"Whom shall he teach knowledge; and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upou line; here a little, and there a little." Isaiah xxviii. 9, 10.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor." Luke iv. 18.

"To the poor the Gospel is preached." Luke vii. 22.

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The Cottager's Guide to the New Testament.

Those who have had the benefit of a cultivated education are often little aware how much information is necessary to a proper understanding of some of the things most commonly alluded to in the Scriptures. Having acquired information themselves, and finding others in their own class of society equally informed, they gradually assume that all classes are acquainted wtih that which they know so familiarly. Those, however, who have had much intercourse with the lower classes of society, continually discover that want of acquaintance with the commonest things hinders the reception of the instruction which so many are willing to give. Most of the authors of the various excellent commentaries on the Scriptures, have taken for granted that a great deal more preparatory knowledge is possessed by their readers than the lower classes of society have acquired; and they have thus rendered their works comparatively of little value in the cottage. In the Cottager's Guide to the New Testament," it is intended to explain everything as it occurs in the Scriptures without supposing any preparatory information; and to employ only such words and phrases as seem most suited to the capacities of the class of persons for whose benefit the work is undertaken.

The Harmony of the Gospels is arranged according to the plan of the Rev. EDWARD GRESSWELL; and as, to avoid all controversial difficulties, it was necessary to follow one guide upon all critical points of arrangement that are considered doubtful by the learned, these are explained according to the view taken in his valuable" Dissertation upon the principles and arrangement of a harmony of the Gospels.'

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ONE HUNDRED & SEVENTY-THIRD

PORTION.

The Prophecy upon the Mount continued.-Discourse, No. 29. PLACE.-Mount of Olives.

TIME.-Wednesday in Passion week: three days before His death.-YEAR 30.

I. BEGINNING PRAYER.

MAY GOD, for the sake of JESUS CHRIST, give me the HOLY SPIRIT, that I may understand this portion of his Holy Word, and profit by it. AMEN.

II. THE SCRIPTURE.

Read St. Matthew's Gospel, c. xxv. ver. 14 to 30.

III. THE MEANINGS;

or sense of some words as used in this portion. Matthew xxv. verse

15. ability means here power

27. exchangers.

66 usury

bankers

interest

IV. THE EXPLANATION.

After delivering the Parable of the ten Virgins, our Lord continued his prophetic discourse, in answer to the question which had been put to him by the four disciples. (Matt. xxiv. 3. Mark xiii. 3,4.-See page 200.) He had applied the parable, by saying "watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh;" and he now proceeded to connect another parable with this exhortation. The former parable (that of the ten virgins) led him to point out the necessity for watchfulness; the latter (that of the talents) shews the manner in which that watchfulness is to be exercised. The former represents the state of things just at the time when he shall be approaching; the latter sets forth the

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diligence and attention which are needful during the whole of the Christian dispensation. The motive assigned for watchfulness in the former case was, lest any should be taken unawares, because we cannot know the exact time when the Son of man cometh :" now the reason given is, because the Son of man is like a person going abroad to a distant country. (The words, the kingdom of Heaven, being printed in Italic characters in our bibles, shews that no such words occur in the original Greek and the reference seems more natural to "the Son of man in the verse immediately preceding, than to "the kingdom of heaven" in verse 1.)

:

This person going on his travels called together the members of his household and committed his property into their charge: not in equal proportions, but according to what he judged that each might be able profitably to make use of. One man had a large sum of money given to him, five talents; (each talent being worth about, £300 if of silver, or £6000 if of gold.) Another had two of these talents, and another had but one; every one's portion was suited to his capacity for employment. When the proprietor had thus arranged his affairs, he left his servants, and set forth upon his journey.

The different servants acted each according to his judgment, in the use of their master's property. The person who had been left in charge of five talents set to work with diligence; and by a proper and wise employment of the money, he doubled the amount. The man who had been left in charge of two talents acted in the same way, and with the same success. The money he had to trade with

was less in amount, and therefore the return was less; but by the use of his two talents he managed to gain two more. Whereas the man who had

been left in charge of one talent, acted very differently; he did not even attempt to make any use of it, but dug a hole in the ground, and buried the money just as his master had given it to him.

It was a long while before the master, to whom these servants belonged, returned from his travels; but as soon as he came, he examined all their accounts. He began with the one to whom he had entrusted five talents. The accounts of this man shewed a profit of five talents; which, together with the five talents which he had received, he returned to the master as justly belonging to him. His master expressed his approbation of his diligence and honesty; adding, that as he had shewn himself trustworthy in matters of comparatively small importance, he should be appointed to a higher station: he bid him at once enter into that state of happiness, which the master himself enjoyed. Then came the turn of the servant who had been left in charge of two talents; and his accounts being examined, he was able to make a return like that of his fellow-servant who had come before him. He produced the principal sum of two talents that had been given to him, together with the profit of two talents more which he had gained; all of which he gave up as the property of his master. He too received the same encouraging answer as the first; and was told to enter into the same happiness.

After this it came to the turn of the servant, who had been left in charge of one talent. This man's accounts were in a very different state. Indeed,