Let me tell you how a missionary explained this, not long ago, to a king far away in the heart of Africa.
He had been talking to him about the stars and the sun; and the king presently asked where God, who had made the sun, dwelt, and what He did with people after they were dead.
The missionary says, "I answered that God was not confined to one place as we are; that when man's body died, the spirit of him who was a child of God went above, and dwelt for ever in the presence of God, and those whom God knew not here in this life were cast out into a place of sorrow and burning."
"But why does God do so?" the king asked. "What reason has He for putting man from Him?"
The missionary explained that God is righteous, and must punish those who are guilty in His sight.
"But," said the king, "we did not know the laws of God here. How can He punish us for not keeping them?"
[Illustration: KAFFIRS OF VARIOUS TRIBES.]
The missionary answered that God had put His law in their hearts, so that they all knew what was right and what was wrong.
"You know," he said, "when a man lies to your face and steals from you, that he injures you; and call him bad and wicked. So when you tomorrow do the same thing, God judges you with the same judgement with which you judged your fellow-creature yesterday."
"Yes," replied the king, "that is true; that I understand."