Chapter XV: A Man Named Matthew (1)

Matthew ix. 9.

One day the Lord Jesus made His way to the lake-side, and near the water's edge He found a crowd of busy people.

Some of them were carrying heavy loads from the boats which were moored at the bottom of the steps; others were lifting down baskets of fruit or provisions, to put into the boats which were being emptied.

Everyone was busy, for those who brought goods in, or those carrying goods out across the lake, had to pay a toll or tax to the Roman Governors, and the men who collected the tax were on the look-out that no one should slip past without paying his toll; often the Publicans, as they were called, cheated the poor Jews very much.

Some Jews, who saw what a lot of money was made at this business, became tax-gatherers themselves, and they were despised and hated by their countrymen.

As Jesus neared the lake-side, and looked on the busy, eager crowd, as they thronged the place of Custom, He was looking for a man, a Jewish Publican, who was, as He knew, among that crowd.

Then the loving eyes of Jesus fell upon him as he sat writing down the money and putting it in safety in a bag.

This was the man Jesus wanted; this was the man who was to do His work, and be known as His servant, for nineteen hundred years, Matthew the Publican!

When Jesus saw him, He said unto him, "Follow Me!"

Did Matthew hesitate? Did he look at the precious bag of money by his side?

No! He left all, rose up, and followed Jesus! Matthew heard the call—and he obeyed.

And this is the decision that Jesus, our Lord, wants each one of us to make, young and old.

If we listen to His voice, if we will heed the pleading love in His eyes, an instant firmness will come to us, and, like Matthew, we shall "rise up, and follow him."

XVI. Calvary

Luke xxiii. 33.

"Where the dear Lord was Crucified,
Who died to save us all."

A while ago, someone sent to me a most beautiful photograph of the Hill of Calvary, which is just outside Jerusalem on the northern side.

The photograph was so carefully done that you could plainly see why that little hill was called "The place of a skull," for when the sun shone in a certain direction the rocks had the appearance of a man's skull; and that was why it was called Calvary, which is the Latin for skull. And here they crucified the Lord of glory.

When we look at the picture of those three crosses, with Jesus, our Saviour, in the midst, our hearts seem to stand still, as we remember how He died for us.

* * * * *

Now, I am going to tell you a true story, which a nurse told me, about one of her patients.

One day she was visiting a man who had been ill for many months; and when his wife opened the door to her she exclaimed, "Oh, nurse! he is better! He has had such a wonderful dream!"

So the nurse hastened upstairs, and to her amazement the man's face was quite altered, and, instead of despair and suffering, he looked inexpressibly happy.

"Nurse!" he said. "Do you remember saying to me yesterday, 'Prepare to meet thy God'?

"But while I was thinking, ever so sorrowfully, about those words, I seemed to fall asleep; yet what I saw seemed happening before my eyes.

"I saw the Cross of our Saviour, set up in front of me, and He was nailed to that cross with cruel nails. And close to the cross, between me and it, I saw a great deep hole—and I found myself moving nearer and nearer to that dark pit.

"Then I knew that I should fall into it, because I was not prepared to meet God; and yet I could not but look on our Saviour's face, for tears rolled down it, and I did not like to see Him cry!

"So I said to someone standing by, 'Why does our Saviour cry?' and he said, 'Because you will fall into that pit. He is dying to save you, but you will not come to Him to be saved!'

"And I said, 'Oh dear Saviour, I do not want to make you cry, I will come and be saved! You shall not die in vain for me!'

"And then, when I looked for the pit, it was quite filled up!

"And then I began to wake from my dream, for my wife was shaking me by the arm, and she said, 'Smith, Smith, you are singing in your sleep!'

"So I said, 'What was I singing?'

"And she answered, 'The hymn that was in the book nurse lent you, "Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow!"'

"And so, nurse, I woke up; and I'm saying all the time, 'Wash me in the Blood of the Lamb, and I shall be whiter than snow!' For He is my Saviour now!"

XVII. The Good Shepherd, and the Sheep that was Lost

Now you must picture to yourselves an Eastern shepherd sitting among his sheep on the mountains.

He loves them! He knows every one of them; and in return they know him, and love him. They will not follow a stranger, nor come to him if he calls them.

I heard Mr. Moody say years ago that, when he was visiting at a farm in America, he asked his friend the farmer if he might go out to see his sheep.

He remembered those words in the tenth of St. John's Gospel: "And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers."

So he asked the farmer if he might stand behind a great tree where the sheep could not see him, and then he would copy the farmer's familiar call, and he would see if the sheep would come to him.

But when he gave the call, the sheep looked very frightened, and then they all turned tail, and ran away as far as they could go!

Yes—"they knew not the voice of a stranger!" But when the farmer, who was their shepherd too, and their master, gave the call, they turned back, and came up one by one to his side, expecting him to give them the food they longed for, and the love which day by day he lavished upon them.

This is a picture of the Eastern shepherd. He loves his sheep, as I told you; he calls them by name; he leads them out to green pastures.

If enemies come, he is ready to give his life to protect them!

If, in his absence, a hired man has to take care of them, the hireling runs away if he hears the roar of the wild beast, or sees a sudden storm coming up!

But the shepherd thinks first of his sheep. He leads them into a place of safety to escape the storm; he defends them against the wild beast with his own hand, and his own life!

Jesus is the Good Shepherd—all these good things of which I have told you belong to Him in fullness.

He calls His own sheep by name! He says to each one of you, however young you may be, your own, own name!

He calls you in loving, tender tones. He says, "Come to Me, and I will give you rest." He says to every one who will have Him as his Saviour, "I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine."

In the old days, when there was a High Priest, he had a breastplate on which was engraved the names of the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel, and we are told in the fifteenth of Exodus that "they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord."

This is such a sweet thought: that our names, if we love Him, are on the heart of Jesus, in the glory!

But there is another story that Jesus tells us about the sheep.

We have been thinking about the happy flock who are with the shepherd, feeding in green pastures, lying down by still waters, preserved from enemies, taken to the safe fold at night.

But our Lord tells us this story of one, out of the hundred sheep that the Eastern shepherd has, who had wandered away!

Perhaps he had thought there were fairer pastures than those which the shepherd had brought him to? Perhaps he thought that the waters in another field were more sparkling than those still ones where the shepherd had so gently led them?

Whatever was the reason, one of these sheep wandered away. At first, perhaps, only a little way off just behind a rock, or round the other side of a wood. But the farther off he went, the easier it became to wander away!

At length came the dark night, and as the shepherd counted his hundred sheep into the fold, he found one was lost!

Lost? The shepherd would not lose his sheep for anything!

He left his ninety-nine in the fold, and hurried away into the wilderness to find the one which was lost.

Through the darkness of night; through the tangles and the briars; through the deep waters of the rushing stream, on he passed; and as he went, he repeated to himself words which seemed to dwell in his very heart—"until I find it"!

On he went, weary and worn, till at last in the silence of the deep night he heard a faint cry!

Then the shepherd called, and stood listening for the answer. And again came that faint cry, and the shepherd knew that somewhere near him, in the darkness, his lost sheep was lonely, helpless, and hopeless.

Then the shepherd's arms were stretched out to reach him, caught in the briars at the edge of an awful precipice. He leaned down over the abyss and stretched out his hands, and, regardless of the tearing thorns, he grasped his sheep, he disentangled the briars, and lifted it into safety.

But the sheep was so weary and faint that he could not walk, so the tender shepherd put him on to his shoulders, and brought him home rejoicing!

And then the shepherd called his friends together, saying:

"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!"

And Jesus, our Good Shepherd, says: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth!"

XVIII. The Door of the Sheep

The Lord Jesus calls Himself by many wonderful and tender names in the New Testament. These are some of them.

He says, "I am the Bread of Life."

He says, "I am the Light of the World."

He says, "I am the Good Shepherd."

He says, "I am the Door of the Sheep."

Perhaps this last name of Jesus is a little difficult for you to understand; but I am told that those who have visited Palestine have seen the shepherd acting as the real door of the sheep!

When night comes on, the Eastern shepherd gathers his sheep from the mountains where they have been feeding, and he leads them to a safe place, called the fold, where perhaps, shut in by rocks, or by walls, or by the sides of some steep hill with the broken rocks around as a protection, he brings them to a spot where they may rest without fear.

Then, having counted them in, and having found that all are there, he places himself across the doorway, and bids his dear flock lie down, because while he is there as their door, no harm can come to them.

This is a little picture of how it is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, can call Himself the Door of the Sheep.

I think He wanted His people—His sheep and His lambs—to understand that if He is the Door, that is their safety.

If they have entered by Him; if they have come to Him to be saved, and washed and made His own sheep, then they have entered by the door into the sheepfold, and are safe within it!

Jesus says, no man shall pluck them out of His hands.

Satan may try to get in and snatch the sheep or the lambs, but if Jesus is their own Shepherd and Saviour, if they are truly His sheep and lambs, then they need fear no evil, for He says, "Because I live, ye shall live also."

THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP

Jesus is our Shepherd,
Wiping every tear;
Folded in His bosom,
What have we to fear?
Only let us follow
Whither He doth lead,
To the thirsty desert,
Or the dewy mead.

Jesus is our Shepherd:
For the sheep He bled;
Every lamb is sprinkled
With the blood He shed;
Then on each He setteth
His own secret sign;
"They that have My Spirit,
These," saith He, "are Mine."

Jesus is our Shepherd:
Guarded by His arm,
Though the wolves may raven,
None can do us harm;
When we tread death's valley,
Dark with fearful gloom,
We will fear no evil,
Victors o'er the tomb.

XIX. "In My Father's House are Many Mansions"

The very last evening that our dear Lord was on earth before His death, He and His twelve disciples were gathered together in that upper room to eat the Passover.

On the morrow he was to die! But though He had told the disciples very often of His death, they had failed to believe it.

Peter had said "That be far from Thee, Lord!" and had, like the other disciples, dismissed the fear from his thoughts.

It had only been a few days before this Passover night that Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had poured the sweet-smelling spikenard ointment on our Lord's Head at the supper table; and He, knowing all things that were coming to pass, said she had anointed His Body for His burial. But still, the listening disciples paid no heed.

But now the last evening had come.

The Passover supper was over, and Judas had left them and gone out into the darkness. If no one else expected the death of the Lord of Glory, Judas knew in his heart that he had sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and that the Jews would surely kill Him!

But Judas was gone out; and now our Lord turned to the eleven who were left, and began to comfort them, with words of strength and hope.

He had just told His over-confident disciple, Peter, that before the cock should crow in the morning he would thrice deny Him! And all the disciples were full of dismay at such a possibility.

So our Lord's first words, in His talk with His own, we read in the 14th of St. John's Gospel; and they come as a wonderful comfort to all sorrowing and fainting ones, from that holy hour down to this time which seems so hard to us! He said these words to His eleven disciples and to all who love Him: "Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me."

And then, because of the coming trials which He knew His disciples would have soon to pass through, He gives them the wonderful promise, which has comforted thousands and thousands of weary hearts since then: "In My Father's House are many Mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

He seems in these words to say something like this: "My Father's House" is safely Above, where no storms can touch its security. It is an Everlasting abode—one that will not pass away with the ravages of time, or the thunders of war. It is an Everlasting Home; and I go to get it ready for each one of you.

And then He points them on to another great thought—

He says: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also!"

So He bids us to look forward in the trials and sorrows which will come to all of us, as we pass through life to the Father's Everlasting Home—to His being there to get ready that Home for all who love Him—and then He promises to come back and fetch His people, and take them to be for ever with Himself!

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had sat close to his Lord, and had leant on His breast, heard all these heart-cheering words, as Jesus uttered them. But little did he know, then, that he would be chosen to write all these lovely words down in his Gospel; nor that by and by he should be a prisoner for years in the rocky Isle of Patmos, and see glorious visions of "the Father's House, and the many Mansions."

There, in the loneliness and solitude, the glorified Saviour came to His loved disciple and said to him these wonderful words:

"I am the First, and the Last, and behold I am alive for Evermore."

He told John that many sorrows and difficulties would beset His followers, but that those who overcome shall sit down with Him on His Throne, even as He had overcome and is seated with His Father on His Throne.

By and by, near the end of these wonderful Revelations, John was allowed to have a glimpse into Heaven itself, and he saw a vision of the many mansions which Jesus is preparing for us!

Here are the words—

"And I John saw the Holy City . . . and I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

"And He that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said unto me, 'Write: for these words are true and faithful.'"

More than six hundred years before these visions to John in Patmos, the Prophet Isaiah wrote—

"For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him."

And our Lord Jesus, in the Revelation, says to every one who reads these words—

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My Voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."

The entrance to that Everlasting Home is in listening to this loving Voice of Jesus Christ now, and by opening the door of our hearts, to let Him in!

Jesus says: "I am the Door; by ME if any man enter in, he shall be saved."

XX. The Parable of the Two Builders

The Lord Jesus taught the people numbers of lessons about Himself, or His Heavenly Father, or about the Kingdom of Heaven, by drawing word-pictures: and we can learn the deepest truths that concern ourselves by reading them and thinking about them.

One of these that I am very fond of is a picture of two builders, and what became of the results of their building.

The first man was a wise man. He looked about him to find a sure and suitable foundation, and he built his house on a firm rock.

By and by bad weather came, and the rain poured down and the floods came and beat upon the house, but it stood firm, for it was founded upon a rock.

Our Lord Himself not only gives us the picture, but He gives us the explanation of this story first of all.

He says: "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Here were two men: they had heard that it was a wise thing to have a house to live in, and they both decided that they would begin at once to build.

The wise man thought it all over, and considered what ground would be suitable, what foundation would outlive the storms, and he decided it must be upon a rock, which stood high above the rivers, and was strong and enduring.

But the other man was careless. There was, perhaps, a pleasant spot nearer to him. The materials with which to build were easily carried to that spot, the sunshine flooded the landscape, and all looked fair and beautiful. So he hastened to build upon the sandy foundation, and soon his house was finished and he took possession.

But in that country there were frequently sudden violent storms; and one day such a storm overtook the two houses. The rain came in torrents, the winds blew, and they beat upon those two houses.

And because the foundation was unstable the house upon the sand began to slip and shake, and by and by cracked open, and fell to pieces, and lay in a ruin beneath the rushing flood.

And the house on the rock? Calm amidst the storm it stood firm. The rain came, and the wind blew and the floods rose, but it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock!

Do you want to know how this story affects our lives?

Do you want to answer that question which perhaps rises up in the depths of your own heart: What am I building up out of my life? And what foundation am I building upon?

There is a verse which tells us very distinctly the answer to that question, if we are asking it in our hearts—

"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

If we come to Him, ask Him to take us just as we are—weak, sinful, unworthy—He will stretch forth His hand and grasp us, and "set our feet upon a Rock and establish our goings."

When once we have come to Christ for pardon, our feet are on the Rock: and then we can begin to build.

You ask what is building?

To do each day what will please Jesus. As He says when He begins this story of the Two Builders: "To hear these sayings of His and to do them," is the sure way of having a building that will last when the storms of life overtake us.

If you watch the people who bear trouble the best, who are patient in trial, hopeful in adversity, brave in difficulty, triumphant in death, you will find that it is they who have built on the Rock Jesus Christ, and have found that there is security and peace there.

And then about the house on the sand?

Oh, what desolation to find that what you thought was all pleasant and bright will not last, but the insecure foundation melts away, and the hopes founded upon it fall to pieces.

If you have even a misgiving that you are not on the true Foundation, give up your earthly plans and make a fresh start.

The Arms of love and mercy are ready to embrace you, and one of those wonderful sayings of Jesus is: "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out."

"The Foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth them that are His."

XXI. The Labourers in the Harvest

In the Bible we have many vivid pictures in which God would teach us, by earthly things, concerning His heavenly things.

This Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard is one of these pictures. We have the account of it in the 20th chapter of Matthew.

There was an Eastern householder. He had great estates, and fields and vineyards, stretching far up on the hillsides, and kept with great care by his vine-dressers. By and by the grapes were ready for picking and the householder went out early in the morning to hire the labourers for his vineyard.

In those days there was a certain coin which was considered fair pay for a day's wages.

Some of you who read the story in the Bible may say, "A penny for a day's work!" But this is only because the money then was of such a different value from what it is now; and a Roman penny was worth nearly eight times what our penny is now, and was at that time the usual hire for a day's work.

So the lord of the vineyard went out early to engage the men to get in his harvest; and when he had agreed with them for a certain sum, he sent them into his vineyard.

By and by, about nine o'clock in the morning, he went out again; and seeing others standing idle in the market-place, he said to them: "Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you."

So they went their way, and entered the vineyard.

Then came twelve o'clock, and then three o'clock; and still the householder wanted more men to labour in his vineyard. As our Lord had said in another place, "The Harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few."

At length, at the last hour before sundown, the householder went out once more, and found others standing idle, and he said to them: "Why are you standing here idle all the day?"

And they answered him: "Because no one has hired us."

So the householder said to them: "Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that ye shall receive."

And soon the short Eastern twilight came, and then, as a poet says: "The sun sinks, the stars rush out," and the day was over!

Then the lord of the vineyard said to his steward: "Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last ones even to the first."

So the last men came, who had worked only one hour, and they were each given the Roman penny.

But when the first ones, who were hired early in the morning, were given their money, they supposed that they should have received more for their long day's work. But they each received the Roman penny.

Then they began murmuring against the good man of the house, saying: "These last have only worked one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day!"

But the lord of the vineyard explained to them that he had given each man what he had agreed upon; and that he had done them no wrong; for he said he had a right to do what he willed with his own money.

Now there are several things to learn from this picture story, and as I go along I think you will see them for yourselves.

The vineyard belongs to the Lord God.

The vines here represent the people in the world whom the Lord wants to store in His beautiful garner, the Heavenly Home, by and by.

The labourers are God's own people, whom He calls to bring those precious grapes into the garner.

God calls each one of us who loves Him to be a labourer in His Kingdom.

To one, who is perhaps strong and able, He gives work that will last him the whole long day of a long life!

Of another, He asks half a lifetime—of another, a quarter of a lifetime; or only one short hour perhaps!

To each one, when the day is ended, the Lord will give His own reward. If the worker has been faithful in what has been given him to do, the Lord of the Harvest will say: "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord."

Little children can work for this Heavenly Lord. They can do little kindnesses for Christ's sake; they can try to be like Jesus. They can listen for God's commands like little Samuel, and obey Him when He speaks to them.

These may be like the one hour servants, but they will get their full rewards!

Some of the servants of the Lord of the Harvest have very hard and toilsome work to do. He has given them that to do, and He will surely give them their pay!

What is that pay? Not a Roman penny; not any earthly coins or rewards; but they are promised that if they are wise, and turn many to righteousness, they shall shine as the stars for ever and ever!

Does not this encourage us to do what we can to tell others of the love of Jesus Who died on the Cross that we might be saved?

We can all pray that God will call us to work for Him; and surely, if He does call and we listen to His Voice, He will teach us how to bring many to righteousness, and earn "the crown of glory that fadeth not away!"

XXII. As a Hen Gathereth Her Chickens

Not long before our dear Lord Jesus was crucified, He was walking one day in the streets of Jerusalem.

He had been telling the Scribes and Pharisees that they were trusting in their own goodness, but were far-off from the Kingdom of God.

His loving heart was filled with pity for those who would not come to Him to be saved.

Do you not remember how He had said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!"

He longed to have the poor, sorrowful people find joy and rest in Him. Had He not said at the very beginning of His teaching that He had come to bind up the brokenhearted?

So on this day as He passed along through the streets, He noticed a hen with her chickens round her. Perhaps He paused to watch them as they ran hither and thither. Perhaps He heard the hen give a sudden warning cry, and watched the little chickens respond to it by running with outstretched wings to the shelter of her feathers, beneath which they nestled serene and safe from all alarms.

And then the tenderness of the heart of Jesus comes out so beautifully!

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!" He exclaims, "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

Do you not know how, sometimes, a mother holds out her arms to a child who has been naughty, but perhaps the child turns away and will not come back to the loving embrace?

Have you not seen how sad that mother's face has looked? "But ye would not!" goes to her heart.

And that is something like Jesus felt when sinners would not come to Him to be forgiven.

* * * * *

It was only a very little while after He had said those words about the hen and the chickens, and about "Ye would not," that He wept over Jerusalem as He came down from the Mount of Olives and came in sight of the beautiful city, and thought of all the sorrow that was coming upon it.

And as He wept He said, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes."

I think these sorrowful words of our dear Lord should sink into our hearts, and we should look up into His face now in the glory, and tell Him we will not grieve Him by our want of love!

Let us run from Satan, our great enemy, to His sheltering arms!

Like those little chicks, at sight of danger, let us fly to Him; and He will receive us, and comfort us, and protect us.

God Himself says in the 91st Psalm: "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust."

And we shall find, whether we are young or old, that whenever we put out trust in Jesus, He will surely come to our help!

Do not let Him have to say of us, as He said of those Jews in Jerusalem, "But ye would not!" But let us believe His love, and joyfully answer the dear Lord who loved us so—

"I will trust in the covert of Thy wings!"

I heard the Voice of Jesus say,
"Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon My breast!"
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.

I heard the Voice of Jesus say,
"Behold I freely give
The living water, thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live!"
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived
And now I live in Him.

XXIII. The Sower

One day when the Lord Jesus was staying near the Sea of Galilee, He went out with His disciples and sat by the side of the lake.

This lake is called by several names—the Sea of Galilee—the Sea of Tiberias—the Lake of Gennesaret—and it is one of the most interesting places which we read of in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus did many of His Wonderful works round the shores of this lake; and He often went across in the fishermen's boats from one side to the other.

It was on this lake that once He walked on the water. That was in the middle of the night, when the disciples were toiling at their oars and could not get to land because the wind was against them, that Jesus came to them, walking on the top of the waves.

Perhaps you say "How could He walk on water?" There is only one answer to that: "Because Jesus is the Son of God!"

Then it was sailing on this lake, that Jesus was asleep on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship; and the disciples awoke Him because there was a great storm, and they were very frightened and were afraid they would be drowned. So He rose up, and told the wind and the waves to stop their raging—saying to them "Peace! Be still!"

Could you do that? You shake your head. No, it would be of no use for you to tell the wind to stop blowing, would it? It was because Jesus is the Son of God, that He could do it.

Well, one day, as I said, the Lord Jesus was sitting by the shore of this lake.

The people who had been cured of their diseases, or who wanted to be cured, saw Him going out of the house where He was staying, and they followed Him down to the lake.

But as so many came crowding to Him, Jesus asked one of the fishermen to let Him sit in his boat, that He might speak to the people from there.

And as Jesus looked out on the fields behind the thronging multitude, His eyes rested on a man who was busily sowing the field with seed.

And Jesus said to the people "Look! There is a sower, who is going out to sow his seed!"

And then the Lord told them the story of the seeds, and His blessed words were something like this, so that even the little children who were standing by could understand.

The sower sets out from home, and he carries the seed in a basket, or perhaps wrapped up in a corner of his garment; and as he walks along the field, he throws handful after handful on to the ground.

Some seeds fall by the side of the path and the birds who are following him as he walks, and who watch what becomes of every handful he throws, fly down and pick up all they can see, and eat it up.

But the sower passes on, and some of his little seeds fall on stony places, where there is very little good earth; and when the seeds spring up and begin to grow, there is not enough earth for them to flourish, or to feed the little plants; and the sun gets hot, and they are scorched, and wither away.

But still the sower goes on sowing. And the next seeds fall among the bushes that grow by the path; and the little seeds get choked with the big, thorny bushes, and never grow up to be good plants, or to be of any use to anyone!

But at last the sower comes to a part of the field where the ground is good and soft.

He throws the handfuls now with joy! He knows there will be a harvest by and by! The seed sinks into the good ground, it takes root, and when the time of harvest comes, and the reapers come to gather the beautiful corn, there are heaps of sheaves; for some of these little seeds had grown up to bear a hundred other seeds! And some sixty, and some thirty!

When the Lord had done talking to the multitude, the disciples gathered round Him and asked Him why He had told them that story of the seeds—called a Parable.

Then Jesus explained to them that the seed that He had been talking about was the Word of God.

Those who try to tell other people about God, are like the Sower. And the ground is like our hearts.

Then Satan our great Enemy, like those birds in the Parable, watches eagerly where the seed falls, and tries to pick it up and carry it away! That is the "seed by the wayside."

Then there are "the stony places." That is when the Word of God is spoken to us, and our hearts are hard, and there is no deep, soft feeling in them; no love to God. And the little seeds get dry, and wither away!

But, children, if we feel our hearts are hard, let us turn to God quickly, and ask Him to send us His Holy Spirit to help us to love Him, and to make us grow up to bear fruit; and He will, if we ask Him.

Well, then, besides the two kinds I have told you about, some of the little seeds fall into ground that has other things growing in it.

What are the "other things" that grow in our hearts and choke God's Word?

They may be too much pleasure, too much enjoyment, too many toys, love of money, love of our own way—heaps of things in our hearts may choke God's good seed, and it may not grow up and bear fruit. Oh, how sad, if this should be so with our hearts! Let us ask God not to let them be overgrown with "thorns."

But at last the seed falls on to good ground. The Word of God comes to a heart which is ready to receive it. A heart which is longing for the Lord Jesus to live in it. Longing that His seed may grow and bear fruit, and that people may know that we love Jesus and want to please God.

Can you think of some of the things which can be called fruit, and show that Jesus is indeed living in your heart?

Are you loving? Do you try to be? Are you pure and good, and straight-forward in all your dealings with your companions?

Are you obedient at home, loving and dutiful?

Think of these things, and if the seed has really taken root in your heart, think of what a glorious harvest-time there will be by and by, when Jesus comes to gather all who have loved Him into the Father's eternal Harvest-home.

XXIV. The Ten Virgins

In the 24th of Matthew and the 44th verse our Lord tells His disciples about His promise to come back again, and He earnestly begged them to be watchful, reminding them that His coming would be very sudden.

He described how two would be in a field, and how one should be taken and the other left behind: and that two should be grinding flour with the mill-stones, and how one would be taken and the other would be left behind.

And then our Lord added this warning, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."

He wants all who love Him to be quite ready for Him.

Now you know just what it means to be ready?

A father is perhaps going to take his children for a holiday in the country, and he says to them, "Be quite ready, children. I am going out to get a cab, and we must start the moment it comes, or we shall lose the train. Keep looking out for me, and be quite ready waiting. I do not want one of you to be left behind!"

Well, some of the children are very obedient, and they do exactly as they are told.

But one child thinks to herself, "There is plenty of time—Father has hardly got to the end of the road yet, and I do just want to finish this page of my book! Then I will dress in a hurry!"

But the page takes longer than she thought, and while she hastens upstairs to dress, the cab drives up, and she is not ready!

The father looks dreadfully sorry, for the train will not wait; and the little girl has to be left behind!

That is why our Lord says in that 24th Chapter, "Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh."

So after Jesus had urged them so earnestly to watch, and to be ready, He told them a story, which will help us all to understand what He meant.

"Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom," He said.

And five of these virgins were wise, and five were foolish. Those that were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them.

They wanted to meet the Bridegroom, but they forgot that perhaps He might come when it was dark night, and their lamps would be of no use unless there was oil in them.

It was not that they could not have obtained the oil; oh, no! But they were careless, and did not think.

But the wise virgins took oil in their pitchers, with their lamps.

So they all went out to meet the Bridegroom, some with oil, and some without it.

But it seemed a long time before the Bridegroom came, and all the virgins fell fast asleep while they waited.

But at midnight there was a sudden cry! But it was a sound of happy voices! "Behold the Bridegroom cometh!" the voices said joyfully.

Then the virgins waked out of their sleep, and they rose up and quickly trimmed their lamps.

But the foolish virgins found to their dismay that their lamps had gone out, and their little pitchers were empty!

So they ran to the wise virgins, and asked them to give them some of their oil!

But the wise virgins shook their heads, for they knew they must not give their oil away, or they would have none left for their own lamps to meet the Bridegroom.

"Go quickly and buy!" they urged the foolish virgins.

And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with Him to the marriage; and the door was shut.

Oh, the terrible sound of those words—the door was shut!

Afterwards the other virgins hurried back; and when they came to that closed door, they called with bitter longing and entreaty, "Lord, Lord open to us!"

But the Bridegroom answered in these sorrowful words which should be a warning to every one of us as we read them, "Verily I say unto you I know you not."

This story has, as you see, a very sorrowful ending.

And the Lord Jesus would not have told it to us unless He had intended us to take a great warning from it.

The Oil spoken of in this Parable is a type or picture to help us to understand about the Holy Spirit.

For we must have the Holy Spirit in our hearts if we want to go in with Jesus to the Marriage supper, in Heaven.

When Jesus was baptized in Jordan, John saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and resting upon Him.

Perhaps you ask, "Could those foolish virgins have had the oil?" Ah! Indeed they might! Evidently they could have bought the oil.

The Holy Spirit is given to us "without money and without price," for our Lord says, "How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."

Some years ago we had a young maid who could not understand how she was to find Jesus. I told her that if she would pray for the Holy Spirit, she would certainly be shown the way.

In ten days she came to me with a joyful face. "I did pray as you told me," she said, "and I have come to Jesus, and He is my Saviour."

XXV. The Good Samaritan

There was once a lonely man, walking in Palestine on the mountainous road between Jerusalem and Jericho.

He had no one with him, and his heart sank as he recalled the stories of the wild men who lived in the caves, and came out to rob unfortunate travellers who passed that way.

The silence was unbroken, and as he looked from side to side and hurried along, he began to hope that he might reach Jericho without mishap.

The road lay between steep hills and mountains, and there were sharp corners and jutting rocks all along the way, which would hide any number of the robbers who haunted the place.

But all his fears and all his anxious, watchful glances were of no use. Suddenly a band of thieves sprang out of their hiding-place behind him, and in a moment they surrounded him, robbed him of all his property, and, as he evidently resisted them with all his might, they not only robbed him, but cruelly wounded him, and then made off, leaving him by the roadside, half dead.

Sad indeed was his plight, lying there in the glaring sunshine, aching with pain and consumed with thirst. "Would no one come to help him?" he sadly thought.

Yes—he heard footsteps coming down the stony path, and as they drew nearer and nearer, his hope began to revive. Surely some kind man would take pity on him!

And then the steps came close to him, and at last, as he lifted his weary eyes, he saw one of the Jewish priests standing for an instant, arrested by the sad sight, but, when the priest saw him, he passed by on the other side of the road, and went away.

So the lonely man lay there, still suffering and uncared for.

Presently another step was heard, and another man, a Jewish Levite, came along the road, and, catching sight of the wounded man, he came over and looked at him; but he, too, passed by on the other side.

* * * * *

But at length there was a traveller who was making the same journey, and he saw the poor man lying there dying; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. A great pity filled his heart. He could not bear to see him wounded and suffering.

So he quickly went to his side and bound up his wounds, putting on them the only salves he had with him, oil and wine, which would both soothe and heal the sores; and then he lifted him on to his own donkey, and walking by his side and doing everything he could for the poor man, he brought him at length to an Inn, where he made him as comfortable as ever he could, and stayed with him all night.

You can picture to yourself this kind traveller sitting quietly by the suffering stranger, and cheering him with kind words, and bidding him hope for better times, when he should be well again.

At length the morning came, and the traveller was obliged to proceed on his journey. So he called the Master of the Inn and gave him some money, and told him to take care of the stranger, and promised to repay the Innkeeper, when he returned, whatever he had spent in caring for the sick man.

* * * * *

Nov when the Lord Jesus told this story to the lawyer who had been questioning him, He turned to him and asked him, "Which do you think was a neighbour to this man that fell among the thieves?"

So the lawyer answered him, "The one who shewed mercy on him!"

And Jesus said to him words like this, "Then you go and do the same."

And now, I think, our Lord Jesus, who looks down from heaven at all that is happening here, says to each one of us, as we pass on our journey through this world—"Go thou, and do like that kind Samaritan."

And perhaps you say to yourself: "How can I? I do not see any wounded men that want help—I am only a boy, and nobody needs my care! I am only a girl, and I have lessons and work to do, and I have not got any neighbours, such as that story speaks of—people who want my help—I am only a little girl!"

Yes, that is natural for you to say to yourself, but just stop for a moment and think.

You have a brother who is a Scout! Is not he always looking out for opportunities to help others? Cannot you be a "Scout" for Jesus our King? Cannot you, whether you are boy or girl, do at least one kindness a day?

That invalid sister drops her ball of wool! Cannot you stop as you are racing out to play, to pick it up, and give her a sweet smile of cheer into the bargain?

That schoolfellow has a headache and cannot get his sums right. Could you not bend over him for a moment or two, and help him find out the mistake, and set him free to come out and play?

Oh, do not say in your heart, "He is nothing to me, I cannot help his troubles!" Do not be like the Priest and the Levite. Cheer up everyone you come across, and if you do this for Jesus your King, believe me, your life will be full of sunshine and joy.

Do one kind deed every day, and you will end in being, in very truth, like the Good Samaritan whom Jesus praised.

XXVI. No Wedding Garment

Our Lord told the people who listened to Him many wonderful stories, or parables, which were meant to sink deep into their hearts, to warn them lest they should sin, or to encourage them to be good.

He often told them stories about "the Kingdom of Heaven," for He wanted all who heard Him to enter into that Kingdom, and to share its everlasting joy.

The parable I am going to tell you to-day is one in which the Kingdom of Heaven was likened to a certain great King who made a marriage feast for his son.

He invited a great many guests, and when all was ready, he sent his servants to call them all to the wedding.

But the guests who were invited were so busy about their own affairs that they did not trouble to come to the King's house!

Then the King sent some more servants, with the message that everything was prepared for the feast, and to bid the guests to come to the marriage.

But they made light of the invitation! One went to his farm, and another to his business; and the rest treated the King's messengers very badly, and even killed some of them.

Then the King was very angry, and sent his armies against the men who had murdered his messengers.

Then the King said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy: go instead into the highways, and bid all that you can find to come to the marriage."