the doctor called in, and affectionately intimated to her parents that they must make up their minds to lose her. I then felt every moment precious; I took her in my arms and walked about with her, as she more than once requested me to do. As I was pacing the room, I repeated some verses of that little interesting hymn, "Here we suffer grief and pain." "All who love the Lord below, When they die to heaven will go, Little children will be there, On asking "do you believe that, Hannah ?" she said "yes." "You are not afraid to die." "No," said she. I kissed her and bade her good bye. She kissed me and bade me an emphatic farewell: this she did likewise to her mother, aunts, brother, and sisters. Being left in the room with her, I was enabled to commend her especially to God, and to desire that ministering angels might be commissioned to hover around the scene, and convey her happy spirit safely to heaven: a desire which was speedily fulfilled; for, before eleven o'clock, she yielded up her last breath without a groan, a struggle, or a sigh. As I laid her down, I exclaimed, with mingled feelings of sorrow and satisfaction, "Tell me, my soul, can this be death." Her beloved mother, also, with resignation, confidence, and gratitude, exclaimed, "May our last end be like hers." Mark, dear young reader, what God can do through the merits of our blessed Redeemer. It is quite true that "Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are." We can but think it exceedingly remarkable, that while dear little Hannah beheld her father, mother, aunts, brother, and sisters, all weeping around, she had no tear to shed, no not one. Do you ask why, little reader, we answer, because she had already tasted the bliss of that happy place called heaven; and as the poet beautifully expressed it, "In heaven alone no sin is found, There is no weeping there." On the following sabbath we committed her remains to the tomb, when many of her school-fellows were present, and sung, in an interesting manner, to the tune called "China," some of the verses of a hymn— 'Happy the children who are gone 66 To live with Jesus Christ in peace; The Saviour whom they lov'd below, A PEEP INTO HEAVEN. Thus closed the short but interesting career of little Hannah, at the age of six years. Say not her sun went down at noon, May you, young reader, be enabled, by God's grace, like Hannah, to love the Saviour, and then, sooner or later, like Hannah, you too will receive a hearty welcome to the presence and joy of the Lord. A PEEP INTO HEAVEN. A LITTLE girl in our sabbath-school asked me one day if I thought we should be able to walk about in heaven. I asked her what she thought heaven was like. She thought, she said, it was like a large room. Now I thought to myself, there is one place through which I may look, to see a little of what heaven is, and what they are doing there. So I went to that place to look. And when I looked, I saw such beautiful things as I had never before seen or heard of. There I saw a very large city, larger than any on earth, full of beautiful mansions, and the place shone so bright that that I could scarcely bear to look upon it. The streets were of pure gold, like clear glass; and up and down I saw the redeemed ones walking in white, and every one had a crown of glory on his head, and a harp of gold in his hand, to praise Him withal, who brought them there; and Him they praised night and day. Then I looked again and saw large and pleasant meadows covered with pretty flowers, over which thousands of little children were sometimes walking and sometimes flying, for I saw that they had all wings like angels; and they all seemed so happy that I wished I were among them. And what pleased me very much, was, many of them had come from sabbath-schools on earth; and I saw several among them whom I knew, who had once been in the same school with myself. I then looked about for the way into this happy place, and over one of the beautiful gates, I saw these words, "There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, or worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." So then I turned away to come back and tell my little children what I had just seen. And now if any of my young readers wish to have a peep into heaven, let them go where I did-to the Book of Revelations, and they will soon see as much, or more than I did. And then I hope they will seek the way to that happy place, and walk therein all the days of their lives. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. None enter heaven from earth but by Him. ON Jordan's stormy banks I stand, To Canaan's fair and happy land, O the transporting rapturous scene Sweet fields array'd in living green, There generous fruit, that never fails, On trees immortal grow; There rocks, and hills, and brooks, and vales, All o'er those wide extended plains, Shines one eternal day; There God the Saviour ever reigns, |