never; but thank God for them very gratefully and humbly,
for they are His fruits that grow in the garden of your father, the
Garden of Eden."

"Why do you call it the Garden of Eden?"

"Because, by the Garden of Eden, is signified the state of those who
live in obedience to God; and by the beauty and pleasantness of the
garden we are taught that, when we receive goodness and truth from
God, we, at the same time, receive happiness from Him, because He is
infinitely happy, as well as infinitely good, and when His spirit
fills our hearts, we are happy too. Happiness comes with goodness,
just as the flowers and songs of birds come with summer."

"Then are all good people happy? I thought not."

"It is true, there are many trials in this world, but do you not see
that if we were good we should acknowledge that God sent them as
blessings, and should be willing to accept them from him, and
should, therefore, not be made very unhappy by them. You may be sure
that people are really, in their heart of hearts, happy exactly in
proportion as they are good. I have known persons who had suffered a
great deal in many ways, and who yet said that nothing had been so
bitter to them as the consciousness of their own sins. Good people
see a thousand things to love and enjoy which the wicked world find
no pleasure in; they are sure to make friends, and, what is far
better, sure to love and do good to all about them. They take
delight in everything beautiful that God has created. They think of
Him, and all His goodness, and, in the midst of sorrow, their hearts
are comforted, and filled with heavenly peace."

"Why did you say the road was rough and long to that beautiful
garden?--is it so very, very hard to be good?--and does it take so
very long?"

"You must not feel sad because it is not easy to be good; you must
think of it bravely, and joyfully. Why, my Alice! did you not say
you never felt tired when you were going to a pleasant place? It is
not always easy to do right; sometimes we are sorely tempted, and
then it seems very difficult; but what of that? It is possible,
always, for God never requires of us what we cannot do. When you
feel discouraged, remember that angels in heaven were little
children once, and that some of them found it as hard as you do to
be good and true, but they tried over and over again, and are
blessed angels now. They love to acknowledge that it was not by
their own strength they overcame evil, but tha