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man receiveth sinners,

The parable of the lost piece of mony.

33

cxxii.

mured, saying, This others, who had lain under the most aggravated SECT. and eateth with them.' guilt. But the proud Pharisees and scribes, who, were present, murmured when they saw such a Luke crowd around him, and said, This man, while he XV. 2. sets up for a religious Teacher, unaccountably gives access to the most profligate sinners, and sometimes eats with them, and makes no scruple to accept of invitations to their houses. (Compare Mark ii. 16. Vol. VI. p. 372.)

3 And he spake this unto them,

parable saying,

4 What man of you

having an

sheep, if he lose one of

after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he lay eth it on his shoulders, rejoicing

But [Jesus] for the encouragement of these 3 poor penitents, as well as to rebuke the censorious and uncharitable Pharisees, spake to them this parable, and said, What man is there of you 4 hundred that has a flock of an hundred sheep, who will tem, doth not leave not, upon loosing one of them, immediately leave the ninety and nine in the ninety-nine that were feeding together in the the wilderness, and go pastures of the desert, and go from place to place in search after that which was lost, till he find it? And having at length found it, he lays 5 it on his shoulders, greatly rejoicing, as a man in such a circumstance naturally would: (compare Mat. xviii. 12, 13, sect. xciv. Vol. VI. p. 494.) 6 And when he com- And when he cometh home, he calls together his 6 eth home, he calleth friends and neighbours, and says unto them with n-ighbours, saying unto the greatest pleasure, My friends, you may now them, Rejoice with rejoice with me; for my labour and search have me, for I have found not been in vain, but I have found my sheep my sheep which was which was lost. And as he thus is more delightJust. 7 I say unto you, ed with the recovery of the sheep which he had that likewise joy shall lost, than with the safety of the rest, which had 7 one sinner that repent- not wandered; so, I say you, that greater eth, more than over and more sensible joy will be in heaven, among ninety aad nine just the blessed and benevolent spirits that dwell persons which need no there, over one penitent sinner, than over ninerepentance. ty-nine righteous persons who do not need such deep repentance, or such an universal change of mind and character.

together his friends and

be in heaven over

In the pastures of the desert.] Uncultivated ground, used merely as common of pasture, was called wilderness, or desert, by the Jews, in distinction from arable, of inclosed land. Compare Josh. xv. 61. 1 Kings ii. 34. 2 Kings ii. 8. Mat. iii. 1. and Mark vi. 31. (Compare also note C, on Mat. xviii. 12. sect. xciv.)

Greater joy will be in heaven, &c.] Alluding, says Mons. L'Enfant (a little too coldly,) to the style of the Jews, with whom it was usual to represent the angel's tooping, for the corruption of men, and Toicing at their conversion. But it seems very unwarrantable to suppose Christ thus

unto

Or,

asserting a thing merely because the Jews
used thus to represent and conceive of
it.-We may rather conclude from ver.
10, that, at least in some extraordinary
cases, the angels are, either by immediate
revelation, or otherwise, informed of the
conversion of sinners, which must to those
benevolent spirits be an occasion of joy ;
nor could any thing have been suggested
more proper, to encourage the humble
penitent, to expose the repining Pharisce,
or to animate all to zeal in so good a
work, as endeavouring to promote the
repentance of others.

d Thun over ninety-nine righteous per

sons,

68. The parable of the proud pharisee and humble publican.

Luke

10 Two men went

pray; the one a pha

11 The pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, adulterers, or even as this publican.

extortioners, unjust,

SECT. merit, trusted in themselves, that they were selves that they were exxix. righteous, and despised others as reprobates. others: righteous, and despised There were, said he, two men who went up to XVIII. the temple to pray there, chusing to offer up up into the temple to 10 their particular devotions at that sacred place; risce, and the other a and the one of them was a pharisee, one of that publican. sect so greatly honoured among you, and the other a publican, whom you are used to number 11 with the most contemptible of mankind. And the pharisee standing by himself, at as great a distance as he could from the miserable sinner, who had entered the temple with him, as if he feared being polluted by touching him, or any other person less holy than himself, prayed in this manner, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as the generality of other men are; but have always had the grace to withstand those vile temptations, which conquer and inslave them; so that I am not like the rapacious, unjust, adulterous generation among whom I live, or even like this wretched publican, that stands there at a distance, who probably is all this, and 12 more: Thou knowest, O Lord, that I am zealous in all the traditions of the elders; that of all that I possess. in conformity to them I fast twice a week ; and with the greatest strictness I pay tithes of all that I possess, not excepting even the very herbs of my garden. (Compare Mat. xxiii. 23. and Luke xi. 42.) Thus the pharisee offered his devotions, standing as near as he could to the court of the priests; confident in his own distinguished sanctity, and desirous to be ob13 served by others. But the poor humble publican standing afar off, in the court of the gentiles, as unworthy to be numbered among God's people, and much more unworthy to appear in the presence of so holy a Deity, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, the habitation of the Divine holiness and glory, but smote on his breast, in token of the bitterest remorse and deepest humiliation, saying, O God, I intreat thee, be merciful to me a miserable sinner,

As if he feared being polluted by touching him, &c.] Thus Camero well explains this clause. Compare Isa. lxv. 5.

I fast twice a week.] It has been observed by most commentators, that the Jews especially the Pharisees, used generally to keep private fasts on Mondays and Thursdays, as the primitive Christians did on Wednesdays and Fridays; and our Lord

who

12 I fast twice in the week, I give titles

13 And the publican standing afar off,

would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me

a

sinner.

[blocks in formation]

Reflections on the prevalence of prayer and humility.

14 I tell you, this

house justified rather

himself shall be abas

exalted.

69

CXXIX.

who acknowledge, that I have nothing to hope, SECT. but from the riches of thine unmerited and forfeited goodness.

Luke

Now, added our Lord, I say unto you, and XVIII. man went down to his I would have you diligently observe it, that this 14 than the other for poor, humble, self-abasing man went down to every one that exalteth his house justified rather than the other; and ed; and he that hum- would have been far more acceptable in the bleth himself shall be sight of God, than the pharisee, if he had indeed been that moral upright man he pretended: Even in that case his pride and confidence in his own righteousness would have blasted all; for every one that exalteth himself, shall be abased; but he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted; as nothing is more hateful to God than pride, and nothing more amiable than lowliness of mind.

IMPROVEMENT.

How hateful is the character of this unjust judge, who neither Ver. feared God, nor reverenced man, but centred all his regards in 2 himself! How hateful, and how contemptible, in any circumstance of life; especially in a magistrate, the guardian of the public interest, in comparison of which he ought to forget his own! Yet even he was prevailed upon by importunity, and our 5 Lord mentions it, to encourage the fervour of our addresses to the i throne of grace. What then, is the blessed God, like this unjust 6 Judge, to be wearied out with a peal of words, and thereby weakly induced, to do what would otherwise have been contrary to his designs? Far from us be so absurd, and so impious a thought! Our condescending Lord only intended to intimate, that if the repeated importunate cries of the afflicted may at length prevail, even on an inhumane heart, they will be much more regarded by a righteous and merciful God, who is always ready to bestow his favours, when he sees we are prepared to receive them.-We may be sure, that God will vindicate his elect: Let this encourage 7 them, though the rod of the wicked may for a while rest on their back; and let it intimidate the proud oppressors of the earth, who in the midst of all their pomp and power, are so wretched, as to have the prayers of God's people against them.

been, and is the case with the best of men. See Psal. xxvi. 9. Amos ix. 10. Mat. ix. 10, 11. xxvii. 45. Luke vi. 32, 33. vii. 37, 39. xix. 7.. John ix. 24, 31. and 1 Tim. i. 9.

h Every one that exalteth himself, shall be abased, &c.] This appears to have been 1 2

How

a favourite marim with our Lord, since we
find it repeated almost in these very words,
no less than three different times; not to
mention a multitude of expressions, in
sense nearly equivalent. See Mat. xxiii.
12. and Luke xiv. 11. Compare note k,
sect. clvii.

a About

36

Having spent all his substance, he is reduced to want
SECT. divided his living between them both, and gave
them his chief stock of money, reserving the
Luke house and estate in his own hands.

cxxiii.

XV. 13.

14

13 And not many

days after, the younger son gathered all toge ther, and took his jour

and there wasted his

And not many days after this division was made, the younger son gathering all his treasure together, and pretending a design of trafficing with it, took a journey into a very distant country; ney into a far country, and there forgetting his relations at home, and living with a knot of companions like himself, in a very riotous, debauched, and extravagant manner, he quickly squandered away the whole of his substance.

substance with riotous

living.

14 And when he had

a mighty famine in

15 And he went and joined himself to

swine.

And when he had consumed all in this wretched course, it so happened, through the righteous spent all, there arose judgment of God upon him, that there was an that land; and he beextreme famine in that country where he sojourn- gan to be in want. ed; and he soon began to be in want of the very 15 necessaries of life. And, finding no shelter or relief among those who had been the compa- a citizen of that counnions of his luxury, and shared in the spoils of try; and he sent him his substance, yet unable to brook the mortifica- into his fields to feed tion of returning home in such circumstances, he went and joined himself as a servant to a citizen of that place; who, thinking such a worthless creature unfit for any better post, sent him away into his grounds belonging to an estate in the country, where he employed him to feed swine; to which, however mean and disagreeable the employment was, this unhappy youth, who had once lived in so much plenty and splendor, 16 was forced to submit: And even then, through the unkindness of his master, and the extremity fain have filled his belly with the husks of the season, he was kept so poorly that he had that the swine did eat: not bread; but would gladly have filled his hungry and no man gave unbelly with the sorriest husks which the swine did to him.

d

a Divided his living between them both.] It is plain, no significant sense can be put on this circumstance of the parable, as referring to the dispensations of God to his creatures. It is one of those many ornamental circumstances, which it would be weakness over-rigorously to accommodate to the general design.

b Who-sent him into his grounds.] That *, in such a construction, should be rendered in this manner, the accurate Elsner has shewn by a variety of convincing instances. (Observ. Vol. I. p. 248.)

c However mean and disagreeable the employment was.] It is true, that among the ancient Greeks, the chief swineherd was looked upon as an officer of no inconsiderable rank; as evidently appears from

eat:

16 And he would

the figure which Eumeus makes in the Odyssey: but this was an age of greater refinement; the unhappy youth was oblig ed to tend the swine himself; and if he be considered as a Jew, the aversion of that nation for this unclean animal must render the employment peculiarly odious to him; and probably this circumstance was chosen by our Lord to represent him as reduced to the most vile and servile state that could be imagined.

d With the sorriest husks.] A late translation (after Brown, Saubert, Grotius, and many others) renders xpawv carraways, or the fruit of the carub-tree, which bore a mean, though sweetish kind of fruit, in long crooked pods; which by some is called St. John's bread; but if the account which Saubert

Awakened at last to a sense of his folly, he returns home.

17 And when he

came to himself, he servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish

said, How many hired

with hunger!

before thee,

37 eat and vet there was no man that would take SECT. cxxiii. so much pity upon him as to give unto him one morsel of food; so sparing did the famine make them, and so much did every one despise this XV. 16. foolish and scandalous prodigal.

Luke

And now the infamy and distress of his present 17 situation began to lead him into serious consideration; and coming to himself, he so far recovered his reason, which had before been dethroned and extinguished by the mad intoxication of sensual pleasure, that he said in his own mind, Alas, how many hired servants in the family of my good father have bread enough and to spare, while I his child, who have known so many better days, am even perishing with famine, and am not thought worth my food by this unkind master 18 I will arise, and to whom I have hired myself! Whatever be 18 go to my father, and the consequence of it, I am resolved that I will will say unto him, Father, I have sinne sit no longer in this miserable condition; but I against heaven, and will immediately arise, and go to my father, if all my little remaining strength can carry me. such a journey; and, without vainly attempting an apology, I will say to him, O my dear injured. father, I humbly confess that I have sinned against the great God of heaven by a long course of vice and wickedness, and have been guilty also of the vilest behaviour before thee, in abusing thy goodness, and grieving thee by my unnatural rebellion; And in consequence of this I 19 am no more worthy to be called thy son, nor can of thy hired servants. I expect the favour of being admitted into thy family on such terms again; nevertheless, do not suffer me to perish, but rather make me as one of thine hired servants, and I will be contented for the future to labour and to fare as they do, so I may but live in thy sight.

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one

20 And he arose,

e

And accordingly he arose at that very instant, 20 and came to his fa- and set forward on his long journey, passing through all the stages of it with a firm resolution, Providence

ther.

Saubert himself gives of it be true, swine would hardly have been fed with any thing but the husky part of this, in a time of extreme famine. I therefore choose to retain our version; but take it, on the whole, to have been the fruit of a tree something of a wild chesnut kind. See Drusius in loc.

e Sinned against the great God of heaven] This was, as Dr. Goodman observes (Parable of the Prodigal, p. 207), an acknowledgment that his father's yoke had been so easy, that his throwing it off had been an act of rebellion against God:

and it showed also that his heart was
touched with a sense, not only of the fol-
ly but the guilt of his conduct, and that
the fear of God began to take hold of
him.

f Make me as one of thine hired ser-
vants.] He mentions this, not because
such servants fared worse than slaves; but
because he was himself an hired servant,
and there fore naturally compared his own
condition with those of that rank in his
father's family.
& The

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