Q. What are the wicked? A. Tares which are bound up for the fire. A. The angels of God. Mark iv. 13. THE TEXTS. And he said unto him, know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? Luke viii. 11. The seed is the word of God. ver. 12. Then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved ver. 13. They on the rock, are they which when they hear receive the word with joy, but in time of temptation fall away. Matt. xiii. 22. The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choak the word. ver. 23. The good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit. Matt. xiii. 38. The good seed are the children of the kingdom: but the tares are the children of the wicked one. ver. 39. The harvest is the end of the world. As the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. Heb. xi. 19. Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure (Gr.) in a parable. Ezek. xx. 47. Behold I will kindle a fire in thee, aud it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree-Ah, Lord God, they say of me, doth he not speak parables? END OF PART I, THE BOOK OF NATURE; OR, THE TRUE SENSE OF THINGS, EXPLAINED AND MADE EASY TO THE CAPACITIES OF CHILDREN. PART II. To MRS. W-, of G MADAM, TO whom can I present this second part of the Book of Nature so properly as to you; who by the good use you made of the first part, have given me encouragement to proceed. I have taken pleasure in many different studies; and some of my productions have been the fruit of much labour: but I look upon this little book as a work of more hope than some others of greater appearance. The new language of it is a sort of new wine, which must be put into new vessels, into which minds untainted by false earning, unoccupied by the prejudices of education; and then, little preparation will be required in the scholar, more than a good knowledge of the Catechism of the Church of England, and a readiness in the reading of the Scripture, and in turning to the several parts of it. This second set of Lessons hath already been tried upon the forwardest children of our Sunday Schools; and, from the progress they make, and the avidity with which they receive this kind ofinstruction, |