The great sorrow of this day is separation. It is a sense of separation, of loss, and bereavement, that has drawn forth so many tears. Indeed there is little besides to cause a tear. As far as she is concerned there is no cause for sorrow. If ever there was one of whom it might be said “she fought a good fight, she has finished her course, she has kept the faith,” it was of her. She was one who walked before God faithfully, who loved affectionately, who laboured cheerfully, who trusted simply, who rejoiced unfeignedly, and now she has sunk gently into the arms of her Lord, to repose there in perfect peace till the time comes when she shall be called forth to accompany His advent. Can we say there is sorrow in all this? Can we exclude the thoughts of even joy at such a conclusion of such a course? Yes, there is sorrow, and that because there is separation, and wherever there is true affection, the separation, however peaceful, must leave a void which nothing else upon earth can fill. The home is left desolate after all, and however sweet the assurance for the departed above, the heart still aches when left alone to tread a solitary path below. How beautifully then is this met in the passage! There is to be a reunion as well as a resurrection. We shall not rise separately, but as a reunited body in Christ. There is one beautiful clause that clearly teaches this,—“Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up, _together with them_, in the clouds.” So that our blessed Lord when he comes against will not merely restore life, but companionship. He will undo all that death is doing. Death kills, He raises; death divides, He unites; death keeps us at a distance from those who are gone before, He brings us once more together, so that with them we should have the joy of one common life and glory. Nor will the ties of life be lost or forgotten in that new and sacred fellowship. The strong affections which God has planted will not be obliterated in the grave; for you remember that remarkable passage in this very epistle, in which the Apostle anticipates the joy of meeting these very Thessalonians at that blessed hour. In chap. ii, 19, he says “What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” He clearly then expected to meet and recognize these converts at that day. For nearly 1800 years both he and they have slept in their graves, but the close and intimate tie that then united them shall appear with undiminished strength in their resurrection, and the risen Apostle shall rejoice in his risen converts before the Lord. Then will be the day for the regathering of broken families, and the healing of broken hearts. Then will be the reunion of the minister with the people, of the parent with the child, of the brother with the sister, of the husband with the wife; a reunion without the possibility of separation, for there shall be no more death, and the