with such eager attention on that which it has lost, that it overlooks those valuable objects which it has in possession, our great Redeemer describes the regard which God has to his people while they wander from him in a lost, perishing condition; and by the joy which expands the human heart, when that which had long been given up for lost, is recovered; our Lord displays the kind reception which the worst of sinners will find when they are made sensible of their evil ways, and are enabled to believe in the Son of God for life and salvation. And in this elegant, well chosen parable he further describes the joy of the heavenly inhabitants, when any of the sheep of Christ, who have long wandered from his fold, are convinced of their desperate condition, humbled under a sense of their unworthiness and wickedness, and are enabled to return: "I say unto you," said he, "that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

There is no person on earth so just and holy, and whose conduct hath been so regular, and uniformly correct, as to need no repentance; but the proud Pharisees, to whom our Lerd directed these parables would fain have been esteemed by the world as such persons; and these are particularly referred to in this representation, which was intended to display the amazing & infinite extent of divine forgiveness. A second parable which our great Redeemer published whith the same view, was that of the lost piece of silver: "Either," said the Divine Instructor, "what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house; and search diligently till she find it? and when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and neighbours together, Saying, Rejoice with ine; for I have found the piece which I have lost, Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

This parable is founded on the same principles, and published with the same design as the former, only the case and circumstances are varied; and our great Redeemer condescends in various forms and methods of address to inculcate the same truth. The infinite mercy of God to sin. ners, and the kind reception they will find when they are enabled to repent and return, is the great doctrine which rans through his gospel, and this is the great design of all his undertakings; to accomplish this, to remove every difficulty which attended it, to overcome and subdue every power which opposed it, and to publish the glad-tidings to a sinful world, he left the glories of the heavenly regions, he laid aside the dignity and glory of his heavenly nature, and condescended to become man; he was a partaker of the evils consequent on sin, that sinful men might be delivered from them; he was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” that we might be partakers of the substantial and eternal joy; and he died that we might live. To publish this great truth, and to prevail on the world to receive it, was the whole design of his ministry; every doctrine he advanced, every miracle which he wrought, had a natural tendency to promote this benevolent design; and this great end, in various forms of instruction, and various methods of address, he invariably pursued during the time of his abode on earth.

* And that no method of address, no form of instruction, might be omitted: which would powerfully operate on the mind and prepare it for the reception of a truth, so worthy of God, so friendly to man, our Lord condescended to appeal to the feelings of humanity; and from the natural affection which an offended father feels for a repenting son, he urged the eertainty and the extent of divine forgiveness.

The parable which our great Redeemer proposed with this view, is the finest picture of nature; it contains all the beauties of just description, and particularly calculated to engage the attention and affect the heart; the evangelist Luke hath given it in the following words: “A certain man

had two sons: And the younger of them said to his Father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his eldest son was in the field; & as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed 1 at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends; but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." Luke xv. 11. to the end.

The design of this parable is manifested at first sight, & stands a beauti ful and unfading memorial of the fullness, the freeness, and extent of divine mercy to the greatest of sinners; it not only declares that it is the fixed determination of heaven to forgive, and that mercy is an essential attribe of deity, the brightest star in the eternal crown; but it shews that this glorious disposition of heaven to forgive, entirely coincides with the feelings of humanity; for the eternal God condescends to appeal to that paternal tenderness which he hath planted in the human breast, in vindication of his own conduct in pardoning sinners, and in explanation of the nature and extent of his mercy.

If this parable be applied to the particular case with which it stands con nected it contains a reproof which the blessed Jesus directed to the Pharisees for their murmuring at his condescending kindness to publicans and sinners; and hereby they are taught that if they would resemble the holy and happy inhabitants of the cœlestial regions, they would not murmur and complain, and look down with envious pride and sullen contempt while he conversed with those who were noted for being habitually and prevailingly wicked, but would rejoice to see such persons pursue those methods which might tend to their reformation and final salvation; nor would the glad. ness of heart they might express on this occasion, be any reproach to that strictness and purity which they value themselves upon; for there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance.

Our Lord having thus vindicated his own conduct, in his condescending kindness to publicans and sinners, by shewing the vast extent of divine mercy, and the pleasure which the happy inhabitants of the heavenly regions take in the pardon of the worst of sinners, and their restoration to divine favour; he then delivered a parable to impress on the minds of his hearers the necessity of attending to the concerns of futurity. This, be exemplified in the case of an unjust steward, who being warned by his lord to give up his stewardship, took such measures as were likely to procure him a subsistance when he had lost his present employment: "There was, said our great Redeemer, a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my Lord taketh away from me the stewardship; I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship. they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his Lord's debtors unto him and said to the first how much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him. Take thy bill, & write four score. And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation, than the children of light." The scope of our Lord's argument in this passage, is apparently this as a prudent thought for futurity, and a steady pursuit of those means which tend to prevent apprehended evils, though those means may not be approved as lawful in themselves, are sufficient to denominate person wise, with what earnest attention, and unremitting application, ought those who have eternity in view, to pursue the precepts of heavenly wisdom, and to make all lesser events subservient to the greater end of obtaining eternal happiness: And I say unto you, added our great Re deemer, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

The Pharisees, whose hearts were set upon the things of this world, and who had but very feeble and contracted views of eternal things, derided this doctrine of our great Redeemer; but he after giving them a seasonable reproof, produced by a striking and most remarkable parable, to shew the vanity of riches, and the vast importance of eternal things There was, said he, a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linnen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou, in thy life time receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted and thou art tormented And beside all this between us and you, there is a great gulph fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot : neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee, therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house; for have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come inte this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and

the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

This parable is the most awful and alarming, and the most fully demonstrative of the immortality of the soul, and it's existence in a separate state, of any we meet with in the sacred volume: the imagery is so beautiful, and it is drawn in such lively colours, that it has rather been looked upon as an history than a parable in all ages of the church; many of the most affecting, the most awful and important lessons may be learned from it, and such sentiments are here displayed, as are not to be found in any other part of the gospel.

In the first place, we may learn the shortness and uncertainty of the present state, and how little the attainment of vast possessions, in this world, conduces to the best interest of mankind. We have here held up to our view, a rich man in all the grandeur, glory, and profusion of opu lence, surrounded with all the honours, and partaking of all the pleasures which earth can give: “The rich man's wealth," the wisest of men informs us, "is his strong city: and as an high wall in his own conceit." The rich man thinks that his riches entitle him to every honour, and to the participation of every thing which can be enjoyed: but how is he pained to find himself most deplorably mistaken, when the mind, satiated with enjoyment, and surfeited with pleasure, grows sick of delight: amidst the abundance of riches, the soul starves, it finds nothing that is consistant with it's spiritual nature, and would pine for want of salid enjoyment in the possession of a whole material world,

But how short and uncertain are those sickly joys, those surfeiting pleasures which the rich man is able to partake of: The rich man, we are in formed, died and was buried. The pomp and pageantry, the luxury and all the consequence in the world which riches give the possessor, will not enable him to face the great king of terrors, Death: and as the utmost profusion of riches, cannot enable their possessor to face the pale tyrant with composure, neither can they bribe him to one moment's delay: "No man hath power to retain the spirit in the day of death: the soul, alt black and horrid with guilt, trembles at the approach of the eternal world, and with vast amazement and terror strives to evade the awful stroke, but all in vain; "there is no discharge in that war:" the case admits of no refusal or delay: the unhappy mortal falls, and all that his riches can do, is only to carry him with prodigious pomp and splendour to the grave.

From this awful and affecting parable, we likewise learn the state of the dead, and the capacity of the separated soul to receive happiness or misery before the resurrection of the body; "The rich man died and was buried," we are informed, and what then? Did he enter into rest, or did he remain in a state of insensibility until the day of resurrection ? Neither of these; but "in hell he lifted up his eyes." The unhappy mortal's pleasures and sensual gratifications are all past; and now, all naked, defence. less, and forlorn, he falls headlong into the depths of misery and woe: the black regions of horror and despair are now his portion; he lies in inexpressible torments, and amidst these fiery regions, sees nothing but what tends to increase and aggravate his woes: "He lifted up his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." The poor beggar that lay at his gate all covered with sores, died and was buried, and in the dust lost all his meanness, and was equal to the richest man on earth; there is no pre-eminence in the grave; "for the small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master." But how great the difference between the poorest saint and the richest sinner; Lazarus at his death, was carried by Angels into Abraham's bosom, while the rich man descended into kell, and lifted up his eyes in torment.

Thus having reprimanded the Pharisees, he took occasion to speak of affronts and offences, described their evil nature, and their dreadful punishment: It is impossible, said he, but that offences will come: but woe unto him through whom they come. It were better for him that a mill stone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones."

Our Lord spake also against a quarrelsome temper in his servants, espe cially in the ministers and teachers of religion, prescribed a seasonable and prudent reprehension of the fault, accompanied with forgiveness on the part of the person injured, as the best means of disarming the temptations that may arise from thence:"Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day run to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

*This discourse on forgiveness, uttered at a time when the Pharisees had just upbraided him, by calling him a false teacher, sufficiently proves how truly he forgave them all the personal injuries they had committed against him; and should be a powerful recommendation of that amiable virtue, the forgiveness of injuries.

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However beautiful these discourses of our Saviour appear, when exam ined with attention, they seem to have staggered the faith of his disciples and followers; perhaps they still imagined, that he would shortly erect a temporal kingdom, and distribute among them the rewards they expected for their services. If so they might well desire their Master to increase their faith" as discourses like these had a very different tendency from what might naturally have been expected from one who was going to establish the throne of David, and extend his sceptre over all the kingdoms of the earth; but however this may be, our Saviour told them, that if they had the smallest degree of true faith, it would be sufficient for overcoming all temptations, even those which seem as difficult to be conquered as the plucking up trees and planting them in the ocean: "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea, and it shall obey you." Luke xvii, 6.

The Sickness and Death of Lazarus : JESUS receives an Account there. of and, in his way to Bethany, he heals ten Lepers in a Village of Samaria: He arrives at Bethany, and raiseth Lazarus to Life, after he had been dead four Days: Many Jews believe: The Pharisees hold a Council against Jesus: Caiphas prophesieth: JEsus retireth to Ephraim, a city on the Borders of the Wilderness, where he show. eth the spiritual Nature of the Kingdom of God, foretelleth the Destruction of the Jewish State, and instructeth his Disciples concerning the Coming of the Son of Man. Jesus delivers the Parable of the unjust Judge and the importunate Widow, and that of the Pharisee and the Publican: He answereth the Question of the Pharisee concerning Di vorces: He receiveth the little Children with Tenderness, that were brought unto him, and blesseth them.

SHORTLY after our blessed Saviour had finished these discourses, ane of his friends, named Lazarus, fell sick at Bethany a village about two