entance and conversion; and now I
wish to show my love to Jesus by trying to serve and please him."

Here we see how the love of Christ makes us good.

But it _makes us happy_, as well as good. Here is a little story that
illustrates this point very well. We may call it:

"Maggie's Secret." "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
so provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
said--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie."

"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
voice,--"do you think he cares how we act?"

"I _know_ he does," said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant you
see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
learned them well."

"Yes," said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
that respect.

"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him."

Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
doing everything "for Jesus' sake."

She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had been
with Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.

And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
taught the parables which show his love for sinners.

_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE
DUTY OF KINDNESS.

One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
referred