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SECTION LXX.

MATT. XXI. 23-32.

MARK XI. 27-33. LUKE xx. 1-8.

AND they come again to Jerusalem: and it came to pass, that as he was walking and taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the Scribes came upon him with the elders of the people, and spake unto him, saying,' Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? and who is he that gave thee this authority to do these things? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people: and all the people will stone us, for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell whence it was. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

MATT. XXI. 33-46. MARK XII. 1—12. LUKE XX. 9-19.

And he began to speak unto them by parables: Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season, when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. But the husbandmen caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and they beat him also, and wounded him in the head, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent the third; and they wounded him also, and cast him out, and him they killed. Again he sent other servants more than the first; and they did unto them likewise..

Then the lord of the vineyard having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. He sent him also last of all unto them. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance, and it shall be ours. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will come and miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith, He shall come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld

them, and said, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

And when the chief priests and the Scribes and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them; and the same hour they sought to lay hands on him; but they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

When we read this parable, and consider it as levelled at the Jews, we applaud the righteous judgment of God in revenging so severely upon them the quarrel of his covenant, and the blood of his Son; but let us take heed to ourselves, lest we also fall after the same example of unbelief. (Heb. iv. 11.)

God has given to every man some part of his vineyard to cultivate and improve, or some advantages to know and serve him. And as for us who enjoy the Christian dispensation, we have particular reason to say, the lines are fallen to us in pleasant places. (Psalm xvi. 6.) What could he have done more for this part of his vineyard? How ungrateful therefore shall we be, and how miserable too, if we withhold the fruits he so reasonably expects; if we slight the messengers by whom he so frequently and so pathetically demands them; yea, if by wilful impenitence and unbelief we in effect renew the slaughter of his beloved Son, after that amazing favour he has done us, in charging him with an embassy of peace to us, whose aggravated crimes had long since deserved that he should have sent amongst us the messengers of his vengeance. Oh that we may never be condemned out of our own mouths in the censures we pass on the guilty Jews!

We cannot surely think of the awful threatening of our Lord without some secret terror for ourselves, when we consider how shamefully we of this nation have abused our privileges. The kingdom of God, said he, shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. God had been just, had he long since executed such a judgment upon us: may he be merciful to us all in suspending and averting it! May his compassion particularly extend to those amongst us who reject Christianity; for the passage

before us has a dreadful aspect upon such! Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; whether they will submit, or whether they will oppose; Christ is made the Head of the corner, and God will for ever establish him as such. Woe to them who, instead of joining with him, and fixing the stress of their souls upon him, deliberately set themselves to oppose his cause and interest! On such undoubtedly will he fall like a mighty rock of adamant, and miserably crush them in pieces, and grind them to powder.

Thus did our Lord warn his enemies most wisely and most graciously; but they despised the admonition, and hated him for what was so kindly intended. They sought to lay hands on him because he had spoken this parable against them. High provocation indeed, to set their danger faithfully before them, that if by any means it were possible they might be awakened to escape it! But, alas, what can save those whose spiritual distempers are exasperated by the most proper remedies prescribed for their cure.

SECTION LXXI.

MATT. XXII. 1—14.

AND Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many

as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

How rich are the provisions of the gospel! a feast indeed becoming the bounty and majesty of the King of heaven; and proportionable even to the love which he bears to his own Son, in honour of whom it is made!

How wonderful is the grace which calls us to the participation of these provisions; us, who were originally sinners of the Gentiles, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise! (Eph. ii. 12.) Yet has he graciously sent his messengers to us, and invited us to his house, yea, to his table, with the additional hope of yet nobler entertainments in reserve. May none of us reject so condescending a call, lest we turn his goodness into righteous indignation, and treasure up to ourselves wrath against the day of wrath! (Rom. ii. 5.)

Let us also remember, that it is not every one who professes to accept the entertainment, not every one who talks of gospelblessings, and seems to desire a share in them, that will be admitted to it. No; in order to our partaking of an inheritance among the saints in light, it is necessary that we be made meet for it by the holiness both of our hearts and lives, (Col. i. 12.) This is the wedding-garment, wrought by the Spirit of God himself, and offered to us by the freedom of his grace. And it is so necessary, that without it we must be separated from the number of his guests and friends, and even, though we had eaten and drank in his presence, must be cast into outer darkness. (Luke xiii. 26.)

Frequently let us think of that awful day when the King will come in to see his guests; when God will take a most exact survey of every soul under a Christian profession. Let us think of that speechless confusion which will seize such as have not on the wedding-garment, and of that inexorable severity with which they will be consigned to weeping and gnashing of teeth. To have seen for a while the light of the gospel, and the fair beamings of an eternal hope, will add deeper and more sensible horror to those gloomy caverns; to have heard those

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