The parable of The Treasure Hid in the Field teaches us this truth. We find this parable in St. Matt. xiii: 44. Here Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The words "kingdom of heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable than anything else in the world. The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the same lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." By this "pearl of great price" Jesus meant true religion, as he did by the treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents that may help to illustrate for us the value of religion. "Jesus Makes Everything Right." A poor lame boy became a Christian, and in telling what effect this change had upon him, these are the words he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thing went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong before:--it was because I was wrong myself." And this is true. The first thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right ourselves, and then to _do_ right to others. "Be." A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had not succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, God gives us many things to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things to _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, before we can _do_ what God would have us do." "O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know better about doing." "Well, listen my child, while I remind you of some of the Bible be's: God says: "_Be_--ye kindly affectioned one to another." "_Be_--ye also patient." "_Be_--ye thankful." "_Be_--ye children in malice." "_Be_--ye therefore perfect." "_Be_--courteous." "_Be_--not wise in your own conceits." "_Be_--not overcome of evil." "Thank you, dear mother," said Marian. "I hope I shall have a better day to-morrow; for I see now that _doing_ grows out of _being_." This is a point worth dwelling on, and so I will introduce to your notice here: A SWARM OF BEES WORTH HIVING. "Be patient, Be prayerful, Be humble, Be mild, Be wise as a Solon, Be meek as a child. "Be studious, Be thoughtful, Be loving, Be kind, Be sure you make matter subservient to mind.