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little, shall be taken away even that which he hath.* And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of

teeth."

The meaning of this parable is, that we shall be judged according to the means of grace which have been afforded us. If we have had many opportunities of improvement allowed us, if we have had good books put into our hands, and have had kind friends to teach us God's holy law, then He will expect us to make great advances in knowledge and in virtue. If, on the other hand, we have not had so many of these valuable opportunities, then He will expect from us less improvement. But every one has

* Our Lord here means to say, that such as were readily disposed to attend to his doctrine, should be fully informed respecting it, whereas careless and inattentive hearers would derive no benefit from his instructions.

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some means of learning what is right, and if he does not turn them to a good account, he will, some time or other, bitterly repent of his wickedness and folly. Let us strive then to learn all that we can respecting the way to please God; and, above all, let us live according to the holy commandments given us in the gospel, recollecting what our Lord once said, "He that knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; for unto whom much is given, of him will be much required."—Luke xii. 47, 48.

CHRIST'S SECOND COMING.

(Matt. xxv. 31-46.)

WHEN the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of

his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats; and he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left.

Then will the king say unto those on his right hand, "Come, ye blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Then will the righteous answer him, saying, "Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?" And the king will answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you,

inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Then will he say unto those on his left hand, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me not." Then will they also answer him, saying, "Lord, when saw we thee hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" Then will he answer them, saying, "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."

JUDAS AGREES TO BETRAY JESUS. THE PREPARATION FOR EATING THE PASSOVER.

(Matt. xxvi. 1—5, 14—19; Luke xxii. 7—13.)

AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, "Ye know that after two days cometh the passover; then the Son of Man will be betrayed to be crucified."

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Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas; and they consulted how they might take Jesus by subtilty, and put him to death. But they said, "Let it not be during the feast, lest there be a disturbance among the people."

Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, and said unto them, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him to you?" And they agreed with him for thirty pieces of

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