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seen of men, while their thought should have been how to pray so as to be heard of God. They paid tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, while they omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. But here our Lord gives us a caution, to prevent our thinking that for this reason all outward observances are wrong. What does He say in Matthew xxiii. 23 ?

Jane. "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

Miss M. The due performance of these ceremonies was in itself right: but with the Pharisees it became a sin, because they made their religion consist in these things, leaving undone other and higher duties. Now let us look at the publicans. What were they generally said to be?

Mary. Sinners.

Miss M. Yes; they were despised by the Pharisees, and were always looked upon as a guilty people. What was their office?

Kate. To collect the taxes.

Miss M. This duty was not a pleasant one, and one which would naturally make them disliked by the people. For what did the Pharisees reproach our Lord? Matthew ix. 11.

Elizabeth. For eating with publicans and sinners. Miss M. What did our Lord answer?

Kate. "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."

Miss M. He does not deny the fact that they are sinners, but He who has mercy came to call them to repentance. We may learn from Him not to despise those who are more sinful, and perhaps more ignorant

than we are, but to look upon all men as our brethren, and to try, as far as is in our power, to show them the way of salvation. Now for what purpose did the Pharisee and the publican go into the temple?

Anna. To pray to God.

Miss M. Prayer should consist either in confession of sin, in supplication to God for forgiveness and help for the time to come, and also for those temporal mercies which He may see fit to bestow upon us, or in thanksgiving for those blessings which we have all received from Him. Read Philippians iv. 6.

Charlotte reads. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Miss M. Did the prayer of the Pharisee belong to any of those of which we have spoken?

Mary. No.

Miss M. What was his prayer, if such it may be called?

Ellen. He thanked God that he was not as other

men were.

Miss M. Instead of confessing his sin, he boasted of his good deeds. It cannot be called a thanksgiving, at least not such an one as God would accept; for "under the pretence of thankfulness to God he does but thinly veil his exaltation of self." Nor is he content with speaking of his own goodness, he compares it with what he considers the sins of all but himself; and of whom in particular?

Elizabeth. Of the publican.

Miss M. Knowing perhaps nothing of him, but that he was a publican, he yet speaks of his sins as certain, and by that means strives to make his own virtues appear

the greater. Now have we never done this ourselves? Have we not sometimes loved to speak of the faults of our companions, so that our actions when compared with theirs may appear better than they really are? If we have done so let us repent of it, and try to keep from that as from every other sin. Now the Pharisee was like those people of whom Isaiah speaks in Isaiah

lxv. 5.

Susan reads. "Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou."

Miss M. After speaking of those sins which he has not committed, what does he go on to say

?

Selina. "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."

Miss M. These duties were enjoined by the law of Moses, and he did right to pay attention to them; but they were not a cause for boasting. How much better would it have been, if, instead of thinking of the good he had done, he had thought of that which he might have done, and instead of dwelling on the wickedness that he had not done, he had considered those wicked things which he had done! We are often, I am afraid, tempted to dwell upon our good deeds, our acts of kindness or generosity; but it would be well then to pause, and force ourselves to look at our sins, remembering that "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' How does St. Paul speak of himself in 1 Timothy i. 15? Charlotte. As the chief of sinners.

Miss M. How different this was from the Pharisee's prayer. But now let us turn to the publican. What did he do?

Kate. He, "standing afar off, would not lift up so

much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

Miss M. His prayer may be said to be of two kinds. Can you tell me which?

Jane. Confession.

Selina. And a prayer for mercy.

Miss M. Quite right; he confessed his guilt by calling himself a sinner, and he also prayed to God to be merciful to him. This publican, who had been pointed out by the Pharisee as one of the chief of sinners, was at that very moment offering a prayer far more acceptable to God than his own. "A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Now in what spirit did each of these pray?

Elizabeth. The Pharisee in a proud spirit, the publican in an humble one.

Miss M. Let us look for some texts which speak of pride and of humility. James iv. 6.

Mary reads. "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

Miss M. Psalm cxxxviii. 6.

Ellen reads. "Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off."

Miss M. Isaiah lvii. 15.

Emily reads. "Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Miss M. Once more: look for Matthew xi. 29. Kate reads. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of

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me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Miss M. If our hearts are humble, our prayers will also be offered up in an humble spirit. What does our Lord go on to say in the parable?

Charlotte. "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Miss M. The publican went down to his house justified, with a sense of God's forgiveness, while the Pharisee, not having offered an acceptable service, returns with the same feelings with which he entered God's house. We should all try to make our prayers such that we still feel the blessing of them when we return to our own homes. If they are gone through merely as a form, they will not bring down any blessing from above. In an humble and contrite spirit, then, let us confess ourselves sinners, and let us pray to God for mercy; for whoso is humble in his own eyes will be exalted of God, but whoso is proud will be abased.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE PARABLE OF THE POUNDS.

Luke xix. 11-27.

"AND as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should

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