heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents; the servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and forgave him the debt."

By this debt, that the lord of the servant pardoned, is signified the sin and wickedness of which every man is guilty during his lifetime; and the greatness of the debt had also its meaning. A talent was already a very large sum; but ten thousand talents was a sum of such immense magnitude, that if the servant had lived for a thousand years, he could never have hoped to pay it off. The greatness of the sum, therefore, sig nified the great number of the sins we all commit against God, and the hopelessness of looking to anything but His pardon, through the Lord Jesus Christ. But what happened next? Did this servant, who had just been pardoned such an immense sum, show himself ready to pardon the small faults of his fellow-men? Not at all. We are told: "The same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants which owed him an hundred pence; and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou

So when his fellow-servants

owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison. saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord said unto him, O thou wicked servant; I forgave thee all that debt: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him. So, likewise," said the Saviour, "shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

The Lord also pourtrayed in a parable the state of the wicked and the good at the great and terrible day of judgment. He had told His disciples that many in that day would be astonished that they were rejected and sent away into punishment, while others were accepted. He said, "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations; and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set

the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left." Then the Saviour proceeded to say that His heavenly Father would say to the sheep, by whom are represented those who believe in Him, and whose sins are pardoned, "Come ye, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." But, turning to the goats, by whom the wicked and unbelievers are represented, He would say, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." And then the wicked are to be sent away into everlasting punishment, while the righteous enter into life eternal. Such are the rewards and punishments that await us hereafter.

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS,
AND OTHER PARABLES.

And when He had said these things, all His adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. St. Luke, xiii. 17.

OUR LORD once said that it was a difficult thing for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." And when the disciples were dismayed