they carefully obeyed the law in these particulars, it mattered little in comparison, what was the state of their thoughts and hearts. These persons were exceedingly angry and offended at Jesus Christ, for making Himself a companion of those who committed notorious sins, and broke the ordinances both of Moses and of God. Now the Pharisees would have been quite right, if Jesus had made Himself a companion of these persons, in order to encourage them in their wickedness, or to share in it; but, on the contrary, He went among them to draw them back from their bad practices, to shew them how sinful they were, and to teach them the ways of religion and of peace. But the Pharisees did not believe or did not understand this; Jesus, however, instead of being angry with them, condescended to explain the reasons of His conduct. They that are whole," said He on one occasion, "need not a physician, but they that are sick”*—that is, as a phy

* Luke v. 31.

sician goes to heal, not those who are well, but those who are diseased; so I, who am the great Physician of the Soul, and whose great object is to cure men of their sins, and give to their minds health and comfort, need not go to the righteous (if any such there be) but to those who are sick in their souls; who are afflicted with their sins, and who feel that they have need of the healing of my words: to them I go, that I may drive away their sickness, forgive their sins, and lead them to repentance and to their God.

On another occasion, He answered the same objections by the two parables which I have already mentioned to you.

"What man of you," He said, “ having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulder rejoicing; and when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with

me, for I have found my sheep which was lost."

Henry. But Mamma, was it not very foolish of him to leave all his other sheep, to look for this one? Might not they have run away too, while he was looking for the other?

Mrs. B.-My love, we must understand that he left the remainder under proper care; for God, who is our good Shepherd, never ceases to care for any of His flock; but the expression is only a strong one, to signify the earnest solicitude of our Heavenly Father, more especially shown in the earthly mission of his blessed Son, to reclaim sinners, His wandering sheep, from the errors of their past life, and to bring them home to their proper fold. But this part of the parable is capable of another interpretation; for although the immediate purpose of this comparison was to show that, in the sight of God, none of His creatures were to be despised; or thought unworthy of being saved from the consequences of their

own wanderings and misconduct, yet there is a second sense in which it may be taken, and which it was also, no doubt, intended. In this second sense, each man must himself be considered as the shepherd, who has a certain number of sheep entrusted to him. And this view of the first parable is perhaps more clearly shown by the second, with which our Saviour follows up the former. "Either what woman"

Mary.-Oh, Mamma! but had not we better finish one before we begin the other? I am afraid of getting puzzled if we begin two together.

Mrs. B.-Do you remember, my dear Mary, that you assisted yesterday in the explanation of part of one parable, by remembering what had been said upon another the day before? You may depend upon it, that for young or old there is no better way of coming at the real meaning, and full explanation of any one passage in Scripture, than by comparing it with a passage of the same sacred book;

and I can engage that you shall not be puzzled by hearing these two parables at once. Indeed, they are placed one immediately after the other in St. Luke's Gospel, from which I have taken them, evidently with an intention of explaining one by the other. "Either," our Lord says, "what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which was lost."

Mary.--I see, Mamma, that we shall not be puzzled, at least I think not, because the two parables mean the same thing, only one is a man losing a sheep, and the other is a woman losing a piece of silver.

Mrs. B.-Exactly so, my dear; and I have read the two together, because one may serve to explain expressions in the other. For instance, in the second para