was to a great extent the fact, them; and where this was not the

case, it frequently happened that the seed though buried long in dust, sprang up in a joyful harvest after the hand that sowed it, and the eye that wept over it, were at rest in the grave.

though not without some painful exceptions, which it falls to our lot to record. There were servants who evidently pursued interests separate from their master's, and to his injury. The hedge about their master's vineyard was It was left in charge by the nobroken down, and the boar from bleman to his servants, that they the wilderness without molesta- should keep in good repair those tion rooted up the vine. The parts of the farm which had been door of the sheepfold too was left reduced to cultivation, and urge open, and the grievious wolf came on the work of subduing the wilin not sparing the flock. When derness, until the entire farm such events happened however, should become one fruitful field; it was common for the servants to and so vigorous at first was the become indignant at the boar and onset upon the wilderness, that it the wolf, not reflecting that had seemed as if every tree of the the fence of the vineyard, and the forest would bow, and every acre door of the sheepfold been kept, of the farm be made to feel the the vines and the lambs had escap- plough, and to wave with harvests. ed injury. It must be added, that But so much at length did the love the ground also was often so im- of these servants wax cold, and perfectly tilled as to yield but a their enterprise abate, that the scanty harvest, and sometimes wilderness regained much of its' from year to year, no harvest at lost dominion, and all hope and all all. But in this case it was com- duty seemed to be limited to the mon for the servants to console defence of the fruitful fields, themselves with the reflection, against the encroachments of the that God only could give the increase, and that as he gives or withholds according to his sovereign good pleasure, no blame could justly attach to them.There were indeed a few instances of failure, where all the means of securing a crop had apparently been faithfully applied. But it often happened that those who in this manner went forth, from year to year, weeping, bearing precious seed, came again at length rejoic- His language is hyperbolical.ing, bringing their sheaves with Another contended that the fruit

wilderness.

When at length a small number of servants, moved by primitive affection and zeal, read their master's direction, 'go ye out into all parts of the farm and subdue the wilderness,' and began to make experiments, they were stared upon as madmen. Do you believe, said one, that our master expected, or intended that we should subdue the entire farm? Never.

ful field might as well give place derness, and that what had been to the wilderness, as the wilder- done could be done again; it was

ness to the fruitful field. He could perceive very little difference, he said, between the wild animals of the wilderness, and the tame animals of the fields. God who made them all, is benevolent, and no respecter of persons, from which it must result, that they are all happy, and about equally happy; he thought it therefore a useless expense to carry the arts of husbandry to the wilderness; he could perceive but little difference between the lion and the wolf, and the ox and the lamb. All were made very good animals, each lived in his own way and why should we disturb them.

answered, that the great trees which stood here were pulled up by miracles, and that the giants and lions were all killed by supernatural aid, not to be expected now.

If any pointed to tracts of wilderness recently subdued without miracles, as difficult of subjugation as any that remained, a new host of objectors took up the argument; admitted the possibility of subduing the wilderness, but denied that there was either time or resources. "It was as much as could be done," they said, "to maintain the cultivated field from the encroachments of the wilderness, Others who thought it would be and that charity begins at home. a very good thing, to subdue the There were fences enough to be wilderness were it possible, faint- mended, and flocks to be gathered at the thought of such an un- ed, and weeds to be eradicated at dertaking. There were trees, home, and nothing should be done they said, somewhere in that wil- abroad, until the farm at home. derness, an hundred miles in cir- was put in perfect order. Beside, cumference, harder than the hard- where shall we find laborers for est steel, and whose roots were the whole field? And even were wrapped about the centre of the all the products of the cultivated earth, so that to cut them down, part devoted to subduing the wilor pull them up, or raise crops derness, it would be in vain :" forunder their shade, was alike hope- getful that every newly cultivatless. And then there were lions ed acre poured into the treasury, in the way of unusual strength and thirty, sixty, or an hundred fold; fierceness, ready to slay every man and that the resources increased, who should show himself in their as the work to be done diminishdominions; and there too travel- ed. lers had seen the giants, in comThere was after all, another parison with whom they were difficulty, which was, on which grasshoppers. If it was suggested side of the wilderness they should by any servant, that the field now begin; some preferring to assail cultivated, was once itself a wil- the forests immediately contiguhousehold. These, as might be an idle or profligate servant, he expected, were extremely liberal would inquire the authority of in their views, and charitably dis- the servants to do it, and cry perposed towards all those servants, secution; when instantly, as if roused by fellow feeling, a host provided the harvest is good? What of sympathetic brethren would harm can there be in sowing tares, come to his aid to denounce his provided we reap wheat? or even persecutors, and certify whom it if every seed produced after this might concern, of his pre-eminent kind, they could perceive no such industry, sincerity, and skill. In mighty difference as to render it consequence of this state of things, a matter of such consequence what the business of the farm, in many seeds were sown. Among all the parts, was wretchedly conducted. seeds sown upon the farm, they Many a field was scarcely tilled at could not lay their finger upon all, but was grown over to thorns, more than two or three of much and nettles covered the face there- importance; and on the whole, of, and the stone wall thereof was they concluded, that tares sown broken down. Some servants min- sincerely, were even better than gled tares with the good seed, and wheat sown hypocritically. some sowed little besides tares.-At first indeed, it was done in the night, while men slept, but at length it was done openly. If any alledged that a particular servant sowed tares, it was replied, that tares and wheat were so nearly alike, that none should presume authoritively to discriminate between them. It had always been 'disputed, they said which were tares, and which were wheat, and that every servant must judge for himself. The accused thought that he sowed wheat, and his accusers thought that he sowed tares, and he was as likely to be right as they. Besides, it was all, they said, a matter of mere opinion, for which no man should be accountable. If their fellow servant had in fact sowed tares, he had done it, they did not doubt, sincerely, and of course would be as well accepted to their master, as those who sowed wheat. But cultivated, and the luxuriant top, after all, said they, of what conse- if roots be needful, will produce quence is it what seed a man sows, them." If any quoted that pas

It was directed in the book of husbandry, that in the cultivation of fruit trees, particular attention should be paid to the root, but the same servants who thought that the tares sown sincerely, were better than wheat sown hypocritically, conceived the idea, that all attention to the roots of trees was entirely superfluous labour, that the root of the tree was dependent on the top, not the top upon the root; and that all a skillful husbandman had need to do, was to keep his trees well pruned. They talked, and wrote, and printed, and went about with great kindness, to open the eyes of other servants to the extreme folly of delving in the dirt about the roots of trees." For what," said they, "can be more beautiful than leaves and blossoms, or what more excellent than delicious fruit? Let the top of the tree (they said) be duly sage in the book of husbandry, as the lion; that the lion so often which apostrophizing a tree says, spoken of in the book of husband"thou bearest not the root, but ry, as such a powerful and ferocthe root thee," it was easy to re- ious animal was nothing but the ply that the passage was mistrans- principle of evil personified, as it lated, and that it ought to be ren- existed in the thunder storms and dered as it does read in the orig- the diseases of sheep. It is well. inal; thou bearest not he branch- known, they said, that thunder. es, but the branches thee. storms roar, that they are noxious to lambs, and that they go about, figuratively seeking whom they may figuratively devour. When reminded that the book spoke of many lions, though of one as chief in strength and ferocity, it was easily to reply, that thunder storms were numerous, some great and some small; the greatest being called the old lion, and the rest lions, or young lions, according to their power. In like manner, they insisted, were the diseases of sheep personified, proceeding, as they all did, from

Were it alledged, that where attention was paid to the roots of trees, they were invariably the most flourishing and fruitful; the fact would be sometimes reluctantly admitted, while that the difference was caused by the different mode of culture, would be strenuously denied. "Prove to us," they would say, "that the difference does not arise from soil or position, or the cultivation which you bestow upon the top, in common with us; for as long as it is possible, that the difference

may arise from some other cause, principles of disease in the aniit is absolutely certain, that it is mal called the old lion, or the linot produced by your particular on, or young lion, as the disease mode of cultivation." was more or less destructive.-

Another charge left upon record These diseases, it was well known, in the book of husbandry, was, caused sheep to bleat, which by a that the servants should take par- figure of speech, common in eastticular care of the sheep and ern countries, might be called roarlambs of the flock, to see that they ing, and as disease and death dewere defended against the lion, compose the bodies of animals, who went about seeking to devour they are fitly compared to a lion them. But those servants who tearing in pieces and devouring dreaded so much labor of tilling his prey. It is scarcely to be. the roots of trees, found the ser- conceived how much rejoicing and vice of keeping the flock too la- self-complacency this discovery borious for pleasure, and by occasioned. The servants who searching critically the book of made it and availed themselves of husbandry, discoved to their great it, deemed themselves the most joy that there was no such animal learned servants on the farm, and