mouth, or by his own words. What are we told in Matthew xii. 37 ?

Selina. "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Miss M. "Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury," has been explained in this manner: If we are afraid of using our talents alone, we ought at least to put ourselves under the direction of those stronger than ourselves, who would help us in what we had to do 1. There are many too weak to go alone, and yet too proud to ask the help of others. But let us remember that pride in any shape is displeasing to God. I think you must know some texts teaching that truth.

Jane. "Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." Prov. viii. 13. hath purposed it, to

Anna. "The Lord of hosts

stain the pride of all glory." Isa. xxiii. 9.

Charlotte. "Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off." Ps. cxxxviii. 6.

Miss M. There are many passages relating to the same subject, but I think you have found me enough for the present. What was to be done with the talent belonging to the wicked servant?

Emily. It was to be given to him who had ten talents.

Miss M. What reason did his lord give for that? Anna. "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him

1 Trench.

that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."

Miss M. Do we not find the same amongst ourselves? do we not see that those who do not make a good use of the talents given them, generally lose them? Let us take the same instance as we did before; if you were not to do any work for a very long time, would you not lose your power of working?

Children. Yes.

Miss M. Again, if learning were not cultivated, would it last?

Elizabeth. No; we should forget all we knew.

Miss M. But those that have little natural cleverness, if they cultivate that little, will improve so much, as almost to be said to have another talent given them. We e now come to the doom pronounced upon the wicked servant: what was it?

Selina. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Miss M. In his fate we can, alas! still read the history of those who have not made a good use of the talents which God has given them, for they will be cast into the darkness of hell, where there will indeed be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE PARABLE OF THE SEED GROWING SECRETLY.

Mark iv. 26-29.

"AND he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come."

Miss M. The parable that you have just read is only found in the Gospel of St. Mark; it is not mentioned by the other Evangelists: we find it here put just before the parable of the grain of mustard seed, and you will see that these two are very like each other. What did I tell you the other day that the parable of the mustard seed was intended to show ?

Mary. The working of God's Holy Spirit in the heart of man.

Miss M. Yes; the secret working of His Holy Spirit, the first dawning of light in a sinner's heart which is known only to God, those deep feelings of sin which the world cannot see, and which the world could not understand. These are the things which are acceptable to God, and which He has promised to reward openly. Now to what does our Lord compare the kingdom of heaven in to-day's parable?

Jane. To the seed that a man was casting into the ground.

Miss M. And while the seed was growing, what did he do?

Ellen. He slept and rose night and day.

Miss M. Yes; when once the sower has put the seed into the ground, he can do nothing more till the corn has sprung up; man may sow the seed, but it is only God who can give the increase. He it is who sends rain upon the earth, and who causes the sun to shine. Each returning year, as we put our seed into the ground, we are acknowledging our belief in God's goodness, as well as in His power. We are showing that we trust in God's continuing to supply our daily wants. Now how should we feel towards God for these His mercies?

Kate. Thankful.

Miss M. Yes; it is well sometimes to stop and think over God's mercies towards us, and His wonderful and gracious dealings with the children of men, that our hearts may be awakened to a sense of gratitude to God, and that we may be ever ready to show forth His praises. What did our Lord say to the Pharisees, when they wished Him to rebuke His disciples for praising Him? Look at Luke xix.

40.

Ellen. "And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."

Miss M. Here, then, we have a proof that God wishes His people to praise Him, and how ungrateful we should be if we failed to do it. When we receive any kindness from our fellow-creatures, we thank them for it; and how much more cause have we for gratitude to God. We read next, "that the seed should spring

and grow up, he knoweth not how ;" now, do we understand how it is that so small a thing as a seed should, in a short time, grow up into a plant?

Children. No.

Miss M. There are many other things which we don't understand, and yet are obliged to believe; we should therefore be very careful never to doubt any thing that we read in the Bible, however difficult or even impossible we find it to understand; for if we do not even know how the seed grows, which we see happening every day of our lives, we cannot expect to understand all those things that we have never seen. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead: but why should we doubt that God, who first breathed into man the breath of life, should be able to restore that life to him again? Now read the next

verse.

Elizabeth. "For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."

Miss M. This verse shows us how the corn comes up by degrees. You all know that if you walk through a corn-field in the spring, you only see the green blade; the corn does not look brown then, as it does when it is ripe. Then if you go into that same field later, you see the ear where before you could see nothing, and then after that the corn ripens, and is ready to be cut down at harvest-time. Now we will apply this parable first to the kingdom of God among the Gentiles, and then to the kingdom of God in the heart of each one of us. First, then, who is meant by the man who cast the seed into the ground?

Charlotte. Our Lord.