any thing that we did not understand. Could not you, Mamma? Mrs. B.-Yes, my dear, I think I can: for God designed His word to be taught to the poor and the ignorant, as well as to the rich and wise; and though you cannot understand the full meaning even of those parts which I shall read to you, you may, even at your age, derive much instruction from them; for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has condescended to give lessons and rules of conduct even for little children like you and Mary. Some of these, which I mean to begin reading to you, are contained in what are called parables: Mary has already read some of them, but I think she will find in them a good deal that she has not yet observed or understood. "Mamma," said Mary, "I should like to begin by asking what are parables exactly? Mrs. B.-I am very glad, my dear Mary, to find that you wish to know the meaning of every thing exactly. Keep up this habit, my dear little girl, and never be satisfied with half understanding any thing for want of taking pains to understand it wholly. The word parable means, literally, a compurison, and is applied in Scripture to short stories, which were frequently used by the prophets in the Old Testament, and by our Saviour in the New, to impress upon the minds of their hearers some moral lesson. They used outward and visible objects to represent by comparison heavenly and invisible ones: they described religion, the soul, and all that belongs to it, under the figure of things on the earth and belonging to the body: they related imaginary occurrences, and then compared them, one by one, with the real circumstances before them; or sometimes left the hearers to draw their own comparisons, when the story was told. Do you remember a story that I told you a few days ago, about a little girl and her nurse? "Oh! yes, Mamma," said Mary, blushing, "and I remember very well that I thought the little girl very naughty, and then you surprised me by showing me that I had been just as naughty myself. But was that a parable, Mamma ?" Mrs. B.-It partook of the nature of a parable, my love, and I was pleased to see how readily you made the comparison for yourself, and acknowledged your own fault, after condemning the imaginary little girl. But what bright idea is working in your head, Henry? Henry. I was thinking, Mamma, that my fables of birds and beasts are all parables; are they not? They are imaginary stories, and there is a moral put to each of them. Mrs. B.-Very well, Henry; they are, to a certain degree, parables; but you will find in the parables which I am going to read to you, no such absurdities as birds and beasts all talking together, which you know could not have happened. Though the parables of Jesus Christ contain things which did not happen, there is nothing in them which might not have happenednothing ridiculous or absurd. The stories are all naturally, and simply, and beauti fully told. I shall read them to you in the very words of the Bible, as nearly as I think you can understand them, now and then giving you any explanation which I may think useful to you; and remember, both of you, to ask me any thing which do not understand, at the time, without any fear of interrupting me; and you know that I always like to hear your remarks as well as questions upon any thing that we are reading together. you Henry. Thank you, dear Mamma; and Mary, as you are older than me, if there is any thing which you understand and I do not, you can perhaps explain it to me. May she not, Mamma? Mrs. B.-Yes, my dear children; in lessons and amusements now, your and in all your occupations through life, you will have many opportunities of assisting and improving each other, all of which are so many opportunities given you by a good and kind God, for making yourselves happier and better, and for pleasing him. I am sure my two dear children will make |