George. If you please: and, in the very first instance, I wish to have a general notion of a parable.

Minister. The word itself denotes a species of comparison; putting two things together, and thus, by one of them, illustrating the other. Generally speaking, in Scripture, a parable is a figurative (I had almost said, a material) representation of some spiritual doctrine or fact; sometimes even of some future event. But the easiest way will be to select an example at once. Turn to the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, and read the thirty-second and thirtythird verses.

George. "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."

Minister. Very well. See first, here are two classes of objects present to the mind of our Lord. There are those relating to the fig-tree, and its vegetative relations to the seasons of the year; and there are those relating to the events of which he had been speaking, and the signs by which their immediate approach should be declared. These two classes he places in such juxta-position and comparison, as that the former illustrates the latter: as if he had said, "You see the fig-tree, and you know, when you perceive the buds and leaves, that the summer is at hand; these appearances in the fig-tree being signs of the approaching summer just so, when you behold certain occurrences, take them as signs of those other events which I have predicted." The fig-tree thus furnished to the disciples a parable, — instruction as to some future event. For the most part, however, the parables of our Lord are to be taken in a somewhat more restricted signification of the term, as including so much of narrative as to give to the whole what may be called an historical form. I need only mention to you the parable—I might almost say the history-of the prodigal son, to make my meaning clear. George. I scarcely need ask you what our Lord's object was his parables were intended to be instructive.

Minister. Yes: they are all vehicles for the conveyance

of truth. Still, there are some important distinctions to be noticed, both in regard to the nature of the instruction intended to be given, and to the design of our Lord in choosing this particular mode of communication.

George. I shall be glad to have these distinctions pointed out. The more I read the Gospels, the more I wish to understand the various discourses of our Lord.

Minister. Be like Mary. Sit at Jesus's feet, and hear his word. But as to the distinctions which I wish you to notice: it has been remarked by learned men,* who have carefully examined the subject, that the parables which are recorded by the Evangelists may be divided into two classes; those which directly relate to the illustration of moral truth; and those which relate (in some instances prophetically relate) to the nature and progress of that religion so often indicated by the significant phrase, "the kingdom of heaven," or "the kingdom of God."

George. Give me an example of each.

Minister. I will do more. You shall read for yourself the classification of Mr. Gresswell, the last writer who has written expressly on the subject, and whose copious explanations have left little to be done by subsequent authors. To the first class (that which illustrates moral truth) he gives seven parables. Read their titles.

George. "These seven parables are respectively those of the King who took account of his debtors; of the good Samaritan; of the rich man's ground; of the unjust steward; of the rich man and Lazarus; of the importunate widow; and of the Pharisee and publican." +

Minister. To the second class which I have mentioned, as relating to the nature and progress of the religion of the Gospel, Mr. Gresswell gives twenty parables.

"The parable

George. Yes; here is the enumeration. of the sower; the tares; the seed growing secretly; the grain of mustard-seed; the leaven; the hidden treasure ; the pearl; the draw-net; the good shepherd; the servants

Vide Rosenmüller, Schol. in Matth. xiii. 3.

† Gresswell on the Parables, vol. i., p. 23.

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, 66 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