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of their chief privileges: but however that be, Jesus was far from fearing the popular resentment, and accordingly declared the third time against arbitrary divorces. The Pharisees then asked him, why they were commanded by Moses to give a writing of divoreement, and to put her away? insinuating that Moses was so tender of their happiness, that he gave them liberty of putting away their wives, when they saw occasion. To which Jesus answered, Because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. As unlimited divorces. were not permitted in the state of innocence, so neither shall they be under the gospel dispensation. "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery. And whoso marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery." Matt. xix. 9.

The disciples were greatly surprised at their Master's decision; and though they held their peace, while the Pharisees were. present, yet they did not fail to ask him the reason on which he founded his determination, when they were returned home. "And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husbaud, and be married to another, she committeth adultery." Mark x. 10.

The practice of unlimited divorces, which prevailed among the Jews, gave great encouragement to family quarrels, were very destructive of happiness, and hindered the education of their common offspring. Besides, it greatly tended to make their children lose that reverence for them which is due to parents, as it was hardly possible for the children to avoid engaging in the quarrel.

Our Lord's prohibition, therefore, of these divorces, is founded on the strongest No. 11.

reasons, and greatly tends to promote the welfare of society.

Our Saviour having, in the course of his. ministry, performed innumerable cures, in different parts of the country, several personsthinking, perhaps, that his power would be as great in preventing, as in removing distempers, brought their children to him, desiring that he would put his hands upon them and bless them. The disciples, however, mistaking the intention, were angry with the persons, and rebuked them for endeavouring to give this. trouble to their Master. But Jesus no sooner saw it, than he was greatly displeased with his disciples, and ordered them not to hinder parents from bringing their children to him. "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God." Luke xviii. 10.

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Though this young ruler pretended to pay great honour to our dear Redeemer, yet the whole was no more than a piece of raillery. For though he stiled him good, yet he did not believe that he was sent from God, as sufficiently appears from his refus ing to observe the counsel given him by Jesus; nor could his artful insinuations escape the piercing eye of the great Saviour of the world. He well knew his secret - intentions, and beheld the inmost recesses of his soul; and accordingly rebuked him for his hypocritical address, before he answered his question. "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God." Matt. xix. 17. But as he had desired the advice of our blessed Jesus, who never refused it to any of the sons of men, he readily answered his question; by telling him, that he must observe all the moral precepts of the law; there being a necessary connexion between the duties of piety towards the Almighty, and of justice and temperance towards men, the latter of which were much more difficult to counterfeit than the former. If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness; Honour thy father and thy mother; And thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up. What lack I yet ?” Matt. xix. 17, &c.

These commandments, perhaps, he had obeyed, in the vague sense put upon them by the doctors and interpreters of the law: and, therefore, the character he here gave of himself might be very just. For though he was far from being a person who feared God from his heart, he might have appeared in the sight of men, as a person of a very fair character. And having maintained that character, notwithstanding his great riches, he certainly deserved commendation;

and therefore might be noticed by that benevolent Person, who left the bosom of his Father, to redeem lost mankind. But he was at the same time, very faulty, with regard to his love of sensual pleasures; a sin, which might have escaped even his own observation, though it could not escape the all-seeing eye of the Son of God. Our blessed Saviour, therefore, willing to make him -sensible of his secret desire of possessing the riches of this world, told him, that if he aimed at perfection, he should distribute his possessions among the poor and indigent, and become his disciple. If thou wilt

be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."

His heart being set upon his possessions, that he had no inclination to a religiou enjoined self-denial, and parting with our darling sin. "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions." Matt. xix. 22.

This melancholy instance of the pernicious influence of riches over the minds of the children of men, induced our blessed Saviour to caution his disciples against fixing their minds on things of such frightful tendency, by shewing how very difficult it was for a rich man to procure an habitation in the regions of eternal happiness. "Verily, I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Aud again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel (i. e. a cable or a large rope) to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt. xix. 23, &c.

If man be not assisted by the grace of

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God, it will be impossible for him to ob tain the happy rewards of the kingdom of heaven: but by the assistance of grace, which the Almighty never refuses to those who seek it with their whole heart, it is very possible.

pected from their relations, had they not left them for my sake. Divine Providence will take care they have every thing valuable that can be given them by their relations, or they could desire from large possessions. They shall, indeed, he fed with the bread of sorrow; but this shall produce joys, to which all the earthly pleasures bear no proportion; and in the end obtain everlasting life. They shall leave this vale of tears, with all its pains and sorrows, behind them, and fly to the bosom of their Almighty Father, the fountain of life and joy, where they shall be infinitely rewarded for all the sufferings they have undergone in this world.

Things shall then be reversed, and those who have been reviled and contemned on earth, for the sake of the gospel, shall be exalted to honour, glory, and immortality; while the others shall be consigned to eternal infamy. "But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first." Matt. xix. 30.

This answer of the blessed Jesus was, however, far from satisfying his disciples, who had, doubtless, often reflected with pleasure on the high posts they were to enjoy in their Master's kingdom. Peter seems particularly to have been disappointed; and therefore addressed his Master in the name of the rest, begging him to remember, that his apostles had actually done what the young man had refused. They had abandoned their relations, their friends, their possessions, and their employments, on his account and therefore desired to know what reward they were to expect for these instances of their obedience. To which Jesus replied, That they should not fail of a reward, even in this life; for immediately after his resurrection, when he ascended to his Father, and entered on his mediatorial office, they should be advanced to the hoThese words seem also to have been nour of judging the twelve tribes of Israel; that is, of ruling the church of Christ, spoken to keep the disciples humble; for in which they were to plant in different parts promise of their sitting on twelve thrones, all probability they at first understood the of the earth. "Verily I say unto you, that ve which have followed me in the regenera-construe every expression to a temporal in a natural sense; as they were ready to tion, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matt. xix. 28.

Having given this answer to Peter, he next mentioned the rewards his other disciples should receive, both in this world, and in that which is to come. They, said he, who have forsaken all for my sake, shall be no losers in the end; their benevolent Father, who intends to give them possessions in the heavenly Canaan, will not fail to support them, during their long and painful journey to that happy country; and raise them up friends who shall assist them with those necessaries they might have ex

kingdom, which they still expected their Master would erect upon. earth.

Our blessed Saviour, therefore, to remove all thoughts they might entertain of this kind, told them, that though he had described the rewards they were to expect for the ready obedience they had shewn to his commands, and the pains they were to take in propagating the gospel among the children of men; yet those rewards were spiritual, and not confined to the Jews alone, but extend also to the Gentiles, who, in point of time, should excel the Jews, and universally embrace the gospel, before that nation was converted.

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To excite their ardent pressing forward in faith and good works, our Lord relates the parable of the householder, who, at different hours of the day, hired labourers to work in his vineyard. "The kingdom of heaven," says our blessed Saviour," is like unto a man that is an householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out, about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market-place, and said unto them, go ye also into my vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. And he went out, about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and finding others standing idle, said unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right that shall ye receive. 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. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more: and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, 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. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last for many be called, but few chosen." Matt. xx. 1, 2, 3, &c.

Such is the parable of the householder,

as delivered by our Saviour: and, from the applications he has made of it, it will not be difficult to interpret it. The dispensation of religion, which God gave to mankind, in different parts of the world, are represented by the vineyard.-The Jews, who were early members of the true church, and obliged to obey the law of Moses, are the labourers which the householder hired early in the morning. The Gentiles, who were converted at several times, by the various interpositions of Providence, to the knowledge and worship of the true God, are the labourers hired at the third, sixth, and ninth hours. And the invitation given at the eleventh hour, implies the calling of persons in the eve of life, to the knowledge of the gospel. The law of Moses was a heavy yoke; and therefore the obedience of its precepts was very elegantly represented, by bearing the heat and burden of the whole day. But the proselyted Gentiles paid obedience only to some particular precepts of the law; bore but part of its weight; and were therefore represented by those who were hired at the third, sixth, and ninth hours while those heathens, who regulated their conduct by the law of nature only, and esteemed the works of justice, piety, temperance, and charity, as their whole duty, are beautifully represented as labouring only one hour, in the cool of the evening.

When the evening was come, and each labourer was to receive his wages, they were all placed on an equal footing; these rewards being the privileges and advantages of the Gospel. The Jews who had borne the grievous yoke of the mosaic ceremonies, murmured when they found the Gentiles were admitted to its privileges, without being subject to their ceremonial worship. But we must not urge the circumstance of the reward, so far as to fancy that either Jews or Gentiles merited the blessings of the gospel, by their having laboured faithfully in the vineyard, or having behaved well under their several dispensations.

The glorious gospel, with all its blessings, was bestowed entirely by the free grace of God, and without any thing in men to merit it; besides, it was offered promiscuously to all, whether good or bad, and embraced by persons of all characters. The conclusion of the parable deserves our utmost attention; we should often meditate upon it, and take care to make our calling and election sure.

After Jesus had finished these discourses, he continued his journey towards Jerusalem, where the chief priests and elders, soon after the resurrection of Lazarus, issued a proclamation, promising a reward to any one who should apprehend him. In all probability, this was the reason why the disciples were astonished at the alacrity of our Lord, during this journey, while they themselves followed him trembling. Jesus, therefore, thought proper to repeat the prophecies concerning his sufferings, in order to shew his disciples that they were entirely voluntary; adding, that though the Jews should put him to death, yet instead of weakening, it should increase their faith, especially as he would rise again, the third day, from the dead. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets, concerning the Son of man, shall be accomplished; "For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall Scourge him, and put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again. Luke xviii. 32, 33.

As this prediction manifestly tended to the confirmation of the ancient prophecies, it must have given the greatest encouragement to his disciples, had they understood and applied it in a proper manner; but they were so ignorant in the scriptures, that they had no idea of what he meant; "And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them; neither knew they the things which were spoken."

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The sons of Zebedee were so ignorant that they thought their Master, by his telling them that he would rise again from the dead, meant that he would then erect his empire, and accordingly begged that he would confer on them the chief posts in his kingdom; which they expressed, by desiring to be seated, the one" on his right hand, and the other on his left," in allusion to his placing the twelve apostles upon twelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel.

This race, ever since our Saviour's transfiguration, had conceived very high notions. of his kingdom, and possibly of their own merit also, because they had been admitted to behold that miracle. But Jesus told them, they were ignorant of the nature of the honour they requested; and since they desired to share with him in glory, asked them, If they were willing to share with him also in his sufferings; "Ye know not what ye ask, are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ?" Matt. xx. 22.

The two disciples, ravished with the prospect of the dignity they were aspiring after, replied,, without hesitation, that they were both able and willing to share any hardship their Master might meet with, in the way to the kingdom. To which he answered, that they should certainly share with him his troubles and afflictions; but that they had asked a favour which was not his to give." Ye shall drink indeed, of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given unto them for whom it is prepared of my Father." Matt. xx. 23..

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