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honourable; a business great and serious, if the condition of a never dying soul is serious. He said to us at our baptism, Go ye into my vineyard, and whatsoever is right ye shall receive. He repeats the same to us, by the suggestions. of the Holy Spirit, every time that conscience whispers, Is my heart right with God? He says the same by the voice of His word, whenever we are warned in Scripture, "What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" His ministers are constantly pressing the same truths upon us; and so is the flight of life, and so is the approach of death, and so is the daily disappearance of our neighbours from this earthly scene. We therefore, if we are standing all the day idle, idle as to the most important thing, though perhaps busy in worldly affairs, and even pleading that excuse; we cannot allege the pretext that no man hath hired us.

8. "So when even was come, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9. "And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10. "But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11. "And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12. "

Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13. "But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14. "Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15. "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good?

16. "So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few chosen.”

This conclusion of the parable rebukes, by anticipation, the envy and jealousy of the Jewish nation, which burst out as soon as the Apostles proclaimed that "God had granted unto the Gentiles also repentance unto life." This "holy nation," this "peculiar people," murmured that others should be "made equal unto" themselves in the kingdom of God, whether on earth or in heaven. No disciple of Christ ever complained that God had shown mercy unto those whom He may have received at the eleventh hour. No disciple of Christ ever boasted that he had borne the burden and heat of the day: he entreats from first to last that his offences may be pardoned, and not that his merits may be weighed. But the eye of the Jew was evil, because God was good. When a multitude of the Gentiles heard the word gladly, they were "filled with envy:"" and even Peter himself was instructed by a vision, before he ventured to declare that "in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of Him." So corrupt • Acts xiii. 45; xiv. 1, &c.

7 Acts x. 35.

and deceitful is the human heart: which is capable of finding even in its spiritual privileges the materials of jealousy, contempt, and hatred.

It is not the object of this parable to point out the danger of delay in turning to the service of God. But the parable gives occasion to remark it. For how few live to an eleventh hour! How few, if they do live to it, then listen to a command which they have rejected all their lives! Fewer still are able to give proof of their obedience, by going then to do work in the vineyard! Let not the "long suffering of God," which is designed to "lead to repentance," lead to presumption which might preclude repentance. To the eleventh hour, to the very close of life, it is written over mercy's gate, "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." But upon no man's forehead is it written, This man shall have space granted him to seek the gate at last, and shall have the will to knock there. And if God intended to reward those who do not decidedly engage in His service, we should not find this parable in Scripture. He would not rebuke and invite those who are standing all the day idle, if all were to receive, whether they had laboured in the vineyard or not. If God would hereafter make no "difference between him that serveth Him, and him that serveth Him not," we should not be told that though "many are called few are chosen.”

8 Mal. iii. 18.

8

LECTURE XVI.

THE TWO SONS COMMANDED TO WORK.

MATT. xxi. 28-32.

28. "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.

29. "He answered and said, I will not but afterward he repented, and went.

30. "And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31. "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.

32. "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."

THE Jewish children, if they were brought up according to the divine command, were nurtured in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Parents were commanded to "teach their children diligently" the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord their God had given them. They were ordered, therefore, in the language of this parable: Son, go work today in my vineyard. Those who went astray, and dealt wickedly, were disobedient and rebellious; said, We will not: we will not walk in

1 Deut. vi. 1-7.

the law of the Lord which He has set before us. We will work our own works; not the works of God.

To such as these John the Baptist came, preaching "the baptism of repentance." And not in vain. He was himself "astonished, when he saw the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, and said, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" And they asked him, each according to his way of life, the people, the publicans, the soldiers, all desired to know what they must do to "bring forth works meet for repentance."

Those, therefore, who were at first disobedient, afterwards repented and went to work in the Father's vineyard.

3

Whereas, those whom our Lord was now addressing, professed to be working in the vineyard: professed to be guardians of the truth, and zealous for the law of God. They said, I go, sir. They boasted, "We have one Father, even God." They pretended to be the only judges of truth or falsehood: and when the officers whom they sent to apprehend Jesus, came back acknowledging that "He spake as never man spake," they proudly said, "Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him? * But this people which knoweth not the law, are cursed." Thus they pretended to the knowledge of God, when in fact they knew Him not; they

2 Luke iii. 7.

John viii. 41.

John vii. 48.

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