left in wait; the servant left instead of his lord ; the barren fig-tree; the great supper; the prodigal son; the labourers in the vineyard; the pounds; the wicked husbandman; the wedding-garment; the virgins; the talents.”* Minister. Let us briefly notice one of each class as a specimen of the whole. This will fix the nature of the distinction on your mind. Any further remarks on the specific character of the parables, we may postpone to those conversations in which we have one or two particular instances before us. I would, for the present, only suggest to you the general object, obviously apparent, in the parable of the good Samaritan; in which our Lord teaches us who is our neighbour, and in what manner genuine love to him will operate; and in the parable of the barren fig-tree, in which he points out, primarily, the forbearance of God in reference to the Jewish nation, and the approaching consequences of their obstinacy and hardness of heart. Moral truth is presented by the former; what I may term, historical prophecy, by the latter.

George. I perceive the distinction clearly. But am I to suppose, in reference to the latter class, that they are exclusively historical and prophetical?

Minister. By no means. You will find them to be in the first instance, as I have described them; but on closer examination you will likewise find, in almost every case, a most important and instructive presentation of moral truth. Thus, in the parable of the barren fig-tree, though the primary reference is to the case of the Jews, there is a subordinate but intentional reference to the case of sinners generally. This is remarkably apparent in the beautiful parable of the prodigal son.

George. I understand you thus far, and I think I shall understand the parables themselves all the better for the distinction you have pointed out. But you likewise alluded to a distinction in regard to the object of the parables. Will you be so good as to explain this?

Minister. All the parables are designed to be instruc

*Gresswell, vol. i., p. 22.

tive; but not all in the same way, nor even to the same persons. Our Lord would see, in his own discourses, the materials which, when committed to writing by the inspired Evangelists, should serve for the instruction of the church in all ages. Let us look, however, to his immediate hearers, and to the relation which his different parables would bear to different classes amongst them. Those which were primarily intended to illustrate some moral truth, seem designed to bring that truth, when once perceived, more clearly and more impressively before the understanding and conscience. Thus, in the parable of the good Samaritan, as soon as the meaning of our Lord was perceived, it was impossible to resist his conclusion, that he who had had compassion on the robbed and wounded man, loved him as his neighbour.

George. You say, "as soon as his meaning was perceived:" was it not always perceived by the hearers?

Minister. Let us look at the facts. Take the parable recorded in the seventh of Luke, of the two debtors, owing, respectively, fifty, and five hundred pence. You see, very plainly, how it bears on the churlish and evil-surmising Pharisee. But did he see it so plainly? The coolness of his answer, when our Lord said, "Tell me, therefore, which will love him most?" proves that he did not perceive that his judgment condemned himself, till our Lord solemnly and pointedly made the application. In fact, though the parables, when once understood, are very plain, yet, till a certain degree of attention has been paid to them, they are rather enigmatical than plain, and serve rather to conceal the truth than to display it. Open your Bible at the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, and read me the tenth verse.

George. "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables ?”

Minister. Look over his answer, and give me the substance; telling me, in the very first place, whether it is that he might make the truth so obviously plain that it should flash on the mind of the most inattentive?

George. O no! It is just the contrary. It is as you

just now said; only our Lord expresses himself much more strongly. He says, that it was his intention to conceal the truth in the parabolic representation:-" Seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive."

Minister. Even so. But what is the reason?

George. "Because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not."

Minister. That is, by their sinful inattention and carelessness, their obstinate pride, their worldly-mindedness; they would not perceive some of the plainest truths that could have been set before them. Not long before, instead of concluding from his wonderful works that our Lord was at least a teacher sent from God, whom it was their duty to hear, they said, that he cast out devils by Beelzebub the prince of devils. As a punishment, therefore, he spoke to them in parables, which concealed the truth from the wickedly careless. Read the twelfth verse.

George. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath."

Minister. The latter part of the verse refers to what I have just now said. The Jews did not improve the light they had, and therefore, more was not given them. The former part is evidently a reason assigned for something previously asserted. "For whosoever hath," &c. What had our Lord said just before?

George. "It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Minister. And therefore our Lord explained to his disciples the meaning of the parable he had just spoken? George. Yes; I now see the whole. Neither the Jews in general, nor the disciples themselves, at first understood the parable of the Sower; and our Lord left the former in their ignorance, and explained it to the latter.

Minister. Even so ; and as the first was the punishment of obstinate unbelief, so the latter was the reward of humble and teachable faith. Our Saviour lays down the rule as a general one, "Whosoever hath, to him shall be given." That is, He that obediently uses what he has, shall have

more; he that neglects what he has, shall be deprived of what he refuses to improve ::—a rule, the righteousness of which is apparent on the very face of it. Thus, while the parables contained truth, they partly concealed it: but yet not so much but that obedient faith, guided by principles laid down by Christ himself, might, though not without effort, yet without difficulty, attain to the clear understanding of the whole. Let the solemn texts which you have been considering, both admonish and encourage you. Never trifle with the truth of God; never neglect it. Whatever light you have, obey it: truth and holiness are designed to be inseparable. God shall then bless your endeavours to obtain more light. Read the Bible, and pray for heavenly guidance. Thus shall truth open before you with increasing brightness, and appear increasingly beautiful. And while you love and obey the truth of God, the blessing of the God of truth shall rest on you abundantly.

THE INDIAN CHIEF.

Letter from Kahkewäquonāby (the Rev. Peter Jones) to the Rev.

MY DEAR BROTHER,

I BEG your acceptance of the enclosed articles, as Indian curiosities.

The black string of wampum, amongst the North American Indians, denotes wars, troubles, afflictions, death, evil tidings, &c. This then represents the state of the pagan world.

The white string signifies peace, joy, prosperity, goodwill, and every thing that is good and lovely. To produce these happy effects amongst the wretched and degraded heathen nations of the earth, is the great object of the Missionary Societies in England; and I pray in my heart that the Great Spirit may continue to enlarge and lengthen the white wampum of the Gospel, until there shall be no end to it, but entwine round and round the whole world, and

not a single black wampum found in all the earth! Amen and Amen.

The sheath was intended for the scalping-knife; but I rejoice to say that the Gospel of peace and goodwill to men, has drawn out and broken the scalping-knife, and has left nothing but the empty sheath.

The little Book will show for itself what it is. I will only say that the ordinances and wholesome rules therein translated, were unknown among our people previous to the introduction of Christianity amongst my countrymen. When I look at the signs and wonders that have followed the preaching of the Gospel, I am led to exclaim, “ What hath God wrought!" May Kezha-Munedoo, the Great Spirit, continue to show signs and wonders in the earth, through and by the hands of British Christians. Mrs. J. unites with me in best regards to yourself, Mrs.

WINTER AND ITS ASSOCIATES.

"THOU crownest the year with goodness," said the inspired Psalmist; a sentiment this which recognised the fact that each successive season brought its own evidences of the Creator's love and care. We say not but that winter in other latitudes may pass over more mildly and with less alteration in the face of nature than in our own; and we leave our talented friends Duncan and Mudie to detail the philosophy of these differences, as well as the varied appearances, zoological, botanical, and meteoric, which this season, in the different parts of the earth, exhibits. Our task lies in a different direction. Christianity with us gives the winter a peculiar charm, especially to religious society: our family circles are better comparted together when the daylight closes with, or before, the hour of tea, and the inducements to wander abroad no longer exist. The evening services in the house of God are in general