The next day, the Samaritan went away, but he told the man who kept the inn, that he would pay him for his care of the sick man, besides paying him money then for what he had done.

When Jesus had shown this Jew how kind and good the Samaritan was, he asked him, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"

The man answered, "I think he that showed mercy to the man, was his neighbor."

Then Jesus said to the man who had asked him what he should do, "Go thou, and do likewise." Go, and do like this Samaritan; do all thou canst to relieve people in distress, and to make others happy.

THE BIBLE.

THE Bible is divided into the Old Testament, and the New Testament. Testament means will. These Testaments contain God's will-What God chooses his creatures should do. The first part of the Bible is called the Old Testament, because it was written first. The New Testament is called new, because it was written last. The Bible was written by different people at different times.

The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language. It is the history of the people once called Hebrews; they have since been called Jews.

The New Testament was mostly written in the Greek language. The first four books of

the New Testainent are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These books are sometimes called Gospels. They are four histories of Jesus Christ; they were written by four good men, who loved Christ. The names of the books are taken from the names of the men who wrote them. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are sometimes called Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, &c. Saint means a holy, or pious person. Besides these Gospels, the New Testament contains the Epistles and the Revelations.

Children see Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, written over the top of the pages of the New Testament. They see Jude, Peter, James, &c. Romans, Corinthians, and Ephesians, mean the letters of Saint Paul to the people who lived at Rome, at Corinth, and at Ephesus. Jude, Peter, James, mean letters written by Jude, Peter, and Jaines.

Children can understand very little about what is contained in Revelations.

We read in the New Testament of the Temple, the Synagogue, Scribes and Pharisees; young children do not know what these words

mean.

The Temple was a very great and beautiful church. The first Temple of the Jews was built by king Solomon.

Synagogues were smaller churches where the ministers taught the people.

There are at this time different sorts or sects of Christians; there are Quakers, Roman Catholics, Baptists, &c. There were different sects of Jews. The Pharisces were one sect of Jews. The Pharisees pretended to be bet

ter than other people; they pretended to be better than they were. This is to be a hypocrite.

Jesus Christ did not respect the Pharisees, he called them "hypocrites."

Scribes. It has been written in another place, that printed books have not been used more than three hundred years. Before printed books were used, people had no other books than those which were written with a pen. The people who wrote all the books were called scribes, or writers.

The Jews had books written by wise men called prophets; the people wanted to read these books; they had a law which God gave them to obey; they wanted to read that also; so instead of having the law and prophets (which are a part of the Bible that we use) printed, as we now have them, they had them written; and instead of printers, as we have, they had scribes, to write the "law and prophets," for the people to read.

THE TEN VIRGINS.

In the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew is a Porable called the Ten Virgins.

Ten virgins went out to meet a man who was to be married. Five of these virgins were wise, and five were foolish. It was evening, and they wanted lamps to light them on the way.

The wise virgins knew that they might be kept waiting to a late hour; they could not tell how long, so they took lamps filled with oil, and

they took some other oil besides, that if the oil in the lamps burned out they might have more oil to use.

The careless, foolish virgins, thought not at all about the time they might be obliged to wait; they only took oil in their lamps. They were obliged to wait a long time for the bridegroom; he did not come; and these thoughtless young women all fell asleep. At midnight they were awaked; some one came to tell them, that the bridegroom was coming, and that they must go out to meet him.

At this moment they all discovered that their lights were going out. The foolish virgins had no oil for their lamps; they begged some of the wise virgins; they had none to spare; they wanted what they had for their own lamps, but they advised the foolish virgins to buy some oil.

The foolish virgins went out to buy oil, but they could find none. People do not sell in the night. They were gone so long upon their foolish errand that the bridegroom came, and the virgins who were prepared to receive him went into the house with him to the wedding.

The door was then shut fast, and when the foolish virgins returned, and knocked, the people in the house did not know their voices; for they said, "Open to us," but they were shut out.

This story was told to show that people who would avoid much inconvenience and mortifica

sion must provide for the future ; that persons who would be happy and wise when they become old, must be industrious and improve their time when they are young; that those who would go to heaven when the night of

death comes, must be ready to die, by preparing for death, that is, obeying God in all he requires

them to do.

EXPLANATIONS.

Parable.-A parable is sometimes called a comparison; it shows one thing, or circumstance, to resemble some other.

Virgins unmarried women.

Bridegroom-a man who is just going to be married, or who has lately been married. Bride-a

e—a woman who is just going to be married, or who has lately been married.

Marriage. When a man and woman agree to live together all their lives, and to be called Husband and Wife, their agreement is called marriage. The wife takes her husband's name, and goes to his house; and whatever belongs to one of them belongs to the other also.

When the man takes the woman for his wife, the ceremony of the occasion is called a wedding. At weddings, the friends of the couple to be married often assemble, and most commonly the company are very merry and happy together. The marriage ceremony is different, in different countries, and among people of different sects.

Provide to make ready for time to come.
Future-after the present time.

Provident-to think of the future, to take care for it, is to be provident.

. Improvident-careless of the future.

Which were provident, the wise or the foolish virgins ?-Which were improvident ?

Procrastinate to defer, to put off, or delay.