you denied yourself the pleasure you saw, and the desire you then felt, would be a far greater pleasure. You were sure that your mind which you could not see and which seemed uneasy, would be happier, for this denial of a present inclination; so you see that you' believed more in what you did not see and feel, but which your reason taught you, than in what you actually perceived by your senses. This is faith. But you have been excrcising faith, my dear, ever since you were a very little child.

Rose. How, mother? I am sure I never thought about it till I went to Sunday school.'

Mother. Did you not say just now that you believed in the Bible because your father and I taught you that it was true? and that you knew that we should not teach you so unless we believed it ourselves? Now, my child, could any of your senses teach you that?

Rose. No, mother, but don't I see that you always tell me the truth about every thing and that it is your desire to make me happy and good, how is that faith?

Mother. Did you ever see the truth, dear, or see my love for you?

Rose. No, mother, but I am sure of your love and sure that what you say is true.

Mother. This is faith in your mother, my child. This began when you were but just able to speak; when you first found out and felt sure that you should be happier for doing an unpleasant thing that you thought right, than a pleasant thing that you thought was wrong; then you had faith in your soul, and began to think it was better and of more consequence than your body. And when you learned and believed that it was the will of God that you should follow the dictates of your soul rather than those of your body because the pleasures of the soul are greater than those of the body, then you first had faith in God. So you perceive that your mind has been growing up to religious faith for a long time. And now that you are studying the history and the instructions of Jesus Christ you are forming a christian faith, and in this is included all the faith that a good and intelligent mind should hold and cherish. It is Jesus that teaches us that unseen things are real; from him we have learned that faith is the evidence of things not seen. It is Jesus who declares that by faith we may remove mountains; he rewarded faith by healing diseases and infirmities; and he even forgave sins as the reward of faith. He de

clared to Peter that it was his loss of faith that made him begin to sink when walking upon a stormy sea. Peter allowed himself to look with terror upon the angry waves and hear the roaring of the tempest; instead of fixing, by a strong effort of his will, the eye of his mind steadily upon the divine energy of his master: he should amidst all the tumult that was around him have heard only the gentle accents of that voice that had said to him come.' If, my dear Rose, through the right use of your reason, and by your attention to your instructers, and by sincere efforts to do your duty, you are ever happy enough to possess a strong and undoubting faith, you must still remember that you will lose it in times of trial and peril, as Peter did, if by strong effort of your will and earnest prayer to God for help, you do not strive, to hold it fast; we must keep the faith after we have obtained possession of it.

We must make a strong resolution that we will act up to our faith; we must never act against it, or we shall weaken it; and never act when we even only doubt, for we are told that whatsoever is not of faith is sin.'

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After a silence of a few moments Rose resumed the conversation; I remember, mother,

hearing you the other day relate to father a dream about faith that you said you had when you were very young.

Mother. Yes, dear, I did; it was a remarkable dream, and I have sometimes thought that it had a powerful effect upon my character.

Rose. Would you be so kind, dear mother, as to tell it to me? I did not hear all of it, and perhaps I should take more pleasure in it now that you have been teaching me what faith is.

Mother. I will, my dear, with pleasure. I dreamed that I was walking upon the top of the most beautiful edifice that could be imagined; it was placed in the midst of the most delightful scenery that the fair face of nature can display. All the sublime, all the enchanting scenes that I had ever witnessed or imagined and had treasured up in my memory, seemed all to have arranged themselves in the most harmonious order, and to spread out in one lovely and glorious living picture before my view.

My soul seemed to me suddenly to expand, to take in the whole beauty and delight of the scene; while I was looking, a being appeared by my side whose appearance was such as we imagine that of the inhabitants of the heavenly world to be. He had around him a sort of

mantle that seemed to be formed of those bright fleecy clouds that we see sometimes in the midst of a clear blue sky. His clear bright eye rested upon me with such a pure, calm love and intelligence that it seemed to pour forth his spirit all around me, and to change me into a being like himself; it seemed in an instant as if I was all soul. He did not speak any words, but I understood him, and I thought he knew my thoughts, and as I stood looking in his face I was conscious of a deep joy such as I had never imagined before. Presently the figure looked around at the beautiful scene below us and took flight.

I watched him and saw that wherever I had marked a spot as more beautiful than another, there he flew and hovered over it, he penetrated the flowery glades, he followed the windings of the beautiful streams, he seemed almost to touch the brink of the waterfall, and seemed to take an intense delight. At last he returned and stood again by my side. I cast a longing glance at the glorious scene below, and wished to take flight in the same way, but felt that I could not. I expressed my wish that I could fly as he did. The heavenly being answered, You can, if you will have faith.' I made an effort of my will to believe that I could; a new

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