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THE 
 
 BIBLICAL CABINET; 
 
 OR 
 
 HERMENEUTICAL, EXEGETICAL, 
 
 PHILOLOGICAL LIBRARY. 
 
 VOL. XXIX. 
 
 LISCO ON THE PARABLES OF JESUS. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 THOMAS CLARK, 38. GEORGE STREET 
 
 HAMILTON, ADAMS & CO. LONDON: 
 A>fD W. CURllY, JTJN. & CO. DUBLIN. 
 
 MDCCCXL. 
 
J, THOMSON, PRINTER, MILNE SQUARE, 
 
PARABLES OF JESUS 
 
 EXPLAINED AND ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 FREDERICK GUSTAV LISCO, 
 
 5IIN-ISTEK OF ST. GERTR UD CIIURCK, I3EKL1K. 
 
 TIIANSLATED FROM THE GEE3IAN, 
 
 BY THE REV. P. FAIRBAIRN, 
 
 MINISTER OF SALTOX. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 
 THOilAS CLARK, 38. GEORGE STREET. 
 iXDCCCXL. 
 
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 s«R¥"°'' 
 
 ENTS. 
 
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 THSOl^OGlGii^;, 
 
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 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Page. 
 
 1 . Name and Idea of the Parable - - 1 
 
 2. Age of the Parable - - - - 2 
 
 3. Respect which the Parable has to the visible and in- 
 
 visible world _ - - - 3 
 
 4. Why Jesus adopted the Parabolic form of teaching 8 
 
 5. Perfectness of the Parables of our Lord - - 19 
 
 6. Matter of the Parables - „ - 22 
 
 7. Manner of expounding and treating the Parables - 24 
 
 8. Arrangement of the Parables _ - - 30 
 
 9. Writings upon the Parables - - - 39 
 
 PARABLES IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. 
 
 1. The two Builders - ... 45 
 
 '2. The Sower, or different sorts of Ground - 49 
 
 3. The Tares among the Wheat - - - 62 
 
 4. The Mustard Seed .... 75 
 
 5. The Piece of Leaven - - - - 81 
 
 6. The Treasure .... 87 
 
 7. The Pearl of great Price ... 91 
 
 8. The Fishing Net - - - - 93 
 
 9. The Householder - - - - 96 
 
 10. The Unmerciful Servant - - - 99 
 
 11. The Labourers in the Vineyard ... 113 
 
 12. The two unlike Sons - - - - 140 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 13. The Wicked Vine-dressers - _ - - 147 
 
 14. The Wedding Garment - - - 160 
 
 15. The Ten Virgins - - - - 175 
 ^6. The Talents - - - - - 192 
 
 PARABLES IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK, 
 
 17. The Growing Seed - _ - - - 201 
 
 PARABLES IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. 
 
 18. The old Garment and new Patch") q^. 
 
 19. The new Wine and old Bottles | " " ■ - 
 
 20. The Creditor and two Debtors ... - 210 
 
 21. The compassionate Samaritan - - - 218 
 
 22. The Importunate Friend - - - 233 
 
 23. The Rich Fool - - - 237 
 
 24. The different Servants - - .244 
 
 25. The Fruitless Fig-tree - - - 253 
 
 26. The great Supper - . - 264 
 
 27. The building of the Tower \ ^ 
 
 28. The war of the two Kings J " ' ' 
 
 29. The Lost Sheep .... 285 
 
 30. The Lost Piece of Money - - - 300 
 
 31. The Prodigal Son ... . . 308 
 
 32. The Unjust Steward ... 320 
 
 33. The Rich Man and Lazarus - - - 349 
 
 34. The working Servant . . - > - 370 
 
 35. The unjust Judge and Widow - - 375 
 
 36. The Pharisee and the Publican - - 385 
 
 37. The ten Pounds - - - - 397 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 important article of doctrinal correctness, the work is 
 distinguished by mucli care and discrimination in as- 
 certaining the real scope and meaning of the interest- 
 ing portions of Scripture which it handles — hy much 
 clearness and simplicity in its exhibitions of gospel- 
 truth— and by the lucid order, in which it presents 
 the train of thought pursued in each parable, and the 
 heads of doctrine, or obligations of duty respectively 
 inculcated. In a few instances I have taken occasion 
 to express my dissent from the views submitted by the 
 author ; but these have always been on incidental or 
 subordinate topics, and have never involved either an 
 article of Christian faith, or the leading scope of a 
 parable. 
 
 This work is not so much designed for private indi- 
 viduals, to assist them in their meditations on the 
 parables, as for ministers of the gospel, that they might 
 have a suitable help to aid them in discoursing upon 
 the Parables. And, for this purpose, it will probably 
 be found of equal, if not superior value to any other 
 work on the same subject. In one respect especially 
 it may be of considerable service. For discourses on 
 the Parables not unfrequently run much in the style 
 of loose and disjointed observations on the successive 
 parts of the story or image delineated, without due re- 
 gard to any prominent idea or leading topic as the 
 heart and centre of the whole. Much important and 
 valuable matter may doubtless be delivered even when 
 they are so handled ; but it must be obvious, on a 
 moment's consideration, that for the purpose of bring- 
 ing clearly and distinctly out our Lord's meaning, such 
 a mode of treating the Parables must be very defective 
 
Vm PREFACE. 
 
 and inefficient, as compared with that adopted by 
 Lisco — according to which every Parable is regarded 
 as one whole, illustrative of some important truth, or 
 obligation, or principle in the divine government, and 
 which the different parts of the Parable only serve, in 
 some respect, to open out and develope. The work, 
 it is hoped, may exercise a beneficial influence in re- 
 commending this more excellent way of conducting 
 discourses on the Parables, as also in facihtating the 
 apprehension of what is in each case the real scope 
 and object of the Parable, wliich is first always care- 
 fully investigated, and then, with the train of thought 
 unfolding it, is spread before the eye with all the dis- 
 tinctness of a tabular representation ; — while the re- 
 flections subjoined from the author himself, and from 
 the most approved commentators on the principal 
 verses of the Parable, suggest the most important and 
 appropriate thoughts for the practical treatment of the 
 subject. Most heartily do we concur with the author 
 in wishing, concerning the translation, what he sought 
 for the original — " That the Lord of the church may 
 so accompany it with his rich blessing, as that it may 
 contribute, in however small a degree, to the right un- 
 derstanding of his blessed word, which in its meaning 
 is deeper than the sea, and in its truth is lasting as 
 eternity." 
 
 P. FAIRBAIRN. 
 
 IVIaxse, Salton, 
 23 November 1840. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The author of the folIoTving -work on the Parables, 
 briefly notices, in the Preface to the First Edition, that 
 it >Yas not his design, in preparing it, " to give a com- 
 plete commentary, or to embrace every thing which 
 has been embraced in commentaries on the Gospels 
 at large, or on this select portion of them. Hence it 
 is only on particular passages, where it seemed neces- 
 sary for grounding more deeply the exposition given, 
 that special remarks have been submitted ; but the 
 connection of the Parable, with its attendant circum- 
 stances, has been all the more carefully investigated, 
 in order to arrive at as precise an apprehension as 
 possible of the truth unfolded in each. The practical 
 design of the work seemed to me to recjulre, that the 
 citations from other authors should be literally made, 
 for the satisfaction of those who might not have the 
 works cited at hand ; and then the numerous quota- 
 tions from Luther's Postils and Calvin's exegetical 
 writings, may possibly have the effect of leading some 
 to give to these authors themselves a more regular and 
 careful perusal. Luther's Postils contain an inexhaus- 
 tible treasury of Christian wisdom and instruction, so 
 that it is by no means supei-fluous to point to the exe- 
 getical riches stored up in them. And, in regard to 
 Calvin, how much his commentary deserves to be 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 consulted, has been well stated by Tholuck, who, after 
 lauding its eloquence of diction and terseness of ex- 
 pression, its just proportions and freedom from all 
 extravagant digressions^ goes on to say : ' In regard to 
 his method of exposition, we must first of all admire 
 that free and independent tone of thought, which, 
 while it did not prevent him from paying all due 
 respect to what had hitherto been held as of authority in 
 the church, at the same time never constrained him to 
 adopt an exposition which was not justified by the con- 
 nection, or which seemed at variance with the gram- 
 matical construction. This property of Calvin's mind 
 stands united with the singular exegetical tact which 
 rendered it well-nigh impossible for him to take up 
 with forced interpretations. And there is further to 
 be admired, his multifarious learning, and, finally, his 
 deep Christian feeling. How much this profoundly 
 learned and penetrating man made faith in the Re- 
 deemer a heart- concern, how much he sought the sal- 
 vation of his soul in the way of practical self-denial, 
 all his works bear witness/ " 
 
 The sincere regard which the author here expresses 
 for Luther and Calvin, — the frequent quotations he 
 has made from their writings, and the deference he 
 uniformly pays to their judgments, may serve, in some 
 measure, as a security for the general orthodoxy of his 
 views, and the soundness of his principles of interpre- 
 tation. In the exposition of particular passages, he 
 does not, indeed, slavishly follow either the one or the 
 other, but, throughout the volume, I am not conscious 
 of having met with any thing at variance with the 
 Calvinistic system of divine truth. And, besides this 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 
 
 UPOX 
 
 THE PARABLES 
 
 AND 
 
 THE MANNER OF TREATING THEM. 
 
 I. NAME AND IDEA OF THE PARABLE. 
 
 The word parable, — similitude, — properly signifies 
 a placing of one thing together with, or by the side of] 
 another, and most correctly expresses the peculiar 
 essence and intrinsic nature of this form of poetry. 
 For, in a parable, the image borrowed from the visi- 
 ble world is accompanied by a truth from the invisi- 
 ble (spiritual,) and the proper or literal sense of the 
 story, which serves for the image, is only the bearer, 
 the presenter of a spirital truth and doctrine. In 
 this respect the parable resembles the fable, from 
 which, however, it is essentially different. In both 
 we find a story, which is designed to unfold a truth . 
 or inculcate an obligation ; but the regions from 
 which these two kinds of inventive composition de- 
 rive their images, are not the same. The genuine 
 fable does not exercise itself in the province of actual 
 life, but makes irrational and lifeless creatures from 
 the kingdom of nature, think, speak, act, and suffer 
 in a manner suited to their proper nature. The 
 parable derives its matter only from the territory of 
 the possible and the true ; let the event, which it 
 presents before us, be ever so fully described, it 
 must still be in itself so natural, that no objection 
 
 B 
 
2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 can be brought against it ; and that the transaction 
 might have actually occurred in real life. The fable 
 and parable are also different in regard to the doc- 
 trine or truth itself, which they both seek to render 
 palpable, inasmuch as the parable has to do with 
 nothing but religious truths, while the fable has for 
 its object also experimental sayings and prudential 
 lessons. Poelitz, in his survey of the German lan- 
 guage, thus defines the fable, the allegory, and the 
 parable : " the peculiarity of the fable consists in the 
 delineation of human transactions and circumstances 
 within the circle of instinct, which is so nearly allied 
 to human freedom. The allegory does not name the 
 object itself, which is to be delineated, but makes it 
 appear under an image exactly corresponding to it, 
 and it is a matter of indifference, whether the object 
 delineated be a truth of reason or a moral principle. 
 The parable is the representation of an action, 
 which enfolds within itself the emblem of a higher 
 truth of reason, or a moral principle, under the unity 
 of a complete and palpable form. Just as the simi- 
 litude arises out of a continued and perfectly form- 
 ed comparison, so does the parable arise out of a 
 complete and full drawn similitude." 
 
 2. AGE OF THE PARABLE. 
 
 In regard to the age of these two methods of in- 
 struction, the parable and the fable, we find both 
 were practised in Old Testament times, and were 
 very common among the people of the East. In the 
 book of Judges, chap. ix. 8 — 15, we meet with the 
 fable of the trees choosing for themselves a king, 
 which Jotham spake to the inhabitants of Shechem, 
 in order to convince them of the folly of having 
 elected so vile a man as Abimelech for their king. 
 And of the parabolic method of instruction we are 
 furnished with examples in the second book of Sa- 
 muel, chap. xii. I — 7, where Nathan charges David 
 with his crime in regard to Urias ; and in chap. xiv. 
 
INTRODUCTION. ö 
 
 1 , seq., where the woman of Tekoa entreats the favour 
 of David towards Absalom. 
 
 3. RESPECT WHICH THE PARABLE HAS TO THE 
 VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLD. 
 
 In the general, there is manifested in the parabolic 
 form of instruction a very fine talent of observing 
 appearances in nature and in human life ; a delicate 
 feeling, and a susceptible mind for the truths and ob- 
 jects of the spirituell world ; a pious, devout heart, 
 which is ever disposed to apprehend the relation, in 
 which the temporal stands to the eternal ; and, finally, 
 the capacity of selecting the most suitable form, 
 wherein to embody the eternal truth, and depict what 
 is common to the earthly type, and the heavenly 
 antitype. It is the part of the parable to bring the 
 known into contact with the unknoMai ; and cause 
 the hitter to be understood according to its real na-rv^ 
 ture and properties in the known ; it connects the 
 old with the new ; transports us from the visible 
 world into the invisible, that it may present this dis- 
 tinctly before us in a sensible resemblance; the earthly 
 is made the image of the heavenly, the present of 
 the future, the temporal of that which is eternal. In it 
 the whole empire of nature is an image of the empire 
 of grace, and it shows that in the one the same, or at 
 least similar laws of developement are to be found 
 which belong to the other ; for example, that a pro- 
 gressively advancing cultivation, seed-time, and har- 
 vest, have a place in the kingdom of grace, as well as 
 of nature. It sets out from man's natural experience, 
 and gives us to discern therein God's principles of 
 government toward the whole human race, and every 
 individual. It teaches us to conclude, that if even 
 sinful men act so and so, are so full of love, so ready 
 to help, how much more must God, who is love itself, 
 and is almighty ! It derives its matter out of the in- 
 exhaustible province of nature and human life, and 
 throws light upon both, while it employs them as an 
 
4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 emblem for representing what is heavenly. Kleuker, 
 in his excellent work upon " the Son of God and of 
 man,"^ expresses himself upon the parables of Jesus 
 in this respect, after the following manner: "The 
 lofty apprehension of Jesus chose many parabolic re- 
 presentations of the kingdom of God, the import of 
 which is commensurate with the grandeur of that 
 kingdom. He spake for a new sense, for the eye 
 and emotion of the heart ; imagined and allured 
 through new images, new pictures, copies of the liv- 
 ing world. When he wished to shoot a ray out of 
 his infinite orb of truth, or to illuminate an entire 
 night, he did it under images, symbols, characters of 
 nature, and of historJ^ The circle of nature and of 
 history, the objects of sense and observation supplied 
 emblems to his thoughts^ became vessels for the food 
 of heaven, which eternally satisfies ; every thing 
 visible was made by him a symbol of the invisible, 
 for creatures who live and move, are born and must 
 act in the world of visible things. Depth of thought 
 in understanding what is and is do7ie, was indispen- 
 sable in Christ ; because he chose out of all possible 
 forms of instruction the parabolico-poetical, which, 
 according to the manner it was used, necessarily re- 
 quired that his one eye should see nature and the other 
 history in every present circumstance with living 
 force and reality. Parable is the proof of all proofs, 
 level to the apprehension even of the most sensual 
 men, while the greatest hero of abstraction, must ad- 
 mit, if he h^s not become a mutilated being, that a 
 single image full of significance and power in a present 
 reality gives more light, impressiveness, authority, 
 and conviction to the highest truth, than the most un- 
 broken chain of evidence. All these parabolical com- 
 parisons are so admirably excellent, so profound and 
 high, comprehensive and inimitable, that nothing buta 
 mind such as Chi ist had for time, 7nen, andthings, could 
 
 » Menschlicher Versuch ueber den Sohn Gottes und der 
 Menschen, (Bremen, 177f>') 
 
INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 have so employed them. Were we to consider an ob- 
 ject according to its end or design, its cause or effect, 
 its contingencies or necessaries, and such like, we 
 should never be able to say so much that was complete, 
 as is contained in such a parable." 
 
 Upon the demonstrative force of the parables, con- 
 sidered in this point of view, Tholuck in his Com- 
 mentary on the gospel of John, chap. xv. says : 
 <' the convincing power of the parable lies in this, 
 that the author of the kingdom of mind, is also the 
 author of the kingdom of nature, and both kingdoms 
 develope themselves according to the same laws. 
 For this reason, the similitudes which the Redeemer 
 draws from the kingdom of nature, are not mere si- 
 raiUtudes, which serve the purpose of illustration, 
 but are internal analogies, and nature becomes a 
 witness for the spiritual world. Hence was it long ago 
 set forth as a principle, that, " whatsoever is found 
 in the earthly, exists also in the heavenly kingdom." 
 Were it not so, those similitudes should not possess 
 that power of conviction, which they carry to every 
 mind, not utterly depraved." 
 
 With what observation Jesus looked upon nature 
 and human life, and how he employed both as full of 
 instructive images, for the higher truths of his eter- 
 nal and heavenly kingdom, we learn not only from 
 the parables, but also from the figures, with which 
 his whole language is replete. Hunger and thirst 
 are in his hands, the image of insatiable desire 
 after divine things. He is the bread of life : he 
 gives the living water, and accordingly represents 
 himself as the person who is able to satisfy every 
 want of an immortal spirit throughout all eternity. 
 Corporeal poverty is the image of spiritual ; corpo- 
 real depression of the feeling, which admonishes us 
 of still prevailing deficiencies; earthly treasures 
 bring to remembrance the heavenly, the nobler trea- 
 sures of a divine nature and a good conscience ; 
 splinters and beams are made to indicate the faults 
 which more or less conspicuously strike the eye. 
 The strait gate and the narrow way are emblematic 
 
b INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of SO many neglecting the right way, and the right 
 gate to eternal life, or shunning them on account of 
 the hardships attending them ; the good tree, which 
 bears good fruit, conveys the lesson how truly good 
 words and works can proceed only from a good, a re- 
 newed heart ; a large harvest-field represents the joy- 
 ful sight of many souls being won for the heavenly 
 kingdom, and a field growing white unto harvest de- 
 notes the happy result of having laboured for the Lord. 
 The serpent brood stand for a false hypocritical race. 
 Whosoever does the will of God is regarded by 
 Jesus as so nearly related to himself, as to deserve 
 the name of mother, brother, and sister. The hand, 
 the eye, and the foot which are diseased, and must 
 be cut off, tell us of the obligation to crucify the 
 most loved, but sinful inclinations ; and how utterly 
 incapable the carnal mind, which is ever engrossed 
 with the love of earthly things, is of entering into 
 heaven, we are forcibly reminded by the camel's 
 inability to go through the eye of a needle. As he 
 literally bore the cross, so for his sake we must bear 
 the cross of afflictions. The moral corruption of a 
 people, and the destruction overhanging it, we are 
 taught by the fact, that wherever the carcase is, 
 there the eagles are gathered together. The break- 
 ing down of the temple is the image of his death, 
 and the dying of the seed corn, thereafter springing 
 forth to fruitfulness, teaches how in Jesus a new life 
 has to unfold itself out of death, — in his people the 
 divine life of the spirit, out of the death of sin, and 
 how the grand process of developement in his king- 
 dom is life out of death. Natural birth admonishes 
 us of the new birth; the throes of a woman in 
 labour, of the painful contest between the fleshly and 
 the spiritual life ; the joy of a mother who had been 
 delivered of a child, of the blessedness of that heart, 
 which has attained to the new life, that is from God 
 and in God. To be refreshed with food, points to 
 the satisfaction and delight which is experienced by 
 the soul that works the work of God. To eat the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 flesh, and drink the blood of the Son of Man, is ex- 
 pressive of the full appropriation of his death by the 
 exercise of faith. At the grave of Lazarus, Christ 
 named himself the resurrection, because he shall one 
 day awaken all the dead ; he is the way that alone 
 can lead to heaven, without whom there is no salva- 
 tion ; his death is his going away to the Father, and 
 the death of his people their entrance into those 
 mansions which he has prepared for us. He himself 
 is the physician, sins are diseases, for sin and sick- 
 ness are equally a disorder, the one in the soul, the 
 other in the bodies of men. 
 
 In the writings of the apostles of Jesus, we find 
 also an exceedingly rich, an inexhaustible treasury 
 of the most noble and excellent images. Paul re- 
 presents the unity of Christians which binds them 
 together in love, and calls them to mutual acts of 
 kindness, under the image of their being members 
 of a body ; Christ as the head of the body, and his 
 people as members to the head, are intimately united 
 to each other ; the Christian life is to him a race 
 and a battle. Christians are the soldiers of Christ ; 
 teachers are husbandmen, master-builders ; the de- 
 nial of self, and the victory over self, is an enervating 
 and taming of the body, a daily dying ; a perma- 
 nently adhering sin he names a thorn in the flesh 
 the crown of victory, the crown of life and of righ- 
 teousness, shall be the portion of all true disciples ; 
 and in the sixth chapter of Ephesians there is de- 
 scribed at length, the armour of a complete spiritual 
 equipment. Peter sets forth eternal bliss as a 
 heavenly inheritance, names Christians a holy priest- 
 hood, describes the common endeavour of all as a 
 building up of themselves into a spiritual house, and 
 their obedience to God in spirit and in truth, as a 
 spiritual sacrifice. John compares with the different 
 ages of life, the degrees of spiritual strength, just as 
 the Lord himself in this respect calls his disciples 
 sheep and lambs. What richness of imagery ! and 
 y et only a part of the great whole has been mention- 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ed. Well may we ssij, that for the sacred enuncia- 
 tion of the gospel, such a multitude of images is 
 given to set forth its eternal truths in living and 
 sensible form, that it is hardly possible to increase 
 their number ; at least it will be advisable to learn 
 from the simplicity and transparent clearness of this 
 scriptural imagery, how we should proceed in 
 attempting to employ new images. 
 
 4. WHY JESUS ADOPTED THE PARABOLIC FORM 
 OF TEACHING. 
 
 Since all figurative language, and especially a con- 
 tinued figure, as in a parable, carries with it a certain 
 degree of darkness, because it still remains to be 
 considered what is the plain reality, it may be ask- 
 ed, what could have led our Lord, in addressing such 
 mixed audiences, to use so frequently the parabolic 
 method, and why he does not always rather employ 
 his first and proper address, which of itself was pow- 
 erful, as he spake not like the scribes and pharisees ? 
 The disciples proposed this question to their Master 
 himself with the words, Matth. xiii. 10 : " Why 
 speakest thou unto them in parables ?" And his an- 
 swer is given in the five following verses. That the 
 figurative and parabolic form of instruction was one 
 not very uncommon, might possibly have induced 
 Jesus to make use of it ; but it appears, particularly 
 from his answer, that there were other grounds, on 
 account of which he opened his mouth in parables. 
 (Matth. xiii. 35.) It was beyond doubt pre-eminently 
 occasioned by the diversified character of his assem- 
 bled hearers — the various degrees of spiritual and 
 moral cultivation, in which they were found. In 
 capacity of mind and in moral condition they were, 
 indeed, far from being on a footing, but the differ- 
 ence that prevailed, required this method of discourse 
 for the several classes, though upon diflTerent grounds. 
 The great mass of the people were extremely rude 
 and unpolished, blunted through fleshly inclination, 
 
INTRODUCTION' 
 
 9 
 
 indifferent to the highest interests of man, and con- 
 sequently so much the less capable of relishing a dis- 
 course devoid of imagery. The small number of 
 those, who were better inclined, especially his own 
 disciples, were in like manner held fast in Jewish 
 prejudices, in false representations of the kingdom of 
 God about to be erected, unskilled in spiritually ap- 
 prehending the spiritual, and much too weak to look 
 upon all the truths of the gospel, if presented in un- 
 disguised and naked simplicity. Then, lastly, the 
 scribes and pharisees, the sadducees and elders, and 
 priests of the people, puffed up with vain pride for 
 the privileges of their nation, with being God's peo- 
 ple, jealous of Christ's rising reputation, full of hat- 
 red, enmity, and evil designs toward him, could not 
 on this very account bear so much truth, and there- 
 fore Jesus gave it to them only under a figurative 
 covering. If the hearers of Christ, upon whom be 
 had to work, were, as we learn from the pages of the 
 evangelists, such as has just now been described, and 
 if we take, besides, into account the doctrines them- 
 selves, which he delivered, we readily perceive the 
 suitableness, nay even the necessity of the paraboli- 
 cal style. Certain doctrines, quite peculiar to the 
 gospel, which concerned the developement of the 
 kingdom of God upon earth, so intimately connected 
 with Christ's person and history, could not be under- 
 stood in their full compass and entire significancy, 
 before the historical transactions themselves had ta- 
 ken place, in which they were grounded. Now, if 
 Jesus wished to set these transactions and their con- 
 sequences before his hearers, it was not possible for 
 him to do it otherwise, than through such images as 
 are found in the parables. This was the case more 
 especially in regard to his death, and the circumstan- 
 ces growing out of it ; his resurrection, ascension in- 
 to heaven, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Be- 
 fore his disciples were, through these transactions, in- 
 structed and taught concerning the nature of his king- 
 dom, comparisons were the best means of bodying 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 forth to them these heavenly things, and of repre- 
 senting, by manifold similitudes, their vast variety. 
 Jesus, indeed, spoke often also in plain language, and 
 especially toward the end of his ministry, of the 
 things that were to befal him ; but they understood 
 him not, clear as the words appear to us now ; they 
 were so blinded, that they knew not the things which 
 were spoken to them. (Luke xviii. 34.) If their eyes 
 were so held, and their understanding so blinded by 
 carnal views of Messiah, and the expectation of an 
 earthly kingdom, that even after his resurrection 
 they put the question to him : " Lord wilt thou at 
 this time restore the kingdom to Israel ?" at an earlier 
 period they were certainly much less fit to apprehend 
 the great consequences of his death, — the gathering 
 together of a holy people, clinging in faith and love 
 to Jesus. And if they did not take in the doctrine 
 of the resurrection when formerly announced to them, 
 still less could they then have apprehended the power 
 of a risen Saviour, overcoming and regenerating the 
 world ; begetting through his word and spirit a new 
 and spiritual offspring to himself. But when the 
 Holy Spirit was given to them by the Lord, who is 
 himself the Spirit ; when the Spirit led them into all 
 truth, and brought all things to their remembrance, 
 vvhich he had said to them, then did they also 
 begin to understand the images and similitudes of 
 the Lord in their deep significance and manifold 
 application, and through means of these more espe- 
 cially the Spirit announced and disclosed to them the 
 future. The cover dropped off, the veil was taken away, 
 and the divine eternal truth was beheld by them in 
 perfect clearness. Kleuker, in the work above cited, 
 says : " It was the design of the parables of Christ, 
 like the old prophetical delineations of his coming, to 
 describe things, indeed, according to the whole com- 
 pass and internal truth, yet still, like the former, to 
 carry with them a certain darkness, so that those 
 alone could see into the spirit of them, who sought 
 it with full sincerity of mind; no others understood 
 
INTRODUCTION. 11 
 
 any thing of it, and what they understood, they made 
 no other use of than to fret themselves and oppose 
 Christ." What Paul says of all human knowledge 
 of divine things, that " we see through a glass dark- 
 ly," may be said in a particular manner of the para- 
 bles. As the object forms itself in the glass, and we, 
 by looking therein, perceive the image of the object, 
 yet still not so clearly and distinctly as when we 
 view the object directly, not through the medium of 
 the glass; so is the knowledge of divine things, truths, 
 and relations for the present connected with the 
 word, and through the word brought to our experi- 
 ence, until the time comes when we shall see every 
 thing face to face. Now the parables of the Lord 
 are as a clearer and more perfect glass, in v/hich he 
 shews us the laws and institutions of his kingdom. 
 But if the weakness of his disciples, who still loved the 
 truth, sought after it and gave themselves up to it, 
 rendered it necessary for him to deliver the truth in 
 a form suited to their power of apprehension ; so, 
 when he stood in the presence of his enemies, who 
 hated the truth, which he himself was, it certainly 
 was doubly necessary to communicate it to them in 
 such a way, that it might find access to their fore- 
 closed and darkened understandings, and at the same 
 time occasion no new embitterment to their feelings. 
 Jesus had to teach truths, which were in the highest 
 degree offensive to the national pride of the haughty 
 scribes and priests; he had explanations to give 
 them, which could only tend to inflame their hatred 
 and raise them the more violently against him, be- 
 cause they continued, just as they were at first, disin- 
 clined to his demands — to exercise repentance, to 
 yield obedience, to lay to heart his warnings, and re- 
 ceive his merciful invitations and promises. To 
 these truths belonged above all others, that of their 
 judicial hardening, which was such, that they would 
 lay violent hands upon his life, would draw up- 
 on themselves the frightful judgments of God, and 
 cause them, and all who were of one mind with them, 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to be shut out from the blessings of the Messiah's 
 kingdom, while the heathen should be called in their 
 room. It was necessary that such things should be 
 told them, for a testimony against them ; but that 
 the truth might be declared to them in the most de- 
 licate manner, might give them no unnecessary provo- 
 cation, might not tend to make them sin wilfully 
 against the truth, and incur an aggravation of their 
 guilt, Jesus clothed these propheciesof future things 
 in similitudes, intelHgible enough to every one who 
 had a mind to hear them, and lay them to heart, yet 
 at the same time so covered, that his adversaries 
 were spared. In this manner alone, is it possible to 
 have the truth disclosed to its enemies, delivering it 
 to them veiled in images, so that it may be heard 
 without provoking indignation ; a sound eye, a truth- 
 loving heart, desires the full light of the truth ; but 
 when the eye is evil, it is the part of love also to 
 spare the evil, that it may not turn itself against the 
 truth. The adversaries of our Lord often had strong 
 suspicions, that he spoke of them, but because he did 
 it in similitudes, the thorn, which truth ever has for 
 contumacious sinners, was lopped off, and they might 
 still have received its blessings, if they only would. 
 If, as Kleuker remarks, " he would not cast his pearls 
 before swine, it was necessary for him to wrap them" 
 up in the sacred drapery of parabolical description ; 
 by which means he consecrated the parable to be the 
 casket of his pearls." So that there is, as appears 
 from what has been said, this wonderful peculiarity 
 in the parable, that it is at the same time both an un- 
 folding and concealing of the truth ; — an unfolding, 
 because the veil is so transparent, that the matter 
 concealed under it could easily be discerned ; a 
 conceali7ig, because whosoever looks only upon the 
 cover and the shell, does not perceive the hidden 
 kernel, but yet receives this along with the shell, and 
 may possibly also at a later period come to partake 
 of it. 
 
 But if, as we have just said, there were sufficient 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 reasons for our Lord using the parabolical and figu- 
 rative mode of instruction, in the condition of his 
 hearers, viewed in connection with the truths deliv- 
 ered by him, other reasons are also to be discovered 
 for it in the peculiar nature of this kind of instruc- 
 tion. Nothing is so attractive to us as history ; no- 
 thing more awakens our attention and interest, than 
 the behaviour and the fate of our fellow men ; and 
 are not most of the parables histories from human 
 life ? Tills is what makes the Bible so attractive 
 and full of instruction, that it contains so much his- 
 tory ; and as God, through means of the histories 
 contained in his word, wishes to nurture and form 
 us, as his nourishing grace is represented to have 
 done, in the history of those who are discoursed of 
 in the Old and New Testament ; so are the parables 
 of Jesus histories of the divine economy toward us, 
 and as the Father, so also the Son, wishes in this 
 manner to instruct and rear us by the help of history. 
 Besides, for history, at least for short narratives, stu- 
 pidity itself can command an attention ; and they 
 awaken the interest of those who are most unfeeling ; 
 whosoever in his levity and folly has shut his ear and 
 his heart against instruction, admonition, threatening, 
 and warning, may possibly be disposed to open them 
 to a narrative, and thus through means of the history, 
 the seed of divine wisdom gains admittance into the 
 heart. And though all the parables are not of this 
 description, yet they are all beautiful images. Their 
 figurative character is made plain to every one, by 
 the intimation, " the kingdom of heaven is like" — 
 and then forthwith curiosity is awakened ; or, in pro- 
 founder minds, the desire of knowledge, and conse- 
 quent upon that, reflection and inquiry after the 
 meaning of the figure. Are not the parables, then, 
 on this account, singularly fitted for being vehicles of 
 instruction ? Even if nothing farther were at first ac- 
 complished, by this form of instruction, than impress- 
 ing the truth taught more readily and deeply upon the 
 memory, this were of itself an important benefit, and 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 would greatly recommend its use. But as the figu- 
 rative language of Christ contains in itself eternal 
 truth, there moves in it a living power, which being 
 faithfully preserved, will sometime manifest itself to 
 the enlightenment of the understanding, to the 
 improvement of the mind, to the sanctification of 
 the will, and the blessed satisfaction of the whole 
 man. That Jesus was determined, by the condi- 
 tion of his hearers, by the substance and nature of 
 the truth which he delivered, and finally, by the 
 suitableness of the figurative and parabolic method 
 of instruction to its adoption, according to his wis- 
 dom in teaching, is manifest from his expressions to 
 the twelve disciples and others who attended on him, 
 and came in a body, to ask him about the meaning 
 of the parable of the sower, (Mark iv. 10.) Accord- 
 ing to the account in Matthew xiii. 10, the question 
 runs : " Why speakest thou to them in parables ?" 
 To them therefore it was a matter of astonishment to 
 hear our Lord speak in this manner, for since they 
 themselves, his confidential scholars, had not under- 
 stood the parable, they naturally drew the conclusion 
 that the great mass of the people must still less have 
 understood it, and consequently, that the benefit of 
 his teaching was lost, and he was not gaining the 
 blessed object he had in view. Upon this objection 
 of his disciples, and in order to elevate their views 
 to the proper use and design of the parable, Jesus 
 replied ; " Unto you it is given to know the mys- 
 teries of the kingdom, but to them it is not given." 
 Here our Lord makes a distinction among his hear- 
 ers ; he says, to you^ that is, to you all who are de- 
 sirous of your salvation, of knowing the truth, and 
 obtaining further instruction, to you it is given ; ye 
 do thereby shew that ye have linked your wills to 
 divine truth, and have attained to a capacity for 
 having it more fully disclosed to you. But whoso- 
 ever, as is the case with many, is carnally minded, 
 and pays little or no regard to what is heavenly, he 
 lies on this very account under such an incapacity of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 heart for farther instruction in the clear light of hea- 
 ven, that the secrets of the kingdom of God cannot 
 be opened out and communicated to him, according 
 to the righteous judgment, that despisers must not, 
 and cannot be compelled to taste of the divine good- 
 ness, (Luke xiv. 24.) The expression in verse 11, 
 Jesus explains still farther in verse 12, the state- 
 ments of which contain a general principle of divine 
 and human action towards the faithful and the faith- 
 less. He says ; " for whosoever hath, to him shall 
 be given, and he shall have more abundance : but 
 whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away 
 even that he hath." That is : It fares in this matter 
 with my hearers, after the principle, that whosoever 
 has desire, and love, and fidelity in regard to the of- 
 fered salvation, to him shall always be given more 
 grace through his growing acquaintance with divine 
 truth, and he shall become rich in all manner of wis- 
 dom and experience ; but whosoever does not count 
 the otiei'ed grace, and now in particular the revealed 
 truths and doctrines of the kingdom, worth farther 
 reflection and more careful consideration, he shall 
 sooner or later lose every thing, and even the word 
 which he has heard, shall again vanish from his 
 memory. Then he adds, verse 13 ; " therefore speak 
 I to them in parables ;" therefore, because the instruc- 
 tion so often given them in plain language baa 
 proved of no avail to them, I shall now try, through 
 means of figures and similitudes, if I can lead them 
 to reflect and move them to carefulness for their sal- 
 vation. The sad spiritual condition of so many of his 
 hearers, their stupid insensibility, their careless de- 
 parture, unconcerned about eternal life, Jesus repre- 
 sents in the following words of this verse ; " because 
 they seeing, see not ; and hearing, they hear not ; 
 neither do they understand ;" that is ; They under- 
 stand not my instructions, for although they have the 
 natural capacity, and besides, have also through my 
 preaching, the opportunity aflTorded them by God of 
 seeing and hearing, and consequently of apprehend- 
 
16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ing the truth, still they will not use their natural ca- 
 pacities, by reason of the hardness of their heart, 
 nor give themselves to serious application, and the 
 natural, inevitable consequence is, that they remain 
 unenhghtened. This experimental truth Jesus con- 
 tirms, verse 14, 15, by a quotation from Isaiah, chap, 
 vi. 9, 10, which, as it was originally applied to the 
 prophet's contemporaries, so was it also verified in 
 the case of our Lord's hearers, and continually is so 
 in the case of many hearers of the divine word in all 
 ages, — since the same causes produce the same 
 effects in the kingdom of grace, as well as in the 
 kingdom of nature ; for in both alike every thing 
 developes itself according to divine laws — in the latter 
 according to inevitable necessity, in the other also 
 according to a necessity not less sure, though of a 
 different kind, just as man, with the freedom still left 
 to him, receives or rejects the help of God. The 
 words of Isaiah, which thus contain the history of 
 the past, and the prediction of the future, therefore 
 import : with the ear ye shall hear, and will not un- 
 derstand ; and with the eye ye shall see, and will not 
 perceive — and in like manner shall it be with all ob- 
 stinate hearers. The ground- work of this unprofitable 
 hearing and seeing, lies in the following words of the 
 prophet : " For this people's heart is waxed gross 
 (become insensible), and their ears are dull of hear- 
 ing, (they will not properly hear, nor lay to heart 
 what is contrary to their lusts), and their eyes have 
 they closed, (they have made them slumber, shut 
 them hard that they might not see) ; and the mourn- 
 ful consequence of such inward aversion to the 
 truth, while it is externally received by the ear, is 
 thus declared by the prophet : " that they may not 
 at any time see with their eyes, and hear with their 
 ears, and understand with their heart, and be con- 
 verted and I should heal them." The hardening and 
 rejection of Israel does not follow upon an uncon- 
 ditional determination of God, but by way of judg- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 ment, condenmation and punishment. Because they 
 would not have the light, therefore they remain in 
 darkness ; because they disdain the physician and his 
 help, they therefore die in their sins ; because they 
 will not turn, they must therefore receive that death 
 which is the wages of sin. After this description of 
 the one class of hearers, Jesus turns to the other, to 
 his disciples and those who were of one mind with 
 himself, (Mark iv. 10), and says to them, Matth. xiii. 
 16 ; " But blessed are your eyes for they see, (to be 
 understood both corporeally and spiritually,) and 
 your ears (of body and of soul), for they hear," be- 
 cause ye have also striven to understand. 
 
 The parabolic and figurative mode of instruction, 
 then, was designed to serve the purpose of bringing 
 near the truth to every one ; and it was the undoubt- 
 ed aim of Jesus, that all might find the hidden ker- 
 nel of divine truth. That this was his design, is 
 manifested from the words, which, according to Luke 
 viii. 16, 17, he subjoins to his solution of the para- 
 ble of the sower, wjfiere he says, " No man, when he 
 hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or 
 putteth it under a bed ; but setteth it on a candle- 
 stick, that they who enter in may see the light ; for 
 nothing is secret, which shall not be made manifest ; 
 neither any thing hid, which shall not be known and 
 come abroad." To these let us add the other words 
 of Jesus, Matth. x. 27 ; " What I tell you in dark- 
 ness (in secret and hidden instruction.) that speak 
 ye in light, (openly and to every one,) and what ye 
 hear in the ear (in secret,) that preach ye upon the 
 house-tops, (in the most public places, that the whole 
 world may hear it ;)" — and it becomes clear to a de- 
 monstration, that the secrets, which were once so 
 darkly veiled, that he could scarcely disclose them 
 to his disciples, were, at a later period, to be disclos- 
 ed without reserve to all. Of a secret doctrine in 
 Christianity, which must not be made known to all, 
 there is here, therefore, no mention, for he, who is 
 c 
 
Jö INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the light of the world, will have all men to be en- 
 lightened.^ 
 
 * [In this sentiment we entirely concur, and grounded as it is 
 upon such clear and explicit texts, as well as cimtirined by the 
 whole tenor of the gospel, it may well be wondered that the 
 contrary sentiment should need, even in the present day, to be 
 repudiated. Greswell, in his elaborate, but very tedious, and, 
 in many respects, unsatisfactory work upon the parables, has 
 found it necessary, for the vindication of his most arbitrary ar- 
 rangement of them, to resort to the exploded doctrine of an eso- 
 teric and exoteric doctrine in Christianity ; one measure of light 
 for the initiated, and another, and much smaller one, for the 
 rude and unlearned. If there ever was such a distinction, it cer- 
 tainly did not derive its authority from the blessed Redeemer, 
 who was ever ready to impart to all his disciples the full know- 
 ledge of the truth, and most strictly commanded his apostles, 
 that they should leave nothing undisclosed or unexplained, 
 which they had received from him, even in his most private 
 communings with them. Any view of the parables, or other 
 portion of the word of God, vi'hich requires such a groundless 
 assertion for its support, needs nothing more to prove its fal- 
 lacy. But we have a partial exception to take in regard to 
 the reasons, which our author assigns in this section for our 
 Lord using the parable. These reasons, though not distinctly 
 branched out into so many heads, are the four following: 1. 
 That in the age and country, in which Christ appeared, this 
 was a common and popular method of instruction. 2. That it 
 was admirably adapted to meet the diversified circumstances of 
 his hearers, especially to serve as a vehicle for conveying more 
 instruction than could otherwise be imparted to minds so car- 
 nal as those of his immediate disciples, and hearts so malig- 
 nantly opposed to the truth as those of the Scribes and Phari- 
 sees. 3. That being of the nature of history, it is, in itself, of a 
 most interesting and impressive character. And, 4. That it 
 Avas resorted to in the way of judgment for the people's perse- 
 vering and obstinate rejection of the truth, when presented to 
 them in its unveiled and naked form. That these reasons are 
 all valid and proper, no one will be disposed to doubt ; and yet 
 we cannot but feel, in perusing what our author has said of them, 
 that the one reason assigned by our Lord himself for his speak- 
 ing in parables, and which we may, therefore, presume to have 
 been the chief one, as concerns those to whom the parables 
 were first spoken, does not receive the place, to which it is 
 entitled, nor, though it is mentioned at the last, is the precise 
 turn given to it which the words of our Lord seem to warrant. 
 That the parabolic style was adopted in judgment to the peo- 
 ple for their inexcusable blindness and perversity of heart, is 
 
INTRODUCTIüX. ]9 
 
 5. PERFECTNESS OF THE PARABLES OF OUR LORD. 
 
 If we direct our attention to the beauty of our 
 Lord's parables, we shall find them the most com- 
 plete and finished models : " apples of gold in pic- 
 
 tlie answer whicli he gave to his disciples^ when they put the 
 question to him, " Why speakest thou to them in ]>arables ?" 
 And though our author admits this, yet he seems afraid to look 
 at the matter properly in its judicial aspect ; and in his remarks 
 upon (Jhrist's answer, tries, as much as possible, to esplain 
 away the apparent severity, and to draw out of it a merciful 
 design. But there were all along two ends to be served by 
 the work of Christ, the one displaying the sevex'ity, and the 
 other the goodness of God. tie v/as set " for the fall, ' as well 
 as " for the rising again of many in Israel." •' For judgment," 
 says he, " I am come into this world, that they which see not 
 might see, and that they which see might be made blind." 
 And if we look into the 6th chapter of John's Gospel, we 
 shall find a particular example, apart altogether from the para- 
 bles, of the manner in which he fulfilled the melancholy part 
 of the alternative, the blinding of those who saw. In the dia- 
 logue there recorded between him and the unbelieving carnal 
 Jews, he began with speaking to them in figurative tei-ms of im- 
 perishable food, which they, in the grossness of their under- 
 standings, mistook for something of a fleshly nature ; and con- 
 stantly, as they pressed him for further discoveries concerning 
 it, instead of softening, he continually strengthened the figure ; 
 wrapt the truth in a deeper and deeper mystery, until he at 
 last clothed it in language so peculiarly strong and apparently 
 inexplicable, tliat many, even of his disciples, were offended at 
 the hardness of the saying, " went back and walked no more 
 with him." 
 
 By the conduct our Lord pursued on this remarkable occa- 
 sion, and in hke manner by his resolving during the latter half 
 of his ministry to speak to the people in parables, there was 
 no positive infliction of evil from him upon the minds of his 
 hearers, and to a certain extent it might be proper to say with 
 our author, that this change in his address should have excited 
 in them a more solemn and awakened inquiry after the truth. 
 But that could hardly be said with propriety to be the purpose 
 or design, which led him to adopt such a line of pi'ocedure. 
 The veiling of the truth in such a mysterious form was a 
 direct act of judgment for their previous resistance to its power, 
 and in its natural elFect on them was very nearly the same with 
 pouring a thicker blindess over the eyes of their understanding. 
 It thereby became to them a more shrouded and impenetrable 
 thing than it was before ; and so the adoption of tha parabolic 
 
20 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tures of silver." They present the most important, 
 consolatory, and blessed instructions, in the most in- 
 viting form ; in them there is nothing superfluous 
 and unnecessary ; in the noblest language, with the 
 
 style fell upon them as a dreadful visitation for the neglect of 
 former privileges, as it inevitably tended to increase their aver- 
 sion to the truth of Christ, and lessen their capacity for appre- 
 hending it. If Christ's simple object had been to enlighten 
 them with the knowledge of his truth, there is no question 
 that he could, and we may also say, would, have presented it 
 to them in a more engaging and intellio-ible form than he had 
 yet done ; but, in point of fact, their abiding alienation from the 
 truth, did not arise from its having been revealed so darkly, 
 that they could not apprehend it, but from its being so spiritu- 
 al, that they would not receive it ; and therefore, according to 
 those principles of probation, on which the moral government 
 of God is conducted toward men on earth, according to which 
 " he shows himself froward to the froward,'' as well as " mer- 
 ciful to the merciful," withdraws himself to a greater distance 
 from them, when they obstinately persist in withdrawing them- 
 selves from him, abridges their measure of light, or allows it to 
 become more faint to their apprehensions, after they have re- 
 fused to follow out the convictions it awakened ; according to 
 these principles, when the Jews had long heard and refused to 
 profit by the plainest statements of divine truth, our Lord pro- 
 ceeded to veil his speech in the darker covering of parable, and 
 thus rendered it more difficult of access, more palpably obscure 
 to their carnal minds. The lesson furnished in this affecting 
 portion of their history is substantially repeated over again in 
 the history of multitudes of various shades, both in faith and 
 practice, who begin with trifling away their day of grace and 
 withstanding the light given to them, and who often come in 
 consequence to be shorn of many of their Christian privileges, 
 or at least are left to the operation of causes, which render them 
 continually less clear in their apprehension, or more insensible 
 to the power, of divine truth. 
 
 It is proper to add, however, that though both the design 
 and the effect of Christ's teaching in parables, was to remove it 
 in a manner farther from the Jews, and make it less palpable 
 to their understandings, he still longed for their salvation. He 
 wept in anguish of spirit over them, even at the very last, when 
 he knew the things of their peace were for ever hidden from 
 their eyes. And not only so, but no sooner were the things, 
 which concerned himself fully accomplished, than he sent his 
 apostles with the message of reconciliation to them first, pro- 
 pounding it in the plainest terms, and confirming it by signs 
 from heaven. But this does not hinder that, in the course of 
 
IKTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 most lively colours, in the most suitable arrangement 
 are these small paintings set before our eyes ; they 
 contain nothing more and nothing less, than is just 
 necessary to give clearness and force to the ideas 
 sought to be unfolded ; every thing is rendered pal- 
 pable through means of the most powerful contrasts, 
 and each individual is, with the utmost penetration, 
 marked according to its characteristic properties. A 
 single perusal of these parables is sufficient to ac- 
 quaint us with their beauty ; but the more frequently 
 and attentively we apply ourselves to consider them, 
 whether as a whole or in their separate parts, the 
 more are w^e filled with wonder and astonishment at 
 the perfection of their form and matter. They always 
 appear to me like a lovely casket made in the hand- 
 somest style, of the most precious materials, and em- 
 bellished with simple, yet most attractive ornaments ; 
 but when the key is put into our hand, and we open 
 it, and see the jewels and finery it contains, these ap- 
 pear to surpass all worth, and make it difficult for us 
 to be satisfied with looking on their glory. However 
 attractive in form may be the parables of Jesus, and. 
 however inviting, when considered only as specimens 
 of poetic beauty, the truth contained in them is still 
 more glorious, for it is the truth which makes bless- 
 ed, truth leading to divine felicity through the hope 
 of eternal life. What Luther said of scripture in ge- 
 neral, that it is a garden of God, with manj'' beauti- 
 ful trees full of the most precious fruit, and though 
 he had often already knocked upon the boughs and 
 got much fruit into his lap, yet did he continually 
 find new fruit, as often as he sought and knocked 
 again, — this m.ay be said more especially of its para- 
 bles, in which is treasured up an inexhaustible store 
 
 his personal ministry, in which he came to reveal the Father, to 
 disclose his methods of dealing with sinners, as well as the truths, 
 which belong to his dispensation of grace, he should have made 
 such a change in his style of speakng, as tended virtually with 
 the mass of his hearers to increase their ignorance and misappre- 
 hension of the truth Trans.] 
 
22 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of instruction, consolation, warning, and admonition. 
 Tiieir meaning is richer than the sea, no one has 
 ever drunk out its fulness ; every new consideration 
 of them discovers to us new relations, gives new so- 
 lutions, spreads new light over the affairs of the h-ea- 
 venly kingdom. Every reader, whether learned or 
 unlearned, polished or unpolished, will understand 
 somewhat of the parables, although the more acute 
 eye sees farther into them than the weaker ; they are 
 simple enough for the simple, and deep enough for 
 the most profound thinker; they are, like the whole 
 of scripture, a stream, which the lamb can wade 
 through, while yet it is deep enough for the elephant. 
 
 6. MATTER OF THE PARABLES. 
 
 The commencement of so many parables : " The 
 kingdom of heaven is like, &c.," shows us their main 
 scope, what they wish to explain ; and those also, 
 which have no such beginning, are equally intended 
 to open up the kingdom of God in its manifold rela- 
 tions. The words in Ps Ixxviii. 2 : " I will open my 
 mouth in parables ; I will utter things, which have 
 been kept secret from the foundation of the world," 
 are applied, in Matth. xiii. 35, to Jesus, and teach us, 
 that our Lord in his parables conveyed information 
 upon the nature, extent, and destiny of his kingdom, 
 as also of those who should be subjects of it, and 
 that in it are disclosed the eternal purposes of God 
 for the salvation of men. They do, indeed, all stand 
 in the most intimate connection with contemporary 
 characters, with surrounding circumstances and press- 
 ing events, v/ere delivered for the most part only as 
 occasions gave rise to them, to show their applica- 
 tion to particular cases, yet still they are quite gene- 
 ral in their nature, and of perpetual force. For al- 
 though human nature, in the time of Jesus, manifest- 
 ed its internal peculiarities, as it ever does, only in 
 determinate, temporary, and popular forms, the 
 Searcher of Hearts did continually seize upon what 
 
INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 was general and permanent, upon which he directed 
 his instructions, and hence the parables reach so far be- 
 yond every thingpeculiar to one time, one place, or one 
 people : because in the particular he held up to view 
 the general, in the temporary, the permanent and 
 constantly recurring. The heavenly kingdom, which 
 forms the subject of the parables, is God's dispen- 
 sation of mercy and grace for the redemption of sin- 
 ners. Because this dispensation was an eternal pur- 
 pose of the paternal love of God, it is called the king- 
 dorn of God, and because it was set up in the fulness 
 of time by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, it is also 
 called the hingdom of Jesus Chj^ist. Purposed from 
 eternity, it was promised to our hrst parents imme- 
 diately after the fail, and thenceforward proclriimed 
 and described with manifold variety by all the pro- 
 phets. At first confined only to Israel, this dispen- 
 sation of grace vv'as, however, latterly by progressive 
 developement, to extend its empire over all mankind, 
 in conformity to the love of God, who would have 
 all to be saved, and in conformity also to the neces- 
 sities of men, who are universally sinners, stand- 
 ing in need of redemption and eternal blessedness, 
 but in themselves incapable of attaining it. The 
 highest end of the heavenly kingdom is communion 
 with God through Jesus Christ, and in this a blessed- 
 ness, already begun in time and continued through- 
 out all eternity. This idea of communion with God 
 must be kept in view as the essential point in all the 
 parables, whilC;, at the same time, it is treated of in 
 many difi^erent aspects and relations ; for sometimes 
 the discourse is of the means through which such com- 
 munion is attainable, as of the word of God, (in the 
 parable of the sower), sometimes of its worth, (as in 
 the treasure and the pearl), sometimes of the com- 
 pany, brought into that state wherein it appears as a 
 church or community^in the present world, (as in the 
 tares), then again, of the progress of its develope- 
 ment, (as in the mustard-seed), and, finally, in a 
 number of parables, of the spiritual condition and 
 
24 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 destiny of those who are willing to participate in 
 this communion, or have already partaken of it. 
 The kingdom of God, in its constitution as a church, 
 in its past and future history, in time and in eternity, 
 that is the great burden of the parables of Jesus. 
 Draeseke : " What do we Christians understand by 
 the kingdom of heaven ? Sometimes the state of bliss 
 to which the church shall be brought. Sometimes the 
 church itself, wliich will conduct us thither. Butalsvays 
 the communion of souls, w^hich seek and find their sal- 
 vation through Christ in God. Whether we consider 
 this communion as enjoyed by one soul for itself 
 alone, or by many together, as a community united 
 to each other in the bonds of one salvation, the thing 
 itself remains the same. Wherever souls seek and 
 find salvation through Christ in God, there is the 
 kingdom of heaven." 
 
 7. MANNER OF EXPOUNDING AND TREATING THE 
 PARABLES. 
 
 Upon the principles, which ought to be followed 
 in the exposition and practical treatment of the para- 
 bles of Jesus, there prevails, among expositors and 
 . divines, the greatest difference of views and contra- 
 dictory opinions. As with the exposition of Scrip- 
 ture generally, there is primarily and above all re- 
 quired an application of the parable to one's own 
 heart, as an essential qualification for the deep and 
 thorough understanding of them. From such an ap- 
 plication we often learn, in a moment, what has 
 escaped the most diligent investigation. The learned 
 expositor has, therefore, as much to lay to heart the 
 saying — de te fit sermo^ as the practical divine. As 
 when Nathan said to David, " Thou art the man," 
 the full light of the parable flashed upon the latter, so 
 is it still found to be the case. The truly practical 
 judgment, at which one arrives through such a manner 
 of consideration, is the best safeguard against the 
 error of an allegorical interpretation, which is alwa^'s 
 
INTRODUCTION. "J.^ 
 
 more or less arbitrary, and, consequently, in the same 
 proportion false — a rock upon which so many of the 
 older expositors of the parables struck. Hence, the 
 watchword of Luther, " the literal sense," proves 
 itself here also to be the effective instrument ; for in 
 that is to be found instruction, power, life, and art. 
 Through this practical judgment we are also pre- 
 vented from surrendering the traits and incidents to 
 an unbridled and lawless imagination, but are led to 
 understand that the parables and their interpretation 
 must be " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
 correction, for instruction in rigliteousness, that the 
 man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished 
 unto all good works," that both alike must be made 
 to minister to our salvation, through faith that is in 
 Christ. 
 
 It is further necessary, as a general rule for the 
 profitable treatment of the figurative matter contained 
 in the parables, to render clear and manifest, in the 
 ßrst instance, the image, which is used to embody 
 the spiritual truth, — without respect to this truth, — 
 merely by itself, in its own proper meaning and rela- 
 tions, after which we may transfer it to the spiritual 
 province to determine the nature of what is signified 
 by the image. For example, Jesus names his dis- 
 ciples " the salt of the earth ;" what does he mean 
 by doing so ? Salt is of itself a savoury thing, which 
 quality it also imparts to other things ; it purifies, it 
 preserves from corruption. Now the disciples of 
 Jesus must be a salt in regard to the world ; they 
 are in themselves savoury, lively — there are found in 
 them the noblest properties of the heart, because 
 they have imbibed the gospel, the spirit of Christ ; 
 and, in regard to others, with whom they come into 
 contact, and over whom they obtain an ascendancy, 
 they are also salutary, since, through the influence of 
 their spirit, which is the spirit of Christ, they are in- 
 strumental in purging these others from sin, making 
 them acceptable to God and men, preserving them 
 from moral corruption, from entire perdition in sin and 
 
28 IXTROBUCTION. 
 
 death, nay, helping them to obtain eternal life. Con- 
 sidering things in this manner, v/c shall hit upon the 
 point of resemblance*, the iertinm coniparationis^ and 
 discover, in every parable, a rich treasury of truth. 
 
 But, since each parable is one whole, made up of 
 several images, there arises the question, which has 
 received vtry different answers, whether every indi- 
 vidual trait in the picture, however small, ought to 
 be interpreted or not ? That in the parable, as a 
 finished picture, every part of the image is important, 
 as serving to designate more exactly the characters 
 of the persons introduced, to render the transactions 
 more palpable, and hence forms a sort of necessary 
 part of the parable, as the picture is only rendered 
 complete by means of these subordinate traits, is ad- 
 mitted on all hands. But many are of opinion, that 
 much in the parables was designed merely for orna- 
 mental painting, introduced from no other necessity 
 than to produce effect, and ought, in the exposition 
 of the parable, to have no interpretation put upon it, 
 as having no corresponding object. To this view 
 many expounders of the parables may have been led, 
 from the circumstance that the meaning of small, and 
 comparatively unimportant particulars, has often been 
 carried to excess, and because, by entering too mi- 
 nutely into what was particular, the grand design of 
 the parable has often been overlooked or even com- 
 pletely missed, a practice which is certainly deserv- 
 ing of blame. But just as little is the opinion ten- 
 able, that much in the parables of our Lord serves the 
 purpose merely of ornament, as is manifest from the 
 consideration, that the several expositors differ very 
 much in regard to what is essential and non-essential ; 
 and, if v/e bring together the various expositions, 
 since this part, according to one, and that, according 
 to another, is non-essential, it must follow, as a neces- 
 sary consequence, that all and ev^ery part is, at the 
 same time, essential and non-essential. But, as this 
 latter cannot possibly be the case, we must adopt it 
 as the most correct opinion, that nothing is entirely 
 
INTRODUCTION. 27 
 
 non-essential, a mere meaningless ornament, and that 
 to every lineament in the figure tliere is another 
 answering to it in the reality, the spiritual thing 
 thereby represented. It is by no means, however, 
 on this account to be maintained, that we must, in a 
 petty and straitened spirit, give significancy to every 
 word ; for there is a vast difference between the im- 
 port of particular words and of particular, distinct 
 parts of the parable, every figurative word being far 
 from forming by itself a distinct portion of the figu- 
 rative delineation. The more we confine our atten- 
 tion only to what is general, and leave unnoticed the 
 particular parts of the figure, the more shall we find 
 the life, the grace of the similitude vanish away ; 
 whereas, by the contrary method of handling them, 
 the interest increases, and the beauty and truthful- 
 ness of it become more deeply felt. Olshausen, in 
 his Biblical Commentary on the Writings of the 
 New Testament, expresses himself, at p. 429, upon 
 the significancy of the parables, in the following man- 
 ner: " The parable of the sower is one of the few, 
 whereof our Lord has given us an authentic exposi- 
 tion, which is of much importance, not only for the 
 understanding ofthat particular history, but for the 
 derivation of those principles which should guide us 
 in the exposition of all the parables. We may learn 
 from it, more especially, what is usually the most 
 difficult thing in the exposition of the parables, how 
 far the particular incidents of the parabolical narra- 
 tive have, or have not, any proper meaning As a 
 shallow spirit can here get over every thing of a pro- 
 found nature in the divine word, by declaring this or 
 that to be mere ornament, so can superstition convert 
 every particle of sand into a mountain. The same 
 spirit which framed the parables, must also expound 
 them, and then we are sure of striking the golden 
 mean." And again, at p. 600 : " How far parti- 
 cular incidents in each parable are to be interpreted, 
 remains, indeed, always very doubtful ; yet, still in 
 the similitudes of Jesus, which open up to us so rich 
 
28 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 a field of contemplation, we must, on the whole, 
 maintain it as a canon, that no incident is to be 
 lightly passed by, unless by insisting upon it the 
 figure, as a whole, should be manifestly obscured." 
 Farther, at p. 787, on the parable of the rebellious 
 labourers in the vineyard, he says : " But how far 
 the particular incidents may be applicable, that is 
 here, as in the parables generally, a difficult ques- 
 tion. In regard to this no certain boundary-line can 
 be drawn, since the penetration required to appre- 
 hend the more remote lines of resemblance depends 
 upon the expositor's state of advancement in the spi- 
 ritual life. Only, a due reverence to the words of 
 our Lord will naturally lead to the most careful ap- 
 plication possible of every particular incident, since 
 the completeness of the similitude depends upon the 
 fulness of the parallel resemblances which lie en- 
 closed in it." At p 799, he also remarks on the 
 parable of the wedding-garment: " It would cer- 
 tainly be the easiest method to say, that these iaci- 
 dents (the wedding-garment, &c.), are not to be 
 minutely pressed, but they stand in such close connec- 
 tion with the whole of the similitude, that the entire 
 representation must be void of meaning, if particulars 
 of such moment are to be pushed aside as acciden- 
 tal." Lastly, at p. 910, on the parable of the ten 
 virgins, he says : " It is asked how far the individual 
 traits are to be taken into account. The natural fit- 
 ness of these, to symbolize what is spiritual, is the 
 only determinate rule that can be given, and this, 
 applied without violence, will furnish for the parable 
 before us a fulness of interesting resemblances, suflä- 
 cient to constitute it the finest in the gospel. For 
 the more points of resemblance that a similitude 
 readily and naturally presents, the richer must it be 
 reckoned." 
 
 When a parable is to be expounded and applied, 
 we must first of all consider its connection with what 
 precedes and follows, and determine accordingly, 
 before every thing else, its prominent idea. Until, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 29 
 
 through repeated attentive consideralion of the 
 circumstances and subject, this central point and ker- 
 nel of the parable has been discovered, and set forth 
 in the most precise and determinate manner, we need 
 not meddle with the import of particular parts, for 
 these can only be seen in their true light when con- 
 templated from that central point. We might com- 
 pare the whole similitude to a circle, whose centre 
 is the divine doctrine or truth, and whose radii are 
 the several figurative lineaments of the narrative. So 
 long as we do not stand in the centre, the circle 
 neither appears in its perfectly round form, nor are 
 the radii perceived in their order, as all tending to 
 the centre, and in beautiful accordance with each 
 other ; but all this is done, when the eye surveys 
 every thing from the centre. It is so exactly in the 
 parable, when we have obtained a full and distinct 
 view of its central point, its grand doctrine, the re- 
 lative position and right meaning of its several parts 
 also become clear, and we shall then condescend 
 upon these, only in so far as the grand doctrine can 
 thereby be more vividly displayed. The most diffi- 
 cult matter, though one of indispensable importance, 
 is certainly to find out the principal idea, since, in 
 each parable, so many individual truths meet us, 
 which, at first, might seem of equal importance ; but, 
 on maturer consideration, there is always one which 
 comes out before the rest into the clearest light, 
 while these, on the other hand, fall more into the 
 shade, and serve only to define more exactly the 
 grand truth, which forms the central point; and per- 
 haps, also, in some respects to illustrate it. When 
 it is our design to illustrate a parable in edifying 
 discourse, this will certainly be eflfected in the best 
 manner for the hearers, when it is treated as one 
 whole; for the parcelling out of the parables into 
 many separate discourses does unquestionable injury 
 to the impression of the whole, as, however much of 
 excellent matter may be delivered, the unity and 
 completeness of the main idea are still frittered 
 
30 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 away on the too wire-drawn extension of the parts. 
 When handled in this manner, the parables are re- 
 garded, chiefly, as a storehouse of texts; and though 
 they may certainl}'^ be so handled, we should, how- 
 ever, at the same time, confess that the parables, as 
 a whole, and in their distinctive peculiarity, are not 
 then handled and explained at all. 
 
 8. ARRANGEMENT OF THE PARABLES. 
 
 Since the fundamental idea of all the parables of 
 Jesus is that of the heavenly kingdom, it seems pro- 
 per to arrange them with a respect to this, and to 
 determine the classes according to the particular as- 
 pect in which that idea is contemplated by each in- 
 dividual similitude. Schölten, p. 181 : " Since the 
 nature and genius of the parables is such that they 
 are bound together as with a strait chain by the 
 doctrine of the heavenly kingdom, it is there we are 
 to seek the principles of sound interpretation. For 
 all the parables which occur in the writings of the 
 Evangelists, although delivered by Jesus on particular 
 occasions, and with a special design, do yet set before 
 us some branch of that doctrine which pertains to the 
 kingdom of heaven, and must be referred either to 
 the co)isfitutw?is, or rather the principles, on which 
 it leans as its own proper foundation ; or to its evo- 
 lutions during the lapse of ages ; or, finally, to the 
 laws, which it is necessary for those to obey who 
 wish to be subjects of this kingdom, and the rewards 
 which, in this life and the next, are promised to those 
 who do become its true and faithful subjects. Every 
 interpreter, therefore, of the New Testament, apply- 
 ing himself to the interpretation of the parables, has 
 something at hand whereon to ground his interpreta- 
 tion ; nor does he need anxiously to inquire, what is 
 the general argument of the parables; but must give 
 the utmost care and diligence to discover to what 
 particular part of this general argument each parable 
 
INTSODÜCTION'. 31 
 
 must be referred. And this general argument, drawn 
 from the common nature and design of the parables, 
 whereby they are most closely united to the doctrine 
 of the Messiah's kingdom, may be compared to a 
 guide, who indeed conducts us to the boundaries of 
 some country to which we are going; but, that we 
 may proceed forward through its domains, and 
 acquire an accurate knowledge of its nature, cities, 
 places, and whatever it contains worthy of observa- 
 tion, he thenceforth hands us over to other guides.'' 
 It is obvious that we have here nothing to do with 
 a close systematic arrangement in necessary sequence, 
 but only with such a classification as may serve to 
 bring more readily under our review what is taught 
 in all the parables, and to point out the place which 
 each parable holds in regard to instruction in the 
 kingdom of God. Gray and Bourns have already 
 attempted such a division of the parables, and in the/ 
 following manner: — 
 
 Gray forms them into three classes, — 
 
 1. Parables which represent the nature and pro- 
 gress of the gospel-dispensation, together with 
 the opposition which it had to receive from 
 the malice of Satan, and from the folly and 
 perversity of men ; such as the parable of the 
 sower, — of the tares among the wheat, — and 
 many smaller similitudes. 
 
 '2. Parables which have for their object the rejec- 
 tion of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles, 
 events which had an evident connection with 
 the subject of the preceding class ; and to this 
 class are referred the labourers in the vineyard, 
 — the wicked vine- dressers, — the fig-tree, and 
 the wedding-garment. 
 
 3. Parables which were directly intended to 
 deliver a moral instruction for the improve- 
 ment' of our dispositions and conduct, which 
 forms by far the greatest part of the parables ; 
 
32 INTBODUCTION. 
 
 and this class may again be subdivided into 
 
 two classes : — 
 
 a Such as have it for their aim to illustrate an 
 important truth, or to enforce an indispensable 
 obligation; of which sort are the good Sama- 
 ritan, the wicked servant, the unjust steward, 
 the rich man and Lazarus. 
 
 h Such as are of more extensive import, and 
 convey certain general lessons of wisdom and 
 piety, without being confined to any one view- 
 in particular, to which belong the virgins, the 
 talents, the lost sheep, the lost piece of silver, 
 and the prodigal son, the unjust judge, the 
 pharisee and publican. 
 
 Bourns arranges them into four classes. 
 
 1. The parables in the 13th of Matthew, which 
 speak of the effects of the gospel, and the future 
 condition of men in connection with the present. 
 
 2. The parables in the 15th and 16th of Luke, 
 %vhich are moral paintings, wherein our Saviour 
 dehneates the character, disposition, and conduct 
 both of himself, and of the different classes of 
 those who heard him, in reference also to the 
 accusation which his enemies preferred against 
 him. 
 
 3. National parables, which point out the character 
 of the Jewish people, and the different sects 
 amongst them, containing also predictions of 
 their subversion ; of which cast are the pharisee 
 and publican, the two unlike sons, the fig-tree, 
 the great feast, the wicked vine- dressers, the 
 wedding garment. 
 
 4. Apostolical parables, or such as have for their 
 object, the conversion of the first disciples of 
 Jesus, especially the Apostles, and were intend- 
 ed to qualify them for their future office ; the 
 rich fool, the unjust judge, the wicked servant^ 
 
IKTRODÜCTION. 33 
 
 the kind-hearted Samaritan, the labourers in the 
 vineyard, the ten virgins, the talents. 
 I would also attempt a division of the parables, 
 keeping in view, while I do so, the constant refe- 
 rence which they have to the doctrine of the kingdom 
 of God, and always making the leading idea in each 
 parable the ground of the particular place assigned 
 to it. 
 
 THE FIRST CLASS. 
 
 Parables which represent the heavenly kingdom 
 as a divine power, that is, as containing truths and 
 powers, which are divine in their origin and blessed 
 in their effects. 
 
 1. Matth. xiii. .3—9. The sower. The different 
 efficacy of the word of God depends upon the 
 different states of the human heart. 
 
 2. Mark iv. 26 — 29. The growing seed. The 
 inherent growth and advancement of the hea- 
 venly kingdom. 
 
 3. Matth. xiii. 56. The householder. The well 
 prepared teacher of the heavenly kingdom. 
 
 4. Matth. xiii. 31, 32. The mustard-seed. The 
 progressive developement of Christianity. 
 
 5. Matth. xiii. 33. The leaven. The all-renew- 
 ing power of Christianity. 
 
 6. Matth. xiii. 44. The treasure. The internal 
 glory of the heavenly kingdom. 
 
 7. Matth. xiii. 45, 46. The pearl. The all-sur- 
 passing worth of the heavenly kingdom. 
 
 The two first parables bear respect pre-eminently 
 to that upon which the prosperity of the kingdom 
 of God depends ; externally considered, it depends 
 upon the state of heart which belongs to those, to 
 whom the word is preached ; regarded internally, 
 upon the living power inherent in the word. But al- 
 though human power does not command success to 
 the word, it is still of great importance that they 
 
 D 
 
34 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 who proclaim the divine message, should possess the 
 proper qualiHcations, — hence follous the third para- 
 ble. Then, the fourth and fifth represent the power 
 of the word, in its great overpowering efficacy ; both 
 in respect to what is without (the mustard-seed), and, 
 in respect to what is within (the leaven) ; and out of 
 the whole comes forth the glory and the worth of the 
 heavenly kingdom. So that all the parables of this 
 class have the divine word for their object and sub- 
 ject, in so far as this word is of itself spirit and life, 
 and, through the gracious workings of the Holy Spi- 
 rit, the germ of life, out of which the heavenly king- 
 dom developes itself in particular individuals, and in 
 mankind at large. 
 
 THE SECOND CLASS. 
 
 Parables which represent the heavenly kingdom 
 as a community or church, founded on those divine 
 powers of the word of God. In the preceding class, 
 the efficacious power, the Word, was the subject of 
 the parables, and now it is that which is effected or 
 wrought by the power — the church, as a society of 
 believers in Christ Jesus. But the church may be 
 considered in a twofold respect, either as an already 
 existing whole, or in regard to the entrance of indi- 
 viduals into it. There consequently arise here two 
 subdivisions, for some parables speak of the church» 
 as an existing whole, others treat principally of the 
 entering of individuals into the church. 
 
 I. PARABLES WHICH RESPECT THE CHURCH AS 
 ONE WHOLE. 
 
 1. Luke xiii. 6 — 9. The unfruitful fig-tree. An 
 admonition to secure sinners to repent. 
 
 2. Matth. xxi, 33 — 44. The wicked vine-dressers. 
 Of impenitence. 
 
 3. Lukexiv. 16 — 24. The great feast. The love 
 of this world is a hindrance to salvation. 
 
INTR01>UCTION. 35 
 
 4. Matth. xxii. 1 — 14. The royal marriage-feast. 
 Calling and election are not the same. 
 
 5. Matth. xiii. 24 — 30. The tares among the 
 wheat. The mixture of good and bad in 
 the church. 
 
 6. Matth. xiii. 47—50. The fish-net. The final 
 separation in the Christian church. 
 
 Since every social union has its origin and pro- 
 gress, its end and destiny, and consequently also its 
 liistory, these parables, which concern the church or 
 community of God, may be considered entirely in a 
 historical point of view ; and they then disclose the 
 history of the heavenly kingdom from the choosing 
 of the Israelites to the very last transactions of that 
 kingdom at the end of time. In the first parable, the 
 secure theocrats of the old covenant are admonished 
 with a threatening of divine judgment; the second 
 manifestly represents the judgment which immedi- 
 ately pressed upon them, their rejection, and the call- 
 ing of the Gentiles ; the third speaks expressly of 
 the gracious call being sent forth to all ; the fourth 
 shows how the reception of the gracious call is not 
 sufficient to salvation if one does not also fall in with 
 God's method of salvation ; the fifth describes the 
 mixture of good and bad which prevails also in the 
 church of the New Covenant, and the last discloses 
 the final separation that is to be made in the Chris- 
 tian church. 
 
 II. PARABLES WHICH RESPECT THE ENTRANCE OF 
 INDIVIDUALS INTO THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 
 
 7. Luke XV. 1 — 7. The lost sheep. The vast 
 importance which Christ attaches to the conver- 
 sion of every lost sinner. 
 
 8. Luke XV. 8 — 10. The* lost piece of money. 
 The worth of the lost sinner in the eyes of 
 Jesus. 
 
 9. Luke XV. 11—31. The lost son. Of repent- 
 ance. 
 
36 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 10. Luke xiv. 28—30. The building of the tower. 
 And, 
 
 11. Luke xiv. 31— 33. The war of the kings. A 
 careful self-examination must precede our fol- 
 lowing of Christ. 
 
 12. Luke V. 36. The old garment with new 
 patches. Of a false amendment. 
 
 13. Luke V. 37—39. The new wine in old bottles. 
 Of true amendment. 
 
 The two first of these similitudes teach what the 
 Lord does in order to bring sinners into his fellow- 
 ship, for their conversion is to him a matter of much 
 importance, because they themselves possess a great 
 v/orth in his sight. The third parable speaks of the 
 state of mind which must of necessity belong to 
 those who desire personally to experience the Lord's 
 receiving love. The four last similitudes are con- 
 cerning continued fellowship with Christ, as what 
 requires first of all a careful self-examination, (No. 
 10, 11), and as the result ofthat, not a false, but a 
 real amendment. 
 
 THE THIRD CLASS. 
 
 Parables which principally treat of the fellow-mem- 
 bers of the heavenly kingdom, according to their 
 state of feehng, conduct, and destiny. And, as the 
 spiritual frame of Christians is described in scripture 
 as made up of faith, love, and hope, we may very 
 properly arrange the parables belonging to this class 
 under these leading characteristics. 
 
 I. PARABLES WHICH RELATE TO THE PRINCIPLE 
 OF FAITH IN THE MEMBERS OF THE HEAVENLY 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 1 . Matth. vii. 24 — 27. The two master-builders. 
 The right use of the divine word. To this true 
 living faith owes both its birth and continuance 
 
INTRODUCTION. 37 
 
 2. Matth. XX. 1 — 16. The labourers in the vine- 
 yard. Humility is the measure, according to 
 which the Lord apportions reward to the la- 
 bourers in his kingdom. 
 
 3. Luke xvii. 7 — 10. The labouring servant. Hu- 
 mility is indispensable. 
 
 4. Luke xviii. 9 — 14. The pharisee and the 
 publican. The conceit of being good, the want 
 of humility robs us of the divine favour, and 
 nullifies our prayer. 
 
 5. Luke xi. 5 — 8. The importunate friend. Of 
 persevering prayer. 
 
 6. Luke xviii. 1 — 8. The ungodly judge and the 
 widow. Motives to persevering prayer. These 
 two parables speak of the fruit of faith, prayer, 
 and the one immediately preceding (No 4), 
 forms the connecting link between Nos. 3 and 
 5, since it speaks of humility, particularly as re- 
 quisite in prayer. 
 
 7. Matth. xxi. 28—32. The two unlike sons. Of 
 insincere faith. 
 
 8. Luke xvi. 19 — 31. The rich man and Lazarus. 
 Of unbelief. The nature and fruits of true faith 
 having been described in the first six parables, 
 these two last treat of false faith, which assumes 
 the appearance of hypocrisy and practical un- 
 belief. 
 
 II. PARABLES WHICH HAVE FOR THEIR SUBJECT 
 THE LOVE THAT SHOULD BELONG TO THE 
 MEMBERS OF THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM. 
 
 9. Luke vii. 41 — 43. The creditor and the two 
 debtors. The pardoned sinner's grateful love 
 to Jesus. 
 
 10. Matth. xviii. 23 — 35. The wicked servant. 
 Motives to mutual forgiveness. Both parables 
 set forth the pardoning grace of our Lord as 
 the spring of our love ; the spring, first of all, 
 of grateful love to him, and this again the spring 
 of pardoning love towards our brethren. 
 
38 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 11. Luke X. 25—37. The warm-hearted Sama- 
 ritan. Of Christian compassion. The two 
 foregoing similitudes pointed out the origin of 
 true love ; and now this love, as compassion, 
 (love to the miserable and the needy,) is de- 
 scribed according to its wide compass and sphere 
 of action. 
 
 12. Luke xii. 13—21. The rich fool. Of the de- 
 ceitfulness of riches. 
 
 13. Luke xvi. 1 — 9. The unjust steward. Of 
 Christian prudence. In the two last parables 
 the want of true love is spoken of; in No. 12. 
 the foolish love of riches is depicted, and in No. 
 ] 3. a prudent use of riches is recommended in 
 doing works of love. 
 
 III. PARABLES WHICH REFER TO THE HOPE OF 
 CHRISTIANS. 
 
 14. Matth. XXV. 1 — 13. The ten virgins. The 
 proper preparation for the coming of the Lord. 
 
 15. Matth. XXV. 14 — 30. The entrusted talents. 
 Exhortations to Christian fidelity. 
 
 16. Luke xii. 36 — 48. The different servants. 
 Of the believer's state of readiness for the com- 
 ing of Christ. Christ's return to judgment is 
 the object of Christian hope ; No. 14. represents 
 the inward readiness of believers for the coming 
 of the Lord; No. 15. the influence of this hope 
 upon outward activity ; No. 16. the influence of 
 this hope upon the spirit, which is induced to 
 watchfulness, and upon the conduct, which is 
 persuaded to fidelity. 
 
 17. The concluding parable, Luke xix. 11 — 27. 
 The entrusted pounds. The kingdom of Christ 
 is a heavenly kingdom. This parable discloses 
 the innermost nature of the kingdom of Christ, 
 with especial reference to the second coming, 
 and final judgment.* 
 
 a [ The division of the parables here adopted by our author. 
 
IKTRODÜCTION. 
 
 39 
 
 9. WRITINGS UPON THE PARABLES. 
 
 Campegius Vitringa, Brief Exposition of the Gos- 
 pel Parables. Frankfort and Leipsic, 1717- A 
 work of great power in many respects, in broad 
 dialect, full of constrained and unnatural expositions. 
 
 J. G. Palms, Considerations upon the Parables of 
 the New Testament, Hamburg, 1735. Only seven 
 parables are illustrated in 26 Meditations. 
 
 Samuel Bourns, Spiritual Discourses upon a few 
 Select Parables of our Saviour, translated from the 
 English, by J. J. Dusch. Altona and Bremen, 
 
 1771. 
 
 Andrew Gray, Prelections upon the Allegories of 
 our Saviour, (English title, Delineation of the Para- 
 bles of our Blessed Saviour) ; together with adisser- 
 
 is certainly better than either of the two which he notices be- 
 fore it, and it may perhaps be as proper and judicious as any 
 other that could be devised ; but we cannot see what benefit, 
 either theoretical or practical, can arise from such classifica- 
 tions. The parables were delivered without order, as the cir- 
 cumstances occurred, which served to call them forth, and 
 were never intended to be reduced into any system of precise 
 and logical arrangement. Besides, every such division must 
 be exceedingly imperfect, and can never exhibit any thing like 
 a full or complete view of the varied and pregnant instruction 
 which is contained in the parables. They all, indeed, bear in 
 some respect or another upon the kingdom of God, and each 
 one may, therefore, be said to illustrate a doctrine, or inculcate 
 a duty, or unfold a prediction concerning it ; but from the un- 
 methodical manner in which they were delivered, and the com- 
 plex nature of the species of composition to which they belong, 
 it is impossible, without some measure of violence, to range 
 them under any specified number of heads, nor can it be of any 
 material service in the practical handling of them. If this may 
 be objected to any geneial division of the parables, which yet 
 does not involve any special error, the division of Greswell, re- 
 ferred to in a preceding note, into prophetical parables, and 
 such as inculcate moral lessons, the one unexplained, wrapt in 
 mystery, except in one or two instances, to the initiated few, 
 the other level to the comprehension of all, is so expressly con- 
 tradicted in various respects by the testimony of Scripture, that 
 we cannot but regard it as the most objectionable of any classi- 
 fication we have met with Trans.] 
 
40 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tation upon Allegories and Allegorical Works in ge- 
 neral. From the English. Hanover, 1783. A work 
 abounding with instruction. 
 
 G. Lorenz Bauer, (Prof, at Altdorf,) Collection 
 and Exposition of the Parabolical Narratives of our 
 Lord. Leipzic, 1782. It contains much that is 
 good, only the moral of the parable is not given with 
 sufficient brevity, 
 
 John Ehr. Fr. Eck, Religion for Men, or the Value 
 of Christ's Instruction shown from his Figurative Dis- 
 courses. Berlin, 1797. In the first section — Christ's 
 Figurative Discourse upon some important doctrines 
 of Christianity, — various parables are handled, but 
 only in a practical view. In the second section — On 
 the Importance of Christ's Figurative Discourses, in 
 respect to the Truths of his Religion, — the author 
 speaks principally of the design, the suitableness, the 
 excellence of the figurative discourses of Jesus, and 
 the propriety of imitating them. 
 
 J. J. Kroram, The whole Parables of Jesus Trans- 
 lated, Explained, and Handled in a Practico-homile- 
 tical style. Fulda, 1823. Is of no value, either in 
 an exegetical or a homiletical point of view. By the 
 same author : Homilies upon the Allegories of our 
 Lord. First Part, containing five Parables, in sixteen 
 Homilies. Nurenberg, 1830. 
 
 Storr, Opuscula Academica ad interpret, librorum 
 Sacr. pertin. Vol. I. p. 89, ss. 
 
 Ger Annaeus Van Limberg Brouwer, de Parabolis 
 J. Chr. Specimen Academicum inaugurale. Lugd. 
 Batav. 1825 At p. 10, the author says: The com- 
 ment shall consist of two parts ; of which one shall 
 treat in a general way concerning the nature, argu- 
 ment, and design of the parables, and the other con- 
 cerning the right determination of the sense of the 
 parables, or concerning the rule of interpretation. 
 For I do not wish to write a commentary upon the 
 parables. 
 
 Wesselii Schölten, Diatribe de Parabolis J. Chr. 
 Delphis, Batav. 1825. " This treatise consists of two 
 
INTRODUCTION. 41 
 
 parts, the first of which embraces those things which 
 belong generally to the parables of Christ; the second 
 shall give certain rules or observations, which have 
 more special reference to the interpretation of these." 
 E. W. Rettberg, de Parabolis J. Chr. Goetting. 
 1827. 
 
 A. H. A. Schnitze, de Parabolariim J. Chr. indole 
 poetica coranientatio. Goetting. 1827. Two Essays 
 that received a prize from the Theological Faculty of 
 Goettingen, which treat the parables chiefly in a poe- 
 tical point of view, dwell at length upon principles 
 of interpretation, but contain very little that is pro- 
 fitable for the exposition of the parables. 
 
 A. F. Unger, De Parabolartnn Jesu natura, inter- 
 pretatione, usu scholae exegeticae rhetoricae. Lips. 
 1 828. Full of instruction. 
 
 J. L. Ewald, The Look Jesus took of Nature, Hu- 
 manity, and Himself; or Considerstions upon the Pa- 
 rables of our Lord. Hanover, 1812. Third edition. 
 Exceedingly attractive, rich, and worthy of commen- 
 dation. 
 
 R. Eylert, Homilies upon the Parables of Jesus, 
 together with a Treatise upon their Characteristics. 
 Halle, 1818. Second edition. There are eight pa- 
 rables illustrated in twenty homilies, which, as also 
 the prefixed treatise, contains many fine remarks. 
 
 N. von Brunn. The Kingdom of God unfolded 
 according to the Instructions of Jesus Christ, espe- 
 cially in his Parables. Basle, 1816. It takes in only 
 the greater part of the parables contained in Matthew, 
 and one from Luke. 
 
 Schreiter, Historico-critica explicationumparabote 
 de improbo oeconomo descriptio. Lips. 1803. 
 
 David Schulz, An Essay upon the Parable of the 
 Steward. Breslau, 1821. 
 
 Chr. Guil. Nieder, de Loco Commentar : Lucae xvi. 
 1 — 13, dissertatio. Lips. 1826. 
 
 Jensen, upon the Unjust Steward, in the studies and 
 critiques of Hillman. 
 
 Mutzel upon the Design of Jesus in the Parable 
 
42 IXTRODUCTIOX. 
 
 of the Rich Man and Lazarus : in the latest Archives 
 for the " Pastoral Science " of Boeckel, Vol. 1st. 
 
 Meier upon tlie same parable, in his Pages for a 
 Higher Truth, Vol. 7. 
 
 Schleiermacher, four Sermons upon the Parable of 
 the Sower. Magazine of Noehr, Schleiermacher, 
 SchuderofF. New Series, vol. 5. Mafirdeburff. 1827. 
 
 Theremin. Sermon upon the Prodigal Son ; in the 
 third volume of his Sermons. Berlin, 1823. 
 
 Very instructive hints and excellent remarks upon 
 the Parables are also to be found in the following 
 works : — 
 
 Herder's Epistles upon the Study of Theology ; in 
 Part 4th. Stutgart and Tubingen, 1829. 
 
 Menken, Reflections upon the Gospel of Matthew. 
 Bremen and Leipzic, 1822. 
 
 Draeseke, on the Kingdom of God. Bremen, 1830. 
 
 Opera Melancthonis pars tertia. Vitibergae, 1563. 
 Enarrationes evangeliorum dominicalium et evangelii 
 secundum Matthaeum. 
 
 Harmonia ex tribus evangelistis composita, Mat- 
 thgeo, Marco et Luca cum Johannis Calvini Com- 
 mentariis. Ed. sec. cur. Rob. Stephano, 1560, Paris. 
 Upon Calvin's exposition of Scripture, Pelt express- 
 es himself thus, in his preface to his Commentary on 
 the Thessalonians : " He must be numbered amongst 
 the best interpreters of all ages — with wonderful sa- 
 gacity laying open the most profound thoughts, and 
 selecting, with the happiest skill, from a multitude of 
 interpretations, that which commends itself as most 
 probable, at the same time expressing himself with 
 such elegance, that we derive as much pleasure as 
 advantage from the perusal of his writings." 
 
 Hugo Grotius, Opera Theologica, Tom. ii. vol. 1. 
 Amstel. 1679. 
 
 Joan. Alb. Bengelii Gnomon, N. T. in quo ex na- 
 tiva verborum vi profunditas, concinnitas, salubritas 
 sensuum innuitur. Tubing. 1759. The following 
 judgment on the spirit of this work is pronounced by 
 
INTRODUCTION. 43 
 
 Boehmer in his exposition of the Epistle to the Colos- 
 sians : " That pious theologian, cherishing the most 
 profound reverence for the word of God, possesses 
 at once an accomplished scholarship and the most re- 
 quisite skill for expounding it, comprised much solid 
 and ingenious matter in a few words, and because 
 his notes indicate what is strictly contained in the 
 words of the original, they received from him the 
 name of Gnomon (Index)." 
 
 G. Ehr. Bartel's special Homily for the Historical 
 and Parabolical Homily. Braunschweig, 1824. 
 
 I have not had access to the following : — 
 
 Krummacher upon the Spirit and Form of the 
 Evangelical History, in a historical and moral re- 
 spect. Leipzic, 1805. 
 
 Conz Eastern Apologues, or the Wisdom of Jesus 
 as a Teacher, in Parables and Sayings. Leipzic, 1809. 
 
 Gittermann, the Parables of Jesus, or Moral Nar- 
 ratives from the Bible. Bremen, 1803. 
 
 [We have a better work on the parables in Eng- 
 lish, than either of the two referred to by our au- 
 thor at the beginning of this list, by Dr. Dodd ; 
 which displays, throughout, a sound judgment, and 
 contains a much fuller exhibition of gospel truth 
 than the work of Gray. There is also an older work 
 by Keach, not deficient in excellent matter, but too 
 antiquated, both in style and the manner of handling 
 the parables, to be found of much service now. W^e 
 have already spoken of Gresswell's recent laborious 
 work ; which certainly contains many good things, as 
 it could scarcely fail to do in such a compass. But it 
 labours under the threefold defect of being often fanci- 
 ful, very prolix, and not a little expensive. — Trans.'] 
 

 I 
 
 THE TWO BUILDERS. 
 Matth. vii. 24—27. Luke vi. 47—49. 
 
 This similitude forms the conclusion of the sermon 
 on the mount, reported at large by Matthew in the 
 fifth and two following chapters. The hearers were 
 his disciples and a great multitude of people, (Luke 
 vi. 17, 18.). The reason of concluding his more 
 lengthened discourse in this manner, lies in the cor- 
 ruption of the human heart, well known to the Search- 
 er of hearts, which finds it easy to hear, but diflicult 
 to do ; and hence the delusion; that hearing is of it- 
 self suflficient ; against which error the similitude be- 
 fore us is directed, (as also the passage in Jas. i. 22 — 
 25), and the consideration of it will admonish us 
 regarding the proper use of the divine word. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The right use of the Divine word. 
 
 I. What is necessarily required to this ? 
 
 1. Hearing the word, v. 24 : Whosoever hear- 
 eth these sayings of mine. 
 
 2. Doing it, v. 24 : And does them ; the oppo- 
 site, v. 26. 
 
 IL The blessing it secures ; a well grounded sal- 
 vation. 
 
46 THE TWO BUILDERS. 
 
 1. It secures salvation, V. 24: Who builthishouse? 
 
 2. And this salvation is well-grounded, v. 25 ; 
 opposite, V. 27. # 
 
 Luther, in his exposition of the sermon on the 
 mount, says upon this passage : " This is the con- 
 clusion and end of the whole ; whosoever does not 
 merely hear this sermon with the ear, but also does 
 it, he is a wise and prudent man. For though the 
 doctrine is in itself good and precious, it is not 
 preached only that it may be heard, but that it may 
 be done and manifested in the life. When we spare 
 ourselves this, until our glass is run, and death and 
 the devil attack us with their floods and tempests, 
 we have spared too long. Therefore it concerns you, 
 not merely to hear and understand, but to strive and 
 do!" 
 
 Ver. 24. Therefore ; because the external act is 
 not sufficient to give us true fellowship with Christ, 
 V. 21 — 23 ; so that the same truth is figuratively ex- 
 pressed in the similitude, which in plain terms is 
 stated in the foregoing verses. Calvin : " Because 
 it is, for the most part, difficult to distinguish between 
 the true and the false professors of the gospel, Christ 
 shows, by a beautiful similitude, wherein they princi- 
 pally differ. He compares the vain and empty pro- 
 fession of the gospel to a specious, indeed, but not 
 solid building, which, notwithstanding its fair ap- 
 pearance, is every moment in danger of tumbling in- 
 to ruin, because it has no foundation. For which 
 reason Paul commands us to be well settled and 
 grounded in Christ — to have our roots struck deep 
 into him, that we may not give way before every 
 assault. In short, the sum of the matter is, that true 
 piety is not easily distinguished from its counterfeit, 
 until it is put to the test. For the trials, by which 
 we are proved, are like billows and tempests, which 
 readily overthrow unstable minds, whose levity was 
 not observed in seasons of tranquillity." Luther, as 
 above : " By such a similitude Christ designs to give 
 us good warning, that we be careful, and hold fast 
 
THE TWO BUILDERS. 47 
 
 his doctrine, and not lose him out of our heart, as 
 our only sure ground and corner stone of salvation, 
 as he is named by St. Paul in Rom. ix. 33 ; and 
 Peter in his first Epistle, ii. 6 ; from Isa. xxviii. 16. 
 If we stand grounded and built on this foundation, 
 we shall remain unmoved, and the world and the 
 devil, with all false teachers and corrupters, may rain 
 down hailstones and fire, and every kind of danger 
 and distress may roar and storm about us. This 
 consolation and security cannot be enjoyed by the 
 miserable and foolish people, who are devoid of faith, 
 for they stand not upon the rock, that is, upon the 
 doctrine of Christ, but upon the shifting sand of their 
 own dark and dreaming minds. Wherefore, if the 
 necessity comes, that in this state they must fight 
 with the devil and death, then do they feel that they 
 have placed their confidence upon loose sand, and 
 that their works and devices cannot stand." 
 
 These my sayings (words,) every thing contained 
 in the sermon on the mount, concerning the Chris- 
 tian's state of heart, Matth. v. 3 ; righteousness, v. 
 20 ; love, v. 44 ; confidence in God, vi. 44, ss., vii. 
 7, ss. — hears, or reads, the means and the way of 
 obtaining a knowledge of the divine word. Does 
 them ; Luther's gloss : " Here also Christ demands 
 faith, (the internal act of the heart, source of all out- 
 ward action) ; for where there is no faith, the com- 
 mand is not rightly done, Rom. iii. 27, and all good 
 works done with a fair appearance, but without faith, 
 are sins. On the other hand also, where faith is, 
 works truly good must follow. By doing Christ 
 means, doing from a good heart. But faith purifies 
 the heart. Acts xv. 9, and such piety stands firm 
 against all blasts, that is, against all the power of hell. 
 For it is built upon the rock, Christ, through faith. 
 Good works without faith are the foolish virgins' 
 lamps without oil." 
 
 / will liken him to a wise man : wise or prudent, 
 (pioviiM;, in opposition to foolish, /xw^o?, — is here taken 
 in a good sense. He who takes into account the 
 
48 THE TWO BUILDERS 
 
 end and the means, the present and the future, reali- 
 ty, possibility, and probability, weighs them and de- 
 termines his procedure accordingly, he is the prudent 
 man; the foolish overlooks this, and hence acts be- 
 side his purpose. Bengel, Gnomon : " True pru- 
 dence of its own accord accompanies true righteous- 
 ness, comp. XXV. 2." Built his house^ as one builds 
 a house for himself, that he may dwell in it quietly, 
 comfortably, and securely, in the midst of tempestu- 
 ous weather ; so, a house is the image of desired fe- 
 licity ; building is the necessary preparation for reach- 
 ing that end ; building upon a rock, is a figure indi- 
 cating the solidity of the work, and under it hearing 
 and doing are to be understood. Rain^ßoods, ivinds, 
 V. 25, denote the manifold and perilous evils which 
 threaten our salvation, such as, divine judgments ex- 
 pressed in various tribulations, persecutions from 
 men, accusations of conscience, terrors of death and 
 retribution, false teachers (Eph. iv. 14), who seek to 
 draw us away from Christ, and overwhelm us in sad- 
 ness and despair ; but they cannot succeed, (Rom. 
 viii. 33 — 39,) for we are bound too closely by a liv- 
 ing faith to Christ (John vi. 68, 69). True faith 
 cannot reniain without assaults ; in this world these 
 are just as inevitable as the many threatening acci- 
 dents which abound in nature ; but, far from en- 
 damaging faith, they only serve to preserve it in its 
 steadfastness, and to manifest its glory. (Rom. v. 
 1 — 5). How blessed is the true hearer of the word, 
 in not shunning the labours and applications which 
 are necessary to deny and overcome himself ! (Jas. 
 i. 12). 
 
 V. 26. Built upon the sand. Sand is in itself loose, 
 and imparts to that which is built on it no solidity. 
 To build upon sand is consequently an image of de- 
 ficient steadfastness ; it denotes the mere faithless 
 hearer, who is without any corresponding obedience, 
 who makes only half work^ being grounded upon no 
 real fellowship with Christ. Bengel, Gnomon : 
 " Sand has the appearance of a rock, but it wants 
 
THE SOWER. 49 
 
 consistence." Calvin : " Whosoever do not dig 
 down to a complete renouncement of self, they dig 
 upon sand." 
 
 Ver. 27. It fell, and great was the fall thereof ; the 
 self-delusion vanishes, the man feels it is too late, his 
 past life is for ever fled, his misery is boundless, the 
 more so, as he flatters himself with vain hopes ; such 
 bitter disappointment arising out of groundless hopes 
 is pourtrayed by Ezekiel in chap. xiii. 10 — 15. 
 
 Similar prudence and folly is set forth in the para- 
 ble of the ten virgins, the foolish hearer of tlie word 
 is painted according to his different aspects in the 
 parable of the sower, Matth. xiii. 4 — 7 ; and in the 
 faithless servant, iMatth. xxv. 24, 25, as also in the 
 guest who wanted the wedding garment. 
 
 IL 
 
 THE SOWER, OR DIFFERENT SORTS OF GROUND. 
 
 Matth. xiii. 1—9, 18—23; Mark iv. 3—9, 14—26; 
 Luke viii. 4 — 15. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS UPON THE PARABLES IN 
 
 Matth. chap. xii'. 
 
 This chapter presents us with a choice collection 
 of precious similitudes. The four first were deliver- 
 ed by Jesus, while sitting on a ship by the shore of 
 the Galilean sea. A multitude of people had collect- 
 ed around the spot, fruitful fields stretched them- 
 selves before him, and the much frequented high- 
 way passed in the immediate neighbourhood. With 
 these local circumstances the parables are closely 
 connected; what life, what truth must they then 
 have carried ! How vivid must they have been ! 
 And the images chosen, were of such a kind, that 
 every one could not but find something in the words 
 
 E 
 
50 THE SO WEH. 
 
 of our Lon^, connected with his own calling and 
 manner of life, which might solicit and win his at- 
 tention to the truths presented to his view. The 
 eye of the Lord first of all surveys the multitude 
 thirsting for instruction ; it appears to him like a field 
 that must be sowed, and in the first parable he dis- 
 closes the different fates which are to befal the dis- 
 persed seed of the word. How mournful and depress- 
 ing that the good seed does not thrive everywhere ! 
 But as this might have led the disciples, the future 
 sowers, into error, our Lord, according to Mark iv. 
 26 — 29, immediately adds the parable of the seed 
 ripening by the force of its innate vigour, as a con- 
 solation to assure them, that under God's blessing 
 the good seed would certainly bring forth fruit. 
 Next follows the parable of the tares among the 
 wheat; recommending a prudent sparing of the tares, 
 for the benefit both of them and of the wheat, and 
 pointing to the great harvest time, which might serve 
 also to console the saddened hearts, that beheld with 
 grief, such a foul mixture in the field of the Lord. 
 The two short similitudes of the mustard-seed and 
 the leaven, represent at the close, the mighty growth 
 and invincible efficacy of the Gospel. Gnomon : 
 " These seven parables, which have a most recondite 
 meaning, v. 35, bear respect not only to the common 
 and abiding states of the kingdom of heaven, or 
 the church, but also to different periods and ages of 
 the church." 
 
 Schölten, at p. 127, s., expresses himself thus upon 
 the mutual connection of these parables, and their 
 relation one to another : " If we may declare what 
 we think by these seven parables in Matth. xiii. the 
 beginning, progress, and final perfecrionment of the 
 kingdom of heaven are shadowed forth, and held up 
 as it were to the observation of the eyes. Therefore, 
 in the^r^^ parable the different eflfects are described, 
 which the gospel produces upon the different per- 
 sons to whom it is proclaimed. In the second, 
 Jesus informs us, that among thoss who should re- 
 
THE SOYv^ER. 
 
 51 
 
 ceive the gospel, there would be some who should 
 propagate errors, and indulge in vice, and who, both 
 by doctrine and example, should endeavour to lead 
 others into error, and restrain their pursuit after re- 
 ligion and virtue ; that these men should be endued 
 and tolerated here by the wise counsel of God, but 
 in the next life should be appointed to bear the fear- 
 ful punishments due to miscreants and impostors. 
 The third parable, as it appears to us, is intimately 
 united to the preceding ones. In these, the subject 
 of discourse had been concerning the world, as the 
 theatre whereon the gospel was to be proclaimed, 
 which gospel was, therefore, to be carried far and 
 wide, through the whole world, even to the most 
 remote nations. But of this the disciples of Jesus 
 were not easily persuaded ; for the commencement 
 of his kingdom was so inauspicious, that men, whose 
 minds had hitherto, in common with the rest of 
 the Jews, been possessed by many foolish opi- 
 nions of the Messiah's kingdom, as if it should be set 
 up with great outward splendour, could hardlj^ be 
 made to think it possible that a time should come 
 when he would extend its boundaries through the 
 entire world, and all the nations that worship him 
 should receive the faith of the gospel. The same 
 also, is the design of the fourth parable, different, 
 however, from the one that immediately precedes, in 
 this, that it has respect to the preconceived opi- 
 nion concerning the external pomp and kingly 
 power with which the Jews thought the Messiah's 
 kingdom was to be instituted; and showed, that the 
 kingdom, which justly deserves to be called by the 
 name of Messiah, should be set up and grow on 
 every side, but not with outward splendour, nor by 
 dint of force and victorious arms. In \}a^ fifth and 
 sixth parables, our Saviour presents the fact, in a 
 manner, before our eyes, that the true knowledge of 
 the nature of Messiah's kingdom should make its way 
 to men of every rank, learned and unlearned, wise 
 and foolish ; that all should acknowledge the excel- 
 
52 THE SOWER. 
 
 lence of this knowledge for promoting their true sal- 
 vation, and, with the greatest zeal and application, 
 should endeavour to grow in a more enlarged appre- 
 hension and settled conviction of it. as also to bring 
 forth the fruits of salvation, which are inseparably 
 connected with such an apprehension and conviction. 
 Therefore the parable in v. 44, refers to the know- 
 ledge of the true nature of Messiah's kingdom, and 
 the internal conviction of its excellence, as about to 
 be received by men the most common and unletter- 
 ed. But in that which is contained in v. 46, 46, the 
 Saviour seems to inform his disciples, that many also 
 of those, who were given to the study of wisdom, 
 seeking after truth as a precious jewel, as soon as 
 they knew the truth concerning the Messiah's king- 
 dom, would acknowedge its excellence to be such, 
 that they should abandon the pursuits they had 
 hitherto followed, and henceforth apply themselves 
 to the study of this alone; Rom. i. 14, 15. The 
 severdh parable still remains, which, as appears to us, 
 is closely related to those preceding it. For the 
 disciples were not to be allowed to think that all 
 these would be true and sincere citizens of the Mes- 
 siah's kingdom, as with the good there would certain- 
 ly be an intermixture of bad. But this ought not to 
 disturb their minds, for the state of his kingdom, he 
 taught them, would not be always so imperfect, but 
 that a period should sometime arrive, when this its 
 initiatory state would be raised to higher perfection ; 
 and that at length i^ rf, ffvvrsAii'a -ov dioJvoc, as being 
 freed from all pollution, the kingdom of Christ should 
 become perfect and complete in having only such 
 citizens as are in every respect pure, faithful, and 
 good." 
 
 Neither in the sower, nor jet in the seed, which he 
 scatters, lies the blame of untruitfulness, but solely in 
 the heart. If the state of the heart, however^ is such 
 as to impede, rather than to further the productive 
 efficacy of the word, this can afford no justification to 
 
THE SOWER. 53 
 
 men. For as bad soil may, through much labour and 
 continued diligence, be improved, so may also the 
 heart ; and the word is given us as a means to this 
 end, and possesses such peculiar power, that we both 
 may and ought to be improved by it. Whoever will 
 not employ it for this purpose, or not employ it faith- 
 fully, incurs guilt, and is deserving of punishment, 
 for the word works freel}^ upon men, not with me- 
 chanical, external force, but simply by moral suasion, 
 to which the agreement of our will is indispen- 
 sable. 
 
 Amid the innumerable multitudes of men, amid 
 the great varieties of temperament and character, 
 amid the manifold peculiarities of individuals, there 
 are still no more to be found than these four grand 
 characteristic differences of heart, in regard to the 
 divine word; but these four may be found fully and 
 distinctly formed. The Searcher of Hearts has 
 manifested this, and its truth is proved whenever and 
 wherever his word is preached. How the divine 
 word finds the hearts upon which it has to work, is 
 described under the four kinds of ground ; all have 
 in them what is sinful, but still one condition is much 
 more favourable to the growth of the seed than 
 another. The ultimate ground of these different 
 appearances lies in the conduct of men under the 
 preparatory grace of God. Just as ploughing goes 
 before and prepares for the seed, so is there much 
 done by God, tiirough means of his kingly govern- 
 ment toward nations and individuals, to make them 
 ready for the further manifestation of the word of 
 life, (Israel had the law and the promises). If men 
 would only employ with fidelity this preparatory 
 grace of God, in the law, the promises, conscience, 
 education, they should be as good soil, fitted for re- 
 ceiving the word. 
 
54 THE SOWER. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The different efficacy of the word of God depends 
 upon the different states of the human heart. 
 
 I. On many hearts the word of God has no effect at 
 at all, Luke vf 12. 
 
 A. It has no effect at all ; 
 
 1. They hear it, indeed, vw 12. 
 
 2. But they are nothing the better, ib. 
 
 B. Why it has no effect ; 
 
 1. From internal grounds, because these hearts 
 are hard and insensible, Matth. iri:;4. Some 
 fall by the way ; 
 
 a) Thej^ understand it not, Matth. vrl9. 
 Ä) And do not believe it, Luke vi 12. 
 
 2. From ea:^e77Zö/ circumstances, employed by the 
 wicked one to hinder the success of the word ; 
 a) Other impressions overpower the word, 
 
 Luke Vi 5 : The seed was trodden down. 
 h) Hostile powers withdraw it from the heart, 
 Luke V. 5 : The fowls of the air devoured 
 it. 
 IL On other hearts it has no deep-rooted, and hence 
 no permanent effect. 
 
 A. Proof. 
 
 1. It has an effect upon them ; 
 a) They hear it. Matth. v. 20, 
 
 h) And presently with joy receive it, Matth. 
 V. 20. Mark v. 5. 
 
 2. But it has no deep-rooted or permanent effect ; 
 ci) For a time they beUeve, Luke v. 13. 
 
 h) But by and bye are offended, Matth. v. 21. 
 c) And at last completely fall away, Luke v. 
 13, Mark v. G. 
 
 B. Grounds. 
 
 1. Internal grounds ; 
 
 a) Their inmost being is not moved by the 
 word, Matth. v. 5. 
 
THE SO WEE. 55 
 
 h) Hence the word acquires no fixedness in 
 them, Matth. v. 6 : Because they had no 
 root. 
 2. External grounds ; 
 
 a) Tribulation and persecution, Matth. v. 21. 
 
 b) Temptation (of faith, through doubts, rail- 
 lery and such things), Luke v. 13. 
 
 III. On other hearts, it has no pur if}/ ing, and hence 
 no strenglhenwg effect. 
 
 A. Proof. 
 
 1 . It has an effect upon them ; 
 
 a) They hear it, Matth. v. 22. 
 
 b) And it makes*&n impression on them. Luke 
 V. 7 ; the thorns grew up with it^ namely, 
 with the seed of the wor*. 
 
 2. But it has no purifying or strengthening ef- 
 fect. 
 
 a) Thej'- allow their lusts to grow beside the 
 word, Luke v. 7. 
 
 b) And thus the action of the word is again 
 suppressed, Matth. v. 22 ; The word is 
 choked and becomes unfruitful. 
 
 B. Grounds. 
 
 1. The cares of this world. ) -./r ..', ^^^ 
 f. ,->, .,p , ,. . , >Matth. V. 22. 
 
 2. Deceitiulness oi riches. J 
 
 IV. On other hearts it works with the most blessed 
 effect. 
 
 A. On what hearts it works with this blessed ef- 
 fect ; on such as, 
 
 L Hear the word, Matth. v. 23. 
 
 2. Receive it (Mark v. 20 ; i, e. understand, be- 
 lieve, Matth. V. 23), in opposition to the first 
 class. 
 
 3. Keep it in an honest and good heart, Luke 
 V. 15, in opposition to the second class. 
 
 4. Bring forth fruit with patience, Luke v. 15, 
 in opposition to the third class. 
 
 B. Its manner of working most productive of bless- 
 ing ; an hundred-fold, sixty-fold, thirty-fold, 
 Matth. V. 23. 
 
56 n THE SOWER. 
 
 Ijiike V. 5. The sower, Christ and every one who 
 brings the divine'*W'ord to work upon men. His seed, 
 V. 11. The seed is the word of God; still more de- 
 finitely in Matth. v. 19. The word of the kingdom ; 
 therefore, not merely in the general what God has 
 spoken, but pre eminently his gospel, his gracious 
 message by Christ, his gift of grace and glory, his 
 testimony and invitations concerning the kingdom 
 of heaven. The seed belongs to the sower, it is 
 Christ's ; whoever besides may scatter this seed, 
 he has it from Christ, but it must also have become 
 through spiritual experience, the possession of every 
 preacher, for it must be taught of faith, Ps. cxvi. 10, 
 1 John i. 1 — 3. The heart is the understanding, 
 the feeling, the will. 
 
 1. The ^/«^ class of hearts, Luke V. 5, 12. Here 
 the heart is like the highway ; the surface is hard, 
 nothing can make an impression on it ; the seed con- 
 tinues to lie exposed, and is hence either trodden 
 down or eaten up by the fowls. Of these hard and 
 unfeeling hearts, the leading characteristic is, that 
 the divine word produces no effect upon them at all. 
 The heart is first rendered like a highway through 
 thoughtlessness, levity, indifference to holy impres- 
 sions ; however clear the doctrines of the gospel 
 may be in themselves, however intelligibly they 
 may be delivered, and with whatever powerful con- 
 siderations enforced, such a heart remains uncon- 
 cerned, is quite negligent and regardless about every 
 thing which concerns eternal life, and the word of 
 God is to it a word destitute of all meaning, from not 
 being able to understand it. Moreover, having given 
 itself up to all worldly impressions, it is thereby 
 filled with prejudices of every sort, which completely 
 prevent the good seed from making any impression. 
 In the hardened smoothness of such a heart, nothing 
 is properly cogitated ; hence spring up by degrees 
 gross ignorance, and a disinclination toward all the 
 instruction which it has any how received ; the natu- 
 ral, whether less or more important, capacities are 
 neglected, and consequently deteriorated, so that the 
 
THE SOWEK. 57 
 
 heart is continually growing harder and more im- 
 feeUng, (v. l4). VVhen the heart is in such a con- 
 dition, firmly shut against every thing divine, the 
 word of God, as often as it happens to be heard, is 
 in part trodden down, vanishing without a trace from 
 the heart amid the bustle of life, the dissipations of 
 the world, which are engaged in with no collected- 
 ness of mind, or calm meditation ; in part also de- 
 voured by the birds ; the wicked one, (Matt. v. 19), 
 Satan, (Mark v. 15), the devil. (Luke v. 12), snatches 
 the word from the heart. The kingdom of darkness 
 fights against the kingdom of God, which is built up 
 within us tlu'ough the word of God, and there is siiil 
 permitted to exist a secret power of Satan, which, 
 through much cunning, and all kinds of v/icked ar- 
 tifice, draws away from the heart the preached word, 
 (Eph. ii. 2. 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4). So it happens, that 
 such hearts do not understand, (Matth. v. 19), or, 
 which is all one, they do not believe, (Luke v. Li), 
 and hence do not attain to salvation. " In the first 
 rank," says Calvin, " he mentions the barren and un- 
 cultivated, who give no inward reception to the seed, 
 because there is no preparation in their hearts. Yet, 
 when Christ says the word is sown in their hearts, 
 although the speech is improper, it is not used with- 
 out reason; because the wickedness and depravity of 
 men does not take from the word its proper nature, 
 which still retains the virtue of seed ; and this must 
 be carefully borne in mind, lest we should think 
 there has been any failure in the grace of God, when 
 its effects have not been experienced in ourselves. 
 For, on the part of God, the word is sown in the 
 hearts of men : but the hearts of all do not receive 
 with meekness the ingrafted word, as James exhorts, 
 chap. i. 21. The gospel, therefore, is always fruitful 
 seed, in regard to its divine virtue, but not in regard 
 to its actual effects." 
 
 2. The second class of hearts — the stony-ground, 
 Matth. v. 5, 6 ; 20, 2 1 . By stony, as Bengel remarks, 
 " we are not to understand stones lying scattered 
 
üb , Tili: sov.ee. 
 
 about everywhere in the field, but a rock or stone, 
 stretching continuously under a thin surface of earth." 
 And forthwith sprung up ; Gnomon: s?a^£r^/>.;, not 
 merely ä\>Wzi\s, sprung, but grew aloft ; ver. 20, in- 
 stantly with jog receiveth it ; Gnomon : " For much 
 quickness and joy are not always the best sign ; for 
 there, commonly, the whole vigour directs itself to 
 outward things, and upon these spends its strength." 
 From the word heard and believed there unfolds 
 itself a spiritual life, and this, like new-sprung corn, 
 possesses a beautiful appearance, and raises joyful 
 expectations ; but, under the surface of quick emo- 
 tions, of lively feelings, of an easily moved suscepti- 
 bility, there lies a hard rock concealed, which pre- 
 vents the seed from taking proper root. This rock 
 is the earthly, sinful nature of man, upon which 
 temptations, trials, and afflictions, for the sake of the 
 word, produce a highly disadvantageous effect. The 
 feebleness of their faith, which is only of a superficial 
 nature, and goes not into the underground of their 
 heart, together with many unfavourable outward cir- 
 cumstances, bring on a withering decay of tlie tender 
 blade, a falling off from Christ. And with still 
 greater power shows itself here the might of Satan, 
 which is able to undermine the faith that has already 
 been planted in the heart. The scorching heat of 
 temptation is partly the fear of sufferings, which are 
 threatened by external violence ; partly the hope of 
 gain, to be derived from apostacy, with which wily 
 seduction cozens and allures ; partly, also, the raillery 
 with which carnal v.isdom reviles what is holy. 
 Through such means the hearts of this class are over- 
 come, because they want the steadfastness, and deter- 
 minate boldness, which springs out of deep- rooted 
 faith, (2 Cor. iv. 8. 9). They seek and expect from 
 Christ an easy life, treasure up his word only so far as 
 it provides for them satisfaction, or falls in with their 
 earthly designs, would fain reach heaven, but will 
 make no sacriHce to gain it. With such a manner of 
 feeling they never experience the power of that faith 
 
THE SOEVER. i^9 
 
 vv liich overcometh the tvorld, and without this blessed 
 power of faith, for which they have no adequate 
 depth of feeling, they sink into perdition. The 
 striking characteristic here is the rapid change from 
 bloom to decay, from the reception of the word to 
 apostacy from it ; the divine word produces here no 
 deep or permanent effect, for while the hearts are 
 soft and susceptible, they are, at the same time, weak 
 and inconstant. Calvin : " This class differs from 
 the preceding one, because temporal faith, the con- 
 ception, in a manner, of the seed, promises some 
 fruit, while yet the heart is not brought into such 
 good and thorough subjection, as that its softness can 
 minister to the seed^ continual supply of nourish- 
 ment. And, indeeoTas the sterility of the earth is 
 proved by the heat of the sun, so persecution and the 
 cross detects the vanity of those who, though touched 
 with some sort of desire toward divine things, are 
 yet imbued with no truly devout spirit of piety. It 
 is found that they are not in reality born again by 
 the incorruptible seed, which, as Peter testifies, 
 (1 Eph. i. 4), never decays." 
 
 3. The t/iird class of hearts, Luke v. 7, 14. There 
 are seeds of corruption in every heart, for no one is 
 perfectly pure. The good seed of the word was 
 early cast into the class of hearts before us; they felt 
 themselves drawn and blessed by it, and continued 
 in a joyful frame of mind, while the good seed had 
 found root in them. But, latterly, they entered into 
 the whirlpool of the world, and then sprung up in 
 their hearts all sorts of vain thoughts; they neglected 
 watching and prayer, in consequence of which, also, 
 the corrupt seed makes rapid shoots, draws all the 
 nutritive juice to itself, penetrates the whole soil ; 
 step by step the good impressions are worn out ; the 
 opposition to sinful lusts becomes continually weaker, 
 the power of evil desires increases in virulence and 
 strength, and the nobler, the more elevated life of 
 the spirit is imbittered until it becomes quite extinct. 
 How mighty must the power of evil be, that it can 
 
60 THE SOWER. 
 
 here also prevail against the word of God? As 
 principal antagonists to the efficacious working of 
 the divine word, the Redeemer mentions the care of 
 this life, care for our present livelihood, the pressure 
 of an earthly existence; and the deceitfulness of riches, 
 the glittering side of this life, both with poor and 
 with rich ; with those who are in quest of them, and 
 those who already have them, because both look 
 upon them as the highest good, and put their confi- 
 dence in them. Luke calls this impediment the 
 pleasures of this life, including, therefore, the inferior 
 lusts and sensualities of the flesh, which destroy the 
 life of the soul. 
 
 In the case of these hearts, which are full of cares 
 and earthly inclinations, the great characteristic is, 
 the contest maintained with the thorns, so that in 
 them the divine word works nothing pure. Calvin ; 
 " Although evil desires dwell in the heart of man, 
 before the word of God puts forth the green blade, 
 they yet do not appear to have the dominion at the 
 earlier stages ; but, by and bye, they get the supe- 
 riority, when the blade is shooting up and is making 
 promise of fruit. Every one, therefore, must apply 
 his care to pluck out the thorns from his heart, unless 
 he %vould have the word of God to be choked ; 
 since there is no heart which is not replenished wirh 
 a great abundance of thorns, even as with a thick 
 forest. 
 
 4. The fourth class of hearts, Matth. v. 8, 23 ; 
 Luke v. 8, 15. They hear the word willingly and with 
 attention, and understand it, receive it in faith, obey 
 it, and thus experience its powers, and understand it 
 always better and better ; in which respects they are 
 distinguished from the first class. They also keep it 
 in a pure, good heart, often meditating it by them- 
 selves, and laying it up in the deep recesses of their 
 mind, which constitutes their distinction from the 
 second class. Finally, they bring forth fruit , in 
 them are manifested the fruits of the spirit, Gal. v. 
 22 ; 1 Cor. xiii. 4 — 7 ; with patience, persevering 
 
THE SOWER. 
 
 61 
 
 with unshaken steadfastness against opposition and 
 difficulties, under the reproach of the world, in the 
 storm of pprsecution ; and it is precisely in these 
 circumstances that their glory shines brightest, 
 like that of the stars when the sun has with- 
 drawn his light from the heavens. The patience 
 which they exercise, distinguishes them from the 
 third class And sam'i bare an hundred-fold, some 
 sixtii fold, some thirti/-fo'd ; none are destitute ot 
 fruit, but it is not always precisely the same, neither 
 uniformly beauiiful nor uniformly rich, and also 
 in different persons varying according to their re- 
 spective powers^ the relations of life, and spheres ot 
 operation, in which the Lord has placed them ; in 
 each case, however, the fructifying only proceeds 
 when the internal cultivation and renewal of the 
 heart has gone before it, Gnomon : " 6 /asi/, 6 3s, 6 ös; 
 the accusative, in the neuter gender; for the subject 
 og, expressed here in the singular number, does not 
 admit of a subdivision, of itself, into three kinds of 
 good hearers of the word, as it is commonly under- 
 stood. The progress of one hearer from three grains 
 of seed, as it were, as being copious in greater or 
 smaller degrees, is signiiied by the hundred-fold, sixty- 
 fold^ and thirty fold. As the degrees of hearing with- 
 out fruit v/ere three-fold, so also the abundance of 
 fruit is three-fold. To him that hath is given." 
 Calvin : " Christ compares those only to good and 
 fruitful ground, in whom the word of God overcomes 
 all the obstacles which would hinder its fruitfulness. 
 Should any one object, that nobody can be found 
 utterly devoid of thorns, the answer is easy ; that 
 Christ is not here discoursing of the perfection of 
 faith, but merely shewing in whom the word fructi- 
 fies. We are taught by no means to despise those 
 who excel least, since the householder himself, al- 
 though he prefers some to others, in proportion to 
 their respective abundance, yet dignifies alsu the least 
 productive with the common appellation of goodness. 
 We must, moreover, note, in passing, that Christ 
 
02 'IHK TAMI.H AI\I(>\<) Tino WIIICAI'. 
 
 «I(M-M iiol H|i('/\k liy|M'il)(»lic(illy roiiconiirif^ (,li(< liiiti- 
 di'tMl-lMld rcliini, (or hucU >v;im IIic nchnil lorlility ol' 
 M01IH' nv/iniiM, jiH wo Umru (Vom Mio (cHliiiKHiy ol" 
 iniiiiy liiNloriniiM, «(»nw» ol' whom wcro (<yo-wiliioHH<'H. 
 IjiIIh'I-, in IiIh l'iXpoNilioii ol' Miilllmw, rcmivrkN, on 
 Uli« pliHK»: •' TliiH iw ullrrcd n/f.'iinsl, llic rt<|»lilos who 
 niiiinliiin (linl. Ih(< Mpok(<n won) \h nnprolilii1>l(<, ho- 
 riniNo, in Um grciiicr |»ui'l, il, l)iiii^H ToVlii no I'mil. 
 'VU(\ fooJM I MM il Ihoy, of IhoniKclvcs, conitl hring I'orlli 
 fVnil, whih^ yol, on tliin very lUMionnt, Ihal I hoy uiiiko 
 lighl, ol'lho W(»f(l of (lod, lli(*y »wo miinircMtly hiiHc 
 i'(<prol)ni('M. Mnl horo thon noomI, (lint, tin« mcciI npon 
 M. f^ood f4;i<nind docH produco rrnil, whilo no I'mil is 
 galhoi'od from groinid on wliioh mcmmI Jims nol horn 
 »own. Thoroloi'i', if Ihcn* wvvo no priMichrd word 
 in ili(« ohnrcli. ncilhiM- MJiooid Wwvr Im* nu\ I'niit in 
 her." 
 
 III. 
 •rm, 'rAui.H amoin«^ 'riiK wiikat. 
 
 M.iHh. x'tii. 'j-i— ;i()i no— 4.1. 
 
 Tho prtMM'dinfr purnhh« nIiowm IIiiiI Iho kiOf^Mloni ol' 
 (iod nniMl III* ,i;;i'onnd(Ml nnd Imill np in (Mich individnid 
 ihronj^fh liu* word ol'dod ; and idr^o Ihiil, in lln* poculiar 
 «MHidilion of oMch (Ikmu* nnlnndly oxiMi, (MrcuniMl.uneos 
 njoro or Iosm ruvonnihU* or nnrMv«)nral)h* lo llu* mm(mm*hm 
 oi' iho word, in Ihis piiruhh« un iidvnnro 18 minh*. 
 'I'luMVord hivM Inkon root. — Ikin had oH'ocI ; Ih« king- 
 dom IniN olilaincd IIn nuMnhorn, — is rornu*<l into a 
 HO('ioly, --(»xisl« in \\w world m «n inslihilion,-— all 
 whit'h Im (o la* nnd(*rM(ood ol' lim viisibh* ohnroh, as 
 nn inslihilion I'onndi^d hy llu* Lord, in tho manntM' il. 
 pr(*N(MilN ilsrir lo Iho oyt» of the l»(*li(*vin,'; disi'ipic ; 
 and I III» liord h(*rt» «ünoIomi*« Iho (nhnv and Una! lor- 
 niiniilion of Ihid. niislnrt» oi' jL^ood and had wiiioh. 
 daring IIk» progrt'ss ui' limo, coiiliiuuul lo provail in 
 
THE TARES AMONG THE WHEAT. 6S 
 
 his church. The kingdom of God, considered by 
 itself, as a divine institution, and as it shall one day- 
 be manifested in the regions of glor^^ is something 
 entirely perfect, without sin ; a commonwealth of 
 pardoned, blessed, and holy men, together with the 
 holy angels. But the same kingdom of God, in time, 
 considered as an institution for the conversion of sin- 
 ful men, and their edification in holiness, proceeds 
 upon the supposition of their sinful nature and moral 
 freedom, remains, and cannot but remain, tainted 
 with the pollution of sin, which has a footing in its 
 members, though gradually losing its hold of them ; 
 hence the kingdom of God, the visible church, ap- 
 pears in the world, according to a sort of necessity, 
 as a mixed society, and hence also the saying of the 
 Lord : " Let both grow together." Calvin : " For 
 although Christ, with his own blood, cleansed the 
 church, that it might be without spot and wrinkle, 
 he still permits it to be disfigured with many de- 
 formities. Nor do I speak of remaining infirmities of 
 flesh, to wiiich all the faithful are liable after they 
 have been born of God; but as soon as Christ gathered 
 to himself a little flock, many hypocrites and ungodly 
 persons crept in among them ; whence it came to 
 pass, that that sacred company which Christ had 
 separated for himself, became tainted with much 
 corruption. This, however, appears to many ex- 
 tremely absurd, that there should be fostered, in the 
 bosom of the church, any impious, profane and aban- 
 doned persons. And there are manj^, with a great 
 show of zeal, rigid to excess, who, because they can- 
 not get every thing squared to their mind, and can 
 nowhere find absolute purity, fractiously depart from 
 the church, or with importunate rigour overturn and 
 destroy it. Wherefore the great scope of the para- 
 ble is simply this : — As long as the church is taber- 
 nacling on earth, there shall be in it a mixture of 
 bad men and hypocrites with the sincere and good, 
 that the children of God may arm themselves with 
 
64 THE TAKES AMONG THE WHEAT. 
 
 patience, and still retain, amid the annoyances to 
 which they are subjected, an unshaken faith in God." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of the mixture of good and bad in the church of 
 Christ. 
 
 I. The rise of this mixture proceeds : — 
 
 (1.) Not from the Lord ; v. 24, S7. The Son of 
 
 Man sows good seed. 
 (2.) But from his enemy ; v. 25. Then came his 
 
 enemy, &c. v. 39. The enemy that sowed them 
 
 is the devil 
 
 II. The perpetuity of this mixture, v. 26 — SO ; even 
 to the harvest. 
 
 (1.) It is represented : 
 
 a) According to its becoming manifest, so as to 
 be discerned, v. 26. 
 
 b) According to the impression it made upon 
 the feelings of the servants, v. 27. 
 
 c) According to the impression it made upon 
 their wills, v. 28. 
 
 (2.) It is described as agreeable to the purposes 
 of Christ : 
 o) Toward the good, v. 29, — lest ye root up the 
 
 wheat with them. 
 b) Toward the bad, v. SO. Let both grow to- 
 gether. 
 (3 ) It is limited as to its continuance, v. 30 : un- 
 til the harvest. 
 
 III. This m.ixture shall be made to terminate: 
 
 (].) By means of a general separation, v. 30. 
 
 Gather together first the tares ; v. 41, 42. 
 (2.) By means of a righteous judgment, v. 30. 
 
 And bind them in bundles to burn them ; v. 43. 
 
 The kingdom of heaven is like, Sfc. The institution 
 which is set up for the purpose of bringing sinful 
 
THE TARES AMONG THE WHEAT. 6o 
 
 men into fellowship with the Redeemer, presents the 
 same appearance as a field of corn, in which a man 
 sowed good seed, but afterwards his enemy came 
 and sowed tares. Sowed in his field ; Gnomon : " In 
 the field in which he himself is ; for it is not said, 
 into afield," This expression, therefore, must point 
 to operations of the Son of Man, as being himself 
 present and sowing. 
 
 V. 37. He that soweth the good seed is the Son oj 
 Man ; therefore the parable does not refer generall^^ 
 to the contest, ever existing in the world, between 
 good and evil, holiness and sin, light and darkness ; 
 but specially to those manifestations of it which have 
 taken place since the divine power of Jesus Christ 
 began to be displayed in the kingdom founded by 
 him. 
 
 V. 24. In his field; v. 38: The field is the world, 
 his propert}^, for it is given to him, Matth. xxviii. 
 18 — 20; but still not subjected to him, as it shall be 
 in the progressive developement of the kingdom, 
 Heb. ii. 7, 8. Hence the held of the Lord, till now, 
 is only there, where his word is preached, is believ- 
 ed, has found disciples. The heathen and Jewish 
 world, as a field belonging to the world, became the 
 Lord's field, when his messengers first began, under 
 his blessing, to scatter tliere the seed of his word, 
 and find faith in the hearers. Calvin : " But al- 
 though Christ afterwards explains that the field is 
 the ivorld, it is yet not to be doubted, but that pro- 
 perly he wished to apply this name to the church, 
 concerning which he had instituted his discourse. 
 But since he was going to draw the plough of his 
 gospel through every region of the globe, that he 
 might cultivate fields for himself, throughout the 
 whole world, and disperse abroad the seed of life, 
 by synecdoche he transfers to the world what pro- 
 perly applied only to a part of it." 
 
 Good setd, v. 'ö8. The good seed are the children of 
 the kingdom; according to the preceding parable, the 
 seed is the word of God, for only by means of this can 
 
 F 
 
ij'o THE TARES AMOXG THE VvHEAT. 
 
 men be brought to a state of fellowship with Christ, 
 Here the seed of the divine word, the truth, is con- 
 sidered; not by itself, but as it is received into the» 
 liearts of men, becomes inwrought and dwells as a 
 living power within them ; so that the}^ themselves, 
 through means of the word, and quickened by the 
 Holy Spirit, have been made the children of the 
 kingdom ; — have been so changed as to possess the 
 nature of the heavenly kingdom, — the mode of feel- 
 ing that properly becomes its members, are brethren 
 of Christ, and, as children of God, are heirs also of 
 eternal life. 
 
 Ver. 25. But while the people slept ; this incident 
 Jesus has not expounded in the interpretation, but it 
 marks the favourable time, which the artful enemy 
 spies out and uses for the execution of his destruc- 
 tive designs and mischievous devices. Since the 
 kingdom of heaven is appointed for sinners, it is un- 
 avoidable but that there shall be found something 
 sinful intermixed with it, Matth. xviii. 7 ; 2 Cor. xi. 
 19, and hence we must not bring an unconditional 
 reproach of sleepiness against the members of the 
 church, its apostles and teachers. But it is not to be 
 denied, on the other hand, that the kingdom of dark- 
 ness should not have been able to spread so great and 
 extensive a corruption through the church of the 
 Lord, had not sleep, that is, careless securit}^, spiri- 
 tual indifference, want of love to Christ, a worldly 
 understanding of the Christian name, provided it 
 with favourable circumstances. Luther, in his expo- 
 sition on this place, says : *' By the sleeping he indi- 
 cates that it is impossible to prevent the entrance of 
 heretics. For while the apostles teach the word as 
 full of ^oy and consolation, and hope that all will be 
 pure and safe, lo, while they are, as it were, asleep, 
 and never dreamt of anything of the kind, suddenly 
 arise false apostles and false brethren. Who can 
 prevent it ? There are brethren, who will unawares 
 become villains as Cain did towards Abel." 
 
 His enemy came, ver. 39 : The enemy who sowed 
 
THE TARES AMONG THE WHEAT. 67 
 
 them is the devil, the perpetual enemy of the king- 
 dom of God, the old serpent.- There is a prince of 
 this world, a father of lies, a soul-murderer from the 
 beginning ; he holds, with his angels, an organized 
 kingdom, and opposes the designs of God, the ad- 
 vancement of the divine kingdom, by means of false- 
 hood and error. He is the ultimate source of all 
 evil, which lies partly without, partly within the 
 kingdom of God, and is detrimental to its interests. 
 Calvin : " We ought to know, that it is neither from 
 accident, nor in the natural course of things, that 
 many wicked persons introduce themselves among the 
 faithful, as iF they were of one and the same kidney; 
 but let us be careful to impute the blame of this mis- 
 chief to the devil, so as not, through his damnation, 
 to acquit men of guilt, and especially to ascribe no 
 blemish to God, on account of this adventitious evil ; 
 neither let us be surprised if we should see the tares, 
 by degrees, growing up in the field of the Lord, since 
 Satan is always on the watch for mischief" 
 
 And sowed tares among the wheat; ver. 38: The 
 tares are the children of the wicked one. Falsehood 
 and error are the proper serpent's brood ; the devil's 
 word gives the lie to the word of God, brings it into 
 doubt, or perverts it. But, as falsehood and error 
 were to be described by our Lord, not as something 
 by itself, as a dead thing, as an existence standing 
 apart from the human heart, he therefore says, that 
 the children of the wicked one are the tares. The 
 word of falsehood has found an entrance into the 
 heart, it is received as true, it has darkened the un- 
 derstanding, enchained the will, depraved the feel- 
 ings, and they, in whom this has been done, are now 
 the children of evil, (of the wicked one, the devil) ; 
 they have his nature, have become like-minded with 
 him, live and move in falsehood, error, and mischief. 
 " For the parable speaks," says Luther, '' not of 
 such false Christians as are unchristian only in the 
 outward life, but of those w^ho are so in regard to 
 faith and doctrine, possessing the name of Christians 
 
68 THE TARES AMONG THE WHEAT. 
 
 and a glistening appearance, but are in reality noxi- 
 ous. The evil, in their case, lies in the conscience, 
 not in the hand. And they must, indeed, be spiri- 
 tual servants, who can discern such tares among the 
 wheat." 
 
 And luent his way ; he does not permit himself to 
 be seen, works in darkness, the fruit of his working 
 alone is seen ; but he is ever busy in the children of 
 unbehef, Eph. ii. 2, John viii. 40, 41. Luther : 
 " This is the uniform artifice of Satan and heretics, 
 that they strive to avoid the appearance of intro- 
 ducing false doctrines." 
 
 Ver. 26. But when the blade ivas sprmig up, and 
 brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 
 The good seed was sown beforehand, had already 
 taken deep root, had reached a certain height, and 
 hence was no longer in danger of being checked by 
 the rising tares. What at first did not clearly dis- 
 cover itself as tares, even to the experienced eye, 
 could not conceal itself in its farther progress, when 
 it became more matured. By their fruits the tares 
 were known to be what they really were, though, till 
 then, they had preserved a deceitful resemblance to 
 the wheat. Satan manifests himself as altogether an 
 angel of light. This resemblance of the tares to the 
 wheat is indicated in the name of the first, ^tC^avia, 
 which is a sort of after-wheat, cockle, and not easy to 
 be distinguished from genuine wheat.* With this 
 
 ^ [VV'hyour author should at once denominate this plant 
 after- wheat and cockJe, as if they were one and the same, we 
 profess ourselves unable to understand. Schleusner, on the 
 other hand, expressly distinguishes them, and says, we are not 
 to take it for a kind of cockle, which grows among wheat, but 
 for after-wheat, a sort of inferior or secondary wheat, in ap- 
 pearance very like to genuine wheat, but yielding either no 
 fruit at all, or only bad fruit. That this is the kind of plant 
 referred to, however, under the name of zizunia or tares, 
 many learned commentators are of opinion ; and yet it does not 
 appear that the difference between this secondary, and the ge- 
 nuine wheat, is by any means of such a radical and essential 
 kind as to coi respond with the distinction which separates tlie 
 
THE TARES AMONG THE WHEAT. 69 
 
 verse begins the more extended bearing of the para- 
 ble, as describing the continued and permanent na- 
 ture of the mixture in question. It would be need- 
 less labour, and contrary besides to the nature of the 
 parable, to search for those periods in the church's 
 histor}^, wherein corruption has spread itself more 
 deeply among her professing members. It early be- 
 gan to manifest itself in the church ; in Jerusalem we 
 have Ananias and Sapphira, in Samaria Simon ; see 
 also 1 Cor. i. 1 1 ; Gal. i. 6, ss. ; Phil. iii. 2, ss.; Col. ii. 
 8, ss. ; 2 Tim. iv. 3, 14. And, just as in nature, both 
 the wheat and the tares unfold themselves, each ac- 
 cording to their own natures, from the first germ in 
 the seed on till the time of harvest, so is it also in the 
 church ; the more that in it which is conformable to 
 the spirit of Christ, developes itself in doctrine, and 
 life, in practice and constitution, the more always 
 does that, which is unchristian or antichristian, be- 
 come manifest as such, and appear in more flagrant 
 contrast with the former. And the more the church 
 
 true people of Christ from the offspring of the wicked one. 
 The language used concerning it in the parable, and especially 
 the application there made of it, seem to imply that it must 
 have been a weed, a noxious weed, incapable of being used for 
 food, fit only to be burned, yet possessing such a general re- 
 semblance to the wheat, that it was only bye and bye, when the 
 field was ripening to the haivest, that the evil admixture l>e- 
 came apparent. Now, it is a well ascertained fact, that there 
 is a species of cockle or darnel, which very frequently springs 
 up among fields of corn in Syria, belonging to the same family 
 of plants with wheat, and, when analyzed, found to contain al- 
 most precisely the same ingredients, yet so very different in its 
 effects upon the human frame, that when its seeds remain 
 mixed with the wheat, the flour thus produced always occasions 
 dizziness and other injurious consequences. We see no suffi- 
 cient reason to doubt, therefore, that this is the plant referred 
 to by our Lord, — the more especially when we are further in- 
 formed, that the name at present given to it by the Arabs is 
 zulsan, (not very different from zizania), and that, in sev^eral 
 parts of Syria it is customary for the people to pluck out the 
 stalks of this weed while reaping, and bind it in separate bun- 
 dles] — Trans. 
 
70 THE TARES AMONG; THE WHEAT. 
 
 is sifted witli great and severe trials, in the same pro- 
 portion does the mixture, that existed in her, become 
 more visible, the opposition more marked, and so the 
 first judgment must be regarded as a perfectly cor- 
 rect one. 
 
 Ver. 27. Lord, didst not thou sotv good seed in thy 
 field ? From lohence then hath it tares ? Gnomon : 
 " Tares have a better appearance than thorns and 
 thistles, so that from the one being tolerated, we can- 
 not certainly conclude that the other shall. And 
 often the tares assume the character of wheat, and 
 endeavour to extirpate the wheat as if it were tares." 
 " The servants spake this," says Luther, " because 
 from love to the Word they were indignant against 
 the heretics, and wished that there were none, that 
 all might be like-minded, and a stop put to the 
 devil's rule in the church." The conversation be- 
 tween the Lord and his servant?;, renders the matter 
 more vivid and lively. The sense of the first ques- 
 tion is. we know perfectly well that thou didst sow 
 good seed. The second question exposes in a livel^^ 
 manner their astonishment at the incomprehensible 
 nature of the result. Whosoever has come to know 
 the power of the gospel, and understands how it is 
 adapted to purify and ennoble the corrupt heart, can- 
 not but wonder how a great degeneracy can insinuate 
 itself into the church, and become prevalent even 
 among those who have been favoured with all the 
 means of grace and privileges of salvation. 
 
 Ver. 28. The enemy has done this. Tinman na- 
 ture is indeed corrupt : flesh itself is liable to error ; 
 but this experimental truth does not suffice to ex- 
 plain the great corruption in the church, whose di- 
 vine powers are so utterly unproductive in many of 
 her professing members. The all- seeing Lord keeps 
 a careful watch over the actions of the enemy, who 
 knows so well how to make a skilful use of every 
 unhappy circumstance, in order to restrain the empire 
 of light, 2 Thess. ii. 8—12. 
 
 Wilt thou then that we go and gather them vp ? 
 
Tue tares among the wheat. 71 
 
 This is the third question of the servants, and ex- 
 jiresses at once their desire and their readiness to 
 serve the Lord. It is good that they ask of him ; in 
 the Lord's kins^dom nothing: must be transacted ac- 
 cording to their own will, their private sense and 
 conviction of what is right. His will is the rule of 
 conduct, and becomes also the will of his servants. 
 To gather, or root up, to apply a power of extirpation. 
 Luke ix. 54. 
 
 Ver. 29. Nay ; Gnomon : " The zeal Vvhich the 
 pious cherish against the tares is not blamed ; it is, 
 however, reduced into proper order." It is the will 
 of the Lord that the tares should for a time be suffer- 
 ed, that the mixture should be allowed to continue ; 
 and yet the history of the church shows that those 
 who in courts of inquisition and persecutions against 
 schismatics, assumed the appearance of faithful and 
 zealous servants, went directly counter to this decid- 
 ed nay of the Lord. The Lord converses most gra- 
 ciously with the servants, and shews them the deeper 
 ground on which his remarkable declaration rested. 
 
 Lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the 
 wheat also. Here is the first ground of allowing the 
 permanency of the mixture, the servants have not the 
 power of making a right division. History proves 
 it to be the case; persons have been persecuted and 
 oppressed, who in the real church of the Lord were 
 children of the kingdom. But the continued inter- 
 mixture of good and bad, affords these also the op- 
 portunity of jiroving themselves to be true children 
 of the kingdom, in patience, placableness and love 
 towards their enemies ; the patience and long-suffer- 
 ing of the Lord in bearing with the children of evil, 
 serves as a means to promote their spiritual advance- 
 ment; they could not, without the temptations and 
 sufferings which grow out of their connection with 
 the wicked, arrive at matured excellence and con- 
 formity to the image of Christ, and so an essential, a 
 necessary means of improvement, according to the 
 present sinful constitution of human nature, would 
 
72 THE TARES AMONG THE WHEAT. 
 
 be withdrawn from them to their hurt. Luther: 
 " There are here two causes ; I. Because some who 
 are still to be converted from among the wicked, 
 should be condemned and destroyed, if they were 
 refused admittance into the church and fellowship 
 with the wheat. 2. If we would suffer no tares, we 
 should also have no church. For since the church 
 cannot exist without tares, if we were to pluck up 
 the tares, it would be all one with rooting up the 
 church " 
 
 Ver. 30. Let both grow together. This is the se- 
 cond ground of the permanency of the mixture ; the 
 intercourse that subsists between the good and bad 
 in the visible Church may, and must be of great 
 service to the latter, as bringing them within the in- 
 fluence of the good example and blissful love of the 
 real members of the kingdom ; and from the long- 
 suffering patience of the Lord, it has often happened 
 that in the protracted day of grace, upon this terri- 
 tory, where freedom reigns, a Saul has been changed 
 into a Paul. The tares must not be violently torn 
 up, but this does not hinder that the good wheat 
 should be tended with all care, and its increase con- 
 stantl}'- sought ; does not hinder that error should be 
 exposed as error, and full warning given of it, and 
 that the faithful discipline of the Church, administer- 
 ed in a spirit of love, should so correct the vices that 
 appear as to leave room for repentance, Titus iii. 10. 
 Luther : " The Lord says not that we must check the 
 tares, but that we must not root them up ; nor does 
 he say that we must sow or cultivate the tares, but 
 speaks only of their being permitted to grow'' 
 Melancthon : " He teaches that the Church should 
 not be an earthly kingdom, and does not wish that 
 the apostles should bear the sword, or punish delin- 
 quents with the sjvord. Elsewhere he teaches that 
 flagrant offences should be treated with excommuni- 
 cation. Still, many sins will certainly remain. But 
 here we are told tkat the Church does not, on this 
 account, cease to exist, for many bad one^have been 
 
THE TARES AMONG THE V.'HEAT. 73 
 
 mixed with the good. This doctrine supplies us with 
 a valuable consolation." 
 
 Until the harvest ; by this time both the wheat and 
 the tares shall have so fully developed themselves, 
 that no doubt can any longer exist concerning their 
 respective natures, and hence, in the great separation 
 that is then to take place, the righteousness of the 
 Lord will shine forth in the clearest light. Ver. 39 : 
 The harvest is the end of the world, the completion 'or 
 fulfilment of the (present) ages of the world ; it is 
 therefore a mere dream for any one to expect a 
 spotless visible Church upon earth ; where the 
 Church is, there is continually a mixture. Yet still 
 the obligation and the duty remains to have the field 
 of the Church preserved in every respect as pure as 
 possible, that in doctrine, practice, and constitution, 
 she may be conformable to the mind of Christ. 
 Luther : " Just as it is here with the human body, it 
 cannot in this life be perfectly clean ; so is it also, 
 with Christianity, which is a spiritual body ; it can- 
 not on earth be found without filth and impurity." 
 
 And in the time of harvest I ivill say to the 
 reapers ; Gnomon : " xaioojj then at length there will 
 be a fit season." The Lord here saj's I; and re- 
 serves to himself the power of appointing the time 
 for the final sifting. The reapers are the angels, v. 
 39 ; through the Lord's power and unerring discern- 
 ment they are capacitated for the work committed to 
 them. 
 
 Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them 
 that they may be burned. This third main division 
 of the parable discloses the final destiny of the two 
 parties, who have hitherto been mixed together. 
 First of all, there is to be the separation of every 
 thing heterogeneous, evil to evil ; and then the 
 punishment. Those who formerly were named chil- 
 dren of evil, and had also remained such, are at v. 
 41 divided into two classes : those that oj^end and 
 those that do iniquity. In regard to the first, cyAvhoi'ka, 
 persons are so named, as Peter in Matth. xvi. 23 ; it 
 
74 THE TARES AMONG THE WHEAT. 
 
 denotes heretics, and hence seducers. The other 
 class comprehends those who have led a manifestly 
 wicked life, and have thereby scandalized the Chm^ch, 
 1 it. iii. ] 1. Calvin : " The former v/e called axdi/buXcc, 
 (ofFendicula), because they not only live badly for 
 themselves, but corrupt the faith of many, retard 
 others' in their outward course, completely lead astray 
 some, and drive others headlong into ruin. Hence 
 it must be received as a profitable admonition, to be- 
 ware lest, being surrounded with so many offenders, 
 (GTtdidaXa), we should go on slothful and secure, 
 but rather apply ourselves to the vigorous exercise 
 of caution. 
 
 Afid shall cast them into a furnace of fire ^ v. 42 ; 
 an allusion to the vale of Hinnom, where the service 
 of Moloch was, to honour him by burning children, 
 Calvin: " He denounces a terrible judgment against 
 certain hypocrites and reprobates, who appear now 
 principal members of the Church, that they may not 
 lull themselves to sleep with their own vain imagina- 
 tions. As the infinitude of glory, which is laid up 
 for the sons of God, too far exceeds our loftiest ap- 
 prehensions to be properly expressed in words ; so the 
 punishment which awaits the reprobate, because it is 
 incomprehensible, is shadowed forth in a manner 
 suited to our weak capacity." The misery of the 
 damned shall be most dreadfully severe ; There shall 
 he wailing and gnashing of teeth^ prop, grinding of 
 teeth from anguish of mind, and impotent rage, 
 Matth. viii. 12. 
 
 Ver. 30. But gather the wheat into my garner^ 
 Ver. 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the 
 sun in the kingdom of their Father. Good to the 
 good, and glorious reward of grace I Therighteotis, 
 those who possess God's favour, because they are 
 what He would have men to be ; that they are such 
 is the effect of divine grace. Shining as the sun, 
 (Dan. xii. 3.) denotes their glory and blessedness, in- 
 creased through the far-extending, benignant, blessed 
 and happy influence which they exercise upon others. 
 
THE MUSTARD SEED. 75 
 
 In (heir Father s kingdom ; God is the Father of the 
 righteous, they are his children ; an intimate, bless- 
 ed society, John xvii. 23. Calvin : " Glorious con- 
 solation, that the sons of God, who now lie in squalid 
 poverty, or are passed by as things of no price, or 
 are even loaded with reproaches, shall then, as it 
 were, in a serene sky, and overshadowed by no cloud, 
 truly sliine forth in refulgent brightness ; for the Son 
 of God shall raise his people aloft, and wipe away 
 every spot of pollution which now obscures their 
 glory. True, indeed, it is, that future glory is pro- 
 mised to none, but to those in whom the image of 
 God is now reflected, and who are transformed into 
 it by continual advances in glory. But when com- 
 paring this glory to the sun, our Lord is not to be 
 understood as affirming its uniform equality ; for as 
 here he distributes in various degrees his gifts among 
 the faithful, so also will he crown them with glory on 
 the last day." That the tares are gathered^V^^, is a 
 subordinate circumstance, which must not be closely 
 pressed, for in Matth. xxv. 31 — 46, the reverse order 
 is given. 
 
 IV. 
 
 THE MUSTARD SEED. 
 
 Matt. xiii. 31, 32 Mark iv. 30, 32 Liikexiii. 18, 19. 
 
 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed ; 
 that is, there are to be found in this, and in the 
 Christian dispensation, the same appearances ; so 
 that the history of a mustard-seed, which grows and 
 becomes a large plant, is an excellent image of the 
 history of the heavenly kingdom upon earth, and 
 that in a twofold respect. The gigantic effect pro- 
 ceeding from a small and most unpromising com- 
 mencement ; this is the grand point of comparison in 
 the parable, and it finds full application to the hea- 
 venly kingdom, whether this be regarded as a society 
 of believers in Christ, an institution for the salvation 
 
76 THE MUSTARD SEED. 
 
 of sinful men — the visible church ; or in its reference 
 to the individual believer, as in him also it rises out 
 of a small beginning to a great and glorious result. 
 For the laws are exactly the same, according to 
 which the divine seed unfolds itself in humanity as a 
 whole, and in each individual. On account of tliis 
 double reference (of which, however, the first answers 
 most perfectly to the figurative representation, since 
 in it only can the touching incident about the birds 
 of the air coming to lodge in the branches, find its 
 exact signification), the truth disclosed in the simili- 
 tude might perhaps be expressed in the most cor- 
 rect manner, if we say, that it represents the progres- 
 sive developement of the gospel, or of Christianity;, — 
 which on a large scale, and as a whole, belongs to it 
 in the church, as well as on a small scale in indivi- 
 duals. Calvin : " By these parables (Matt. xiii. 31 — 
 33), Christ animates his disciples, lest they should be 
 discouraged and offended at the small beginning of 
 the gospel. We see how haughtily profane men dis- 
 pute the gospel, and even make it an object of mock- 
 ery, because it is brought to them by ministers of 
 mean origin and of little note, because it does not 
 meet with an instant and universal reception, but has 
 few disciples, and these for the most part men of 
 little worth in the estimation of the world. Hence 
 it happens, that the weak despair concerning its suc- 
 cess, of which they augur according to its commence- 
 ment. But the Lord wisely prognosticates the suc- 
 cessful establishment of his kingdom from small and 
 contemptible beginnings, that its unexpected progress 
 might the better illustrate his power." Luther, in 
 his Exposition: " In this parable, Christ removes 
 another offence out of the way, that, namelj^, of weak- 
 ness, which is found to exist in the word, and in the 
 church before the world, and even in the eyes of the 
 pious. For the parable immediately preceding took 
 away the offence arising from ungodliness, and the 
 existence of sects in the church; here he represents 
 even the external aspect of the church as offensive, 
 when he says : The church is like the very smallest 
 
THE MUSTAED SEED. 
 
 77 
 
 seed, which is looked upon as the most insignificant 
 of things. But out of this one seed, little though it 
 be, there nevertheless grows a church so great, that 
 many peoples, princes, and wise men, come and rest 
 in it, through faith. By which he means to inform 
 us, tliat the world should be converted to the faith 
 in a manner fitted to excite wonder, and give offence, 
 namely, through weakness, in opposition to all power, 
 wisdom, righteousness, &c. ; a method of working 
 that may truly be regarded as a divine wonder. 
 For the kingdoms of this world are n.)t established 
 through weakness, but through power as oppposed 
 to weakness. Wherefore there is an entire dissimi- 
 larity between the manner of planting God's king- 
 dom, and that in which earthly kingdoms are planted. 
 And on this ground alone might it be proved, that 
 the church is the kingdom of God, because all other 
 kingdoms in the world contend with this one, which 
 is continually despised, accounted weak, and reckon- 
 ed even as nothing, and yet they shall not prevail, 
 but it shall itself prevail at last over all kingdoms, 
 and convert them to itself through the mighty power 
 of God." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The progressive developement of Christianity. 
 
 1. It is small in its beginning. 
 
 2. Gradual in its progress. 
 
 3. Great and glorious in its termination, 
 
 1. The birth of the Son of Man in Bethlehem, is 
 the small and unpromising commencement of the 
 heavenly kingdom, which, in its manifestation, is iden- 
 tified with him. In the quiet of domestic privacy, 
 the child increases ; in his thirtieth year he comes 
 forth into public, teaches three years, and then dies 
 upon the cross. Matt. xiii. 54, 55. Fishermen and 
 publicans, plain and unlettered men, are his first 
 scholars and messengers, and they gathered them- 
 selves to him only by degrees, John i. 35 — 51 ; be- 
 
78 THE MUSTARD SEED. 
 
 sides the twelve, the whole multitude of disciples 
 amounted to but one hundred and twenty, (Acts i. 
 15.) So small at first was the company of our Lord's 
 followers. 
 
 Small also is the beginning of the heavenly kingdom 
 in the human heart; it begins by a word of truth reach- 
 ing the conscience ; a ray of light from above finds 
 its way into the darkness of the inner man, and per- 
 haps some trifling circumstance gives rise to con- 
 sequences infinitely important. Draeseke, p. 231 : 
 " At the first there were thoughts of Jesus, which 
 many times flashed upon us, clear thoughts, though 
 still overshadowed with doubts. By degrees, how- 
 ever, the doubts became more rare and feeble ; con- 
 victions on the other hand, built upon the foundation 
 which has already been laid, find their way into our 
 heart. At first there were inclinations to Jesus, 
 which often stirred the heart, pious inclinations, but 
 still intermingled with the love of sin. By degrees, 
 however, we come to crucify the ungodly nature and 
 the lusts of the flesh ; attachment, strong and pure, 
 such as he demands, found its way into the heart. 
 At first there were feelings for Jesus, holy feelings, 
 but still alternaiing with impatience, lust, pas- 
 sion, and a thousand interruptions. By degrees, 
 however, the storm was allayed, a calmness, serene 
 as the clear heaven, the offspring of a peace which 
 is higher than all reason, found its way into our 
 heart."' 
 
 2. The progress, the further extension of the 
 heavenly kingdom upon earth, is gradual. How it 
 was carried on, we learn in the Acts of the Apostles, 
 and in that interesting portion of church history 
 which treats of the spread of Christianity. The mus- 
 tard-seed groweth up and becometh greater than all 
 herbs, and shooteth out great branches, (Mark v. 32). 
 The gospel spread on all sides from Jerusalem, and, 
 like the increase of that tree, shooting up under the 
 fructifying influences of heaven, so does the exten- 
 sion of the church (especially in the first centuries, 
 
THE MUSTARD SEED. 79 
 
 and again also in more recent times ; in the former of 
 wiiich it owed noticing, and in the latter little, to hu- 
 man power for its progress), manifest itself as an ef- 
 fect of the power given to the exalted Son of Man, 
 and of his blessed influence, since he accompanies 
 the preached gospel with the gracious workings of 
 his Spirit, and makes it powerful, withal providing 
 here and there openings for the preaching of the gos- 
 pel. The gradual increase of the church shows itself 
 quite manifestly to be a work of divine grace, for the 
 first preachers had no power or honour from the 
 world. Sprung of a despised and hated people, they 
 had no other means of working but the pov>^er of the 
 word, and put to shame the vain, fleshly wisdom of 
 the world, and stood up for one crucified, (1 Cor. i. 
 25 — 29), and made no promise of earthly goods. 
 The lively walk of the first Christians ; their con- 
 stancy under suff'ering ; the blood of their martyrs ; 
 the dispersion of their harassed and persecuted mem- 
 bers, — all tended to secure only a gradual and steady 
 increase to the church. 
 
 It is only a gradual increase also, that is experi- 
 enced by the genuine Christian, in faith, in discern- 
 ment, in love, in hope, in humility, and all the 
 Christian virtues in the heart. Amid many storms, 
 both of external and of internal temptation, the new 
 creature still grows, and the old more and more de- 
 cays, (2 Cor. iii. 18.) 
 
 3. Great and glorious is the issue! Great — at last 
 one flock, the earth full of the knowledge of the Lord, 
 no people any more in darkness and the shadow of 
 death, the unbelieving Israel converted, the vain idols 
 ■with their altars and the service connected there- 
 with, vanished away as completely as the gods of 
 Greece and Rome. All this proceeding from the 
 smallest beginning, — but still the time is not fulfilled 
 and the parable is consequently in that prophetical ; 
 on which account, the missionary cause rests its 
 claim upon the Christian world, as a sacred obliga- 
 tion^ — an obligation of love to the Saviour of the 
 
SJ the mustard seed. 
 
 world, and the miserable beings that still live in sin, 
 an obligation of gratitude for being permitted to en- 
 joy the blessings of the gospel, an obligation of obe- 
 dience to the clearly expressed will of our Lord, 
 Matt, xxviii. 18 — 20; Luke xxiv. 47. 
 
 Glorious also is the issue ; for temporal and eter- 
 nal blessings flow in rich streams among all the mem- 
 bers of the Christian church ; and hence the various 
 peoples of the earth dwell under the shadow of the 
 great tree of the church of Christ, and tind rest to 
 their souls under its branches, and imbibe the hope 
 of eternal life ; while others are continually coming 
 to receive an interest in the same benefits. The 
 Lord has awakened a desire after his salvation, 
 though still unknown in the heathen world; the 
 latest missionary reports sufficiently attest it. So 
 that for this object, the church of Christ must ever 
 strive and pray, " Thy kingdom come," that the i)a- 
 rable before us may receive its fulfilment. 
 
 The appearance presented by a heart which wholly 
 belongs to Christ, is in like manner great and glori- 
 ous. What did not a John, a Paul become ! And 
 all from the small beginning that the word of God 
 has been implanted in the heart. 
 
 The mustard-seed is indeed not absolutely the very 
 smallest seed, but is so when viewed in relation to 
 the greatness of the.plant which grows out of it. In 
 the Jerusalem Talmud it is related : " It happened 
 to a mustaid-plant at Sichem, which had three 
 branches, that one of them was broken off; and that 
 so large as to cover a potter's tent, and to yield three 
 cabs of seed." Again : " I had in my garden a stalk 
 of mustard, on which I climbed up as I used to do on 
 a fig-tree, (Canstein, Harmony of the Four Gospels). 
 Mustard-seed is proverbially used as that to which 
 any thing particularly small may be compared ; so in 
 Matth. xvii. "20, Luke xvii. 6. Luther's marginal 
 note : " No word is more despised than the gospel, 
 and yet there is none more powerful ; for it makes 
 
THE PIECE OF LEAVEN. 81 
 
 those righteous who believe upon it ; law and works 
 cannot do so." 
 
 Vitringa, according to his custom, brings out 
 several more points of comparison, as that the mus- 
 tard-seed has great strength, is healthful to the body, 
 purifies the blood, and destroys what might hurt the 
 body ; so also says he, the heavenly kingdom ! How 
 is the tertium comparationis, with which alone we have 
 to do, stretched here beyond the line of propriety, 
 and contrary to sound taste ? 
 
 V. 
 
 THE PIECE OF LEAVEN. 
 
 Matth. xiii. 33. Luke xiii. 20, 21. 
 
 The similarity of this parable to the preceding one 
 is not to be mistaken ; and yet the leading thought 
 it contains is quite different. The blessed effects of 
 the heavenly kingdom are, according to the preced- 
 ing parable, first observable, when it has reached a 
 distinguished greatness, then the birds come to lodge 
 in the branches of the mustard-tree. But in truth 
 and reality, the efficacy of the word begins as soon 
 as it is any where received. This efficacy, con- 
 cealed from the external eye, but not the less really 
 existent, the Lord represents in the piece of leaven, 
 which begins to work upon the dough the moment it 
 is inserted there. The ideas common to both para- 
 bles lie, 1. In the small quantity of leaven, therefore in 
 the small beginning from which the effect proceeds. 
 2. In the gradual, silent, concealed developement of 
 the mustard-seed and the leaven ; 3. In the great 
 result which is produced, the whole hatch is leavened. 
 But what is peculiar to this parable, lies in the cir- 
 cumstance, that the leaven, by means of its power, 
 assimilates to itself the susceptible dough, imparts 
 to this its own nature and taste, so that in nature and 
 
 G 
 
82 THE PIECE OF LEAVEPT. 
 
 properties, the dough, when completely penetrated 
 by the leaven, becomes another thing, quite different 
 from what it formerly was. The main object of the 
 parable then is, to represent the all-renewing power 
 of Christianity, and that again in a two-fold respect, 
 as it affects single individuals, and as it affects the 
 whole of humanity. 
 
 Leaven is often used in the New Testament as a 
 figurative expression for designating an efficient 
 power, whether in a good or in a bad sense. In Luke 
 xii. 1, the hypocrisy of the pharisees is warned 
 against as a pernicious leaven : in Gal. v. 9, leaven 
 marks the hurtful effects of false doctrine ; and in 
 1 Cor. V. 6, the corrupting power of bad example is 
 compared to it. But in this parable leaven can only 
 be used as an image of the holy power with which 
 the word of God works, and it scarcely deserves to 
 be mentioned, that Vitringa brings to remembrance 
 the corruptions which have been in the Christian 
 church, and says, that our Lord sought here to warn 
 us of them beforehand. Gnomon : " I would refer 
 this to the propagation, rather than to the corruption 
 of the church." Luther in his Exposition, says on 
 this place : '' Our Lord wishes to comfort us with 
 this similitude, and give us to understand, that, when 
 the gospel, as a piece of new leaven, has once mixed 
 itself with the human race, which is the dough, it 
 will never cease till the end of the world, but^ will 
 make its way through the whole mass of those who 
 are to be saved, and com.e to all who are worthy of 
 it, despite of all the gates of hell. And, just as it is 
 impossible for the sourness, when it has once mingled 
 itself with the dough, ever again to be separated from 
 it, because it has changed the nature of the dough, 
 so is it also impossible for Christians to be ever torn 
 from Christ. For Christ, as a piece of leaven, is so 
 incorporated with them, that they form with him one 
 body, one mass." 
 
 The heavenly kingdom is like unto leaven, as 
 touching the fellowship of men with Christ, — when 
 
THE PIECE OF LEAVEN. S3 
 
 any one comes to fellowship with him, it is with such 
 a one exactly as with a piece of leaven, which ex- 
 tends its som-ness to the whole dough ; the whole 
 man, and the whole of humanity, become, through 
 this fellowship, entirely different, and the change is 
 effected through the word of God, as the means 
 whereb}^ the Lord communicates to us the workings 
 of his grace. Luther's gloss : " Leaven is also the 
 word, v/hich renews men." Melanch. : " The king- 
 dom of heaven is such, that in it the hearts of men 
 are changed through the word. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The all-renewing power of Christianity. 
 
 It is represented : 
 
 L As a renewing power — the leaven leavens ; 
 
 2. As one all-renewing — the three measures of 
 meal. 
 
 3. As one wholly renewing — until the whole 
 was leavened. 
 
 The heavenly kingdom is the all-renewing power, 
 the leaven. That it is so, and that nothing else can 
 supply its place, experience teaches. Not art, nor 
 science, nor religion in general, as faith merely in a 
 higher state of being, no, nor even the divine law it- 
 self, is able to produce that reformation in man 
 which is wrought by the leaven of the heavenly 
 kingdom. This leaven is that which is more pecu- 
 liarly divine in Christianity, its divine truth and power, 
 its most spiritual parts, in particular those among its 
 doctrines, of reconciliation through the death of Christ, 
 and of the freer grace of God, which justifies the be- 
 lieving sinner. The form in which it is brought near 
 to us, is the word, the doctrine ; and this again comes 
 to us by reason of our communion with the church. 
 But the community of the church may be very ill 
 regulated as to life, practice, and constitution, and in 
 principle it may possess little that is Christian, be 
 
84 
 
 THE PIECE OF LEAVEN. 
 
 deformed through the corrupt mixtures of supersti- 
 tion, or frittered away by the rash encroachments of 
 unbelief. Nevertheless, the leaven itself is un- 
 touched, and must ever remain so : its divine powers 
 can not be weakened by the sinfulness of men, how- 
 ever much its free and native efficacy may thereby be 
 hindered. 
 
 The object, upon which the leaven works, is every 
 part of the entire mass, and, consequently, this itself; 
 the individuaVand the whole of humanity, with what- 
 soever belongs to it. It is only when the dough has 
 not already been leavened, that the leaven works ; 
 and it is only when the heart has not been full}^ satu- 
 rated by the opposite nature and power of the king- 
 dom of darkness with falsehood, error, malice, and 
 hatred of the truth, that the divine leaven can effec- 
 tuall^' work upon it ; such a total w ant of suscepti- 
 bility for his word, our Lord ascribes to his hearers, 
 in John viii. 37, ss. 
 
 The human heart is the immediate object upon 
 which the power of Christianity works ; it enlightens 
 the understanding, purifies and ennobles the feelings, 
 sanctifies the will ; the earthly frame gives way to 
 the heavenly, and tlie man lives no longer for the 
 earth, but even now he lives in and for that life which 
 is in heaven. " The divine power of the gospel," 
 says Draeseke, " works in the human heart after a 
 threefold manner, begetting knowledge of sin, feel- 
 ing of guilt, longing desire for the Redeemer, who 
 wipes out guilt and takes away sin. As the dough 
 rises from the leaven, so from the divine power of 
 the gospel there rise up in the breast of man thoughts, 
 feelings, and aspirations of a divine nature, of which 
 he was before incapable." As every individual, who 
 has experienced in himself the efficacy of the gospel, 
 becomes, for the circle in which he moves, a leaven 
 to work still farther, so by degrees the divine power 
 penetrates through the whole of humanity, and every 
 thing connected with it partakes in the renewing 
 change. In domestic life marriage is sanctified, and 
 
THE PIECE OF JLEAVEN. 85 
 
 the education of children conducted in the fear of 
 God ; in civil life, equal rights are established, the 
 female sex is rescued from servitude, slavery is abo- 
 lished, legislation becomes mild, war itself is ren- 
 dered humane ; another spirit is infused into philoso- 
 phy, science, art, every thing, in short, through the 
 blessed influence of Christianity, which works as 
 leaven, until the whole has been thoroughly leavened. 
 The barbarians that were won to Christianity^ at the 
 great period of migration, and the history of the re- 
 formation, are proofs of what has now been declared. 
 
 And this power works internally ; concealed from 
 the outward eye it ferments within, and is often 
 working with great power, when every thing, exter- 
 nally; appears still dead and unaltered ; the new life 
 proceeds from within toward what is without. The 
 course of developement, in the kingdom of grace, as 
 of nature, is generally gradual ; working with a mild 
 efficacy, so that every thing hostile is subdued, if only 
 it is permitted to have its course; iJi various directions, 
 so that the jjrogress of conversion in the heart is 
 exceedingly varied, and cannot be reduced to de- 
 terminate forms and methods, — ivith a certain, trium- 
 phant result, which is unfailing, since the power in 
 question will never cease to work till the whole has 
 been leavened. Hence is it necessary to exercise 
 patience and quiet waiting on the Lord ; impatience 
 or violent impetuosity, which would force the leaven- 
 ing process, is perverseness ; and for one to think of 
 generating the Christian life, the spiritual renovation, 
 from without^ is the height of absurdity. 
 
 The relation of the new creature to his former con- 
 dition is still to be considered. The flour remains 
 flour, only it is leavened ; the peculiar temperament 
 of individuals, the distinctive character of nations, is 
 not annihilated by Christianity, but only purged of 
 it sinful intermixture. Christianity does not aim at 
 producing identity of thought, temper of mind, in- 
 clination, — not even at producing identity in the 
 forms of life, of government, and constitution ; but 
 
86 THE PIECE OF LEAVEN. 
 
 it does produce a community of saints, one faith, 
 one love, one hope, the same humility and self-de- 
 nial in all the members of the church, 1 Cor. xii. 4, 
 ss. Acts. ii. 42 — 47 ; iv. 32 — 35. What similarity 
 and yet what difference in the apostles ! Draeseke : 
 " As the leavened dough still remains dough, but re- 
 ceives from the leaven another spirit, fragrance, and 
 taste, so the man still remains man ; but he has be- 
 come a man of another kind, through the divine 
 power of the gospel. He is no longer the old, na- 
 tural, fleshly man, sold under sin. He is a new, 
 spiritual, divine man, whose element is the liberty of 
 the children of God." 
 
 In figure, this similitude teaches the doctrine of 
 the new^ birth, John iii,, and also, that, in the heaven- 
 ly kingdom, regard is had, primarily, not to a doing^ 
 but to a state of being, Eph. iv. 22; Gal. vi. 13; 
 2 Cor. v. 17 ; and, indeed, to a new state of being. 
 Eylert, p. 20, ss. " The divine power of Christ's 
 gospel, though still and noiseless in its workings, does 
 yet penetrate the whole of man. The religion which 
 we derive from Jesus, is the most efficacious means 
 of ennobling us, of making us useful and happy ; — 
 but it must enter into our inmost souls, must take 
 possession of our whole being, — the righteous direc- 
 tion and strenuous application of our powers, is the 
 great, the indispensable condition, w'hich draws along 
 with it the improving, renovating power of religion ; 
 yet still what we do receive from the religion of 
 Jesus, must be reckoned according to the powers we 
 possess, and exactly proportioned to our suceptibi- 
 lity ; — every individual is penetrated and ennobled by 
 the religion of Jesus in a separate, peculiar manner, 
 differing, in a thousand ways, from that in which 
 others are affected ; but whatever varieties may exist, 
 in this all agree, that the power of the religion of 
 Jesus dwells in the heart, and manifests itself with- 
 out pomp, with true humanity, in a course of upright 
 and virtuous action." 
 
THE TREASURE. 87 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE TREASURE. 
 Matth. xiii. 44. 
 
 After our Lord had withdrawn himself from the 
 people, was come home, and had given to his disciples 
 the desired explanation of the parable of the tares, he 
 w^ent on to deliver this and the three following parables. 
 
 In order to excite the imaginations, and to raise in 
 the still carnal hearts of his own disciples a thirsting 
 desire after better tilings, our Lord makes use of the 
 image of the treasure and the costly pearl, to set 
 forth the incomparable worth of the heavenly king- 
 dom and its glory. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The internal glory of the heavenly kingdom. 
 
 1. It is at first concealed from us, — a treasure 
 in the field ; 
 
 2. It is discovered to us by grace, — which a 
 man found ; 
 
 3. Manifests itself to be mighty by its influence, 
 — the finder hides his treasure ; is full of joy 
 at his good fortune, and gives all for it. 
 
 1. The heavenly kingdom is again, as in the pre- 
 ceding similitude, the internal divine nature and 
 living power of Christianity, with all its revelations, 
 instructions, consolations, its light and blessings, — a 
 glorious treasure ; hidden in the field, under a cover- 
 ing of unpromising appearance, where one does not 
 perceive it ; nay, where one never suspects that so 
 costly a treasure is concealed ; and this field is not 
 the world generally, in which, beyond doubt, the 
 treasure has existed since the appearance of Christ; 
 but only that portion of the world or humanity, where 
 Christianity exists as an actual establishment, that is, 
 
88 THE TREASURE. 
 
 the visible church. This visible church, as the cover- 
 ing of the divine, as the shell of the precious kernel, 
 is at present existing in such a form and constitution, 
 that one can scarcely discern the efficacious, divine 
 powers, which belong to it ; at least the dull, unen- 
 lightened eye cannot, in the often very imperfect 
 forms, and the human institutions under which the 
 divine is veiled, clearly discern this according to its 
 true nature and worth. Besides, from our youth we 
 have been walking upon this field, and are so much 
 accustomed to certain influences of Christianity, — so 
 familiar with its doctrines from our ever-recurring 
 opportunities of hearing the word, have so near and 
 ready an access to the institutions of our Lord, that 
 the glory of the divine in Christianity is apt to be 
 concealed from us. The heavenly kingdom is a 
 hidden treasure, presenting itself to us under a cover- 
 ing that serves to conceal it ; for its costly blessings 
 are wrapped up in the word and lie infolded in the 
 sacraments. 
 
 2. The treasure is found. This does not exactly 
 presuppose a seeking, though, properly, all acting 
 and striving, on the part of man, is a seeking after 
 a treasure, after well-being, repose, peace ; as it is 
 written in Isa. Ixv. 1, " I was found of them that 
 sought me not ; I was made manifest to them that 
 asked not after me." The Lord pours out streams 
 upon the dry cround, (where there is no longing,) 
 as well as upon the thirsty ground, (where there is a 
 longing) ; of which we have an example in the case 
 of the Samaritans, .John iv. The finding is an un- 
 expected good, without any desert and worthiness 
 on our part, but happens according to the gracious 
 purpose of him " who wills that all men should be 
 saved." God manifests to the heart his secret, and 
 the powers of the world to come; where human per- 
 versity would never have looked for deliverance 
 from all its wants and necessities, there it finds this, 
 and to the end of leading us there, nil the occurrences, 
 joys and sorrows of life, are directed. Gnomon : 
 " Here is at once the application and the prudence 
 
THE TREASURE. 89 
 
 of the saints ; they find out those things which are 
 hid, and hide those which they have found, Prov. 
 vii. 1." Luther, in his Exposition on Matth. : '' We 
 find this treasure without merit, as if it came by acci- 
 dent into our hands ; and yet it remains hidden from 
 the ungodly, although it is manifested and declared 
 to them by words and deeds, by the cross and mi- 
 racles, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. He that has it alone knows 
 it ; whosoever has it not, he can never know it." 
 
 3. The glory of the discovered treasure is repre- 
 sented by the conduct and feelings of him who finds 
 the heavenly kingdom. Both of these v/ere left to 
 himself, they were not demanded of him, but are ra- 
 ther the certain, the necessary consequence of his 
 apprehending the glory of the good he has found ; 
 he cannot feel and act otherwise than he does ; the 
 discovery of the treasure of itself brings this along 
 with it. Hence the conduct which the finder is here 
 said to have pursued, in order to secure his possession 
 of the treasure, must not be represented, in the gene- 
 ral, as a demand or required condition ; it helps 
 people, at first, to get the treasure, when they come 
 to know, or at least to suspect, the glory of Christia- 
 nity as suited to all the wants and trials of life ; after 
 that all follov/s as a matter of course. 
 
 He hid it; the hidden treasure has been discovered, 
 and the discovered treasure is hid ; so one acts with 
 every jewel. It indicates the carefulness, springing 
 from a sense of its glory, to preserve, to make sure 
 of it. Divine grace is kept in the heart, Matth. vii. 
 6; and, when received there, we are silent, — we 
 speak of it only to our most confidential friends ; a 
 spirit of levity, raillery, or worldliness, would only 
 soil or plunder the jewel. 
 
 Went away for joy ; how natural ! He has every- 
 thing, for he has Christ, righteousness, life, blessing. 
 
 Sold every thing that he had. The choice is not 
 difficult; the highest good is possessed ; so the ma- 
 riner in a tempestuous sea readily parts with all, that 
 he may save his life. Whatever there may have 
 
90 
 
 THE TREASURE. 
 
 been of sacrifice before, there is now no more ; self- 
 denial is no longer painful and difficult ; it is joy and 
 bliss ; what no external violence could have torn from 
 the heart, the love of the world, fleshly wisdom, self- 
 righteousness, — all is abandoned, Phil. iii. 4 — 1 1 ; 
 Luke X. 42; Acts v. 40, 41. Calvin: " He speaks 
 thus, that the faithful may learn to prefer the king- 
 dom of heaven to the whole world, and therefore re • 
 nounce both themselves and all the desires of the 
 flesh. And we are taught, that the riches of divine 
 grace are not to be estimated according to fleshly 
 sense, or their own external splendour. They only 
 are fit to apprehend the grace of the gospel, who, 
 postponing every other object, apply themselves with 
 all zeal to obtain possession of that. Therefore Christ 
 exhorts his people to the renouncement only of those 
 things which are contrary to piety, meanwhile per- 
 mitting them to use and enjoy the temporal gifts of 
 God, as if they did not use them." Grotius : " He 
 tells us, that the too great desire of glory, riches, and 
 pleasure, must be laid aside, and, if called to it, that 
 all we have, even to life itself, must be given up, that 
 we may find the word beneficial, not for any brief 
 season merely, but may persevere in obedience to it, 
 even to the end." 
 
 And bought the field ; now the outward, visible 
 church, is fir.^t seen in its true worth by the enlight- 
 ened and blessed heart, because he has found in it 
 the most precious jewel, and continues to preserve 
 it. 
 
 Vitringa and others, explain the finding or disco- 
 very of the treasure by the shining forth again of 
 gospel truth, before the reformation among the Wal- 
 denses,— a most constrained exposition. It is also 
 very forced to say, that this parable must teach that 
 the gospel is for mean, unpolished, and rude men, 
 while the next one teaches, that the same gospel is 
 equally suited for the polished and refined ; which 
 was Scholten's opinion. 
 
THE PEARL OF GREAT TRICE. 91 
 
 VII. 
 
 THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. 
 
 Matth. xiii. 45, 46. 
 
 The world is like a great market, where every one 
 can find what he desires ; the greater part strive af- 
 ter those goods which gratify the eye ; but all can- 
 not succeed in obtaining these; neither are they ne- 
 cessary for life, nay they cheat and beguile many, 
 and hinder them from seeking the invisible, eternal, 
 real goods, in getting which none may be disappoint- 
 ed. But those often, who have temporal goods in 
 abundance, are first enlightened as to the defective 
 and unsatisfactory nature of these, and led to seek 
 after the better, the really good possessions, when 
 they have come to experience the truth of Solomon's 
 declaration, that all on earth is vanity. So the mer- 
 chant-man, who seeks goodly pearls; he represents 
 the heart, which is concerned and careful for its true, 
 everlasting salvation, (Simeon, Luke ii., Nathaniel, 
 John i. 45), but unconscious where it shall find satis- 
 faction to its desire, whether in knowledge, science, 
 and accomplishments. Then while searching, he 
 fixidis 0776 pearl of great price ^ (for God leaves no ne- 
 cessity of his heart unsatisfied). Because he has 
 sought good, he is favoured to receive the best, and 
 while he has a seeking heart, lie instantly perceives 
 that this pearl includes in itself every thing after 
 which he longs, and even more ; for its worth is in- 
 comparable. Grotius : " The gospel has shone upon 
 some, who were giving themselves no thought about 
 God, or a new life, or the hope of a blessed eternity, 
 of which kind were most in the Gentile nations, to 
 whom Paul applies that prediction : / ivas found 
 of them that sought me not. There were some also 
 among the Jews and elsewhere, studious of wisdom, 
 who were touched with a certain desire of knowing 
 the truth, who anxiously looked for some prophet or 
 
92 THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. 
 
 the Messiah himself. The similitude of the treasure 
 respects the former, that of the pearl the latterT 
 Calvin : " By making merchandise, Christ does not 
 mean, that any compensation is offered by men, where- 
 by they may secure for themselves eternal life ; for 
 we know on what terms the Lord invites his people 
 to come to him, Isa. Iv. 1. But although the gift of 
 God, eternal life, is bestowed gratuitously, with 
 whatsoever pertains to it, we are yet told to purchase 
 it, since we can voluntarily deprive ourselves of flesh- 
 ly gratifications, that we may not be hindered in our 
 search after it, Phil. iii. 8." 
 
 TRAIN or THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The incomparable worth of the heavenly kingdom. 
 
 This is made manifest : 
 
 1. From the existence of wants, which no other 
 good could satisfy, — who sought goüd pearls. 
 
 2. From the perfect satisfaction afforded by 
 this one good ; (1.) — There is but one pearl 
 of great price. (2) — For this he parts with 
 all. 
 
 Eylert, p. 48, ss. : " Jesus here shows us the true 
 point of view, from which we must consider Christia- 
 nity, if ever its holy design shall be accomplished in 
 us. It must be to us a thing of the greatest impor- 
 tance ; whence we must apply ourselves above all 
 things to become fully acquainted with it, to know 
 it always more and more thoroughly ; — and this 
 knowledge, this conviction, will be a thing sought af- 
 ter, will be obtained with labour, application, and 
 perseverance ; — the cheering consideration of the 
 glorious and happy result, must strengthen our pow- 
 ers for the work ; the sure and well-grounded expec- 
 tation, that we shall be successful, and not fail to 
 obtain a rich inheritance, cannot but lighten to us 
 every burden, and inspire us with steadfastness ; — we 
 must sacrifice all, surrender all that is incompatible 
 with a Christian frame, Phil. iii. 7 — 9." 
 
THE FISHING KET. 93 
 
 To explain the properties of the pearl, its whiteness, 
 purity, splendour, roundness, size ofthe lieavenly king- 
 dom, were to trifle, and contrary, besides, to the de- 
 sign of the similitude. It is an erroneous exposition, 
 in wliich the merchant is understood to signify the 
 church, and the pearl Christ. Vitringa introduces 
 much that is improper into his explanation, which 
 serves rather to confuse than to illustrate it. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 THE FISHING NET. 
 
 Matt. xiii. 47—50. 
 
 ■ This is a delightful, instructive, direct similitude ; 
 for some of the twelve were fishermen, and called to 
 be fishers of men, Luke v. The Lord compares the 
 gathering or calling of men to the heavenly kingdom, 
 with the whole of their business, and not merely 
 with their net ; in the one service and the other, 
 there were similar employments and appearances, — 
 a gathering, a mixture, and a separation. Calvin : 
 *^ The end of the parable is, that he might keep his 
 disciples in fear and humility, lest they should please 
 themselves with the empty title of faith, or with a 
 naked profession, 2 Tim. ii. 19." Luther, in his Ex- 
 position on Matthew : " The proper aim and impres- 
 sion of this similitude lies in the last words, that at 
 the last judgment, the wicked are to be separated 
 from the righteous. It cannot but sustain the 
 hope of believers, that though they are necessitated 
 in this life to bear with the wicked, who are mixed 
 among them ; yet they have the firmest assurance, 
 that then the wicked shall be finally separated from 
 them." 
 
 As this parable is the last of the seven, which here 
 respect the kingdom of heaven, a«d the Lord has in 
 successive delineations represented the origin, nature, 
 progress, and glory ofthat kingdom, so it appears, as 
 
94 THE FISHING NET. 
 
 its position might lead us to suppose, that in this si- 
 militude the subject of discourse mainly respects the 
 final comj3letiün of the kingdom, which is to be usher- 
 ed in with a general judgment. Hence the gather- 
 ing together of the church retires more into the back- 
 ground, and the final separation stands forth as the 
 chief and prominent object. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The final separation that is to be made in the 
 Christian church. 
 
 I. It is to take place in regard to all the members of 
 the church. 
 
 (1) Who are these members? — All who have 
 been gathered to Christ from the world, (the 
 sea), by the word, (the net), v. 47. 
 
 (2) Why in regard to all ? — Because they are 
 different (which gathered of every kind, v. 
 47.) 
 
 II. When it is to take place. 
 
 (1) When the gathering of the members is 
 finished. — But when it was full, v. 48. 
 
 (2) On the day when all things shall be man- 
 ifested — they drew to shore, v. 48. 
 
 III. The manner it is to be done. 
 
 (1.) It shall be exact — all the good, and all the 
 
 bad shall be severed from each other, v. 48. 
 (2) It shall be decisive, v. 50. 
 
 Ver. 47. A net, a drag-net, which draws every 
 thing along with it ; the sea, the new dispensation of 
 grace is not like the old, set up only for one people, 
 but for the race of mankind in its universality. 
 " W'ith the Israelites the theocracy resembled a net 
 which was drawn through a stream, and gathered 
 fish only of that one stream.'' (Menken, Reflectionsup- 
 on the Gospel of Matthew). As fish even in the sea 
 are not secure from men, so the grace of God has a 
 thousand means and ways to work upon the hearts 
 of men ; and the preaching of the word, of Christ 
 
THE FISHING NET. 95 
 
 crucified, is pre-eminently that by which the company 
 of believers is gathered. 
 
 Of all sorts, according to v. 48, however, only of 
 all sorts of fishes; no one must be excluded through 
 human caprice, or deemed incapable of the heavenly 
 kingdom ; wise and unwise, learned and unlearned, 
 old and young, men and women, bond and free, 
 master and servant, — and these one and all without ex- 
 ception or distinction, sinners, — these are the persons 
 of all sorts to whom the word of God, and the invi- 
 tation to the heavenly kingdom, must be brought. 
 Acts X. 38, 39. 
 Ver. 48. But when it loasfull, thej/ drew it out upon 
 the shore. The gathering is made through the agency 
 of men, and during the course of time; both shall be 
 continued until the entire number of those, whose 
 names God has written in his book, have been re- 
 ceived into the church, to be there sanctified and 
 saved by his grace. But all who are enclosed in the 
 great net of the church, do not employ this commu- 
 nion with the church as they might and should do ; 
 hence a separation is necessary, and shall also one 
 time be effected according to God's righteous judg- 
 ment. So that there is found also in this parable, as 
 in that of the tares and many others, the doctrine of 
 a mixture and separation among the members of the 
 heavenly kingdom. - Calvin : " The preaching the 
 gospel is well compared to a net immersed in the 
 waters, that we may know the present state of the 
 church to be confused." 
 
 The bad, dead fish, — men who have never come 
 to spiritual life, or in whom it has again died. 
 
 Ver. 49. At the end of the world, after the lapse 
 of the present periods of the world, which are cer- 
 tainly fixed, but the continuance of which is unknown 
 to men ; so long as they exist, the present constitu- 
 tion of the Church is to stand. 
 
 The angels shall go forth, appointed thereto, or- 
 dered and capacitated by their Lord, the king of the 
 heavenly kingdom, Matth. xiii. 41. " The scpara- 
 
06 THEHOUSEHOLDER. 
 
 tion," says Wenken, " is strictly a divine and hea- 
 venly thing ; an independent, positive act, a free 
 operation of righteousness and love on the part of 
 the Lord himself. Hence we are not to say they 
 shall one day separate ; we must say, they shall one 
 day be separated. Scripture teaches that angels 
 have a participation in the events of the heavenly 
 kingdom upon earth ; but they must stand back and 
 hold themselves still ; no immediate agency is either 
 permitted or required of them for its advancement. 
 As, however, at the first commencement of the king- 
 dom of God upon earth, they had a much greater 
 hand in the transactions belonging to it, (Luke i. ii.; 
 Matth. i. ii. iv. 11 ; Acts xii. 1, ss.), so shall they 
 serve the interests of this kingdom in a far greater 
 measure, and on a more extended scale, at the period 
 of its completion. But their service then shall not 
 be that loving service of protection, help and delive- 
 rance, but rather that dreadful service of resistless 
 power in the removal and casting away of the un- 
 reclaimable and hopelessl}^ wicked ; so that it does not 
 properlj^ refer to the righteous, who then shall not 
 stand in need of it, but to the impious and wicked. 
 2 Thess. i. 4 — 10." As the separation is not made 
 till the wicked have been long patiently born with, 
 and all means of improvement have failed, its execu- 
 tion will be a matter of the strictest punitive right- 
 eousness. 
 
 IX. 
 
 THE HOUSEHOLDER. 
 Matth. xiii. 53. 
 
 This similitude does not belong to those which 
 open up and explain the nature of the kingdom of 
 heaven. After our Lord had asked his disciples 
 
THE HOUSEHOLDER. 
 
 97 
 
 whether they understood what had been delivered by 
 him, and had received for answer, " Yea, Lord," he 
 concludes his whole discourse with this little parable, 
 in which he gives them a direction how they must 
 conduct themselves as teachers, in the heavenly king- 
 dom. For a teacher who would proclaim with effect 
 the divine truth of the kingdom of God, must act 
 precisely as a householder. Gnomon : " Jesus 
 speaks concerning the disciples, and what was said 
 at v. 12, in plain words, that, now that the disciples 
 had advanced a little, (whence they are called scribes) 
 is confirmed to them by a parable." Luther's expo- 
 sition : " He concludes with a riddle, or dark saying, 
 which seems strange enough. His meaning is, be- 
 cause ye know every thing, ye are fit for your future 
 oflfice. Whosoever would be an apostle, he must 
 know every thing, just as ye do. He must be like a 
 rich householder, who will have his house full of all 
 goods, that he may be able to serve up, both what he 
 himself wants, and what others want. But the trea- 
 sure, or rich supply of knowledge, is nothing else 
 than the knowledge of the law and the gospel. For 
 in these two the whole wisdom of God is enclosed, 
 and comprised as in a brief extract." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The well-furnished teacher of the heavenly king- 
 dom. 
 
 \. His fitness consists in this : 
 
 (L) That he is instructed for the kingdom, has 
 
 the treasure of divine truth ; 
 (2.) And that this treasure is h]s property. 
 n. His activity is represented ; 
 
 (L) Wherein it consists — he distributes his 
 
 treasure ; 
 (2.) How it is exercised — in wisdom ; for he 
 gives old, and new, in wholesome and agree- 
 able alternation. 
 
98 
 
 THE HOUSEHOLDER. 
 
 Instructed unto the kingdom of heaven. Luther's 
 note : " He who promotes the kingdom of heaven, 
 teaches others, and brings them to heaven. Neio^ 
 the gospel ; old^ the law." 
 
 His treasure, that, which through experience has 
 become his. See on the Parable of the Sower, p. 56. 
 New and old ; the new, the gospel, as the fulfil- 
 ment of the promise given in the old ; the message of 
 grace as opposed to the old law. But it was neces- 
 sary that the old also should be given ; for they 
 serve mutually to confirm each other, and so conduce, 
 when viewed together, to make us welcome the change, 
 to awaken attention, to exercise and engage reflection. 
 Moreover, the one eternal, unchangeable, truth of 
 God's love and righteousness, although in itself an old 
 thing, will be announced in a more fresh and agree- 
 able form where the truth itself is in the heart, and 
 has gained possession of the life. Sameness is 
 poverty. Jesus exhibited a pattern for imitation in 
 the very delivery of this parable. Draeseke : " The 
 old, in the parables already delivered, has been na- 
 ture. What was known, was thereby more clearly 
 manifested to them ; though the images were such 
 as the disciples had seen a thousand times. Now, 
 for the first time, they were taught to connect new 
 thoughts with the old images, and acquired a new ad- 
 vantage from reviving old impressions. And thus 
 the disciples learned, like their master, to look upon 
 nature, and make account both of small and great 
 things ; so that the old book imparted to them new^ 
 wisdom. Like their master, the disciples learned to 
 respect history, and judge of experience ; therefore 
 the old book here also imparted to tliem new wisdom. 
 But above all the disciples learned, like their master, 
 to read scripture, and understand the law and the 
 prophets in their reference to the kingdom of hea- 
 ven ; therefore again the old book imparted to them 
 new wisdom." Grotius : " The apostles are admo- 
 nished, that, after the example of Christ, they should 
 endeavour to give a zest to the doctrines of grace, by 
 
THE HOUSEHOLDER. 99 
 
 varying the manner of teaching them." Hess, Bibl. 
 Hist. B. xiii. p. 494^ '' This last remark is, beyond 
 doubt, designed to show the disciples that, as fu- 
 ture teachers they must not only make use of those 
 images and forms of representation which they had 
 heard from him ; but must always study so to address 
 themselves to hearers of unlike capacities and varied 
 conditions, as to connect what is well known with 
 something that may give it the grace of novelty, and 
 skilfully to alter where uniformity would be tire- 
 some." Calvin ; " Now the Lord admonishes them, 
 that he had not expended so much labour in teach- 
 ing them, to make them wise only for themselves, 
 but that they might impart to others what had been 
 communicated to them. And in this manner he 
 stirred them up to more zeal and diligence in learn- 
 
 X. 
 
 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 Matth. xviii. 23 — 35. 
 
 The Lord had spoken, v. 15 — 17, of tlie brotherly 
 chastisement or correction of those, from whom we 
 have received some injury; and as he had done this 
 in a quite general manner, without any qualifying 
 limitation, it appeared necessary to the lively, and 
 indeed fiery Peter, to have some limit set to this 
 mild and placable disposition ; for the natural heart, 
 which is still ungoverned by the Spirit of God, feels 
 itself wronged by such a command in its secret desire 
 of revenge, and apprehends it would suffer loss by 
 complying therewith. Self-love also continually fears 
 lest it should go too far, and give too much. On 
 which account Peter came to Jesus, and asked him, 
 vi. 21: " Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against 
 me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" (i.e. is, 
 seven times enough ?) Besides the internal grounds 
 which existed for this question, there may also have 
 
100 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 
 been some outward occasion giving rise to it. It 
 may possibly have been a question among Jewish 
 teachers so early as the time of Christ, how often one 
 should forgive his neighbour, which, at a later period, 
 was thus resolved in the Talmud. " If a man com- 
 mits an offence, he is to be forgiven for the first 
 time ; the second, and third time he is also to be for- 
 given ; but, if he sins a fourth time, he is not to be 
 forgiven, according to Amos i. 3 ; ii. 6. Job xxxiii. 
 29, SO. (Margin)." Now, in extending the forgive- 
 ness to seven times, Peter might believe that he did 
 something quite extraordinary, and sutTiciently an- 
 swered all just demands. But, instead of receiving 
 from Jesus the expected approving ansv/er, that seven 
 times was enough, and that the culprit had no reason 
 to look for any further indulgence, Jesus answered 
 him, V. 22 : "I say not unto thee, until seven times ; 
 but until seventy times seven." The determinate 
 number stands for the indeterminate, as in Gen. 
 iv. 24 ; and the meaning is, that we must never, at 
 any time, cease to forgive, Olshausen : " The con- 
 dition of Peter prevented him from understanding 
 aright the foundation-principle of forgiveness, (which 
 is necessarily presupposed in the whole preceding 
 context, about the manner of behaving towards of- 
 fending brethren) ; misapprehending tlie nature of 
 true love, which can never do any thing but love, he 
 thinks of having a certain measure of forgiveness, 
 conceiving, as natural men must always do, that an 
 unlimited forgiveness must be an impossibility. 
 Here, therefore, the Kedeemer sets forth to Peter, 
 by means of a parable, the grounds, on account of 
 which the member of a heavenl}' kingdom must be 
 continually ready to forgive, because he himself found 
 admission into it only through forgiveness. This 
 must be to all, even to those who view every thing 
 in a legal point of view, a determinate motive for 
 exercising forgiveness ; for in that there is only ex- 
 pressed the law of recompense. Whilst, therefore, 
 the question of Peter appears to pre-suppose a right. 
 
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 101 
 
 according to which he might continue, or cease at 
 pleasure, to dispense forgiveness, the Redeemer de- 
 clares, that such a law does not exist ; he who has 
 himself forfeited all has nothing to demand." Luther, 
 in his House-Postills, V. 230: " Forgiveness of 
 offences must have no measure or bounds among 
 Christians ; we must always forgive one another, and 
 beware of exercising revenge ; this belongs only to 
 God, whose sovereign power and majesty must not 
 be encroached upon." 
 
 The answer given, in v. 22, is embodied in the 
 following parable, (which is consequently introduced 
 with, therefore)^ where we have set forth the motives 
 to brotherly conciliation and forgiveness. Calvin : 
 *' Because it is difficult to move us to pity, especially 
 when our brethren have many faults to be borne 
 with, our Lord confirms this doctrine by a most ap- 
 propriate parable, the sum of which is, that those 
 who inflexibly refuse to pardon the offences of their 
 brethren, consult very ill for themselves, and set up 
 a law too harsh and severe, because they v/ill find 
 God equally rigid and inexorable toward themselves. 
 The similitude consists chiefly in three members : 
 for the Lord is opposed to the servant, a large sum 
 to a comparatively small one, singular clemency to 
 extreme cruelty." Schölten, p. 294 : " In expound- 
 ing the parables we must take care not to offend 
 against the analogy of faith or doctrine, which is un- 
 folded in Scripture and discernible by faith. Whence 
 those interpreters are much to be blamed, who, be- 
 cause in such and such a parable they do not find a 
 doctrine, which they conceive to be closely connected 
 with Christ's chief design in propounding the para- 
 ble, although this doctrine may be taugiit in other 
 parts of Scripture, forthwith conclude that it is no- 
 where else to be found in Scripture, nay, that it does 
 not belong to the true doctrine of the gospel. Yet, 
 in this way it is, that because, in the paral9le of the 
 prodigal son, no mention is made of an expiation 
 given to the father, but, on the contrary, his guilty 
 
102 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 
 son, with a confident mind, and without the inter- 
 cession of any other, approaches to his father, simply 
 declaring his true repentance and unfeigned desire to 
 return to a better life, therefore Teller concludes 
 that the doctrine of our redemption, through the in- 
 tervention of Christ's sufferings and death, must not 
 be reckoned among those things which the Saviour 
 properly taught, but rather to those in which he and 
 his apostles wisely accommodated themselves to the 
 prejudices of the Jews. The very same might be 
 gathered from the parable before us. For there the 
 Lord remits the debts of his servant, without any ex- 
 piation or intercession from another, who might pay 
 in his behalf; he does it, indeed, upon the b,are pro- 
 mise of the servant, that he would endeavour, bye 
 and bye, to pay all. Nor is there anything in what 
 the Saviour adds, v. 35, which necessarily implies 
 the doctrine of expiation. But it was not the design 
 of Christ to unfold the doctrine of redemption in this 
 parable ; he only wished by it to lead his disciples to' 
 cultivate a disposition ready to pardon any injuries 
 and affronts they might receive, on the ground that 
 God, though infinitely gracious, will grant forgiveness 
 only to those who follow his benign example." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Motives to brotherly forgiveness. 
 
 I. The great goodness of the Lord toward his servant, 
 V. 23 — '11 ; which is exhibited : 
 
 (L) In the greatness of the debt, v. 24 ; 
 
 (2.) In the steward's inability to pay, v. 'lb. 
 
 (3.) Through the severe but deserved punish- 
 ment adjudged to him, v. 25. 
 
 (4.) Through withdrawment of the punishment, 
 and the debt, v. 26, 27. 
 
 II. The small debt of our neighbour to us, v. 28 — 
 30 ; concerning which we are to consider, 
 
 (1.) The smallness of the debt itself, v. 28. 
 (2.) Its being the debt of a fellow-servant, v. 28 ; 
 
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 103 
 
 (3.) His begging for patience, v. 29; 
 (4.) And his promise of repayment, v. 29. 
 ill. The sorrow and vexation which we raise in our 
 fellow-men, whose esteem and love we forfeit 
 when guilty of harshness, v. 30, 3 1 . 
 iV. The severe judgment of God upon the un- 
 merciful, v. 32 — 35; whereon we must remr^rk : 
 (1.) The remembrance made of the free good- 
 ness of the Lord, v. 32 ; 
 (2.) The representation given of the abuse of it, 
 
 V. 33 ; 
 (3.) The just and eternal condemnation, v. 34 ; 
 (4.) The application to the hearers, v. 35. 
 
 V. 23. The kingdom of heaven is like. Luther, as 
 above, p. 231 : " Such a command to forgive sins we 
 must not carry into the world, as persons and offices 
 are there dissimilar, on which account one always 
 has power and authority over another. There evil 
 must not be connived at, nor must any one be per- 
 mitted to do what he pleases ; but evil must be pu- 
 nished, and people enforced to do what is proper, 
 just, and honourable. Masters and mistresses must 
 punish their servants, worldly governments their 
 subjects, parents their children. But in the Christian 
 church here upon earth, — save when you hold a 
 special office, to which God commits the chastise- 
 ment of iniquity, — one must always forgive another, 
 and show all compassion and tenderness to his 
 neighbour, where it is necessary-, although he may 
 have deserved very differently of us, and we may 
 have had good cause, as the world goes, to inflict 
 upon him all evil." Melanch: " The ministry of the 
 remission of sins is one thing, private pardoning ano- 
 ther. The ministry discourses of God's will, private 
 pardoning bespeaks thy will towards another; name- 
 ly, that thou dost remit his offence and not demand 
 satisfaction ; dost even, with true affection, receive 
 him again to thy confidence for the sake of God. 
 The pious are carefully to be admonished, that there 
 is a great difference between self-defence and private 
 
104 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 
 revenge, that they may restrain themselves within 
 the bounds fixed by the gospel. Self-defence, is to 
 preserve our reputation, life and property, in a just 
 and orderly manner, without any desire thereby to 
 injure another. Vmdictiveness, is desire to do injury 
 in an irritated mind." 
 
 Like a king ; just as Christ, in his dispensation of 
 grace, grants forgiveness to sinners, so must these 
 grant it to each other. 
 
 Servants; the reckoning, which the king demands, 
 is grounded on a relation of dependence ; and so, 
 one relation to God is, that of servants to a lord, to 
 whom we are responsible for every thing he has given 
 us, for life, time, powers of body and of soul, op- 
 portunities of action, and the word of his grace. 
 
 Take account ; luwihev, Church-Postills, 14. p. 241 : 
 " When God takes account, he makes the preaching 
 to proceed out of his law, whereby we come to know 
 what we are guilty of" Such a reckoning is made 
 in serious self-examination, while hearing the word, 
 and in the transactions of life, which make us ac- 
 quainted with ourselves. 
 
 V. 24. Began to reckon. As soon as the conscience 
 has been rightly touched by the law, it begins to 
 know its guilt. Luther, House-Postills, 5. p. 251 : 
 " Until the king begins to reckon with him, he has 
 no conscience, he is not sensible of guilt, and should 
 always have continued so, contracting more and 
 more guilt, and inquiring nothing about it. So the 
 greater part of men think nothing about sin, go on 
 securely in it, fear not God's wrath; and, even when 
 they confess sin with the mouth, presently go away 
 and make a jest of it." 
 
 One was brought unto him ; the one is any one ; 
 for we have all manifold shortcomings. Gnomon: 
 " Every body ought to reckon himself that one ; 
 comp. V. 35. 12; xx. 13. For the condition of all 
 is alike." To understand it of the papacy is absurd. 
 Who owed him ten thousand talents ; a terrible 
 sum ; for a talent is about a thousand dollars ; these 
 
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 105 
 
 are the sins of omission and commission, internal 
 and external sins, in thougiits, desires, words, and 
 actions, Ps. xix. 13. Melancli : " So large a sum is 
 named to teach us that we have very many and ag- 
 gravated sins before God. If you examine your 
 life you will readily find that they are many, and 
 great as well as many — that j^our carnal security is 
 great, your negligence in your calling great, your 
 distrust and doubtings concerning God great. There 
 are also numberless wanderings of desire." 
 
 V. 25. But for as much as he had not to pay ; both 
 are clear, the greatness of the guilt and our incapa- 
 city to make amends, to restore. 
 
 His lord commanded him. to be sold, &c. Gnomon : 
 " I'/O.ivSiv, the right is shown ; however, the Lord 
 does not use his own right, but the servant abuses 
 every right he possesses." Luther, Church-Postills, 
 14, p. 241 : " This is the judgment, which follows as 
 soon as the law manifests sin ; for God has not given 
 his law that he migiit leave those unpunished who 
 do not keep it ; it is not pleasant, nor friendly, but 
 brings along with it a violent and painful struggle, 
 and gives us to the devil, throws us into hell, and 
 leaves us in the bonds of punishment ; consequently 
 insists upon our paying the very last farthing." God 
 manifests himself in his law through demands and 
 threatenings, pre- eminently as a holy and righteous 
 God. The conduct of the king, as also of the be- 
 liever, toward his guilty servant, is grounded in 
 Israelitish custom. Lev. xxv. .39; 2 Kings iv. 1. 
 Although very hard, it is still not unrighteous. Gno- 
 mon : " His private possessions, which, indeed, be- 
 longed to his lord." Schölten : " From the circum- 
 stance of the king's commanding not only the steward, 
 his debtor, but also his wife and children, to be sold, 
 some might be disposed to gather, that God intends 
 wives to suffer for the delinquencies of their husbands, 
 children for their parents ; which there is no need 
 that we should prove to be contrary to the analogy 
 of faith, and abhorrent to the nature of a most righte- 
 
106 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 
 ous God ; and how absurd it would be to determine 
 any thing of that sort, is manifest from hence, that 
 to the wife and children are joined " all things that 
 he had," from which it is obvious that the wile and 
 children are here, after the manner of the Orientals, 
 considered as a part of private property, from which, 
 however, it would be utterly absurd for any one to 
 conclude, that the wife and children are to suffer for 
 the debts of a husband and father ; whereas the sell- 
 ing of the steward and of all his property, to which, 
 according to eastern fashion, pertained also the wife 
 and children, ought to be considered as the punish- 
 ment inflicted upon the steward alone." 
 
 Ver. 26. The servant then fell down, and hesovght 
 him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I icill 
 fay thee all. Gnomon : " Do not deal hastily with 
 me ; the feeling of a contrite mind is shown." Lu- 
 ther, House Postills, 5. 251 : " We feel the earnest 
 of God also in our hearts, when our sins are mani- 
 fested there ; when the catalogue of our iniquities is 
 held up before us, then mirth forsakes us. We are 
 forced to exclaim, ' O miserable man that I am ; 
 there is none on earth more wretched than I am.' 
 Such knowledge makes a man truly humble, paves 
 the way for coming to obtain the real forgiveness of 
 sin. And where such humility does not exist, there 
 also no forgiveness is experienced." House-Postills, 
 \A. 242 : " This has St. Paul rightly expounded in 
 his Epistle to the Romans, iv. 15 : The law only 
 worketh wrath ; that is, when it manifested to us, 
 that we have acted sinfully, it brings nothing home 
 to us, but wrath and indignation, and causes us to 
 despair." 
 
 / will pay all ; Luther, Church -Postills, 14, 242 : 
 " The fool thinks that he can still pay, and begs 
 only for patience. This is the plague of all con- 
 sciences, when sin comes and bites, giving men to 
 feel that they are, on account of it, in an ill case to- 
 ward God, then have they no rest, but run up and 
 down, seek help here and there, that they may get 
 
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 107 
 
 free from their sins, and still keep promising to them- 
 selves that they will yet do much to pay God." 
 House-Postills, 5. 234 : " Christ by these words of 
 the servant wishes to shew, that we (under a sense of 
 the greatness of our sins, when we seek for grace) 
 cannot comprehend such grace, it is so rich and exu- 
 berant. We presently think it is too much, God 
 will not be so gracious as to forgive us all ; he must 
 also have some payment ; it cannot be that we shall 
 get a full and frank forgiveness of all." Humility, 
 conviction of guilt, desires for grace, and resolutions 
 of amendment, deserve not, indeed, the forgiveness 
 of sin ; but belong to that scheme of God, in which 
 God dispenses pardon to the sinner. 
 
 Ver. 27. Then the lord of that servant ivas moved 
 with compassion, Ps. li. 19. Luther, House-Postills, 
 5. 234 : " This is the true and proper colour, where- 
 in most characteristically to represent God and our 
 own heart ; whoever would give to him another co- 
 lour, would depict him in an unjust light, and other- 
 wise than he is in himself. He is a gracious God, 
 and has a fatherly heart ; Ez. xxxiii. 10, 11." The 
 conduct of the lord at the first, as rigid and strictly 
 adhering to the law, should serve, therefore, merely 
 to manifest to the heart its guilt, to break and hum- 
 ble it, that to the contrite penitent, and believing (for 
 the prayer of the servant springs from his confidence 
 in the patience and goodness of his lord) there may 
 be granted forgiveness. " As for the means," says 
 Luther as above, " through which God will be gra- 
 cious toward us, the gospel informs us in other places, 
 when it declares that our blessed Lord Jesus Christ 
 has undertaken for sinners, and by his own death 
 paid the debt of their guilt. Wherever there is such 
 confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death, 
 there all desire on the part of God to be angry or to 
 inflict punishment, has ceased"' Melanch. : "He 
 does not remit on account of our merits, but in infi- 
 nite mercy for his Son's sake. In him there is such 
 a worth as to exceed our sins. Do not think that your 
 
108 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 
 sins are greater and more raiffhtv than the Son of 
 God." 
 
 A7id loosed him mid forgave him the debt; he does 
 more than we ask ; glorious reward of confidence in 
 the Lord's goodness ! At the first he brings up the 
 deserved judgment or suffering ; then, he discharges 
 the debt itself, declares him free. Gnomon : " He 
 had sought one benefit, he obtained two." Melanch. : 
 " Our sins are many and great, but grace superabounds, 
 Rom. V. These sins, though so many and so great, God 
 constantly wishes to remit to us. Let faith be here put 
 in exercise, that we may indeed believe this. And in 
 this faith let us approach to God, adoring him with 
 fervent supplication and giving thanks to his name." 
 Luther, House-Postills, 5. 252 : " True Christians, 
 while they feel their sins, have the consolation of be- 
 lieving that their sins are forgiven, and what they be- 
 lieve they obtain in the kingdom of grace. And 
 this kingdom takes its beginning with us in baptism, 
 and increases continually to the end. For to this 
 end are the preaching of the gospel, baptism, absolu- 
 tion, and the supper, ail directed, that we might have 
 our faith in the forgiveness of sin more and more 
 strengthened ; for God has laid up the treasure, for- 
 giveness of sin, in his word and sacraments, and com- 
 manded us to believe it." The behaviour of the 
 king is pure grace. Eph. ii. 8, 9. Rom. iii. 24. 
 
 " The other part now follows, as the fellow-servant 
 must also be brought in ; faith is such a possession, 
 that for its sake we might die every hour ; for if we 
 believe, we have a gracious God ; but if thou must 
 be continued still longer in life, thou must have some- 
 thing to do and act, and that, says Christ, must all 
 be directed upon thy neighbour." Luther, Church- 
 Pos. ]4. 246. 
 
 Ver. 28. Bui the same servoiit went out : Gnomon : 
 " Set free from his difficulties. Before that reckon- 
 ing with his Lord, he treated his fellow-servant more 
 gently. A danger of sinning attends the very joy 
 of restored liberty, health, etc. John v. 14, 2 Kings 
 XX. 13." Luther as above: " How does he eo out? 
 
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 109 
 
 Where has he been within ? In faith he had entered 
 in, but now he goes out through love ; for faith leads 
 people as away from people up to God ; (pardon of 
 sin is appropriated by faith in the secret chambers of 
 the heart ;) love leads them out again to the people, 
 (pardon truly received must manifest itself in love)." 
 And found one of his fellow-serva?äs, his equal, to- 
 wards whom he had not the smallest right to behave 
 as he did ; but he overlooks the relation in which he 
 stood to his fellow servant ; this circumstance, there- 
 fore, aggravates the harshness and iniquity of his 
 conduct. 
 
 Who owed him an hundred pence ^ denarii, a small 
 debt ; which should certainly have been felt as giving 
 additional force to the obligation under which he lay, 
 to mild forbearance and brotherly forgiveness. And 
 he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, 
 which sets before us his passionate violence and 
 hardness of heart. The vehemence of his demand 
 betrays a mind dead to all delicate feelings ; he en- 
 forces his threatenings through unheard of cruelties. 
 Ver. *29. A powerful and graphic description. In 
 the same posture, and with the same words^, he en- 
 treats his fellow-servant, as the latter had just em- 
 ployed toward his gracious Lord. It should have 
 reminded him of the favour he had received, and de- 
 termined him to exercise the like beneficence. This 
 fellow-servant also promises compensation, in token 
 of his heartfelt repentance, a thing too not impossi- 
 ble in regard to so small a debt. 
 
 Ver. 30. " The more this wicked servant is en- 
 treated, the more severe and harsh he becomes. 
 This is the common course of the world ; when sin 
 is forgiven, one soon forgets the pardoning grace of 
 God, and becomes more arrogant and hard-hearted 
 than before." Luther, House-Pos. 5. 254. — dnd cast 
 him into prison, into the debtor's ward ; this right 
 the believer had. He will, therefore, know nothing 
 of remission, stands upon his right, and will not act 
 according to rigid justice. 
 
110 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 
 Ver. 31. Luther, House-Pos. 5. 238: " Such a 
 moijstrous disregard of equity and compassion can- 
 not remain secret ; other Christiaus will see it and 
 concern themselves about it. And as the interces- 
 sions of the pious are not useless and in vain, so 
 neither is the common malediction, the general out- 
 cry against the wicked, useless and in vain." The 
 unmerciful forfeits the respect and love of his fellow- 
 men. Calvin : " We must know that there will be 
 so many witnesses against us before God, as there 
 are men now living with us ; for it cannot be but that 
 cruelty shall be displeasing and odious to them, es- 
 pecially when every one fears for himself, lest the 
 severity he sees exercised upon another, may alight 
 upon his own head " 
 
 V^er. o2. Then his Lord called him, this shall be 
 done at the last day. 
 
 Thou wicked servant. Gnomon : " He had not 
 been called this on account of his debt. Woe to him 
 whom the Lord rebukes, diap. xxv. 26. Unmerciful- 
 ness, properly wickedness*' Luther, House-Pos. ö. 
 239 : " What hast thou then gained poor wretch by 
 all thy fury ? Thou shouldst have had a gracious 
 God, and been completely discharged from all thy 
 debt, hadst thou but (from gratitude), showed com- 
 passion to thy neighbour; but now God will not 
 forgive thee, and besides will reckon as strictly with 
 thee, as thou wouldst with thy neighbour.' 
 
 Because thou desiredst me ; out of free grace with- 
 out all desert and worthiness on the part of the 
 guilty sinner. 
 
 Ver. 33. The design of God, in his gracious ma- 
 nifestations, which the self-willed sinner in his con- 
 tinued hardness overlooks, although it is plainly de- 
 clared to him. G,Q^ first exercises compassion, and 
 afterwards desires and expects it of us ; which is 
 also taught in the fifth petition. — Thy fellow servant. 
 Gnomon : " Whom thou oughtest to commisserate ; 
 my servant in whom thou has injured me." 
 
 Ver. 34, And his Lord was ivroth. — God's holy 
 
THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. Ill 
 
 and punitive indignation againt the ingratitude of the 
 hard-hearted servant, who renders himself unworthy 
 of the exercise of mercy, and forfeits it. The king 
 does not break his promise ; but the ungodly person 
 frustrates the purposes of divine goodness, through 
 
 his own subsequent obduracy. Gnomon : " Before 
 he had not been angry, cf. Luke xiv. 21. They who 
 have experienced grace ought most of all to be afraid 
 of wrath." Jas. ii. 13 ; v. 26. 
 
 Luther, Church-Pos. 14. 251 : " The punishment 
 here spoken of is not for the heathen, nor for the 
 general mass, who never hear the word of God, but 
 for those who with the ear receive the gospel, and 
 keep it upon their tongues, but will not live according 
 to its precepts." Mai. ii. 10. — Olshausen : "Upon 
 the hard-heartedness of the sinner, the osy^, (wrath,) 
 indignantly breaks out. Where men feel true unaf- 
 fected sorrow at the sins of their fellow men, (v. 31,) 
 there God manifests himself in anger. Conscience 
 testifies in man, that the root of that sin which he 
 sees in his brother, is also iphimself ; in God there 
 is a more pure and unmixed hatred of the evil. The 
 idea of the divine wrath is identical with the love of 
 God, the manifestation of which in kindness is p/ac/-, ^ 
 (grace,) the wrath of God is nothing but the maiii^ 
 festation of himself against evil. Hence so far as a 
 being is not the evil itself, but only gives way to it 
 in one respect or another, God, in love to the being, 
 is indignant only at the evil that is in him. So that 
 in the divine wrath there is displayed only another 
 form of the holy activity of God. Where his com- 
 passionate activity is misunderstood or abused, as in 
 the case of this servant, there the punitive comes 
 into force." 
 
 Till he should pat/ all; and as he was not in a con- 
 dition to do this, (v. 25,) he was adjudged to an 
 eternal and righteous punishment. In Matth. v. 25, 
 till, signifies also as much as now and never. Drae- 
 seke : " So he forfeited the freedom which was des- 
 tined for him, because he misunderstood and abused 
 
112 THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. 
 
 it. But here lay the misunderstanding, and hence 
 also arose the abuse, that he presumed he could ex- 
 pel all compassion from an economy of tilings, into 
 which he was admitted through the most distinguish- 
 ed compassion ; could insult love, and still remain in 
 the enjoyment of its blessings. As certainly as there 
 is no kingdom of God without forgiveness being re- 
 ceived by us, so certainly is there no kingdom of God 
 without forgiveness being exercised by us. With the 
 measure wherewith it was meted to us, when we 
 were called by grace, so must we also mete, that we 
 may not fall from grace." 
 
 Ver. 35. My heavenly Father ; Christ does not 
 say, your father ; for whosoever is so unmerciful, is 
 not worthy to be reckoned a child of God. Here we 
 find the lesson of the parable plainly declared as a 
 threatening of punishment and solemn warning against 
 unmercifulness ; Sirach xxxviii. 1 — Ij. Col. iii, 12, 
 13. In this parable two entirely opposite characters 
 are depicted, and throijsh means of the contrast be- 
 tween them the excellefbe of a placable disposition, 
 and the hatefulness, nay the frightful nature of an 
 unmerciful and avenging disposition are represented 
 in the most striking light. All the circumstances of 
 the narrative are in perfect accordance with the cha- 
 racters described. Von Brunn says upon this simi- 
 litude : " It contains a clear representation of the 
 most perfect exercise of grace toward the sinner, and 
 also the trials, which serve either to justify him who 
 is the subject of such grace, or to make him an en- 
 tire reprobate. To the sinner it opens up glorious 
 prospects ; the grace of God appears from the first 
 to him almost unlimited ; punitive justice completely 
 withdraws ; God regards all offences committed 
 against him as cancelled ; but the moment grace sees 
 the heart of the sinner unchanged, is unable to soft- 
 en it, to inspire it with feelings of love, to impress 
 upon it its own image, that moment justice resumes 
 its proper place, and the sinner has lost all inheri- 
 tance in this grace." 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 113 
 
 XL 
 
 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 Matth. XX. 1—16. 
 
 The rich young man, who asked, " Good master, 
 what good thing shall I do, that I may inherit eternal 
 life ?" went away sorrowing from Jesus, while he said 
 to him, " If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou 
 hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have trea- 
 sure in heaven, and come and follow me." For he 
 had many goods, which he could not bring his mind 
 to sacrifice, because the demand seemed too hard for 
 him. Upon this Jesus took occasion to direct atten- 
 tion to the important hindrances which the posses- 
 sion of earthly goods raises up in carnal and worldly- 
 minded hearts against their salvation. Then Peter 
 struck in and said, " Behold, we have forsaken all 
 and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" 
 We, says he of himself and his fellow-disciples, ma- 
 nifestly in opposition to that youth who had been 
 frightened away from following after Jesus by the 
 greatness of the sacrifice required ; what he could 
 not resolve to do that have we actually done ; to 
 become thy followers, we have made the greatest 
 sacrifice. " Peter tacitly," says Calvin, " compares 
 himself and the other disciples with the rich youth, 
 whom the world had alienated from Christ." 
 
 In that declaration of Peter, there is displayed, 
 not only a certain self-satisfaction, with which he re- 
 flects upon himself and his conduct, but also a vaunt- 
 ing of himself over the young man, and those like 
 him, and a depreciation of others. This manner of 
 feeling gave rise to the question, " What shall we 
 have therefore ?" In which there discovers itself the 
 foolish conceit of possessing merits before the Lord, 
 and having righteous claims, grounded upon these 
 I 
 
114 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD, 
 
 merits, which might be made upon him, plainly argu- 
 ing a selfish thirst for reward. Draeseke : " The na- 
 tural man must always be a hireling. Peter himself 
 was only a hireling so long as he was Simon. This 
 was betrayed by the question : what shall we have 
 therefore ? But bye and bye Peter laid aside the Si- 
 mon, and along therewith the hireling, 1 Peter i. 24, 
 3 ; iv. 2 ; 2 Peter iii. 13." And since Peter did not 
 rest upon the external circumstance of his earlier call 
 upon Jesus, and his longer fellowship with him, 
 though in this respect also he was distinguished from 
 the young man in question, but merely upon the sa- 
 crifice he had made,— upon his good works, we may 
 hence gather, that afterwards in the parable, the ear- 
 lier and the later call is not in itself an essential 
 thing, and that the expression ^r*^ and last, is to be 
 understood, not so much of an external difference in 
 regard to a longer or shorter fellowship with Jesus, 
 as of men's judgment upon themselves in regard to 
 their personal worth and desert. 
 
 To the question of this disciple, our Lord replied, 
 V. 28 : '^ Verily, I say unto you, that ye, who have 
 followed me, in the regeneration (Acts iii. 21, at the 
 time of the manifestation of the kingdom of God, 
 Matth. XXV. 31, ss.) 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, 
 (honour, power, and glory shall be your portion, 
 John xvii. 24)." A peculiarly distinguished and glo- 
 rious reward is here promised by our Lord to his 
 apostles, and the unfailing certainty with which it 
 should be conferred, is intimated in the verily, with 
 which the declaration commences. By such a pro- 
 raise the Lord wished to stimulate and strengthen his 
 disciples to persevering attachment to the faith, 
 and immoveable steadfastness under all tribula- 
 tions and sufferings which were to overtake them. 
 Calvin : " Lest the disciples should think that 
 they were bound to a fruitless task, or repent of 
 their begun undertaking, Christ informs them of 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 115 
 
 the glory of his kingdom, which as yet lay con- 
 cealed, but which should one day be manifested. 
 As if he had said: There is no reason why the 
 meanness of your present condition should dishearten 
 you ; for I, who scarcely have a place among the 
 lowest, shall yet ascend the throne of majesty ; en- 
 dure therefore for a while, until the time shall come 
 for the manifestation of my glory." Nor has Christ 
 merely the apostles in view, his eye stretches far and 
 wide ov^er the whole company of his disciples in every 
 age, and hence follows, in ver. 29, the general pro- 
 mise, which belongs to all, who should ever attach 
 themselves to him : " And every one, that hath for- 
 saken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or 
 mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's 
 sake, shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit 
 everlasting life." Still more clearly than here we 
 find reference made in the parallel passages of the 
 other Evangelists, Mark x. 29, 30, and Luke xviii. 
 30, to a twofold reward, an earthly and a heavenly 
 one. Mark says : " There is no man that hath left 
 house, &c. but he shall receive an hundred- fold now 
 in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and 
 mothers, and children, and lands, with per*secu- 
 tions, (nothing without the cross in the fellowship 
 with Jesus, Matth. x. 38), and in the world to come 
 eternal life." This twofold reward is not to be 
 overlooked, on account of the penny in the parable. 
 Receive an hundredfold, Gnomon : " In this life, for 
 the future one will repay more than a hundred or 
 even a thousand fold, Luke xix. 16, 17. He shall 
 receive, not politically, and by dint of his own efforts, 
 yet still he shall truly receive, just as he has need of 
 a faithful friend, and in whatsoever other things it is 
 desirable for him to obtain, Matth. v. 5. The word 
 receive agrees more closely to the notion of reward, 
 but inherit implies something far richer." Calvin : 
 " After having raised the minds of his disciples to 
 the hope of eternal life, he supports them also by 
 present consolations, and strengthens them for en- 
 
116 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 during the cross. For though God may permit his 
 people to be grievously afflicted, he yet never so far 
 deserts them as to leave them without compensation 
 for their sorrows. Nor does he speak here only to 
 his apostles, but takes occasion to direct his discourse 
 generally to all. The sum of the matter is, that they 
 who have voluntr^rily suffered the loss of all things, 
 for the sake of Christ, shall obtain more happiness, 
 even in this life, than if they had sustained no injury, 
 though still their grand recompense is reserved for 
 them in heaven." 
 
 To the promise just mentioned our Lord joins the 
 declaration in v. 30 : " But many that are first shall 
 be last ; and the last shall be first." The connection 
 with but, imports as much as ; However sure the 
 word of promise is, and however unfailing the pro- 
 mised reward, it yet may, and will happen, that the 
 promise shall not be fulfilled to all, nor the glorious 
 reward inherited by all, — that many, and of these not 
 a few, even among the immediate followers of Jesus, 
 shall be disappointed in their expectations, and that 
 the actual participation of the reward shall proceed 
 upon quite other principles than men in their blind- 
 ness and perversity dream. These words contain 
 partly a warning to the naturally proud and super- 
 cilious heart, to beware of losing the promised re- 
 ward through fancied superiority over others, and 
 partly, also, they declare a general principle of govern- 
 ment, which shall be acted on in the heavenly king- 
 dom. Calvin : " This declaration was added to 
 make them put away the sluggishness of the flesh. 
 The apostles already grasped at the reward, though 
 they had scarcely began their course. But Christ 
 exhorts those, who had truly begun, to strenuous 
 perseverance, and, at the same time, reminds them 
 that it would be of no avail to have set out boldly on 
 the Christian race, if they did not continue to the 
 end, 1 Cor. ix. 24. Phil. iii. 13. 
 
 The first, taken in its proper signification, are 
 such as really have an external precedence over 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 117 
 
 others, according to the parable, the first called dis- 
 ciples, (v. 1, 2), who had to perform a long, full, la- 
 borious day's work, v. 10, do much, suffer much, 
 submit to great sacrifices, continue steadfastly with 
 Jesus, and, according to human apprehension, ap- 
 pear pre-eminently deserving of reward. Such a 
 day's work had the apostles, the first Christians 
 generally, the martyrs, reformers, missionaries to the 
 heathen. But the mere circumstance, that one has 
 continued long in fellowship with Jesus, has had to 
 fight with many difficulties, and has overcome them, 
 by no means proves that, before the Searcher of 
 Hearts, he is worthy of attaining to the promised 
 reward. 
 
 The last, in like manner, strictly understood, stand 
 opposed to those, who have just been described ac- 
 cording to their external circumstances — such as 
 have not companied so long with Jesus, have been 
 later in being called, v. 3, 7, have therefore not per- 
 formed such a day's work, have not laboured, suf- 
 fered, or sacrificed so much ; who, consequently, as 
 compared with the former, occupy an inferior place 
 in this respect, and do not appear worthy of such a 
 reward. And yet, in the actual apportioning of the 
 reward, the first shall be last, shall not receive such 
 a glorious reward as these, must be content to see 
 themselves put behind. The treatment is in the 
 highest degree remarkable, and appears, according 
 to human apprehension, to be not less arbitrary than 
 unjust toward the first, and partial toward the last. 
 But he, who has to apportion the reward, is the holy, 
 righteous, good, all- wise and omniscient God. He 
 must have grounds for acting as he does, as there 
 can be no caprice in his conduct. All those outward 
 distinctions, which belong to the just, suflftce not be- 
 fore God to make them stand also first in the parti- 
 cipation of" the promised reward, that is, to secure for 
 them a preference before the others, to provide for 
 them a richer inheritance in the rewards of grace. 
 There must^ therefore, be before him, who looks only 
 
18 
 
 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 on the heart, nnd does not regard the outward ap- 
 pearance, some internal grounds and hindrances, 
 on account of which the first do not remain first. 
 These internal grounds lie in the state of mind be- 
 longing to these first labourers, in all outward re- 
 spects so distinguished, and consist in self-satisfaction, 
 self-elation, contempt of others, conceit of their own 
 merits, presumptuous claims to distinction, conse- 
 quently, also, in forwardness and want of humility, — 
 these are the secret hindrances which prevent the 
 first from remaining first, and the grounds on account 
 of which the Lord does not think them worthy of 
 distinguishing grace. On account of this state of 
 mind, on account of the precedence which they 
 claimed for themselves, which, in the parable, could 
 be represented no otherwise than through the earlier 
 call and the longer period of labour, — for only such 
 workmen could so confidently extol themselves over 
 others, — they are called the first ; and this expres- 
 sion, taken figuratively, is to be understood of the 
 imagined superiority which this class of labourers 
 ascribed to themselves over the others, conceiving 
 that in God's eyes, as well as in their own, they were 
 pre-eminent in worth, — the first, the best, the most 
 distinguished. The dehneation of their heart in the 
 parable, v. 2. 10 — 12, 15, completely harmonizes with 
 the state of feeling expressed by Peter, v. 27. It is, 
 therefore, a good thing to be one of the first, in re- 
 gard to what is outward ; but a still better thing, 
 and an essential requisite not to know k, not to 
 plume ourselves upon it, as otherwise we shall have 
 our place among the last in the eyes of God. 
 
 Atid the last shall he fir si; the want of all the outward 
 advantages belonging to the first-called labourers, 
 which do not belong to the last, who, being later 
 called, wrought only for a short period; and had not 
 toiled particularly hard, (v. 3, 7 — 12,) forms, on the 
 other hand, no sufficient ground, in the sight of God, 
 to refuse them distinguishing grace ; and if he grants 
 them a full day's reward more than they themselves, 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 119 
 
 perhaps, could have expected for theiv work, he must, 
 as well as in the other case, have grounds for doing 
 so ; and discern in them a state of mind which ren- 
 ders them worthy of such treatment. Now, if the 
 formerly described feeling of Peter, which, in the 
 parable, discovers itself in the first- called labourers, 
 rendered them unworthy of a distinguishing mark of 
 grace, on the part of God, and deprived them of it ; 
 we are naturally led to conclude that these last la- 
 bourers, who were so highly favoured above the first, 
 must have possessed an entirely different frame of 
 mind ; that, being filled with humility, they thought 
 little of themselves, and judged themselves unworthy 
 of any large recompense ; that they knew nothing 
 of personal deserts and claims on God, built not 
 upon themselves, but attributed every thing they 
 possessed of good to their Lord, v. 4, 5, 7, — and all 
 this is represented, in the parable, by their later call. 
 In their own eyes, and the world's, they are last, 
 hence they are the first in God's. 
 
 We are, besides, compelled to understand the 
 above expression in this sense, from the place and 
 connection which the same expression has in Luke 
 xiii. 30, wliere the subject discoursed of from v. 26, 
 is the arrogant pretensions of the Jews, proud both 
 of their nation and their birth, to the exclusive, or, 
 at least, the pre-eminent enjoyment of the blessings of 
 Messiah's kingdom, and of the preference to be given 
 to the heathen over them. The discourse concludes 
 with the words : " And behold there are last that 
 shall be first, and there are first that shall be last," — 
 which, in this connection, obviously means, that the 
 Jews, in their arrogant and foolish pride, should see 
 themselves disappointed : and that the heathen, who 
 were so much despised by them, and on their part 
 made no such pretensions, should be preferred be- 
 fore them. Gnomon ; " The first and the last either 
 differ in kind, so that they are such as are saved, and 
 such as perish ; or rather in degree, so that the first 
 
120 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 also shall be saved, but shall stand far below the 
 last." 
 
 Immediately after this dark and enigmatical decla- 
 ration in V. SO, the parable itself follows in Matthew, 
 which also closes with the same declaration. Not 
 only the commencement of the parable, with the 
 connective particle /or, but also the repetition of the 
 saying in question in v. 16, with ourwj so, i.e. in this 
 manner, as the history just recited shews, clearly 
 manifests, that the parable was delivered for the pur- 
 pose of exhibiting the truth contained in the last 
 verse of the preceding chapter, in a specific transac- 
 tion, wherein the first were last and the last first. 
 The circumstance, that in the first announcement of 
 this truth, v. 30, it is said, " many that are first shall 
 be last," has induced the most part of interpreters 
 to bring the universal application of this principle of 
 the Messiah's kindom into doubt, and to affirm 
 that there may also have been some first, who were 
 not last ; but this does not appear to be the meaning, 
 and we are rather led by the design of the parable, 
 and the import of the text itself, to understand the 
 saying in the strictest universality, and to maintain 
 that all the first are last, and all the last are first. 
 This is demanded by the text itself, for while,. in v. 
 30, it is said, in the first clause, " many first shall be 
 last," the converse is stated, quite generally, in the 
 second ; " and the last shall be first." And, in 
 V. 16, the sentiment which was expressed in v. 
 30, with some ajiparent limitation, is given in the 
 most comprehensive form ; " so the first shall be 
 last, and the last first." Hence we must explain the 
 darker saying in v. 30, from the one in v. 16, which 
 is more explicit. Nor can we avoid taking the de- 
 claration as universally applicable, if we look to the 
 whole purport of the parable, according to which, in 
 the distribution of rewards, all the first were actually 
 the last, v. 1, 2, comp, with v. 10 ; and there is no- 
 thing in the words which opposes this interpretation 
 for according to Wahl, Clavis N. T. 'xoXXo'i signifies, 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE- YARD. 121 
 
 also, all: " -TroWo/, a nmltitudi?ie appellantur, qui sunt 
 omnes, Matth. xx. 28; xxvi. 28^" Wahl, indeed, 
 brings forward the two passages, v. 30, and v. 1 6, 
 with the view of attaching to 7nani/ its usual, its li- 
 mited signification, but without a proper regard to 
 the connection in which the parable stands, and which 
 speaks strongly for the more general sense of the 
 word — alL The whole doubt, however, which has 
 been felt concerning the reception of this latter sense, 
 and which some have endeavoured to render probable, 
 by the incontrovertible remark, that there may also 
 have been those among the first who, on account of 
 their humble and confiding disposition toward God, 
 continued to remain first, proceeds, as to its ultimate 
 ground, from an entire misapprehension of the para- 
 ble ; as if the caUing of the labourers, at different 
 times, and the longer or shorter period of labour in 
 the vineyard, consequent thereupon, were to be re- 
 garded as the main feature in the parable ; whereas, 
 first and last have no reference to the earlier and 
 later call, but are rather to be taken as distinct forms 
 for determining and marking the judgment of the 
 workmen regarding themselves ; their proud and as- 
 suming, or their humble and unpretending disposition. 
 There is, however, still another way of taking the 
 expression, which is quite allowable. If we make 
 the 'TToXXoi in v. 30, to bear its usual, its limited sense, 
 many, we must then supply this to the second clause, 
 so as to give the following sense : And many last 
 shall be first. In this case the mamj first and many 
 last are tobe referred only to the external circumstance 
 of the earlier or later call ; while, on the other hand, 
 the thing predicated of them, shall be last, shall be 
 first, must be understood of the judicial sentence of 
 God, pronounced upon the called labourers, and the 
 sense will then be : But many who then (as to the 
 time of their call) were first, shall be last, (as con- 
 cerns the judgment of God, he does not hold them 
 worthy of distinguishing grace) ; and many of the 
 last called labourers shall be first in the eyes of God, 
 
' 122 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE -YAKD. 
 
 be raised (o the highest honours (The change from 
 the proper to the improper signification in the terms 
 ßrst and last, in the one and the same sense, need 
 not appear strange, as we find something quite si- 
 milar in the word life, Matth. xvi. 25.) Ver, 30 is 
 immediately succeeded by the parable, which re- 
 presents the judicial procedure of God, and^vhich is 
 followed up at the close by the declaration in v, 16. 
 But here the first and last would need to be under- 
 stood, without regard to the time of the call, merely 
 of the judgment of the labourers upon themselves, 
 and of the contrary judgment of God upon them, and 
 the sense would then be : So, i. e. according to the 
 manner just described in the parable, shall the last 
 (ail the last, for there is no qualifying term there), 
 be first, and the first last, all those like-minded with 
 the first, — the proud shall be abased ; all those like- 
 minded with the last, — the humble shall be exalted. 
 According to this exposition, the possibility in v. 30, 
 grows into a reality in v. 16 ; in the former verse it is 
 represented as possible, that the first might be the 
 last, in V. 16, it is stated to be actually the case; 
 and the parable contains the fundamental principle 
 in the divine kingdom, according to which this reali- 
 ty comes to be established ; hence v. 16 is con- 
 nected with what precedes by — so. 
 
 DESIGN OF THE PARABLE. 
 
 Draeseke : " The grand key to the mystery of 
 the kingdom contained in this parable, lies in the 
 truth, that, although the heavenly kingdom is the 
 gift of God in the souls of men, it yet can neither 
 begin, nor continue, neither manifest, nor develope 
 itself without worthiness on the part of men. And 
 again, though our worthiness is necessary, yet we do 
 not attain to a place in the kingdom of God through 
 " the merit of our works," but through the fulness 
 of grace, and through this alone. In short, the king- 
 dom longs for labourers, it disdains hirelings. As 
 
TUE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 123 
 
 the parable primarily applies to that disciple, who 
 wished to know what he was to have for leaving and 
 forsaking all, but in that disciple was personated the 
 whole of Israel and its high pretensions, so it runs 
 counter to all pretension, not excepting ours, if we 
 make any. Labourers and hirelings have this in 
 common, that both apply their powers, often even 
 their most strenuous efforts, to the execution of a 
 work, in which they obey the guidance and direc- 
 tion of some other will than their own. But in this 
 they differ from each other, that the labourer being 
 prompted by love, makes his Lord's will his own ; 
 whereas the hireling remains as an alien to the will 
 of his Lord, because he is destitute of love. The 
 labourer moves himself with ease and freedom, be- 
 cause he is full of spirit ; the hireling is crippled and 
 benumbed, because he has nothing of the right spirit. 
 The labourer finds his pleasure in his work ; the hire- 
 ling is allured only by what he wins. The labourer 
 rejoices in the success also of others, his heart being 
 in the cause ; the hireling begrudges every gain in 
 which he has no share. He places the person and 
 the cause in opposition to each other. Hirelings are 
 the servants of their own lusts, and hence the judg- 
 ment given in Luke ix. Q'2.^^ 
 
 Gnomon : " Peter is taught to exercise modesty 
 in demanding; conf. Luke xvii. 5 — 10, where we 
 learn, that they who judge themselves unprofitable 
 servants, are of a sounder mind than those who exalt 
 themselves over others." Calvin : " Since this pa- 
 rable is merely the confirmation of the last statement, 
 V. 30, we must now consider how it adapts itself to 
 this purpose. Some interpreters gather this as the 
 sum, that, as the heavenly inheritance is not acquired 
 as the reward of merit, but is bestowed as a free gift, 
 the glory of all will be one and the same. But 
 Christ does not discourse concerning the equality of 
 celestial glory, nor concerning the future state of the 
 pious at all, but simply declares, that there is no 
 reason why they should glory, or boast themselves 
 
124 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE- YARD. 
 
 over others, who have precedence in point of time ; 
 because the Lord, as often as he pleased, could call 
 those whom he seemed for a time to neglect, and 
 make them to equal, if not to surpass those who had 
 been called at an earlier period. Besides, as we have 
 already said, his aim was to stimulate his disciples 
 with perpetual excitements to go on and persevere. 
 Too much confidence naturally begets sloth ; and so 
 it comes to pass, that many, when they have scarcely 
 well begun, fall a loitering in the middle of their 
 course." 
 
 In his discourses, answers, and instructions, the 
 Lord constantly deals with the inmost state of the 
 heart ; whatever he discerns there sinful and per- 
 verse, that he contends with, and brings to light in 
 proper or figurative language, the state of mind, 
 which is right and well pleasing to God ; as this is 
 his general practice, so is it in particular here. The 
 sinful disposition, which Peter manifested in v. 27, 
 was the immediate occasion of the parable. Against 
 this it is directed, against the pride and self- elation 
 of the human heart, against a mercenary temper and 
 pretended worth, against spiritual presumption, and 
 such other sinful emotions as naturally arise out of 
 it, in particular, against envy, mutual jealousy, and 
 dissatisfaction with God. It is, therefore, his de- 
 sign to excite a confidential and4owly state of mind, 
 while the mournful consequences of the opposite 
 state of sinful perverseness are delineated in the first 
 labourers. We are compelled to regard the parable 
 in this light by the preceding context ; and in the 
 narrative that follows, of the mother of Zebedee's 
 children seeking from the Lord the two most hon- 
 ourable seats in his kingdom for her two sons, the 
 same truth is again inculcated only from another 
 point of view. For whilst in the parable confidence 
 or pride in our own doings is combated, and all right- 
 eousness of works before God is put to shame, this 
 narrative teaches, that the endurance also of the most 
 painful and bitter sufferings in following the Lord, 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 125 
 
 V. 22, 23, does not of itself make us worthy and de- 
 servingof being rewarded with the highest honour and 
 distinction in his kingdom; for though any one should 
 drink, says Jesus, v. 23, of my cup, I am yet by no 
 means necessitated to give him to sit upon my right 
 hand or my left, but sliall give it to those to whom it 
 is prepared of my father. The highest honours in 
 the kingdom shall be distributed by the Sou, (as 
 steward, v. 8.) according to a predeterminate purpose 
 of the Father, to those who possess the proper state 
 of feeling, and falling in with God's arrangement 
 shall be counted worthy of distinguishing grace. So 
 tliat neither works, (according to the parable,) nor 
 sufferings (according to the narrative, v. 20 — 23,) 
 neither passive nor active obedience toward Christ 
 can purchase for us merit in his kingdom, and all re- 
 ward there shall be dispensed according to the de- 
 terminate purpose of God, thougli still in a way of 
 desert, i. e. in proportion to the faith and humility of 
 each. This truth — that unpretending humility alone 
 is prized before God, arid reckoned worthy of the 
 highest honour, is not only thus set forth in the para- 
 ble and the narrative, but is also, in plain language, 
 enforced in the verses that follow, v. 25 — 28 ; and 
 for regarding this as the main design of the parable, 
 something may even be gathered from the epistle, 1 
 Cor. ix. 24 ; x. 5, appointed to be read along with 
 the gospel containing this parable in Matthew, on 
 Sunday Septuagesima ; for the last part of the epistle 
 warns us, from the example of the Israelites, against 
 fleshly security, that is, against- the delusion of sup- 
 posing that any thing external, without a state of 
 mind good and well pleasing in the sight of God, can 
 secure for us salvation and the experience of divine 
 favour. 
 
 Luther, in his Churcli-Pos., gives the aim of the 
 parable as follows : " Christ designs to show in this 
 similitude, how it comes to pass, that in the heavenly 
 kingdom, or the church on earth, God Judges and 
 acts in a wonderful manner, so as to make the last 
 
126 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 first, and the first last. And every thing is said to 
 humble those, who think themselves something, — that 
 they liinst have no confidence in any thing but the 
 sovereign mercy and goodness of God ; and, on the 
 other hand, that those who are nothing need not de- 
 spair, but may, as well as the others, confide in the 
 goodness of God. We must observe that the house- 
 holder insists upon having his gifts exalted above all 
 works and merits, nay, of having them alone account- 
 ed of. Therefore, the main drift of the parable does 
 not turn upon the penny, what it may represent, nor 
 upon the distinction of hours, but upon the gaining 
 and acquiring, how the penny is to be won. This, 
 then, is the sum and substance of the parable, — no 
 man is in himself so high, nor can he become so high, 
 but that he shall still have reason to fear he may be 
 thrust down to the lowest place ; and again, no one 
 has sunk, nor can he sink, so low but that he may 
 still hope to reach the highest place. For here all 
 merit is excluded, and the goodness of God alone 
 exalted, while the determination is formed, that the 
 first shall be last and the last first. In saying the 
 first shall be last, he takes away all presumption, and 
 forbids thee to boast thyself over any sinner, though 
 thou didst equal Abraham, David, Peter, or Paul. 
 But when he also says, the last shall be first, he re- 
 moves all ground for despair, and forbids thee to 
 take refuge under any saint, though thou wert even 
 like Pilate or Herod, like Sodom and Gomorrah." 
 
 Bourn understands the parable in the same light, 
 and regards it as directed against spiritual presump- 
 tion. When it has been considered rather in an ex- 
 ternal point of view, the calling of the labourers into 
 the vine-yard at different times, and the apparent 
 sameness of the reward, all receiving alike one pennj-, 
 has been regarded as the main thing, and it has not 
 been perceived that all this serves only as a neces- 
 sary image for representing the different states of 
 mind. Even Luther, at an earlier period, had taken 
 up with this idea, in his House -Pos. 2. 79, regarding 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 127 
 
 it as teaching the truth, that there is no respect of 
 persons in Christ's spiritual kingdom. But that the 
 earlier or later call is only a subordinate point, and 
 the veil of a truth concealed under it, is manifest from 
 this, that the parable takes notice only of the first 
 and the last, and bestows no particular regard on 
 those who were called at the intermediate times, 
 which it should certainly have done, had these sepa- 
 rate calls been a matter of primary importance. The 
 expositors, who consider the different hours of calling 
 the essential point, hold it for the design of the para- 
 ble to teach and vindicate the proposed extension of 
 the gospel to the heathen world, and the approaching 
 dissolution of the ecclesiastical state and privileges 
 of Israel, in order to erect a Church in its stead, 
 which should be composed of all classes of men, and 
 extend even to the farthest boundaries of the earth ; 
 — so Gray. More spiritual, and nearer the truth, is 
 the view which regards the parable as directed 
 against the national and religious pride of Israel, 
 grounding pretensions to merit on its law and 
 long-tried obedience to God, since on this account 
 Paul so often and so strongly expresses himself 
 in his Epistles against the righteousness of the 
 law, and Israel's presumptuous claims on God. But 
 though we should grant that the parable points to 
 this historical fact, yet this cannot be its immediate 
 and proper reference, for as it speaks only of the 
 heavenly kingdom, and tells us how Christ will act 
 toward his labourers, we are under the necessity of 
 confining it to this region. There are still other 
 expositors, holding to the distinction of hours, and 
 the apparent sameness in the reward, who have 
 thought it must teach, that the earlier or later en- 
 trance into the visible church is a matter of indiffer- 
 ence ; nay, some have even maintained the unchris- 
 tian notion, as forming the very kernel of this parable, 
 that it will not signify whether the sinner may have 
 come soon or late to Christ ! as if an earlier or later 
 conversion to the Lord were really a thing of no mo- 
 
128 THE LABOURERS INT THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 ment. Olshausen, in his Commentary on the New 
 Testament, I. p. 735, says, upon the manifold views 
 taken of this and similai' parables : " Such divine 
 narratives resemble well-polished precious stones, 
 which emit a splendour from more sides than one." 
 The same expositors, who have failed to discern the 
 secret grounds upon which the divine procedure and 
 righteous judgment in regard to the first and the last 
 was formed, because they looked only to the long 
 or short period of labour, have sought to justify the 
 apparent arbitrariness displayed by the Lord in the 
 distribution of the reward, by bringing to their help, 
 the quite unwarranted supposition, that the first called 
 labourers may not have wrought rightly and conscien- 
 tiously, while the last, through redoubled zeal, may 
 have at least equalled in their short period, the labour 
 of the first. But the parable has nothing in it to justify 
 this supposition ; for while the first-called labourers 
 appeal to their long and laborious work, the Lord 
 makes no attempt to deny it, but simply rests for 
 justification on his own free goodness, and it is not 
 so much as hinted, that the last had distinguished 
 themselves b}»" their extraordinary labour. Were the 
 supposition in question right, the leading truth 
 brought out in the parable would be, " according 
 to the work, so is the reward," a sentiment which is 
 directly opposed to the real design of the parable, 
 which rather unfolds the truth, " that tlie amount of 
 reward is not determined by the labour of the ser- 
 vant." It is, finally, to be remarked, that the same- 
 ness of the reward, is, after all, only an apparent one. 
 It would have been really so, had there been one 
 period of labour and one service performed. But 
 since both, according to the parable, were very differ- 
 ent, the labourers who had wrought on|y an hour, 
 received in their full day's wages, twelve times more 
 than they deserved, and than was given to the first- 
 called laboiirers; so that the Lord manifested toward 
 them a quite peculiar, and most distinguishing grace, 
 which was denied to the first. In the parable, both 
 
THE LABOÜREKS IN THE V^IXE-YARD. 129 
 
 the time of labour and the work clone, differs with 
 the different labourers, and the preference of the last 
 called over the first, is marked by the equality of 
 the reward. And, according to the clear import 
 of the parable, when the labourers in the vine-yard, 
 the disciples of Christ, wrought for a like time, and 
 accomphshed a like work, even then there is to be 
 found an entirely different relation between work and 
 reward, there is to be found an unequal reward. 
 The grace of the Lord, that it is at once free and 
 righteous, and the disposition of the labourers as 
 rendering them worthy or unworthy of distinguishing 
 grace, these are the two leading points upon which 
 we must direct especial attention, and which, in the 
 exposition and practical application of the parable, 
 must be brought most prominently out and rendered 
 palpable, if it is to be rightly understood. 
 
 TRAIX OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 On what depends the distribution of reward in the 
 kingdom of God ? or, 
 ' Humility is the only measure for the distribution 
 of reward in the kingdom of God. 
 
 I. Negative proof: The reward is not distributed 
 according to work, 
 
 A. Work indeed is required ; for, 
 
 (1) The steward hires labourers, v. 1, 2 ; 
 
 (2) He repeatedly hires labourers, v. 3, 5, (i ; 
 (-3) He chides the idle, v. 3, 6 ; 
 
 B. But still work is not the measure, accordim> 
 to which the reward is distributed ; for, 
 
 (1) Neither the length of the time of labour 
 is commended, v. 8 — 12: <' Thou hast 
 made them equal to us." 
 
 (2) Nor the arduousness of the work, v. 12 : 
 " We who have borne the heat and burden 
 
ISO THE LABOURERS IX THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 II. Positive proof. The reward shall be distributed 
 only according to the degree of humility ; for, 
 
 A. The kingdom of God is a kingdom oi grace ; 
 
 (1) Every one indeed receives a reward for 
 his work, v. 13, (comp. v. 2.) v. 14 : " Take 
 what thine is, and go thy way." 
 
 (2) But the gift of eternal life is only of/ree 
 grace, v. 14 : I will give unto this last, 
 even as unto thee ;" and herein appears 
 distinctly, 
 
 a) God's sovereign power, v. 14 : I ivill 
 give, etc. 
 
 b) As also his free goodness, v. 15 : Is thine 
 eye evil, because I am good?" 
 
 B. And hence the humble are the objects of 
 grace ; Vvhich is manifest, 
 
 (1) In the case of the first, from the opposite, 
 for they wanted humility, v. 2 ; They 
 agreed for a reward, v. 1 1 : They mur- 
 murred. 
 
 (2) In the case of the last ; They trust in 
 humility on the Lord, v. 15 — 5 : And they 
 went away, v. 9 : They receive a glorious 
 reward. 
 
 (3) From the closing declaration, v. 16 : For 
 many are called but few are chosen. 
 
 Ver. 1. The kingdom of heaven is like unto an 
 householder ; for as a householder transacts with his 
 servants, so will the Lord transact with those who 
 belong to his church, and entered into terms with 
 him. Householder^ lit. a man that is an householder ; 
 by wliom we are to understand God. 
 
 To hire labourers ; man's cotning into connection 
 with God, is from God, according to John xv. 16, 
 the call is of grace, for on this is grounded the salva- 
 tion of sinners ; io hire indicates a free compact, God 
 calls and wäll bestow salvation, the sinner must con- 
 sent, receive the call ; the hiring contains within it- 
 self a reward, whicli is likewise of grace, for God, as 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE f".INE-YARD. 131 
 
 Lord of his creatures, is not bound to give any 
 special recompense, but he wishes, through the pro- 
 mise of this, to make men the more ready to accept of 
 his gracious call. Labourers are not merely preach- 
 ers, but all the called, and they are named labourers, 
 partly on account of their dependance on God, and 
 partly to intimate, that in the attainment of salvation, 
 all must proceed upon the dutiful subjection of man 
 to the will of God. 
 
 Vine-yard, an image of the church, and of the em- 
 ployment to be performed in it ; manifold, laborious, 
 but richly recompensed are the employments in a 
 vine-yard; God has established this vine-yard ac- 
 cording to his great mere}'. Olshauscn : " The fre- 
 quent comparison of the kingdom of God to a vine- 
 yard, indicates as much as this, that the Redeemer, 
 according to his insight into nature, found in wine 
 and the vine the most fitting analogies in the natu- 
 ral world for shadowing forth spiritual relations. 
 John XV. 1, ss." 
 
 Ver. 2. And when he had agreed with the labour- 
 ers ; they must consequently have asked after the 
 reward, and the Lord had also made it known to 
 them ; they are represented to us as possessed of a 
 selfish, greedy disposition, ch. xix. 27 ; would con- 
 fide nothing to the Lord, would not rest in his divine 
 equity. Gnomon : " With the first labourers, the 
 transaction is more a matter of paction and right, 
 with the latter, more a matter of free goodness, even 
 in the hiring^ though coupled with the reprehension 
 of these last for their idleness, v. 4, 6, 7. They 
 make up for their idleness by yielding obedience 
 without stipulating for any reward." Calvin : " Here 
 mention is made of a penny, and a hire ; but while 
 we quarrel concerning our deserts, and such quarrels 
 draw on many pernicious vices, hatred,'self-seeking, 
 pride, wrongs, it happens that the first becomes last, 
 and the good cause is corrupted by ill behaviour." 
 Draeseke : " He gives the called their appointed 
 task. Now they have work. And they set to it 
 
132 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE- YARD. 
 
 heartily, were not hirelings, day-labourers, eye-ser- 
 vants ; they w ere, what they ought to be, workmen, 
 helps, and companions of the householder.' 
 
 For a penny ; a denarius, about sevenpence half- 
 penny of our money. 
 
 Ver. 3 — 5. The third, sixths ninth hours, according 
 to the Jewish method of reckoning time ; the day 
 was divided into twice twelve hours, beginning at 
 six in the evening, so that their third hour of day 
 corresponded to our nine in the morning, and so on. 
 Luther, Church -Postills, 11, says : " This portion of 
 scripture has been applied by some fathers to the dif- 
 ferent preachers that have been raised up in the dif- 
 ferent periods of the world ; the first hour is Adam's 
 time ; the third, Noah's ; the sixth, Abraham's ; the 
 ninth, that of Moses ; the eleventh, that of Christ 
 and his apostles. Such trifling is good enough for 
 filling up the time, when one has nothing else to 
 preach." 
 
 Ver. 3. And saw others standing idle in the mar- 
 ket place ; no activity is right while we are out of 
 Christ, and away from fellowship with him ; we 
 must devote to him all our time and powers. Drae- 
 seke : " Man may be so busy, in his business he 
 may be so diligent, that the sweat shall flow in 
 streams from his forehead; but until he feels himself 
 called by God to the work, until he knows himself 
 appointed by God in the work, until he begins to ex- 
 ert himself for God in it, and also works in the king- 
 dom, he stands idle. Worse even than doing nothing 
 is every sore of working which is not done for the 
 kingdom." 
 
 Ver. 4. Whatsoever is right, I icill give you ; he 
 refers them, without any definite promise of blessing, 
 to his justice and equity, and they, simply confiding 
 in this, making no inquiry after reward, go away in- 
 to the vine-yard. How great a difl^erence between 
 these and the first labourers ! It is, besides, worthy 
 oF remark, that the calling of men, as bodies, to the 
 fellowship of Christ, is done, as in the case of indi- 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 138 
 
 viduals, at different times ; one people is called ear- 
 lier than another, and even in the Christian church, 
 where all enjoy the means of outward fellowship, 
 some come in tender childhood, others in the season 
 of youth, others only in ripened manhood, or even 
 not till declining age, to a living and enlightened 
 fellowship with the Redeemer, when alone the}^ can 
 regard themselves as labourers of the Lord, and ap- 
 prehend the true design of their being. 
 
 Ver. 6. A?id about the eleventh hour ; five hours af- 
 ter mid-day, when there remained but an hour to 
 work. Why stand ye here all the day idle ? is a 
 reproach. 
 
 Ver. 8. Here begins the second division of the 
 parable, the distribution of the reward and justifica- 
 tion of the manner of doing it. If, in the first part 
 of the parable, the calling of the labourers at different 
 hours was only the particular form for representing 
 to us the want of a confiding and humbled spirit in 
 the first-called, the possession of it by the last, and 
 to lay a palpable ground for the self-exaltation of the 
 former ; — if, farther, the diflFerent times of labour ta- 
 ken in connection with the manner of distributing 
 the reward, is only assumed as the form for present- 
 ing to our view the truth therein disclosed, that nei- 
 ther the amount of labour nor the imagined desert of 
 the labourer, are the things according to which the 
 Lord apportions the reward ; then must the distribu- 
 tion of the reward itself be only the veil of a truth, 
 and we are not to think, in searching for it, of the 
 future transactions of the last judgment. God has 
 so arranged it, that every thing done in his service 
 brings with it an immediate reward, which is even 
 now enjoyed by his servants upon earth, so that it 
 will not be adjudged and given to them for the first 
 time at the final judgment, as we must maintain, if we 
 consider the distribution of the reward in the even- 
 ing as historically predictive of that judgment. 
 This distribution of reward, and the discourses held 
 concerning it, are only the form, therefore, through 
 
134 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 which we have made known to us what disposition 
 is most pleasing to the Lord of the vine-yard on the 
 part of his labourers, which he pre-eminently blesses, 
 and thereby leads lis to regard as right and good. 
 If we are determined to view this, in reference to the 
 last judgment^ it can only be done in the sense that 
 there will then be made manifest before all the world, 
 what hitherto was comparatively but little known, 
 viz. those who are blessed of God, and that then also 
 the whole world will be made to understand the su- 
 preme justice and goodness of God, in giving or 
 withholding distinguishing grace. The circumstance 
 too should perhaps be taken into account, that through 
 this manifestation of the sovereign good pleasure of 
 God the last- called, and so highly favoured labourers, 
 shall receive a vast accession to the blessedness they 
 have already experienced. 
 
 V. 8. To his steward, the overseer of his goods, 
 Christ, according to Heb. iii. 2; John v. 27; Matth, 
 xi. 27. Draeseke : " The labourer is worthy of his 
 reward. So God always reckons. It is not other- 
 wise in the heavenly kingdom. Could the kingdom 
 withhold the promised reward, since the Lord's word 
 is true ? But, could the kingdom offer an unsuitable 
 reward, since the Lord's ways are wisdom and 
 righteousness ? Or could the kingdom fail to afford 
 an adequate reward, since the Lord's dominion 
 stretches throughout all the universe ? It is not the 
 labourers alone who receive what is right. The hire- 
 lings, also, get their pay. Every one receives his 
 penny. Only the same penny becomes quite a dif- 
 ferent thing, according as it is the hand, which 
 simply takes it, or the state of mind, which is rightly 
 prepared to receive and prize it. According as thou 
 layest hold of it as a labourer, or as a hireling, by this 
 it is determined what the divine reward may be, 
 shall be, must be to thee." 
 
 V. 9. The last called labourers, in receiving a 
 penny, received, perhaps, more than they deserved, 
 or were expecting; that they received the reward 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE YARD. 135 
 
 first is of importance only as serving, by such an 
 arrangement, to bring out, more easily, tbe disposi- 
 tion of the first-called. It was simply their humihty 
 and their trust in the promise, v. 4, 7, which render- 
 ed them deserving of it, not their labour. 
 
 V. 10. The first thought that they should have re- 
 ceived more, for they were eye-witnesses of the ex- 
 traordinary goodness of the Lord toward the last 
 called labourers ; at the same time there is here in- 
 timated their conceit of acquired merits and righteous 
 claims on God's special goodness, the ground of 
 which is given in v. 12. Their grand principle is, 
 the more work the more merit, and, consequently, 
 there should also be the more reward. And they 
 likewise received every man a penny ; — they find 
 themselves disappointed ; — God judges and acts 
 differently from men ; — he has no particular delight 
 in these conceited labourers. Mel. : " Here the 
 distribution is unequal in regard to merits ; there- 
 fore it is not merely merits that are accounted of, 
 but Christ wishes to intimate, that the mercy of God 
 must be more looked to than our merits." 
 
 V. 11, 12. The procedure of God is the occasion 
 ofdiscontentto the self-righteous, proud, andpresump- 
 tuous, (Acts xiii. 44, ss. ; xiv. 1, ss. ; xvi. 9, ss.; xvii. 
 11, ss.) and they give vent to their dissatisfaction, — 
 they complain of the unfair treatment they receive. 
 These last have wrought but one hour, expresses their 
 feeling of contempt towards their fellow-labourers ; 
 and thou hast made the)7i equal unto us — hast bestow- 
 ed upon them such distinguished favour, expresses 
 their envy and jealousy ; in their self-elation they 
 wished to have the pre-eminence; and could not, with- 
 out a grudge, see it awarded to others. In thinking 
 and speaking thus, however, they virtually accused 
 God of acting unrighteously, which they do j^et more 
 expressly in the following words ; ivho have borne the 
 heat and burden of the day ; they look less to the grace 
 which had wrought in them, and through them, than to 
 the confidence which they had in themselves, and there- 
 
136 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE- YARD. 
 
 fore praised themselves rather than the Lord. Gno- 
 mon: " The burden^ arising from within, from their 
 own labour; the heat, coming from without, from the 
 sun." God must think, judge, act as we imagine to 
 be rijiht; Luther, Church Pos. IL 83: « The day 
 and the heat> we must, to interpret them rightly, 
 transfer, from what is outward, to the conscience ; 
 so that, by the self-righteous doing long and labo- 
 rious work, we are to understand their doing it with 
 a heavy conscience anda grumbhng heart, constrain- 
 ed and driven by the law ; but the short hours indi- 
 cate the lightened conscience, led by grace, which 
 acts righteously, of a willing mind, and without the 
 constraint of law." 
 
 V. 13. This verse contains a justification of the 
 righteousness of God from the reflections cast on it 
 by the first-called labourers, and throws back their 
 reproach. < Didst not thou agree with me for a 
 penny ?' Thou hast, therefore, no right to seek for 
 more than what was promised. 
 
 Ver. 14. Here comes the punishment of this dis- 
 content : Take that thine is, despise not what is 
 given thee, but be content with it, no more is due to 
 thee than thou hast received ; Rom. ix. 20 ; Isa. xlv. 
 9, 10. Afid ffo thy loay, complete proof that there 
 was no hope of obtaining any more. 1 ivill give un^ 
 to this last even as unto thee, a justification of the 
 goodness of God, which is grounded in his own gra- 
 cious will ; / ivill^ and is consequently perfectly free, 
 ver. \b. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with 
 mine otvn ? And it is only an evil, an envious heart, 
 which begrudges it to the other ; Is thine eye evil, 
 because I am good ? So that God himself ascribes 
 what he gave to the last-called labourers, to nothing 
 but his free goodness, thereby denying all claim to 
 merit on their part. Gnomon : " The eye, the mind 
 from the eye." 
 
 In regard to the penny, we cannot possibly, as 
 some would, understand thereby, exclusively Christ, 
 or eternal life ; but it includes all the divine pro- 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 137 
 
 raises and rewards of grace, which differ very much 
 according to men's state and temper of mind, while 
 men, through their different conditions of mind, are 
 rendered capable or incapable of receiving the more 
 or less glorious possessions and gifrs of grace. The 
 more heavenly the mind of man is, the more bent 
 upon eternal things, the stronger his faith, the purer 
 his love, the deeper his humility, the more constant his 
 patience, so much the more fitted is he to receive the 
 promised recompense of God in the best and noblest 
 gifts. But if the heart is mercenary, jealous, proud, 
 presumptuous and full of pretensions, it is on that 
 very account unfit to receive the best gifts of God, 
 and to be rewarded by him with distinguishing grace ; 
 it is satisfied with meaner, with temporal goods, 
 Matth. vi. 2, 5. Luther, Church Pos. ii. 82, ss., says, 
 " Therefore if we would distinguish exactly, we must 
 make the [)enny stand for temporal good, and the 
 favour of the house-holder for eternal good. The 
 last continue in grace, and attain to salvation, be- 
 sides that the}^ also have enough here." Mel. : " The 
 meritorious, afterwards becoming insolent and un- 
 grateful, are cast out, the submissive and grateful 
 are received. The image of this general rule is here 
 depicted, nor is it necessary that the rewards them- 
 selves should be the same, as there is in this respect a 
 dissimilitude, the penny being given even to the un- 
 grateful. But eternal life is not given to those who 
 are here understood to be rejected. The different 
 parts will not, therefore, correspond, if the penny is 
 interpreted throughout, eternal life. The Jews, since 
 they became ungrateful, are rejected, having pre- 
 viously obtained both present and eternal rewards. 
 Now others are received, that they might gratefully 
 receive the rewards which should be given." Drae- 
 seke : " The kingdom, with its gifts of grace for eter- 
 nity, is the -penny which the Lord of the vine- yard 
 promises to all whom he calls. However, it is only 
 the labourers, to whom the worth of this wonderful 
 penny is disclosed. In their hands it is the pledge 
 
138 THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 
 
 of that complete enjoyment, which never terminates, 
 but always grows and renews itself. Hirelings, on 
 the other hand, go about the kingdom, but are still 
 not in it. Even that which is right in the kingdom, 
 appears to them as a false coinage. They turn the 
 penny up and down in their hand, and know not 
 what to do with it. And yet this penny promised 
 to the labourers is the noblest prize. Less God could 
 not present to beings whom he made for being trans- 
 formed into his own image. More God can give to 
 no creature. The perfectly righteous are onl}^ made 
 blessed in the enjojnnent of his kingdom. And the 
 raising of souls to this final blessedness " through the 
 Holy Ghost sent down from heaven," is what the 
 angels themselves desire to look into, (1 Pet. i. 9 — 
 12.") 
 
 Ver. 10. This is not spoken by the householder, 
 but by Christ, and hence does not form a part of 
 the parable, the design of which, as explanatory of 
 this saying, is once again pointed out, with a mani- 
 fest reference to chap. xix. 30, After that, in the 
 words " So the last shall be first, and the first last," 
 it had been intimated, that God judges not according 
 to the pretensions of men, and their fancied merits, 
 it is added, " For many are called, but few 
 chosen," as the ground of such a procedure toward 
 the labourers. To he called^ signifies, to be invited 
 to a participation in the goods, graces, and blessings 
 of the kingdom of Christ, both in this life and the 
 next. Gnomon : '• KsxX'/^asioc, is, for ex., a labourer, 
 though he may not go into the vine-yard ; /c?.'/5rk, 
 one who has received the call." Chosen is applied 
 in Scripture to every thing which is the best of 
 its kind, excellently good, and hence oF worth, a 
 thing to be chosen and preferred before all others. 
 Now, in Christ's kingdom of grace, and before God, 
 the Searcher of Hearts, this can only be a state of 
 heart ; hence that man is chosen who, on account of 
 a state of mind well pleasing in the sight of God, 
 (full of faith, humble, unpretending), is reckoned 
 
THE LABOURERS IN THE VINE-YARD. 139 
 
 worthy of distinguishing grace. But this worthiness 
 having its ground in a certain state of heart, no arbi- 
 trariness or partiality, on the part of God, for the 
 one or the other, can consequently have place, and 
 so these words contain a new reference to the divine 
 righteousness, there having been one already in v. 
 13. Every thing is done, in the heavenly kingdom, 
 in conformity with the purest righteousness — and 
 even the manifestations given in it of God's sove- 
 reignly free grace proceed according to justice 
 and equity — are not at all arbitrary appointments. 
 On his part, God is indeed inclined, were then the 
 sense of this declaration, to bestow distinguishing 
 grace on every one, on all the called, and to bless 
 them with all the blessings of the heavenl}'- king- 
 dom — but the sinful and perverse disposition of many 
 will not admit of it, and hence all the called are not 
 also all chosen. As the judicial procedure of God 
 reaches to all those who are labourers in his vine- 
 yard, it is best to understand rroWoi, (many), here in 
 the sense of all, and the opposite oX'tyoi, (few), then 
 signifies not all. To understand the saying of an an- 
 tecedent election, quite independent of the state of the 
 human heart, is utterly indefensible. Luther, House 
 Pos. II. 84, ss. says : " From this saying the incon- 
 siderate have drawn many impure and ungodly 
 thoughts, as that, he who is chosen of God shall be 
 saved without means, without any co-operation of 
 his own ; while, if we are not chosen, it is in vain 
 that we do and purpose. What sort of lazy, secure 
 persons are likely to grow out of such a way of 
 thinking, it is not difficult to conceive. Others 
 take the words thus: God offers his grace to many, 
 but gives only a few to experience it, for there are 
 only a few saved by it. There is, however, another 
 sense, in which the saying may be taken, viz. that 
 the preaching of the gospel is done in nn open and 
 general way^, so that every one should hear, believe, 
 and receive it to his salvation. But what is the 
 fact ? Few are chosen, that is, few give such a re- 
 
140 THE TWO UNLIKE SONS. 
 
 ception to the gospel, that God has any pleasure in 
 them." 
 
 Vitringa brings from the Jerusalem Talmud a 
 similar parable, in which a king hired many labourers, 
 among whom was one who did his work uncommonly 
 well. What did the king do? He took him to himself, 
 and walked up and down with him. Wlien the 
 evening arrived, the labourers came to receive their 
 pay, and the excellent workman was rewarded 
 equally with the rest, upon which they murmured 
 and said : we have wrought laboriously all day, and 
 have received only the same pay with this man, who 
 has wrought but two hours. The king said to 
 them : He has wrought more in two hours than ye 
 have done all day. Right, according to the Jewish 
 notion of self-righteousness. 
 
 xn. 
 
 THE TWO UNLIKE SONS. 
 
 Matth. xxi. 28—32. 
 
 General prefatory remarks on this and the two 
 foUoioing Parables. 
 
 These parables were delivered by Jesus after his 
 entrance into Jerusalem, shortly before his last suf- 
 ferings. The nearer the time came for their being 
 accomplished, the more clearly he disclosed, in strik- 
 ing images, his own fate and that of the Jewish peo- 
 ple ; and in them he breathes out the deepest lamen- 
 tation over the human corruption that prevailed, the 
 wickedness of Israel, the frightful and inevitable 
 judgments of God. He paints, in the liveliest co- 
 lours the overflowing goodness, long-suffering, and 
 patience of God on the one hand, and on the other 
 the levity, ingratitude, and increasing wickedness of 
 the human heart, and affirms that, on account of 
 these the punitive righteousness of a holy God would 
 
THE TWO UNLIKE SONS. 141 
 
 be necessitated to inflict the most terrible visitations. 
 Only, the parabolical covering under which our 
 Lord gave forth the truths, warnings, threatening?, 
 and reproofs, which he delivered, served, in some 
 measure, to blunt their pungent and cutting severity ; 
 yet still, the veil, which was drawn around the truth, 
 was so easily seen through, and the application so 
 pointed, Matth. xxi. 43, that his hearers clearly per- 
 ceived he spake of them, v. 44, 45, and hence 
 thought of new plans for his destruction, v. 46, and 
 xxii. IÖ, s. The Lord had hitherto not spoken this, 
 but seeing that the mildness he had all along main- 
 tained made no impression upon the inveterate de- 
 pravity of his opponents, he nov/ began to give up 
 somewhat of his meek forbearance, and to speak 
 without reserve, if, possibly, there were some, at 
 least a few, who would be moved to a change of 
 feeling by the solemn earnestness of his words, as 
 there really was, according to Luke xx. 16, a num- 
 ber of his hearers, who were so appalled by the ter- 
 rible prospect of approaching judgment, as to cry 
 out, God forbid. 
 
 In the first parable of the two sons, Jesus mainly 
 depicts the hypocrisy of the first, and most influen- 
 tial of the people ; in the following one of the vine- 
 dressers, their overwhelming guilt concerning the 
 people committed to their charge is declared, and 
 how their constantly growing wickedness would pre- 
 cipitate both them and the people into destruction. 
 In the parable of the wedding garment, the thought 
 already hinted at, v. 43, of the heathen being called, 
 is more fully disclosed, and a representation given 
 of what was necessary to make them actually par- 
 takers of the benefits which God oflTers to men. All 
 the three parables have primarily a historical refer- 
 ence to the character of the contemporaries of Jesus, 
 to the then existing condition of the people, and to 
 the immediately approaching events ; but they admit 
 also, or rather demand, a general reference to the 
 cliurch of Christ, if treated in a proper practical way, 
 
142 THE TWO UNLIKE SONS. 
 
 they demand it, for the ever-important truths, ap- 
 pearances, and principles in the divine government, 
 lie inclosed in the forms chosen by our Lord. The 
 more determinate, pointed and varied, we take the 
 historical bearing of this, and all similar parables, 
 the more rich and lively becomes their general ap- 
 plication ; while without viewing them thus histori- 
 cally, we are left with nothing but an abstract truth, 
 which being bereft of every thing special, must ex- 
 ercise little power on the human mind. 
 
 The immediate occasion of the first parable was 
 the following : — The high priests and elders of the 
 people, both bound and authorized to take cognizance 
 of all religious pretensions, (John i. 19 — :>7,) had 
 asked Jesus, while he taught in the temple ; " By 
 what authority doest thou these things ? And who 
 gave thee this authority ?" In answer to which 
 questions our Lord asked them ; " Whence was the 
 baptism of John ? yv^as it from heaven or of men?" 
 — a divine or a human institution ? The answer to 
 this would have, at the same time, furnished an an- 
 swer to their own question ; but they clearl}' fore- 
 saw the consequence «rhich Christ would draw from 
 the affirmation of the first supposition, v. 25, and 
 the effects which would come to them from the 
 people, were they to affirm the second, v. 26. In 
 this dilemma they considered it better to say, " We 
 cannot tell." They feigned an ignorance which they 
 did not possess, for the two possible cases lay open to 
 their discernment; but, in their depravity, they could 
 not bring themselves to give honour to the generally 
 admitted truth. They speak otherwise than they 
 both think and feel; their internal thoughts and their 
 outward conduct are in discord and' opposition to 
 each other, which is the essence of hypocrisy. This 
 master-vice of the high priests, elders, and pharisees, 
 Luke xii. 1, the Lord brings to light, and condemns 
 in the following parable. Calvin : " The clause 
 in V. 32, shows to what the parable is directed, since 
 Christ puts before the scribes and pharisees those 
 
THE TWO UNLIKE SONS. 143 
 
 who were infamous and detestable. He takes the 
 mask from those hypocrites, that they might no 
 more boast themselves as the peculiar servants of 
 God, and pretend an empty zeal for piety. For al- 
 though their ambition, and pride, and cruelty, and 
 avarice, were well known to all, they yet wished to 
 be reckoned quite different." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of pretended faith. 
 
 I. Wherein it consists, its nature : want of candour, 
 (v. 27) ; this is shown ; 
 
 (1.) From the opposite, in the first son: who ma- 
 nifests candour, 
 
 a.) In his words, v. 28, 29, I will not do it ; 
 b.) In his actions, v. 29, Afterwards he repent- 
 ed and went. 
 (2.) Postively, through the representation given of 
 the other son, whose pretended faith consists es- 
 entially, 
 a.) In a fair outward appearance, v. SO ; I go, 
 
 sir! 
 b.) Without the obedience, v. 30: But went not. 
 II. Its punishment ; 
 
 (I.) It is kept out of the kingdom of heaven, 
 V. 31 : the publicans and harlots go in before 
 you. 
 (2.) It hinders repentance and faith, v. 32. 
 
 V. 28. But what think ye? By this question 
 Jesus brings the follov/ing delineation before the 
 judgment-seat of the conscience of his hearers, and 
 obliges them to pronounce sentence against them- 
 selves, 1 Cor. iii. 19. 
 
 A certain man had two sons ; the man, or father, 
 according to the explanation given in v. 32, is God, 
 who had caused his will to be declared through 
 John's baptism. The righteousness of the demand 
 
144 THE TWO UNLIKE SOXS. 
 
 is grounded in tlie relation which a father holds to 
 his cliildren. 
 
 Tico sons form, on account of their different states 
 of mind and conduct, two very different classes of 
 men ; in their immediate reference, publicans and 
 pharisees — more remotely, pretended Christians and 
 genuine disciples. My son, an endearing address, 
 which betokens the fatherly affection of God, and 
 with which he would exhort careless sinners to 
 amendment, while self-righteous pharisees look as- 
 kance upon them with heartless contempt. Go work 
 to day in my vine- yard, God desires obedience, the 
 subjection of our will and conduct to the will of God. 
 
 Ver. 29. I ivill not ; the perverse and evil will of 
 the sinner is the true ground of his disobedience to 
 God, for every thing besides tends to incline him 
 thereto ; the love of God, which desires only his sal- 
 vation, thankfulness for received benefits, the confi- 
 dence due to a father, all persuade to obedience. 
 But afterward he repented and ivent ; what is repre- 
 sented in the case of this son, actually occurred with 
 publicans and sinners in the time of Jesus. Their 
 exceedingly sinful conduct was far removed from all 
 fear of God, and their heart appeared also to be com- 
 pletely lost to all that is good, moral, and divine ; but 
 John's preaching made an unexpectedly deep and 
 wholesome impression upon these persons ; they be- 
 lieved him, V. 32 ; their moral feelings awoke, they 
 perceived the necessity and importance of a change 
 of heart, and subjected themselves to his demands. 
 The same manifestation is often repeated still ; for 
 the vices of excess, extortion, etc. have not immedi- 
 ately such an unhappy effect upon the mind, that 
 they unfit it for better feelings and impressions ; and 
 the more that they outrage what is orderly and be- 
 coming in external worth and decency, the more 
 readily might the slaves of such vices be brought to 
 feel their impropriety, and acknowledge the necessity 
 of a change of heart ; so the prodigal son, Luke xv. 
 
 Ver. £0. And he came to the second and said like- 
 
THE TWO UNLIKE SONS. 145 
 
 wise ; God's demand is the same to all, and the obli- 
 gation to obey, is also the same in all. I go, sir, lit. 
 /, sir, I. e. I am ready to do thy will, and loent not ; 
 he is satisfied with fine words and promises, consents 
 to every thing, and does nothing ; his carriage and 
 manners are good, better than in the case of the for- 
 mer son, but the main thing is still awanting, real 
 obedience, Matth. xxiii. 3; vii. 21. Calvin: " Christ 
 teaches that this hypocrisy is less tolerable than 
 ferocity, which may be subdued in course of time." 
 
 Ver. 31. Theij say unto him, the first. The nature 
 of true piety is therefore obedience to the revealed 
 will of God, and this obedience can be compensated 
 by nothing else. The observance of all devout forms 
 and solemnities, the most religious discourse, the 
 most sanctimonious appearance, the most thorough 
 and extensive acquaintance with scripture, without 
 this obedience, is only a saying yea, but no true fear 
 of God. Here the parable properly ends, the re- 
 mainder of V. 31, containing a warning admonition 
 upon the sad consequences of hypocrisy, and v. 32, 
 an application of the whole to the two classes of pub- 
 lic and pious-looking sinners, who are represented 
 in the parable under the two sons. 
 
 Verily I say unto you, an impressive address ; 
 however little it may appear to you, and however 
 disinclined you may be to receive it, yet such is the 
 fact, and ye must take it on my testimony. — The 
 publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God 
 before you; the comparison is, as in Luke xviii. 14, 
 exclusive, and the sense is ; They shall be saved, but 
 not you. The ground of this truth is, that the vices 
 of pride and covetousness, of ambition and h3^pocrisy, 
 do not consist with openness and integrity of mind ; 
 they shut up the heart, have immediately a most dis- 
 advantageous influence upon true morality, and while 
 their slaves live externally honourable, decent, and 
 becoming lives, the necessity of conversion does not 
 so readily force itself upon them as upon the openly 
 wicked; and they are also much more averse to own 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 THE TWO UNLIKE SONS. 
 
 their depraved condition, and comply with the de- 
 mands made upon them to repent ; and this refusal 
 to repent is the ground of their destruction, the 
 cause of their perdition. Luther's Gloss : " Much 
 more possible is it for harlots and knaves to be saved, 
 than proud saints, for the former must at last feel 
 their sins, but the latter die in their own righteous- 
 ness, unless they become wonderfully converted." 
 
 Ver. 32. John came to you in the icay of righteous- 
 ness, taught you the right way, showed you how a man 
 can be righteous before God, John i. -29 ; Matth. iii. 
 1 — 12, and was himself also a pattern of a holy life. 
 And ye believed him not, Luke vii. 28—30. And 
 when ye had seen it, 8)^c., a most touching admonition, 
 that Jesus regarded the most worthless and despised 
 men as patterns for imitation to the self-righteous and 
 highly esteemed pharisees. 
 
 Ewald makes the following remarks upon this 
 parable, p. 145, ss. : " The leading thought of the 
 parable : To promise much and perform nothing, to 
 promise nothing and perform much. Whosoever 
 would learn what true wisdom is, wisdom also to- 
 ward the enemies of truth, he must ponder the dis- 
 courses of Jesus with the pharisees, or at least this 
 one. The omniscient! How were they constrained 
 by their own answer to set above themselves pub- 
 licans and sinners, upon whom, as worthless crea^ 
 turesj they were wont to look down with so much 
 contempt. Never, indeed, did man speak like this 
 man. Nothing can be clearer than that, in the para- 
 ble, Jesus primarily delivers the truth, that no father, 
 no master, will hold him for obedient, who promises 
 to obey, but obeys not, and none will hold him for 
 disobedient, who, at last, does what his master com- 
 mands. And yet, what is perfecth'^ manifest in 
 every-day life, is not admitted in matters of religion. 
 What no man, no earthly lord, would be satisHed 
 with, from a child or a subject, \v\\.\\ that God, the 
 highest father, the highest lord, must be content. It 
 is thought that the saying, the promise, may supply 
 
THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 147 
 
 the place of true obedience. But Jesus delivers yet 
 another truth, which is not less important and well- 
 known, that harlots and reprobates will sooner go in- 
 to the kingdom of heaven than pharisees. For 
 many times these depraved characters believe, and 
 the pharisees believed not ; and amend their lives on 
 being admonished, and the pharisees do not. So we 
 are here warned against two errors, into which so 
 many Christians fall, and think they are all the while 
 walking upon the true paths of Christianity. 1. 
 Never think that thou rightly bearest the Christian 
 name without Christian deeds, or shalt enjoy Chris- 
 tian salvation, John xiv. 1.5, 23, ss. ; 1 John v. 3 ; 
 Matth. vii. 18 — 28. And, 2d. let no one also think 
 this, that a merely external, or outwardly reputable 
 walk, is sufficient to constitute any one a Christian, 
 Matth. V. 20, ss." 
 
 xiir. 
 
 THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 
 
 Matth. xxi. 33—46 ; INIarkxii. 1—12 ; Luke xx. 9—19. 
 
 In its immediate reference, this parable contains, 
 partly as a narrative of the past, partly as a discovery 
 of the future, the wonderful history of the Jewish 
 church. It manifests the riches of divine love, and 
 the benefits flowing out of it to the chosen people, 
 pourtrays an almost inexhaustible patience and long- 
 suffering on the part of God toward the refractory 
 and unthankful sinner, discloses at the same time the 
 wickedness and hardening of the sinful heart as ris- 
 ing to a fearful height, and finally closes with a 
 threatening of certain and dreadful, but most right- 
 eous, judgments. But when viewed in a more ex- 
 tended reference, this parable speaks also of the gene- 
 ral truths, which, in the Christian church, are con- 
 tinually unfolding themselves, and reflected anew in 
 
148 THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 
 
 the hislory of individuals and entire communities. 
 Viewed in either light, the description given of the 
 lord of the vine-yard serves to admonish us of the 
 union there is in God's character, of mercy and holi- 
 ness, of goodness and righteousness, of patience and 
 indignation. If we consider the general truth as 
 represented under the more special forms and 
 lineaments, — how, notwithstanding so many proofs 
 of divine goodness, the Israelitish people in stiff- 
 necked impenitence refused to yield to God the 
 obedience that was due, and thereby prepared them- 
 selves for his condemnation, we might say, that the 
 chief object of the parable was, a delineation of im- 
 penitence in the history of the Jewish people ; but 
 leaving out of view this primary reference of the pa- 
 rable, and considering it in the widest generality and 
 application, the subject of the parable then comes to 
 be simply of impenitence. Calvin : " The sum of 
 this parable is, that it is no new matter for priests 
 and other leaders in the church to attempt impiously 
 to defraud God of his right ; for in such a spirit of 
 robbery did they formerly carry themselves against 
 the prophets, and now were ready to kill the son, 
 but they were not to escape with impunity, for God 
 will arise to vindicate his own right. The scope of 
 the parable, however, is twofold, that it might charge 
 ingratitude upon the priests as full of perfidy and 
 wickedness; and that it might take away the offence, 
 which would soon be occasioned by the approaching 
 death of Christ. Therefore he fortifies beforehand 
 his weak disciples, and teaches them, that as so many 
 prophets liad formerly been killed by the priests, one 
 after another, there was no need for any one now to 
 be disquieted, if such an example should be again re- 
 peated in his person." The speech of Stephen, Acts 
 vii. is just an extended historical addition to what is 
 now briefly related in the parable. 
 
THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 149 
 
 On impenitence. 
 
 1. Its nature, v. 33—39 ; 
 
 (1.) It does not profit by the manifestations 
 of divine goodness, v. 33, 34 ; Mark v. 1, 2 ; 
 
 (2.) It despises the riches of divine patience 
 and long-suffering, v. 35, Mark v. 3 — 5 ; 
 
 (3.) It becomes always more violent and ma- 
 lignant in its opposition to divine grace, v. 
 36, Mark v. 3—5 ; 
 
 (4.) It frustrates the most affectionate and 
 powerful provisions of divine mercy, v. 37 
 —39, Mark v. 6—8 ; 
 
 a.) Therein acting against its better convic- 
 tions, V. 38. This is the heir ; 
 
 b.) And flattering itself with a prosperous 
 issue, V. 38. Let us seize on his inheri- 
 tance. 
 II. The consequences of impenitence, v. 40 — 44 ; 
 Markv. 9—11 ; 
 
 (I.) It falls short of its designs, and is pu- 
 nished, V. 41. He will miserably destroy 
 those wicked men. 
 (2.) It loses the enjoyment of the divine be- 
 nefits, V, 41. And will let out his vine- 
 yard unto other husbandmen, who shall 
 render him the fruits in their seasons. 
 
 Ver. 33. A vine-yard; the Jewish church, an 
 image often used in former times by the prophets, 
 and especially by Isaiah, v. 1 — 6, where we find many 
 of the particulars mentioned also here. Melanch: 
 " The sense is : God chose the people Israel ; drew 
 a hedge around it, i. e. the law ; and made a wine- 
 press in it, i. e. the ministry of divine truth ; and 
 built a tower, i. e. gave them a kingdom and a tem- 
 ple ; and let it out to husbandmen, i. e. the seed of 
 Jacob." 
 
150 
 
 THE WICKED VINE-DRESSEES. 
 
 Hedged it rovnd aho at ; separated the vine-yard 
 from other lands, the Jewish nation from other na- 
 tions, Deut. vii. 8, ss.. through the law, Eph. ii. 14, 
 the moral law as well as the ceremonial. Such a se- 
 paration implied, that there were particular ends to 
 be served with the people so separated, and that their 
 land should be placed under a special administration. 
 — Digged a wine-pressin it; just as in the wine-press 
 the juice of the grape, being pressed out, flows in 
 rich abundance, so this image, if it may be under- 
 stood to carry a spiritual meaning, must refer to 
 those institutions, through which the true fruits of 
 piety had to be sought, as through the manifesta- 
 tions that were given to Israel of the word of God. 
 — Built a tower ; a watch-tower, from which the 
 whole vine-yard could be observed ; the means em- 
 ployed for the oversight of the people, that their 
 well-being might be looked after ; the introduction 
 of the spiritual and civil government, Ex. xviii. 
 Deut. i. 9 — 18; latterly judges, kings. Calvin: 
 " By the wine-press and tower you may imderstand 
 the institutions, which had been superadded to the 
 law for the nourishment of the people's faith, such as 
 sacrifices and other ceremonies. For God, like a pro- 
 vident and attentive householder, left nothing un- 
 done, that he might strengthen and confirm his 
 church with every help." 
 
 L,et it out to husbandmen ; the chiefs and princes 
 of the people, Mai. ii. 7 ; Jer. xxxiii. 18; Ez. xxxiv. 
 '2, ss. ; Matth. xxiii. 2, 3 ; they remain answerable to 
 God. — And went into a far country^ Luke v. 9, along 
 time ; either, God no longer manifested himself after 
 the first planting of the vine-yard, after Israel's de- 
 liverance out of Egypt, after the giving of the law 
 from Sinai, and the introduction into Canaan, in so 
 manifest and extraordinary a manner, Deut. xxxiv. 
 10 — 12; or, it indicates the feeling of the vine- 
 dressers, who think that God has no regard to their 
 conduct, Ez. viii. 12; ix. 9; Ps. x. 4, 5 ; Luke xii. 45. 
 Gnomon : " The time of God's forbearance is inti- 
 
THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 151 
 
 tnated, during which men act according to their own 
 will, ch. XXV. 14; Mark xiii. 14." 
 
 A people (vine-yard) so highly favoured might 
 have brought forth glorious fruits of piety and holi- 
 ness ; God had provided every thing for the accom- 
 plishment of this end; it was now the part of the 
 people's overseers, who were invested with particular 
 power, honour, and regard, to enter into God's de- 
 signs, and, through the faithful discharge of their 
 office, by instruction and example, to press forward 
 the moral improvement of those committed to them. 
 For this God gave them sufficient time, Luke v. 9. 
 Calvin : '* When Christ says, that the vine- dressers 
 received the vine-yard well furnished and provided 
 from the hand of the owner, he shows their guilt to 
 be greatl}^ aggravated, since the more liberally he 
 had acted toward them, the more odious was their 
 ingratitude." 
 
 Ver. 34. And when the time of the fruit drew near ; 
 the patience of God had already waited long for the 
 fruits that might and ought to have been produced ; 
 and the farmers had not sufficient ground of justifi- 
 cation, wherewith to palliate their faithless discharge 
 of duty, in which they had been less careful of God's 
 honour and the people's salvation, than the gratifica- 
 tion of their own avarice and ambition. He sent his 
 servants.) extraordinary messengers, the prophets, 
 who, as ambassadors of God, had a special commis- 
 sion to preach repentance, to remind men of the 
 obligations under which they laj', to yield obedience 
 to God, and call people, and priests, and rulers alike 
 to the subjection that was due. These extraordinary 
 provisions of God afford peculiar indications of his 
 love^ testifying how much he desired the sinner's 
 amendment, and how far he is from viewing with in- 
 difference the sinner's conduct. Calvin: "By the 
 divine law, priests were certainly appointed from the 
 first, that with wholesome doctrine they might in- 
 struct and edify the church ; but when, through 
 sloth or ignorance, they neglected the work com- 
 
152 THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 
 
 mitted to them, the prophets were sent, as for an ex- 
 traordinary help, that they might purge away the 
 noxious weeds from God's vine-yard, might lop off 
 the superfluous branches, and, in many respects, 
 supply the negligence of the priests ; that they 
 might, at the same time, sharply reprove the people, 
 revive the languishing piety, arpuse slumbering 
 souls, and bring them back to the worship of God 
 and the way of holiness. But what else was this 
 than to seek the increase that was due to God from 
 his own vine-yard ?" 
 
 Mark v. 3 — 5. The repeated messages, which 
 God sent by the prophets, and the trials of amend- 
 ment again and again renewed, both indicate the 
 continued patience, long-suffering, and wonderful 
 compassion of God, and also unfold the levity and 
 wantonness, the forgetfulness of God, and general 
 wickedness of the leaders of the people, who sought 
 to be independent, in their blindness entirely over- 
 looked the gracious designs of God, and saw in the 
 prophets nothing but men, through whom they were 
 disturbed in their freedom and enjoyments, robbed 
 of their respect among the people, and restrained in 
 the gratification of their evil desires. The bad re- 
 ception and horrid treatment which the prophets ex- 
 perienced, is grounded, as matter of history, on Jer. 
 XX. 1, 2; xxxvii. xxxviii. 1 Kings xviii. 13; xxii. 
 24. 2 Kings vi. 31 ; ch. xxii. Isaiah was sawn 
 asunder, Jeremiah was stoned, Amos murdered with 
 a club ; to all these transactions Jesiis refers in Matth. 
 xxiii. 29 — .37, and Stephen, in Acts vii. 5, ss., and 
 the apostle, in Heb. xi. 36 — 3«. The apostles, at a 
 later period, fared no better, as, for example, John 
 the Baptist. 
 
 Mark v. 6. Having yet, therefore, one son his well- 
 beloved, John iii, 16; both the ideas here implied 
 were necessary to represent the invincible love of 
 God to sinners, his solemn earnestness in the demands 
 he makes upon them, and how he leaves nothing un- 
 tried to secure the accomplishment of his precious 
 
THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 153 
 
 designs concerning them. He sent him also at last ; 
 the sending of Christ was, therefore, the last trial of 
 divine mercy with his covenant-people, as such. 
 They ivill reverence my son, Luke v. 6. It may he 
 they will reverence him, when they see him; it ex- 
 presses the wish and the just expectation, that so 
 great a favour would bring the sinner to himself, fill 
 him with shame, move him to change of mind and 
 submission, but all in vain. Calvin: ' This thought 
 is not strictly attributable to God, for he knew what 
 would happen, nor was he misled by the hope of a 
 better issue ; but it was usual, especially in the para- 
 bles, for human affections to be transferred to him. 
 Nor was this added without due cause, for Christ 
 wished to exhibit, as in a glass, how deplorable 
 would be their impiety, of which it was to become 
 too certain a mark, to rise with diabolical fury 
 against the Son of God, who had come to bring 
 them to a better mind. This was the consummation 
 of all wickedness, to kill the son, that they might 
 reign as in a desolate house." 
 
 Ver. 38. This is the heir, the ow^ner of the pro- 
 perty ; the manifold testimonies which declare Jesus 
 to be the Son of God and the Messiah, his miracles, 
 holy walk, the power of his teaching; the fulness of 
 his love, and every thing that God did to establish 
 his credentials, actually brought out from many of 
 the first among the people the acknow'ledgment here 
 made, John iii. 2 ; and though, in unbelief, they 
 threw all this away, as well as Christ's own solemn 
 testimony, Matth, xxvi. 63 — 66, it was yet well 
 known to them, that Jesus affirmed himself to be 
 the Son of God, Come, let us kill him, Matth. xxvi. 
 3, 4. John xi. 47 — 50. And seize on his inheritance. 
 Gnomon : " So they thought it would be, when Christ 
 was killed, Matth. xxvii. 63." Grotius : ' By these 
 words it is shown, that the priests and elders of the 
 Jews strove with all their might to constrain the 
 divine law to subserve their ow^n interests and ambi- 
 tion; which was all one, as if the husbandman 
 
154 THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 
 
 should thrust liimself into the possession of his lord. 
 For, b}^ the term inheritance, the full title to lordship 
 is expressed." In short, they wished to relieve 
 themselves of the dreaded reckoning, and remain in 
 the undisturbed possession of their honour and their 
 influence, wJiich the}'- were in danger of losing 
 through Christ ; for already had the great mass of 
 the people began to pay more regard to Jesus, and 
 attach themselves more closely to him than the priests 
 and scribes, John xii. 17 — 19. Incredible blindness 
 of servants towards their lord. 
 
 Ver. 39. The wickedness readies the higliest de- 
 gree, and keeps pace in ifs growth with the renewed 
 efforts of God for their improvement, Heb. xiii. 12, 
 J 3. Gnomon : " They disallowed Jesus both before 
 his death, by denying his claims, especially by de- 
 livering him up to a heathen judge ; and also after his 
 death, by setting a watch upon his sepulchre, chap, 
 xxvi. 6ö." 
 
 Ver. 40. The Lord puts the question to his op- 
 ponents, so that the answer from their own mouth 
 might serve as a testimony to the righteousness of 
 the punishment that had been so richly deserved by 
 the wicked vine-dressers. The coming of the Lord 
 is the period when the work of divine judgment 
 shall be executed. 
 
 Ver. 4L The adversaries of our Lord are still af- 
 fected with blindness ; apprehend not what purpose 
 he aims at in the parable, and answer according to 
 the truth ; in Mark v. 9, and Luke v. 16, the judg- 
 ment pronounced appears as the declaration of the 
 I^ord ; but the different report of the Evangelists ad- 
 mits of being most easily harmonized, by supposing, 
 that the answer given by the persons interrogated 
 (Matth. V. 41) is repeated by our Lord himself, 
 which repetition is omitted by Matthew, ^^hile Mark 
 and Luke, on the other hand, have not given the 
 answer itself. The judgment pronounced is twofold: 
 
 He will miserably destroy those wicked MEN, 
 
 i e. WILL bring all sorts of evil uroN them ; 
 
THE WICKED VINE- DRESSERS. 155 
 
 AND HIS VINE-YARD WILL LET OUT TO OTHER HUS- 
 BANDMEN, WHO WILL RENDER HIM THE FRUITS IN 
 
 THEIR SEASONS : the despisers of the divine mercies, 
 and those who misuse them, shall be torn away from 
 them, that these may be given to others more deser- 
 ving. According to Luke v. 16, the hearers struck 
 in here, and said, God forbid f They suspQCted the 
 drift of the parable was against them, and meant either 
 to express their horror, or, through fleshl}' confidence 
 upon God's promises, their unbelief, and to say: It 
 shall never happen to fare so ill with r.s. Upon this 
 follows the question from the Old Testament, con- 
 firming the judgment pronounced. 
 
 Ver. 42. Ps. cxviii. 22, 23. The truth contained 
 in this scripture is, according to Christ, a prophecy, 
 which was to receive its fulfilment in the conduct of 
 the Jewish rulers, and of the whole people toward 
 himself; the course and issue of the whole transac- 
 tion was to become manifest as a purpose of divine 
 wisdom and almighty power, for, although the op- 
 ponents of Christ had no respect but to his destruc- 
 tion, yet still their opposition to him, under the divine 
 government and direction, gave occasion for the 
 foundation of a new covenant of grace, which should 
 extend its blessings to the heathen. T/ie stone which 
 the builders rejected^ (as unsuitable and unfit for use), 
 the same has become the head of the corner ; Jesus, 
 rejected b}' the high priests, scribes, and elders, not 
 owned and recognized as the true Messiah, is the 
 strong and firm corner stone of the new building of 
 the Christjan church, in which those, who were hither- 
 to divided asunder, Jews and heathen, have been 
 united into one glorious body, Eph. ii. 13, 20. This 
 is the doing of the Lord, not according to the will, 
 nor accomplished through the working of man, Phil, 
 ii. 9 — 11 ; PIph. i. 20 — 23. And it is wonderful in our 
 eyes ; the exaltation of Christ, the gathering of a new 
 church, and the general extension of this church, is, 
 as a work and manifestation of God's purposes and 
 almighty power, an object for men's adoring wonder. 
 
156 THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 
 
 V. 43. The kingdom of God shall be taken from 
 you ; announcing, in direct terms, what was sjDoken, 
 figuratively, in v. 41. Calvin: " Hitherto Christ 
 directed his discourse to the heads and rulers, though 
 in the presence of the people : but now he addresses 
 the people themselves in similar language ; nor with- 
 out just cause, since they were to aid and assist the 
 chief priests and scribes in preventing the grace of 
 God. The evil, indeed, originated with the priests, 
 but the people had' already deserved, on account of 
 their sins, to have such corrupt and degenerate pas- 
 tors placed over them." Given to a nation bringing 
 forth the fruits thereof, one, therefore, that should 
 make a better use of the offered grace, and act more 
 agreeably to the mind of God ; this nation compre- 
 hends the whole people of the new covenant, 1 Peter 
 ii. 3 — 10, both Jews and heathens, for the former 
 were not excluded; faith in Christ is the general 
 condition ; whosoever does not possess this princi- 
 ple, is no partaker of the new dispensation of grace, 
 nor has he a standing among the people of the cove- 
 nant, although, as a descendant of Abraham, he 
 might formerly have thought himself to have good 
 claims to such a privilege. Calvin : " 1 he Jews 
 thought that the kingdom of God belonged to them 
 by hereditary right, and therefore went on securely 
 and obstinately in their sins ; we, contrary to nature, 
 suddenly came into their room' ; much less, there- 
 fore, shall that kingdom be continued with us, if it is 
 not grounded on the root of genuine piety." 
 
 V. 44. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall 
 be broken, — an image borrowed from an earthen 
 vessel, which falls upon a rock, and is broken in 
 pieces. The meaning is, — he hurts only himself, 
 not Christ, who is offended at the humble form of the 
 Redeemer, Matth. xi. 3; Isa. liii. 1 — 3, and, in con- 
 sequence, turns from him in unbelief. But, on whom- 
 soever it shall fall, it loill grind him to powder ; the 
 rock, if it falls upon the earthen vessel, completely 
 shivers it to atoms, Dan. ii. 34, 44. The sense is, — 
 
THE WICKED VINE -DRESSERS. 157 
 
 Whosoever falls under the condemnation of the 
 Messiah, who is exalted by God, though rejected 
 on the part of man, he must experience complete 
 destruction. Such is the different fate of those who 
 reject Christ without any special enmity and hatred, 
 and of those who bitterly oppose him,^ as did these 
 wicked vine-dressers, and as those also did who are 
 
 * [This, though the most common explanation, gives a turn 
 to our Lord's expressions wlaich they can but ill bear, and 
 completely overlooks the distinctive character of the two kinds 
 of punishment referred to It is not certainly, to be doubted, 
 that those who have manifested a spirit of bitter and malevolent 
 hostility towards Christ, shall be partakers of a heavier con- 
 demnation than those who have simply disregarded the offers 
 of his salvation, — the guilt of the one being much more aggra- 
 vated than the other. But the language of ( hrist does not 
 appear to have any respect to a difference of this nature ; it 
 marks two different kinds of punishment, not two different 
 degrees of the same punishment. In the one, the person of- 
 fending is active, (he stumbles and is broken) ; in the other 
 passive, (he is fallen upon and crushed.) Whatever evil is 
 experienced in the first case is self-inflicted by the person who 
 endures it ; but that which is experienced, in the second, rushes 
 upon the sufferer with irresistible force, from the offended 
 and now avenging i^aviour. Consequently, the one is a pu- 
 nishment only of this life, where alone sinnei's have the oppor- 
 tunity of stumbling on the rock of salvation ; and consists in 
 all the loss of peace, consolation, and blessing, together with 
 all that judicial blindness, bitterness of spirit, hardness of 
 heart, and manifold disquietudes of mind, which inevitably 
 blight and desolate the moral condition of those who resist tbe 
 claims of iMessiah. But the other punishment belongs to eter- 
 nity, and consists in the fearful and everlasting retribution 
 which Christ will inflict upon all his adversaries when he takes 
 to himself his power and great glory, and which shall over- 
 whelm them with complete destruction. So that there is a 
 double retribution flowing from the rejection of Christ ; one 
 here, which the sinner receives into his own bosom, — kicking 
 against Christ, he inevital)ly kicks against the pricks ; and one 
 hereafter, which consigns him to final perdition, in utter dark- 
 ness. We think our author right, however, in explaining the 
 figure employed by the earthen vessel, and discarding the al- 
 lusion which Lighfoot and others have found here to the al- 
 leged mode of punishing criminals among the Jews, by first 
 throwing them over a precipice, and thereafter, if still alive, 
 throwing over a stone upon them Trans.] 
 
158 THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 
 
 doscriloed in the next parable, Matth. xxii. 6, 7, and 
 in Luke xix. 14, 27. Lutlier's marginal note: " All 
 must come into contact with Christ, whether for be- 
 nefit or for stumbling." Calvin : " They are said to 
 fall upon Christ, who set on him to destroy him; not 
 as if they could actually rise above him, but because, 
 in their madness, they are so far carried beside them- 
 selves that they endeavour, as from a vantage-ground, 
 to make an attack upon Christ." 
 
 V. 45, 46. Most extraordinary effect of the parable, 
 and the solemn threatening annexed to it, the mean- 
 ing of which was, indeed, understood by the enemies 
 of our Lord, and applied to themselves ; but, instead 
 of repressing their bitterness, and withdrawing their 
 enmity from Christ, they only redoubled their malice, 
 and hastened forward the accomplishment of their 
 ungodl}^ purposes. The internal ground of this con- 
 duct of theirs lies in the truth, which all experience 
 confirms, that passions, when once they have reached 
 a certain height, and gained a complete mastery of 
 the heart, are excited, brought out, and violently in- 
 flamed, by nothing more than by having exhibited 
 before them their own image, and the righteous pu- 
 nishment that is due to them. The most affect- 
 ing entreaties produce then the very opposite of the 
 efiect intended, and make the bad only more deter- 
 mined and obstinate in their wickedness; their heart 
 hardens itself against threatenings, and they are the 
 more confident in setting at nought the fear of all 
 danger, nay, their self-love flatters itself with the 
 prospect of yet bearing off the victory, and securing 
 a quite different from the threatened result. So did 
 it happen with these wicked vine-dressers, with the 
 pharisees, scribes, high-priests, and elders of the peo- 
 ple; so, likewise, did it happen with Judas, and so 
 also with Hazael, whom Elisha forewarned, 2 Kings 
 viii. 12, 13; x. S2. Calvin : " The Evangelists show 
 how little Christ prevailed, that we might not be sur- 
 prised, if now the doctrine of the cross does not 
 bring all to the obedience of God. Let us learn al- 
 
THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS. 159 
 
 SO, that threatenings cannot but serve to make the 
 fury of the wicked rise higher and higher. For as 
 God seals his own word upon our hearts, so also 
 does he wound, as with a sharp sword, bad con- 
 sciences ; from which it comes to pass, that their im- 
 piety is but tlie more inflamed." Ewald, p. 158, ss : 
 " If we would seek for an admirable example of our 
 Lord's forbearance, and of the abuse of this forbear- 
 ance, of beneficence and ingratitude, of goodness, 
 which has nothing to excite it and still is excited ; if 
 we would have an example of senseless hardihood, 
 which mistakes itself for prudence, of blind and rav- 
 ing folly, taking that for weals ness which was nothing 
 but unmeasured patience, we may find it here. In- 
 solence could not be pushed farther than it is here 
 pushed by the vine-dressers, nor could watchful 
 oversight go farther than in the case of the lord of 
 the vine-yard. They were punished with great se- 
 verity, and yet every one feels that it was nothing 
 but strictest justice. We find here the history of Is- 
 rael, of all humanity, and of each single individual. 
 Many a germ of good has God planted in thy heart, 
 and preserved there even since the fall of humanity. 
 Many powers have been given thoe by God, which thou 
 both shouldest and may est use for good. How often 
 has God kept thee, and drawn a hedge around thy 
 heart ! How often has God upheld thee against the 
 enemies of good ! All, that thou mightest bring 
 forth fruit in its season, mightest grow in truth and 
 love, in purity and faith on God, and so become his 
 image. And when the time came for God seeking 
 fruit of thee, how many messengers did he send to 
 thee ! Friends, preachers, his blessed word, con- 
 science, what are they all but messengers of God, 
 means which he employs to put thee in remem- 
 brance of what thou owest to him ? But how often 
 hast thou set thyself in opposition to these messen- 
 gers of God ! — slighted, shunned, yea even hated 
 them ! Thou couldst not properly kill the Son, 
 whom God has made known to thee in the Bible, but 
 
160 THE WICKED VINE DRESSERS. 
 
 thou hast wounded him with thy deeds. Truly, 
 God's goodness is not weakness, his forbearance is 
 not indifference. Thy fate will be similar to the fate 
 of the Jews ^ Still two words of exhortation — one 
 to the secure and one to the doubting. It is clear, 
 from this parable, that the consequences of diso- 
 bedience are often distant, but are always certain. 
 There are many to whom God might say : Thou doest 
 that and I am silent, thou thinkest that I am as in- 
 different as thyself toward what is good, but I will pu- 
 nish thee and convince thee by punishment, Ps. l. 21. 
 And though for ten or twenty years, or even through 
 thy whole life, thou dost not experience it, it yet re- 
 mains an eternal, an unfailing truth, << Whatsoever a 
 man soweth, that shall he also reap." But it is just 
 as clear from this parable, that it is not too late to be- 
 come servants of God, because we have been so long 
 in doing so ; that it is not too late to become better, 
 because we have not been so long before. The ear- 
 lier a man reforms, so much the better for him, but 
 better late than never, therefore, since we still hear 
 his voice, let us not harden our hearts to-day." 
 
 XIV. 
 
 THE ROYAJL WEDDING, OR THE WEDDING GARMENT. 
 
 Matth. xxii. 1—14. 
 
 Many expositors have taken this parable, and the 
 one given in Luke xiv. 16 — 24, as one and the same, 
 alleging that the latter is only altered from this in 
 some unimportant particulars ; but the small re- 
 semblance and strong dissimilarity between the two 
 parables render it impossible for us to agree to this 
 opinion, and we are constrained, both on external 
 and internal grounds, to consider the two parabolical 
 discourses of our Lord as quite different from, andin- 
 dependant of, each other. Not only are the time, place 
 
THE WEDDING GARMENT. 161 
 
 and hearers in the one, quite changed from what 
 they are in the other, but, what is still more material, 
 the scope is entirely different, as a careful considera- 
 tion of all the circumstances convinces us. The 
 parable of the great supper in Luke, was delivered by 
 Jesus before the last journey to Jerusalem, in Peraa, 
 in the house of a pharisee, at an entertainment, (for 
 the scope, see No. 26) ; the one here recorded by 
 Matthew, in the temple at Jerusalem, chap. xxi. 13, 
 probably on the Tuesday before his sufferings (v. 18), 
 before the high priests and elders of the people, (v. 
 23). The immediate reference of the parable is 
 certainly historical, and, according to many exposi- 
 tors, represents in v. 3 — 6, the treatment hitherto 
 given by the Jewish people to the prophets ; in v. 7, 
 gives a prophetic intimation of the approaching judg- 
 ment of God, on account of it, in the devastation of 
 Jerusalem ; discloses in v. 8 — 10, the call of the Gen- 
 tiles to the heavenly kingdom ; and, finally, points in 
 V. 11 — 14, to the different judgments which shall be 
 pronounced upon its members. It is better, however, 
 to understand the conduct of the first invited guests, 
 V. 3 — 6, as a prophetic description of the persecu- 
 tions which the messengers of Jesus, his apostles 
 suffered, who first properly invited men to the hea- 
 venly kingdom, to a blessed fellowship with Jesus, 
 and to refer the later invitation, v. 8 — 10, to the gene- 
 ral call, which from that time forward, is always 
 being addressed to Jews and Gentiles, to come in- 
 to the Christian church. But if we look beyond the 
 nearest historical application, the parable discloses to 
 us the following important general truths, which are 
 receiving new confirmations at every period of the 
 church's history : God provides for the salvation of 
 men through the preaching of the gospel — the conduct 
 of men in regard to the offered grace is exceedingly 
 different — even among those who receive the call, 
 there are found some unworthy — but all shall be treat- 
 ed with perfect justice. The sentiment occurring at 
 the close of the parable, v. 14, for many are called 
 
162 THE WEDDING GARMENT. 
 
 but few are chosen, closely connected with what pre- 
 cedes hy for ^ contains the ground of the figuratively 
 described issue of the matter, and at the same time 
 the leading idea, which shines palpably out through 
 the whole narrative, namely, that from men's own 
 blame, all shall not be partakers of the distinguishing 
 grace tendered by God. Mel : " It is much to be 
 regretted that men do not consider such great and 
 undeserved goodness of God toward us ; the whole 
 parable is the image of the church of all ages ; and 
 although the rejection and punishment of the Jewish 
 church is principally referred to, yet the discourse 
 must be apphed to the similar events of every age." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Calling and election are not one and the same ; 
 or, all are not partakers of the salvation prepared 
 for them by God. 
 
 I. Many are not saved, because they are open de- 
 spisers of the grace of God, v. 1 — 8. 
 
 (I.) The state and temper of these despisers : 
 
 a) Some are perfectly indifferent toward the 
 gracious call, v. 2 — 5 ; 
 
 b) Others show an open hostility to it, v. 6. 
 (2.) Their guilt is manifest ; 
 
 a) From the greatness of the offered grace, 
 V. 2; 
 
 b) From the repeated and pressing invitation, 
 V. 3, 4 ; 
 
 c) From the trifling nature of that which they 
 prefer, v. 5 ; 
 
 d) From the hostility shewed by them, v. 6 ; 
 
 e) From the punishment executed upon them, 
 V. 7; 
 
 /) From the judicial declaration of God, v. 8. 
 
 II. Others are not saved, because they will not 
 comply with the order necessary to salvation. 
 
 (1.) The state and temper of these guests ; 
 
THE WEDDING GARMENT. 163 
 
 a) They willingly indeed receive the invita- 
 tion, V. 9, 10 ; 
 
 b) But they do not comply with the neces- 
 sary order, v. 11 ; 
 
 (2.) Their guilt appears in : 
 
 a) Their speechless confusion, v. 12 ; 
 
 b) Their condemnation from God, v. 1 3. 
 
 Ver. 2. The khiffdom of heaven is like ; just as it 
 went at and with the wedding-feast which a king 
 made for his son, so is it also found to take place in 
 regard to the blessed fellowship of men with Christ, 
 to which they are invited, Zeph. i. 7, 8 ; Prov. ix. 1, 
 ss. A certain king ivho made a marriage for his son ; 
 " The king who made the marriage -feast (says Lu- 
 ther, Church-Pos. 14. 189,) is our heavenly father, 
 the bridegroom is his son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
 bride is the Christian church, we and all the world, 
 so far as it believes." God's gracious purpose from 
 eternity, was the salvation of sinners through 
 Christ, and he manifested this gracious purpose after 
 many preparatory arrangements in the fulness of time. 
 Gal. iv. 4, 5. In comparing the saving ordinances 
 of the Christian church to a royal wedding, the es- 
 sential point of comparison is, not the internal union 
 of the soul in individuals, or in the whole church to 
 Jesus, which is certainly often represented in scripture 
 under the figure of a marriage-union, Hosea ii. 19; 
 Eph. V. 32 ; 2 Cor. xi. 2 ; Rev. xix. 7, xxi. 9 ; but the 
 tertium comparationis of the whole parable lies pre- 
 eminently in the conduct of the invited guests, to- 
 ward the invitation held forth to them, and in the 
 destiny arising to them out of it. The farther ex- 
 tension of the comparison by man^^^ expositors to the 
 fellowship between believers and the Redeemer, 
 however much of what is beautiful, true, and scrip- 
 tural, may be said upon the subject, only serves to 
 keep out of view the main feature of the similitude, 
 and veil its real scope ; but still less can we agree 
 with Luther, Church-Pos. 14. 19^, in saying : " This 
 
Iß4 THE WEDDING GARMENT. 
 
 wedding is a union of the divine nature with the hu- 
 man." Bauer understands by this marriage supper, a 
 feast, such as was wont to be given at the commence- 
 ment of a king's reign, who then married himself 
 as it were to his people, 1 Kings i. 5, 9 ; 1 Chron. 
 xxix. 22. 
 
 Ver. 3. A?id sent forth his servants to call them 
 that were bidden to the loedding. Luther, Church- 
 Pos. 14. 189: " To invite to this wedding, God at 
 ' first sent forth his servants, that is, his prophets, who 
 should bid them to the wedding, should preach and 
 point their faith to Christ. But the persons they in- 
 vited would not come, that is, the Jews, to whom the 
 prophets were sent, would not hear or receive them. 
 To others he sent out other servants, that is the apos- 
 tles and martyrs, whose part it was to call us." 
 Others refer the first invitation to the commission of 
 John the Baptist and of the twelve as first sent out, 
 Matth. X. ; but the main thing is the repeatedly pro- 
 claimed invitation to each. The motive on the part 
 of God to such invitation, is nothing but his free 
 grace, without any thing like merit or worth on the 
 part of men, for even in the social relation of life, no 
 one can <:/ew6^wc? of another, that he should invite him, 
 and least of all can the inferior make such a claim 
 upon the more honourable. The point of compari- 
 son between the heavenly kingdom, God's institution 
 of grace, in which we are to b|^afe, holy, and glo- 
 rious, and a royal wedding, lies especially in the ho- 
 nour, satisfaction, and delight, wdiich such an occa- 
 sion furnishes to its guests, and the heavenly king- 
 dom to its members ; for it is honour, when sinners 
 enter into fellowship with the Son of God himself, 
 and this fellowship brings with it satisfaction, — par- 
 don of sin, peace with God, righteousness, life, and 
 blessing, — in which and from which they necessarily 
 experience delight. From these three considera- 
 tions, that the invitation is of free grace, that it 
 comes to us without any merit of ours, and that it 
 brings so great a gift, the criminality of those guests 
 who despise the invitation, is clearly manifested. 
 
THE WEDDING GARMENT. 165 
 
 And the// ivould not come. The first class of the 
 invited, who do not come ; it is no want of know- 
 ledge of the feast, or of the invitation, but the bad 
 state of their mind, which holds them back ; it is 
 just as if they did not hear the call, did not give the 
 slightest heed to it ; a dull and stupid insensibility 
 for God's rich grace, which is freely offered to them, 
 has taken possession of so many, that they pay no 
 regard to the gospel, the promises, or the hopes of 
 eternal life. 
 
 Ver 4. From the frequently repeated invitation, 
 we may farther discern God's deep earnestness and 
 fatherly love, who is so bent on helping sinners, and 
 also the high importance of a participation in the 
 gospel feast, — which circumstance brings the crimi- 
 nal conduct of the invited still more distinctly into 
 
 view Tell those that are bidden, those who have 
 
 been already bidden ; God's gracious call is given to 
 every one, not once merely, but often. — Behold^ I 
 have prepared my dinner ; my oxen and my failings 
 are hilled, and all tilings are ready. The invitation 
 is more urgent, through the full representation and 
 description of the proffered grace ; in Luke, this is 
 expressed by the words, " compel them to come in ;" 
 in this feast all salvation is the free grace and gift of 
 God, which he, without any co-operation on our 
 part, has prepared through Christ, so that man's busi- 
 ness is only to come, receive, and enjoy, what God's 
 fatherly love presents, Eph. i. 3, ss. — Oxen and fat- 
 lings were in olden times the noblest entertainment, 
 1 Kings i. 9 ; Gen. xviii. 7, 8. Luther goes quite be- 
 side the purpose, in referring these to the nourishment, 
 growth, and exercise of the life of godliness, (Church- 
 Pos. 14. 190.) Others as unnaturally refer it to the 
 sacrifice of Christ, and the enjoyment, thereby pur- 
 chased and prepared, of all the blessings of salvation. 
 — Come in to the marriage ; the method in which we 
 attain to the enjoyment, is the coming, and the 
 change of place represents the complete change of 
 condition and frame of mind that must be made by 
 the invited. 
 
166 THE WEDDING GAEMENT. 
 
 Ver. 5, 6. "Luther, Church-Pos. 14. 191: 
 " These are the three hindrances that keep us back 
 from going to the feast. First, lands, in other words, 
 the worldly honour, which tends to hinder us from 
 thinking upon Christ and believing on him, to make 
 us fear lest we should suffer shame and be dis- 
 honoured ; not to confide in God, that he will screen 
 us from shame, and preserve us in honour, John v. 
 44 ; xii. 43. Others go to their merchandise, that is, 
 give their whole heart to temporal good, to the gains 
 of covetousness, afraid, were they to give themselves 
 up to the word, lest they should lose, and their belly 
 be starved, unable to trust that God will support 
 them. The third class are the worst, that is, the 
 high, the wise, and the prudent, the proud spirits, 
 who not merely despise the gospel, but would 
 straightway destroy it, utterly strangle it, that they 
 might retain their names, their honour, and their 
 glory. For the gospel cannot but condemn their 
 wisdom and righteousness, and pour contempt upon 
 their arrogance." Mel. : " There are still many call- 
 ed Christians who, for the sake of their farms, flee 
 from the profession of the faith, and become either 
 avowed Epicureans, or, at least, defend the common 
 corruptions for the sake of their belly. Others are 
 led, by their worldly business, to forsake the profes- 
 sion of the faith. Under this class are chiefly com- 
 prised princes and courtiers, who, though they do 
 not exercise any cruelty, yet neglect the gospel and 
 the church, and think that the care of such things is 
 unworthy of them, — that they have great concerns 
 to mind, necessary to the life of men, namely, the 
 government and defence of empires." 
 
 They made light of it. Gnomon: " This already 
 implies more than if it had been said, they would 7wt 
 come; they ought to have understood and been 
 watchful." They are not simply indifferent, as at 
 first ; the heart turns itself away from the gospel 
 with the manifestation of a stronger dislike, if it has 
 been repeatedly treated with the offer of salvation in 
 
THE WEDDING GARMENT. 167 
 
 vain, and the enmity to this increases in the very 
 same heart, even to open and determined resistance ; 
 for enmity and hatred have a far more mournful and 
 hardening effect upon the heart that cherishes them 
 than upon the heart of him who is hated, so thai the 
 latter can much sooner be brought to forgive, than 
 the former to*lay aside its feelings of hostility. This 
 mournful experimental truth, which manifests the 
 power of sin over the human mind, might also have 
 been pointed at in the parable under the different 
 conduct of different individuals. Slew them, John 
 xvi. 2 — 4. Matth. xxiv. 9. Acts vii. 58 ; xii. 
 1—3. 
 
 Ver. 7. The servants only entreated, 2 Cor. v. 20. 
 They do not repel violence with violence, nor recom- 
 pense evil with evil ; they leave the matter in God's 
 hands, who is both judge and avenger. From the 
 behaviour also, on the part of the servants, and from 
 the friendly message with which they come, we per- 
 ceive the greatness of that malice and hardness of 
 heart, which the adversaries of the gospel manifest. 
 But they are not left unpunished. Sent jorth his 
 armies. Every thing must serve the Lord and exe- 
 cute his will, whether consciously or unconsciously. 
 Luther, Church-Pos. 14. 191 ; " That was done to 
 the Jews by the Romans, when under Titus and 
 Vespasian, they burned Jerusalem to the ground. 
 However, I would rather understand it spiritually, 
 since the whole gospel is to be spiritually under- 
 stood, so as to consider the prediction fulfilled, when 
 God set on fire and levelled to the ground the syna- 
 gogue at Jerusalem, abandoned the Jewish faith, 
 scattered to and fro the people, so that all was torn 
 asunder, and they were deprived both of the priest- 
 hood and the kingdom, and now no people is to be 
 found upon the earth so poor, miserable, and de- 
 serted as the Jews. So shall it fare with the de- 
 spisers of God's word." From the punitive right- 
 eousness of God, marked by the words — the king 
 was wroth; we see once more how sincere is the 
 
168 THE WEDDING GARMENT. 
 
 gracious call of God, and how, in despising it, a 
 guilt is contracted on the part of man ; but, at the 
 same time, we can also perceive, that the reception 
 is a free act, and that man is not compelled to it by 
 God. 
 
 Ver. 8. The wedding is ready ; it still continues 
 so, notwithstanding that many have slighted the call 
 to it. The mercy of God is long- continued. The 
 invited guests were not worthy of it ; they were in 
 such a state of mind, that they could not receive the 
 grace offered them ; here divine grace is justified, and 
 all guilt thrown back upon the guests, (Acts xiii. 
 46, 47), so that not even the servants inviting them 
 are partakers in it. Gnomon: " No one is reckoned 
 unworthy, unless he has refused the boon already 
 offered ; but, doing that, he finally commits himself." 
 Grotius : " They were not worthy, that is, they were 
 most unworthy." 
 
 Go ye^ therefore^ into the highways, the cross- 
 ways. Luther, House-Pos. 5. 188: " To the hea- 
 then, who lay without upon the paths, having no law 
 or word of God like the Jews ; they were not walled 
 in, but set off as an open vacant space. We still see 
 to-day, that God has appointed his word, his bap- 
 tism, his supper, for the purpose of giving every one 
 an opportunity to partake who desires to do so." 
 The national pride of Israel is here primarily aimed 
 at, Matth. viii. 10—12. 
 
 Ver. 9. Bid as many as ye shall find^ expressing 
 the universality of divine grace, and the call to the 
 Christian church, John iii. 16. Matth. xxviii. 18, ss. 
 Luke xxiv. 46, 47. No distinction of people, no 
 grades of intellectual or moral condition, must form 
 an exception, but all must be invited, not excepting 
 even the Jews. 
 
 V. 10. Gathered all, good and bad; the manifestly 
 wicked, whom all considered as reprobates, and those 
 whohadled an externally honourable life, for such were 
 found even among the heathens ; for ex. Cornelius 
 and the ruler at Capernaum; for, as regards the 
 
THE WEDDING GARMENT. 169 
 
 internal condition, all are alike sinners. To refer 
 the good and evil spoken of to the subsequent con- 
 dition of the guests, as indicating that all were not 
 rightly and permanently established in the know- 
 ledge of the Christian faith, will not suit. Grotius: 
 " That it might more distinctly appear that this gift 
 was entirely gratuitous." And the tvedding ivas fur- 
 nished luiUi guests ; although many had slighted the 
 gracious designs and purposes of God, and frustrat- 
 ed them, there was yet no want of such as, with the 
 greatest joy and readiness, appropriated this grace, 
 so that the table was filled, Isa. liii. 12; John xi. 52; 
 xii. 24. 
 
 V. 11. When the hing came to see the guests; 
 Luther, Church- Pos. 14. 192: " This shall be done 
 at the last judgment, when the king will let himself 
 be seen." At least, every one shall then be made 
 manifest before the whole world, according to his 
 internal condition, so that God's dealing with each 
 will be acknowledged as perfectly just ; but, even 
 upon earth, the secret state of heart is disclosed, 
 through means of many trials and experiences in life, 
 so that every one, w4io still wants the wedding-gar- 
 ment, might ponder the will of the Lord, who asks 
 after it, and provide himself with it. Taken gene- 
 rally, V. 11 — 13, intimate the truth, that the church 
 on earth is not pure, but always made up of good 
 and evil, — of true believers and hypocrites, a mixed 
 society, but shall afterwards be purged of all false 
 unworthy members by the most righteous judgment 
 of God. This work of separation, however, is not 
 the business of the servants, w^ho also could not 
 hinder the entrance of such unworthy guests ; and 
 hence no reproach is cast upon them by the king for 
 the appearance which presented itself. The thought, 
 further, is expressed here, that the time of gospel 
 invitation, the day of grace, shall sometime cease, 
 and that thenceforth, through all eternity, the fate of 
 each is decided and made manifest. 
 
 Saw there a man ; Luther, Church- Pos. 14. 192: 
 
170 THE WEDDING GARMENT. 
 
 " That is not a single individual, but a whole mul- 
 titude ; not clothed with the wedding-garment, that 
 is, with faith. They are, however, pious people, 
 much better than the preceding ; for you must un- 
 derstand them to be those who have heard and re- 
 ceived the gospel, but still have leaned somewhat 
 upon their works, and not crept wholly into Christ." 
 It is quite an indefensible opinion to consider this 
 one to represent those who are described by Paul, 
 2 Thes. ii. 3, ss. ; which opinion is advocated by 
 Canstein in his Harmony. Who had not on the wed- 
 ding-garment ; wliich was wont to be given by rich 
 and honourable entertainers to their guests, that they 
 might put it over their clothes, and so appear in the 
 fitting apparel. Judges xiv. 12; Gen. xlv. 22; Rev. 
 iii. 4, Ö. The wedding garment is the state of mind 
 which is, in itself, right and well pleasing in the sight 
 of God, and that we must have on this wedding-gar- 
 ment, if we would not be shut out from the marriage- 
 feast, is evident from its being the order appointed 
 by God in the work of salvation, with which every 
 sinner must, of necessity, comply, if he would become 
 a partaker, either in time or in eternity, of the bless- 
 ings proffered to him. To regard moral qualities as 
 a clothing, is an image frequently employed in holy 
 writ, Eph. iv. 22—24 ; 1 Peter iii. 4 ; Col. iii. 12 ; 
 Rev. vii. 13 — 15. As scripture connects salvation 
 above all with faith, faith, i. e. the gracious disposi- 
 tion which, ^r^^ of all, appropriates every thing that 
 Christ has purchased — pardon of sin, righteousness 
 and the several gifts of grace, must be the wedding- 
 garment; (on which account some expositors affirm 
 Christ himself to be this garment, according to Rom. 
 xiii. 14; Gal. iii. 27); and this gracious disposition, 
 or believing frame of mind, becomes, thereafter, the 
 source of all the virtues that adorn the faithful, of 
 righteousness, of life, and that as the fruit and 
 consequence of the righteousness of faith. This 
 principle of faith is conferred upon us, i. e, 
 through the preaching of the word it is rendered 
 
THE WEDDING GARMENT. 171 
 
 possible to every one who has a mind, Rom. x. 9, 
 10, 13 — 17. In the practical treatment of this image, 
 it is most judicious not to dwell upon the garment 
 by itself, but upon the state of those who either have 
 or want it. Luther's Gloss.: '' The wedding-gar- 
 ment is faith, for the gospel rejects the self-righteous, 
 and takes in the faithful." Calvin: " It is needlessly 
 contended, whether the wedding-garment be faith, 
 or a pious and holy life ; because, neither can faith 
 be separated from good works, nor are good works 
 practicable without faith. Christ, however, only 
 meant, that we must so comply with the call of our 
 Lord, as to be renewed in spirit, after his image, re- 
 maining constantly in union with him, that the old 
 man, with his defilements, must be put off, and the 
 new life diligently applied to, by which means our 
 garment might jjecome suitable to our honourable 
 calling." Mel : " The wedding- garment, then, is that 
 regeneration which comprehends, within itself the 
 actings of repentance and faith, which receives the 
 remission of sins; and, throughout the whole life, 
 cleaves to God for help, and endeavours after new 
 obedience. But there are many in the visible church 
 who have not this wedding garment. First, there 
 are those who continue in sin against their con- 
 science ; then there are hypocrites, like Ahaz, who, 
 though in appearance an upright man, and sound 
 in his profession, yet is without any true light ; that 
 is, without repentance and faith, multiplies acts of 
 worship, thinks himself righteous, carries on many 
 operations, but all in confidence on his own wisdom, 
 distrusting God; neither seeking nor expecting 
 aid from him, but searching everywhere fo^ human 
 help, against the exhortations of the prophets, 2 
 Kings xvi." 
 
 Ver. 12. Friend, how earnest thou in hither, 8^c. — 
 Language expressive of the greatest astonishment at 
 the extraordinary circumstance of his presence in 
 such a state. The word friend, sVcz/^s, occurs always 
 in a bad sense, Matth. xx. 13 : xxvi. 50 ; and here 
 
i''2 THE WEDDING GARMENT. 
 
 in particular, it designates one who was not sincere 
 in bis professions. Luther: House-Pos. 5. 203: 
 " These are false Christians and hypocrites, who seek 
 only their belly and their honour in the gospel ; such 
 persons put to shame the bride and bridegroom, in 
 not being better arrayed and having no marriage 
 clothing. If I were the bridegroom, I should also 
 take it for an indignity, and think nothing else 
 than that he designed to mock me." And again, at 
 p. 189 : " If thou art already an invited guest, art 
 baptized, hearest the gospel, goest to the sacrament, 
 and still hast on no wedding-garment, that is, dost 
 not believe, art not in earnest in the matter, and 
 thinkest only of enjoying the Christian name — thou 
 art then no Christian for the sake of God or thine 
 own salvation, otherwise thou shouldst act differently 
 towards the word. Never dream thatithou shalt slip 
 through in such a state. The king will perceive thee, 
 and drag thee forth, either at the last day, or at thy 
 latter end, and shall say, Do I find thee here, having 
 the name of a Christian and still not believing what 
 a Christian should believe ? During thy life-time 
 thou wert never in earnest how thou mightest be 
 free from sin, holy, and meet for heaven.'' 
 
 ßut he icas speechless, his mouth was in a manner 
 muzzled. Luther, House-Pos. 5. 189 : " Whenever 
 such loose Christians are charged with being such, 
 either in their own conscience, or on the day of 
 judgment, they shall be speechless, that is, they shall 
 have no defence. For what have they to justify 
 themselves withal ? God has done what he would." 
 Their silence, then, marks their consciousness of guilt 
 and of the righteousness of God's judgment ; the 
 servants, who invite to the weddin^^, point also to the 
 appointed way of salvation, so that the demands ne- 
 cessary to be complied with remain unknown to none 
 of the invited guests, and every one, besides, must 
 allow, that the possession of the wedding-garment 
 was possible for him. Why did so many decline it ? 
 Their own clothing appeared to them good enough, 
 
THE WEDDING GAEME^■T. 173 
 
 and they think it must also be well pleasing to the 
 king ; it is, therefore, presumptuous ignorance, self- 
 righteousness, confidence in their supposed virtue, 
 which prevents many from being saved ; others dream 
 of faith in Christ, and rest upon his merit, while yet 
 their faith has no renewing effect upon their heart 
 and conduct. They remain, (says Luther, Church- 
 Pos. 14. 212,) whoremongers, adulterers, gluttons, 
 drunkards, usurers, full of hatred and envy ; they 
 remain in the old rags and tatters of their own fleshly 
 darkness, unbelief, security, without repentance and 
 acknowledgement of their wretchedness ; console not 
 their hearts with the grace of Christ, nor improve 
 their lives thereby, seek no more, in short, from the 
 gospel than is pleasing to the flesh. For as this wed- 
 ding-garment must be the new light of the heart, so 
 the knowledge 6f this abundant grace of the bride- 
 groom and his marriage-feast, works in the heart so 
 as to make it hang in close dependance upon Christ, 
 and be penetrated with joy and consolation, conse- 
 quentlj^ to live and act in light and love, as knowing 
 that it is giving pleasure to him, as a bride does to 
 her bridegroom." The warnings so often given 
 through the preached gospel to false Christians, and 
 the repentance pressed upon them, as well as the ex- 
 ample of those near and around them, who are adorn- 
 ed with the wedding-garment, renders them the more 
 liable to condemnation. And since they have not 
 emj loj'ed the long-continued daj' of grace for the 
 attainment of the necessary frame of mind, it is at 
 last too late when the king comes, and thej^sink into 
 perdition. " Hence does the gospel carry a ver^^ 
 solemn admonition to ever^- one who hears it, to im- 
 prove well the time of the gospel, and a terrible 
 threatening of frightful pimishment to alight, both upon 
 the secure, arrogant despisers, who have slighted the 
 day of grace and set themselves against the preach- 
 ing of the gospel ; and upon the false, and frivolous, 
 who, for appearance -sake, shelter themselves under 
 
174 THE WEDDING GARMENT. 
 
 the name of Christ and the gospel, yet never do so in 
 solemn earnest." Luther, Church-Pos. 14. 198. 
 
 Ver. 13. Bi7id him hand and foot. Luther, as 
 above : " The hands are the works, the feet the walk, 
 in which he has confided, and so, not having wholly 
 trusted in Christ, he must perish with his works ; if 
 thou wouldst, therefore, do good works, thou must 
 first believe." Cast him info obiter darkness. Luther, 
 House- Pos. Ö. 190 : " They must be shut out from 
 God's light, that is, from all light, in eternal pain, 
 sorrow, and anguish, where they shall never see one 
 ray of light." Gnomon : " This shall be done a 
 little before the nuptial hour." — Weeping and gnash- 
 ing of teeth. Luther, ib : " They must, therefore, be 
 bound for ever in hell, tormented with cold and heat, 
 as was taught by the ancients. But the Lord in this 
 expression includes all sort of tortures which can be 
 throught of; as if he had said. Ye shall suffer more 
 than can be expressed in words, or conceived in 
 thought." 
 
 Ver. 1 4. See toward the end of the parable of the 
 labourers in the vine-yard. This guest without the 
 wedding-garment makes the truth palpably manifest. 
 Luke xiii. 24. Mel : " There is both consolation and 
 warning in the words ; consolation to the pious, who, 
 when they see many utterly regardless of the faith, 
 and many also living in the church in open sins, are 
 offended and brought into doubt whether such a so- 
 ciety can be the true church. All the warnings of 
 God are announced for the purpose of moving some 
 thereby to turn from their wickedness." 
 
THE TEN VIRGINS. 175 
 
 XV. 
 
 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 Matt. XXV. 1—13. 
 
 General prefatory remarks upon this and the 
 following Parable. 
 
 This parable stands in very close connection with 
 the preceding instructions, warnings, and admonitions 
 of Jesus. Matth. xxiv. To the question of his dis- 
 ciples, propounded in v. 1 — 3, our Lord answers in 
 V. 4 — 14, with general remarks upon the commence- 
 ment of a very troublous, eventful period, which they 
 themselves should live to see, (v. 5 — 8) and which 
 was principally to afFectthem, (v. 9 — 14.) Then he 
 speaks more particularly of the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem, V 15 — 28, as the proper commencement of a 
 great and general contest between light and dark- 
 ness, and especially cautions them against the mis- 
 taken notion, that lie v/as to come in his glory imme- 
 diately after the destruction of Jerusalem, v. 23 — 
 28. Of his return, he speaks in v. 29, ss., admonishes 
 to carefulness in regard to the signs of approach, v. 
 32, declares in v. 33, that it was unknown as to the 
 precise time and hour, though still as certain as the 
 deluge was to the ancient world, and that it would 
 be attended with very different consequences to men, 
 just according as their conduct had been, v. 37 — 41. 
 For this reason he admonishes to watchfulness, v. 
 42, the happy consequences of which are described 
 in V. 43 — 47, as, on the other hand, the mournful 
 consequences of false security in v. 48 — 5i. Now, 
 the parables recorded in ch. xxv. 1 — 30, contain in 
 figure the same admonitions, which, without figure, 
 are given in the preceding discourse of our Lord ; 
 they set forth in lively colours the certainty of 
 
176 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 Christ's return, v. 6, 19, though it should be longer 
 delayed, than people would readily believe, v. 5, 6, 
 19; and that when it arrived, a very different fate 
 should befal the watchful and trustworthy, and the 
 faithless and negligent. If the first parable pourtrays 
 in more general terms the necessary readiness of the 
 Christian for the arrival of his lord, the latter, as 
 having this event more immediately in prospect, 
 speaks in particular of the fidelity and conscientious- 
 ness that are required. This both have in common, 
 that they refer to the same most important event, the 
 return of the Lord to his church, and call our at- 
 tention to what on our part is necessary for his re- 
 ception, that we may stand before him with honour 
 and acceptance, and may not be ashamed before him 
 at his coming, 1 John ii. 28. The parable of the ten 
 virgins mainly teaches, that there is required for that 
 purpose a genuine persevering faith, and the para- 
 ble of the talents shows, that such a faith must not 
 be a dead thing, and wholly separate from the rest 
 of the life, but binds us to make a faithful applica- 
 tion of all the gifts bestowed on us by God, and to 
 the conscientious use of all the circumstances of 
 our lot; the former describes the internal state 
 of mind belonging to the true disciples of Jesus, 
 without which every thing external is insufficient to 
 salvation, and in a manner nothing ; the latter teaches 
 that according to the will, and to fulfil the design of 
 Christ, there is also necessary a kind of working, 
 proceeding from a right disposition of heart, because 
 it is only through such an exercise of principle in the 
 daily life, that the disposition itself can be preserved 
 and strengthened, which otherwise w^ould. languish 
 and die, v. 29. So that faith, and the w^orks of faith, 
 are represented in these parables in their internal 
 union and mutual relationship, and that, in the most 
 impressive manner, in the quite different characters 
 of the prudent and foolish virgins, of the conscien- 
 tious and faithless slothful servant. The foolish vir- 
 gins were deficient in the proper frame of mind, al- 
 
THE TEN VIRGINS. 177 
 
 though they had what was outward, the lamps ; the 
 faithless servant acknowledged himself to be a ser- 
 vant of the Lord, but this testimony was dead, 
 wrought not the effect it should have produced, he is 
 without living faith — and so both the one and the 
 other fall short of the hoped for salvation. Calvin : 
 *' Although the exhortation here given has nearly the 
 same tendency (as will appear from v. 1:3), with that 
 in Luke xii. 35 — 48, it was yet properly added, that 
 it might encourage the faithful to persevere. The 
 Lord knew how prone the nature of man is to ease, 
 and how it, for the most part, happens, not only that 
 men become languid in process of time, but are even 
 liable, on a sudden, to fall off. That he might cor- 
 rect this disease, he taught his disciples that they 
 were not well fortified, unless their patience could 
 bear up for a long period. The sum of the parable 
 is, that the diligent application of a short time is not 
 sufficient, unless there be also found an unwearied 
 steadfastness." 
 
 The more important, in the Lord's eyes, is the sal- 
 vation of his people, and the more earnest his wish, 
 that none of them should be lost; the more there 
 \tfere of alarming events threatening destruction, to 
 depress the courage of the apostles, and other dis- 
 ciples in later times; the more the distressing and 
 hampering influence of the temporal life, of its cares 
 and occupationsjof its joys and pleasures, tend to mis- 
 lead and restrain believers in their course toward the 
 heavenly inheritance, and in concern for their souls; 
 finally, the more eventful, throughout all eternity, 
 for bliss or misery, is the acquired or neglected pre- 
 paration, the exercised or not exercised fidelity ; so 
 much the more solicitous and careful is the Lord in 
 pointing out to his people every thing necessary, in 
 order to keep them from all that was injurious to their 
 souls ; and for this reason he employs such various 
 images, to make them familiar with the right frame 
 of mind, and to work upon them through the mani- 
 fold motives thereby presented to them. The image 
 
178 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 of the householder, who, before the thief has broken 
 into his house, (Matth. xxiv 42 — 44,) must be ad- 
 monished to watchfulness, from a regard to his own 
 well-being ; the example of the faithful servant, (v. 
 45 — 47.) encouraged by the hope of honour and re- 
 ward; the fate ol" the unfaithful servant, (v. 48 — 51,) 
 through fear of disfavour and punishment ; the very 
 same motives, only represented more at large, are 
 also brought forward in the two longer parables, in 
 ch. XXV. ; wakefulness or readiness, in general, is 
 recommended, v. 1 — 13, fidelity in particular, v. 14 
 — 30, active benevolence, v. 31 — 46; all in reference 
 to the advent of our Lord. 
 
 According to Matth. xxiv. 3, these parables were 
 spoken upon the Mount of Olives, and only to the 
 disciples ; they are the last parables delivered by our 
 Lord. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The proper preparation for the advent of our 
 Lord. 
 
 L Wherein it consists : 
 
 (1.) Every sort of preparation is not the proper 
 
 one, v. 1, 2. 
 (2.) What then is the right preparation ? 
 
 a,) It does not stand merely in externals, v. 3: 
 
 Lamps without oil. 
 b.) But consists in preparedness of heart, v. 
 4 : The wise have oil, and of that enough. 
 n. Why it is so necessary ; on account of the ad- 
 vent of the Lord ; as this shall be an event, 
 
 (1.) Long delayed, v. 5 ; insomuch that even 
 
 the prepared were asleep ; 
 (2.) Unexpectedly sudden, v. 6 ; 
 (3.) Decisive ; for it 
 
 a.) Manifests to all their obligations, v. 7 ; 
 and their state, v. 8 ; 
 
THE TEN VIRGINS. 179 
 
 b.) Leaves no room for help, neither from 
 others nor from one's self, v, 9, 10. 
 
 c.) Determines, for ever, the fate of both, as 
 well the prepared, v. 10, as the unprepared, 
 V. 11 — 13. 
 
 V. 1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven ; from this 
 close connection with the instructions delivered by 
 our Lord in ch. xxiv., it is manifest that the course 
 of transactions described in this and the following 
 parable, has its primary reference to the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, as, by this great event, the fate of those 
 who believed on Jesus was to become different, ac- 
 cording as they had or had not, in faith upon his 
 word, prepared themselves for it. But since the Lord, 
 in that preceding chapter, had also spoken of his 
 future coming, the parable must also refer to the fi- 
 nal advent of the Lord to judgment, and in general 
 to the visitations of God, which are all a coming of the 
 Lord ; to such time and transactions as serve to 
 throw the unjjrepared into fear and consternation ; to 
 the whole day of grace in life, during which men 
 must be preparing themselves for great future events, 
 since death begins the night, during which no man 
 can work; and the life after death, the moment it be- 
 gins in each individual, is the day of the Lord, 
 wherein we are called to be sifted and judged. 
 Mel. : '• This parable is an image of the church in all 
 ages, but especially in the last, and contains both 
 doctrine, reproof, and consolation. The doctrine is, 
 that there always have been, and will be, good and 
 bad in the church on earth, the latter called hypo- 
 crites, because in name and appearance bearing a 
 resemblance to true worshipers. The consolation is, 
 that it foretells there should always be a true church 
 and some wise virgins, who, in real faith and well- 
 grounded hope, look for Christ." 
 
 The kingdom of heaven is likened ; those who 
 stand in connection with the Redeemer, shall be 
 found in condition and fate, as different, as this pa- 
 
180 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 ^'able reprpsents of the ten virgins. To ten virgins ; 
 We would not include in these two classes of wise 
 ^nd foolish virgins, those who revile and persecute 
 the gospel, for such are not good enough to be named 
 even among the foolish virgins." Luther's Miscella- 
 neous Sermons, 18. 241. Virgin, says Luther, imports 
 purity, but the farther prosecution of this image, as 
 including that the souls of believers belong to Christ 
 as the bridegroom, John iii. 29, because he has 
 bought them with a great price, 1 Peter i. 18, 19, to 
 make them his own property. Acts xx. 28 ; 1 Cor. 
 vii 23, and that, through faith, Christ is united to 
 his people in cordial love, is here out of place, as it 
 would only serve to veil the leading character of the 
 parable and interrupt its design. Calvin : " Christ 
 had no other object in view than to lighten the op- 
 pressive tedium which might be supposed to arise from 
 the delay of his arrival; for which purpose he tells us, 
 that he demands of us nothing more than what was 
 wont to be done by friends at a marriage solemnit3% 
 It was customary for virgins, (who are tender and 
 delicate), in honour of a bridegroom, to lead him to 
 the marriage bed ; and the main design of the pa- 
 rable turns on this, that it is not enough to be once 
 prepared and ready for the office, but to continue so 
 to the end." Grotius: " The scope is indicated by 
 Christ, in the words, watch therefore ; namely, that 
 we ought to be always careful concerning the right 
 ordering of our lives.' 
 
 Who took their lamps and went forth to meet the 
 bridegroom. The essential thing here is, that the 
 virgins who knew of the coming of the bridegroom, 
 prepared themselves for his reception, in order to 
 participate in the honour and joj^ of the festive trans- 
 action. It is delightful that our Lord here also, as 
 in chap. xxiv. 32, makes choice of an image, Mhich 
 raises such jo3'Ous expectations, sufficient to divest 
 of their terror all the frightful circumstances with 
 which his coming is also connected. The believers 
 of the old covenant looked for the coming of Mes- 
 
THE TEN VIRGINS. 181 
 
 siab, Isa. Ix. 1, ss. ; Ixiv. 1 ; Luke ii. 25. The be- 
 lievers who live under the new covenant, look for 
 his second coming, Phil. iii. 21 ; Heb. ix. 28 ; Titus 
 ii. 11, ss. This expectation is a powerful means in 
 the hand of God, for raising and sanctifying the 
 heart ; it springs out of faith in the promises of the 
 Lord, Matth. xxv. 31 ; John xiv. 3, xvii. 24 ; Acts i. 
 9 — 11, and is at once the proof and the nourishment 
 of love to him ; we look for him, because we love 
 him, and could not love him if we were not looking 
 for him ; we look for him, because we have already 
 experienced love to him when absent, 1 Peter i. 8 ; 
 and this expectancy toward Christ's coming and pre- 
 paration for it, is the leading purpose and main con- 
 cern of all true Christians. Col. iii. I, ss. 
 
 The image is borrowed from the Jewish custom, 
 according to which the bridegroom had to conduct 
 the bride home in the evening from the house of her 
 parents, to his own dwelling ; he came accompanied 
 by young men, his particular friends, and, as soon as 
 the report of his coming was announced, the young 
 friends and play-mates of the bride, put themselves 
 in order to meet him> after which they attended the 
 pair, with lamps carried before them, to the bride- 
 groom's house. The lamps were placed on copper 
 dishes, which were fastened from above to long poles, 
 comp. Judg. xiv. 11, 18; 1 Sam. xxv. 42; 1 Mace. 
 ix. 37 ; Ps. xiv. 15 ; John iii. 29 ; Matth. ix. 15. 
 
 V. 2 — 4. Here is represented the different state of 
 these young women ; Jive were wise, the number is 
 of no moment to the point in question, the distinc- 
 tion alone is essential ; they are called wise, because 
 they kept steadily in view the end and the means, 
 thought of the future with foresight, and, during the 
 present, held in contemplation distant possible con- 
 tingencies, all which the foolish did not do. Calvin : 
 " It is the part of prudence to take care that it be 
 provided with the necessary helps for the course of 
 life ; for, th'ough time be short, it yet appears to be 
 too much prolonged according to the eagerness of 
 
182 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 our impRtience ; and then such is our poverty, that 
 we stand in need of help every moment." The dif- 
 ference existing between the members of the visible 
 church is here indicated ; a mixture prevails ; all 
 call themselves Christians, profess an interest in 
 Christ, would be saved, and have an interest in the 
 blessed joy and glorious inheritance of the heavenly 
 kingdom ; but, however uniform in regard to the end 
 they have in view, they are often widely different in 
 regard to the course of procedure they adopt, and 
 the degree of care and application which they give 
 to this important matter, and it is in this that their 
 prudence or folly discovers itself. 
 
 The foolish took their lamps and took no oil in 
 them ; they had only so much oil that their lamps 
 could burn well enough for a little time, but nothing 
 in reserve. Lamps denote the outward profession 
 of the gospel, mere external fellowship with the Re- 
 deemer, such as going to church, using the means of 
 grace, waiting on the ordinances of worship, at the 
 same time that all is but dead work, only matter of 
 custom, formal observances. Such people (being 
 hypocrites, formalists, or at most but dead Christians), 
 want internal, proper, and living acquaintance with 
 Christ ; their profession does not proceed from any 
 experience, or full-wrought conviction of the truth 
 and divinity of the gospel ; the}' may, indeed, at times 
 manifest much zeal for it, but they are still destitute 
 of the internal principle of life, Matth. xiii. 21. Lu- 
 ther, Miscell. Sermons, 18; 34 : " Scripture calls 
 those persons fools, who will neither sing nor speak. 
 They hear the gospel, but do not follow it, still-wish 
 to have their own sentiments in high account. Of 
 which sort, there are some, who possess the highest 
 gifts of God, and are in the ministry. It is not said 
 of wicked, godless Turks and heathens ; but of those 
 who call themselves evangelical, though they are still 
 of one mind with Adam." Ibid. p. 244 : " There are 
 Christians, who obtain the name of pious persons, 
 can say a great deal about such things, praise the 
 
THE TEN VIRGINS. 183 
 
 word ; but the kingdom of God does not stand in 
 word but in power ; the mouth is there, but the 
 heart far off, Matth. vii. 22. When they hear the 
 word, they frame and imagine to themselves some 
 tliought or fancy in the heart, which they take for 
 oil, and continue still as before in their wonted 
 courses." Luther's Marginal-note : " The lamps with- 
 out oil are good works without faith, which must all 
 be destroyed ; but the lamp of oil is faith in the 
 heart — faith in the grace of God, which brings forth 
 good works, that will stand, and since no one here 
 gives oil to another, this tells us that every one must 
 believe for himself." Church-Pos. 14. 48J, ss. : 
 " Here the Lord calls all Christians virgins. The 
 foolish virgins are those Christians who have the 
 profession of Christians, hear the gospel, wish to be 
 accounted quite evangelical, and can discourse much 
 of divine things, extol and speak much of the word 
 of God, praising it as a fine thing, according to which 
 every thing must be determined and judged, and 
 many such fair speeches. But St. Paul tells us, 1 
 Cor. iv. 20, that the kingdom of God is not in word, 
 but in power. It proceeds, not with speeches, but 
 with the life ; not with words, but with works. The 
 mouth is well exercised about it, but the heart is not 
 there ; there is no oil in the lamp, that is, no faith in 
 the heart. But this they do not think, or know, nay 
 they reckon their lamps to be even in a state of rea- 
 diness. Their way is, that they preach and hear 
 about faith, and when they have heard the word, they 
 make out of it, after their own liking, some thought 
 or fancy in the mind ; which they take for oil, and 
 proceed onward without any change in their course, 
 as choleric as before, as avaricious, as niggardly 
 to the poor, as rude and unenlightened as ever. 
 This faith or fancy, which they form to themselves, 
 is a production of man ; therefore is it just like scum 
 upon the water, or the froth of bad beer, w^hich has 
 no consistence, and soon disappears. The other vir- 
 gins, the wise, not merely took their lamps in their 
 
iÖ4 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 hands, but had also oil in them, that is, genuine faith, 
 which God has formed and established in the heart, 
 with which the}' can fortify themselves. For they 
 have God's work in them, and not an imaginary, 
 self- created notion, which has nothing to support it, 
 when death appears before them. They are support- 
 ed by the divine promises, and the Spirit of God 
 works great things through them, so that they would 
 even nov/ rather die than live. Now consider, that 
 this parable will be verified at the last day, and all 
 Christians dealt with as it declares, therefore, as the 
 word is begun and works unequally, it becomes us to 
 think that the last day is not far distant. In fine, 
 this portion of the gospel, by the lamps without oil, re- 
 presents to us an outward thing, a bodily exercise with- 
 out faith in the heart ; but the lamps with oil denote 
 the internal riches, together with the external works 
 springing out of a true faith." 
 
 Ver. 4. But the wise took oil in their vessels, with 
 their lamps. Luther, Miscell. Sermons, 18. 34: 
 " This oil is the anointing of the Holy Spirit, 1 John 
 ii. 27 ; they have an accurate knowledge of God, 
 they live in fear, and are careful, lest God should be- 
 come angry and take his grace from them ; therefore 
 they entreat his favour when they stumble ; they beg 
 and cry for help."' This, along with true acquain- 
 tance with God, and hearts full of Christ, a living 
 and spiritual fellowship with the Redeemer, a hearty 
 and open profession of the gospel, the careful use of 
 the means of grace from faith and in faith, this is 
 what characterizes these virgins, Matth. v. 16; Phil, 
 ii. 15. Gnomon : " A burning lamp is faith, such a 
 lamp and oil besides, is rich faith." 
 
 Ver. 5. While the bridegroom tarried, they all 
 slumbered and slept. Both wise and foolish ; the de- 
 lay of the return of Christ is often the occasion of a 
 general diminution of watchfulness, fervour, and ac- 
 tivity, and that by degrees, for first they slumber and 
 then fall fast asleep. Calvin : " The sleeping is by 
 some taken in a bad sense, as if the faithful could 
 
THE TEN VIRGINS. 185 
 
 give themselves along with others to slothfulness, 
 and fall asleep amid the vanities of the world, which 
 is quite foreign to the mind of Christ, and the con- 
 text of the parable. I understand it more simply of 
 earthly transactions, in which it is necessary for be- 
 lievers to be involved, as long as they live in the 
 ilesh. But, although they should never allow forget- 
 fulness of the kingdom of (lod to creep over them, 
 yet the distraction of worldly affairs is not unaptly 
 compared to a sleep. For they cannot be looking so 
 intently for the coming of Christ, but that various 
 cares will either distract, or retard, or entangle them ; 
 on which account it happens that, through much 
 vigilance, they may in part sleep." Luther's Ser- 
 mons, 18. 35 : " For we fall indeed at times into sin, 
 have occasionally good thoughts of the bridegroom, 
 but are not always burning with desires toward God. 
 Here, however, is the answer and the consolation : 
 Desi)air not ! there are some in the heavenly king- 
 dom \^ ho are sleepy, but are not therefore to be re- 
 jected, who sometimes even commit flagrant sins. 
 The bridegroom is not always with us, he conceals 
 himself, and lets his people at times fall, but will 
 soon raise them up again." Mark xiii. 27. Matth. 
 xxvi. 41 . Rev. iii. -2. But there is a wide difference 
 between the sleep of the wise and of the foolish.^ 
 
 ^ [There is here, and in some other places, an iinsatisfacto- 
 riness in the manner in which our author treats a nice or diffi- 
 cult point — first, throwing out a view of his own, without be- 
 ing at any pains to defend or illustrate it, and presently 
 introducing the sentiments of others, sometimes contradicting, 
 sometimes coinciding with his own. In a single sentence he 
 has here stated his view of the slumbering and sleeping, then 
 he adduces Calvin supporting one considerably different, and 
 then, again, Luther is heard in confirmation substantially of 
 his own. There is certainly a benefit in having the views of 
 different authors thus brought before us, but it is somewhat 
 perplexing to have the matter left in such a state of uncer- 
 tainty. In the present case, we venture to think that Calvin 
 lias, with his usual discrimination, hit upon the right view, and 
 that it was not our Lord's design, as is very commonly sup- 
 posed, by the slumbering and sleeping of the wise virgins, to 
 
186 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 Ver. 6 — 10. We have here represented the con- 
 duct of all the virgins at the arrival of the bride- 
 groom. Ai midnight; much later, therefore, than 
 was expected, but he is true and faithful, 2 Peter iii. 
 3. A cry was made ; Luther, Miscell. Sermons, 18. 
 35: " If this were not done, all must despair ; but the 
 consolation is, that the bridegroom causes a cry to go 
 before him, and calls us to him." Calvin : " Concern- 
 ing the cry, I consider it as put metaphorically for a 
 sudden coming. For we know, that when any thing 
 new and unlooked for happens men are wont to give 
 a shout. The Lord, indeed, daily proclaims that he 
 is coming, but then the whole machine of nature will 
 resound, and his terrific majesty till the heaven and 
 the earth, in such a manner as shall not only awaken 
 those who are asleep, but bring the dead out of their 
 graves.'' Behold, the bridegroom cometh! Such 
 rousing cries in the church of God, and in the lives 
 of individuals, are often found in great outward 
 changes, national judgments, desolations, diseases, 
 
 represent them as sinking along with others into slothful- 
 ness. This would have been to disfigure the image he was 
 drawing of Christian wisdom by a leading characteristic of 
 folly. The trait referred to is simply an indication of the long 
 delay of the bridegroom, which naturally led the virgins to fall 
 into other employments than those immediately connected with 
 the expected festivity. So, in regard to the second coming of 
 Christ, though the great object of the church's hopes, yet it was 
 to be so long deferred, as to render it both allowable and neces- 
 sary for her members to mingle in employments not immedi- 
 ately connected with his advent. His people, as well as others, 
 must betake themselves to the cares and business of life — 
 must enter into occupations, which, in themselves, are no way 
 connected with Christ's appearing — bxit, while amidst these, 
 mere professors allow their lamps to go out, neglecting the 
 work and business of their Christian calling, it is otherwise 
 with real Christians — the holy oil of divine truth still abides in 
 their heart, and shines forth in their conduct, — and all they 
 have to do, when called to meet their Loi*d, is just to recall 
 their minds from their other necessary duties, and address 
 themselves more immediately to the work of meeting, in a sxiit- 
 able manner, the presence and gloiy of their divine master.] — 
 Trans. 
 
THE TEN VIRGIXS. 187 
 
 extreme dangers, extraordinary deliverances, and 
 other solemn occurrences, through means of which 
 zealous and godly Clnnstians, as well as those who 
 are lukewarm and ungodly, are constrained to think 
 of the coming of the Son of Man as near at hand. 
 
 Ver. 7. The impression of this announcement 
 upon all ; all think now anew of preparing them- 
 selves for his reception ; all are again manifestly 
 made conscious of their present condition, their call- 
 ing and their aim. 
 
 Ver. 8. But now becomes manifest the great in- 
 ternal difference, that lay under the external resem- 
 blance and agreement. The foolish virgins find 
 themselves in the greatest embarrassment, and what 
 should otherwise have been the occasion of the 
 greatest joy and gain to them — the approach of the • 
 bridegroom — because they are not in the right con- 
 dition, and therefore not in a state of readiness, 
 throws them into the most terrible confusion and 
 frightful dismay ; which shows itself with much force 
 and impressiveness in their speech : Give us of your 
 oil, for our lamps are out. Calvin : " Here is re- 
 proved the too late repentance of those who do not 
 perceive their defects before that the gate is shut 
 against all remedy. For they are, on this account, 
 condemned of folly, in allowing a long time to pass 
 away without making provision for themselves, be- 
 cause living securely in their want, and spending the 
 time in mutual converse, they make light of offered 
 help." Luther, Miscell. Sermons, 18. 35: " It is 
 torment to the conscience when we first go to seek 
 for aid at the coming of the bridegroom, and must 
 abandon the good thoughts we had of ourselves, dis- 
 covering then, for the first time, our failure. There 
 is a disclosure of sin, if we flee from the presence of 
 God, when we should chiefly run to him." Give us 
 of your oil, that is, permit us to have an interest in 
 your faith, to enjoy its benefit and fruit> as we are al- 
 ready one with you in profession ; the extinguish- 
 ment of their lamps bespeaks the feeling and know- 
 
188 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 ledge they had of their own insufficiency. Such 
 shall be the fate some time of pretended Christians 
 and hypocrites. Luther, Miscell. Sermons, 18. 3ö : 
 " Wherefore do they not cry to the bridegroom that 
 the}?" have no oil? Why do they run to their fellows 
 for oil ? The cause is, that they have never truly 
 known the bridegroom, otherwise they would run to 
 him." This characterizes also the cry of the rich 
 man, Luke xvi. 24. 
 
 Ver. 9. Bat the wise answered saying^ not so ; — 
 not so are not in the original, but must evidently be 
 supplied. Calvin : <' We know that the Lord distri- 
 butes his gifts variously to each according to his 
 own measure, for this reason, that they might mutu- 
 ally assist each other, and bring to the common ad- 
 vantage what has been imparted to each, that there- 
 by the sacred connection between the members of 
 the church may be strengthened. But here Christ 
 points to the time when all must attend at his judg- 
 ment seat to receive, according as each has done in 
 the body. W'ith propriety, therefore, does he com- 
 pare the store, which every one has laid up for him- 
 self of received grace, to provisions for the way, 
 which will not be sufficient for more.'' The refusal 
 is coupled with the grounds on which it is given ; 
 there is no superfluous desert of good works, from 
 which, as an ample treasur}'^, sinners might purchase 
 pardon and supply the defects of their own virtue ; 
 the wise virgins are, at the same time, humble in 
 forming a right estimate of themselves, for the true 
 Christian is distrustful of himself, as being most 
 sensible of his imperfections, failings, and crimes. 
 Gnomon : " Every one shall live by his own faith." 
 
 But go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for 
 yourselves. Gnomon: " What will appear advisable 
 then, let us now do in time." The sense is : See if 
 it be still possi+^le, with such shortness of time, and 
 in such a desperate case, to make up what has been 
 neglected, to supply what is awanting, to procure 
 what is necessary. Rev. iii. 18. Luther takes these 
 
THE TEN VmCINS. 189 
 
 words for irony, and says, Miscell. Sermons, 18. 36 : 
 " So must it happen ; the just shall laugh at the de- 
 struction of the wicked, when it goes ill with them 
 who despise God You will not buy, you have ne- 
 glected it, therefore shall all creatures mock your 
 folly, Wisdom, v. 1, ss." Calvin : "It is not an ad- 
 monition, but a reproach, having this meaning ? 
 There was formerly a time of buying, which ought 
 not to have been neglected by you ; for then there 
 was oil to be bought, but now the power of recover- 
 ing it is gone. Therefore there is no other way of 
 obtaining it than receiving in faith what is offered to 
 us." But it is better to find here the counsel of love, 
 than a reproach of indifference and sloth ; for the 
 folly of the wicked is far more an object of pity and 
 regret to the righteous, than of cruel mockery and 
 bitter reviling, Prov. xiv. 9. However, the words 
 are still not to be understood, as if a sure hope were 
 held out to the foolish of gaining their object ; but 
 love hopes all things. Since a sincere conversion 
 during the day of grace is never rejected, we must 
 not d(;ny to him, who has been late in turning, the 
 hope of his gracious reception with God, while yet 
 the fate of the foolish virgins manifestly shows how 
 difficult, nay almost how impossible it becomes, when 
 sinners are long in applying themselves to it. 
 
 V. 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom 
 came ; for them, therefore, it was indeed too late, they 
 could not now make up for their neglect. And the 
 door ivas shut, as well to secure those who were with' 
 in, as to shut out those who had allowed the time 
 granted for preparation to pass away ; at the same 
 time, the expression indicates the unalterable con- 
 dition of both kinds of Christians after the arrival of 
 the bridegroom. Rev, xxi. 27, xix. 7. Here also we 
 find the often recurring thought of a general and 
 thorough sifting impending the church of the Lord, 
 and that through him and at his arrival ; as also in 
 the parable of the tares among the wheat, the fish- 
 ing-net and the wedding garment. 
 
190 THE TEN VIRGINS. 
 
 Ver. 11, 12. The conduct of the foolish virgins 
 after the arrival of the bridegroom. Lord^ Lord, 
 open to us, expressing at once their hope and their 
 claim to a participation in the blessedness. The re- 
 petition of the address denotes the earnestness of 
 their desire, and that they still dreamed of a relation- 
 ship to him, as if they had duly honoured him with 
 the obedience of true servants. Open to us ; so that 
 no one can then claim or take any thing for himself, 
 it must be given him by Christ. 
 
 Ver. 12. Veriltj I say unto you I know you not. 
 The verily is impressive, and intimates how only his, 
 and not their judgment upon them is correct ; he 
 does not recognize them as fit, nor in the proper con- 
 dition to be admitted, although they judged quite 
 differently regarding themselves, upon their state 
 and their worthiness. As vain as were the hopes 
 of these foolish virgins, are also the expectations of 
 those who, in fleshly confidence upon the greatness 
 of God's compassion, undervalue his holiness, con- 
 tinue in sins and corruptions, give no heed to repen- 
 tance and conversion, and notwithstanding the ex- 
 plicit declarations in the word of God concerning the 
 necessity of sanctification in the followers of Christ, 
 yet never apply themselves to this, in the vain ima- 
 gination that there shall still somehow at last be pro- 
 vided for them an entrance into the abodes of ever- 
 lasting joy, Prov. i. 24 — 33. 
 
 Ver. 13. contains the words of Christ, not of the 
 bridegroom ; they are directed to all the professors 
 of the gospel, for exhortation and warning ; they 
 form the key of the parable, and point out its end 
 and subject. Watch, therefore ; the spiritual watch- 
 fulness, or preparedness of the Christian is that state 
 of mind wherein one is truly conscious to himself of 
 his actual condition, of the aim and tendency of his 
 life, of his relation to the Redeemer and the things of 
 this life, and every thing is so applied and used as 
 to be of service to us for our eternal salvation. 
 For ye hnow neither the day nor the hour wherein (he 
 
THE TEN VIRGINS. 191 
 
 Son of Man cometh. The ground of the watchful- 
 ness just recommended, is our ignorance of the exact 
 time for the coming and manifestation of Christ, 
 which uncertainty or ignorance true believers im- 
 prove to their salvation. According to this parable, 
 the wisdom, which the world names folly, consists 
 mainly in thinking of the approaching future, of 
 death, judgment, and retribution ; and what the 
 world calls wisdom, a mere living for the present, is 
 folly in the eyes of the Lord. Ewald, p. 190, ss. ? 
 " Thou must watch, O man, over all that is in thee, 
 and what is without thee, what works upon thee, 
 what can elevate or depress thy spirit, inflame or 
 allay thy passions. Watch over all that tends to 
 withdraw thee from Jesus, or bring thee near to him, 
 to increase or diminish thy faith upon him. Watch 
 over the world around thee, over thine own heart, 
 over those powers of darkness with which, according 
 to the word of God, we have to contend. In every 
 age, in every life, there are periods, which, more or 
 less, resemble the coming of Christ, upon which just 
 as much depends for the individual, which are just 
 as decisive for his future condition, in which he 
 stands fully as much in need of faith and love, of 
 watchfulness and prudence. Every occurrence in 
 which a man either comes much nearer to Christ, or 
 removes much farther from him, where there is no 
 other alternative; he must either wholly abandon 
 Christ, or say, I will not decline from thy paths. 
 Every circumstance in our life, wherein we see much, 
 on the one hand, that attracts our hearts to Christ, 
 and, on the other, much that prejudices them against 
 him ; wherein we must choose between Christ and 
 
 antichrist, — must declare for or against the Bible, 
 
 for or against virtue; every such circumstance is 
 just as decisive for men as the return of Christ will 
 be for those who live to see it. Then, these cir- 
 cumstances come so unexpectedly, if we are not 
 thinking of them, they will certainly take us by sur- 
 prise if we feel ourselves secure. We must have 
 
192 THE TALENTS. 
 
 been making preparatipn for them before-hand, ga- 
 theriiig strength and faith for the trial, and prepa- 
 ration comes too late for them when they are already 
 present." 
 
 XVI. 
 
 THE TALENTS. 
 
 Matth. XXV. 14—30. 
 
 All that is necessary to be said on the connection 
 of this parable with what precedes, has been already 
 mentioned at the beginning of the former one. 
 Mark has only given a hint of this parable, when he 
 says, ch. xiii. 34: " Like a man taking a far journey, 
 who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, 
 and to every man his work, and commanded the 
 porter to watch." There certainly exists between it 
 and the parable given in Luke xix. 11- — 27, to be 
 explained afterwards, a strong resemblance, which 
 has led many expositors to the conviction that they 
 are, properly, but one ; but besides that the time 
 and place of delivery are different, there appears, 
 even on the most hasty comparison, such important 
 differences in their respective plan, that we are com- 
 pelled to assign them an essentially distinct aim. 
 Mel. : " This parable must be understood both con- 
 cerning the pul)lic ministry and the use of private 
 gifts." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE TAR ABLE. 
 
 Admonition to Christian fidelity, derived, 
 
 L From the distribution of gifts, v. 14_, 15; 
 
 (1.) As dependent servants, we owe fidelity, v. 
 14 : "A man called his servants." 
 
THE TALENTS. 193 
 
 (2.) And because every thing we possess is mat- 
 ter of gift, V. 14; " Delivered unto them his 
 goods." 
 
 (3.) And because this distribution is made ac- 
 cording to the highest wisdom, in proportion 
 to our powers, v. 15. 
 
 II. From the conduct of the servants, v. 16 — 18. 
 
 (1.) The exemplary behaviour of the faithful 
 servant, v. 16 : " He went and traded." 
 
 (2.) The immediate blessing granted to his fide- 
 lity, v. 16, 17: " And made them other five 
 (two) talents." 
 
 (3.) The shameful inactivity of the faithless 
 servant, v. 18. 
 
 III. From the righteous judgment, v. 19 — 30. 
 
 (1.) This judgment is certain, v. 19: " After a 
 long time; and general, v. 19: And reckon- 
 eth with them, (v. 20, 22, 24.) 
 (2.) The joyful reckoning of the faithful ser- 
 vants, V. 20, 22. 
 (3.) The rich and gracious reward of the Lord, 
 V. 21, 23, wherein we have to notice, 
 a.) The praise given them, v. 21, 23: " Well 
 
 done," &c. 
 b.) The enlarged sphere of action, ib,: " I 
 
 will make," &c. 
 c.) The promised bliss, ib.: " Enter thou 
 into," &c. 
 (4.) The matter of the faithless servant. 
 
 a.) The wicked accusation, v. 24 : " Lord I 
 
 knew," &c. 
 b.) The groundless justification, v. 25: "I 
 was afraid," &c. 
 (5.) His melancholy fate, v. 26 — 30. 
 
 a.) The exposure of his secret wickedness, 
 V. 26 1 " Thou wicked and slothful ser- 
 vant."' 
 b.) The refutation of his subterfuge, v. 27 : 
 " Thou oughtest, therefore," &c. 
 
194 THE TALENTS. ' 
 
 c.) The withdrawment of the lent gift, v. 28, 
 along with the ground of such treatment, 
 V. 29. 
 
 d.) His banishment to final misery, v. 30, 
 
 V. 14. As a man ; we must evidently supply from 
 V. 1 : Then shall the kingdom of heaven be. The 
 Lord of this kingdom will act toward those who 
 have come into connection with him, just as a rich 
 man does with his servants, to whom he has com- 
 mitted his goods, whom he afterwards called to ac- 
 count, and dealt with according to their desert. 
 Travelling iiito afar country ; so has the Lord with- 
 drawn his presence from the church. Called his 
 servants, and delivered unto them his goods ; divid- 
 ed these amongst them. So also has Christ bestow- 
 ed many gifts upon his servants ; in particular, he 
 assigned to his apostles an appointed sphere of labour, 
 and still now gives life, health, powers of body and 
 of soul, many talents, capacities, spheres of duty and 
 opportunities for action.^ There is here indicated 
 
 ^ [It might have been desirable, had our author specified 
 here more exactly what we are to understand by the goods or 
 talents committed by Christ to his people. They are not, we 
 conceive, the natural powers or capacities belonging to us as 
 men, for the goods in question, we are told, were distributed 
 according to these, — according to every man's ability ; so that 
 their natural ability formed no part of the talents themselves, 
 but only the sort of measure after which the bestowment of 
 them was proportioned. The talents are such things only as 
 are bestowed by Christ as the head and dispenser of a kingdom 
 of grace ; and we may comprise them under three divisions. 1. 
 Our stations of life and spheres of duty, — which are all marked 
 out to us and appointed by Christ, — and the various advan- 
 tages therewith connected, the means and opportunities of use- 
 fulness, the events and circumstances of hfe, all so many talents 
 put into oxir hands by Christ, to be used in obedience to his 
 will, and for the promotion of his glory. 2. Our standing and 
 privileges in his church, whether as pastors, elders, or deacons, 
 parents, teachers, or as private members of the church. 3. 
 Our gifts of grace, or measures of the Spirit's power, divided 
 severally to all, as every man has need. And that need, in 
 every case, is determined by his ability,— by his reach of intel- 
 
THE TALENTS. 195 
 
 the relation of entire dependence in which we stand 
 to Christ, as servants to their lord ; which is over- 
 looked by many, because the Lord is not visibly pre- 
 sent ; but his word teaches us the certainty of this 
 relation, the approaching judgment, to which he will 
 call us before him, will make it fully manifest, and 
 faith is continually acting in conformity to it. 
 
 V. 15. The different numbers of talents that were 
 committed to each of the servants, represent the 
 different degrees of power and influence, — of means 
 and capacities, which are distributed among men in 
 so diversified and dissimilar a manner. To every 
 mnn according to his several ahility ; that is, the 
 different distribution of the different gifts is not done 
 hy the all-wise, as it seemed good to him, according 
 to arbitrary pleasure, but rather according to his fore- 
 knowledge, by virtue of which he knows how zealous, 
 active, and faithful each will be in laying out what 
 is committed to him, that it may be employed with 
 profit, and he distributes more or less accordingly. 
 Through the unequal distribution of manifold gifts, 
 the church of the Lord appears like a body compos- 
 ed of many members, every one of which must con- 
 tribute to the good of the whole, according to the 
 part assigned, and the capacity bestowed on it, 1 Cor. 
 xii. 4 — 30; Rom. xii. 4 — 9. Luther, marginal note; 
 *' The talents are the wTitten word of God, whoso- 
 ever uses which well, he has much himself and 
 teaches much to others; whoever lets it carelessly 
 lie, he is possessed of little ; for, while it is one and 
 the same word, it accomplishes, through some much 
 more than through others ; therefore it is named now 
 five, now two talents." This is obviously too strait- 
 
 lect, his extent of obligation, his sphere of rank and usefulness. 
 Christ himself had the spirit above measure, because the 
 work given him to do required infinite resources of grace, but 
 his people have it according to " the measure of the gift of 
 Christ;" that is, in other words, according to their need, the 
 Spirit being given to every man to profit withal.] — Trnna. 
 
196 
 
 THE TALENT«. 
 
 ened an interpretation, and, besides, not sufficiently 
 profound in the dissimilarity of the gifts. 
 
 Ver. 16 — 18. Here is described the different man- 
 ner in wliich the servants employ the trust commit- 
 ted to them, two being conscientious and faithful, 
 and one entirely the reverse. The two first servants 
 thankfully acknowledge the trust placed in them by 
 the Lord, and the gifts bestowed on them, the obliga- 
 tion under which tliey lie to serve him, and the ho- 
 nour and blessing it would bring to them, if they act- 
 ed agreeably to the will of the Lord ; and they acted 
 accordingly. Their gain and increase of goods stand 
 in exact proportion to the sums committed to them ; 
 experience also teaches us the same, and hence we 
 perceive the wisdom and the righteousness of the 
 rule, according to which the Lord continually judges, 
 and which is also confirmed in the parable, v. 21, 
 viz. that to whomsoever much is given, of him much 
 shall be required. (Luke xii. 48.) 
 
 Ver. 1 8. We7ii and digged and hid his lord's money. 
 Thus he acted, in whom the Lord had placed least 
 confidence, and to whom he had given only one ta- 
 lent ; which enforces on us the important truth, that 
 the possession of few and small gifts is before the 
 judge of all the earth no sufficient justification for 
 the misuse of v/hat we have, and that we must con- 
 sequently employ this little with the greatest fidelity 
 if we wish to obtain his approbation. It was not a 
 sinful prodigality, or a bad use of the lent talent, 
 which served for the condemnation of this servant, 
 "out only his slothful indifference, that he had not em- 
 ployed it either for himself or for others ; from 
 which we may draw the double reflection, that they 
 are culpable in the highest degree, who mispend any 
 divine gifts in vice and wickedness, but that they al- 
 so are exceedingly culpable, who squander or leave 
 unemployed many and great gifts. 
 
 Ver. 19 — 30. These verses describe the reckoning 
 which the Lord held with his servants, and the Judg- 
 ment he pronounced. Aßer a long timey — di- 
 
THE TALENTS. 197 
 
 rected against the error, which looked for Christ's 
 return as immediately to happen. Reckoneth with 
 them ; that thereby his sentence might appear before 
 all the world as conformable to the strictest princi- 
 ples of righteousness. 
 
 Ver. 20. Such is the language of a good con- 
 science, of a peaceful mind, of an exercised fidelity, 
 and to the same effect also is the declaration of the 
 other servant, v. 22, who had received the two ta- 
 lents. 
 
 Ver. 21, 23. The judgment of the Lord on these 
 two servants is expressed in the same words ; from 
 which we may learn, that in distributing his com- 
 mendations, the Lord looks more to the honest heart, 
 the approved fidelity, and tender conscientiousness, 
 than to the greater or less result of the activity of his 
 servants, 2 Cor. viii. 12. Both have been equally 
 faithful, and hence both receive the full, unqualified 
 approbation of their lord. Well done, thoit good and 
 faithful servant ; the Lord looks primarily upon the 
 heart, from which all action proceeds, and because 
 that is good, he commends also the work itself. He 
 names the servant faithful, because he had justified 
 his lord's expectations, and the confidence placed in 
 
 him Thou hast been faithful over a Jew things ; the 
 
 Lord calls even the highest, the richest and most 
 honourable gifts, which he bestows here, a few things, 
 in order to raise our expectations the more concern- 
 ing the much greater and more glorious things which 
 he has reserved for his people hereafter, and so to fill 
 our hearts with blessed hopes, as well as admonish 
 us to a conscientious fidelity. Grotius : " Christ 
 does not weigh the works themselves, for the perfor- 
 mance of which all have not equal power, time, and 
 opportunities, but the faithful application. There- 
 fore it often happens, that labour spent on what is 
 little brings great glory." 
 
 Ver. 24. The faithless and unconscientious servant 
 feels, when called to give his account, his guilt and 
 liability to puuishment, though hitherto he could not 
 
198 THE TALENTS. 
 
 be brought to the proper conviction of this, either 
 through the example of his good fellow- servants, or 
 through the knowledge he had of his lord's will. He 
 sees now that he cannot slip through, and, in order 
 to palHate his unrighteous conduct, he betakes to a 
 plea, which involves the lord himself in accusation. 
 So wicked is sin, that it will rather cast all the blame 
 on a holy God, than confess to its own unrighteous- 
 ness. Grotius: " Christ has given the example of 
 negligence in that servant to whom least was entrust- 
 ed, lest any one should hope that he would be ex- 
 cused from working because he had not received the 
 highest gifts. More, indeed, shall be demanded from 
 him, to whom much has been given, as Luke tells us, 
 and he, therefore, who has received little, does not 
 owe no return, he only owes less." — Lord^ I know thee, 
 that thou art an hard man ; an avaricious person, 
 who allows himself to be drawn away by avarice and 
 greed into unrighteousness ; but the conduct of the 
 lord towards him, v. 15, was an indication of good 
 feeling, and therefore manifested the groundlessness 
 of his subterfuge. It is the tendency, however, of 
 a heart that is given to wicked and ungodly passions, 
 to conceive of God as being like to itself, Ps. l. 20. — 
 Reaping lohere thou hast not sown, etc. Spoken pro- 
 verbially, and meaning : 'I'hou takest by force what 
 does not belong to thee ; distributest small gifts, and 
 expectest a return disproportionately great. 
 
 Ver. 25. And I was afraid of losing the gift com- 
 mitted to me, and of the hard treatment then to be 
 apprehended from thee. 
 
 Ver. 26, 27. Thou wicked and slothful servant, tJiou 
 knewest, S^c. ; granted that thy speech and the accu- 
 sation thou bringest were well-grounded, and that I 
 really was thus minded. Thou oughtest, therefore, to 
 have put my money to the exchangers ; what the sloth- 
 ful and wicked servant had contrived for his justifi- 
 cation, the lord applies to his confusion, and draws 
 from it the quite opposite, but just conclusion, that 
 he should then only have felt he had to do the more, 
 
THE TALENTS. 199 
 
 in order to give such a master at least some satisfac- 
 tion. If thou haclst but given it up to the usurers, 
 then it would have yielded to thee and me some in- 
 terest. Olshausen : *' Because he was afraid of los- 
 ing the confided good, he durst not lay it out in in- 
 dependent activity for the interests of his Lord ; 
 that is, the dangers which are connected with active 
 exertions for the kingdom of God upon earth, on ac- 
 count of the manifold persecutions and opposition of 
 the world, keep many back, who want confidence in 
 the supporting help of God, from applying in faith 
 and energy to the work. Persons of such timid, 
 straitened dispositions, being unfit for bold, indepen- 
 dent action in the affairs of the kingdom, are only re- 
 quested to connect themselves with other persons of 
 more powerful minds, under whose wing they might 
 apply their talents profitably in the service of the 
 church." 
 
 Ver. 28. Take^ therefore, the talent from him, and 
 give it to him that hath ten talents ; this was part of 
 the appointed punishment, taking away from him the 
 neglected gift ; the other part is mentioned in ver. 
 30. This man acted at first, ver. 14, as lord with his 
 talents, now as judge. 
 
 Ver. 29. The ground of this treatment ; whosoever 
 hath, having rightly employed what was committed 
 to him, exercised his gift with the required diligence, 
 fidelity, and conscientiousness ; to him shall be given^ 
 more shall be put into his hands, as is wont to be the 
 rule among men, so shall it be in the highest degree 
 with God ; the proper use of all divine gifts multi- 
 plies them to their possessors ; and he shall have 
 abundance, a more extensive sphere of action, and 
 therewith more opportunities for the exercise of his 
 fidelity. But whosoever hath not, wants diligence and 
 carefulness, therefore has not rightly executed the 
 trust committed to him ; from him shall be taken 
 away even that which he hath, the just desert of his 
 guilt, Luke xvi. 10 — 12, and a judgment demanded 
 alike by the wisdom and the righteousness of God. 
 Ver/30. See on Matth. xxii. 13. 
 
200 THE TALENTS. 
 
 There is subjoined from ver. 31 to v. 36, a de- 
 scription of the final judgment, which the Lord will 
 hold concerning all according to the strictest justice. 
 There the blessed of the Father are declared to be 
 such as have given themselves to labours of love, and 
 the cursed, who go into everlasting pain, such as are 
 punished for their negligence and shortcoming in re- 
 gard to these ; so that we may consider the whole of 
 the following section as a farther illustration and con- 
 firmation of the doctrine delivered in this parable, 
 manifesting how important in its consequences, even 
 throughout eternity, shall be found the faithful ap- 
 plication, or the careless neglect of the gifts confer- 
 red on us by God, according to our sphere of la- 
 bour and opportunities of usefulness ; and while this 
 issue discovers the necessity and importance of works 
 of love, it teaches, at the same time, that all the gifts 
 of God are bestowed only for the purpose of being 
 laid out for the best interests of our fellow-men, 1 
 Cor. xii. 7, The reference of our Lord's words in 
 ver. 27, primarily to the application of the gifts con- 
 ferred by him to beneficent purposes, might be still 
 farther confirmed by calling to remembrance the 
 mercy which is exercised by the pious, but neglected 
 on the part of the ungodly. We cannot, however, 
 take this section, ver. 31 — 46, for a parable, although 
 it represents under images well known, and borrowed 
 from earthly transactions, the alike good and right- 
 eous conduct of the judge of all the earth, forming 
 an admirable illustration of the words in Rom. ii. 6 ; 
 2 Cor. V. 10. Calvin : " Christ follows out the same 
 line of instruction, and what he had already described 
 under parables, he now sets forth in plain and sim- 
 ple language. The scope of the whole is, that be- 
 lievers should stir themselves up to the work of a 
 pure and holy life, by looking with the eye of faith 
 to the heavenly life, which, though now hid, shall be 
 fully disclosed at the final advent of Christ." 
 
THE GROWING SEED. 201 
 
 xvir. 
 
 THE GROWING SEED. 
 
 Mark iv. 26—29. 
 
 The position which this parable occupies according 
 to the account of Mark, throws some light upon its 
 design. The impression which the parable of the 
 sower produced upon the hearts of the hearers, and 
 especially of the apostles, could scarcely be otherwise 
 than sad and discouraging, for if a sower, with all 
 diligence and fidelity, had yet to find that so much 
 seed should fail to bring forth fruit to perfection, 
 therefore his labour had been- in vain, he was bound 
 to a heartless task. But in order to prevent such an 
 effect, and strengthen his apostles, as well as all 
 teachers of the gospel, with joyful hopes, stimulate 
 them to continued fidelity, and direct their eye to 
 the happy result in which their labours were certain 
 to issue, the Lord delivered this parable. He shows 
 in the seed, which makes increase through its own 
 internal vitality, and the ppgress of which the sower 
 must leave to the blessing 'of God, the success of the 
 preaching of the gospel, which is equally under the 
 care and superintendance of God, and is a living 
 seed ; from which the reflection is to be drawn, that 
 the announcement of the gospel should always be 
 made in joyful confidence on the fruitful operations 
 of the Holy Spirit, Mark xvi. 20. Calvin : " Christ 
 appears to direct his words to the ministers of the 
 gospel, lest they should apply themselves more coldly 
 to their work, when they do not immediately per- 
 ceive the fruits of their labour. Although the seed 
 of the word may lie for a time to all appearance 
 choked, yet Christ commands his pious servants to 
 be of good courage, and not allow distrust to dimin- 
 ish their alacrity." 
 
202 THE GROWING SEED, 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The self- advancing progress of the divine kingdom. 
 
 This self-advancement shows itself, — 
 
 I. At the very commencement : 
 
 (1.) The word must, indeed, be sown and re- 
 ceived, V. 26 ; 
 
 (2.) But it carries within itself a living, divine 
 power, V. 26 : It is good seed : 
 
 II. And in the progress : 
 
 (1.) It must, indeed, have time for development, 
 V. 27 : The seed springs and grows up. 
 
 (2.) But it developes itself without human aid, 
 and that gradually, v. 27, 28. 
 IIL And in the termination : 
 
 (I.) In the ripe and abundant fruit which it 
 yields, v. 29 : When the fruit is brought 
 forth. 
 
 (2.) Which man, however, must gather and ap- 
 propriate to himself, v. 29 : He putteth in 
 the sickle, because the harvest is come. 
 
 Ver. 26. So is the kingdom of God ; it is exactly 
 so with the extension of the church upon earth, and 
 with the progress of the divine word in the heart, as 
 when a man casts seed into the ground. In the para- 
 ble of the sower, it is said that the sower sows his 
 seed, but here the word is only named seed, in gene- 
 ral ; we must, therefore, by the sower understand 
 Christ himself, the author and proprietor of the 
 word, while here Christ cannot be represented under 
 the man spoken of ; what is said of him can only be 
 understood of the human teachers of the divine word ; 
 and then the carelessness and inactivity of the sower, 
 described in v. 27, can admit of no application to the 
 ever active Lord of the church, without whose power 
 and grace nothing succeeds, and who, with his all- 
 seeing eyC; continually discerns the progress of the 
 
THE GROWING SEED. 203 
 
 divine seed, while, of the man in question, it is said, 
 that he knows not how it grows up. 
 
 Ver. 27. And steeps, and rises nigkl and day ; 
 after having fully finished the work of sowing, he 
 sleeps by night quietly and withoutcare,andrisesupby 
 day to look after his other business, patiently expect- 
 ing that what is sown may, through the blessing of God, 
 grow and bring forth fruit. The expression is of a 
 proverbial nature, as in Ps. iii. 5. Our part is only 
 to plant and water, the increase is from God, 1 Cor. 
 iii. 6. The seed springs and grows up, a gradual pro- 
 cess of development. He knoweth not how, on what 
 day it properly began, and how, from time to time, 
 it makes progress ; so is the progress of the divine 
 word concealed from the eye of the labourer, that he 
 may continue sowing, and do so in the exercise of 
 confidence in God, and a spirit of humility. 
 
 Ver. 28. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of it- 
 self; the earth is the heart that has received the 
 seed; the word works in the heart, which has a ca- 
 pacity to receive it, as the earth has for the seed ; 
 and without which neither could the earth bring forth 
 a good crop, nor the heart yield any fruit from the 
 w^ord of God implanted in it. Gnomon : " Of itself 
 is put in opposition to human care ; husbandr3% with 
 the rain and suns of heaven, are not excluded." 
 First the blade^ then the ear, after that the full corn 
 in the ear ; the process of development, in the king- 
 dom of grace, is one and the same with the kingdom 
 of nature, slow, gradual, and progressive ; hence, in 
 knowledge, holiness, humility, and all the graces of 
 the Christian life, there are many degrees, 1 John ii. 
 13, 14. Rom. XV. 1. Eph. iv. 13. 
 
 Ver. 29. Bid when the fruit is brought forth ; pro- 
 perly, when the fruit gives up, namely, itself — when 
 it is ripe and has reached the full development. 
 Immediately he putteth in the sichle, the reaper comes 
 with the sickle and cuts it down. Under this figure 
 is represented the believing appropriation, and the 
 enjoyment of divine things, which can only be found 
 
204 THE OLD GARMENT AND NEW PATCH. 
 
 then, when the gospel is allowed to unfold itself with- 
 out restraint. Because the harvest is come ; \vhen 
 the word of God has wrought in the heart all that it 
 was designed to do, and the heart has become ripe 
 for another state, it is translated into that state ; and 
 this shall also be done with the church at large, with 
 the whole dispensation of grace ; the present order 
 of things will entirely cease, when the gospel has 
 been preached to all nations, and accomplished in 
 them, through God's blessing, the purpose for which 
 he sends it. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 OF THE OLD GARMENT AND THE NEW PATCH. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 OF THE NEW WINE AND THE OLD BOTTLES. 
 
 Luke V. 36—39. Matth. ix. 16, 17. Mark ii. 21, 22. 
 
 The occasion that gave rise to these two para- 
 bles is most distinctly related by Matthew. When 
 Jesus w^as at table with the publican Matthew, whom 
 he had called to be his disciple, and the pharisees saw 
 it, they said to his disciples, (manifestly by way of 
 reproach, as in Luke xv. J, 2): " Why eateth your 
 master with publicans and sinners ?" Jesus justified 
 his conduct with the words, " The whole need not a 
 physician, but they that are sick." But if the con- 
 duct of Christ, in companying with sinners, was ex- 
 traordinary in the sight of the pharisees, the circum- 
 stance appeared quite inexplicable to the disciples of 
 John the Baptist, who now drew near, and who, 
 without any bad design, merely for their own infor- 
 mation, for the solution of an incomprehensible diffi- 
 culty, or rather for the removal of a ground of 
 offence, put to him the question : " Why do we and 
 
THE NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES. 205 
 
 the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?" 
 To which Jesus, in the first instance, replied, v. 15 : 
 *' Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as 
 long as the bridegroom is with them ? But the days 
 will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from 
 them, and then shall they fast." Then, as a further 
 reply, he delivers the two parables before us ; the 
 general sense and connection of which is well ex- 
 plained by Neander in the following passages, taken 
 from some occasional pieces, chiefly of an exegetical 
 and historical kind; in No. V. of these, (p. 143 of 
 the edition published in Berlin, 1829), on the various 
 methods which God takes in the work of conver- 
 sion, he says : " The Lord answers first : Now is the 
 time to my disciples for child-like unrestrained joy, 
 on account of my being present with them ; nor will 
 I damp them in this child-like joy, I will not force 
 upon them what, in their present state of mind and 
 feeling, would not be suitable to them, what conse- 
 quently could only be to them a matter of hypocri- 
 tical observance, or of sickly constraint, interrupting 
 the natural development of their religious feelings. 
 This child-like joy had certain Ij^, however, no firm or 
 abiding ground. It v/ould of itself pass away into 
 sorrow, sorrow on account of their external separa- 
 tion from the Redeemer, until they should again be 
 united to him for ever in their internal fellowship with 
 his life and spirit. In such a time as that all the 
 expressions of sorrow, such as fasting, would be na- 
 tural, proceeding out of the inward state of their 
 minds, and not merely formed from without, conse- 
 quently false. Our Lord might here also refer to 
 the manifold privations which the calling of the 
 apostles afterwards laid upon them, and which were 
 matters of feeling with them, since through love to 
 their Saviour and his divine work, they cheerfully and 
 resolutely bore these privations. Now to this very na- 
 turally attaches what the Saviour expresses in the 
 two parables, that it is in vain to think of improving 
 man by any sort of bodily ascetism, binding him to 
 
206 THE OLD GABMENT AND NEW PATCH. 
 
 an external severity of life ; that bye and bj^e the new 
 spirit of life shall transform the old nature of man, 
 from the internal to the external, and that from this 
 inward fundamental change, every thing belonging 
 to the renewal of the outward course, shall of itself 
 come into operation." Luther in his Exposition on 
 Matthew, says here: " It is now not time for fasting, 
 they have other things to do. Your fasting does not 
 stand simply in the act, nor in a consideration only 
 of the time, but also in a consideration of the person, 
 the kind, and the manner. Therefore he rejects them 
 with their fastings, just as he had rejected them 
 above, v. 12, 13, with their repentance. It must all 
 be nothing. In short, it is of no use to mend an old 
 coat with a new patch. Thus we are accustomed in 
 German, to say of a worn out coat thus : Ah ! the 
 coat must now be mended with a new one, patches 
 can no more help it ; that is, we must lay aside the 
 worn out coat, and get a new one in its stead. In 
 like manner, we may saj^ of a too much used wine- 
 cask : Ah ! hoops and girds are of no service here, 
 we must bind it with a new cask ; that is, v. e must 
 make a new cask for it. Therefore the meaning here 
 is, all your fasting, and repentance, and righteous- 
 ness, must be improved by a new fasting, repentance 
 and righteousness ; that is, all your doing must be 
 throv/n away, and every thing made new. Your old 
 doing does not constitute this new one. The righ- 
 teousness of the law, and the righteousness of faith, 
 cannot stand together, or coalesce with each other. 
 Because there are nov/ quite different people, every 
 thing is quite changed, other times, other works, 
 other words, etc." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE OF THE 
 OLD GARMENT AND THE NEW PATCH. 
 
 Of false improvement. 
 
 I. It is something merely external : A patch in a 
 tzarnient. 
 
THE NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES. 207 
 
 II. It is not lasting : The patch rends again from 
 the garment. 
 
 III. It is hmtful to the soul : The rent is made 
 worse. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE OF THE 
 WINE AND THE BOTTLES. 
 
 Of true improvement. 
 
 I. It is the acquirement of a new sense : New wine. 
 
 II. It reaches from within to the outward conduct : 
 Put the new wine into new bottles. 
 
 III. It is lasting and full of blessing : Both are pre- 
 served. 
 
 IV. It meets with hindrances in the hankering that 
 is felt after the old, Luke v. 39. 
 
 V. 36. Piece of a new garment^ Matth. cloth ; new, 
 unfuUed, undressed, which will afterwards contract, 
 run together, and so make a greater rent ; it is not 
 to be understood as if any one were to cut off a piece 
 from a new garment, and mend an old one with it ; 
 the meaning is simply, that no one is to bring to- 
 gether old and new cloth. If otherwise^ then the new 
 maketh a rent ; if any body should still do so, the 
 new piece will certainly make a rent. And the new 
 piece agreeth not with the old^ there is no proper as- 
 similation between them, and it is, therefore, the 
 merest folly to think of uniting them. Luther's mar- 
 ginal note : " That is, we cannot comprehend these 
 new doctrines with old fleshly hearts, and where they 
 are preached to carnal people, the matter is only 
 made worse. As we constantly see now, for when 
 spiritual freedom is preached, the flesh lays claim to 
 a freedom for its own lusts, 1 Peter ii. 16." Nean- 
 der, as above : " It is of no service to patch up the 
 old garment of a corrupt nature with any single 
 pieces of new cloth ; where the whole has not been 
 made new, where the new birth has not sprung u[> 
 
208 THE OLD GARMENT AND NEW PATCH. 
 
 within, the improvement in particulars does not last, 
 the pieces tear again from the garment, and the rent 
 becomes worse." 
 
 V. 37. The new wine, like the new cloth, repre- 
 sents the new spirit of Christianity. Neander, as 
 above : " A new manner of life prospers only when 
 the whole nature has been renewed, when a new 
 principle of life has been received into it. If a new 
 mode of life were to be enforced from without, while 
 there was any remnant of the old nature, this would 
 but strive the more against the constraint, the evil 
 would become the greater through hypocrisj'^, or the 
 fresh rejection of the unwilling yoke." Other ex- 
 positors limit the sense, more historically, thus : the 
 old additions of fasts and other external self appoint- 
 ed things, suit not the new doctrine of the gospel, 
 which, as a new doctrine, will cause the old forms to 
 vanish, and introduce new ones in their place. 
 
 V. 39. No man also having drunk old wine^ being 
 accustomed to drink of this, straightway desireth 
 new, he is averse to the change ; the old is better, 
 milder. Gnomon : " Their own ancient doctrine 
 was more agreeable to the Pharisees than the gene- 
 rous doctrine of Jesus, which they thought to be new, 
 though it was far more ancient, Gal. iii. 17 ; 1 John 
 ii. 7, 8 ; at once new wine, Zecli. ix. 17; and yet 
 mild, Matth. xi. 30." Calvin : " I understand it 
 simply to be an admonition to the Pharisees, that 
 they should not ascribe more than was meet to re- 
 ceived custom." Neander, as above : " Man still 
 clings to his old course of life, until his mind has be- 
 come entirely new, but then all his dispositions 
 change of their own accord, and he feels himself con- 
 strained to abandon his earlier course of life for that 
 which his new state of mind requires." 
 
 The relation of the two parables to each other 
 might be explained thus : The first tells us, that the 
 improvement must not be begun externally, leaving 
 the state of the inner man untouched; the other shows 
 inversely, that the internal renovation must reach to 
 
THE NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES. 209 
 
 what is outward, and give to this a suitable direction. 
 Olshausen, in liis Commentary, remarks here as fol- 
 lows : « What Christ says here, (Matth. v. 15,) is 
 concerning all his disciples, of every age ; now 
 they rejoice, and now again they fast. It is 
 manifest that the bodily presence of Christ can- 
 not be so much referred to, as his internal, spirit- 
 ual presence in the soul, for to Judas, for example, 
 the former was not the occasion of festive joy. 
 But the other was still more glorious and powerful 
 after his resurrection than before it. Understood of 
 this, the words of Jesus involve the deep, spiritual 
 thought, that even with believers there is an alterna- 
 tion in their spiritual state, an interchange of light 
 and darkness (Jas, i. 17), at one time festive joy fill- 
 ing their hearts, at another^ sorrow mourning an ab- 
 sent bridegroom, and according to this difference 
 their outward life naturally assumes a different as- 
 pect. Still, under the New Testament, the joyful ten- 
 dency is represented as the prevailing one, while, 
 under the Old, it is the sighing, longing disposition ; 
 on which account also a deeper spirit of penitence 
 appears to reign in the piety of the Old Testament. 
 Both comparisons certainly indicate the same thing, 
 but they are taken from different points of view ; 
 from this difference in the point of view, is the dif- 
 ference to be explained, which is manifest in the 
 comparisons themselves. In the first, the New is a 
 subordinate matter, arising from the necessity of re- 
 pairing the Old, — so the Pharisees, from their limited 
 point of view, must needs look down upon the gospel ; 
 in the second comparison, on the other hand, the New 
 appears as the essential thing, the Old as the mere 
 form ; so that the relation they have to each other, 
 is according to the truth. By combining together 
 the two comparisons, divine mercy, graciously ac- 
 commodating itself to human weakness, satisfies 
 the necessities of all. The second comparison 
 is as simple and intelligible, as it is wonder- 
 fully deep, and full of meaning. In particular, the 
 p 
 
210 THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS, 
 
 comparison o/tlie gospel principle of life to the etlie- 
 rial, physical power of production in nature, is pro- 
 found, and gives rise to many thoughts. The cir- 
 cumstance added in Luke v. 39, is very characteris- 
 tic, and leads back to the pharisees. The gracious 
 Redeemer apologizes for those hearts, which had 
 grown accustomed to the nature of the old, and finds 
 it not unnatural that they should feel it difficult to 
 depart from the regular and wonted course, and ven- 
 ture into a new and fermenting element of life. 
 The old, though in itself less pleasant, is yet, through 
 custom, more acceptable ; the new will not go down 
 at first. At the same time, this expression also in- 
 timates, though mildly, the necessity of entering into 
 the new life of the spirit, brought in by the Lord of 
 humanity." 
 
 XX. 
 
 THE CREDITOR AND THE TW^O DEBTORS. 
 
 Luke vii. 41—43. 
 
 This parable stands in closest connection with the 
 histor}'' of the female sinner, who anointed our Lord. 
 Jesus was invited to an entertainment by a pharisee, 
 and while he sat at table in his house, this woman, who 
 in v. 37 and 39, is named a sinner, brought a box of 
 ointment and annointed him with every manifestation 
 of profound joy, gratitude, and admiration. The be- 
 haviour of Jesus, who allowed the woman to proceed, 
 and offered no interruption to her manifestations of 
 affectionate gratitude, was to the pharisee in the high- 
 est degree offensive, as, according to his judgment, 
 (^ which from Luke v. 30 ; xv. 1, 12, we learn, was the 
 prevailing one of their sect), it was quite unseemly 
 for a pious man to come into near contact with per- 
 sons known to be of profligate character, and hence 
 he drew from the behaviour of Christ, the not less 
 
THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEUTOIlS. I; I I 
 
 erroneous than harsh conclusion, that he could not be 
 a prophet, v. 39. The conclusion thus arrived at by 
 the Pharisaical Simon, besides implying that all in- 
 tercourse with sinners is in every respect blame-wor- 
 thy, proceeded; moreover, upon the false presumption, 
 that the prophets must have known the entire condi- 
 tion of the persons with whom they were conversant, 
 which indeed they did, in some particular cases, (I 
 Kings xiv. 6 ; 2 Kings i. 3 ; v. 26), but not generally ; 
 and then Simon improperly took the woman for what 
 she was at an earlier period, an open and abandoned 
 sinner, which she no longer was, since, according to 
 V. 47, she had already obtained the forgiveness of her 
 sins. That she was still designated by the name of 
 sinner, v. 37, is no proof of the continuance of her 
 former state, and against her having already in part 
 experienced divine grace, for Matthew is styled a 
 publican, Matth. x. 3, long after he had become a dis- 
 ciple of Jesus, and had abandoned his earlier voca- 
 tion. Simon, however, concluded Jesus to be no 
 prophet, from the two circumstances mentioned 
 above, in the following manner — either, he knew not 
 who this woman was, and then he could be no pro- 
 phet ; or, he did know, and held fellowship with her, 
 in which case also he could be no prophet. Against^ 
 this false conclusion, though affecting himself, and 
 doing despite to his proper dignity, Jesus did not im- 
 mediately direct himself; but the object of the refu- 
 tation, which he brought against it, was only design- 
 ed to justify the conduct of the woman, together with 
 his own, as quite natural, agreeable to the actings 
 of the human heart, and here in particular flowing from 
 the woman's inward experience ; but at the same 
 time it was intended to press on thepharisee, by way 
 of application, the impropriety of his behaviour, and 
 of awakening him, if possible, to more profound 
 knowledge of himself. Calvin: "The sum of this 
 parable is, that Simon erred in condemning a woman, 
 Avhom the heavenly judge had acquitted. It proves 
 her to be righteous, however, not because she had 
 
212 THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS. 
 
 pleased God, but because her sins were forgiven her ; 
 for otherwise the parable would not be applicable, as 
 in it Christ expressly declares, that the pence were 
 freely remitted to the debtors, who were unable to pay. 
 And it is indeed wonderful that manj'- commentators 
 should rave so absurdly, as if this woman had merited 
 forgiveness by her tears, &c. For the argument which 
 Christ employs, is drawn, not from the cause, but 
 from the effect ; as the reception of a benefit is in 
 point of order before giving thanks, and a gratuitous 
 remission is here assigned as the cause of reciprocal 
 love." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of the forgiven sinner's grateful love to Jesus. 
 
 I. The source of it is, the grace of Jesus forgiving 
 sins ; which, 
 
 (1.) Is both great, taking away all guilt ; v. 41 : 
 The five hundred, as well as the fifty pence ; 
 
 (2.) And entirely free ; v. 42 ; remitting the guilt 
 of those who have nothing to pay. 
 
 II. Its necessity, it is quite certain : v. 42 : Who 
 will love him (most) ? 
 
 III. Its strength; v. 43 : I suppose he to whom he 
 forgave most : 
 
 (I.) Internally — by intensity of feeling ; 
 (2.) Externally — by outward manifestations of 
 gratitude. 
 
 V. 40. / have somewhat to say unto thee ; it de- 
 mands thy whole attention, is applicable to thyself, 
 is important for thee, but at the same time, perhaps 
 not agreeable. By this request Jesus makes himself 
 known, with reference to the pharisee speaking with- 
 in himself, v. 89 ; as the searcher of hearts, while, at 
 the same time, he sought to work with the greatest 
 Iriendliness upon the cold heart of the pharisee. 
 Grotius : '* He is going to shew that it was well 
 known to him, both what the woman and what Simon 
 
THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS. 213 
 
 was, not merely as to what is outward, but in the 
 most secret recesses of the mind." 
 
 V. 41. A certain creditoi-y a usurer; a man who 
 is accustomed to lend. Five hundred pence^ denarii, 
 each worth about four groshen, (or seven pence three 
 farthings); the determinate numbers _^fe hundred, 
 andßftf/, can only be meant to indicate the great in- 
 equality of the debt of these two persons, and, at the 
 same time, to teach that sinners in the eye, and ac- 
 cording to the judgment of God, are not equal, but 
 have different degrees of guilt. Luther, House-Pos. 
 6. 345 : " This is the condition of all men, who are 
 sinners in the judgment of God, not merely, however, 
 on account of the sins which each individual commits 
 in his daily walk, but also in regard to nature, for 
 we are all sprung from a father and a mother, who 
 had sinful flesh, were sinners, and under the wrath 
 of God on account of sin. Now, though there is a 
 difference between these two kinds of sinners, yet it 
 is of no moment. For in the main thing they are 
 both alike, inasmuch as they are both debtors, and 
 can pay nothing. And so, though there be some 
 distinctions among us, in respect to the outward life, 
 in that some hold themselves more in check than 
 others, and all are not thieves, adulterers, murderers, 
 yet, let the difference in this respect be ever so great, 
 when we come before God in judgment, we have all 
 alike to make this confession : We have nothing to 
 pay, and must remain debtors ; and this, whether we 
 have been guiltj»^ in a smaller or a greater sum." 
 
 V. 42. And ivhen they had nothing to pay, he frank- 
 ly forgave them both ; so that on the part of the 
 debtors two things are indubitable, — the certainty 
 and greatness of their debt, and their perfect inca- 
 pacity to make restitution ; while on the part of the 
 creditor, there appears correspondingly in the remis- 
 sion of the debt, — 1. a very great goodness ; and that, 
 2. perfectly free, depending simply on his own will, 
 quite undeserved by the debtor, and never to be sued 
 for by him as a matter of right. Such also is the 
 
214 THE Cr.EDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS. 
 
 relation of the sinner to God, that all sins refpiire an 
 exercise of grace, that is perfectly free, and this also 
 
 it is possible for them to find Tell me therefore 
 
 which of them ■will love him most? This question of 
 Christ obviously implies two things ; 1. That such a 
 manifestation of love infaUibly begets love in the heart 
 of the receiver ; 2, That the degree of this recipro- 
 cal love will always be determined by the apprehen- 
 sion entertained of the greatness of the received be- 
 nefit. From the first of these statements, and from 
 Experience, there may be drawn the further conse- 
 quence, that the debtor, before the gracious remis- 
 sion of his debt, experiences no love to his creditor, 
 but is only conscious of the oppressive feeling of a 
 heavy burden resting upon him, and at the same time 
 afraid of meeting from the creditor the severe treat- 
 ment which the law warrants and empowers him to 
 use. It is entirely the same in the heart of the sin- 
 ner ; he learns from the divine law, both his guilt 
 and his liability to punishment ; so that nothing but 
 fear of God can take possession of him. But the 
 sinner, in such a state, is met by God in the gospel with 
 the gracious message of pardon for his sins, and this 
 in the believing heart, which appropriates to itself 
 the word of God, becomes the means of rooting out 
 all fear, and implanting a principle of love, Rom. xv. 
 1, 8, 15 ; 2 Tim. i. 7 ; I John iv. 18, 19. The ap- 
 plication of the parable therefore, leads to the follow- 
 ing conclusions of doctrine; 1. Love to God can- 
 not precede the pardon of sin ; 2. And hence it can- 
 not deserve this pardon of sin ; 3. Rut infallibly 
 marks an act of forgiveness already past and experi- 
 enced. 
 
 V. 43. / suppose, it follows from the differently 
 related circumstances of the two debtors, that he to 
 whom he forgave most^ will love him most in return. 
 And now follows the application of the parable, in 
 which (v. 44 — 46) the Saviour compares the conduct 
 of the woman with that of the pharisee, and shows the 
 latter how he had failed to afford the common and 
 
lUr CT^rEITCK A^D THE TWO DEBTORS. 215 
 
 ordinary manifestations of love, while the woman, on 
 the contrary, had given the most uncommon and ex- 
 traordinary marks of love. This comparison, drawn 
 so much to the advantage of the woman, must have 
 put the pharisee to shame, who had judged so harshly 
 of her conduct, as it placed him behind the person he 
 had so thoroughly despised. Then comes at the close, 
 the judgment pronounced by Christ : Wherefore^ 
 I say mito thee, to her many sins are forgiven^ 
 for she has loved much ; but to ivhoni little is for- 
 given the same loveih little. The wherefore must 
 not, as in the Lutheran translation, be coupled with, 
 / say unto thee, but with what follows ; so that, I say 
 unto thee, should be placed in parenthesis. The 
 wherefore also does not indicate the ground or effi- 
 cient cause of pardon, but rather the demonstration, 
 from which the certainty of the given and received 
 pardon may be inferred ; so that we may translate, 
 hence, for this reason, has she loved so much, given 
 such great and manifold proofs of love, because her 
 manj^ sins have been forgiven her ; and the sense is: 
 From this woman's manifestations of love to me, 
 thou mightest have drawn the conclusion, that her 
 many sins have been forgiven her. Mel. : " He 
 loves much, to whom much is forgiven ; as if he had 
 said, the more thou dost apprehend forgiveness, the 
 more wilt thou apprehend the greatness of the benefit 
 conferred on thee ; the greater therefore is the flame 
 of faith and of love that springs up, and the more al- 
 ways that one loves, the more in turn is he loved of 
 God. On the other hand, the pride of the pharisee 
 is reproved, Christ signifies that he is ignorant of 
 the remission of sins, and is consequently without 
 love. The correctness of this exposition, according 
 to which pardon of sin is the first thing, and mutual 
 love only its consequence, appears partly from the 
 application of the parable, (see on v. 42), partly 
 from the second declaration contained in v. 47 : to 
 whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little, and 
 
216 THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS. 
 
 partly from the analogy of faith throughout the 
 whole of Scripture. Luther, in his disputation upon 
 this verse, says : " There are three things in this pas- 
 sage, which forbid us to hold that the forgiveness of 
 sin is obtained through works or love. The first is, 
 the speech, which Christ addressed to the woman in 
 V. 50 : Thy faith hath saved thee. He does not 
 say : Thy love hath saved thee. The second is, the 
 speech of Christ in v. 47, in which he declares, that 
 the forgiveness of sin goes before love, and that love 
 follows upon the forgiveness of sin, as gratitude for 
 a received benefit. For he does not say here : To 
 him little is forgiven who loves little, but the op- 
 posite : He loves little to whom little is forgiven. 
 This manifestly confirms, that the forgiveness is done 
 gratis, without deseit, but that love is a fruit or ac- 
 knowledgment of the bestowed gift. The third 
 thing is, the parable itself, and the whole matter 
 which Christ here treats of, with which parable and 
 matter the speeches just mentioned must not war, 
 but consistently agree. We shall be justified only 
 through the grace of him who pardons, because we 
 cannot discharge the payment of the debt. For if 
 we, as debtors, could by any merit of our own, have 
 obtained the forgiveness of sin, we should then cer- 
 tainly have had something wherewith to pay. But 
 the text says expUcitly, v. 42, that when they had 
 nothing to pay they were freely forgiven. The 
 kindness experienced is not a thing due to the 
 debtor who receives it, but a boon from the merciful 
 and indulgent creditor." Also, in his House-Pos. 6. 
 344 : " What, tlien, is the conclusion from this syllo- 
 gism in V. 47 ? Nothing else, than as the Lord very 
 nicely and exactly puts it together : I say to thee, to 
 her are many sins forgiven ; the proof of which is, 
 that she loves much. But to thee and thy associates 
 there ^re no sins forgiven ; you as yet stand in them 
 up to the very ears, and shall die and be destroyed 
 in them. For no trace is to be found in you of true 
 
THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS. 217 
 
 love to me ; but this love must follow, whenever 
 people hold and believe that they are set free from 
 their sins by me. Papists bring this text against 
 our doctrine of faith, and say, that because Christ 
 affirmed: " To her is forgiven much, for she loved 
 much," that forgiveness of sin is obtained, not through 
 faith, but through love. That this, however, is not 
 the meaning, the parable puts beyond a doubt." As 
 the forgiven debtor naturally loves his gracious cre- 
 ditor, and the woman here testified her love to 
 Christ, the conclusion readily presents itself, that 
 Jesus wished to make himself known as the person 
 wlio could forgive sin, which also appears from the 
 declaration of pardon, announced again to the wo- 
 man for her satisfaction, in v. 48, and is farther con- 
 firmed by the astonishment of the guests in v. 49, 
 The whole matter amply justifies Christ as to his 
 knowing well with whom he was transacting, namely, 
 that she was a pardoned sinner. But the inference 
 drawn by many, that this pharisee is to be under- 
 stood by the other debtor, must only be applied to 
 his guilt as a sinner, but by no means extended so as 
 to imply his having experienced any act of grace 
 from Christ, — because the pharisee gives no evidence 
 of his having the feeling of a pardoned sinner; be- 
 cause his invitation to Christ is sufficiently explained 
 as a very common civility paid to distinguished 
 rabbis ; because the setting up of two debtors, and 
 the twofold declaration in v. 47, is done only for the 
 purpose of explaining the very extraordinary indica- 
 tions of love given by this woman, and, if the closing 
 sentence, in v. 47, can be supposed to have any re- 
 spect to Simon, it must mean : To whom nothing is 
 forgiven, the same loves nothing. 
 
218 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 XXL 
 
 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 Luhe X. 25—37. 
 
 When the Lord pronounced his disciples specially 
 blessed, and said : — Blessed are the eyes which see 
 the light that ye see ! — referring, not to the corpo- 
 real sight, but to a believing acquaintance with him- 
 self and his doctrine ; — a lawyer stood up, and, tempt- 
 ing him, therefore, with an ill intention; not for the 
 sake of receiving instruction, proposed to him the in- 
 sidious question, upon which there Avas so much 
 discord among the Jewish doctors ; Master, what 
 shall I do to inherit eternal life ? The question, in 
 itself commendable, (Mark x. 17, and Acts xvi. 30, 
 31,) because it refers to the subject most important 
 to man, sprang here out of a wicked heart, for it ap- 
 peared to involve Christ, either in a contradiction with 
 himself, v. 23, or with the divine law, which, as a 
 revelation of God, must be regarded as pointing out 
 the way to salvation, Deut. viii. 1 ; .John y. 30. 
 Luther, House-Pos. 5. 51 : " The Lord has before him 
 a proud saint, a lawyer, who will not only have it to 
 be seen how pious he is, but will also play a trick 
 upon Christ, and show that he is a better doctor 
 than Christ. For, while the Lord praises his own 
 preaching so highly, and says ; Blessed are the eyes 
 which see the things that ye see, this the lawyer 
 thinks too much, reflects with himself: We have still 
 the law of Moses, to read, teach, and advocate, and 
 surely this Jesus can teach nothing better or higher 
 than Moses has taught. Therefore they are not alone 
 blessed who hear thee ; those who hear and .abide 
 by the law of Moses are also blessed. Thou goest 
 too far. It were quite enough that thou wert a doctor, 
 like Moses, but that thou shouldst cast aside Moses, 
 as an imperfect preacher, who does not point out the 
 right way to salvation, and wilt be a better preacher, 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMATJITAN. 
 
 219 
 
 that is arrogating too much." And again, at p. 67, 
 " Upon the question of the lawyer, how one might 
 be saved, there were many opinions, especially among 
 the Jews ; however, none of them knew the way of 
 salvation, how and by what man might be righteous 
 before God. At bottom, they were all as one wdth 
 each other, teaching that salvation must be attained 
 by works, just as in the papacy the monks have done. 
 But there was still a difference among them in this 
 respect, that some laid particular stress upon sacri- 
 fices, washings, ceremonies of meat and drink, and 
 such like external works. Some, however, were more 
 strict, and said; This was to do it, to love God with 
 all the heart, and our neighbour as ourself. Such, 
 also, was the opinion of this lawyer, but no more a 
 matter of earnest with him than it w^as with the others. 
 For they were all mockers, who had the word merely 
 in their mouth, but did it not themselves, nay, made 
 no account of it." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Christian compassion. 
 
 I. Its sphere of action ; 
 
 (1.) On whom it is exercised, — on those who 
 
 stand in need of it, v. 30 ; 
 (2.) How far it reaches, — to all, Samaritans as 
 
 well as Jew^s, every person is our neighbour. 
 
 II. Its nature ; it is, 
 
 (I.) A feeling, v. 33: had compassion on him; 
 (2.) And manifests itself in deeds, v. 34, 35. 
 
 III. Its working; 
 
 (I.) It gives help instantly and without delay, 
 
 V. 33, 34. 
 (2 ) And that unsolicited, voluntarily; 
 (3.) Does what is required, and as well as it can, 
 
 v. 34 : Bound up, &c. 
 (4.) Is full of self-denial ; for, 
 
 a.) It fears no dangers, comp. v. 30. 
 
220 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 b.) And no trouble, v. 34 ; 
 
 c.) And no cost, spending oil, and wine, and 
 
 gold, and time thereon, v. 35 ; 
 d.) And no labour, going on foot. 
 (5.) It is indefatigable, and completes the 
 work, V. 35, begging also the help of others. 
 
 V. 2ß. What is written in the law ? By pointing 
 to the law, as an acknowledged and valid authority, 
 our Lord cuts off all farther occasion for subtle in- 
 quiries, and no justification is needed for any of its 
 declarations ; but he asks, expressly, after the written 
 law, in order to put aside the contradictory sentiments 
 and human ordinances of oral tradition. Luther, 
 Church-Pos. 14. 23: " For, without scripture, he 
 cannot reach and instruct their darkness." 
 
 Horo readest thou 9 Probably pointing to the 
 phylactery, on which, according to Jewish custom, 
 the word in Deut. vi. 4 — 9, ought to be written, and 
 which v/as to be repeated morning and evening. 
 Calvin; "It is certainly prescribed in the law to 
 men, how they ought to direct their life, so as to 
 obtain salvation to themselves before God. But, 
 because the law can do nothing else than condemn, 
 and is therefore called the doctrine of death, and is 
 said to multiply transgressions, (Rom. vii 13,) this 
 does not happen from any fault in its doctrine, but 
 only from the impossibility of our doing what it re- 
 quires. Therefore, although by the law, no one can 
 be justified, the law itself, nevertheless, contains the 
 most perfect righteousness, inasmuch as it is not 
 false in promising salvation, if any one should per- 
 fect himself in its requirements. Nor ought this 
 manner of teaching seem absurd to us, because God, 
 first of all, requires the righteousness of works, then 
 offers it gratuitously to us without works, because it 
 is necessary that men should be convinced of their 
 own just condemnation, that they may fly to the 
 mercy of God. But, in this answer, Christ accom- 
 modated himself to the lawyer, and kept in view the 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 221 
 
 interrogation, which inquired, not whence salvation 
 was to be sought, but by what works it might be ob- 
 tained." 
 
 V. 27. The lawyer is ready with his answer, in 
 which he couples together two passages, Deut. vi. ö, 
 and Lev. xix. 18. Luther, Church-Pos. 14. 51: 
 " Such he leaves it to be thought is the real kernel 
 and main doctrine, since no one can point out any 
 thing better. And, indeed, it is true that Moses 
 taught nothing better or higher." Matth xxii. 35 
 —40. 
 
 V. 28. Thou hast answered right ; this do and thuu 
 shaft live, Lev. xviii. 5. The exercise of true love, 
 to God and our neighbour, in complete perfection, 
 will indeed conduct thee to salvation, but thou shalt 
 discover, if thou wilt impartially inquire, that perfect 
 obedience to these demands is impossible to the cor- 
 rupt nature and sinful condition of tlie human heart, 
 so that the way to God through one's own righteous- 
 ness, worth, and merit, is inaccessible. Luther, Church- 
 Pos. 14. 25 : «' Here, indeed, the law is preached, 
 and a good strong lection given in it. The doctrine, 
 says Christ, is sound and precious, only let it also be 
 practised, — I would fain see the doer of it ; be thou 
 master, and let thine art be seen, for you have all 
 spoken and written it, and know well about it; but 
 the misfortune with thee and with others is, that you 
 fail also to do if, — think it is enough to say the words 
 and think of them. Yes, this word of Christ; Do it, 
 is the perpetual lesson and sermon that must be 
 preached to all men, even to the saints, and which 
 makes them feel the impossibility there is of resting, 
 before God, on their righteousness and worth ; but 
 that they must, whenever they rightly understand how 
 it is between them and God, condemn themselves 
 and their life, since no saint has ever been able to 
 stand upon this, either in the Old or in the New 
 Testament ; all must see themselves alike reflected 
 in this w^ord, — do it, which is as much as to say, Lo, 
 thou hast never done, or fufiUed it ; Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7. 
 
222 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 Isa. vi. 5, 6. Dan. ix. 18. Acts xv. 10, 11; xiii. 
 38, 39. In the answer of Christ there is concealed 
 the secret charge, that the lawyer was more con- 
 cerned about knowledge and book learning than to 
 exercise himself unto obedience, and that he had al- 
 most wholly neglected this. Luther, House- Pos. 5. 
 52: " Christ says: Do it; as if he had said: The 
 doctrine is sound and correct, but no help is thereby 
 brought to tb-ee and to others." Church-Pos. 14. 5 : 
 " Do it ; that is, in plain German : Thou art a mere 
 babe, thou hast never, all thy life-long, done it, nay, 
 thou hast never held so much as a letter of it, and 
 it therefore only testifies of thy wickedness. The 
 poor ninny thinks that he must be honoured, for he 
 is wonderfully pure and beautiful, and that he would 
 more fitly be sitting among angels than here among 
 men." Mel. : " Christ shows the pharisee the vanity 
 of his arrogance, that he might acknowledge his sin. 
 Christ had enjoined him to hear the Scripture, leads 
 him to the word, but the pharisee knows nothing 
 excepting the law, neglects the promises, and brings 
 forward a law not understood. Christ rejoins, as a 
 reproof to his ignorance : This do and thou shalt 
 live, intimating that he could neither do the law nor 
 live, but was oppressed with sin and death. For the 
 meaning is : If thou hast done it thou shalt live ; but 
 neither is it done by thee, nor by others, and there- 
 fore life must be sought elsewhere. The sentiment 
 is correct, that he who doeth the law shall live ; for, 
 if there were no sin, there should be no death. So 
 he reproves the pharisee as being ignorant what a law 
 is^ what sin, what death ; which death is a terrible 
 evil sprung from sin, and is not abolished by the law, 
 because the law is not performed by sinful human 
 nature." 
 
 Ver. 29. But he, willing to Justify himself; Gno- 
 mon : " They, who ask many questions, are not the 
 readiest to do many actions, and would rather with- 
 draw themselves from the law. He who curtails 
 the righteous things that are to be performed, and tiie 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 223 
 
 persons to whom they are to be performed, creates 
 for himself an easy righteousness." The scribe felt 
 the secret accusation of Jesus, that he had not kept 
 the law ; and, if his conscience convicted him, at the 
 same time, of many violations of the command to 
 love his neighbour, by its being said he wished to 
 justify himself, we may understand as much as : he 
 wished to justify himself, in regard to these viola- 
 tions of law, and push aside the blame from himself, 
 on the ground that it might be laid upon the law it- 
 self and its divine author, who had not sufficiently 
 explained what he meant by the term neighbour, 
 and had hence given occasion to disobedience against 
 this command. Luther, House-Pos. 5.52: "Such 
 (the reproof of Christ) the scribe deeply feels, is 
 conscious of shame on account of it, for he cannot 
 say that he has done it, and yet he will not confess 
 this, but throws out another question : Who is my 
 neighbour? Thereby he plainly admits that he had 
 not loved his neighbour, since he had not yet come so 
 far as to know his neighbour. What benefit does 
 he, then, derive from Moses and his law?" It 
 is possible, however, that the scribe, while he felt the 
 reproof of Christ, wished to show its groundlessness 
 and falsehood, and to say : 1 am not conscious of 
 having ever violated the command to love my neigh- 
 bour, so that thou must take the word in some diffe- 
 rent sense from that, which we are accustomed to 
 understand, and therefore he asks further : Who is 
 my rieighbour? Luther, Church-Pos. 14. 8: "He 
 does not ask, who is my God ? As if he would say : 
 I owe God nothing, in regard to God there has been 
 no fault ; in regard to man also, I was willing to 
 think that I had left nothing unfilfilled ; however, I 
 should like to know exactly who my neighbour is ?" 
 Gray says : " Being much disposed to set out his 
 own merit in the most favourable light, from the 
 exact obedience he had given to it, according to the 
 public and approved doctrine of the Rabbins, he 
 asked this question, probably expecting an opportu- 
 
224 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMAKITAX. 
 
 iiity of returning such an answer as the young man 
 did upon a similar occasion, Matth. xix. 20." Gro- 
 tius: " Christ was anxious to bring the lawyer to a 
 confession of his own impotence, that having seen 
 how much God required, and being conscious to 
 himself how far he had come short of such a full and 
 constant love, he might implore the aid of the Holy 
 Spirit, without which such love could not be enter- 
 tained in the soul. But he, persevering in the Jewish 
 obstinacy, wished to vaunt himself before others as 
 righteous and good. And, there is no doubt, that 
 he would have had himself believed to have had suf- 
 ficiently loved God, from his exact observance of all 
 the ceremonies." 
 
 The parable, which our Lord spake in answer to 
 the question, — who is my neighbour ? certainly 
 teaches the universality of brotherly love, and un- 
 folds the truth, that every man is oar neighbour ; 
 but the design of it, as appears from the circum- 
 stances in which it was spoken, is no other than to 
 lead first of all the scribe, and then mankind gene- 
 rally, to the more profound and thorough knowledge 
 of the law and of themselves, that so everj^ one 
 might be convinced, that through the law and the 
 works of the law he cannot be saved. For, viewing 
 in this light the design of the parable, we are mani- 
 festly supported by the epistolical passage, which is 
 appointed, along with this parable, for the thirteenth 
 Sunday after Trinity. In that epistle, (Gal. iii. 
 15 — 22), the leading idea is, that the inheritance, 
 (v. 18), the promised salvation, is not, and could not 
 be won through the law ; also, that the law was not 
 given for the purpose of enabling the sinner to ac- 
 quire, through its fulfilment, merit, and claims, since 
 the law no way empowers the sinner to yield a per- 
 fect obedience, (v. 21) ; but the real purpose of the 
 law is, to manifest to all their sins, that all may ap- 
 prehend how the inheritance is to be won, and salva- 
 tion attained only through faith, (v. 22). This lead- 
 ing object of the parable must be held constantly in 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 225 
 
 view, and the practical treatment of it so directed, as 
 to make the whole bear on that one point. While the 
 obligation of love to man is taught by the parable 
 in its widest generality ; it, at the same time, com- 
 bats the limitations, with which the Jewish doc- 
 tors in the time of Jesus^ and at all times the proud 
 and selfish heart, has sought to narrow and disfigure 
 the precepts of brotherly love ; for, according to the 
 Rabbins, this precept was to be considered binding 
 only toward those who belonged to the same nation 
 and professed the same religion ; all besides, they 
 taught, were to be hated and despised, nay, as en- 
 emies of God and of religion, were to be rooted out, 
 as formerly had been done to the inhabitants of 
 Canaan. Blind religious zeal and wild fanaticism 
 has constantly, even in the Church of Christ, dis- 
 carded the precept of love, and thus brought reproach 
 on the gospel, which neither here, nor in Luke ix. 
 51 — 56, nor any where, either justifies or countenances 
 feelings contrary to love in the disciples of Jesus. 
 Calvin : " Christ might simply have taught, that the 
 word neighbour is to be applied indiscriminately to 
 any one, because the whole human race is bound 
 together by a kind of social chain. And, doubtless, 
 the Lord made use of this word in the law, for no 
 other reason than that he might more sweetly engage 
 us to mutual love. The precept had been more distinct 
 if it had run : Love every man as thyself; but be- 
 cause men are apt to be so blinded by pride, that in 
 their self-satisfaction they will scarcely think others 
 worthy of being accounted of the same grade, and 
 withhold from them the offices of friendship, the Lord 
 purposely pronounces all to be neighbours^ that the 
 very affinity might conciliate men toward each other. 
 But Christ wished to elicit from the pharisee an 
 answer, which might serve to condemn himself. Nor 
 may we doubt that Christ delineates the cruel ne- 
 glect of charity, of which the Jews and priests were 
 conscious." Mel. : " Our neighbour, is any person in 
 distress, standing in need of our kindness, and espe- 
 
226 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 cially he who is conjoined with us in a society under 
 the sanction of God, who is one of the people of 
 God. The flesh, on the other hand, desires to ac- 
 count those neighbours, wlio are flourishing and pow- 
 erful, but shuns those who are in distress. As has 
 been elegantly said by Menauder : " Fortuna varie„ 
 pingit amicos.'' 
 
 Ver. 30. A certain man ; some, without sufficient 
 ground, have thought they discovered here a history, 
 which had shortly before occurred, and was now made 
 use of by Jesus. — Went down from Jerusalem to Jeri- 
 cho ; Jerusalem stood on mountains, and was sur- 
 rounded by mountains — was consequent^ higher than 
 Jericho, which lay on the plain, hence ivent down ; 
 the distance between the two places was about ten 
 miles. — And fell among thieves ; the way was rec- 
 koned unsafe, from its being frequented by robbers, 
 which renders the circumstance very probable. The 
 description of the unfortunate accident, of the miser- 
 able state, the necessitous and helpless condition of 
 this man, given in a few leading traits, is quite suffi- 
 cient of itself to move ever}^ human heart, and fill it 
 with compassion. 
 
 Ver. 31. And by chance ; Gnomon : " Many good 
 opportunities are concealed under those events which 
 appear to he fortuitous." Scripture describes nothing 
 rashly as fortuitous ; here it is opposed to matter of 
 necessity. Ewald : " If we happen to come in view 
 of a man in distress, that is just the intimation of God 
 that we must help him as much as we can. Matth. x. 
 30. And so, not to regard such an intimation, is not 
 the humane and childlike disposition which our Lord 
 so highly prizes." — There came down a certain priest 
 that way ; as many priests and Levites lived in and 
 around Jericho, who had to march to Jerusalem, 
 whenever it was their course to wait on the service of 
 God, and return home again when their work was 
 completed ; so this way was seldom quite clear of 
 such persons, which gives to the story additional veri- 
 similitude and new life. Now, whether the priest 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 227 
 
 was travelling to discharge his office, or returning 
 from the performance of its duties, we are unavoida- 
 bly led to expect, on account of his standing and of- 
 fice, that he would be disposed to manifest a compas- 
 sionate feeling, Mai. ii. 6, 7. But although he saw 
 his countryman and fellow- worshipper, it moved in 
 him no compassion ; he passed by cold and uncon- 
 cerned, without so much as coming near to help or 
 even to console the unhappy sufferer. — Repassed by 
 Oil the other side. ävTi-aoriXkv^ marks an intentional 
 turning away and going past on the other side, in or- 
 der not to permit himself to be moved by a nearer 
 view, or to suffer any sort of detention. Grotius 
 takes it differently : " He passed in the opposite di- 
 rection, namely, hastening from Jericho to Jerusalem. 
 Although Christ had chiefly designed to teach, that 
 the word neighbour had a more extensive meaning 
 than the Jews thought, he was yet desirous, by the 
 way, of showing that they often did not give to those 
 whom even they allowed to be neighbours^ what be- 
 longed to neighbours, that is, to friends" 
 
 Ver. 32. Likewise a Levite, when he luas at the place, 
 came and looked on him ; curiosity led him near, to 
 look upon the unhappy object ; but though he obtain- 
 ed a more exact knowledge of his helpless position, 
 he yet passed by without helping him, and thus ma- 
 nifested a still more inhuman heart, a still more cri- 
 minal conduct. Fearful characteristic of the priests 
 and Levites in the time of Jesus ! drawn, as it unques- 
 tionably was, from the truth, like all the other parts 
 of this parable ; and these were the people who were 
 so zealous for the law, Matth. xxiii. and were wont to 
 call themselves merciful. As experience teaches 
 that those, who according to their office and calling, 
 ought to be best, if they are bad, are not merely in 
 their depravity similar to others, but go beyond and 
 exceed all others ; there is disclosed in the choice of 
 these persons a truth, not only historically, but also 
 psycologically confirmed. Luther, House Pos. o. 
 50 : " But the stock-holy, like the priests and Levitts 
 
228 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 here, are those who think rauch and highly of them- 
 selves, have naturally no compassion for the poor, but 
 are hard, cruel persons. For they deem that the 
 Lord is glad because they serve him, and therefore 
 think that they must do nothing to other people, nor 
 serve them. The priest here was holy on account of 
 his office and his birth, for which he prized himself 
 so highly, that he asked after no one besides. Upon 
 what do these saints rely ? Upon nothing else than 
 their holiness, for they think, if they but attend to the 
 letter of the law, they have performed it all. These 
 are the stock-holy, and the stone-holy, nay the devil- 
 holy, who would have it to be thought that the Lord 
 is indebted to them, but that they are indebted to no- 
 body." If the robbers showed in what they did much 
 inhumanity and cruelty, the priest and the Levite 
 manifested the same disposition in what they did not 
 do ; so that the same sin appears in the one case as an 
 act of commission, in the other as an act of omission, 
 and all the three parties are placed on a footing of 
 equality to the greater confusion of the lawyer. 
 
 Ver. 33. A Samaritan; the Samaritans sprung 
 from the mixture that took place at the time of the 
 captivity', between the Jews who still remained, and 
 the heathenish Assyrians and Babylonians. National 
 hatred kept them still apart even at the time of Christ, 
 John iv. 9, 20 ; Sirach l. 27, 28. Samaritan was 
 among the Jews a word of contempt and reproach, 
 and designated a heretic, John viii. 48. That a Sa- 
 maritan is here represented as the deliverer, was di- 
 rected against this national hatred, and was meant to 
 teach, that one often finds in men utterly despised, 
 and from whom nothing was expected, more humane 
 feeling and truer love, than in hypocritical believers ; 
 for which see also Luke xvii. 11 — 19. This circum- 
 stance manifestly declares the truth that as the com- 
 mand of brotherly love ought to be taught and en- 
 forced, it must lead us to regard every man as our 
 neighbour, and permit no distinction of a national, 
 religious or speculative nature to keep us in alienation. 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 229 
 
 even from those who are counted for enemies, but 
 to exercise toward them active love, and in general 
 to cherish no such enmity in the heart. If our Lord 
 had introduced a Jew or a Samaritan as acting in 
 this manner toward his countryman and fellow- 
 worshipper, this truth could not have been placed in 
 so clear a light ; and still less, if a Jew had been re- 
 presented as acting thus toward a Samaritan, for then 
 the Jewish lawyer might have said, that the conduct 
 was certainly very noble and magnanimous, but that 
 no one could expect this from another as a matter of 
 obligation, and thus his party-spirit would have found 
 here a refuge. But since the Lord represents the 
 Samaritan as helping the Jew, he puts to silence the 
 selfish party-spirit, and compels the lawyer, who 
 could easily transpose himself into the place of the 
 injured man, at least to admit in his heart, that this 
 humane feeling and affectionate manner of acting was 
 as excellent in regard to the moral law, as in itself 
 truly worthy of love and respect. 
 
 Had compassion on him ; a natural emotion of the 
 human heart, implanted by God, existing when no 
 malformation, party-spirit, and enmity have deadened 
 the heart towards it ; serving to lighten the obedience, 
 which God, besides, requires in his word in regard to 
 the duty of love. The spring of love must, there- 
 fore, be found deep in the soul, and from thence it 
 flows out in acts of love towards external objects, as 
 is seen in ver. 34, 3.5. Love, compassion must already 
 have existed as a feeling, before it has become an act, 
 and where the feeling does not exist, it will never 
 come into act. Grotius : " The sincere emotion of 
 the mind precedes, and this is followed by deeds con- 
 formable to the state of mind." 
 
 Ver. 34. In the Samaritan's work of love, all the 
 circumstances are so chosen by the Redeemer, that 
 on the one hand every thing is kept away, which 
 might have lightened the performance of such deeds, 
 or brought suspicion on their pure origin, while on 
 the other hand the greatest hindrances and difficulties 
 
230 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 had to be conquered, so that the source of his love 
 could only be the purest love of God and man, 1 
 John iv. 20. and his work appears even as one of 
 perfect morality. He makes no account of the danger 
 to which his life was exposed, in a road so frequent- 
 ed by robbers, which was doubtless well weighed by 
 both priest and Levite, and would be readj^ to be 
 produced in vindication of their heartlessness ; neither 
 does he make any account of the loss of time and 
 delay in this journey ; troublesome, laborious, and 
 but little accordant with the more delicate feelings, 
 were the acts of relief, which he discharged to the 
 object of his compassion, while he washed his wounds, 
 bound them up, and raised him from his half-dead 
 condition. And the person to whom he does all this 
 belongs to that nation which the Samaritan hates 
 and abhors ; and, doing it in the wilderness, he could 
 derive no impulse from the approbation of men, nor 
 could he look for any gain, or even for the compen- 
 sation of his loss ; yet he gives also oil and wine, 
 and performs the journey on foot and with toilsome 
 labour ; he provides for the completion of the begun 
 recovery with a fresh sacrifice ; he takes leave at last 
 of the unhappy man, as soon as he knows him to be 
 in a state of safety. It was not a temporary ebulli- 
 tion of excited feeling, but a fixed principle of love, 
 which led him to act as he did. And such pure love 
 Jesus attributes to the human heart, describes it even 
 as the property of a Samaritan ; it must, therefore, 
 be a possible thing, and will, indeed, be actually 
 found there, where the heart has been moved and 
 animated by the love of God in Christ. 
 
 He poured in oil and ivlne ; with wine he washed 
 out the wounds, and soothed the pain with oil. Wine 
 and oil were, and still are in the East, a well-known 
 means both of allaying pain and of healing, Isa. i. 6- 
 
 V. 35. Took out two pence, — denarii. Luther's 
 House- Pos, 5. 50 : *' This poor man, thinks the Sa- 
 maritan, is my neighbour, for he also is a man, has a 
 body and a soul like myself, nay, has the same God 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 231 
 
 that I have ; therefore he is more nearly related to 
 me than an irrational beast, and for that reason I 
 will not abandon him." Afid ivhatsoever thou spend- 
 est more, Mel. : *• Here men prattle about works of 
 supererogation, as if the parable referred to private 
 works not commanded by God, whereas it refers to 
 works, which a friendly solicitude requires, and 
 which are commanded by God.'' 
 
 V. 36, 37. He that shewed mercy on him ; Luther : 
 *' The polite hypocrite will not name the Samaritan 
 by his proper name." Church-Pos. 14. 31 : " It 
 sounds rather strange, that he must be called neigh- 
 bour, who loves and does well to another ; that he 
 also, according both to scripture and the nature of 
 this precept, is to be called neighbour, who stands in 
 need of a kindness^ or to whom we must manifest 
 love and do good ; but it refers equally to. both, and 
 comprehends all alike as in praedicamento relationis, 
 in a state of relationship, binds us all together, so as 
 to make each one the neighbour of another. But to 
 be such neighbours to each other, is twofold, either 
 to be so in name only and in word, or in deed and 
 in reahty." 
 
 Go, and do thou likewise. Gnomon: <* Ka/ (Tj. 
 When once the love of popularity or party spirit is 
 removed, there is then a readier access to free and 
 common grace. Did the Samaritan, then, he would 
 inquire, by this deed of his, attain to eternal life ? 
 Comp. v. 27 — 29. It may be answered from Rom. 
 ii. 26." Luther, House-Pos. 5. 52: " As if Jesus 
 had said; Thou art just such a pious saint as the 
 priest and Levite, not willing to help thj^ neighbour 
 with a penny, though he may be upon the point of 
 death ; and dost thou still inquire what thou must do 
 to obtain eternal life ?" And, at p, 60: '< This por- 
 tion of scripture, then, supplies us with a beautiful 
 and very profitable lesson, as to how we must order 
 our life if we would be found among the number of 
 those who truly love God, namely, that we must love 
 our neighbour, and manifest all kindness to him in 
 
232 THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 
 
 the time of his necessity. God will accept that, as 
 if we had done it to him." In v. '36, 37. is contain- 
 ed the answer to v. 29, and the application of the 
 parabolical narrative to the scribe. 
 
 Many expositors, without sufficient ground or 
 warrant derived from scripture, have thought they 
 discovered here, another and hidden sense, and ex- 
 plain the whole allegorically ; so Luther, Church- 
 Pos. 14. 9, ss. : " This Samaritan, here, is certainly 
 our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who has manifested 
 his love towards God and his neighbour ; he came 
 unbidden and fulfilled the law with all his heart. 
 The man, who lies here half dead, wounded, bruised, 
 and plundered, is Adam and all mankind. The 
 robbers are the devil ; we make some efforts at re- 
 sistance, but cannot extricate ourselves ; here the 
 similitude is strongly verified, and strikingly repre- 
 sents what we are and what we can do with our high 
 reason and free will. The priest is the representa- 
 tive of the holy fathers, who lived before Moses; the 
 Levite, of the priesthood of the Old Testament ; but 
 neither of them could prevail any thing with their 
 works, have passed away even as this priest and 
 Levite did. The Samaritan, Christ, pours oil into 
 the wounds, which he does when grace is preached ; 
 for as oil softens, so does the sweet, gentle preaching 
 of the gospel, act upon me so as to beget a soft 
 and gentle heart toward God and my neighbour. 
 But wine is pungent, and represents the blessed cross, 
 which soon follows the other, 2 Tim iii. 12. There- 
 after the Samaritan lays the wounded traveller upon 
 his beast, that is Christ himself, who carries his 
 people. The stable or inn, is our present Christian 
 condition, in which we can remain only for a short 
 time ; the host corresponds to the ministers of the 
 gospel, whose office it is to care for and wait upon 
 us." Melancthon allegorizes the parable much in the 
 same manner, but with some difference in the par- 
 ticulars ; understanding, by the wine, the preaching 
 of repentance; by the oil; the gospel and the Holy 
 
THE COMPASSIONATE SAMARITAN. 233 
 
 Spirit; by the setting on the beast, giving the peni- 
 tent believer a place in the church and the privilege 
 of the ministry; by the two pence given to the host, 
 the preaching of the law and the gospel, and by the 
 promise to pay whatever additional expenses might 
 be incurred, the readiness of Christ to supply what- 
 ever was lacking for the labours and trials of the 
 Christian life. It is obvious, that in such a method 
 of interpretation, every thing is regulated by the 
 greatest capriciousness ; because there is no founda- 
 tion for it in the scripture itself, and hence we find 
 very important differences in the allegorical inter- 
 pretations just cited, which, however, are all equally ^ 
 groundless. The real aim of the parable, — which 
 is to produce a conviction of having trans^ 
 gressed the law, and the unsatisfactory nature of a 
 mere external compliance, without the spirit of ge- 
 nuine love, which never springs but from faith in 
 Jesus Christ, — is completely lost sight of in such a 
 fanciful mode of interpretation, and therefore it is 
 not to be applied in this way, nor is such an applica- 
 tion of it to be justified. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 THE IMPORTUNATE FRIEND. 
 
 Luke xi. 5 — 8. 
 
 The Saviour, on being asked, by one of his dis- 
 ciples, to teach them to pray, as John also had taught 
 his disciples, proceeded to teach them the Lord's 
 Prayer, and went on to give them further directions 
 upon prayer generally, both in the short parable of 
 the importunate friend, and in the direct admonitions 
 that follow, V. 9 — 13 ; and the design of the whole 
 passage, v. 5 — 13, is to give instructive and com- 
 forting explanations, partly upon the nature, and 
 partly upon the fruit or consequence of prayer. 
 There are, particularly, two thoughts which the 
 
234 THE IMPORTUNATE FRIEND. 
 
 Saviour unfolds in the parable; 1. That we must 
 pray perseveringl}^ ; and, 2. That persevering prayer 
 is certainly not fruitless. Persevering prayer and 
 entreaty is again recommended, v. 9, by the exhorta- 
 tion to ask. seek, and knock, for seeking and knock- 
 ing is, in a sense, also begging; and contains with- 
 in itself the notion of perseverance ; -and by the 
 promise, subjoined to the exhortation ; and once more 
 by what is said in v. 10, when the wisdom of acting 
 thus is represented as a matter of well-known expe- 
 rience in daily life, which is equally verified on the 
 higher ground of faith. The blessed fruit of prayer 
 is still farther illustrated in v. 1 1 — 13, by the reflec- 
 tion that a father, who really loves his child, will not 
 answer his request by giving him any thing useless, 
 (a stone,) much less any thing hurtful, (a serpent or 
 scorpion) ; and then follows the inference from the 
 less to the greater : since men, notwithstanding that 
 they are sinful, are yet led to give good gifts to their 
 children, how much more will our heavenly father, 
 who is love itself, give to those who ask him, the 
 best gifts, the holy Spirit. Gnomon : " Scripture, 
 with great frequency, exhorts us to prayer. And 
 wherein stands the nature of this duty ? In beseech- 
 ing with earnestness." 
 
 As, in the Lord's prayer, which immediately pre- 
 cedes, all the petitions, are, at the same time, inter- 
 cessions ; and, as the friend does not properly beg 
 for himself, so the leading purport and design of the 
 parable, perhaps, is to show the efficacy of persevering 
 intercession; but if we take the unexpected visit only 
 as a cover for the thought, that an unexpected neces- 
 sity or occasion should drive us to prayer, we may 
 consider the design to be, in general, the efficacy of 
 continued prayer ; yet the former view appears pre- 
 ferable, because then the parable becomes distin- 
 guished from the similar one in Luke xviii. 1 — 8, 
 not merely by the form, but by an essential point of 
 difference. And, as the thought, in v. 13. stands as 
 a conclusion, so we find the same concealed in the 
 
THE IMPORTUNATE FRIEND. 
 
 235 
 
 parable; for, if a friend, whose kindly feelings and dis- 
 positions were so contracted that he would not under- 
 go a trifling inconvenience in order to assist his friend, 
 yet, through persevering prayer, is overcome, and 
 gives the required help, how much more must God 
 (Eph. iii. 15,) be ready and willing! Calvin : " The 
 sum is : That believers should not harass their minds, 
 if they are not immediately gratified in their requests, 
 or if it should seem a matter of difficulty to obtain 
 what they nsk; for, if, among men, importunity in 
 seeking extorts what would not be voluntarily done, 
 we have no reason to think that God will be inex- 
 orable to us, if we persist in entreating him, and do 
 not allow our minds to flag through delay or diffi- 
 culty." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 On persevering intercession. 
 
 I. The ground of this : Confidence in his friend, v. 5. 
 
 II. The occasion of it : 
 
 (I.) The unexpected circumstance, v. 6 ; 
 
 (2.) The benevolent disposition toward the 
 
 visitor; v. ö : My friend is come to me; 
 (3 ) His own inability, v. 6 : I have nothing to 
 
 set before him. 
 
 III. The efficacy of it: 
 
 (1.) It overcomes the unwillingness, v. 7, 8. 
 (2.) It accomplishes its object, v. 8: He will 
 rise and give him as many as he needeth. 
 
 Ver. 5. Shall have a friend, from whom he has 
 experienced love, and in whom he has confidence. 
 At midnight, therefore at an unseasonable time ; 
 Olshausen : The time of the greatest internal dark- 
 ness and necessity. 
 
 Ver. 6. For a friend of mitie, &c. ; the first 
 ground of his entreaty ; the unexpected visit, and the 
 quite unlooked for call thereby occasioned ; and I 
 have nothing, another ground, his own inability. 
 
236 THE IMPORTUNATE FRIEND. 
 
 Ver. 7. The disinclination is represented and ex- 
 cused by the trouble which it would cause to him, 
 and the disturbance it would occasion to his house- 
 hold. 
 
 Ver. 8. Though feelings of affection could not 
 move him, ijet, because of his importimitij^he will rise 
 up and give him, so that he grants the request only 
 on account of his incessant begging; 2 Kings ii. 17 : 
 The sons of the prophets urged Elisha with impor- 
 tunate begging till he was ashamed. Matth. xv. 
 21—28. Ewald, p. 237 : " Since Jesus has so re- 
 presented the Father, so human, so paternal, so ex- 
 actly as v.e conceive of a father in heaven, I reckon 
 that we should always view him so. Who shall give 
 us more correct ideas of God than he ? No one 
 knoweth the Father but the Son, and he, to whom 
 the Son may reveal him, Matth. xi. 27. Man must 
 not be what he now is, — God must not be the father 
 of man, if it did not become him to pray, and if God 
 were not to hear his prayer. If it were not the part 
 of man to pray, he must either have fewer necessi- 
 ties, or be able to satisfy them all. He must become 
 either more straitened, or more powerful than he now 
 is. There are many intimations in nature, that its 
 author has appointed prayer, and the hearing of 
 prayer, as a resort in creation, and wills its mutual 
 attraction. The animal, w hich cannot support or aid 
 itself, has something of an imploring character. The 
 feeble helpless sex, the female, can also beg in the 
 most urgent and irresistible manner, and often pre- 
 vails more thereby than the strongest with all his 
 might. What) in former times, took place between 
 Samson and Delilah, between David and the wo- 
 man of Tekoa, (2 Sam. xiv). has many a thousand 
 times been transacted. As the consideration of na- 
 ture leads us to apprehend God, and as Jesus here 
 reveals him, he has always manifested himself in the 
 Bible. He has always heard prayer, and listened to 
 the voice of entreaty. Never was he inexorable, for 
 that indeed never has been and never can be the case 
 
TBE EICH FOOL. 237 
 
 with supreme love, Gen. xviii. 22, ss. Ps. cxlv. 19. 
 Gen. xix. 18, ss. Isa. xxxviii., and particularly Ps. 
 
 cvii. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 THE RICH FOOL. 
 
 Luke xii. 16—21. 
 
 This parable was occasioned by one of the multi- 
 tude saying to Christ, v. 13 : " Master, speak to my 
 brother, that he divide the inheritance with me." 
 This unreasonable demand manifestly spr»mg out of 
 a contention, wiiich had arisen between the two 
 brothers, concerning their proper shares in the divi- 
 sion of their common inheritance ; but, whether the 
 one who made this application might be the injured 
 or the injuring party, (though it is less probable that 
 he was the latter), the unbrotherly strife was, at any 
 rate, the indication, that a covetous, selfish disposi- 
 tion had so taken possession of his mind, as to have 
 weakened his brotherly love, and laid his mind open 
 to the feeUngs of envy and hatred. Our Lord de- 
 clined his solicitation with the words : " Man, who 
 made me a judge or a divider over you ?" That is, 
 ''I am not sent for the purpose of settling earthly 
 transactions ; and then he spake to those who were 
 around him : '' Take heed and beware of covetous- 
 ness ; for a man's life consisteth not in the multitude 
 of things which he possesseth." Covetousness, ava- 
 rice, the insatiable desire of more, springing out of 
 ungodly love and too high an estimation of earthly 
 things. Calvin : " Christ first dissuades his people 
 from avarice, and then, that he might completely rid 
 their minds of this malady ; he denies that our life 
 consists in abundance ; in which declaration he indi- 
 cates the internal origin and fountainhead, from which 
 the mad desire of possessing issues. For, as people 
 commonly judge, that the life of any one is happy 
 
238 THE RICH FOOL. 
 
 just as he possesses much, and riches are supposed to 
 be the cause of a happy life, hence arises that intem- 
 perance of desire, which, like a burning furnace, at 
 once gives forth its own heat, and yet never ceases 
 to be glowing within." The previous entreaty had 
 given occasion to this warning, and from it we may 
 warrantably infer the covetous disposition of the per- 
 son who presented it ; the ground of this warning lies 
 in the words : for a man's life, &c. or rather, a man 
 does not live, &c. Jn the original text it must be 
 construed in this manner: "On ?i ^w/i avrov oux ißriv 
 Tivl b Toj 'TTSPKJösvsn, (infinitivus pro substantivo), h. 
 TMu \)'7:cf.^yjj\)Tm avTov. Schott : *' Since, though a 
 man abounds in possessions, yet his life does not at 
 all depend upon his possessions." And also, if a 
 man lives in affluence, his prosperity does not ensure 
 his happiness. The word ^ojr, is to be taken in its 
 twofold meaning, according to which it marks a happy 
 state of being in time and in eternity, so that the 
 sense is : Riches by no means secure for us, of them- 
 selves, a life of satisfaction upon earth, nor do they 
 ensure us of eternal blessedness ; or : Real well-be- 
 ing is no necessary consequence of the possession of 
 riches. But this is precisely the error and delusion 
 in which great numbers live, and hence they are 
 drawn with an insatiable desire after riches, because 
 they continually promise themselves at least a quiet, 
 satisfied, and pleasant life on earth from them. And 
 because this error is so general and wide-spread, 
 and is besides so natural to the carnal heart, our 
 Lord warns us, in this declaration, against such self- 
 deceit, and, with much earnestness, introduces the 
 warning with the words : " Take heed and beware ;" 
 which Schott renders : " Cavete vobis diligenter.'' 
 Now, the parable of the rich fool is added to incul- 
 cate this warning still farther, and expose, in more 
 vivid colours, the mournful deceitfulness of riches. 
 As it closes with the words : " So is he that layeth 
 up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God," 
 it intimates, that he shall also be poor and miserable 
 
THE RICH FOOL. 239 
 
 hereafter, who has not here learned to know, and seek, 
 and appropriate the better things, the riches, which 
 respect God and eternity, but has allowed himself to 
 be completely carried away and deluded by the pos- 
 session of earthly goods, or his endeavour to obtain 
 them. In the parable itself there is, indeed, no re-^ 
 spect had to the other life, but the folly and unrea- 
 sonableness of avarice, and the love of earthly things, 
 is represented only in reference to this present life, 
 which riches can neither prolong, nor of themselves, 
 render blessed. There is a very close and beauti- 
 ful connection between the parable, in this view of 
 it, and the following words of our Lord, v. 22 — 34, 
 in which he admonishes to Christian indifference to- 
 ward earthly things, with childlike confidence to- 
 wards our heavenly Father, enforced by many and 
 powerful motives, and then to a striving application to 
 the things of God. The structure of the parable,- 
 and the portraiture of the rich man is in full accor- 
 dance with the end in view; for if the thing to be 
 shown was, that riches of themselves do not give 
 happiness, nothing could be more suitable to this 
 than a very prosperous man, in whose state of mind, 
 also, there appeared not one trace or apprehension of 
 any thing higher or better, whose whole felicity was 
 annihilated by a sudden death, and over whose future 
 fate the closing words, in v. 21, threw a faint 
 but mournful light. Calvin : " This parable sets 
 before us, as in a mirror, a lively representation of 
 the sentiment, that men do not live of their abun- 
 dance. For, since life may be extinguished in a 
 moment even with the richest, what avails it for 
 them to have heaped up wealth ? To us is shewn 
 here, first, the fleeting shortness of life ; then, the 
 unavailing nature of riches to protract it. A third 
 consideration must be added, which is not expressed, 
 but may easily l)e gathered from the two former, 
 that the best policy for believers, whether they be 
 rich or poor, is to repose entirely upon the provi- 
 dence of God seeking from him their daily bread." 
 
240 THE RICH FOOL. 
 
 Although earthly riches cannot make us truly 
 blessed, and it is the part only of those riches which 
 are in God, to make us partakers in the heavenly 
 kingdom, Rom xiv. 17, there is no need, at the 
 same time, for denying that they contribute to the 
 agreeableness of life, and are benefits for which we 
 should render God thanks ; while yet the temporal 
 life of the rich is then only blessed, when they are 
 also rich toward God. VVhat danger attends the 
 possession of riches, we are also admonished in the 
 parable of the sower. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of the deceitfulness of riches. 
 
 Riches deceive the worldly minded : 
 
 I. In regard to their earthly felicity ; for, 
 
 (1.) They fill the heart with cares, v. 17 ; 
 
 (2.J They occasion much trouble and solicitude, 
 V. 18, (obstructing the quiet, harmless en- 
 joyment), 
 
 (3.) They prove but a shortlived possession, v. 
 19 : Soul thou hast (and will also keep) many 
 goods ; on the other hand, v. 20 : Whose 
 shall they be ? 
 
 (4.) They delude with the hope of a long life, 
 v. 19: Laid up for many years; on the other 
 hand, v. 20 : This night, &c. 
 
 II. In regard to true felicity ; for 
 
 (1.) They can provide no true satisfaction to 
 
 the soul, V. 19 : Take thine ease ; 
 (2.) They sink it into utter sensuality, v. 19 : 
 
 Eat, drink ; 
 (3.) They foreclose the heart against any 
 
 solemn care for salvation, v. 19 : Take thine 
 
 ease ; 
 (4.) I'hey prevent the inheritance of better 
 
 goods, V. 21. 
 
 V. 16. ^ certain fich man, he was already in the 
 
THE RICH FOOL. 
 
 241 
 
 possession of many goods, and received besides a 
 considerable addition, for his ground brought forth 
 plentifully ; ground x.'^iol, may denote a large terri- 
 tory, or property in land. Gnomon : " A way of 
 becoming rich the most harmless, and yet the most 
 dangerous." 
 
 V. 17. With his riches his cares at the same time 
 increase ; he is in difficulty how to get the fulness 
 of his crops stored up ; in the most urgent terms he 
 expresses the solicitude of his soul ; many thoughts, 
 purposes, plans, had passed through his mind ; the 
 worldly-minded have much to fill them with trouble 
 and anxiety, so that they enjoy neither quiet nor 
 repose. Calvin: " What shall I do? Therefore the 
 ungodly are perplexed in their designs, because they 
 have not known the true and legitimate use of what 
 they possess ; then, because intoxicated with a false 
 confidence, they forget themselves." Grotius : " Be- 
 hold how care grows with increasing wealth." 
 
 V. 18. The result of his reflections is, that he 
 forms the purpose of building new granaries, (in the 
 East, subterranean repositories), which purpose, how- 
 ever, brings upon him new cares, troubles, and all 
 manner of vexations. His language is full both of 
 pride and vanity, he says, my goods^ and forgets that 
 all is only lent him, thinks nothing of the author of 
 his riches, flatters himself in his folly, with the se- 
 cure and inalienable possession of his goods, if he 
 had them but once laid up in his new barns, and con- 
 sequently overlooks the thousand accidents which 
 threaten to interrupt, and often completely destroy 
 all temporal possessions. Gnomon : " He makes no 
 mention of the poor." Grotius: ^^ My goods ; this 
 is not added without cause. For persons ofthat sort 
 call riches goods, not simply from falling into the 
 popular mode of speaking, but because they consider 
 these the chief good." 
 
 V. 1 9. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many 
 years; because he has much to enjoy, he flatters 
 himself with the hope, that he shall have long to 
 
 R 
 
242 THE RICH FOOL. 
 
 enjoy it, and promises himself a great age ; in his 
 foily he thinks as little of" the possible loss of life, as 
 of his goods, nay, he looks upon his riches as con- 
 veying a sort of right to a long life, and regards them 
 as a proper good for the soul. However praise- 
 worthy frugality is, as not suffering any of God's 
 gifts to go to waste, (John vi. 12), it does not render 
 less blameworthy the purpose here expressed, of 
 applying every thing for one's self, in the gratification 
 of selfish desires. 
 
 Take, thine ease. Grotius : " From the very 
 torture of anxiety and care, he feels how sweet rest 
 is, which he is unable to provide for himself." Cease 
 to gather and be careful any more, withhold thyself 
 from any further pains and applications ; so must it 
 ever be with the covetous, — poor in the midst of their 
 overflowings, they enjoy it not, for they think with 
 anxiety on some possilDle future want, and hence 
 strive and labour without getting satisfaction. This 
 rich man, however, is not of such a covetous dispo- 
 sition, as desires only to have, and keep, and handle 
 wealth or other possessions ; he is bent upon enjoy- 
 ment, he has been working only for future satis- 
 faction, now he counts himself quite sure of attaining 
 his end ; and hence he goes on to say ; eat, drink, 
 and be merry. His design is to gratify all his sensual 
 desires and appetites, to have daily entertainments, 
 and welter in the lowest kind of enjoyments ; this is 
 his delight, and the use which he wishes to make 
 of his wealth. And, while he imagines that his soul 
 could be filled with satisfaction through such enjoy- 
 ments, he manifests that he never once thinks of any 
 higher necessities of the soul, and knows nothing of 
 the nobler enjoyments of benovelence ; in his selfish- 
 ness he thinks only of himself, and instead of saying: 
 God has blessed me, now I shall make myself a 
 blessing to others, he merely says : My soul, eat, 
 drink, and be merry. Calvin : " Now since he exhorts 
 himself to eat and drink, he forgets that he is a man, 
 and proudly boasts himself of his abundance. And 
 
THE RICH FOOL. 243 
 
 of this haughtiness, we daily perceive the most strik- 
 ing examples among profane men, who set up their 
 mass of wealth, as nothing but a mighty barrier 
 against the attacks of death." 
 
 Ver. 20. But God said unto him ; God's purpose 
 was quite diflferent from the far- stretching hopes and 
 projects of this rich man. The sudden overthrow of 
 his temporal prosperity through unexpected death, 
 and the greatness of his folly, is most vividly repre- 
 sented in the opposite address. Thou fool ; so is he 
 styled who complacently praised his prudence, and said 
 to himself: This I will do, &c — Thisnight thy soul shall 
 be required of thee ; in contrast to v. 19: Thou hast 
 much goods laid up for many years. Calvin: " The allu- 
 sion made is in regard to the soul. The rich man for- 
 merly addressed his soul as the seat of all affections, 
 but now the matter concerns life itself, or the vital 
 spirit. The word cc^rciiroxjcsiv (they seek), although it 
 is in the plural number, yet, because it is indefinite, 
 signifies nothing else, than that the life, which the 
 rich man thought to be in his own hand, was the pro- 
 perty of another." — Then, whose shall those things be 
 which thou hast provided, in contrast to v. 19 : Take 
 thine ease, &c. Not only is death frightful, but, to 
 the selfish heart, which has been always seeking its 
 own, and paid no regard to others, the thought is pe- 
 culiarly painful, that it must leave to others all the 
 goods, which it cleaves to with so much love, without 
 being able to enjoy them itself, Eccles. ii. 18, 19 ; Ps. 
 xlix. 16 — 20. Gnomon: " The rich have many 
 things, which, however, are not for the rich ; the rich 
 possessor knows not whose they shall be, certainly 
 they shall not belong to himself." 
 
 Ver. 21. So is he that lay eth up treasure for him- 
 self; such a fool is every one who thinks and acts 
 after the manner of this rich man ; since he is not 
 rich in God, he is much more to be pitied and com- 
 miserated than to be envied ; and notwithstanding his 
 riches in the account of the world, he is still poor in 
 the eyes of God, Rev. iii. 17, 18 And is not rich 
 
244 THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 
 
 toward God, sJg ©sov, in respect to God and divine 
 things, these riches consist in the imperishable bless- 
 ings of faith, love, and hope, Eph. i. 3, ss. Calvin : 
 " They are rich toward God, who, not trusting in 
 earthly things, place their sole dependance upon his 
 providence." In this verse, as in verse 15, a warning 
 is contained against the error of placing one's high- 
 est good in earthly possessions and enjoyments. 
 
 Vitringa gives to the parable the following signifi- 
 cation : The rich man represents the higher classes 
 among the Jews, whO; in point of disposition, were 
 epicureans ; the rich produce is God's blessing upon 
 the Jews, especially in the time of Herod Agrippa ; 
 the judgment of God is that which, through the Ro- 
 mans, was executed upon the Jews. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 
 
 Luke xii. 35—48. Matth. xxiv. 42—51. 
 
 This parable is much the same as related by 
 Matthew and Luke, only that the latter has it more 
 extended ; but it is introduced by the two evangelists 
 in a very different connection, so that it must either 
 have been delivered twice, or the exact order of time 
 must not have been observed in the one narrative or 
 the other. The purport of the discourse remains in 
 each case the same, recommending watchfulness and 
 fidelity, on the ground that an account shall some- 
 time be demanded, and the reward distributed ac- 
 cording to what has been manifested in the conduct, 
 ^ of praiseworthy or blameable. The parable, as report- 
 ed by Matthew, in whom it has not so much unity as 
 in the other evangelist, has an immediate reference to 
 the Lord's return to judgment, which is there (chap, 
 xxiv XXV.) discoursed of; in Luke the reference is 
 quite diflerent. Our Lord had been exhorting (see 
 
THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 245 
 
 the preceding parable) to think more of the kingdom 
 of God, and its more excellent and desirable posses- 
 sions, V. 31 — 33, and concluded with the declaration : 
 " For where the treasure is, there will the heart be also;" 
 in which, as the ground of the preceding admonition, 
 the truth is contained, that all the inclinations and 
 energies of man are concentrated on that which he 
 reckons to be his highest good. And in order strik- 
 ingly to represent the importance of a state of mind 
 directed toward divine things, and of a faithful, con- 
 scientious discharge of the trust reposed in us, Christ 
 gives us the portraiture of two different servants, 
 whose dissimilar conduct led, on the one hand, 
 to the most blessed, and, on the other, to the 
 most unhappy consequences. The rich fool, in the 
 preceding parable, was designing to act with the money 
 committed to him in a manner as arbitrary as it was 
 selfish and unprincipled, gave himself no concern 
 about a day of reckoning and judgment, — while yet 
 the mournful consequences of his perversity were in- 
 dicated only in one brief notice, v. 21. But now the 
 consequences, as reaching to eternity of fidelity, or 
 the reverse, form a prominent feature in this parable, 
 which hence serves to the essential elucidation and 
 extension of the other, for if here the worldly disposi- 
 tion and misuse of the earthly goods, without respect 
 to a future life, is marked as folly, here, on the con- 
 trary, the reference to eternity is the main thing. 
 
 The question of Peter, ver. 41, divides the parable 
 into two sections, the first of which speaks of the 
 duty in general of being wakeful or ready in regard 
 to the coming of our Lord, but the other treats prin- 
 cipally of fidelity and its consequences, and enlarges 
 most, indeed, upon the mournful consequences of a 
 faithless conduct. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of the believer's readiness for the coming of Christ. 
 
 This readiness stands in, I. Watchfulness. II. Fide- 
 lity. 
 
246 THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 
 
 I. VVatclifulness. 
 
 (I.) Its nature, v. 35 ; 
 
 (2.) Its ground, v. 36 : The servant's relation 
 of dependance toward his Lord ; 
 
 (3.) The motive to it, v. 37 ; The glorious re- 
 ward; 
 
 (4.) The difficulty of it, v. 38 : The long delay ; 
 
 (5.) Its necessit}^ V. 89, 40 : The uncertainty 
 of the time. 
 
 II. Fidelity. 
 
 (1.) Motives to it. 
 
 a.) The confidence reposed in him by the 
 
 Lord, v. 42 ; 
 b.) Who intrusts to him a large sphere of 
 
 operation, v. 42 ; 
 c.) In M'hich much good may be done, v. 42. 
 (2.) Its nature. 
 
 a>) That it deals justly, v. 42 : Gives them 
 
 their portion of meat ; 
 b.) And in proper season, v. 42. 
 (3.) Its consequences ; 
 
 a.) The internal joy of a good conscience, 
 
 V. 43; 
 b.) The Lord's approval and recompence, 
 V. 44. 
 (4.) Exhortation to fidelity from the mournful 
 consequences of the oppostite. 
 A.) Source of faithlessness, v. 45: iSecurity 
 and unbelief, (v. 39, 46 : Portion with the 
 unbelievers.) 
 B.) Its nature : 
 
 a.) Abuse of power, v. 45 : Begin to beat, 
 
 &c. 
 b.) Ill use of the means entrusted to it, v. 
 45 : To eat and drink, &c. 
 C.) Its mournful consequences : 
 
 a.) He finds himself surprised in his secu- 
 rity, V. 46 ; 
 b.) He is severely punished, v. 64 ; 
 c.) And the punishment, whether more le- 
 
THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 247 
 
 nient or more severe, is perfectly just, v^ 
 47, 48. 
 
 V, 35. Let your loins be girded about ; the long 
 garments were a hindrance to quick walking, or to 
 the expeditious discharge of business, and they had, 
 therefore, to be tucked up with a girdle. The mean- 
 ing is : Remove the entanglements. — And your lights 
 burning ; an image of watchfulness, for one does not 
 so readily sleep when there are lights burning. Both 
 admonitions are addressed to the servants mentioned 
 in the next verse. Bengel ; " He wishes his own 
 people to be in a state of readiness." Draeseke : 
 '• Be not merely looking after him; dress yourselves 
 for him. Be ready for his service, provided with 
 what is necessary, that you may wait upon his bid- 
 ding. But the preparation does not stand in the first 
 garment, whicii may be taken up at random ; but in 
 the good garment, which is put on, in his righteous^ 
 ness, Eph. vi. 13 — 15; Rev. xvi. 15. Without light, 
 however, the holy girding about of this garment is 
 neither suited to the service, nor used in the service. 
 The light is faith. Clear-burning faith does not per- 
 mit sleeping. It illumines our highest relations, 
 duties, and possessions, as it withholds nothing from 
 us which belongs to salvation.'' 
 
 V. .36. Men^ as much as, servants. Weddings were 
 in the evening, (see Parable XV.) hence the tempta- 
 tion to sleep was the greater for the servants ; but 
 they nmst wait till the Lord came, keeping themselves 
 in readiness for his reception, and not then set about 
 the work of preparation Olshausen : " The simili- 
 tude of the wedding always brings us back to the re- 
 lation of Christ to his church. Now, to the church, 
 in the more extended sense, belong all the members 
 of Christ's body, as well as the apostles ; but indi- 
 vidual members may be apprehended according to 
 a certain prominence of this or that direction in the 
 circumstances of their condition ; sometimes more 
 as active, (^oD>.o/,) sometimes more as receptive or 
 
248 THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 
 
 contemplative, (-ra^^si/ö/,) and, accordingly, the figu- 
 rative ways of expression are variously modified, 
 (Mattb. XXV. 1, ss.) Here the apostles are repre- 
 sented as active labourers, and they therefore ap- 
 pear as stewards of the house of God, in the absence 
 of the Lord, until the celebration of the divine wed- 
 ding, that is, until the time of union with the society 
 above, of which the union that is to take place at the 
 return of our Lord (his coming to the wedding) with 
 the company of saints upon earth is analogous." 
 
 V. 37. Whom the Lord shall find watching ; in 
 whom he beholds the proof of love and fidelity. — He 
 ivill gird himself, &c. The meaning is; He will 
 richly recompense and gloriously reward them. 
 Draeseke : " And now let the blessedness, which 
 every stroke of this image breathes, blow upon you. 
 The Lord girds himself to do service to those who 
 have served him. Love for love ! That is the first 
 stroke. The Lord conducts his servants to table, 
 goes up and down before them, and serves them with 
 the promised repast. Gift for gift! That is the 
 second stroke. The Lord sets his servants over all 
 his goods, and will withhold nothing more from thera. 
 Fulness for fulness I that is the last stroke. They 
 gave him what they had ; he, in return, gives them 
 what is his ; — the freedom of God's children ; a region 
 of knowledge, of action, of enjoyment, of love, of 
 glory, of honour to fill and occupy, Rev. xxi. 4.*' 
 Olshausen : " The form, under which the self-de- 
 nying love of the Saviour, toward his people, is here 
 represented, is borrowed from the promise, pervad- 
 ing all scripture, of a great feast, which, at the erec- 
 tion of the kingdom of God, the Lord will hold 
 with his people. This marriage- supper of the 
 Lamb, (Rev. xix. 9,) was foreshadowed by the last 
 meal of Jesus at which he instituted the supper ; 
 and, according to John xiii. I, ss., he acted then pre- 
 cisely as here represented ; he acted as the servant, 
 and treated his disciples as lords. What was there 
 done, was an external image of that which the Lord 
 
THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 249 
 
 will do at the end of time to those who have faith- 
 fully kept his commands, even unto death, (Matth. 
 viii. 11 ; xxvi. 29.)" 
 
 V. 38. The Romans divided the night into four 
 parts, which were called evenin":, midnight, cock- 
 crowing, and morning. This division was made, 
 also, by the Jews, in the time of Christ, because they 
 were under Roman supremacy ; though, at an earlier 
 period, they divided the night only into three parts, 
 each consisting of four hours, Matth. xiv. 25. How- 
 ever, the Jewish division appears to be here adopted 
 as the common one. The design of the figure is to 
 represent to us the continued watchfulness of the 
 servants who victoriously overcome all the hind- 
 rances and difficulties which are connected with the 
 protracted absence of the Lord. Draeseke, other- 
 wise : " The first watch is the period of childhood, 
 when others watch for us ; the fourth watch is the 
 time of old age, whosoever has watched till which, 
 is safe and is in no great danger of falling asleep. 
 But the second and the third watch, the seasons of 
 youth and manhood, are the most dangerous stages 
 of life on earth. Therefore must we, who are pass- 
 ing through these, least of all remit our watching. 
 Besides, watching is peculiarly difficult. Not be- 
 cause watching continues all our life-long, and in so 
 far, length here also adds to the burden. On the 
 contrary, he who has fairly entered on the duty of 
 watching, has become habituated to it, overcomes 
 sleep, and is the longer the livelier. It is with him 
 as with the thinker, whose deep cogitations keep him 
 from sleeping, or as with the child, who cannot sleep 
 for joy, when he goes to Christ. To Christ, also, 
 each one of us must go. And great joy holds him 
 awake who waits for the kingdom, and the glory of 
 Christ. Where the treasure is, there the heart is 
 also, V. 34; Eph. v. 14." 
 
 V. 39. Matth. xxiv. 43. A new image is here in- 
 troduced, which, through the representation of a 
 threatening danger to the sleeping, admonishes to 
 
250 THE DIFIERENT SERVANTS. 
 
 watchfulness ; still the main point of comparison is 
 the unexpected arrival, as v. 40, shews. Olshausen : 
 " With the image of the Lord removed from his ser- 
 vants, but constantly expected by them to return, 
 while they were left in charge of the household con- 
 cerns, there is here joined another, for characterizing 
 more vividly, the unexpectedness of his return — the 
 image of a householder who guards against the ex- 
 pected inbreaking of a thief, and being ignorant of 
 the hour when he is to come, must continue always on 
 the watch. That this similitude should have no 
 further meaning than simply to express the idea of 
 suddenness, is not at all probable. It is used, in the 
 first place, too commonly of Christ's return, (Matth. 
 xxiv. 43. 2 Peter iii. 10. Rev. iii. 3; xvi. 15), not 
 to carry a special reference, nor can we conceive why, 
 for the indication merely of suddenness, some nobler 
 comparison should not have been adopted, since so 
 many might be found ; and, finally, the minute detail 
 of the figurative description in some places, as here 
 and in Matth. xxiv., according to which the house- 
 holder prepares himself for the thief, and the break- 
 ing in of the thief is formally represented, is not done 
 so as to countenance the idea, that it was to produce 
 no effect upon the similitude itself It is rather to be 
 remarked, that very often figurative expressions are 
 used by our Lord, which are taken from a hostile 
 point of view. In the present case, the image of 
 the thief is chosen with a reference to the feeling of 
 those who give themselves to the life and business of 
 the world, as to the affairs of their proper home. 
 These are frightened for the coming of the Son of 
 Man, as for the attack of a thief, believing that their 
 (supposed) property is thereby to be wrenched from 
 them." 
 
 V. 40. Application of the figure to the disciples of 
 Jesus, Matth. v. 44. 
 
 V. 41. The question of Peter proceeds from the 
 rashness of supposing, that he had done something 
 of great account in the kingdom of Christ, and hence 
 
THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 251 
 
 deserving above others to be referred to under the 
 promised rewards, v. 37. Draeseke : " The com- 
 mand to watch, is for all the servants of God. Ser- 
 vants of God are of all classes. But because great- 
 ness chiefly attracts observation, we naturally apply the 
 expression pre-eminently to those v.'ho are princes 
 and nobles, magistrates and governors, parents and 
 guardians, teachers and preachers, as those who must 
 watch for many souls, (Heb. xiii. 17), and among 
 these, and besides these, to men, to whom God has 
 granted, or whom he has chosen to great honour.' 
 
 V. 42. The reply of our Lordj without giving a 
 definite answer, manifestly carries this meaning, that 
 he had directed his admonition pre-eminently to 
 those to whom there was committed a peculiarly 
 great, important and distinguished sphere of action, 
 V. 42, such as the apostles and other teachers, with- , 
 out, however, excluding other believers. But at the ' 
 same time, he shows how the distinguished position, 
 which is assigned to any one, brings along with it 
 also an obligation so much the stronger, and a re- 
 sponsibility so much the heavier, so that the posses- 
 sion of an extensive sphere of action, apart from 
 fidelity, by no means justifies the expectation of a 
 glorious reward, which is rather apportioned accord-^ 
 ing to the measure of fidelity, Matth. ver. 45. Cal- ' 
 vin : " This, indeed, is the purport of Christ's answer, 
 that, if it is proper for the commonest person to 
 watch, much less is it to be borne, that the apostles 
 should be asleep. He admonishes them, that they 
 were not elevated to an idle dignity, for the purpose 
 of enjoying themselves with security ; but that, by 
 how much there ^as of excellence in the degree 
 of honour they had attained, so much heavier 
 was the burden that lay upon them, and that faith 
 and prudence ought especially to be exercised by 
 them." Draeseke : " The answer affirms as little as 
 it denies. It instructs ; it awakens reflections ; it 
 points the inquiring disciple to the main thing he 
 had overlooked, upon which more depends in the case 
 
252 THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 
 
 of the householder than upon the extent and impor- 
 tance of his trust, — that is, his fidelity and prudence, 
 the devotedness of his heart, and the intentness of his 
 eye, toward his master. Fidelity and prudence must 
 be shown by every servant, whether in a high or low 
 situation. But neither the one nor the other can be 
 without watchfulness." 
 
 Faithful and wise steward^ 1 Cor. iv. 2. Such do- 
 mestic stewards were commonly slaves ; Eliezer with 
 Abraham, Joseph with Potiphar. Whom his lord 
 shall make ; Gnomon : " Shall set, future tense, 
 because fidelity renders a servant worthy of being 
 set over the household. The expression occurs again 
 in v. 44, where the gradation is from the family to all 
 possessions." 
 
 Ver. 43—46. Matth. xxiv. 46—51. In v. 44, the 
 more extended sphere of action is represented as the 
 reward of fidelity. Ver. 45. If that servant, the 
 same servant, in whom the Lord had placed so much 
 confidence, and whom he had set over others : say in 
 his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, the speech of 
 folly, which believes the day of reckoning and judg- 
 ment to be far distant, only to abandon itself to the 
 more unrestrained indulgence of its lusts ; and shall 
 begin to beat the servants, laying claim in arrogance 
 and hard-heartedness to a right belonging to the 
 Lord ; and to eat and drink, and to be drunken, re- 
 velHng upon that which has been withdrawn from 
 others, and, at the same time, wickedly squandering 
 the goods of his lord. 
 
 Ver. 46, False security sees itself confounded, 
 by the unexpected arrival of the Lord, and is se- 
 verely punished. Will cut him asunder^ quarter 
 him, indication of a very hard punishment. Appoint 
 him his portion ivith the unbelievers ; Matth. v. 51, 
 hypocrites; that is, he shall have the same fate. 
 
 Ver. 47, 48. Grotius : " When Christ had deliver- 
 ed his twofold parable, the one part of which relates 
 to Christians in general, and the other to the rulers 
 of the church, he shows now wherein the things 
 
THE DIFFERENT SERVANTS. 253 
 
 spoken agree, and wherein they differ. They agree 
 in this, that common people as well as rulers are 
 beaten, unless they discharge their duty ; they differ 
 in this, that the latter are beaten more severely, as 
 persons to whom, for the most part, is given a larger 
 and more accurate knowledge of all that either im- 
 mediately or remotely pertains to salvation," The 
 different punishments bear proportion to the different 
 degrees of criminality, manifesting the utmost im- 
 partiality and integrity in the judge. With v. 47, 
 comp. Jas. iv. 17 ; all the bad servants, indeed, are 
 punished, but those who had most committed to 
 them, and who, against their better knowicdge and 
 convictions of duty, had left their obligations unful- 
 filled, were visited with heavier chastisements. But 
 even sins, which are committed in ignorance; are 
 punishable, for ignorance itself is guilt. All the sub- 
 jects of a kingdom are under an obligation to make 
 themselves acquainted with its laws, and misconduct 
 arising from neglect, is punishable guilt. Calvin: 
 " It must be borne in mind, that those who are set 
 to govern the church do not sin through ignorance, 
 but perversely and impiously defraud their Lord. 
 From which, however, the general doctrine may be 
 gathered, that men in vain flee to the cover of igno- 
 rance, to free themselves from guilt," 
 
 Vitringa explains the bad servant, ver. 45, of the 
 Pope, and thereby deprives the parable of its gene- 
 ral reference and applicability to all the servants of 
 the Lord." 
 
 XXV. 
 
 THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 
 
 Luke xiii. 6 — 9. 
 
 The immediate occasion of the deliverance of this 
 beautiful parable, was afforded by the report being 
 
254 THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 
 
 brou;j:ht to Jesus of the murder of some Galileans, 
 whom Pilate had caused to be put to death, while 
 they were employed in the temple offering sacrihees. 
 But it is expressly intimated, ver. 1, that the persons 
 who related this to Jesus had been present while he 
 was delivering the instructions and warnings which 
 are recorded in the preceding chapter, and we cau' 
 not but think they must have found some occasion in 
 the words of our Lord to mention the circumstance 
 at this particular time ; so that it is necessary to 
 investigate the connection of the parable with the 
 preceding context still more closely, which is besides 
 of importance for the proper determination of its de- 
 sign. After that Jesus, ver. 49 — 53, had spoken of 
 the inevitable and necessary contest which the 
 preaching of his gospel should awaken in the sinful 
 and perverse disposition of the human lieart, he 
 blames his hearers, that they failed to observe and 
 improve the singular appearances of the present time, 
 in order to prepare themselves for the still more im- 
 portant and eventful future, ver. 54 — 57. Luther's 
 Comment on ver. 56 says : " When you can see how 
 it goes with the creatures, why do ye fail to perceive 
 where ye yourselves are awanting?' In order to 
 place their blameable and criminal, as well as dan- 
 gerous, misemployment of time in a still clearer light, 
 Jesus delivers the comparison contained in ver. 58, 
 ''59, the meaning of which is: If it is unquestionably 
 a matter of prudence for a debtor to come to good 
 terms with his creditor, before he is dragged by him 
 into judgment, where every thing will be determined 
 only by the strict rule of right and justice; so as- 
 suredly would it be the highest wisdom for you sin- 
 ners to become reconciled, through a true repen- 
 tance, to your creditor, the merciful and righteous 
 God, before the time comes for a strict and rigorous 
 judgment. Here also are declared the following 
 thoughts — that men are, as sinners, debtors of God ; 
 that an impartial judgment threatens them ; that be- 
 fore it comes, it is possible by a sincere repentance 
 
THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 255 
 
 to escape the final condemnation of God ; but that 
 the time of grace, which may be used for repentance, 
 must not be misspent in security or carelessness, for 
 when past it is too late, and the destruction is inevita- 
 ble. Now it is precisely the same thoughts which 
 return in the parable of the fig-tree, so that its con- 
 nection with the preceding context is rendered ob- 
 vious. (It is besides to be remarked, that in Matth. 
 V. 25, 26, the similitude used in these two last verses 
 of the xiith chap, of Luke, is also introduced, but in 
 a quite different connection, and for an entirely dif- 
 ferent purpose.) 
 
 It was after having listened to the declarations con- 
 tained in v. 49 — 59, that some present mentioned the 
 fate of those unfortunate Galileans ; with what de- 
 sign, appears from v. 2, where Jesus discovers the 
 bottom of their hearts, and their perverse thoughts, 
 and where it is remarked by Luther in his Comment : 
 " The Jews held, that whosoever was prosperous in 
 this world, was acceptable to God, but that he who 
 was unfortunate, was a sinner, John ix. 2, 3." Gno- 
 mon : " Do you think that you are guiltless, and 
 shall escape with impunity ? We ought not to look 
 so much to M'hat has happened to others, or why it 
 has happened, as to what might happen to us, and 
 what must be done by us." Since the mention of the 
 fate of these Galileans, in the opinion of these nar- 
 rators, was to be taken as an example of the punitive 
 righteousness of God, while at the same time they 
 manifested the perversity of the human heart, which, 
 though it is ready enough to judge others, is equally 
 ready to overlook its own guilt and liability to pun- 
 nishment; Jesus, therefore, v. 3, makes a general 
 application of this particular case to the Israelites at 
 large, and says : Except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
 wise perish. Here again we find the previously de- 
 clared sentiment concerning moral corruption, liabi- 
 lity to punishment, imminent danger, still abiding 
 season of grace, — concerning repentance as the onlv 
 means of deliverance, and impenitence as the real 
 
256 THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 
 
 ground of an irrecoverable perdition. Jesus farther 
 reminds them, v. 4, of a similar destruction, and re- 
 peats over again the asseveration he had already made 
 in V. 3, as to the necessity of repentance to save them 
 from the like sudden and overwhelming judgment of 
 God, and then proceeds to deliver the parable of the 
 fruitless fig-tree, directed against secure and careless 
 sinners, to teach them the necessity of repentance, if 
 they would escape destruction. For that this is the 
 design of the parable, is manifest from the close con- 
 nection in which it stands with v. 5, and from the 
 • whole context. Calvin : " The doctrine taught may 
 be thus summed up : That many are tolerated for a 
 time, who are deserving of destruction ; but that they 
 shall be no gainers by the delay, if they persist in 
 their contumacy. For hence arises the corrupt flat- 
 tery with which hypocrites harden themselves, that 
 unless compelled, they do not bethink themselves of 
 their own misdeeds; and therefore so long as God 
 connives and suspends his judgments, they imagine 
 that they are on good terms with him. And so they 
 indulge themselves with the more security, as if they 
 had obtained a covenant with death and the grave, 
 as Isaiah speaks, (conf. Rom. ii. 5.) We are besides 
 taught, since the Lord does not immediately avenge 
 himself of the wicked, but delays their punishment, 
 that the best reason exists for his forbearance. So 
 that human temerity is restrained, and no one can 
 charge the Supreme Judge with blame, if he does not 
 always execute his judgments with undistinguishing 
 equality." 
 
 The immediate reference of this parable is to the 
 Jewish nation and church, whose deep and wide- 
 spread corruption, notwithstanding the many provi- 
 sions made by God for their improvement, is here 
 described, and whose rapidly approaching overthrow, 
 in righteous vengeance for their inconsiderate 4lnd 
 obstinate impenitence, is predicted. Hence this pa- 
 rable is of a similar tendency with the two formerly 
 explained, of the wicked vine-dressers, and the wed- 
 
THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 257 
 
 ding-garment, in so far as these are to be viewed in 
 their immediate, historical reference, as descriptive 
 partly of the past, and partly of the future fate and 
 times of the Jewish people ; and that there is actually 
 such a reference here, is manifest, as well from the 
 two historical transactions mentioned in ver. 1, 4, 
 with which the parable stands closely connected, and 
 which our Lord represents as types of what would 
 befal the whole Jewish people, as from the parable 
 itself, as shall be further shewn below. Pilate had 
 permitted some Galileans to be murdered in the tem- 
 ple, while they were actually engaged in offering sa- 
 crifices, so that their blood was mingled with the 
 blood of their victims ; which horrible crime of the 
 Roman governor appears still more frightful and de- 
 serving of abhorrence on account of the circumstance, 
 that it was comxmitted in the temple, and while they 
 were engaged in an act of religion. Now the Re- 
 deemer says prophetically : Ye shall all likev/ise pe- 
 rish (w^raurw?, in the same manner) as if this murder-; 
 ous transaction was to be only a small omen of 
 the general carnage which was to come upon the 
 Jews, and that too from the same party, the Romans, 
 to which also the declaration in Matth. xxiv. 28, 
 seems to refer ; and this divine judgment upon the 
 Jewish people was rendered still more dreadful and 
 shocking, from the circumstance of its having been 
 executed at the time of the passover, when such vast 
 crowds were assembled in Jerusalem, and were em- 
 ployed in offering up sacrifices. Not less significantly 
 typical was the other event mentioned by Christ him- 
 self, ver. 4, in which eighteen Jews were suddenly^ 
 destroyed by the falling of a tower in Siloam ; for 
 while our Lord in connection with it says again : Ye 
 shall all likewise perish, (o/jLoiojc, similarhj,) the intima- 
 tion seems to be given, what the history of the des- 
 truction of Jerusalem also confirms, that they would 
 sometime be buried amid the ruins of the temple and 
 their own dwellings. The resemblance between these 
 transactions is too great and striking to admit of our 
 s 
 
258 THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 
 
 supposing that the one class of events was not intend- 
 ed to be typical of the other. Gnomon : " urnvruc'is 
 more than&/xo/wc ; and the event corresponds, for the 
 Jews were punished by the nation to which Pilate be- 
 longed ; at the season too of the passover when sacri- 
 fices were offered, and with the sword." Grotius : 
 " See how exactly every thing corresponds. For they 
 were killed on the day of the passover, a great part of 
 them in the temple itself, like sheep, for the same 
 crime of sedition, which men of flagrant impiety hid 
 under a false show of piety.'" — But this immediate 
 application of the parable to Israel's fate is by no 
 means exclusive : for as God still manifests the rich- 
 es of his compassion to one and all belonging to the 
 church of his Son, as he did in former times to the 
 members of the old covenant — as in his patience and 
 long-suffering, in his holiness and justice, he is the 
 same yesterday, and to-da}', and for ever — as in the 
 naturally corrupt state of the human heart, the same 
 levity and inattention to the manifestations of divine 
 grace is ever and anon repeated — as proper repent- 
 ance is at all times in the divine economy the means 
 of deliverance, but impenitence is perpetually ruin- 
 ous ; therefore the parable possesses a much wider 
 and more general application, and shall have its di- 
 vine truth made manifest in the great day of final ac- 
 count. Olshausen : " The severe a.nd stringent dis- 
 course of Jesus is closed with a parable, in which the 
 loving Son of Man again displays the operations of 
 grace. He appears as the advocate of man before 
 the righteousness of heaven, and obtains room for 
 repentance. This thought of postponing the day of 
 judgment, to give man time for repentance, runs 
 throughout the whole of Scripture, Gen. vi. 3 ; xviii. 
 24, ss. The destruction of Jerusalem did not take 
 place till forty years after the ascension of Jesus, and 
 his return to judj,ment is delayed on account of 
 God's long-suflfering, 2 Peter iii. 9." 
 
THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 
 
 259 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 An admonition to secure sinners to repent. 
 
 I. The admonition is directed to secure sinners, who 
 are represented under the image of the fruitless 
 fig-tree ; 
 
 (1.) They are capable of improvement, ver. 6 : 
 Had a fig-tree, (which, according to its na- 
 ture, must bear good fruit ;) 
 
 (2.) Nor are external aids awanting to produce 
 this, ver. 6 : It was planted in his vine-yard ; 
 
 (3.) Demands also are made upon them for it, 
 ver. 6 : He came and sought fruit thereon ; 
 
 (4.) And yet they make no progress, ver. 6 : 
 He found none. 
 II. The admonition is accompanied by the threatened 
 
 judgment of God : Cut it down, ver. 7 ; And 
 
 this judgment is, 
 
 (1.) A righteous one ; both on account of the 
 abuse of divine patience and long-suffering, 
 ver. 7 : Behold these three years, &c. ; and 
 also on account of the adverse influence upon 
 others, v. 7 : Wliy cumbereth it the ground ? 
 
 (2.) Yet admitting of delay, ver. 8 : Lord, let 
 it alone this year also ; to which delay the mo- 
 tive is just this prayer of the vine- dresser ; 
 and the design of it is to give a new oppor- 
 tunity for amendment, ver. 8 : Till I shall dig 
 about, it and dung it ; and to produce an actual 
 improvement, ver. 9: If it bear fruit, well ; 
 (3.) A certain one, ver. 9 : If not, then after 
 that thou shalt cut it down. 
 
 Ver. 6. A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his 
 vine-yard ; in the parable of the wicked vine-dress- 
 ers, (Matth. xxi.) the vine-yard denotes the whole 
 Jewish people, as also in Isa. v. ; but here the vine- 
 yard nmst be understood generally of the whole 
 earth, and the fig-tree of the Jewish people ; and in 
 the general application of the parable we can under- 
 
260 THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 
 
 stand by the fig-tree the Christian church, and also 
 each individual Christian. As the fig-tree is a fruit- 
 tree, which should bear fine fruit, and besides was 
 planted in a vine-yard and treated with special care, 
 this represents the favourable circumstances and re- 
 lations which the mercy of God had granted to Is- 
 rael, his design to obtain fruit from the tree, and the 
 just expectation of the same. So is it exactly in re- 
 gard to the Christian church as a whole, and to each 
 individual Christian, both alike not only possessing 
 the natural means and capacity of being improved, 
 but being placed also in the most favourable circum- 
 stances by their God, so that they might bring forth 
 the fruits of piety and holiness. Gnomon : " Fig- 
 tree, a tree vvhich does not properly belong to a vine- 
 yard. God chose Israel in perfect freeness The 
 
 Father has the vine-yard, and Christ cultivates it, 
 comp. ver. 8, or Christ has the vine-yard and his 
 ministers cultivate it." Grotius : *' The vine-yard 
 here, is the whole human race, in which was the fig- 
 tree, that is, the Jewish people giving promise of 
 great things." 
 
 Andcaineand sought fruit thereon but found nonCy 
 — a description of the ingratitude and impenitence of 
 those for whom God has done so much ; Israel was 
 actually, at the time of Jesus, in the condition of a 
 deep moral corruption, excessive wickedness and 
 hypocrisy reigned almost in every heart. The cir- 
 cumstance related in Matth. xxi. 18 — 20, of Jesus 
 having blasted the fig-tree, from which he had in vain 
 sought fruit, affords a palpable and striking proof of 
 this ; for it is ver}^ easy to see, in that action, a visi- 
 ble and afl^cting type of the sudden overthrow and 
 irrecoverable destruction of the Jewish nation, and to 
 regard the miracle wrought by Jesus as symbolical 
 of it. 
 
 Ver. 7. Then said he to the dresser of his vine- 
 yard; in the figure of this verse the divine purpose 
 toward Israel, and all impenitent sinners, is described. 
 Behold, these three years I came seeking fruit, a 
 
THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 261 
 
 lively representation of the numerous attempts and 
 movements of God to remind sinners of their obliga- 
 tion to comply with his gracious designs ; he comes 
 always anew in his word, by means of conscience, 
 and so forth. Along with this, however, we have 
 here depicted the patience and long-suffering of God, 
 which waits for the expected fruits, 2 Peter iii. 15; 
 Rom. ii. 4. This patience, exercised so long to no 
 purpose, gives so much the more ground for the pain- 
 ful lamentation : A?id I find none^ (see v. 34) ;) and 
 also for the judgment: Cat it down, Luke xiii. 35; 
 xix. 41 — 44.' Isaiah v. 5, 6. Matth. iii. 10; vii. 
 19. The command primarily refers to the subver- 
 sion of the Jewish church, Ps. Ixxx. 9 — 15, and in it 
 we see the union of love and holiness, of grace and 
 righteousness, Rom. ii. 5, 6. Gnomon : " In this 
 word there is great severity, the great power of the 
 master of the vine-yard." And not merely does the 
 abuse made of God's patience show the righteousness 
 of this judgment, but there is a still farther ground for 
 it intimated in the question : Why ciimbereth it the 
 ground"^ While the fruitless tree draws to itself the 
 nourishing moisture out of the earth, and extends its 
 shadow far and wide, nothing can flourish in its 
 neighbourhood." This we may refer to the hurtful 
 influence which Israel's pride and hypocrisy exercised 
 upon the nations, Matth. xxiii. 13, 15 ; and every 
 sinner is, where he lives, a pernicious example to 
 others, and often a great hindrance to their attain- 
 ment of salvation. Grotius : *' The Jews, though 
 treated by God with the highest favours, were not so 
 useful to other nations by the example of their piety, 
 but that they might, on the other hand, by their life, 
 alienate many the more from true religion." The 
 three years are not to be referred to the three periods 
 in the Jewish history, of Moses, David, and the pro- 
 phete ; more than any of them we should have to 
 incUde the time of Christ's public ministry ; but the 
 determinate period is put for the indeterminate, and 
 
262 THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 
 
 the image points only to the grace and long-suffering 
 of God. Gnomon : " The Lord was now entered 
 upon the third year of his ministry, as the true har- 
 mony of the evangelists manifests." Grotius: '< Those 
 who refer these things to the three years in which 
 Christ taught, seem to pay little regard to what fol- 
 lows concerning the one year, in which further trial 
 was to be made. For God did not, in answer to the 
 prayers of his saints, delay the punishment of the 
 Jews for one year only after Christ's triennial mini- 
 stry, but for forty years. So that it is better to con- 
 sider the three j^ears spoken as mentioned because 
 the fig-trees which do bear fruit, always do so 
 within that period. And to these three years cor- 
 responds the whole time before the Baptist and 
 Christ, during which God most patiently waited for 
 the amendment of the Jews.'' The vine-dresser is 
 manifestly Christ, to whom the judgment is com- 
 mitted, John V. 22, and the destruction of Jerusalem 
 is described as his coming to judgment, Matth. xxiv. 
 29, ss. Luke xix. 14, 27. 
 
 Ver. 8. The intercession of the vine-dresser marks 
 the still longer protracted patience, and still farther 
 delayed judgmeni, until the time of grace was expired; 
 it breathes the most heartfelt love, and such love was 
 felt by Jesus toward the people, of whom, according 
 to the flesh, he was sprung ; he is also expressly 
 named the advocate or intercessor, 1 John ii. 1. 
 Heb. vii. 23; ix. 24. Let it alone this year also ; 
 therefore, there is only a short and determinate 
 period given for repentance ; love hopes all things ; 
 till I shall dig about it and dung it, marks the renewed 
 endeavours of grace to bring about the necessary 
 change of mind; the digging, or turning up of the 
 soil, indicates the removal of the hindrances, and the 
 dunging points to the application of new juices of 
 life, which, when the former is done, can operate 
 with so much more freedom and effect. Without 
 figure: 1 willtry every thing which can possibly be of 
 
THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. 263 
 
 advantage to make the tree yield the desired fruit, 
 and save it from destruction. Grotius: " Those 
 gifts, which the apostles and their fellow-labourers 
 exercised for the conversion of the Jews, may seem 
 to correspond to this." 
 
 Ver. 9. If not ^ after that thou shalt cut it down ; the 
 very good vine-dresser yields to the determinate and 
 righteous judgment of the lord of the vineyard, 
 Rom. xi. 22. Gnomon : " The vine-dresser does not 
 say, I will cut it down, comp. v. 7, but refers the 
 matter to the lord ; he ceases, however, to intercede 
 for the fig-tree." What might be the consequence of 
 these labours and the fate of the tree, is left undeter- 
 mined by the parable. And in this appears the 
 great inclination to spare in the mind of the Lord, 
 who wished thereby to awaken in the hearts of his 
 hearers the hope of a favourable issue, and admonish 
 them so much the more impressively to repent ; it is 
 not till after this that he first disclosed the inevitable 
 overthrow of the Jewish nation, and the history of 
 that of course supplies the real issue of the parable. 
 What befel the Jewish church, has also happened to 
 particular Christian churches, as a fulfilment of di- 
 vine threatening, and as a proof of the truthfulness, 
 goodness, patience, and righteousness of God, Rev. 
 ii. 5. 
 
 We might also give the substance of the parable, > 
 were we to say, that Jesus represents to blinded 
 sinners their mournful state of mind under the image 
 of the unfruitful fig-tree ; points secure sinners to the 
 long-suffering they have already received, and the 
 approaching judgment of a righteous God : and ad- 
 monishes the thoughtless to the conscientious im- 
 provement of their still remaining day of grace. -^ 
 
264 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 XXVL 
 
 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 Lulre xiv. 16—24. 
 
 Of the relation of this parable to that of the wed- 
 ding garment, we spoke formerly under Section XIV, 
 and there also remarked, that the present parable 
 was spoken by Jesus before his last journey to Je- 
 rusalem, in Pereea. Its immediate occasion appeai*s 
 from the narrative in the preceding context. Jesus 
 had been invited by a chief person among the phari- 
 sees to eat bread on the Sabbath, v. 1. Having en- 
 tered the house, he first of all healed a man of dropsy, 
 and justified this work of love, to the great annoyance 
 of the pharisees, who were outwardly legal, but in- 
 ternally quite estranged from the spirit of love, 
 (which, however, is the soul of the law), by pressing 
 the question in v. 5, so that they were put to shame, 
 could not but acknowledge in their heart, at least, the 
 righteousness of his conduct, and did not venture, 
 against the testimony of their own conscience, to de- 
 clare him to be deserving of punishment, v. 6. 
 Hereupon our Lord took occasion to animadvert up- 
 on the vanity and immoderate pride of guests, press- 
 ing forward to the chief seats at table, and thereby 
 showing how covetous they were of vain honour, v. 
 7 — 1 1. Then he disclosed to his host the selfishness 
 of his heart, who had so selected his guests as to 
 manifest that he had given his feast, in order to be 
 invited back again, and to be recompensed, v. 12, 
 at the same time recommending a compassionate re- 
 gard to the poor, and pointing to the recompense 
 which is to come from God, v. 13, 14. The persons, 
 therefore, before whom and to whom this parable 
 was delivered, were self-righteous, proud, ambitious, 
 selfish, cold-hearted, and the words of admonition 
 spoken by Christ could not be pleasant to them. 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 265 
 
 The moment, therefore, that he touched upon the 
 resurrection of the just, one of the company laid hold 
 of his words, as affording a welcome opportunity to 
 turn the conversation into another channel, and ex- 
 pressed a great desire to participate in the blessed- 
 ness of that day, of which, however, his heart knew 
 nothing, so that he only feigned this stroke of piety 
 with his lips. To derive the exclamation of this 
 guest, " Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the 
 kingdom of God," from so bad a source, and not 
 rather to take it in a good sense, to which at first 
 sight we might be inclined, we are justified, nay, ne- 
 cessitated by what was previously intimated of the 
 moral condition of the guests, and still more by the 
 whole structure of the parable, in which it is mani- 
 fested by means of the guests first invited, how an 
 earthly disposition, and the love of this present 
 world, withheld so many from a blessed participation 
 in the great supper, and how those only made their 
 appearance there, in whose case no such hindrance 
 existed. Calvin, however, remarks on this place : 
 " But, although it is scarcely credible that the friend 
 and guest of the pharisee uttered this exclamation 
 from any thing of truly pious feeling ; it does not 
 at the same time appear to have been done in mock- 
 ery ; but, as men possessed of a little faith, and not 
 openly profane, are wont to talk in their cups with 
 an air of confidence concerning eternal life, I con- 
 ceive that a word was thrown in by this man con- 
 cerning future bliss, for the purpose of eliciting some- 
 thing from Christ, who thence took occasion of 
 charging ingratitude upon the Jews." The connec- 
 tion then, between the exclamation in v. 15, and the 
 parable would be : Thou dost indeed pronounce 
 those blessed who shall eat bread in the kingdom of 
 God, but I say unto thee, although this blessedness 
 is prepared for all, and is freely offered them, there 
 are many who still despise it ; and all who resemble 
 thee in spirit, shall, from their own fault, lose the of- 
 fered salvation. The parable consequently, is not 
 
266 
 
 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 to be viewed as a more extended representation of 
 that eulogium, and of the blessedness mentioned in it, 
 but as a rebuke, which the Omniscient Searcher of 
 Hearts (John ii. 24, 25,) gave to that hypocrite, and 
 a discovery of the perverseness of the human heart in 
 relation to the kingdom of God. For this construc- 
 tion of v. 15, and the whole parable, there may still 
 farther be produced the analogy of other parables ; 
 for the parables of the wicked servant, of the labour- 
 ers in the vineyard, of the good Samaritan, of the 
 unfruitful fig-tree, and some others, are in like man- 
 ner directed against sinful perversity of heart, 
 which the Lord rebuked in them, as he does in the 
 case before us. Luther remarks upon this, House- 
 Pos. 4. 223 : " After hearing such things, one of them 
 rises up, who would show himself much more learn- 
 ed than Christ, and says : « Blessed is he that shall 
 eat bread in the kingdom of God ;' as if he would 
 say in his greater wisdom : Thou profitest not much 
 with thy preaching ; if the question comes to be 
 about that, I can also do it well, and even better 
 than thyself ; for this I reckon to be a very superior 
 discourse: Blessed, &c. To this Jesus again replies: 
 Nay, I will tell thee how blessed thou art,, and such 
 as are like thee, v. 1 6 — 24. The reproof given him 
 is to this effect : Oh, thou art no doubt in deep 
 earnest, as thou art a very excellent man, one, namely, 
 of those who are invited and still come not." And 
 he gives at p. 2^35, the design of our Lord thus: 
 *' The Lord wishes to admonish us in this parable, 
 that we must count the gospel excellent and precious, 
 and separate ourselves from the multitude, who think 
 that they are prudent, wise, great and good." And 
 this design is so far accomplished, that an earthly 
 disposition is represented as a hindrance to salva- 
 tion, while poverty of spirit (^'.latth. v. 3), is essen- 
 tial to the attainment of real bliss ; and, accordingly, 
 the narrative makes known the method in which man 
 desires the salvation proffered to him, and shows the 
 inexcusable guilt of tiioughtless and inconsiderate 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 267 
 
 despisei's. Since the Jewish nation shewed them- 
 selves peculiarly hostile to the gospel, and many of 
 them slighted the Messiah, and rejected the invitation 
 given them to his fellowship and salvation; since, on 
 the other hand, the Gentiles manifested more readi- 
 ness in receiving the message of salvation and peace: 
 the parable readily admits of a historical reference to 
 these transactions, though it would be far from ex- 
 hausting its depth and compass of meaning, to 
 make the rejection of Israel and the calling of 
 the Gentiles its chief and only design. It rather 
 speaks of the ultimate ground of the melancholy 
 fact, that so many despise the gracious call of the 
 gospel to salvation, which fact has always been 
 recurring anew during the progress of centuries, and 
 will be still further continued, — that the love of the 
 world breeds contempt of the love and grace of God, 
 and disinherits itself of the great salvation. Mel. : 
 " It is a reproof for contempt of the gospel ; but 
 though Christ spoke concerning the rejection of the 
 Jewish people, yet he does not speak of them alone, 
 but his discourse has respect to all times, and blames 
 contempt of the gospel in teachers, governors, and 
 the more influential part of the people." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The love of this world is a hindrance to salvation. 
 I. Reasons, why the love of the world is a hindrance 
 to salvation, 
 
 (A.) On account of its power over the heart, v. 
 16, 17. 
 
 (1.) It is not attentive to the greatness of 
 divine grace ; v. 16 : a supper, in which it 
 is matter both of honour and enjoyment to 
 take part : 
 (2.) It disregards the means of this grace, 
 through which the sinner must be brought 
 to the fellowship of it; v. 16: And bade 
 many ; 
 
208 
 
 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 (J3.) It hardens the heart against the repeated 
 invitations of God; v. 17 : And sent his 
 servant, Sic. 
 (4.) And does despite to the free grace of 
 God, which has at once provided every- 
 thing necessary for our salvation, and in- 
 vites us to partake of it without any per- 
 sonal desert; v. 17. 
 (B.) On account of its nature, v. 18 — 20. 
 
 (I.) It is directed to what is earthly, perish- 
 able ; 
 
 a.) To goods and pleasures, v. 18; 
 b.) To honour, influence, and consideration, 
 
 v. 19; 
 c.) To ties and connections, v. 20; 
 (2.) It prefers that to what is heavenly and 
 eternal, v. 18, 19 ; I pray thee have me ex- 
 cused ; 
 (3.) It lays claim, in doing so, to a right 
 frame of mind, v. 18, 19 ; — considering it- 
 self to have a proper excuse, and thus ma- 
 nifests its ingratitude, its levity, and its 
 obstinacy. 
 II. Proof that the love of the world is such a hind- 
 rance ; 
 
 (1.) From the consequences resulting to the 
 despisers : 
 
 a,) They draw upon themselves the anger 
 of God, V. 21 : Then the master of the 
 house being angry ; 
 b.) They forfeit the offered salvation, v. 24; 
 (2.) From the subsequent procedure of God, 
 who still manifests his mercy and grace ; 
 a.) In that he continues to invite men to 
 the blessings of salvation, v. 21 : Go out 
 quichly, &c. 
 b.) And even the most wretched of men, v. 
 
 21: Bring in hither the poor, &c. 
 c.) And all, without exception, in the most 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 269 
 
 pressing manner, v. 22, 23 : Compel them, 
 &c. 
 
 V. IG. A certain man made a great supper ; Lu- 
 ther, House-Pos. 4. 223 ; " Tlie man is our Lord God 
 himself, a great and rich lord, who has prepared a 
 feast according to his glorious majpsty and honour, 
 and such a feast as is truly great and glorious, not 
 only in respect of the host, who is God himself, but 
 the provision is also unspeakably excellent and pre- 
 cious ; that is the blessed gospel, nay, Christ our 
 Lord himself. This proclamation of Christ is the 
 great, glorious supper, wherewith he entertains his 
 guests, sanctifying tiiem through his sacred table ; 
 consoling and strengthening them through the sa» 
 crament of his body and blood ; so that nothing is 
 awantingto a full enjoyment, (John x. 11.) and every 
 one is satisfied. For it is an everlasting food; and 
 an everlasting drink, on which a man never hungers 
 or thirsts any more, but is perpetually satisfied and 
 full ; and not one man merely, but, large as the world 
 is, were it even ten times larger, there would be 
 enough for all. And to believe on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ is to eat and to drink at his supper." The great 
 supper is, therefore, fellowship with the Redeemer, 
 in whom there is to be found spiritual blessings and 
 heavenly gifts both in time and in eternity. The 
 word supper is not to be pressed, because in the origi- 
 nal it is 6'c7-vcv, banquet ; and, therefore, Luther gives a 
 false reason for this word, when he says the gospel 
 is so called from being the last word of instruction 
 that was to be delivered to the world. The prepa- 
 ration of the supper, an apparatus of salvation for 
 sinners, has its ground in tlie love of God; the great- 
 ness of it points to the universality of grace as offer- 
 ed to all. 
 
 And hade many; Luther, as above: " The many, 
 who were invited to the feast, were tiie Jews, who, 
 as sprung from Abraham, were special!}'^ invited 
 thereto by the prophets ; for to that patriarch was 
 
270 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 the seed promised, through which the blessing was to 
 come ; accordingly, the prophets carried it forward 
 and showed the people that there was no failure in 
 regard to the Lord's will, and pressed on them his invi- 
 tations." The invitation comes from thefree grace and 
 love of God; on the part of the invited there is found 
 no worth or desert; the invitation is still always made 
 through the proclamation of the blessed gospel in 
 churches, schools, families, by all who communicate 
 its truth to others. A participation in the supper 
 brings honour, joy, blessing, and satisfies all the ne- 
 cessities of the soul and of the spirit. From the 
 greatness of the benefits provided, we can easily in- 
 fer the severity of their punishment, who despise 
 them, and the worthlessness of their excuses. That 
 there were many invited, shows how comprehensive 
 the grace of God is. 
 
 The representation of the blessings of Messiah's 
 kingdom, under the image of a feast, was very com- 
 mon, (Isa. XXV. 6; Matth. viii. 11,) and was here, 
 besides, partly occasioned by the exclamation of the 
 guest in v. 15, and partly, also, by the entertainment 
 itself, V. 1 ; during which the parable was uttered. 
 Gnomon : " Called ; 1 he link of connection between 
 two convivial discourses, inviting to blessedness. 
 Call the poor to thee ; follow the vocation of God." 
 
 V. 17. And sent his servant at supper time ; — 
 sends, according to the eastern custom, to bid the 
 guests a second time, — first, on the day before, or 
 very early on the morning of the same day, and then 
 at the meal-time, when the messenger announces that 
 they might now come, because everything was ready. 
 Gnomon : " Now, is indicative of present time in the 
 New Testament." Luther, House-Pos. 4. 225 : 
 " When it was about the time that our Lord was 
 born, and must suff'er and rise again from the dead, 
 then went forth servants, John the Baptist and the 
 apostles, and said to those that were bidden, to the 
 people of Israel : Dear people, now is the time, 
 come." The coming denotes the necessary internal 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 271 
 
 change and readiness for receiving what was pre- 
 pared, just as corporeal coming implies a change of 
 place. The repeating of the invitation manifests the 
 earnest desire and gracious purpose of God to do 
 every thing on his part, to bring men to a participa- 
 tion in the offered salvation, and, at the same time, 
 also, the utter invalidity of the alleged grounds of 
 excuse. 
 
 Ver. 18. And they all began with one consent to 
 make excuse; after a- o ,w,/ccg either yvojiM'tig ov ^wi/^g 
 must be supplied, ivith one voice, unanimously they 
 excused themselves ; rraoocirsMai, to make excuse, 
 properly, to decline under the pretext of inevitable 
 and invincible hindrances. Gnomon : " They had 
 before cast it up in their own minds that they were 
 to have an invitation/' Luther, House-Pos. 4. 225 : 
 " This reads a lesson to the guests, who sat at meat 
 with Christ, and especially to the vain talker, ver. 
 15, who thought to gain the mastery over Christ at 
 table. Nay, ssijs Christ, ye would not merely re- 
 main without and leave the householder with his 
 large and sumptuous feast, but would even excuse 
 yourself and be clear. There is therefore a two-fold 
 sin, in that, while ye despise the gospel, ye would 
 maintain every thing to be rightly done, and would 
 still be reckoned wise, pious, and excellent. This is 
 a most heinous sin." And in his Church-Pos. 13. 19 : 
 " You must not suppose that these men, who here 
 excused themselves, were chargeable with gross sins 
 or unrighteous actions. No, they had maintained a 
 very good appearance. For it is not an unrighteous 
 thing, if a man buys and carries on business, walks 
 honestly, or marries a woman and lives in matrimony, 
 but for this reason would they not partake of the 
 prepared entertainment, because they would not part 
 with these things, clave to them with their Avhole 
 heart. Whereas we must be ready to part with all, 
 if the gospel demands, Matth. xxii. 37 ; x. 39; xix. 
 29." The different excuses ofiered by these persons 
 manifest in them all one and the same perverse state 
 
272 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 of heart, only the object of their sinful love is not 
 uniform ; but there appears in them all a slighting of 
 the Lord's offered goodness, a want of proper regard 
 for his divine person, a misapprehension of the 
 worth of this spiritual repast, of their own spiritual 
 necessities, and of the things of salvation. It is the 
 things of earth only that influence and attract them ; 
 these alone appear to thera important, and are ac- 
 counted much more precious, desirable, and neces- 
 sary, than any thing tlie}^ can get by partaking of the 
 supper. 
 
 I have bought a piece of ground ; Gnomon : " The 
 word bought twice used, (v. 19), indicates desire, as 
 is customar}^ in a recent transaction. To a worldly 
 man, when the divine call comes, all vain things are 
 fresh and delightful." In the merely historical expo- 
 sition, this is referred to the fondness of the Jews for 
 Canaan, which appeared to them a certain pledge of 
 their participation in the blessings of Messiah's king- 
 dom, so that they, being filled with such a preposses- 
 sion, despised the gospel, which called them to a 
 depreciation of every thing earthly. Luther, House- 
 Pos. 4. 227 : " These are the most honourable and 
 esteemed, as among the Jews the priesthood and the 
 highest orders in the government. Their language 
 is : We must labour, cultivate, and reap our land ; 
 that is, we must govern the people, (as Christ also 
 calls his ministers husbandmen, who sow the gospel, 
 John iv.), and attend upon the priesthood committed 
 to us by God." 
 
 / must needs go and see it; Gnomon: " Times 
 most seasonable for grace, and most urgent calls of 
 worldly business, often meet together. One pretends 
 necessity ; another, a mere liking for other things, v. 
 19 ; a third, mistaken impossibility, v. 20. The 
 first, therefore, denies that he toidd ; the two others 
 deny that they would, but express it by a polite 
 circumlocution. That holy haired, mentioned in v. 
 26, would cure them all. For the variety that ap- 
 pears in the refusal; does not stand so much in the 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 273 
 
 affection as in the object — the field, the oxen, and the 
 wife." The groundlessness of such a justification 
 becomes manifest, when we reflect that the wedding- 
 feast was held at a late hour, and prolonged often 
 through the night, so that the time in question was at 
 once the most unusual and the m.ost unsuitable for 
 looking after such things, and must be regarded as 
 the most unavailing ground of excuse. 
 
 / pray thee have me excused; Wahl, Clavis : 
 " Have me excused, not only now, but always." 
 He, therefore, feels himself the groundlessness of the 
 pretext, the w^orthlessness of the excuse, the impro- 
 priety of remaining away, the guiltiness of his con- 
 duct, hence his prayer ; and in this too is the great- 
 ness of his perverse, worldly state of mind, repre- 
 sented. The apology contains, at bottom, a self- 
 accusatioU; and gives testimony to previous guilt. 
 
 Ver. 1 9. / have bought jive yoke of oxen ; some 
 explain this of the fleshly confidence of Israel upon 
 his external observances, and of the unbelief and con- 
 tempt of the gospel thence arising. Luther, as 
 above : " When they justify their refusal with the 
 oxen, it indicates that they were occupied with 
 affairs of government, for oxen represent the rulers of 
 the people, Ps. xxii. 13, 14." If, therefore, in the 
 first class it was earthly goods and pleasures, in this 
 class it is earthly honour, power, and consideration, 
 which keeps men back from the gospel, John v. 44 ; 
 xii. 43. Mel.: " That human blindness is to be ac- 
 knowledged and deplored which leads men to care 
 less for God and the concerns of eternity, than any 
 other, temporal affairs. As in country places people 
 are, for the most part, more concerned about the 
 cow-herd than the shepherd of souls, and when inter- 
 rogated, answer, that they have more need of the cow- 
 herd." 
 
 Ver. 20. / have married a wife, and therefore I 
 cannot come ; this is the most hopeless of all, he does 
 not beg to be excused, but thinks he acts according 
 to the fullest right ; it comprehends those who, 
 
 T 
 
274 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 through the manifold relationships of life, permit 
 themselves to be restrained, contrary to the will of 
 Christ, from his alone truly blissful fellowship, v. 
 2G, 27. The manners of the East forbid women from 
 appearing anywhere in public, on which account, 
 combined with his love to his wife, this person con- 
 ceives his remaining away to be a thing so proper 
 and natural, that it required no justification. Cal- 
 vin : " In these verses, v. 18, 19, 20, Christ inti- 
 mates that men M'ere so given to the world and 
 earthly affairs, that no one could find leisure to come 
 to God ; as while we are entangled with the cares of 
 the world, there are so many avocations to withdraw 
 us from the kingdom of God. But though all are 
 not infected with the same disease, each one is drawn 
 away by his own lust, and so it happens that all 
 wander about after one course or another." 
 
 Ver. 21. So that servant came and showed his lord 
 these things. God knows minutely the conduct of 
 each one, in regard to the gracious invitations offered 
 to hira, and this ought so much the more to prevent 
 people from lightly despising these. Gnomon : 
 '• Ministers ought to make mention to the Lord in 
 prayer, both of the obedience and disobedience of 
 their hearers." Then the masler of the house being 
 angry; the righteous displeasure of God toward the 
 conduct of the guests, shows once more his earnest 
 desire for their welfare, the unsatisfactoriness of all 
 their excuses, and the justness of his expectation, that 
 the invited would receive the invitation. Go out 
 quickly into the streets and lanes of the city ; histori- 
 cally this refers to the proselytes from the heathen, 
 or the heathens living among the Jews, John vii. 
 49. Acts X.. Matth, xiii. Without figure, the invita- 
 tion is now addressed to others. Bring in hither the 
 poor, and the maimed y and the holt, and the blind; 
 outward want, and corporeal wretchedness, are easily 
 appri^hended by the eye and the mind ; hence, under 
 this description are meant all such as feel the neces- 
 sities of their soul, and their spiritual wretchedness, 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 275 
 
 Matth. V. 3. Bodily distress, also, often opens the 
 heart to the consolations of the gospel, and hence to 
 those, who had experience of it, the gospel was 
 especially preached, Luke iv. 18 ; Matth. xi. 4, 5, 
 and among them, for the most part, is found the 
 most cordial and extensive reception, 1 Cor. i. 
 26 — 29. Earthly riches, on the other hand, very 
 readily become a hindrance to the reception of the 
 gospel-call, as it is apt to blind the internal eye to 
 the wants and necessities of the soul, Matth xix. 
 23—26. Luther, House-Pos. 4.229: "According 
 to this word of Christ, whatsoever among the people 
 has been esteemed wise, holy, rich, mighty, is thrown 
 away, and foolish, simple, insignificcint persons, such 
 as Peter, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, poor fisher- 
 men and needy beggars are chosen, whom no one 
 thought deserving of being made priests and princes 
 among the people." Gnomon : '* The poor form 
 the genus ; three species are presently named : the 
 7?iaimed, whom no woman would choose, v. 20 ; the 
 halt, who cannot walk, v. 1 9 ; the blind, who cannot 
 see, V. 18.'' Comp, also Matth. xviii. 9, s. ; John ix. 
 30. 
 
 Ver. 22. Lord, there is still room ; since now the 
 will of the Lord has been executed, the invitation 
 held out to others, and by them accepted, the great- 
 ness of divine grace is expressed in these words, as 
 is also its universality in v. 23. 
 
 Ver. 23. Go out into the highways and hedges ; 
 see on Matth. xxii. 9 — And compel them to come in. 
 Calvin : " He seems to allude to the nature of the 
 gospel invitation, in which the grace of God is not 
 simply proffered to us, but along with doctrine we 
 have the stimulants of exhortations ; in which is 
 manifest the wonderful goodness of God, who, when 
 he sees us slumbering over the call which he has 
 voluntarily addressed to us, eagerly plies our sloth, 
 and not only stimulates us by exhortations, but also 
 compels us with threats to come near to him." 
 Luther, Church -Pos. 13. 21 i '< This is to be under- 
 
276 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 stood of weak desponding consciences, who are not 
 disposed to go to the supper, but must be driven into 
 it. It is not, however, an external but an internal 
 driving, a spiritual one, and is done after this man- 
 ner: When the law is preached, and sin is opened up 
 or exposed, so as that the man comes to the know- 
 ledge of himself; when his sins are so pressed upon 
 his conscience, that he recognizes himself to be no- 
 thing, sees all his works to be sinful and worthy of 
 condemnation, and thus becomes troubled in con- 
 science, dismayed in heart, goes out of himself for 
 confidence and help, and never seeks any more for 
 consolation in himself, then he is said to be driven 
 and compelled. Now, when this is done, thou must 
 help him out of his depression; and the way to do 
 that is to comfort him with the gospel, to tell him 
 how he is let free from his sins, to say to him, " Be- 
 lieve in Christ, that he has delivered thee from thy 
 sins ; and so thou shalt be freed from sin." Mel. : 
 " It yields a most delightful consolation, that God 
 orders men to be compelled, for it intimates, that he 
 really seeks our salvation, and really wishes us to be 
 saved ; as when a father is seriously concerned about 
 the government of his son, he not only employs cold 
 admonitions, but also a certain severity of discipline 
 towards him, and constrains him to do what is re- 
 quired." It is not meant, therefore, that people 
 should be brought to receive the gospel by means of 
 any violent treatment ; the compulsion to be used 
 stands in entreaties, representations, councils, as in 
 Luke xxiv. 29; Gen. xix. 3. An internal constraint, 
 through means of powerful motives, which are pressed 
 upon the heart, 2 Cor. v. 19 ; Gal. iv. 19. Gnomon: 
 " Every sort of coercion will not do, for he who is 
 pulled or dragged does not enter. Saul, when mad 
 for the law, used one sort of compulsion, Paul, the 
 servant of Jesus Christ, a very different one." 
 
 That my house may be filled, so that it is only 
 God's designs of mercy to save sinners, Eph. i. 3, ss. 
 not any proper merit on the part of men, which is the 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 277 
 
 ground of the invitation ; it must not be that his 
 grace has been prepared in vain, and, notwithstand- 
 ing the many despisers that exist, there are found at 
 all periods an unnumbered multitude who, with the 
 greatest joy and readiness, receive the gospel-call and 
 promise of salvation as the highest boon. Gnomon : 
 " Neither nature nor grace can endure a vacuum. 
 There shall be such a multitude of redeemed, from 
 one extremity of the world to the other, as shall con- 
 stitute a main part of its fulness." 
 
 V. 24. We have here the judgment pronounced on 
 despisers. Luther, House-Pos. 4. 235 : " The mo- 
 ment must come, when they shall be compelled to 
 leave their oxen, lands, houses, or wives, and when 
 they would be very glad to taste of my supper. But 
 1 must then say to them : Friends I am now not at 
 home, I cannot wait for guests. That will be to them 
 indeed a hard, frightful, and intolerable judgment, 
 when his supper shall be found to be all one with eter- 
 nal life, and their lands, oxen, and houses, with hell- 
 fire." There is here again manifest in God the un- 
 ion of his compassion and his righteousness, in that 
 he causes all to be invited of free-love, but judges 
 despisers according to their conduct, and excludes 
 them from eternal life. Ewald, p. 277 : " It might 
 be said, it were no great misfortune for sinful men 
 to be shut out, they could still enjoy themselves in 
 their own way, and if such joy may be somewhat 
 gross in its nature, it were still joy to the^ii ; — but we 
 must take into account the consequences. No earth- 
 ly enjoyment lasts always — and if it did continue for 
 ever, it could not continue as enjoyment, but would 
 pall at the last, and fail to yield satisfaction. Man is 
 impelled to seek after the highest, purest enjoyment ; 
 for that he pants, his internal being sighs after it. 
 For a long period this impulse may be stifled, and 
 man may imagine that the possessions, honours, and 
 pleasures of the world can satisfy him. But he a- 
 wakes by and by, and then often it is too late, or he 
 at least feels, that that in which he has hitherto been 
 
278 THE BUILDING OF THE TOWER, AND 
 
 seeking satisfaction, can never satisfy him. Indeed, 
 where there is no enjoyment of God, there in the 
 long run is no enjoyment at all ; and where there is 
 no enjoyment, there must be suffering. Aye, fright- 
 ful, excessive suffering ! Eternal hunger, and no nou- 
 rishing food ; eternal thirst, and no refreshing drink ; 
 the perpetual feeling of a void, without any thing to 
 fill it up ! It is, therefore, the highest wisdom to pos- 
 sess, as thovgh ice possessed not, because all earthb/ 
 enjoyment vanishes away." 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 THE BUILDING OF THE TOWEE. 
 Luke xiv 28—30. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 THE WAR OF THE TWO KINGS. 
 Luke xir. 31—33. 
 
 These two parables stand in no immediate exter- 
 nal connection with the preceding one ; for the Sa- 
 viour delivered them when on his journey to Galilee, 
 to the people, who in great numbers pressed upon 
 him, and appeared to seek his fellowship ; yet a cer- 
 tain internal relationship may be recognized. While 
 the parable of the marriage-supper points out the car- 
 nal mind and the love of the world as the main hin- 
 drance, M'hich stands in the way of the sinner's salva- 
 tion ; these similitudes represent the believer's con- 
 nection with Jesus to be a difficult thing, which de- 
 mands the greatest sacrifices, so that the most care- 
 ful and solemn inquiry must be made, whether we 
 feel sufficiently strong and so much animated by a 
 spirit of love to him, to stand prepared for such sa- 
 
WAR OF THE TWO KINGS. 279 
 
 crifices. It is, accordingly, the same carnal disposi- 
 tion against vvliich all the three parables are direct- 
 ed; in the first, it is represented in its proper, dis- 
 tinct form, and pernicious influence, as preventing 
 many from coming into fellowship with Christ, and 
 leading them utterly to despise it ; in the second and 
 third, it is shewn, that where this love of the world is 
 cherished, it is not to be expected that there shall be 
 a continued attachment to the Redeemer amid the 
 storms of adversity and trial, as such professors soon 
 fall away, to their own shame and confusion. Here, 
 therefore, we have substantially the same thought 
 which is brought out in the parable of the sower, 
 that continued fellowship with Christ is disturbed, 
 and with the children of this world completely broken 
 up, by some sort of external or internal hindrances. 
 
 It is said in v. 25, that great multitudes went with 
 Jesus; had he been concerned only about a nume- 
 rous attendance, and not about a true and approved 
 discipleship, he would not have spoken as he did in. 
 V. 26, 27. The Searcher of Hearts saw that the great 
 multitude, who were really disposed to own him for 
 the promised Messiah, flocked around him merely to 
 have their earthly hopes concerning the Messiah ful- 
 filled in and by him, and that the most looked for 
 nothing else and nothing higher than carnal enjoy- 
 ments, temporal prosperity, power, and honour. The 
 Saviour would flatter no such vain and groundless 
 hopes, nor were persons of such a disposition prepar- 
 ed for following him; and therefore he declares to 
 them, first of all, that it was necessary to reckon up- 
 on the greatest and most difficult sacrifices in his ser- 
 vice, that the dearest ties should need to be broken, 
 trouble and persecution encountered, and life itself 
 parted with, without laying their account to which 
 they could not be fit for his kingdom. Then, he re- 
 lates the two parables, and closes with the words in 
 V. 33, which declare self-denial to be a chief prere- 
 quisite on the part of his disciples. How necessary 
 these are, is further expressed in the similitude sub- 
 
280 THE BUILDING OF THE TOWER AND 
 
 joined in v. 34, 35. Tiie disciples of Jesus were ap- 
 pointed to be as a salt to the world, Matt. v. 1 3 ; 
 from them must the new divine powers of life, which 
 they themselves had first received when brought into 
 connection with the Redeemer, be diffused among 
 their fellow- men. Now if the disciples and followers 
 of Jesus did not possess such principles of life (re- 
 strained by their carnal inclinations) — if they could 
 uot be to the world what they ought to be to it, they 
 were then good for nothing, and by such disciples he 
 could not be served. In the whole discourse, there- 
 fore, from v. 25 to v. 35, our Lord certainly had it 
 for his design, to draw off the frivolous and earthly- 
 minded of iiis followers, to drive all to serious self 
 examination, and so divide the righteous and unright- 
 eous followers from each other. Calvin : " Lest any 
 one should think it hard, to follow Christ on such 
 terms, which require the renouncement of all his 
 lusts, a proper admonition is given to meditate be- 
 fore-hand wiiat a profession of the gospel really re- 
 quires. To build is a matter full of weariness and 
 trouble, and, from the expense it occasions, by no 
 means an agreeable one ; war also, because it brings 
 so many evils in its train, and may be said almost to 
 threaten the extirpation of the human race, is not 
 w^illingly undertaken by any one : and yet the advan- 
 tage of having a house to dwell in is so enticing to 
 men, that they do not hesitate to pour out their 
 wealth for that purpose? — necessity also compels 
 them often to go into the most expensive wars. But a 
 far more excellent reward awaits the builders of the 
 temple of God and the soldiers of Jesus Christ, for it 
 is not a temporary edifice which they labour to erect, 
 nor for a short-lived triumph that they contend." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLES. 
 
 Those, who would follow Christ, should first sub- 
 ject themselves to a careful examination. 
 
 Necessity of such an examination ; it is called for, 
 
WAR OF THE TWO KINGS. 281 
 
 (1.) By the greatness of the occasion; v. 28« 
 
 Building a tower ; v. 31 : Going to war; 
 (2.) By the difficulty attending it ; and that 
 
 A) As well at the beginning of a Christian 
 course, when we have to consider : 
 
 a) The sacrifices required, v. 26, 28 ; 
 
 b) The strength of inclination ; v. 28 : 
 Whether he hath sufficient to finish it ; 
 
 B) As also in the continuance of the same. Con- 
 cerning which we have to consider : 
 
 a) The battles to be encountered in main- 
 taining our connection with the kingdom ; 
 
 V. 31 Sitteth not down twenty 
 
 thousand, v. 27. 
 
 b) The strength we have for continued pa- 
 tience ; V. 31 : Whether he could meet 
 him with ten thousand. 
 
 II. The benefit arising from that examination ; we 
 are kept from suffering injury. 
 
 (1.) Our sacrifices (costs) have not been made 
 
 in vairiy v. 29. 
 (2.) We are not hurt by the raillery of the 
 world, V. 30. 
 
 Ver. 28. A tower, a lofty palace, a pompous edi- 
 fice — the fig tree indicates the undertaking of some- 
 thing great and glorious. — The cost, as applied to 
 the knowledge of Jesus and fellowship with him, de- 
 notes, 1st. What he demands of his disciples, ver. 
 26, 27, 33. — Whether he have sufficient to finish it ; 
 the requisite means ; by which we are to understand 
 strength of mind, resolution of will, self-denial. — Sit- 
 teth down first and counteih, — the reckoning up and 
 careful comparison of .the costs and the m.eans, re- 
 present the preparatory trial and thoughtful conside- 
 rations wdiich ought to precede the determination of 
 following Jesus. Gnomon : " Sitting, — space being 
 allowed him to take a considerate view of his circum- 
 stances." 
 
 Ver. 29. After he has laid the foundation, — the 
 commencement of the building designates the begun 
 
282 THE BUILDING OF THE TOWER, AND 
 
 attaclimc-nt to Christ, wliicli was found in so tnan^s 
 ver. 25 — A?td is not able to finish it, defection from 
 Jesus, John vi. QQ — 69. 
 
 Ver. 30. The meaning is : The neglect of self- 
 determination is the real cause of defection from 
 Christ, and in it is manifest the great folly of all those 
 who lightly, and without solemn reflection, begin to 
 follow Christ. Calvin : " But there is no reason why 
 the knowledge of our wants, which the Lord is ever 
 ready to relieve, should depress our minds. I con- 
 fess, indeed, that if we come to a reckoning, we are 
 all so destitute in ourselves, that we cannot even lay 
 one stone, or so much as offer resistance to the ene- 
 my. But since the Lord will provide both arms and 
 treasure from heaven, the difficulty is not such as to 
 furnish any pretext for our sloth and inactivity. The 
 design of Christ, therefore, is to admonish his people 
 in taking up the cross, to gird themselves with forti- 
 tude." 
 
 Ver. 3L The first similitude appears to refer 
 mainly to the difficulties which are experienced in 
 the mind, on account of which we are not strong 
 enough to sacrifice all other loves to the love of 
 Jesus, for our love to him must be more and deeper 
 than the love we bear to any thing besides ; we must 
 not love father, or motherj etc. more than him, nay 
 must put our love to these behind the love we feel to 
 him. The other similitude appears to be directed 
 chiefly to the hindrances that arise from without, 
 ver. 27, through which so many are withdrawn from 
 following Christ. But we can perhaps discover a 
 different connection between the two, namely, that 
 there is a progression manifested in them. If the 
 first speaks of the difficulties which present them- 
 selves at the beginning of conversion, the other sets 
 forth the perpetually recurring, the daily contests, 
 which must be fought and won in following Jesus ; 
 and, consequently, if people would determine upon 
 following him, they must carefully ponder both the 
 nearer and the more remote difficulties, those which 
 
WAR OF THE TWO KIXGS. 
 
 283 
 
 are to be met with at the beginning, and those dur- 
 ing the progress of their course, so thatthej^ may not 
 fall away from Christ, but may attain to the pro- 
 mised kingdom. Schölten : " The parables coincide 
 with each other, the particle yj being interposed be- 
 tween them, whence it appears, that our Saviour evi- 
 dently wished to enjoin in both the same admonition, 
 which farther appears from d-roö6<fii, which is sub- 
 joined to each parable ; at the same time, we cannot 
 deny that there are certain smaller points, which in- 
 volve ideas in each image, somewhat different from 
 one another, though still very closely connected with 
 the leading idea or admonition contained in both. 
 Thus, the ideas of building in the first, and of icar- 
 ring in the second similitude, indicate a variety and 
 difference in the labours of the disciples of Christ, as 
 those on whom it was only incumbent to build the 
 church of God, and lay, as it were, its foundations, 
 itself, indeed, a matter of great labour, and possess- 
 ing considerable diversity; but also ioßght with the 
 greatest dangers, and prosecute their work even amid 
 the constant jeopardy of their life, to say nothing of 
 the struggles they would also have to maintain with 
 the most tender feelings and affections of the mind, 
 ver. 26, 27, 33." — The image of the king, who would 
 go into war, marks something at once important and 
 difficult, doubtful and dangerous ; but the following 
 of Christ is this only when viewed in reference to 
 frivolous and carnal minds, which in apostatizing 
 from such a cause, incur the greater guilt, that they 
 have omitted the preceding self-examination. Gno- 
 mon : " Christianity is a great and arduous thing ; 
 it is compared with things great and arduous, as 
 in a private concern^ an expensive building is ; in a 
 public one, war. The first parable declares the ne- 
 cessity of hating father, mother, etc., the other, of 
 one's own life, v. 26. The Christian warfare is a sort 
 of royal thing." 
 
 Te7i thousand and ttvenfy ffiousand — the power of 
 the enemy and one's own strength, or Wiiys and 
 
284 
 
 means to meet it. To refer it to the ten command- 
 ments, through the external fulfilment of which men 
 M'ould demand eternal salvation of God as a right, 
 but only to their own confusion, as God demands 
 also an internal fulfilnient of them through a spirit of 
 love, is quite untenable. We are rather to regard 
 the twenty thousand as denoting the enmity of Satan, 
 the hatred of the world, persecutions, afflictions, 
 which, according to Christ's purpose, must be over- 
 come, if we would be true disciples. 
 
 V. 32. Or else, that is, if, on deliberation, he is of 
 opinion that he cannot cope with the more powerful 
 enemy, — cannot reckon on a successful issue. He 
 sendeth an embassage, &c. ; he cannot, and will not 
 hazard a battle, seeing that he should afterwards be 
 obliged to abandon it, which every thoughtless dis- 
 ciple will also do in regard to his following Christ, 
 and that to his great shame. Calvin : " I3ut what 
 Christ says of a king sending a message of peace, 
 when unfit to sustain the attack of war, that he may 
 not be put to an ignominious defeat, ought not to be 
 accommodated to the matter in hand, as if we might 
 have any reconciliation with our spiritual enemy, 
 when our own strength and confidence fail us. But 
 our Lord simply means, that we ought to be in such 
 a state of readiness as not to be taken by surprize, 
 and be led, with shame, to renounce his cause." Lu- 
 ther's note : " No one shall be able to stand before 
 the divine judgment, he shall then despair of all his 
 resources, and seek grace and beg for help in Christ." 
 Olshausen : " The consciousness of our own inca- 
 pacity'^ should lead us to seek for a higher power, to 
 join ourselves to the great empire of light and its 
 prince, which, in all circumstances, contends against 
 the empire of darkness. So that the similitudes, 
 when viewed in connection with v. 26, 27, virtually 
 say : — Ye undertake, when ye begin to follow me, 
 a battle, from which ye cannot retreat ; come first to 
 a conviction of your own weakness, and seek the 
 
THE LOST SHEEP, &C. 285 
 
 higher power of the Spirit, for then only can ye be 
 fit for the kingdom of God." 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 THE LOST SHEEP. 
 
 Luke XV. 1—7. Matth. xviii. 12, 13. 
 
 General IntroducLory Remarks on the Parables i?i the 
 loth Chapter of Luke. 
 
 The five parables, which stand recorded in the 
 fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of Luke, appear to 
 have been delivered at the same time, and before the 
 same hearers, as was the case also with the eight 
 parables in the thirteenth of Matthew ; and, if the 
 latter delineate, in general figures, the nature and 
 destinies of his kingdom, as also the power of his 
 word, the former do not so much refer to the heavenly 
 kingdom, as a whole, as they point, in particular, to 
 the endeavour of Christ to bring the sinner into 
 blessed fellowship with himself, describe the moral 
 condition of those who would participate in the be- 
 nefits of his kingdom, and make known the demands 
 which must be complied with, in order to the attain- 
 ment of this end. 
 
 The fact, that these parables were delivered im- 
 mediately after each other, renders it probable that 
 they were all addressed to the same hearers ; and, 
 among these, there were, besides the twelve, who al- 
 ways accompanied our Lord, others also of his dis- 
 ciples and followers, who, in xvi. 1, are expressly 
 designated as his hearers, — some publicans and sin- 
 ners, who drew near to him, xv. 1, — and, finally, 
 scribes and pharisees, who blamed the fellowship of 
 Jesus with the publicans and sinners, v. 2 ; accord- 
 ing to ch. xvi. 14, these also heard the parable in 
 xvi. 1 — 8, and in continuous discourse, without in- 
 
286 THE LOST SHEEP, &C. 
 
 terniption, tlie Lord speaks to them again the para- 
 ble in V. 15—31. 
 
 Since there is found to be an external connection 
 of this sort, among these parables, it becomes pro- 
 bable that there will also be a corresponding internal 
 relationship, viz. : that, individually, and as a whole, 
 they shall have an exact reference to the very dif- 
 ferent kinds of hearers, to whom they are fitted to 
 administer instruction, correction, improvement or 
 consolation, as the respective conditions of the dif- 
 ferent classes of hearers might require ; and this we 
 should expect to appear as prominently as their re- 
 gular progression and natural growth out of each 
 other, by which their intimate connection is render- 
 ed manifest. The publicans and sinners must have 
 received a new impression of Christ's love and so- 
 licitude for their salvation, must have been filled with 
 new confidence in his grace, confirmed in their de- 
 sire after fellowship with him, comforted under the 
 cold-hearted judgment of the scribes and pharisees 
 concerning them, and especially in the last parable, 
 made acquainted with the proper state of mind in 
 which one may and ought to approach the friend of 
 sinners. The scribes and pharisees had to be opposed, 
 the harsh and unrighteous character of their judg- 
 ment and procedure laid open to their view, and God's 
 gracious disposition toward them unfolded; the Re- 
 deemer had to hold up to them a mirror, in which 
 they might see their own image, their relation to 
 God, and God's judgment concerning them. Finally, 
 the disciples had to learn, from the example and 
 parables of Jesus, the kind of procedure and conduct 
 they had to pursue towards sinners. And as the 
 characteristic traits, which were peculiar to publicans 
 and^ pharisees, lay deeply grounded in the nature of 
 a sinful heart, and are continually reproduced, though 
 under different forms and in different relations, the 
 force and application of these parables may justl}' 
 be extended to all ages of the church of Christ. 
 The accusation which the scribes and pharisees 
 
THE LOST SHEEP, &C. 287 
 
 brought against the conduct of Jesus, in regard to 
 publicans and sinners, furnished the occasion of his 
 delivering the three first parables in justification of 
 himself, that he might put to silence so heartless a 
 ground of accusation. In the two first, he does this by 
 pressing the conclusion, that if it were quite natural 
 for a sheep and piece of silver to be sought with so 
 much trouble, how much more ought a man to be, 
 in like manner, sought for ! And in the parable of 
 the prodigal son, he defends his conduct by disclos- 
 ing the state of mind which belonged to those sinners 
 to v^'hich he showed so much love. The whole three 
 represent a loving disposition ; for it is love which 
 moves the man to seek his sheep and the woman her 
 money; and love, also, which prompts the father to 
 take back his lost son ; but there is an essential dif- 
 ference among the parables, in this respect, that the 
 love unfolded in them is delineated under different 
 aspects. The two first delineate a seeking love, 
 the third a receiving love ; in the former, the matter 
 to be represented was v»'hat the Redeemer must do 
 to bring back the sinner who has wandered from the 
 way of eternal life, to true piety and blessedness ; 
 but in the latter, what the sinner, who really desires 
 to be blessed, and has in him something of a penitent 
 and believing spirit, has reason to expect of him, 
 viz. a ready and most welcome reception. In the 
 two first, the chief character is the seeking shepherd, 
 the seeking woman, that is the Redeemer deeply con- 
 cerned for tfee accomplishment of the sinner's salva- 
 tion, Luke xix. I i ; in the third, it is the sinner, 
 under the image of a lost son, seeking and finding 
 grace. The two former are explained b}^ the words 
 contained in v. 2 ; ^' This man receiveth sinners and 
 ealeth with them," in which the affectionate concern 
 of Christ for the salvation of sinners is blamed ; the 
 last has to do, in the person of the lost son, with the 
 precise characteristic of those who, in that verse, are 
 named sinners. There can be no doubt as to the 
 proper meaning of the different parts of these par-i- 
 
'2SS THE LOST SHEEP, ikc. 
 
 bles. Tlie secret motive of the conduct of the sliep- 
 herd, tlie woman, and the father, is benignant love ; 
 the helpless condition of the wandering sheep cor- 
 responds to the misery of the prodigal son: — the Joy 
 of the shepherd and the woman recurs also in the 
 father, v. 23; the call to friendly rejoicing is describ- 
 ed in V. G, 9, 23, 32 ; the heartless disposition of the 
 scribes and pharisees is, in its nature, source, and 
 manifestations, depicted under the image of the oldest 
 son. 
 
 As it is the object of Jesus to justify his own con- 
 duct, so it is he who is to be understood under the 
 shepherd, the woman, and the father, for the train of 
 thought pursued in the parables, in reference to ver. 
 1 and 2, is this : Ye blame my conduct, but if it must 
 be allowed that the conduct of a shepherd, etc., is as 
 natural as it is good and beneficent ; ye must cast 
 no reflections upon me, for such precisely is my 
 bearing to sinners. And as it is pre-eminently the 
 receiving love of God toward sinners, which is 
 justified in the third parable, it naturally lay out of 
 the way to say any thing of the work of redemption 
 through the death of the Mediator ; but the silence 
 maintained here can be no refutation of the number- 
 less other passages, in which the favour shewn to the 
 sinner is made to depend upon the sacrificial death 
 of Christ. And the objection taken from this para- 
 ble of the lost son against the doctrine of redemption 
 that the sinner returns immediately to God, and, 
 without any regard had to a Mediator, is received 
 and blessed by him, falls of itself to the ground, be- 
 cause Christ is the Father, who receives sinners, v. 
 2, (as father he is also represented in Isaiah ix. 6,) 
 nor is the image of the father at any rale the princi- 
 pal idea, but only his receiving love. The corelative 
 object in all the three parables, the sheep, the piece 
 of money, the son, is the sinner, the individual sin- 
 ner ; for though the departure of the prodigal son 
 from his father might well be understood in reference 
 to the transactions of the fall, or rather, can be appli- 
 
THE LOST SHEEP, &C. 289 
 
 ed to these, inasmuch as the same appearances mani- 
 fest themselves in both ; yet, to make this applica- 
 tion of it is not admissible, since, from the want of 
 any corresponding object to the older son, it cannot 
 be carried through the entire parable. Some expo- 
 sitors, indeed, to make good this application of it, 
 have maintained, that as the prodigal son signifies 
 the whole of humanity, so the holy angels are to be 
 understood by the other son, but it is impossible to at- 
 tribute to the blessed angels so unfeeling and envious 
 a disposition, as is ascribed to the oldest son in v. 
 28 — 30, and it would besides run counter to what is 
 said in v. 7, and especially in v. 10, where our Lord 
 speaks of the joyful sympathy of the angels and in- 
 habitants of heaven. By tlie prodigal son, therefore, 
 we are to understand only individual sinners, and 
 the eldest son is consequently to be identified with 
 the pharisees and scribes ; the objection which is 
 taken against this from v. 29, that no one could boast 
 of so perfect an obedience, is without any weight, 
 since the son merely spoke what he himself judges to 
 be true, that he had conducted himself in a blameless 
 manner, and so as pre-eminently to deserve the ap- 
 probation of his father — and this was precisely what 
 the pharisees judged of themselves. That the father 
 makes no reply to the arrogance of his speech, but 
 passes it by in silence, affords no support to this ob- 
 jection, much less is it a confession to the truth and 
 justice of the affirmations made in the speech. This 
 silence is very naturally explained from the chief de- 
 sign of the parable, which would have suffered vio- 
 lence by entering any farther into the words in ques- 
 tion. And, indeed, the expression in v. 29, carries 
 a reference to those who, according to v. 7, needed 
 no repentance, for the older son was such a one as 
 thought he had no need of repentance, and thus the 
 difficult words in v. 7 derive no doubtful illustra- 
 tion from the sentiment of the older brother, who, 
 like the pharisees in regard to Jesus, murmured a- 
 u 
 
29Ö THE LOST SHEEP, &C. 
 
 gainst the love of his father, and consequently shew- 
 ed that he still did stand in need of repentance. 
 
 In Matthew, the parable of the straying, sought, 
 and again found sheep, must be vievA^ed as designed 
 not so much for the justification of Jesus, as for the 
 farther illustration of the sentiment contained in v. 
 1 1, viz. that the Son of Man came to save that which 
 was lost; and v. 14 then contains a conclusion drawn 
 from the comparison, to the effect that even as the 
 shepherd did not wish the loss of any of his sheep, as 
 little did God wish any of his little ones to perish, 
 and therefore did it behove Christ, as sent by the 
 Father, and come into the world, to save sinners. 
 Calvin: " In Matthew the parable proceeds farther, 
 and intimates not only that the disciples of Christ 
 must be tenderl}' cherished, but that their faults must 
 be borne with, so as that we may be the more suc- 
 cessful in winning them back when they have gone 
 astray. l"or although it is possible that they may 
 sometimes wander, yet because they are sheep, over 
 Avhom God has appointed his own Son to be shep- 
 herd, it is proper that they be gathered from their 
 wanderings ; and it is the less to be permitted that 
 they should be inhumanly driven away. The pur- 
 port of what is contained in Luke is somewhat dif- 
 ferent, and goes to shew, that as the whole human 
 race belongs to God, those who have wandered must 
 be brought back, and the same sort of rejoicing must 
 be held when the wicked have been reclaimed, as is 
 wont to be experienced by him who unexpectedly 
 recovers what he had given up for lost." 
 
 Ver. 1. Then drew near unto him all the 'publicans 
 and sinners ; that is, all who were in that neighbour- 
 hood. Luther, Church-Pos. 13. 31 : " Those were 
 formerly called publicanS; who took from the Ro- 
 mans a city, custom, or bailiwick, paying for it a 
 certain revenue ; and because this was a large sum, 
 
THE LOST SHEEP, &C. 291 
 
 such officials must needs flay people with their exac- 
 tions, that they might make good their own ; hence 
 were they everywhere so notorious for their exactions, 
 that no one expected to find among them much piety 
 or worth. On this account they are named along 
 with sinners, the crowd of wicked and abandoned 
 persons, who lived in open profligacy and licentious- 
 ness." — Drew near to him^ ri<sa\ h/yi^oi^rsg ; it express- 
 es a confidential and continued concourse of such per- 
 sons about Jesus, proceeding from an aff'ection of 
 mind toward him, with the design of listening to him. 
 Luther, as above ; '^ There is still a spark or two of 
 virtue and piety in them, since they seek after Christ, 
 and are desirous to hear him preach, and to see what 
 he would do, for they well knew that he was a pious 
 man, and that in his words and deeds they should 
 find nothing but what was good ; and although their 
 disposition was far from according with his life, yet 
 they are not hostile to him, so that there is still hope 
 of their possibly being improved by him." Comp, 
 ver. 17—20. 
 
 Ver. 2. And the pharisees and scribes murmured. 
 Luther, as above: " Those who were reckoned the 
 best and holiest were such poisonous reptiles, that 
 they not only hated Christ and refused themselves to 
 listen to him, but they could not bear besides that 
 poor sinners should come to him that they might be 
 profited." — Tills man receiveth sinners and eateth 
 with them, Luther again : " See, say they, is this 
 your excellent, pious man ? Who will say now that 
 he is of God, seeing that he takes up with such 
 knaves and reprobates. Nay, he is a glutton and a 
 wine-biber, the associate of publicans and sinners, 
 Matth. xi. 19. Such names must Christ have from 
 the pious, not that he ate, drank, and revelled with 
 them, but only because he suff'ered them to come to 
 him, and did not despise them or push them away 
 from him. They lord it over Christ, and would pre- 
 scribe rules to him, how he should conduct himself 
 and live holily." 
 
292 
 
 THE LOST SHEEP, 
 
 The judgment pronounced by them denotes their 
 want of love, (comp. ver. oO) — for these publicans 
 and sinners were not so bad as the pharisees suppos- 
 ed — and bespoke their heartless indifference toward 
 the iraprotement and salvation of sinners. But it is al- 
 so perverse, for how else could sinners be delivered ? 
 and malicious in respect to Christ, who in his fellow- 
 ship with sinners acted as a physician, (Matth. ix. 12), 
 neither sick himself, nor liable to be sick nor delighting 
 in the sickness of others, but loving the sick so tenderly 
 that he would deliver them from their sickness, which 
 he cordially dislikes. Luther, in his House- Pos, 4. 248, 
 says, concerning the origin of this perverse judgment 
 upon Christ's converse with sinners : " The pharisees 
 interpreted it very ill, as if it had been an indication of 
 peculiar levity, seeing it becomes a pious man to take 
 up and associate with pious people. But the}' knew 
 nothing more of God's word than is taught by Moses 
 and the law. And because the language held there 
 is, that God would be gracious to those who were 
 holy and kept his commandments, but would punish 
 the wicked who do not keep them, the scribes and 
 pharisees therefore concluded, that it did not become 
 men to act otherwise toward sinners than God did 
 towards them. Because he is angry at them and 
 will not receive them, neither must we receive them, 
 but drive them away. Thus also does our reason 
 judge. Our blessed Lord, however, forms another 
 judgment, and makes no account of such reasoning 
 as that of the pharisees, nay, comes precisely to the 
 opposite conclusion, viz. that God is not an enemy to 
 sinners, nor has any desire for their death, therefore 
 could he, Jesus Christ, not be an enemy to them. 
 This is a different doctrine from that of Moses and 
 the law, — a doctrine which does not grow up in our 
 hearts, but is brought down to us from heaven by the 
 Son of God." Whenever, therefore, from want of 
 Christian feeling, the reception of sinners is blamed, 
 we must support ourselves by taking up the Christian 
 position — this Jesus receives sinners. Mel. : " Christ, 
 
THE LOST SHEEP. 293 
 
 however, so receives and gathers a church even from 
 those who have lived without the restraint of godly 
 discipline, only if they repent ; he does not receive 
 those who persevere in sin against their conscience, 
 as is plainly declared, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. 1 John iii. 8. 
 Let us therefore understand that repentance is neces- 
 sary." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 What a value Christ sets on the salvation of each 
 sinner. 
 
 This is discovered : 
 I. From the pains taken by him for the salvation of 
 the erring sinner ; 
 (1.) The ground of this being done : 
 
 a.) Because every sinner belongs to Christ ; v. 
 4 : What man is there having an hundred 
 sheep. 
 b.) Because, being full of love, he wills the sal- 
 vation of every sinner ; v. 4 : If he lose one 
 of them. 
 c.) Because the misery of the sinner is so great, 
 v. 4 : It is a lost sheep. 
 (2.) The outward manifestation of it: 
 
 a.) He applies to each sinner a special atten- 
 tion ; V. 4 : He leaves the ninety and nine in 
 the wilderness. 
 b.) He willingly undertakes all trouble, in order 
 to save him, v. 4 : Goes after that which is 
 lost, 
 c.) And is indefatigable in his eflforts to save, v. 
 4 : Until he find it. 
 II. From what takes place after the salvation of the 
 sinner, and that, 
 (1.) In reference to himself: 
 
 a) He does not treat him with deserved punish- 
 ment, V. 5. 
 b.) He facilitates his safe return to the good, v. 
 5. 
 
294 THE LOST SHEEP. 
 
 c.) He gives expression to his heartfelt joy, v. 5. 
 (2.) In reference to others, who are called to a par- 
 ticipation in the joy : 
 a.) Because he rejoices himself, v. 6. Rejoice 
 
 with me : 
 b.) Because the salvation is so happy a circum- 
 stance, V. 6. For I have found, &c. 
 c.) Because the inhabitants of heaven show that 
 they gladly participate in the joy, v. 7. 
 
 V. 4. Who has an hundred sheep, he is a rich 
 shepherd ; if he lose one of them, the care and over- 
 sight, which he directs toward all, does not lead hira 
 to neglect any part, he is equally attentive to all, 
 Matth. X. 30, — even the individual sinner is not be- 
 neath his notice, though the pharisees could look 
 upon all sinners with indifference. Gnomon : ^' The 
 largeness of the flock discloses the concern of the 
 shepherd for one sheep." The shepherd is proprie- 
 tor, Luther, House-Pos. 4. 252: " Our blessed Lord 
 says : Sinners are my purchased, dear-bought pro- 
 perty, for I have bought them to myself by my suffer- 
 ings and death ; so that, should they again escape 
 from my hands, and go out of the way, it is impos- 
 sible for me not to grieve and be deeply affected, 
 since they have cost me so dear, and have become so 
 much an object of concern that it would indeed jDain 
 me were they still to fall into the hands of the devil." 
 This is the first ground of love, and the next is set 
 forth in the miserable condition of the lost sheep. 
 " Nothing (as Luther says), can be more miserable ; 
 for when a sheep has wandered from the flock into 
 the wilderness it cannot help itself, but is every mo- 
 ment in danger, without being able to uphold or de- 
 fend itself. Even so is it with the sinner. There 
 remains for us just this one consolation, that we have 
 a shepherd, one blessed Redeemer, who himself un- 
 dertakes for us and seeks us. The multitude (he 
 elsewhere says, Church-Pos. 13. 52) must not be 
 reckoned the lost sheep, who live on securely in their 
 
THE LOST SHEEP. 295 
 
 sins, and are alike indifferent whether God smiles or 
 frowns ; but they are the erring, lost sheep, who are 
 touched with a sense of sin, and stand in the conflict 
 of faith, in doubt and concern, whether God will be 
 gracious to them." In this state, according to v, 2, 
 were the pubHcans and sinners who were received by- 
 Christ. 
 
 Doth not leave the ninefy and nine i?i the wilderness, 
 properly, upon the pasture- ground, in the pinfold, 
 where they are well cared for. Luther, House-Pos. 
 4. 252: " Just as a mother, who has many children, 
 that are all equally dear to her, and would not have, 
 one of them taken from her, should it happen that 
 one of them falls sick and comes into jeopardy, this 
 makes a difference among the children, the sick one 
 becomes now the dearest, and she can neither in- 
 terest herself much in any thing besides, nor pay much 
 heed to it. If any one would judge of love by the 
 diligence applied, he would say, — the mother loves 
 the sick child, but not the others that are in health. 
 So, the Lord here says, it is with me in regard to the 
 sinner." The first manifestation of love to the sin- 
 ner, in that he becomes the object of such special 
 care and attention. 
 
 And go after that which is lost — in order to seek 
 it ; to apply all care, love, and faithfulness toward 
 the recovery of the sinner, for of his own accord he 
 would not come back to enjoy the blessed fellowship 
 with God, but would go into a state of endless perdi- 
 tion — hence a divine plan of salvation is necessary. 
 Gnomon: " In recovering the soul, it is not man but 
 God who labours, as it were, v. 8." Luther, as 
 above : " Such seeking proceeds, when Christ every- 
 where causes his word to be publicly proclaimed. 
 In it we hear how dreadful an evil and burden sin is, 
 which brings us down to everlasting condemnation, 
 (the law) ; but there also we hear, that God's pater- 
 nal love has been moved, that he has given us his 
 dear Son, and cares for nothing but that we thankfully 
 receive the gift, rest in faith upon his word, and be- 
 
296 
 
 THE LOST SHEEP. 
 
 come willingly obedient to him, (the gospel)." The 
 second manifestation of love. 
 
 Until he find it ; this marks the continued, un- 
 wearied endeavour of the poor shepherd to effect the 
 deliverance of the sinner; he leaves nothing untried, 
 through parents, teachers, conscience, providences, 
 (v. 14, the scarcity has an effect on the resolu- 
 tion of the prodigal son,) in order to work upon the 
 sinner, and beget in him the desire of amendment. 
 Third manifestation of love. Luther, as above : 
 " Such finding takes place when the wandering 
 sheep, the poor sinner, from the word preached, 
 comes in confidence to God, thinks and resolves 
 within himself: Quick, quick return and cease, ere 
 God's anger overtake thee, while he would still be 
 gracious to thee, if thou only wouldest not, through 
 such wayward sinfulness, sink deeper into guilt." 
 Gnomon: " Therefore did Jesus Christ follow sinners 
 even to their meals and tables, where their sin prin- 
 cipally manifested itself." 
 
 V. 5. He lavelh it on his shoulders rejoicing, — the 
 first manifestation of joy at having found the sheep, 
 the other is given in v. 6. Instead of venting re- 
 proaches, he lightens the sinner's return by this ex- 
 ercise of love, helps him to overcome hindrances, re- 
 moves difficulties, strengthens weakness with divine 
 power, V. 20—23. Luther House-Pos. 4.254: " He 
 forgives them their sins, and takes them under the 
 wing of his protection, that they may be secure 
 from the wolf and other wild beasts." " He deals 
 with the sheep, not bylaw or force, as he well might, 
 driving it before him like other sheep, and letting it 
 go itself; but he takes all the labour and trouble up- 
 on himself, that the sheep may have ease and rest, 
 and does it heartily. And so the sheep is safe from 
 all error and delusion, danger and destruction. This 
 is indeed a refreshing picture, full of love and conso- 
 lation. This bearing secures that we be kept safe, and 
 have nothing to fear, just as the sheep on the shoulders 
 does not concern itself, should the hounds be bellow- 
 
THE LOST SHEEP. 297 
 
 ing, or the wolf prowling around. Therefore we also, 
 so long as we abide in faith, need not be afraid of be- 
 coming lost, for we are not then pursuing our own 
 course, not even walking upon our own feet, but hang 
 upon the neck of our beloved shepherd. — else were 
 we indeed poor sheep ready to perish." Gnomon : 
 " He might have used the service of a menial, but 
 love and joy make the work pleasant to himself." 
 Mel. : '* The text contains a sweet intimation of the 
 passion of Christ ; he places the found sheep upon 
 his shoulders, that is, he transfers our burden to him- 
 self, becomes a victim for us ; thence bearing us, he 
 carries us to his own flock, bears, feeds, sustains and 
 governs us." 
 
 V. 6. This demand occurs in v. 28 — 32, and has 
 reference to the pharisees. Such mutual joy has its 
 ground in true love to Christ and sinners as our bre- 
 thren ; it is justified by the pains of the shepherd, 
 and the good fortune of the sinner as having attain- 
 ed to salvation ; it is the will of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and in its own nature a feeling that has place 
 in heaven, as we learn from v. 7, while, on the other 
 hand, the mode of thinking adopted by the pharisees, 
 V. 2, and by the elder brother, v. 28, is ungodly, 
 wicked and devilish. Luther, House -Pos. 4. 253: "The 
 heart of our Lord Jesus Christ is here represented so 
 full of joy and love, that it were impossible for any 
 one to make him appear more kind and joj^ful. Gno- 
 mon : " Jesus Christ at his ascension plainly returned 
 home, for heaven is his home, John xiv. 2, and then 
 especially did he certify the heavenly inhabitants of 
 what he had done on earth. Hence 'i(jTai, ivill be, the 
 future in v. 7, but ylvsrai is, the present in v. 10. 
 Interchange these words for a little, and you wdli per- 
 ceive the difference." Friends and neighbours., Gno- 
 mon : " The different orders of heavenly beings, not 
 excepting the angels, v. 10. Neighbours, those who 
 inhabit not the same, but an adjoining house ; friends, 
 those who from good- will take part." 
 
 V. 7. The practical application of the parable. 
 
298 THE LOST SHEEP. 
 
 Joy in heaven^ before God with Christ, the holy 
 angels and all the saints, showing that the heavenly 
 inhabitants participate in such transactions occur- 
 ring on earth, as have an important bearing on the 
 divine kingdom, and thereby implying a new, a 
 primary obligation on the part of the good to re- 
 ceive sinners, as also a justification of the conduct of 
 Jesus. Gnomon : " U7ito you, most sharply rebuk- 
 ing by this joy, the murmuring of the pharisees. 
 The shepherd, Jesus Christ, has many friends and 
 neighbours, but especiall}^ the spirits of the just, who 
 may the rather participate in thisjoy, because they are 
 more closely allied to men. In v. 10, a rise is made 
 to the angels, who are there more especially named, 
 because the man Christ is not contemplated, as pre- 
 sent. Nor are the angels said to know the event 
 from intercourse with men, for they cannot all be 
 with any one man, but from its being revealed by 
 the Lord, which it may equally be to the spirits of 
 the just. Thus in Rev. xviii. 20, the other inhabit- 
 ants of heaven are distinguished from the angels." 
 
 One sinner that repenteih. Luther House-Pos. 4. 
 255 : '• It is not called repentance, if men merely in 
 outward behaviour become holy, but when they trust 
 in God's goodness through Christ, and believe in the 
 forgiveness of sins. Such sinners will Christ re- 
 ceive, v. 2, 17 — 19 He w^ould also gladly receive 
 others, but they \\\\\ not come to him, and so he 
 must let them go." Repentance, accordingly in- 
 cludes faith in itself, takes its rise in a change of 
 mind, and leads to amendment of life, both outwardly 
 and inwardly. Over one sinner, more than over ninety 
 and nine just persons, — the greatness of this joy 
 arises from the difRculiies attending conversion, and 
 its unexpectedness, just as one is disposed to prize 
 health more highly after sickness, and life, after a 
 remarkable deliverance from danger. Grotius : "It 
 is said there is more joy, because things uniooked 
 for, or well-nigh despaired of, affect us more deeply. 
 But it is much more difficult to break off the habit of 
 
THE LOST SHEEP. 299 
 
 sin, than to continue in an approved course of life, 
 without open backsliding." The sense of the ex- 
 pression, however, as in Luke xviii. 14. Matth. xxi. 
 31, is this, — There is great joy over such sinners, but 
 none at all over those who think they are righteous, 
 though they are really not so. To understand by 
 the righteous, persons of such supposititious piety is 
 quite necessary, on account of the reference which 
 this parable carries to the pharisees, and the de- 
 scription given of the old brother. Grotius: "Christ 
 opposes ninety-nine just persons to one sinner, not 
 because the fact actually stood thus, for very few 
 live according to strict rule, but because, although 
 matters had so stood, even for the sake of that one, 
 great labour would have been undertaken ; how much 
 more when in this degenerate world, there was such 
 a multitude of sinners, such a scarcity of righteous 
 men !" Who need no repentance^ — is therefore the 
 course of such as hold themselves for righteous. It 
 might be granted that they do not need such a re- 
 pentance or conversion as the prodigal son, but daily 
 repentance, daily increase and growth in what is 
 good is needed by every one. Our Lord here then 
 accords no actual righteousness to the scribes and 
 pharisees, Matt. v. 20. Gnomon : '< They do not 
 need repentance, because they are with the shepherd, 
 and have already repented. The righteous man is 
 in the way, — the penitent returns to it." Calvin : 
 " The word repentance, is especially restricted to the 
 conversion of those, who having been wholly alien- 
 ated from God, are raised as from death to life. For 
 otherwise there ought to be a purpose of repentance 
 through the whole life ; nor is any one exempted 
 from this necessity, since the faults and imperfections 
 of all urge them to strive after daily advancement."* 
 
 ^ [In the concluding remarks on this parable, the same 
 thing occurs, of which notice has been taken in a previous note. 
 Our author throws out a certain opinion regarding the com- 
 paratively little rejoicing which is held over the ninety and 
 nine righteous persons, and presently introduces quotations 
 
300 THE LOST PIECE OF SILVER. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 THE LOST PIECE OF SILVER, (DRACHMA.) 
 
 Luke XV. 8—10. 
 
 On Christ's design in delivering a second parable, 
 so very similar to the preceding one, Luther says, 
 House-Pos. 4. 257 : " That our Lord did not stop 
 
 from other commentators, who express themselves in favour 
 of a different opinion. We think our author has not displayed 
 his usual discrimination in the view he has himself adopted on 
 this occasion. It gives a very jejune turn to the sentiment to 
 make it mean, " There is great joy over repenting sinners, 
 but none over those who think they are righteous, though they 
 are really not so " None ! certainly not, less than none — they 
 are in the very opposite condition to that which can be the 
 occasion of joy to holy beings. But in this way the sentiment 
 loses ail its point,— it would be much the same as to say, that 
 the woman in the next parable who had found the lost piece of 
 silver, rejoiced greatly on account of that one, but did not re- 
 joice on account of some other nine pieces she possessed of 
 counteifeit coin. Such a shallow sentiment was not worth 
 being uttered, and if it had, would not have served the pur- 
 pose our Lord had in view, — it could not have justified his pe- 
 cuhar solicitude for the recovery, and his peculiar joy at the 
 repentance of profligate sinners. The ground of the one, was 
 the extreme peril in which they stood, while still sinners ; the 
 ground of the other, the safe and blessed condition on which, 
 through repentance, they had just entered. The transition 
 from the one of these conditions to the other, is that which 
 constitutes the grand peculiarity in the case of the repentant 
 sinner, and gives rise to feelings in Christ and the holy angels, 
 concerning him which are not called for in the case of the 
 righteous. The righteous — those who really are such, not in 
 their own estimation merely, but in the mind and reckoning 
 of God — they are estal)lished in the possession of hfe and 
 blessing, — they are basking in the sunshine of divine favour, 
 secure of every real and substantial good, and on that account 
 they are indeed the objects of complacent delight to the in- 
 habitants of heaven ; but the farther they are from the con- 
 dition of sinners, the moi-e secure thev are from the danger of 
 eternal ruin, there is so much the less call for exulting over 
 them with the singular, extraordinary joy at present in ques- 
 
THE LOST PIECE OF SILVER. 301 
 
 with the one parable of the shepherd and sheep, but 
 went on to give another, he showed therein his will 
 that others also should follow his example, not vile- 
 ly casting away sinners, but seeking to bring them to 
 repentance. But what he says further in this para- 
 ble may be thus, perhaps, explained. The first 
 parable bears respect solely to our blessed Lord 
 himself, who is the only true shepherd, and is not 
 hostile to the sheep, but lays down his life for it, that 
 it might be delivered and set free from the devil. 
 But the other parable of the woman bears respect to 
 the Christian church, which has committed to it the 
 office of preaching, that poor sinners may be shut 
 up to repentance, delivered from condemnation, and 
 made eternally blessed." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The value of the lost sinner in the estimation of 
 Christ. This is made to appear : 
 
 1. From the dignity which belongs to man even in 
 his lost condition ; 
 
 (1.) He is, indeed lost to the original end of 
 
 his being, — a lost coin ; 
 (2.) But he can be restored to this again, — the 
 lost money can be recovered. 
 
 tion. Our Lord, therefore, is not thinking here of such pre- 
 tenders to righteousness as the scribes and pharisees, but of 
 those who, whatever they may once have been, are now settled 
 in a state of peace with God, and blessed enjoyment of his fa- 
 vour. He is bringing out a great principle of the divine go- 
 vernment in regard to others, who are just entering into this 
 state, from one entirely the reverse, and his object is simply 
 to tell us, that while still unreclaimed, they are hke the lost 
 sheep, the objects of a special solicitude — when recovered, the 
 occasion of a special and quite peculiar joy ; and this, not he- 
 cause it «as a better thing in itself to exercise the repentance 
 which brought such a happy change, than to be in a condition 
 which did not need such a change to be wrought, but only be- 
 cause a condition so fmught w,tli peril, had been exchanged 
 for one so unspeakably better,] — .Trans. 
 
302 THE LOST PIECE OF SILVER. 
 
 If. From the pains taken by the Lord for the lost 
 
 sinner. 
 III. From the joy experienced on account of his de- 
 liverance, and which discoveis itself: 
 
 (1.) Both in regard to the Lord himself, v. 9; 
 
 Rejoice with me ; 
 (2.) And also in regard to others, v. 9, 10. 
 
 V. 8. Pieces of silvery — the coin mentioned is the 
 drachma, of the value of sevenpence half-penny. 
 Gray: " Here the primeval dignity of the soul, in 
 its original state, is compared to a piece of silver, 
 having the image of the great Sovereign of the uni- 
 verse stamped upon it. ' God made man upright,' 
 bearing resemblance to himself in his intellectual and 
 moral attributes, capable of an endless j)rogress to- 
 ward perfection. But man, being left to the freedom 
 of his will, degenerated from the rectitude of his 
 nature, so that his original glory is departed from 
 him. In this state of moral corruption, he is com- 
 pared, here, to a piece of beautiful coin, for a time 
 lost in the dust of the earth, where its former lustre 
 is miserably tarnished, and its value diminished. 
 Such is the fatal influence of sensual passions to de- 
 face the divine image after which we were created," 
 Similar images are to be found in Lam. iv. 1. Isa. i. 
 22. Jer. vi. SO. 
 
 Light a candle and sweep the house, — an image of 
 earnest desire, and of the great trouble, prompted by 
 love, which was taken to recover what was lost, v. 
 9. Friends and neighbours, (female,) Gnomon : 
 " The angelic hosts have not the distinction of sexes ; 
 they are considered, however, as remaining at home 
 or going abroad — abroad, in manly attire, prepared 
 for war ; at home, in the domestic and peaceful garb 
 of females." 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 203 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 Luke XV. 11—32. 
 
 Upon the incomparable beauty of this parable, La- 
 vater, in his reflections upon the most important 
 passages of the gospels, thus remarks: " What would 
 not Christ have deserved of humanity if he had done 
 nothing else than delivered this parable or history, 
 with its meaning? I may boldly say, where is there 
 any thing to be found like this parable? What hu- 
 man teacher has placed the folly of human nature, 
 and the consequences of this folly, in such simple, 
 clear, and graphic colours before our eyes ; and, in 
 contrast therewith, has given of the long-suffering 
 and compassion of God so inexpressibly rich an ex- 
 hibition, as is done in this discourse, which, also, has 
 no parallel for its adaptation to the capacity of all I 
 Had Christ only come to the earth for the purpose of 
 delivering this parable, — on that account alone should 
 all mortal and immortal beings have concurred in bend- 
 ing the knee before him, and confessing with their 
 tongues, that he is a Son immeasurably superior to 
 all others, to the glory of God the Father." There- 
 min, in his Sermons, vol. iii., says of this parable : 
 " Is there any instruction concerning the state of 
 human nature ; — is there a warning to recal us from 
 the path of destruction; — is there an assurance of 
 divine grace and compassion which is not contained 
 in these few words, and unfolded there to our view?" 
 It is certainly wrong in Vitringa and others, to 
 understand this parable of the reception of the hea- 
 then to the fellowship of the gospel, and the envy 
 and dislike with which this was regarded by the 
 Jews. For, as the occasion of the parable had no 
 reference at all to this, and its comprehensive im- 
 port is quite lost by such a reference j so it is un- 
 
304 THE mODIGAL SON. 
 
 doubtedly better and more agreeable to the design 
 of Jesus, to understand it of the gracious reception, 
 which the sinner may expect from the mercy of 
 God, whenever, with true contrition and childlike 
 confidence, he turns from his evil ways, and yields 
 himself to God. Calvin : " This parable is simply 
 a confirmation of the preceding doctrine. And, un- 
 der the person of this young prodigal, Christ de- 
 scribes all sinners, who, wearied with their own folly, 
 throw themselves on the grace of God." Mel. : 
 " Although the parable may, with propriety, be re- 
 ferred to the Jews and gentiles ; yet, under the pro- 
 digal son, men are universally to be understood, who 
 live, without restraint, in open abandonment. And, 
 on the other hand, the more prudent son represents 
 those who are decent and upright in their lives." 
 
 The parable divides itself into four chief heads ; 
 1. ver. 11 — 16, representing the falling away of the 
 sinner from God, and the great misery consequent 
 thereupon to himself; 2. ver. 17 — 20, describe the 
 change of mind which he underwent ; 3. ver. 20 — 
 24, relate the gracious reception which he met with 
 from his father ; 4. ver, 25 — 32, exhibit the feelings 
 and behaviour of the elder brother. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of repentance. 
 
 1. The necessity of repentance is grounded : 
 (1.) In the state of preceding sinfulness ; 
 
 a) Origin thereof, v. 12 : Give me. Father, &c. 
 
 b) Nature of sin, v. 13: And not long thereaf- 
 ter, &c. 
 
 c) Manifestation of itself, v. 13: And there 
 wasted his substance, &c. 
 
 (2.) And in the misery consequent upon sin ; 
 a) The man still has a desire after blessedness, 
 V. 14. 
 
THE PRODIQAL SON. 305 
 
 h) And feels his miserable condition, v. 14: 
 Began to be in want. 
 
 c) And seeks in vain for relief, v. 15 : Went 
 and joined himself, &c. 
 
 d) And sinks the longer the deeper, v. 15 : Sent 
 him to feed swine ; 
 
 e) And never finds the longed for satisfaction, 
 V. 16. 
 
 II. The nature of repentance is described, v. 17 — 20: 
 (1.) The sinner comes to a right understanding, 
 
 V. 17 : Came to himself. 
 
 (2.) Perceives the exceeding greatness of his mi- 
 sery, v. 17: How many hired servants in my 
 father's house, &c. 
 
 (3.) Forms good resolutions, v. 18 : I will arise, 
 &c. 
 
 (4.) Recognizes his guilt, v. 18: Father I have 
 sinned, &c. 
 
 (5.) Humbles himself, v. 19. 
 
 (6.) By faith actually returns, v. 20 : He arose and 
 came to his father. 
 
 III. The blessed result of repentance is set forth, v^ 
 20—32 : 
 
 (1.) In reference to a compassionate God, v. 20 — 
 24. 
 
 a) God descries the repentant feeling, v. 20 : 
 When he was yet a great way off, &c. 
 
 b) Graciously receives the sinner, v. 20: Had 
 compassion, &c. 
 
 c) Facilitates to him the execution of his pur- 
 pose, V. 21. 
 
 d) Heaps upon him marks of love, grace and 
 goodness, v. 22, 23. 
 
 e) And calls for a general expression of joy, v. 
 24. 
 
 (2.) In reference to the self-righteous, v. 25 — 32. 
 
 a) Their cold-hearted envy is thereby excited, 
 V. 28 : He was angry, &c. 
 
 b) They accuse God of unrighteousness, v. 29, 
 30. 
 
 X 
 
306 THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 c) They overlook God's goodness to themselves, 
 V. 31. 
 
 d) And violate the obligations to mutual love, 
 V. 32. 
 
 V. 1 2. Father give me the portion of goods that 
 falleth to me, — a speech of self-sufficient, and way- 
 wEtf-d selfishness, originating in a feeling, that man 
 has something to be regarded as his own, and mani- 
 festing an unchildlike, ungodly state of mind. Mel. : 
 " The son is guilty of a twofold error, first seeking 
 his inheritance before the time, while his father was 
 still living, then withdrawing himself from the au- 
 thority of his father, and going where he should not 
 be checked by paternal admonitions. Thus in our 
 wantonness we all seize upon the inheritance before 
 the. time, — the gifts of mind and other things, which 
 God has bestosved upon us for his service, transfer- 
 ring to ourselves and wickedly abusing, so that our 
 mind is not made the dwelling-place of God,' our body 
 is polluted and rendered an instrument of the devil, 
 and our goods are expended upon base pleasures. 
 Mark here also grammatically, smßaXXov [Msoog is a 
 geometrical term, and is used to denote a certain pro- 
 portion." And he divided unto them his living, he 
 gave it up, without any restraint upon its free use ; 
 God deals with man as a free being, subject to no 
 compulsion. 
 
 V. 13. And not many days after, the younger son 
 gathered all together, and took his journey into a far 
 country, — the essence of all sin, separation and de- 
 parture from God. The design of the son is to be 
 happy, and independence of his father — perfect free- 
 dom appears to him to be an indispensable condition 
 of happiness; hence he regards his dependance upon 
 a wise and good father, as a hindrance to his enjoy- 
 ment, and chooses a state of separation from him, as 
 the only effectual means of accomplishing his design, 
 ?nd making good his hopes. In this there was ma- 
 nifested a want of confidence in the love and svisdom 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 307 
 
 of his father, and an ungracious, insolent slighting of 
 the comfort he had hitherto experienced under his 
 father's roof. The removal to a distant place, shows 
 the unchildlike heart of the son. Grotius : " Appro- 
 pfiately in regard to the thing signified, for they are 
 said to remove themselves far from God, who lay 
 aside all fear of him, Ps. Ixxiii. 27." — And there 
 ivasted his substance ivith riotous living. When with- 
 drawn from fellowship with God, man sinks conti- 
 nually deeper, so that all the powers and faculties of 
 his soul are misapplied and squandered upon what is 
 worthless, and the gifts bestowed upon him are lost 
 to their proper destination. The necessity of divine 
 guidance, and of childlike subordination, the incapa- 
 city of man to govern himself, and the rashness of 
 his foolish levity, are here depicted. Calvin : " Nor 
 is it to be doubted, that under this picture, the ex- 
 traordinary goodness of God, and his incomparable 
 long-suffering toward us is disclosed, lest the exces- 
 sive magnitude of our guilt, might deter us from the 
 hope of obtaining pardon." Theremin, as above : 
 " What avail us the high endowments with which 
 the goodness of God has enriched us, even in our 
 banishment, since the love to him, which ought to 
 have directed all their use, is awanting, and selfish- 
 ness, with all the desires it naturally gives rise to, 
 has obtained the supremacy ! We do often but mis- 
 employ our reason, to gratify our lusts, — we destroy 
 our good by indulgence." 
 
 V. 14 — 16. The mournful consequences of de- 
 parture from God are here depicted. Mel. : " For 
 the most part, temporal punishments regularl}"^ follow, 
 even in this life, contempt of God, and that for three 
 reasons, — on account of God's justice, for the restraint 
 of men's passions, and as calls to repentance." His 
 having spent all, marks the internally degraded state 
 of the sinner, his ignorance, his unbelief, Eph. iv. 18, 
 19. Rom. i. 21. — There arose a mighty famine — the 
 desire of good, the longing after bliss is never wholly 
 extinguished in the human heart, however far sinners 
 
308 THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 are from rightly understanding it ; and, if at times it 
 seems quite gone, and sinners think themselves happy, 
 other times again come, when they begin to be in 
 want. i. e. to have a keen feeling of their necessities, 
 their misery, and the unsatisfying nature of all that 
 is temporal ; for he hungers, or seeks after what can 
 afford a better and truer satisfaction to the wants of 
 his nature. 
 
 V. 1.5. The greatness of the sinner's misery must 
 soon remind him of the heart and house of his father ; 
 but still he is so proud as to think that he will suc- 
 ceed, that he can help himself, and possibly may find 
 aid elsewhere, so that he shall be spared the neces- 
 sity of humbling himself before his father. " He 
 went and joined himself to a citizen of thatco^mtry^ — 
 the sinner seeks enjoyment among the children of 
 this world; worldly wisdom, worldly cares and 
 labours must provide him with the necessary and 
 wished for help. Gnomon : " Although he was not 
 made a citizen here. He who is on the way of 
 amendment is often held fast in his error, by some- 
 thing thrown out to him from the men of this world." 
 Theremin : " Instead of that freedom which is only 
 to be found in God's service, who always commands 
 what is best, most honourable and blessed, we have 
 sunk into the most wretched and despicable slavery. 
 That princrple in our nature, which makes it painful 
 for us to deny ourselves to feelings of honour and of 
 shame, is now laid hold of by sin, which reigns over 
 us ; and we continue to live in sin, because we want 
 courage to break up all our relations, because our 
 pride will not bear that we should declare our past 
 life to be error and sin." He sent him into his fields to 
 feedsivine, according to Jewish notions, which regard- 
 ed swine as impure, this is an image of the most strin- 
 gent necessity, of the deepest wretchedness, of the 
 most depressed condition. Once a son, now a slave; 
 once in his father's house, now in that of an alien; 
 once with a most affectionate parent, now with a 
 hard master. Such is the sinner's miserable state. 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 309 
 
 Ver. 16. And he xoould fain have filled his hellt f 
 with the husksy — things ivithout value, power, or 
 substance, quite incapable of satisfying iiis desire, — 
 vain wisdom and such like things he seeks after. 
 Gnomon : " The greater the vanity of the things, the 
 more his desire grows.'' — A?td no one gave to him, — 
 he does not find in them what he hoped and wished, 
 cannot appropriate them for the satisfaction of his 
 soul. What are here called husks, are properly a 
 kind of pods — the pods of the carob tree, with which 
 swine are fed. 
 
 Ver. 17. When he came to himself; Gnomon: 
 •^^ Food for the dissipation of his mind, (in French 
 not inaptly expressed by se diverlir) had failed. His 
 return takes its beginning in the depth of his misery, 
 which had so far allayed the fever of sin, that he can 
 first come to himself and then to his God, penitence, 
 conversion." When his necessity had reached its 
 highest pitch, and all endeavours to help himself or 
 obtain deliverance from men had failed, he arrives at 
 last at a clearer and more perfect apprehension of his 
 state, which hitherto the intoxication of pleasure and 
 the blinding influence of life had prevented him from 
 seeing. Necessity, therefore, was and still is often 
 the means, which onr Heavenly Father uses to awa- 
 ken sinners to the perception of the one grand neces- 
 sity, — to occa.^ion it is the part of the seeking shep- 
 herd. Calvin : " We have here described to us the 
 manner in which God invites men to repentance. If 
 they were wise in themselves, and would yield to in- 
 struction, he would draw them more gently, but be- 
 cause they will not become obedient unless subdued 
 by discipline, he deals with them more severely." 
 
 How many hired servants of my father's have bread 
 enough and to spare^ and I perish with hunger, — a 
 plain confession of the exceeding greatness of his mi- 
 sery, represented in the contrasted circumstances, 
 servants and son, — they possessed of all abundance, 
 he perishing for want. In this comparison appear 
 the first traces of a change of mind on the part of the 
 
310 THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 son ; living in the father's house has come again to 
 be an object of desire, dependance is salutarj'^, and 
 what he once so contemptuously slighted, he now re- 
 cognises as a real good ; he thinks, judges, feels and 
 perceives now, quite differently, nay in a precisely 
 opposite manner to what he formerly did, and feels 
 sensibly drawn to what he once had an aversion. 
 
 V. 18. From this pre-existing change in thought 
 and feeling, comes the purpose. — / tvill arise ^ etc. — 
 and finally the execution of this purpose by actually 
 going ; so that repentance is here described in its 
 leading features as a complete revolution in know- 
 ledge, sentiment, will, and consequent behaviour. — 
 Father^ I have sinned against thee., and before thee. 
 By the term Father, he expresses his confidence in 
 the still unchanged and loving disposition toward him 
 of his much wronged parent. Genuine repentance, 
 us it is not without knowledge of its fault, so it is 
 not ashamed to confess its iniquity, viewing this in 
 its real magnitude, as a violation of the obligations 
 toward God and our neighbour, by acts of sin. 
 There is to be found no excusing, no palliating or di- 
 minishing of past transgression, but much self-re- 
 proach, where repentance is sincere and earnest; — 
 and at the same time a self-condemnation, as the 
 words in ver. 19 shew, in which the deep humility is 
 expressed, wherewith the repentant sinner acknow- 
 ledges, that he has only to do with grace, altogether 
 irrespective of the outward standing that may belong 
 to him in consequence of his good or bad behaviour ; 
 hence the son would be content with the place of a 
 servant ; and this affords decisive proof of the ge- 
 nuineness of his repentance, in that he experienced 
 godly sorrow more on account of sin itself, than the 
 sad consequences it had occasioned. Grotius : " He 
 does not cast the blame upon his youth, or upon his 
 ill advisers, but without excuse of any sort he makes 
 naked confession of his guilt.'' Schölten : " The 
 things recorded in ver. 17 — 19, may be regarded by 
 some as the returning of a man to a better life, or the 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 311 
 
 beginnings of his conversion, thenceforth aided by 
 God, and through his grace brought to a happy issue, 
 so that the man thus attains to a fully converted 
 state. But not only the entire doctring of the gospel, 
 as taught by the apostles and evangelists, but even 
 the story of this parable itself, will not allow us to 
 speak thus. For the publicans and sinners did not 
 of their own accord enter upon a new life, but 
 through the mighty power of our Lord's doctrine 
 upon their minds, whereby they v,-ere convinced of 
 their own depravity, of the misery thence arising to 
 themselves, of the wrath of God, and their liability to 
 future punishment, if they did not renounce their 
 sinful ways ; and these representations, aided by the 
 miraculous deeds of Christ, which convinced them of 
 his divine origin. By comparing this parable also 
 with the preceding ones, it manifestly appears, that 
 the first rise of conversion in the soul is not from man 
 himself, but from God, who begins the operation in 
 a way suitable to reason, sometimes by other means, 
 but especially by the word of the gospel rendered ef- 
 fectual by the grace of the Holy Spirit. For the 
 sheep, which had wandered from the flock, returned 
 not to the shepherd of its own accord, but the shep- 
 herd carefully sought until he found it ; and the 
 piece of mone}^ which the woman lost, needed to be 
 diligently searched for, and only thus was recovered. 
 But why these things ? To shew, that the conver- 
 sion of men to God, from whom they have revolted, 
 must be ascribed only to God himself." 
 
 V. 20. Atid he arose and came to his father. — The 
 execution of his purpose lets us see into the heart of 
 this lost child, how faith wrought there, i. e. firm and 
 cheerful confidence in the still unchanged, abidingly 
 affectionate and gracious feeling of the father to- 
 ward him though a sinner, — and also hope, i. e. an 
 unshaken confidence in the exercise of love, which 
 he expected of his father, — namely, pardon and ac- 
 ceptance. Without faith and hope he would not 
 have returned ; without them, therefore, he should 
 
312 THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 not have been saved, — he would have sunk into de- 
 spair and there perished- The source of this faith 
 could not be his state, his misery, but only the early 
 acquired experience of his father's love, (v. 12.) 
 Every repentant sinner has now, besides, God's 
 word of promise, upon which he can rest in faith. 
 Matth> >.i. 28 — 30, and even this faith is salvation be- 
 gun.^ 
 
 ^ [ The connection between repentance and faith, and their mu- 
 tual action and re-action in the case of the prodigal, is so happily 
 expressed by Draeseke in the following remarks, that we can- 
 not forbear quoting them here. " In the deep abyss into which 
 his own waywardness had plunged him, his eyes were opened, 
 and he becomes capable of the walk of repentance and faith. 
 ' How many hired servants .... I will arise and go to 
 my father.' He had left, in folly, his father's house. It is 
 still far from him. Return to it seems impossible. Yet it 
 stands before him, as if he actually saw it, in all its glory, and 
 it wonderfully captivates his soul. There;, indeed, was faith, 
 that he did not see the father's house and yet saw it. It was 
 the spirit of faith, -which made him capable of calling him, 
 whom he had so lightly abandoned, so grievously vexed, by 
 the name of father, and confiding in his fatherly heart. That 
 faith he assuredly had, ' which is the substance of things hoped 
 for, and the evidence of things not seen.' And repentance has 
 he not less than faith. The more he believes in his father's 
 love, and the possibility of regaining a place in his father's 
 house, his alienation and misery press the more heavily upon 
 him. IJe cannot bear them, and, in the pain he experiences, 
 behold repentance stirring.— Themorehe behevesin his father's 
 love, and the possibihtyof regaining a place in his father's house, 
 the more he feels himself unworthy of being called a son. 
 * Father, 1 have sinned, &c.' See there the self-knowledge 
 in which repentance proceeds, the self-condemnation which it 
 produces, the self-humiliation which it carries along with it. 
 The more he believes in his father's love, and the possibihty of 
 regaining a place in his father's house, the more does he heave 
 the wish, Would that I were there ! and strengthen himself in 
 the resolution, ' I will arise and go.' See there the new 
 principle of delight in God's favour and active consecration 
 to God's service, with which repentance shines forth as 
 a tree covered with blossom, in which it approves it- 
 self as a good tree, yielding good fruit, and perfects itself 
 through the Holy Spirit, in the walk of a regenerated 
 life — Now, from all this, learn the inseparable connection 
 between faith and repentance. They mutually depend on 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 813 
 
 But when he was yet a great way off^ his father 
 saw him — The gentlest motions in the sinner s heart 
 are known to the all-seeing God. Calvin : " This is 
 the main point of the parable. If men, who are both 
 naturally prone to revenge, and too tenacious of their 
 own rights, are yet so much alive to paternal affec- 
 tion that they generously pardon their children, and 
 readily receive them after ihe}^ have miserably ruin- 
 ed themselves, it is impossible that God, whose in- 
 infinite goodness so far exceeds all the affection of 
 parents, should deal more hardly with us. Before 
 they call, sa^^s he, I will answer, Isa. Ixv. 24. Ps. 
 xxxii. 5." Mel.: " On this place it is said by Basi- 
 lius, You have but to wish and God anticipates. The 
 father here looks upon his son approaching, though 
 still at a distance, — so we draw near to God with 
 slow and trembling step, and bring with us no merits, 
 but a polluted conscience and great filth. Although 
 we are such, however, yet the Father meets us ; if 
 we only come, he sees us from afar, that is, he knows 
 our misery, cares for us, calls us, is moved with com- 
 passion, and sincerely desires to save us." 
 
 And had compassion^ — the feeling of righteous in- 
 dignation against the sinner's guilt, vanishes before 
 the compassion of God ; the misery of his child, his 
 
 each other. Without faith no repentance. For how can 
 one return who knows :iot of a home ? Without repentance 
 no I'aiih. For how can the home be reached, if no return 
 is made ? Both work in each other. Faith opens the king- 
 dom to the heart, — repentance opens the heart to the king- 
 dom. Both also succeed through each other. Faith without 
 repentance were self-delusion. Kepentance without faith were 
 self-torture. Faith is the restoration of the heart to a new 
 sphere of vision, so that it sees what before it saw not, thinks 
 what before it thought wot. Repentance is the restoration of 
 the heart to a new sphere of actiim, so that it wills what before 
 it willed not, does what bef re it could not do. And both to- 
 gether in the heart of the sinner, are even as two divine sistt^rs 
 sent from heaven, to quell at once the evils in his condition, 
 and tha lumults in his breast, and like true guardian angels, 
 to conduct him through the dangers cf a troublous ocean, into 
 the haven of rest and peace."] — Trans. 
 
314 THE PKODIGAL SON. 
 
 sorrow and regret, \vs thirsting desire after grace, 
 his good purposes and resolutions, which were proved 
 to be genuine by his actual return, — all this goes so 
 deeply to the father's heart, that he feels only the 
 tenderest compassion for him. — Ban and fell on his 
 tieck, and kissed him. Mel.: " Ran, tl;^t is, while 
 we languish, he draws us by his holy word and sj)irit; 
 he falls upon our veck, embraces us, supports us in 
 trouble and distress ; for we should be overwhelmed 
 with grief and sorrow, were we not aided and upheld 
 by God. He kisses us, that is, he intimates to us the 
 remission of sins, and assuages our pains and fears 
 by new light and consolation." These tokens of pa- 
 ternal, deep-seated affection disclose the truth, that 
 the all-seeing and merciful Jehovah, who discerns 
 the inmost emotions of the sinner's heart toward 
 amendment, crowns and blesses it with the feeling 
 and consciousness of his grace and good-wiil in the 
 heart of the sinner, so that the sinner, who really is 
 in that state of mind described in v. 17 — 19, possesses 
 a blessed experience of the affectionate disposition 
 of his Father, and becomes established in his faith and 
 hope. What, therefore, was before the conviction of 
 faith, is now the conviction of experience. Calvin : 
 " Christ compares God to the human father, who 
 voluntarily meets his returning son ; for he reckons 
 it not enough to pardon those who entreat his mercy, 
 but seeks to anticipate them by his paternal good- 
 ness." 
 
 V. 21. The resolved confession (v. 18) is now 
 carried into effect; for we must confess our sins, 
 1 John i. 9, and the father's love facilitates to the 
 son the work of unbosoming his heart. Grofcius : 
 " It is proper for man to make acknowledgment of 
 his guilt, even after pardon has been announced to 
 him." Since the father has already acted toward 
 him as a child, and done more than he could ask, the 
 words — make me as one of thy hired servants — are 
 naturally dropped. Calvin : " Here another part of 
 repentance is marked, namelj^a sense of sin conjoined 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 315 
 
 with sadness and shame; for he, who does not 
 grieve for having sinned, will do any thing rather 
 than think of turning to a better course." Mel. : 
 " The son submits himself to his father, confesses 
 his fault, and acknowledges his double crime, viz. 
 that he has acted offensively toward God and his 
 father. In this acknowledgment and reconciliation 
 stands regeneration or spiritual reformation." 
 
 V. '22, 23. Even if we would not keep the indivi- 
 dual in view here, we must still keep by the ideas 
 contained in the figure, viz. that the father applies 
 the riches of his compassion to his son, and by marks 
 of love not less numerous than certain and explicit, 
 assures him of his fatherly love, and the son's restora- 
 tion to the standing of a child, — marks which shall 
 be to him now and henceforth dear pledges of pater- 
 nal affection, and not only retain, but ever and anon 
 confirm him the more in grateful love and childlike 
 obedience. So that all the blessed experiences of 
 heart are here indicated, which are undergone by 
 the penitent and believing sinner, and a confirma- 
 tion given, at the same time, to the words in Ps. 
 cxxx. 8 — 12. Ez. xxxiii. 10, 11. But that the sig- 
 nificance of the particular traits is not alien to the 
 mind of Jesus and the nature of the paraboHcal style, 
 is admitted even by Grotius. who remarks on the 
 place : " Besides the general resemblance, there 
 seems to be also, in the several parts, what admits of 
 being allegorized. For the kiss is beyond doubt the 
 sign of reconciliation — so that we have here declared 
 to us the remarkable goodness of God, who is so 
 moved by the late repentance of the sinner, as to 
 pardon his sins from the mere promptings of divine 
 mercy. Although allegories are not anxiously to be 
 sought for in the single members of comparisons, 
 yet there are some here not to be overlooked, as 
 they are suggested by the collation of other Scrip- 
 tures. Tiie robe, then, appears to signify that con- 
 tinued purity of life, which, through the grace of 
 God, a grateful heart yields in return for the great 
 
316 THE PRODIGAL SOX. 
 
 goodness it has experienced. A ring, among the 
 Romans, was the sign of nobility, among the Orientals 
 of peculiar dignity or vast wealth. But as rings 
 were also used for sealing, the ancients did not think 
 amiss in understanding by the ring the gift of the 
 Holy Spirit, whereby we are sealed, 2 Cor. i, '22. 
 Shoes also are granted by God to penitents who are 
 received into favour, that they may be fitted for 
 teaching others, if not by words, at least by ex- 
 ample." Calvin : " We shall not be torturing the 
 plain letter of scripture, if we say that our heavenly 
 Father not only pardons our sins, so as to bury them 
 in forgetfulness, but also restores to us the gifts of 
 which we had divested ourselves." Mel.: " The 
 ring signifies the gospel and faith, through which, the 
 one receiving the other, the son has the honour of a 
 place in the family, has his pristine rank restored to 
 him. For the gospel is the word of reconciliation, 
 and faith is the apprehending and applying of this 
 word, just as if the bestowment of some honour were 
 marked by a ring. In fine, the ring is a mark of 
 any sort of treaty. But he that has been reconciled 
 enters anew into covenant with God, and this is 
 done by the believing reception of the gospel. A 
 robe everywhere signifies a good conscience. Shoes 
 mean the works of our calling, in which our faith 
 ought principally to shine. But mention is made of 
 the failed calf, that there might be a reference to 
 the death of Christ, through wliich we have been re- 
 deemed, and whose life provides for us righteousness, 
 the Holy Spirit, and eternal life; and by this Re- 
 deemer we are fed, as is said in John vi., that is, we 
 come to God and receive consolation, we are truly 
 made alive." 
 
 The garment may be understood to intimate the 
 spiritual adorning, the sinner's state of mind now 
 well-pleasing to God, his righteous condition; the 
 ring, an image of freedom, may be taken as signifi- 
 cative of the deliverance brought to the sinner, 
 through divine grace, from the vile yoke of sin, and 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 317 
 
 his future standing as a son given lo bim of love; 
 the shoes may be referred to the strength, which, 
 through divine mercy, is imparted to him for the 
 walk of a new obedience ; and the feast may be 
 understood of the full enjoyment of peace, and com- 
 fort, and blessing, which is experienced by the par- 
 doned sinner. What these outward marks of favour 
 were to the son, we have, through the goodness of 
 our Lord, in the sacraments, which are visible pledges 
 of invisible divine grace, appropriated by faith. 
 Mel. : " Hitherto, in this long description of the 
 return of the prodigal son, we have set before us the 
 most attractive image, drawing us to repentance, 
 testifying that we are received, and skilfully em- 
 bracing both causes and effects. Wherefore it must 
 be often and carefully meditated, that v/e may be 
 stirred up to repentance and godliness." 
 
 Ver. 24. The ground is here intimated of the 
 general rejoicing. Tlds my son was dead and is alive 
 again — all life, even v.'hen most prosperous, without 
 fellowship with God, is but death and misery, Eph. ii. 
 5, 6. Was lost and is found, marks deliverance from 
 the condemnation of sin. 
 
 Ver. 25. The elder son was in the field — busied 
 about earthly things, and, in the experience of his own 
 heart, far removed from the feelings of a pardoned 
 sinner, he knew nothing of this joy, which, however, 
 was not concealed from him, for the sound of it breaks 
 upon his ears. Calvin : " This latter part of the para- 
 ble accuses those of inhumanity, who seek maliciously 
 to restrain the grace of God, as if they envied the 
 salvation of miserable sinners. For we know, that 
 the pride of the pharisees is here levelled at, who 
 thought that due consideration was not had of their 
 merits, if Christ admitted the common herd of publi- 
 cans and sinners to the hope of eternal life." Mel. : 
 " The reproof of the hypocrite is added. Here now 
 he shews that outward discipline, although it was 
 spoken of above with approbation, cannot satisfy the 
 law of God. Orderly behaviour, the careful avoid- 
 
•318 THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 ance of scandals, and a due regard to the public peace, 
 is a becon)ing and necessary thing, but in hypocrites 
 there are great internal vices, such as self-righteous- 
 ness, arrogance, vanity, contempt of others, who are 
 reckoned beneath them, and envy of tliose who ap- 
 pear to prosper, as Saul envied David, and the elder 
 brother here, in his frugality, thinks it hard that the 
 prodigal should be received and made equal with 
 himself. For hj^pocrites, because they conceive 
 themselves to be alone eminent in virtue, wish to 
 reign alone. But true love rejoices when those who 
 have wandered from the way are brought back, de- 
 sires the good of brethren as well as its own, rejoices 
 in examples of mercy and kindness, takes pleasure in 
 the improvement of the bad, and unites itself to them, 
 that their degradation may be screened." 
 
 Ver. 28. A7id he ivas angry — from envy and 
 heartlessness towards his brother, full of indignation 
 at the tender love of the father, into whose state of 
 feeling he could not transport himself, because of his 
 cold, selfish, and contracted disposition. And would 
 not go in, would not participate in the joy. Therefore 
 came his father out and entreated him. What acontrast 
 between a loveless and loving heart ! Calvin : " In 
 these words he chides the intolerable pride of hypo- 
 crites, seeing they must be entreated not to envy the 
 exercise of mercy to their brethren. Moreover, 
 though God did not ask, yet by his example he ex- 
 horts us to tolerate the errors of our brethren. 
 
 Ver. 29. Lo these numy years do I serve thee — 
 pride of desert — thinks he has something to claim for 
 his righteousness. Gnomon : " I ,serve, a confession 
 of servitude. He doesnotadd,/a^Äer. Never gavesf, 
 not to say killed ; a kid, not to say a calf; friends, 
 as opposed to harlots." Neither transgressed I at any 
 time thy commandment — blindness at the state of his 
 own heart ; for even now he manifests a very un- 
 childiike disposition ; it is the pride of virtue in those 
 who boast themselves of their honour and integrity 
 in social life, but know nothing of the spirit of love^ 
 
THE PRODIGAL SON. 319 
 
 — A?id thou hast never given me a kid — he represents 
 the good things granted to him as very small when 
 put in comparison with those which had been afford- 
 ed to his brother, ver. 27 : but not in accordance 
 with the truth, as we learn from ver. 31. The ground 
 of the representation lies in the proud heart and lofty 
 pretensions of tiiose persons who are never content 
 with that which the grace of God gives to them, 
 overlook it and believe that they are treated with 
 contempt, whereas they would judge quite otherwise 
 had they a truly humbled spirit. Ver. 30. But as soon 
 as this thy son tvas come, the fine hypocrite cannot 
 prevail upon himself to call his brother by the name 
 of brother, and thereby discovers his v/ant of love. 
 Who hath devoured thy living with harlots — he thinks 
 the worst of his brother, and describes his guilt in 
 the grossest manner, so that the kindness showed 
 him by his father might appear the highest injustice, 
 partiality, and unfairness towards himself. 
 
 Ver. 31. The meaning is, the goods and gifts which 
 thy brother has received are also for thee, and I will by 
 no means hinder thee from enjoying them. But for the 
 enjoyment another heart certainly is necessary than 
 this son possessed. Gnomon ; " The father speaks to 
 him afl'ectionately — so7i, and does not immediately 
 drive from him the envious brother. Always, and, 
 therefore, it was not necessary that there should be 
 any special rejoicing ; with me, it is better to be hap- 
 py with a father than with a multitude of friends ; 
 mine^ it is not necessary to seek for friendship abroad ; 
 are thine, for the younger brother had received his 
 portion, and the elder was sole heir to his father's 
 goods. Many things may belong to the sons of God, 
 in the full enjoyment of which they do not delight. 
 So that the elder brother ought not to have complain- 
 ed that a kid had never been given to him." Cal- 
 vin : " This answer has two heads ; the first is, that 
 the elder son has no reason to be angry, seeing that 
 his brother had been received without injury to him; 
 but the second, that he was mortified at the joy ex- 
 pressed on account of his brother's return, be cause he 
 
320 THE PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 had no regard for his brother's welfare. This com- 
 parison does not intimate, however, that he would 
 grieve for those, who had alwaj'^s been pious, being 
 received as penitents into favour, but rather implies 
 that this would furnish him with no just ground of 
 complaint. Besides it is a concession. For neither 
 had the scribes and pharisees lived up to the require- 
 ments of the divine law, but since they wished to ap- 
 pear as having done so, Christ granting this, as it 
 were to them, shows, that still there was no reason 
 why they should envy pardon being given to the 
 penitent, since nothing on that account was taken 
 from them." 
 
 The ground of the call for rejoicing stands partly 
 in this, that the individual recovered is a brother, 
 and partly in the recovery itself from so deep a mi- 
 sery. Schölten, p. 301 : " The Saviour argues from 
 what was granted, as we say, although he by no 
 means allowed that, which for the sake of conviction 
 he had yielded. — It is not by any means to be con- 
 cluded, that the common people of the Jews were al- 
 together and in appearance such pharisees as they 
 professed themselves to be ; nor must it be supposed, 
 that Jesus acknowledged their piety and virtuous en- 
 deavours, (Matth. V. 20 ) But that Jesus might con- 
 vince them the more of error, he grants, as it were, 
 that they did excel in every virtuous pursuit, but that 
 even this being granted, it was improper and unjust 
 to pursue with malevolent and bitter feeling, publi- 
 cans and sinners, when they became truly penitent 
 and returned to a better course." 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 Luke xvi. 1 — 13. 
 
 General Bemorhs upon the Parables in the 
 \Qth Chapter of Luke, 
 The two parables contained in this sixteenth chap- 
 ter, were delivered immediately after those recorded 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD, &C. 321 
 
 in the preceding chapter, and before the same hear- 
 ers, as has been abeady remarked (No. 29). The 
 parable of the godless householder is connected sim- 
 ply by the words : A?id he said also to his disciples ; 
 by whom we are to understand not the twelve merel}'^, 
 but the other followers of Jesus, especially those pub- 
 licans and sinners, Luke xv. 1., some of whom might 
 have been oncv^ as faithless as this steward, though 
 they now were concerned for the salvation of their 
 souls. Gnomon : '' The Lord speaks now more so- 
 lemnly tvillt his disciples, who had been publicans, and 
 more severely than he had done/ör them to others. 
 The son received back with joy, is not to be every 
 day regaled with music, but is taught to return to 
 duty." If the publicans and sinners, who drew near 
 to Jesus, really were penitent and sincere in their 
 purpose, the parable will then equally serve for a jus- 
 tification of the Saviour in receiving them ; but if 
 they were in any respect of the disposition of those, 
 who wantonly abused the goodness of God to sin- 
 ners, as represented in the three foregoing parables, 
 placing a sinful confidence upon the greatness of the 
 divine compassion, and thinking to abide without 
 true repentance in their sins, then would this parable 
 wain them against all misunderstanding and abuse 
 of those contained in chap. xv. But our Lord might 
 still farther have had a special regard in this discourse 
 to the pharisees, wlio, if not so openly, yet not less 
 really, were given to covetousness, to a shameful self- 
 seeking, and hence to many acts of deceit and unright- 
 eousness, ver. 14. also Mattb. xxiii. 14, 25. By the pic- 
 ture of the unfaithful steward he sought to warn them, 
 holding up to them their own image; admonished them 
 by his prudence to a better improvement of their 
 riches, pointed them to the time of reckoning, and 
 the danger therewith connected, and taught them 
 how they might be able to meet this through un- 
 feigned repentance. But the wicked disposition of 
 these hypocrites disdained the earnest and faithful 
 warnings of Jesus, and as they possibly felt them- 
 
 Y 
 
^'22 THE UNJUST STEWARD, &C. 
 
 selves specially aimed at in the parable, in order that 
 they might conceal their uneasiness, spite, and indigna- 
 tion, they betook themselves to contemptuous looks 
 and marks of insolence, — " they derided Christ." 
 This led Jesus to say, v. 15: "Ye are they who 
 justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your 
 hearts." Gnomon : " This is the link of connection 
 with the next discourse; justification of one's self 
 before men, and pride of heart, feeds avarice, and 
 smiles at heavenly simplicity, v. 15; despises the 
 gospel, V. 16, and destroys the law, v. 17 ; which is 
 shewn to the pharisees in v. 18 by an example most 
 needful to be insisted on. The whole is embraced 
 in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus." Calvin : 
 ' *' The cause of our justification should not be re- 
 ferred to the judgment of men, but to the tribunal of 
 God, where no righteousness is accounted of but 
 what gives a perfect and complete obedience to the 
 law. And when men stand at the tribunal of God, 
 one and all are conscious of guilt." 
 
 In the passage in question, v. 15, Jesus exposes 
 and reproves mainly the hypocrisy of the pharisees, 
 for the meaning of his words is : Ye are concerned 
 only about this, that ye may be accounted in the 
 judgment of your fellow men righteous persons and 
 favourites of heaven, hut the all-seeing Searcher of 
 Hearts knows the inmost state of your corrupt hearts, 
 and ye are any thing but in favour with him. In the 
 following words : " For that which is highly esteem- 
 ed among men, is abomination in the sight of God," 
 our Lord censures the self-conceit of the pharisees, 
 which was so closely connected with their hypocrisy, 
 and declares, that as God holds that feeling of self- 
 exalting pride, and every one who cherishes it, in ab- 
 horrence, this was their position before him, he had 
 no pleasure in them how high soever their esteem 
 was of themselves, or they were esteemed by others. 
 *' Whosoev^er," saj'-s Lavater, " affects a standing of 
 righteousness before men, and is unconcerned about 
 the internal improvement of his heart, he is a pha_ 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD, &C. 323 
 
 risee. Whosoever seeks more the praise and approba- 
 tion of man than the praise and approbation of God. 
 he is a pharisee. Whosoever lays claim to tlie favour 
 of God on account of his regular outward behaviour, 
 while he neglects his internal state of thinking and 
 acting, he sticks fast in pharisaism. Pharisaism is 
 pedantry in religion and virtue, — a neglecting of the 
 essential for the accidenta,!, of the end for the means, 
 of the spiritual good for the outward ceremony." 
 
 Their self-elation of mind, which led them to pre- 
 fer themselves before others, and to seek that they 
 might be regarded as the favourites of heaven, the 
 pharisees founded upon two considerations ; the 
 first of which was a conclusion which they drew from 
 Deut. xxviii. 1, to the effect, that he who is rich and 
 prosperous upon earth, is a favourite of God, a man 
 of piety, and sure of attaining to eternal life ; but 
 that whosoever, on the other hand, is poor and wretch- 
 ed, is hated by God, without piety, and an heir of 
 eternal destruction. Besides this, they reckoned 
 much upon their zeal for the law, the ceremonial ob- 
 servances required by which they most punctually 
 kept, on account of which they were generally 
 esteemed pious, although the weightiest part of the 
 law, (Matth. xxiii. 23,) love, they unscrupulously dis- 
 regarded, and thus manifested their real unbelief. 
 The false conclusion above mentioned is rebutted in 
 the first part of the parable of the rich man, who, 
 though prosperous upon earth, still fell into condem- 
 nation, and therefore could not be a child of God, 
 however pious he may have seemed; while the poor 
 Lazarus, the object of the rich man's contempt, at- 
 tains to salvation. The self-elation of the pharisees 
 on account of their supposed, but still only outward 
 fulfilment of the law, the Saviour rebukes in the lat- 
 ter part of the same parable, in which the condemned 
 rich man is directed to Moses and the prophets, with 
 the assurance, that if he had heard them, he would 
 not have come into condemnation ; so that, though 
 he was well acquainted with them, and highly esteem - 
 
324 THE UNJUST STEWARD, &C. 
 
 ed them as a divine revelation, he must not have 
 valued and used them in the right mauner, that is, 
 must have had no true faith in them. And that is 
 just the nature of practical unbelief, which poisoned 
 the life of the pharisee, pluming himself upon the 
 law and the knowledge of God, while still he allowed 
 them no influence upon his walk and conduct. Cal- 
 vin : " Comp. Rom. ii. 21. As this reproof formerly 
 applied to the Jews, who, trusting to their mere know- 
 ledge of the law, lived no better than if they had 
 been without the law ; so we must take heed lest now 
 it should be directed against us. And indeed it is 
 but too applicable to many, who boasting themselves 
 of a superior knowledge of the gospel, abandon them- 
 selves to all manner of impurity, as if the gospel pre- 
 scribed no rule of life ; lest, therefore, we should trifle 
 thus securely with the Lord, let us remember what 
 sort of judgment hangs over such babblers in words, 
 who only in their much talking shew their regard for 
 the word of God." This practical unbelief, the real 
 kernel of the parable, stands forth there in the sem- 
 blance of faith, pays respect to the word of God as a 
 revelation, while the heart remains thereby unim- 
 proved, the love of the world unsubdued, bowels of 
 compassion unknown. Precisely as the rich man is 
 here represented, the sadducees lived, and were be- 
 sides tainted with a theoretical infidelity, receiving 
 only the books of JJoses, but rejecting the further 
 development of the divine will through the prophets. 
 Indeed, as the behaviour of the rich man is repre- 
 sented quite saddusiacally, many expositors have 
 been of opinion, that the parable is chiefly aimed 
 against the sadducees ; but the untenableness of that 
 opinion is manifest from no mention being made of 
 the sadducees on the occasion of this discourse being 
 delivered, and especially fiora the circumstance, that 
 our Lord could not well have called in against them 
 Moses and the prophets, as they would not have 
 owned the force of this argument, which, as directed 
 against the pharisees, is of great weight, since their 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD, &C. 325 
 
 practical unbelief was rendered the less excusable on 
 account of their theoretical faith. 
 
 That the rebuke of the practical unbelief of the 
 pharisees is the main design of the parable of the 
 rich man, receives an additional confirmation from 
 the internal connection that is brought out by this 
 view of it between the parable and v. 16 — 18, whereas, 
 in most expositions upon these verses, no such con- 
 nection is recognized. It is said in v. 16, that " the 
 law and the prophets were until John ; since that 
 time the kingdom of God is preached, and every 
 man presseth into it." The law and the prophets 
 have a reference to the times of John the Baptist; 
 what in them is announced prophetically, namely, the 
 appearance of Messiah and his kingdom — this was 
 proclaimed by John, and afterwards by Christ him- 
 self, as the gospel or glad tidings of what was actually 
 taking place. Whosoever then really considered 
 Moses and the prophets as a divine revelation, he 
 ought to have given proof of this by a believing re- 
 ception of the testimony of John and Jesus, which per- 
 fectly accorded with the predictions of the Old Testa- 
 ment. This, however, the pharisees did not ; they 
 rejected the preaching of John and of Christ himself, 
 and thus manifested their unbelief in the prophetic 
 portion, at least, of the Old Testament ; and as they 
 would not comply with the call to repentance, pro- 
 ceeding both from John and from Christ, whilst even 
 publicans and sinners were doing so, they shewed at 
 the same time their unbelief in respect to the moral 
 part of the Old Testament. Their unbelief in both 
 respects is rebuked by Jesus, in the asseveration he 
 makes, v, 17, regarding the inviolable sanctity of the 
 entire law : " It is easier for heaven and earth to pass 
 than for one tittle of the law to fail," (Jas. ii. 10.) 
 And, as a proof of the arbitrary manner in which 
 they dealt with the law, he refers, in v. 18 to the law 
 of marriage, in regard to which the pharisees, accord- 
 ing to Matth. xix. I — 9, were accustomed to make 
 regulations, which in effect destroyed the divine 
 
326 THE UNJUST STEWARD, &C. 
 
 command concerning the indissoluble nature of the 
 marriage bond. By all this the real unbelief of the 
 pharisees upon Moses and the prophets is in plain 
 language manifestly declared, not less in regard to 
 the predictions contained in the scriptures, than to 
 their requirements and obligations ; and as what had 
 been in plain terras declared, was often immediately 
 afterwards repeated and made more palpable in a 
 figure or parable, so it is the case also here, and hence, 
 in the parable of the rich man, we cannot fitly repre- 
 sent any thing else as its chief aim and subject-mat- 
 ter, than a reproof of practical unbelief, of which 
 the manifestations in this life, and the destiny in the 
 world to come, are depicted to our view. 
 
 When a delineation of heartlessness, or want of 
 compassion, and its disastrous consequences, is held, 
 as very commonly is done, to be the central point of 
 the parable, there is certainly much in appearance 
 to justify this ; but the ultimate ground ofthat cold- 
 hearted indifference is unbelief, and to that the latter 
 part of the parable points, as its connection with what 
 precedes, warrants and justifies a much farther exten- 
 sion of meaning than the view just mentioned. As 
 in the parable of the unjust steward, the possibility 
 and the means of escape are pointed out, even when 
 there has been a heavy load of guilt contracted, so 
 this of the rich man shows the certainty and the 
 dreadfulness ofthat condemnation which awaits those, 
 whose unbelief has led them to despise that first 
 warning. The faithless management of the steward 
 C(»rresponds to the selfish luxury of the rich man ; 
 the debtors of his lord, whom the former makes his 
 friends, stands opposed to Lazarus, for whom the 
 rich man cared not a pin ; the reception into ever- 
 lasting habitations, has its counterpart in the help 
 which the rich man fruitlessly im.plored from Laza- 
 rus, and the praise accorded to the prudent steward 
 is put in contrast to the judgment of condemnation 
 recorded in v. 24, 25. By these undeniable refe- 
 rences of the two parables to each other, their inter- 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 327 
 
 nal connection and application to the same character 
 is made manifest. 
 
 m 
 
 Not one of our Lord's parables has received so 
 any and such different interpretations, as that of 
 the unjust steward. That the connection, in which 
 it stands, has not been sufficiently considered, is the 
 chief cause of this variety of interpretations, and of 
 their often erring so far from the right view both of 
 the leading design and of individual parts. The 
 centre-point of the parable is prudence, for the 
 Lord praises the unrighteous steward as having acted 
 prvdenthj ; and the recommendation of prudence for 
 all who would inherit the kingdom of heaven is its 
 main scope The words in v. 8 : " For the children 
 of this world are in their generation wiser than the chil- 
 dren of light," contain a truth but too frequently exem-. 
 plified in daily experience, and show through the 
 connective particle ^r, that in this matter the recom- 
 mendation of prudence as a necessary quality was 
 abundantly required. Because the Saviour wills that 
 all men should be saved, but because mdLny even of 
 those, who have some desire for salvation, do not ma- 
 nifest the proper prudence in pressing the important 
 work of their salvation, and many more neglect the 
 work altogether ; on these accounts our Lord relates 
 this parable, that he might urge on all the requisite 
 prudence. Prudence is that property, or capacity of 
 the soul, which, for attaining an end, finds, selects, and 
 applies the most fitting means, — without, howe ver, 
 condescending upon the nature of the end or the 
 means, whether they are morally good or bad. That 
 the Redeemer recommends to his disciples a pru- 
 dence only of a moral kind, appears from the pro- 
 verb in Matth. x. IG : " Be ye therefore wise as ser- 
 pents, and harmless (simple) as doves." Christian 
 prudence must, therefore, according to this injunc- 
 tion, be always coupled with a simple, honourable 
 and true heart ; and hence the end, which Christian 
 
328 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 prudence proposes to itself, and the means which it 
 chooses and applies for the accomplishment of this, 
 must always be morally good and harmless, agreeable 
 to a holy God, and the mind of a blessed Saviour. 
 This remark is of much importance for the parable, 
 as many have stumbled at the circumstance, that in 
 commending the steward for a pattern, Jesus has not 
 discountenanced the use of unrighteous means ; and 
 hence did the Emperor Julian employ this parable 
 for tlie purpose of attacking and vilifying the moral 
 character of Christ. But we must take our starting 
 point from the holy mind of Jesus, to which every 
 thing unrighteous is an abomination, and from which 
 a recommendation, not of the unrighteousness, but 
 only of the prudence of the unjust steward could 
 proceed : so that the application which our Lord 
 makes of the parable in v. 9 to his hearers, can have 
 no other meaning than this : Even so do I recom- 
 mend prudence to you. Just as this steward, for the 
 attainment of his earthly object for securing his fu- 
 ture support, laid hold of the most suitable and ap- 
 propriate means, and thereby showed his prudence, 
 — so must you also do in regard to a higher and 
 better object, the securement of your eternal well- 
 being, employ the means best adapted to the end, 
 and manifest therein a similar prudence. In earthly 
 designs it is possible that the most suitable means 
 may be in their nature bad, though still conducive to 
 the end in view ; but in regard to heavenly things, 
 this is quite impossible, only such means as are 
 morally good and well- pleasing to God can here be 
 of any avail to reach the desired end; and in this un- 
 deniable truth, we find a new testimony to the fact, 
 that Jesus could not possibly think of commending 
 the unrighteousness of this steward to our imita- 
 tion. 
 
 As prudence of itself is only an ideal thing — the 
 mere notion of fitness in the souls discernment and 
 bent of purpose, while the Redeemer continually 
 gives and teaches essential truth, so he must be un- 
 derstood as recommending, through the temper and 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 329 
 
 conduct ascribed to the steward, not prudence alone, 
 but also the worth and exercise of this prudence in 
 respect to the use of earthly goods, — since he says in 
 V, 9, " make to yourselves friends of the unrighteous 
 mammon, &c." As Christian prudence manifests it- 
 self in a moderate use of earthly goods to purposes of 
 kindness and beneficence, this should therefore be 
 regarded as the main idea of the parable, and the re- 
 commendation of such prudence its chief aim, as may 
 be made manifest by the following train of thought : 
 — The unjust steward was prudent while he applied 
 the goods entrusted to him to the purpose of making 
 friends to himself, and thus securing his future tem- 
 poral support ; Christians must apply their temporal 
 goods in acts of kindness, in order to make to them- 
 selves friends, and to secure their future eternal well- 
 being. The conclusion to which the parable and its 
 practical application leads, recommendatory of the 
 prudence in question is this : If the prudence shown 
 by the steward for an earthly object is praised, how 
 much more will God commend a prudence directed 
 towards a heavenly object, and crown it with his 
 blessing ! Since the steward's giving up the goods 
 committed to him by his lord was perceived by him 
 to be the means best suited for accomplishing his 
 end, and was that wherein pre-eminently his pru- 
 dence stood : the point of comparison on which the 
 recommendation of genuine prudence hangs, can be 
 nothing else than the free sacrifice of earthly goods 
 to beneficent purposes. Beneficence, therefore, is be- 
 yond doubt recommended, but not as many exposi- 
 tors think, as the great end of the parable, but only 
 as the means and as the mode of acting, in which the 
 quality of prudence practically manifests itself. If 
 the exercise of beneficence, and in connection there- 
 with, a warning against luxury and niggardliness were 
 regarded as the leading idea of the parable, then no 
 account could be made of many circumstances in the 
 conduct of the steward, which serve to bring out 
 clearly his singular prudence, and they must only be 
 
330 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 viewed as figurative ernbcnishments. But the mo- 
 ment we take prudence, as it manifests itself in-gene- 
 ral, and particularly in the use of temporal goods, as 
 the leading point and subject of the parable, all its 
 subordinate paris and circumstances find their pro- 
 per and full significance, as will be shown more at 
 large in the sequel. 
 
 To the right understanding of the parable belongs 
 the whole of the practical application, which closes 
 only with v. 13 ; the consideration of which still far- 
 ther proves, that not beneficence, but prudence, which 
 in this part alone is discoursed of, is the prominent 
 idea of the parable. For the thought contained in v. 
 10 — JI2, is this : It is contrary to prudence to be un- 
 faithful in the application of temporal goods, for one 
 thereby sustains injury, losing in consequence of such 
 unfaithfulness the benefit of having better goods com- 
 mitted to us. It is always a matter of prudence to 
 compare the present and the future, the end and the 
 means, the cause and the effect, in a word, the ne- 
 cessary inevitable consequences and connections of 
 things, and determine our course of action accord- 
 ingly. This connection between time and eternity, 
 in reference to the consequences which stretch into 
 the latter, is pointed at in v. 11 and 12, for the pur- 
 pose of admonishing us to a suitable line of duty, to 
 a prudent course of behaviour, which, so far as earthly 
 goods are concerned, consists according to Christ's 
 instruction, in making to ourselves friends of the un- 
 righteous mammon, so that we may reach the ever- 
 lasting habitations, obtain the true riches, and be en- 
 dowed with that which is to constitute our eternal 
 inalienable property. Luther has given this view of 
 the parable, for he says in his House-Pos. 4. 418 : 
 <' In this unjust and faithless steward our Lord sets 
 before us a twofold instruction. The first of which 
 is, that we must learn from him, and from the men 
 of this world, to be prudent." And again, at p. 407, 
 " The Lord's meaning is not that we must act un- 
 righteously toward each other, cheating one another 
 
THE UNJUST STEWASD. 
 
 331 
 
 of their own goods, and laying it out in alms. No, 
 but his meaning is, that we must imitate the steward 
 in this foresight, activity, and prudence, applying 
 our money and goods so as to provide for our- 
 selves blessings in another and better life." Once 
 more, at p. 411 : " Our Lord desires that, in a good 
 cause, we should use the earnestness and diligence, 
 which this steward did in a bad one, for his own pro- 
 fit, and the hurt of his master." For the farther elu- 
 cidation of the matter he notices how, in Rom. v. 14, 
 Adam and Christ are only in part compared with each 
 other, in respect merely to their root and origin, — 
 something being taken from both which they had in 
 eom.mon, but not in respect to their work and the fruit 
 growing out of it, for the one procured for those con- 
 nected with him death and condemnation, the other 
 righteousness and salvation ; '' in like manner," says 
 I.uther, " Jesus compares here the righteous and un- 
 righteous, that even as the unrighteous act prudently 
 in deceit and knavery, so the righteous must act pru- 
 dently in uprightness and piety." For the sake of 
 illustration, he efnploys another comparison : " See 
 how an unchaste woman, for the prosecution of her 
 sinful purposes, decks herself out in the finest man- 
 ner, the gold, the velvet, and the silk which she em- 
 ploys, having no power to testify against their mis- 
 application to such a purpose. But I may even boast 
 of it, and say to thee, Seest thou how this woman 
 knows to adorn herself for wantonness ? And why 
 dost thou not use similar diligence for the sake of 
 pleasing our dear bridegroom Christ Jesus ? In say- 
 ing this, I commend not a wanton behaviour, but only 
 the diligence, foresight, and care which it behoves us to 
 use in a good, honourable, and righteous cause." The 
 most improper characters, such as the steward before 
 us, have always something good and praiseworthy 
 about them, which may be held up for our example 
 and imitation ; and in this way it is that Christ has 
 commended to us this man on account of his pru- 
 dence. But that the prudence recommended is not to 
 
332 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 be understood of prudence in its entire compass, as 
 it may then manifest itself in a great variety of ways, 
 (Matth. vii. 24—27 ; xxv. 1 — 13,) but specially in re- 
 gard to the right employment of earthly goods, Lu- 
 ther has also acknowledged, and says at p. 407 : '• It 
 is a sermon on good works, and particularly against 
 covetousness, to the end that we should not abuse 
 our money and goods, but employ them to help poor, 
 needy people." 
 
 The expositions of this parable which are known 
 to me, although in particular parts very wide of each 
 other, yet all agree in this, that the means adopted 
 by the steward for his future support, were most 
 shameful and utterly to be reprobated, and that he 
 crowned his earlier iniquities by an act of surpassing 
 deceit. A view of the parable, however, quite diffe- 
 rent on this point from the common one, is to be 
 found in an Essay by David Schulz, on the parable 
 of the steward. The method which he strikes out 
 is designed to represent the conduct of the steward 
 as laudable, as being without unrighteousness in re- 
 gard to the means chosen ; and it is certainly not to 
 be denied, that this exposition, if it were well found- 
 ed, and could be proved, would be most deserving of 
 acceptation, although all misgivings in regard to the 
 representation of an immoral conduct on the part of 
 the steward, may be quashed by the reflection, that 
 it is only in the prudence that the point of compari- 
 son stands, and that this alone is recommended. 
 Schulz grounds his exposition mainly upon the no- 
 tion of steward {olxovdij^oc)^ who is not to be regarded 
 as a man that must account to his master for all re 
 ceipts and expenditures, small and great, and whose 
 books are from time to time overhauled by his prin- 
 cipal ; such modern conceptions must be banished, 
 as quite unsuitable here. In his judgment the stew- 
 ard is such a person as has full power to dispose of 
 what is committed to him, as the Apostles in their 
 ministrations of the gospel, were named stewards, 
 (I Cor. iv. ], 2 ; Tit. i. 7,) and yet manifestly had 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD, &C. 333 
 
 the greatest freedom in the use and distribution of 
 the word committed to them. Then he properly 
 takes notice of the image, which the relation of the 
 steward in the parable to his lord, affords of the re- 
 lation in which man stands to his God ; and as in 
 this relation no one can deny that the fullest liberty 
 is granted to man, and that he may act entirely as he 
 pleases with the goods committed to him, only sub- 
 ject to a day of reckoning, so a similar dutj'^ must be 
 demanded, for the more limited relation wliich forms 
 the figure in the parable. Now, to this liberty grant- 
 ed to man by God, in the employment of the earthly 
 goods committed to him, it manifestly belongs as a 
 part, that the man have something to bestow, freely 
 to give away, in order thereby to make friends to 
 himself, consequently the giving away in the parable, 
 would be but a part of the steward's liberty, and not 
 be chargeable with unrighteousness or deceit. And 
 it is further alleged, that the expression in v. 8, 
 o/x&i/o'/xo? Tiig ddixiac^ (steward of unrighteousness), 
 does not mean an unjust, but an ungodly, wicked 
 steward, not indicating any thing like deceit ; and 
 indeed his wickedness had shewn itself at an earlier 
 period, in the lavish expenditure, the selfish, extra- 
 vagant use he had made of what was confided to him, 
 while now (v. 8) he is praised for having at last pru- 
 dently made a jjetter use of his stewardship by the 
 exercise of beneficence, and for the sake of his future 
 welfare. 
 
 But granting even that the means employed were 
 as righteous and laudable as Schulz would make 
 them, still the motive of the liberality exercised by 
 the steward, must be regarded as selfish, and conse- 
 quently deserving of blame, since he acted only out 
 of regard to his own self, and not from pure love to 
 the creditors. Hence, according to this view also, 
 prudence in the use of earthly goods, for the purpose 
 of acquiring friends by acts of beneficence, must re- 
 main the centre-point of the parable, for otherwise 
 the selfish, at least, if not deceitful, conduct of the 
 
34 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 steward would be recommended to imitation. The 
 commendation bestowed upon the steward by his 
 lord, when viewed in connection with the now sup- 
 posed righteousness of conduct, will import as much 
 as : My steward indeed, in the earlier part of his be- 
 haviour, showed little conscience, but this last oHicial 
 act of his, an act of beneficence, is of a different cha- 
 racter, and I cannot but praise him for having con- 
 sulted in sucii a manner for liis future entertainment, 
 and made friends to himself at the right time. 
 Schulz finally remarks, that a doctrine is never taught 
 and explained in a parable by being compared to its 
 opposite, but always things only that are similar are 
 set over against and compared to each other, so that 
 the conclusion is often drawn from the small to the 
 greats but never from the opposite. But however true 
 this remark may be, it still does not properly affect 
 the case in question, for even according to Schulz, 
 prudence is the leading idea of the parable, — un- 
 der the example of the steward, a similar prudence 
 is recommended, and the righteousness or unright- 
 eousness of his conduct 7iever comes at all into the 
 comparison^ no more than the disobliging conduct of 
 that friend, (Luke xi., and the wreckless character of 
 that judge, (Luke xviii.) As in these two parables 
 the efficacy of prayer is the only thing that is unfold- 
 ed by a conclusion from the less to the greater, so 
 here, in that of the steward, prudence by a similar 
 conclusion : If an impure prudence is commended 
 by men, how much more will the Lord commend a 
 holy prudence ! Calvin : " The sum of this parable 
 is, that we must deal humanely and kindly toward 
 our neighbours, so that when we stand before the 
 tribunal of God, we may receive the fruit of our li- 
 berality." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of Christian prudence. 
 L Obligation to this : 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 335 
 
 1. Because we are dependent on God; v. 1 : Who 
 had a steward. 
 
 2. Because we are accountable to him, v. 2. 
 II. Its proper nature is represented : 
 
 1. In the general : 
 
 a.) It is provident of the future, v. 3 : What 
 shall 1 do ? 
 
 h.) It conceals not from itself the true state of 
 matters, v. 3 : My Lord taketh away my 
 stewardship from me. 
 
 c.) It is inventive of means for its well-being, v. 
 3 : I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed. 
 
 d.) It forms its purpose with greatest determi- 
 nation, V. 4 : I am resolved what to do, &c. 
 
 e.) It discloses clearly, who or what can be of 
 service to it for the accomplishment of its 
 purpose, V. 4 : That they may receive me 
 into their houses. 
 
 f.) It does not content itself with purposes, but 
 goes immediately to action, v. 5 : So he call- 
 ed every one, &c. 
 
 g.) It employs the time without delay, v. 6 : Sit 
 down quickly. &c. 
 
 h.) It transacts every thing with careful con- 
 sideration, v. 5 — 7, drawn from the questions 
 to the creditors. 
 
 2. In particular : 
 
 a.) It employs temporal goods in well-doing, v. 
 9 : Make to yourselves friends. 
 
 b.) It is mindful of death and the day of reckon- 
 ing, V. 9 : When ye fail. 
 
 c.) It has an eye to eternal bliss, v. 9 : That 
 they may receive you, &c. 
 III. The consequences of it : 
 
 1. It obtains the approval of the Lord and Judge of 
 
 all, v. 8. 
 
 2. It renders us capable and worthy of receiving 
 greater, truer, abiding goods, v. 10, 11, 12. 
 
 V. 1. There was a cei^tain rich mcu?, ivho had a 
 
336 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 Steward — the relation of man to God ; every thing 
 that man has, especially in earthly goods, whether it 
 may have come to him by inheritance, industry, or 
 any turn of fortune, is a gift committed to him by 
 God, not a property, with which he can do and act 
 after the will and pleasure of his own heart ; he must 
 sometime give in an account, as is implied in his de- 
 pendent relationship. The person here mentioned 
 is a steward, to whom the Lord had committed the 
 charge of his land-goods, and who only used to pos- 
 sess a knowledge of husbandry, — hence at his re- 
 moval from office, nothing remained for him but 
 hard labour or begging, v. 3. As he was put into 
 the office by his master, and consequently held it in 
 right and justice, we might here, on this ground, con- 
 clude, that what is aftervrards meant by the unright- 
 eous maramon cannot be money acquired by unright- 
 eousness. — The same teas accused unto him, — an ac- 
 cusation accordant with truth ; nothing is concealed 
 from God, — That he had ivasfed his goods', in this 
 the steward shewed just as much levity, unfaithful- 
 ness, and want of conscience, as the publicans, ava- 
 ricious Pharisees, and the rich man in the next pa- 
 rable, lor avarice, as well as extravagance, is no- 
 thing else than a waste of the earthly goods commit- 
 ed to one bj' God. Gnomon : " The parable does 
 not bear respect to all stewards, who ought rather, 
 through the whole period of their stewardship, to ex- 
 ercise fidelity, 1 Cor. iv. 2, but to those w^ho, through 
 a long period of their stewardship, have behaved ill. 
 The general course of the world is a dispersing of 
 outward goods, inasmuch as these are brought to 
 places not properly their own, although some un- 
 righteous persons appear to gather them." 
 
 V. 2. And he called him, and said unto him, how is 
 it that I hear this of thee 9 An intimation of the 
 abuse of the confidence that had been placed in him, 
 to which he had so ill responded, and in which he 
 had shewed ingratitude, and inconsiderate forgetful- 
 ness of his obligations. Gnomon : " God is repre- 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 337 
 
 sented as hearing, as if he did not see ; thus the 
 steward was left to himself." Give an account of thy 
 stewardship ; in this is expressed God's holy zeal 
 against all unfaithfulness, and that the application 
 made by men of earthly goods, is far from being a 
 matter of indifference to him. But, in the threat — 
 thou mayest be no longer steward — his righteousness 
 shines forth, while it is intimated, that the steward 
 must presently be removed from his place. A short 
 respite, however, was still allowed him, which he 
 might employ, and which is to be referred to the 
 period of life granted to every one, always uncertain, 
 and never long in continuance. 
 
 V. 3. What shall I do ? The first trait that in- 
 dicates his prudence ; in a moment, without the 
 least delay, he enters into consideration, how he can 
 well secure his deliverance under so pressing a dan- 
 ger ; he is now no longer careless and secure about 
 his future state, but takes the matter into serious 
 contemplation ; the rich man did not so, and hence 
 his irrevocable condemnation, v. 25, 26. — My lord 
 taketh away from me the sfeioardship — second trait. 
 He does not conceal from himself the greatness and 
 nearness of the danger, sees his whole criminality, 
 together with the just zeal and righteousness of his 
 master, believes also the word spoken to him, that he 
 could no longer be steward. Such faith the rich 
 man had not, v. 29 — / cannot dig, to beg I am 
 ashamed — third trait. He casts about for other 
 means and ways of doing for himself, but throws 
 them away as not suitable. He could not dig, for, 
 if he had the power, his indolence would not let him 
 give the application ; he was ashamed to beg, his 
 pride not permitting him. To understand by the 
 digging, a seeking of salvation through desert of 
 works, and by begging, through the grace of God — is 
 contrary to the design of the parable, and inconsis- 
 tent with its leading idea. In these traits we must 
 think only of the prudence they serve to manifest, by 
 much thoughtfulness and consideration. 
 
338 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 V. 4, That fhey may receive me into their houses — 
 fourth trait. He is inventive, and knows with the 
 greatest determination what he desires, namely, an 
 easy, agreeable secureraent of his prosperity and future 
 support. Houses, (ohovg)^ properly, families. Fifth 
 trait — seeing he manifestly discerns who can help 
 him to his object, on whom he has to lean, namely, 
 the debtors of his lord — this the rich man .did not 
 perceive, v. 20. 
 
 Ver. 5. So he called every one of his lord's debtors 
 — sixth trait. He does not stand with mere resolu- 
 tions and purposes ; what he has prudently con- 
 ceived he executes without loss of time, and with 
 determination; his eagerness is also marked by the 
 little word, quickly, in v. 6 ; and that he rightly un- 
 derstood and employed his short time, constitutes 
 the seventh trait, through which his prudence \\as 
 displayed. Hoiv much owest thou to my lord? — 
 Eighth trait. He knew right well, but puts the 
 question in order that the debtor, by his answ^er, 
 might be made to acknowledge the greatness of his 
 debt, (rent), and consequently afterwards the great- 
 ness of the part remitted to him, the greatness of the 
 favour shown him ; that he might also feel himself 
 the more distinctly bound to a grateful requital. 
 When he says, oioest thou to my lord, he recognizes 
 now, that all good is a trust, not a property. 
 
 V. 6. Take thy bill — thy bond, thy lease, which 
 demonstrates the strictness of this obligation, and 
 the largeness of the sums remitted. Write fifty — 
 the new act of unrighteousness flows from the 
 earlier ; the sinner will help himself by sin, and 
 thus sinks alwa^'^s the deeper, for every sin becomes 
 the seed of another, while the moral feeling always 
 gets more hardened, conscience less tender. 
 
 V. 7. Similar conduct, in regard to the other 
 debtors. Whether this deceiver was again deceived 
 by his accomplices in guilt, whether he actually at- 
 tained his end or not, whether the deceit practised 
 by him, and discovered by his lord, v. 8, was 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 339 
 
 punished so as to disappoint him of his design, these 
 are things we must not inquire into, as the parable is 
 liere left unfinished, like that of the unfruitful fig- 
 tree. Enough, that there is here shewn, what was to 
 be shewn, a conduct throughout prudent, though 
 shameful, and the consequence is here given only on 
 one side, in regard to the praise obtained from the 
 lord, so that this is the sole conclusion we can draw 
 from the whole : How much must a holy prudence 
 be commended by God, since, Src. 
 
 V. 8. And tlte lord commended the inijust sleirard ; 
 that the lord of the steward is here meant is manifest 
 from the manner in which Christ distinguishes him- . 
 self, And I say unto you ; but as that lord only com- "^ 
 mended prudence, so he also only commends and ex- 
 horts to this, V, 9. The commendation, which was 
 here accorded by the lord to his steward, notwith- 
 standing the injury thereby sustained by himself, 
 has nothing improbable in it. He might have said 
 something to this effect : " It is true he is a shameful 
 cheat, but he certainly has conducted his affairs pru- 
 dently, has cunningly employed the time for his own 
 benefit, and we cannot deny him, amid all his worth- 
 lessness, the credit of having craftily done his best." 
 One might say the same of a merchant, who, for his 
 own profit, plays a ftil«je bankruptcy. 
 
 For (he children of this world are in their genera- 
 tionwiser than the children of light. These are not 
 the words of the lord of the steward, but of Christ, 
 which are thrown out before as a general experimen- 
 tal truth, and from which afterwards the admonition 
 in V. 9 is drawn, so that the connection is to be taken 
 only thus : As we see it to have been in this steward, 
 so is it constantly, that the children, &c., and therefore 
 I admonish you, &c. These words obviously point to 
 the design of the parable, setting forth an example of 
 prudence, and thus forming a sort of key to the 
 right understanding of it. Gnomon : " The compa- 
 rative is used, and that in a diminutive way, for the 
 prudence of the world does not deserve to be called 
 
340 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 prudence in the positive — the force of the compara- 
 tive is besides in the proposition V'Ttso." Luther, 
 House-Pos. 4. 412, 413 : " Christ here utters a very 
 frightful word; it needs not profound thought, we 
 see it daily before our eyes, more a great deal than 
 is proper, that the world every where seeks after 
 that, in which it espies an advantage, and in the pur- 
 suit grudges no pains or labour. How much labour, 
 care, and danger do vagabonds undergo ? They 
 have rest neither day nor night, and they are besides 
 in constant danger of the axe or the halter; still they 
 have such a liking to their wicked life, that they 
 cannot grow weary of it. So also the thief, the rake, 
 the adulterer, lead a troublesome life, and submit to 
 hard laws, use all sorts of trick and cunning shifts 
 and advantages, that they may carry on their villain- 
 ous and profligate schemes, insomuch that they 
 shrink from these till they have paid the devil his 
 tribute. But, on the other hand, we see the children 
 of light, that is, true Christians, how lazy, backward, 
 unprofitable, and slow they are in the things of God, 
 although they know that God looks with satisfaction 
 on what is done therein, and that they shall reap the 
 fruit of it in eternity. So that it goes according to 
 the common proverb, that the wicked do more to 
 deserve hell, by diligently and laboriously serving the 
 devil, than the righteous heaven, — and it is well 
 spoken, if it were but rightly understood. There- 
 fore must God draw and pull his people as with 
 cords, that they may do what they should. Here 
 learn what thou shouldst do in good toward God and 
 his word and thy salvation, and take to thyself a 
 profitable lesson and example from such wicked per- 
 sons. Think, since the builder, citizen, merchant, 
 servant, &c. serve the devil with so much diligence, 
 and grudge no trouble, wherefore should I not serve, 
 in like manner, my Lord, whom I shall enjoy in 
 eternity? They run, as if they were irrational, after 
 what mak(3s for their eternal hurt and-perdition, and 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 841 
 
 how then should I be so dull and sleepy in what con- 
 cerns my soul's salvation, that God should need to 
 draw me as with ropes ?" 
 
 The children of this world — in Scripture a person 
 is called the child of any thing, the nature and pro- 
 perties of which he has in himself: the children of 
 this world, therefore, are those who possess the na- 
 ture, feeling, mode of thinking and acting of the 
 world, in so far as that is opposed to God, conse- 
 quently unrighteous and sinful, — whose thoughts are 
 all engrossed with what is earthly, visible, perishable, 
 only love and are conversant with that, and endea- 
 vour, by all possible, even disallowed means, to ob- 
 tain possession of it. Lights in Scripture, designates 
 divine truth and purity, moral worth ; the children 
 of light, therefore, are those who already, in part, 
 possess a state of mind in accordance with that, and 
 partly also are striving and wrestling after a meet- 
 ness to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints 
 in light. In their generation ; yzvia, according to 
 Wahl, progenies, familia, stirps, pro socii, genus, 
 kindred ; the children of this world are toward their 
 fellows, with whom they have to do, therefore ma- 
 nifestly in the business, transactions, &c. of a 
 worldly nature, more prudent, foreseeing, and care- 
 ful, show more zeal, thought, concern, than the chil- 
 dren of light toward their spiritual kindred, (all the 
 faithful being brethren in Christ), in regard to those 
 cares, labours, and employments, which concern the 
 work of salvation ; the former think far before them, 
 calculate, work, not so the latter. 
 
 V. 9. And I say unto you. — I give you the fol- 
 lowing counsel and advice. Since it is the case that 
 the children of light are not as zealous as the}^ should 
 be in striving for salvation, this admonition of Christ 
 should be the more laid to heart, and especially since 
 riches and covetousness are such formidable hin- 
 drances to salvation, so readily withdraw the eye 
 from it, so completely entangle the heart and render 
 t cold and indifferent towards the higher interests of 
 
3lL> 
 
 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 its being, 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10. Grotius : " By connect- 
 ing in this manner his admonition with what pre- 
 cede?^, Christ intimates, that we are not so much pro- 
 prietors as dispensers of the good things we possess." 
 Moke to yourselves friends of the niommon of un- 
 righieousness^ or unrighteous mammon. Luther, 
 Cliurch-Pos. 13. 22.3 : " Mammon is in German, 
 wealth, and not an improper wealth, but superabun- 
 dant, beyond what nature and necessity require ; if 
 we were to take our measure from God and truth, 
 we should find many such, but if we take our mea- 
 sure from men and the world, then (from the greed 
 and avarice of the human heart) we should find but 
 few. He, how^ever, is properly said to have mam- 
 mon, who has more than he needs, with Avhich he 
 ought to help others and not injure himself." Mel. : 
 " The exhortation obviou!^ly enjoins us to use well 
 the means with which we have it in our power to 
 make friends, viz. Christ and the saints. Concern- 
 ing the legitimate use of riches, we are often told 
 elsewhere, and it is in substance that we should first 
 of all apply them to our o^^n necessities, then to 
 support the cause of the gospel ; thirdly, to the ne- 
 cessities of the state ; lastl}^, to the relief of our poor 
 brethren, and especially those of them who are mem- 
 bers of Christ." Lavater, Considerations, 2. 1 84 : 
 " Flow many are there who call themselves children 
 of light, yet never think of making to themselves out 
 of what they term their property, friends to receive 
 them into everlasting habitations ! In these words 
 there appears to me a deep thought, a sort of hint, 
 intimating the possibility of the salvation of some, 
 otherwise very faulty men." The mammon is called 
 unrighteous, not because it has been acquired in an 
 unrighteous manner, for this was not the case with 
 the goods committed to the steward, and the exhor- 
 tation given concerning it is not applicable to those 
 merely who have become rich in such a manner, 
 but is quite general. Were it indeed unrighteously 
 acquired goods that were spoken of, it could not pos- 
 sibly be beneficence alone that was recouimended. 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 343 
 
 for the first Obligation, in such a case, y>ould be 
 restitution Luke xix. 8. Hence, Luther says, House- 
 Pos. 4. 408 : " Unrighteous gain must be restored, 
 and not applied in the way of doing good to others 
 with it, or giving alms, according to Isa. Ixi. 8, 
 which declares, that whosoever would give a burnt- 
 offering, or bestow charity, or do a service to God 
 with money, he must do it of his own, and with what 
 has been acquired in righteousness, or else be free. 
 For with the wealth of others nothing must be done, 
 but what has been unrighteously gotten must be re- 
 stored." Mel.: '' Isaiah testifies, that God abhors 
 sacrifices offered from goods unjustly obtained. 
 Christ therefore by no means intends that alms 
 should be given of such things as have been unjustly- 
 obtained, but speaks of the riches of the saints. Even 
 these he calls the unrighteous mammon, not because 
 unrighteously obtained, or held without a good con- 
 science, but because of the manifold abuses which, 
 through human infirmity, are wont to grow out of 
 them — for what a misapplication is there of talents, 
 what a multitude of needless extravagances !" The 
 opinion, that mammon is called unrighteous, because 
 the unequal division of earthly goods is a conse- 
 quence of the fall, and great riches are hence un- 
 righteously possessed, is partly artificial, partly un- 
 true, as the distribution of all God's gifts, even 
 spiritual ones, is very unequal. Neither is the 
 mammon called unrighteous, because of its being 
 put to an improper use, as in the case of the unjust 
 steward, for it would still be a strange thing to apply 
 as a predicate to the mammon uhat properly belong- 
 ed to its possessor ; we must rather consider it to be 
 called unrighteous, on account of its own nature and 
 properties — and as doi/Ja (unrighteousness) accord- 
 ing to Wahl, means also fraud, per tidy, deceit, faith- 
 lessness, unrighteous mammon is as much as faithless, 
 unstable, insecure, what does not abide, what appears 
 to promise to its possessor continued happiness, while 
 yet it cannot always remain with us. The soundness 
 of this exposition is not only confirmed by v. 11, 
 
344 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 where the opposite to the unrighteous^ is the true, 
 the certain good, and by v. 12, where the unrighteous 
 is identified with another s. and the opposite is your 
 own, but also by the parable itself, for the steward 
 disposed of the goods of his lord as if they were his 
 own, while still they were not, — held the steward- 
 ship as if he were always to hold it, though soon to 
 be displaced. Now, as mammon of itself cannot 
 make blessed, as both the covetou;^ man and the 
 spendthrift cheat themselves with delusive imagina- 
 tions presently to be exemplified in the case of the 
 rich man, the Saviour therefore gives to the posses- 
 sors of it the admonition, so to use it that it may be 
 the means of bringing him to the enjoyment of a 
 true and abiding happiness, since that must soon be 
 taken away ; and it is so used when by acts of bene- 
 ficence we make friends to ourselves. 
 
 When ye fail, — properly die, for j/cXj/Vw, accord- 
 ing to Wahl, means precisely morior, lit. : I leave, 
 namely, life. Death is for the temporal life and its 
 cares, obligations, and labours, the same that the dis- 
 missal from office was to the steward, a termination 
 of the calling hitherto maintained. Others have sup- 
 plied mammon to the leaving, and Luther has with 
 that view adopted the sense of deprived, but the com- 
 parison is not then so pointed. 
 
 They may receive you into everlasting habitations, 
 with reference to v. 4, to which it stands in opposi- 
 tion. Gn. : " ^-/.Yim;, so called, on account of the securi- 
 ty, pleasantness, and convenience of the mode of life 
 pursued in tents. Their is not added here, as in v. 
 •4, because the tents or mansions are God's." Lu- 
 ther, House-Pos. 4. 409 : '• We shall find friends 
 there for the good deeds we have done, the kind- 
 ness and beneficence we have shown to the poor, 
 these shall not only be witnesses of our brotherly 
 and Christian behaviour, but shall also be com- 
 mended and recompensed. Then one shall come 
 and say, Lord, here is a person who gave me a coat, 
 c'i Uttle money, a piece of bread^ a cup of water in the 
 
THE UNJUST STEWARD. 345 
 
 time of need. Yea, as Christ tells us, Matth. xxv. he 
 himself shall come forth and testify before his hea* 
 venly Father, angels and saints, what we have done 
 for him, and how we have thereby approved our 
 faith. Those friends will stand up for us and help 
 us into heaven." That all salvation comes from 
 Christ does not hinder that men should there, as 
 well as here, be instruments, through whom he makes 
 his grace to flow to us, and it is not therefore to be 
 considered contrary to the analogy of scripture and 
 this life, that those who have been benefited by us on 
 earth, should in eternity be the instruments and 
 agents of our well-being : this is also countenanced 
 by V. 24. Lavater, Considerations, 2. 183: " The 
 supported poor man, who makes a good use of the 
 kindness shown him, has some j.ower also of recom- 
 pensing in the future world. He can make friends 
 for the friend-makers, and receive into his everlast- 
 ing habitations those who received him into their 
 earthly houses." Mel. : " A promise is added to the 
 precept concerning alms as elsewhere : Give, and it 
 shall be given to you. Here two questions arise, 
 shall the saints receive ? And shall we be received 
 on account of our good deeds ? The answer is very 
 easy to the righteous. There are two synecdoches. 
 The saints receive, that is, Christ and the church ; 
 Christ as the Saviour and giver of salvation, — the 
 church as a witness, celebrating the gift bestowed 
 through this deliverer, and giving thanks to a remu- 
 nerating God. And for the second synecdoche, 
 whether we receive on account of our own works, the 
 answer is short ; for in all discourses concerning good 
 works, .it is necessary to suppose a faith going before 
 and believing, that the obedience to be rendered shall 
 be accepted through a Mediator according to the 
 Word: Through him we have access to God." How- 
 ever, as Luther remarks, it is not works which gain 
 heaven for us, but Christ freely grants eternal life 
 to those who believe and give evidence of their faith 
 in works of love, and the right employment of their 
 
346 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 eartlil}^ goods. This the rich man did not do, there- 
 fore he wanted faith, and hence the whole parable, v. 
 19 — 31, is directed against unbelief as a warning 
 in regard to its fearful consequences. 
 
 V.^10— 12. Luther, House-Fos. 4. 425: " This is 
 merely a proverbial saying, taken from the econo- 
 mical management of domestic and worldly concerns. 
 Our Lord applies it to what is spiritual, to rebuke 
 the pharisees who were covetous, and means by it : 
 Whosoever is not faithful in temporal goods, but 
 seeks his own honour and advantage, he will never 
 be faithful in spiritual goods, as in preaching and 
 handling gospel privileges." Faithjal^ Gnomon : 
 " The Lord now commends, not prudence, but^We- 
 lihj^ for fidelity begets and directs prudence." Du- 
 vernoy, Extracts from Zinzendorf's Discourses, vol. 
 5, p. 48 : " There is much more art in being faithful 
 in small, than in great things, because the small are 
 not so easily preserved as the great, because the small 
 are much more numerous than the great — because in 
 great concerns, pride, self-love, a regard to character, 
 can go much farther in making one faithful and dili- 
 gent. Small things, on the other hand, are not seen 
 or noticed, are very easily overlooked, and if attend- 
 ed to with care and diligence, these are seldom re- 
 cognized. So that it certainly requires more prin- 
 ciple to be faithful in small things than in great, 
 — requires a heart more deeply grounded in what is 
 good, in order to take pains about things which 
 might be more slightly passed by, and deal with them 
 as matters of importance. But to draw the conclu- 
 sion : Whosoever is faithful in great, would also be 
 faithful in small things, would not hold, fi)r many 
 things might conspire to produce fidelity in what is 
 great, which might not be found in what is small. 
 To be faithful in the chamber, will argue more than 
 to be faithful on the theatre of the world ; to be faith- 
 ful to the Saviour in a cellar, is more thantobeso on a 
 balcony before the eye of the world. The reason why 
 it is more difficult to be faithful in small things than 
 
THE UK JUST STEVvARD. S47 
 
 in great, is. that the great have more advantages and 
 opportunities for leading one to be so than the small." 
 Mel. : *' A useful rule is added The saying may 
 be understood either vva}-, of debt or of reward, it 
 is due, tliat whatever may be our vocation, whether 
 great or small, we should regard it as a divine ap- 
 pointment, and exercise ourselves in it with fear and 
 diligence. David in his calling as a soldier, recog- 
 nized it as a divine appointment, and for the sake of 
 God rightly discharged it, much more therefore did 
 lie afterwards regard his royal calling as held of God. 
 But, secondly, the saying : To him that hath shall it 
 be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken 
 away even that which he hath, may also be under- 
 stood of rewards. He who uses well the gifts of 
 God, deserves to have these increased, as Augustin 
 sa\s ; Diieclio merelur increiaentum dilectionis^ that 
 is, if it be rightly used." Grotius : "'• IMasters are 
 wont to scrutinize the fidelity of their servants in 
 matters of small moment, and thus to form their 
 opinion in regard to larger ones." 
 
 V. II. The true, Gnomon: " Jesus speaks from a 
 heavenly point of view." 
 
 V. 12. " Mammon, (says Luther,) is called, by 
 our Lord, not unrighteous merely, but also a strange 
 thing, (anoiher man's,) intimating that it is a tempo- 
 ral good, and not always abiding, like that which is 
 spiritual. Eternal life is ours, that is, the Christian's 
 good, the true good, which remains eternally ours." 
 It is appointed to us by God for an everlasting pos- 
 session and proper! y, but only can be attained by 
 those who exercise, during their time of trial and pre- 
 paration, the necessary prudence and fidelity in 
 smaller, in temporal things, and manifest, thereby, 
 their capacity and fitness to receive, of undeserved 
 grace, the heavenly, the true, and perpetually abid- 
 ing riches. Verse 10th contains a general truth ; v. 
 11, 12, the application of that truth to the relation of 
 time and eternity, with respect to the use of earthly 
 
348 THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 goods. Hence these three verses draw the very na- 
 tural conclusion, from the smaller to the greater; and 
 intimate, at the same time, the mournful consequences 
 of an imprudent use of earthly goods to purposes of 
 avarice or extravagance, which shall only be felt in 
 eternity, as is strikingly exemplified in the case of 
 the rich man, who found himself, at once, bereft of 
 all temporal and eternal good. Calvin : " Though 
 the mirighteous should gorge themselves with the 
 riches of the world, they still can call nothing their 
 own^ because they take what they have by a sort of 
 theft, and possess it under the curse of God. But 
 it is a great consolation to the pious, that, by living 
 moderately, they take nothing which is another's; 
 and they receive, from the hand of their heavenly 
 Father, a due allowance, until they reach the pos- 
 session of their inheritance, while all the creatures 
 minister to their glory. For to this end shall the 
 heaven and earth be renewed, that they may con- 
 tribute, according to their measure, to the lustre of 
 the divine kingdom.'' 
 
 V. lej. In case, now, a heart, given either to greed 
 or extravagance, should think, that possibly it might 
 reconcile the criminal employment of temporal riches 
 with the attainment of eternal life and the true 
 honouring of God, our Lord anticipates this vain re- 
 fuge, and declares the impossibility of uniting the 
 service of God and mammon, because the heart can 
 only, in earnest, attach itself to one, — it ever has but 
 one God ; and the delusion of being able to love 
 both God and mammon, to belong to both at the 
 same time, while it is combated in v. 13, is also ex- 
 posed in the following parable ; for the outwardly 
 righteous and legal pharisees, (supposed servants of 
 God,) but inwardly given to the lusts of the world, 
 (actually servants of mammon,) who are there depict- 
 ed, must have seen, in the fate of the rich man, 
 \vhom they resembled, how irreconcileable the love 
 of the world is with the true fear of God; so that 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 349 
 
 here again the connection between the two parables, 
 and the relation of one to the other, forces itself 
 upon us. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 Lukexvi. 16—31. 
 
 We have already spoken of the connection between 
 this parable and that of the unjust steward. Many- 
 expositors have thought they discovered, in this story, 
 a real history, and referred it to the family of Annas 
 and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, whose sadducean un- 
 belief, in regard to a future state, and epicurean 
 mode of life, are here delineated and reproved; but 
 by far the greater number regard it merely as a 
 parable, and with more judgment. Gnomon: "This 
 parable, (for it is a parable, although it may have 
 been grounded on a history,) exposes not only an 
 abuse of earthly goods, through avarice and pride, 
 but also a supercilious contempt of the law and 
 the prophets. The rich man is an example of 
 the pharisees ; Lazarus, of those who are poor in 
 spirit; the state of each is disclosed, both in this life 
 and in that which is to come." Calvin : " It is not 
 to be doubted that, by this example, Christ confirms 
 his last discourse. For he shows what sort of fate 
 awaits those who, neglecting the care of the poor, 
 abandon themselves to fleshly pleasure." Grotius: 
 " Here Christ returns to the argument, with which 
 he began, concerning the use of riches, and shows 
 that the law of Moses w^as plainly violated, in this 
 respect, by many adherents of pharisaism, as if he 
 had said ; There is no need that the law of my new 
 kingdom condemn you, since the law of Moses is 
 amply sufficient for your condemnation." Luther, 
 HousePos. 4, 186: "Here it is not necessary to 
 
350 THE RICH MAX AND LAZARUS. 
 
 dispute whether there is a real history or only a pa- 
 rable, for, since Christ names the two persons, and 
 says what sort of life they both lived, and what be- 
 fel them after death, we must believe that such was 
 actually the case ; and further believe, that the same 
 portions shall be appointed to all who, on earth, re- 
 semble the rich man and Lazarus." That the main 
 object of the parable is the chastisement of unbelief, 
 Luther, in another place, has expressly declared : 
 " Our Lord, in this passage, holds up before us an 
 example of faith and of unbelief, or a godless condi- 
 tion, that we might be scared from a course of life 
 which is contrary to faith and love, and apply our- 
 selves to these with the more diligence. For here 
 we see the judgment of God upon the believing and 
 unbelieving, how frightful it is in the one case and 
 how consolatory in the other." It is perfectly con- 
 sistent with this view of the parable to say, as Luther 
 does elsewhere, that " Christ spake this parable es- 
 pecially against the pharisees, who vv^ere covetous, and 
 has here rebuked their covetousness." For their 
 covetousness was the fruit of their unbelief on God's 
 word, as the want of love here represented, v. 19, 
 20, sprung from the same evil root. And Luther is 
 quite right, also, when he saj'^s further, that " our 
 Lord presents to us this example of the rich man that 
 he might drive us from being careful only about 
 temporal things, and might lead us to be^ concerned 
 for what is eternal ; but that we might so conduct 
 ourselves, in regard to the present and temporal, as 
 not to bring ourselves into eternal condemnation." 
 For all anxiety about eternal things springs from 
 faith, and all indifference from unbelief. 
 
 Vitringa gives a quite inadmissible interpretation 
 of the several parts of the parable, when he saj'-s : 
 The rich man represents the rulers of the Jews; La- 
 zarus, the Lord Jesus, who had not where to lay his 
 head, and is called Lazarus, because God helped him ; 
 his lying before the gate of the rich man, denotes the 
 rejection of Christ by the Jews ; — full of sores, the 
 
THE RICH MAN AND I.AZARUS. 351 
 
 reproac hes of the Jews, or also the sins of men, which 
 he bore ; — his desiring the crumbs to satisfy him- 
 self, his satisfaction with his state on earth, or his 
 fellowship with the despised ; — the licking of the 
 dogs, the conversion of the heathen ; — the bearing 
 into Abraham's bosom, Christ's ascension into heaven; 
 — the death of the rich man, the overthrow of the 
 Jewish state ; — the entreaty to send Lazarus, the 
 desire after a Messias ; — the five brethren, the Baby- 
 lonian Jews. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Of unbelief. 
 
 I. The manifestations of unbelief in this life are : — 
 
 A. Insatiable thirst for enjoyment, v. 19. 
 
 a.) Unbelief seeks all sorts of enjoyment ; 
 
 c/oMes itself with purple, lives sumptuously. 
 b.) It seeks in these perfect satisfaction ; all 
 
 dai/, &c. 
 c.) It regards the temporal as its only and 
 
 highest good. 
 
 B. Cold-hearted uncharitableness, v. 20, 21. 
 a.) Unbelief despises the poor as worthless, 
 
 V. 20. 
 b.) It hardens itself against the daily sight of 
 
 other's misery, v. 20 : Lay before his gate, 
 
 full of sores. 
 c.) It extends no relief, v. 21 : The dogs came, 
 
 &c. 
 
 II. The fate of unbelief in the life to come. 
 
 A. It is fearfully undeceived, v. 22, 23. 
 
 a.) In regard to the worth of earthly goods 
 
 and enjoyments, v. 23: In hell he lifted up 
 
 his eyes, being in torments ; 
 b.) In regard to the salvation, once hoped for, 
 
 the true nature of which he now, for the 
 
352 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 first time, lliough still imperfectly, appre- 
 hends: Saw Abraham afar off. 
 c.) In regard to the relations respectively held 
 by him and Lazarus, toward God: Lazarus 
 in Abraham's bosom ; 
 
 B. It continues, in its sinful state of mind, v. 24: 
 a.) As to its fleshly confidence upon the des- 
 cent from Abraham : Father Abraham. 
 
 b.) As to its imaginary pretensions to sal- 
 vation : Have mercy on me ; 
 
 c.) As to its unholy lusts, which only tor- 
 ment it the more from the want of all 
 means of satisfying them : That he may 
 dip the tip of his finger. &c. 
 
 C. It is self-condemned, by an evil conscience, 
 
 V. 25— 3L 
 
 a) As being dealt with after the strictest 
 justice, V. 25 ; 
 
 h.) As being incapable of deliverance, on ac- 
 count of its state of mind, v. ''IG, 
 
 c.) As being without all excuse, 
 
 1. Because there had been no want to it 
 of the means of grace, v. 27 — 29. 
 
 2. Because these means of grace were 
 quite sufficient for the attainment of sal- 
 vation, V. 80, 31. 
 
 V. 19. There iras a certain rick man, S^c. Luther, 
 Church-Pos. 13. i! : " We must not conceive of the 
 rich man according to his outward walk ; the gospel 
 does not describe him as an adulterer, a robber, a mur- 
 derer, a criminal, or as having done any thing which 
 the world or reason might condemn, so that he must 
 have led externally a holy life, and, according both 
 to his own and his neighbours' thoughts, kept the 
 whole law like him in Luke xviii. 12. We must 
 look into his heart, and view his spirit, and there we 
 shall discover a heart and a tree of unbelief. For he 
 is not punished because he had used rich apparel and 
 sumptuous food, since many holy persons, kings and 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 35 3 
 
 queens had before him used these, such as Solomon, 
 Esther, David, &c. but because his heart was bent on 
 those things, sought after them, clave to them, and 
 chose to have all its joy, pleasure, delight, and its 
 very God as it were in them. This Christ intimates 
 by the word every-day ; for it is thereby manifested, 
 that he pursued such a life with eagerness, was not 
 constrained to adopt it from his official standing, or 
 for doing service to his neighbours, but his object 
 therein was merely to satiate his own lust, and he 
 lived to himself and for himself. In this, as a bad 
 fruit, we can trace the secret sin of his heart, un- 
 belief." 
 
 Purple and fine linen. — Expressive of his love of 
 pomp and effeminate luxury, which clothes itself in the 
 softest and most delicate apparel Grotius : '• The rich 
 man here is not accused of r&pine, nor that he need- 
 lessly hoarded up his wealth, but that he pampered 
 himself with delights, while others were consumed 
 with want, and he is charged with the violation of 
 an ancient, not of a new, and that a more per- 
 fect law. How then shall the great part of Chris- 
 tians escape the punishment inflicted upon this rich 
 man ?'' 
 
 V. 20, 21. Luther, Church-Pos. 13. 4: "Here 
 now appears the other sin, that he neglected the love 
 he owed to his neighbour. For faith has the art of 
 looking to God for all good, and perceives him to be 
 so good and gracious. And whosoever feels God's 
 goodness, he feels also his neighbour's necessities ; 
 whosoever does not feel God's goodness, neither does 
 he feel his neighour's necessities. Therefore we see 
 in this example of the rich man, that it is impossible 
 to love where there is no faith, and impossible to be- 
 lieve where there is no love, for they will and must 
 be in each other." — Named Lazarus, Gnomon : 
 " Lazarus by his own name known in heaven; the rich 
 man not distinguished by any name, v. 25 : he had 
 only a genealogy in this world, v. 27. Even in a 
 parable admission may be given to a proper nam , 
 2 a 
 
354 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 Ezek. xxiii. 4. It is possible, however, that a per- 
 son of the name of Lazarus may have existed at that 
 time in Jerusalem, and Theophj^lact mentions a tra- 
 dition of the Hebrews to that effect." 
 
 Before his f^ate. Gnomon ; " The antithesis to v. 
 22, bosom'' Grotius : " In sight of the rich man, 
 that he might not have ignorance to plead." Luther, 
 Church- Pos. 3. 6 : " We must not look at poor 
 Lazarus in his outward condition, with his sores, 
 poverty, and wretchedness ; we must look into his 
 heart, and seek the treasures which his sores have 
 made so precious, which is undoubtedly his faith and 
 love, for without faith no one can please God, Heb. 
 xi. 6. He must, therefore, have been in such a state 
 of mind, that in the midst of his poverty and wretch- 
 edness he viewed all good as in God and found con- 
 solation in the gifts and graces which he had been per- 
 mitted so richly to enjoy, and had such delight there- 
 in, indeed, that he could heartily have suffered still 
 more, if the will of his gracious God had so ordered. 
 Here then is a really living faith, which has softened 
 his heart througli the knowledge of divine grace, so 
 that nothing is too much for him to suffer and to do. 
 Such a state of mind is produced by faith, when it 
 apprehends the grace of God. But that Lazarus had 
 such thoughts (he says again, House-Pos. 4. 189.) 
 and experienced such consolation in his sufferings, 
 his name first of all testifies. For Lazarus is the 
 Hebrew name Eleazer, and means as much as God 
 helps, intimating that he had placed all his confidence 
 upon the eternal sufficiency of God, not upon men. 
 The same thing is afterwards signified in his being 
 said to be in Abraham's bosom : which simply means, 
 that Lazarus had placed his confidence upon the pro- 
 mise which was made to Abraham, that in his seed 
 all the families of the earth should be blessed. By 
 such a promise could Lazarus support and con- 
 sole himself, although the whole world might hold 
 him for an outcast, because so poor and miserable, 
 assured that he should be of the blessed seed of God, 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 355 
 
 and should not come into condemnation, but be for 
 ever a subject of grace. And such faith it was 
 which sustained him." From faith springs hope, 
 patience, devotedness, and resignation. What a con- 
 trast between the condition of the rich man and La- 
 zarus ! There every thing which seems worthy of 
 desire, here a fuhiess only of povertj^ and wretched- 
 ness. Mel. : " Law and reason judge from the event ; 
 this man is wretched, therefore he is neglected. Thus 
 always does human reason judge, while it remains in 
 its native darkness. But the gospel teaches, that dis- 
 tresses are not signs of the wrath of God, nay, that we 
 are afflicted for the purpose of being brought to God, 
 and that the righteous under affliction are under the 
 special care of God. Thus, from the beginning of 
 the world, the saints have suffered affliction, Abel, 
 prophets, Christ, apostles. Therefore, whenever we 
 are in affliction, let us learn that we are consoled by 
 this doctrine of the gospel, and stir ourselves up to 
 prayer, this is the warfare of the saints, to stand in 
 such faith and vrait for help." 
 
 V. 21. And desirwg to be fed luith the crumbs, S)-c. 
 Grotius : " Two things are here intimated, both the 
 inhumanity of the rich m.an, who, from a store so 
 rich, from a table so well replenished with daintiei, 
 could spare nothing in mercy to Lazarus ; and the 
 great patience of the latter, whose highest wish was 
 to receive only what v/as given to the dogs." The 
 greatness of Lazarus's misery is marked by his 
 poverty and sickness, a poverty so deep, that he 
 earnestly desired to be fed with the offals of the rich 
 man's table, which were cast to the dogs. The fol- 
 lowing expression : Moreover, the dogs came and 
 licked his sores, connected with the preceding by 
 äXkä 'yiai, obviously contains an elliptical contrast to 
 something understood. Schölten supplies this in the 
 following manner: oii [xovov oi Tt'jvzg s/ac'ai', vel fLri hiz- 
 xwXi-iov', seil, alrh yj:)PTaü(}r,vai, dX\ä zai sp^ofiivoi, &c. 
 (not only did the dogs hinder him, i. e. to eat the 
 crumbs, but they also came, &c.) As it is manifestly 
 
366 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 the aim of the whole representation, v. 19 — 21, to 
 exhibit in the strongest manner the want of com- 
 passion on the part of the rich man by the contrast 
 between his prosperity and the wretchedness of La- 
 zarus, the sentence beginning with dXXa x.ot,! must also 
 do this by way of an addition, implying a comparison 
 between the behaviour of the dogs and the conduct of 
 the rich man ; and the defective sentiment might per- 
 haps be supplied thus : Lazarus desired to be fed with 
 the crumbs, &c., (but although the rich man was so 
 devoid of compassion, as not to be at all concerned 
 for the poor man who lay at his gate) the dogs came, 
 &c. Irrational creatures put to shame the rich man, 
 while they alleviated the pains of Lazarus by licking 
 his sores, — they were more compassionate than he, 
 and, as Luther says, deserved better at the hands of 
 Lazarus. The foregoing construction is favoured by 
 the circumstance, that many codices have, after fell 
 from the rich man's table — and no man gave to him. 
 Some expositors, however, are of opinion, that by 
 the licking of the dogs can only be intimated the 
 nakedness of Lazarus, his weakness, as not able to 
 defend himself from the dogs, and consequently a 
 deeper aggravation of his wretchedness ; but apart 
 from the circumstance, that such licking was in point 
 of fact an alleviation of the pain, there would, ac- 
 cording to this view, only be a representation of the 
 necessitous case of Lazarus by itself, which, however, 
 is only designed as the means of bringing out the 
 heartlessness of the rich man, who neither satisfied the 
 hungry, nor soothed the distressed. And though we 
 grant what Olshausen says, that in scri[)ture dogs 
 appear always with a bad character, and are never 
 taken as symbols of fidelity and compassion, we are 
 not thereby necessitated to think that lust and rapa- 
 city are here meant, but rather compassion, as the 
 natural character of the dogs, coupled with what they 
 did, sei'ves but to bring out more strikingly the cold- 
 hearted indifference of the rich man. Calvin : '' The 
 rich man had already been convicted of huge bar- 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 357 
 
 barity, since so miserable a spectacle could not move 
 him to compassion ; but now this mass of wicked and 
 more than beastly ferocity was not able to learn 
 mercy even from dogs. What more prodigious, than 
 that a man should be cared for by dogs, and neglect- 
 ed by his immediate neighbour? Nay, that not even 
 a crumb of bread should be given by a servant, to 
 him whom the dogs attempted to soothe with their 
 tongues ?" Brovver : " We behold a poor mendi- 
 cant, covered with sores, whom dogs presently ap- 
 proach, lick his sores, and afford some solace and re- 
 freshment to a man abandoned by his fellow-men ; 
 so that brute animals surpass such men in humanity." 
 V. 22. This verse forms merely the transition to the 
 other part of the parable, and connects both parts with 
 a noble greatness and simplicity. By the angels, see 
 Heb. i. 14. Ps. ciii. 20. Calvin: " It is not in vain 
 that Christ assigns this office to the angels, whom we 
 know to be given as ministers to the faithful, to aid 
 and co-operate with them in the matter of their salva- 
 tion." Grotius : " Lo, a sudden change. He who 
 lately was the sport, not only of man but of dogs, 
 is presently honoured by the ministry of angels." 
 Luther, House- Pos. 4.207 : " The rich man also dies 
 and is buried, doubtless with the greatest pomp, but 
 other angels wait on him and bear him into hell. 
 There every thing is reversed. The poor Lazarus, in 
 the judgment of the pharisees, is condemned and ac- 
 cursed, and according to them also, the rich man in- 
 herits the blessing of God. We must judge, how- 
 ever, not as the pharisees did, but as it is written here. 
 But we must be careful to distinguish rightly, and say, 
 not that the poor man attains to heaven because he 
 is poor, and the rich man goes to hell because he is 
 rich, but that the one did well in his poverty, and 
 acted rightly in regard to it, while the other did quite 
 otherwise in regard to his riches Poverty in itself 
 is not good, but evil ; it saves no one, neither does 
 wealth condemn any one.'* Grotius : " The also 
 here is significant ; as if it had been said, riches avail 
 
358 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 nothing against death. Nor was it improperly taken 
 notice of by the fathers, that the goodness of God is 
 marked in the circumstance of Lazarus dying first, 
 and the rich man afterward; the one being removed 
 from the trials of life, the other permitted long time 
 to repent." 
 
 Abraham^s bosom. — Luther understands this of the 
 word of God, on which the fathers all believed, and 
 through which they attained to salvation. But to go 
 to Abraham's bosom is a tigurative expression, which, 
 like that used in Matth. viii. 11, denotes nearness to 
 that holy patriarch, the highly-honoured friend of God, 
 and this local nearness is again the image of partici- 
 pation in Abraham's blessedness, intimating that it 
 was well with Lazarus in eternity, and that he was 
 treated as a true descendant of Abraham, Rom. ii. 28, 
 29. Gnomon : " As a genuine son, he becomes the 
 fellow heir and companion of Abraham, reclining in 
 the heavenly kingdom. It is a concise mode of 
 speech, for bosom presupposes a feast; a feast, the 
 kingdom of heaven. Lazarus is admitted to the king- 
 dom of heaven, nay, to the feast, nay, into the bosom 
 of Abraham. So that Lazarus is in closer fellowship 
 with Abraham, and is hence said to be Iv roT; -/.oX-TToig 
 avTou the plural." Mel. : " The bosom of Abraham 
 is the rest of the pious, who, from the promise made 
 to Abraham, have attained to faith, comfort, and eter- 
 nal life. This promise is more fully opened up in the 
 gospel, for there it is expressly said, that every one who 
 believes upon the Son has everlasting life. But as now 
 we should sustain ourselves when departing by faith 
 on this promise given us in Christ, and through such 
 faith enter into life eternal ; so then the saints of God 
 sustained themselves on that word to Abraham, and 
 leaning thereon in faith, they entered into life eternal. 
 Therefore the bliss of heaven is called the bosom of 
 Abraham, because it is the blessing promised to 
 Abraham, on account of the seed, that is, Christ." 
 Grotius : " Here the highest honour is ascribed to 
 Lazarus, as having a place next to Abraham in that 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 359 
 
 liappy region, whom he resembled in his exalted faith 
 and constancy in enduring trials." 
 
 V. 23. Atid in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in 
 torments. Grotius : " As j3ersons in prison are wont 
 to be tormented before they receive condemnation; 
 so disembodied spirits (laden with sin) cannot but be 
 afflicted with severest agony, forwarned by conscience 
 of their coming doom." Luther, Church-Pos. xiii. 
 11:" Hell here cannot mean hell properly so called, 
 which is to begin at the last day. For the rich 
 man's body was certainly not in hell, but buried in the 
 grave. It must, however, be a place where the soul 
 can be and finds no rest ; there can be nothing cor- 
 poreal about it; and we must therefore understand 
 by this hell an evil conscience, which is without 
 faith and the word of God, and with which the un- 
 believing are racked even till the day of judgment." 
 The word rendered hell, is properly hades, the region 
 of the dead ; and Bauer remarks here, that according 
 to the Je^vish doctrine, paradise is removed from hell 
 only by an hand-breadth, so that one could see from 
 the one place to the other, though between them there 
 was still a deep gulph. 
 
 In regard to the conversation between the rich man 
 and Lazarus, Luther: Church-Pos. 13. 11, makes the 
 following remarks : " There could, indeed, be no 
 bodily speech, since the bodies of each were lying in 
 the grave, therefore there could just as little be a cor- 
 poreal tongue, which the rich man felt to be scorch- 
 ing in the fire, as there could be a corporeal finger or 
 water, which he sought from Lazarus. So that all 
 must be understood of the conscience after this man- 
 ner. When conscience is awakened at death, or be- 
 yond death, what is here said is true of its unbelief, 
 and it then for the first time sees the bosom of Abra- 
 ham. Then such thoughts arise in the conscience 
 as would have expre>sed themselves in the manner 
 the rich man did to Abraham, could they have spoken, 
 and cause help to be sought from the word of God, 
 
360 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 and all who have believed therein, with so much 
 eagerness, that the smallest consolation would be 
 taken from the smallest things, and still it cannot be 
 found." Again, in his Sermons: ''No, it is not 
 corporeal, all is transacted in the conscience, as he 
 perceives that he has acted against the gospel. No- 
 thing was actually spoken by him, but only internally 
 felt. He knows in his conscience that he must be 
 for ever there, (v. 26.) and therefore he has no rest. 
 He seeks help at all hands, in heaven and in hell, 
 but there is no help for him, no more than there was 
 with the foolish virgins. He thinks : gracious God ! 
 had I but believed, or were there but a believer who 
 could communicate his faith to me I And this 
 thought which I have attributed to him, was simply 
 present to his conscience." Gray : " This circum- 
 stance — the conversation between Abraham and La- 
 zarus — is evidently fictitious, contrived merely to en- 
 force and illustrate the moral of the parable. It is 
 similar to that between God and Satan in the book 
 of Job, and to be viewed in the same light, as con- 
 trived to convey the intended instruction, through 
 the help of the imagination, in a more lively and 
 forcible manner." It is, therefore, the most probable 
 way, not to regard that as a real conversation, but 
 only as a form for embodying certain thoughts and 
 feelings, which were most painful to the unbelieving 
 and cold-hearted rich man after death ; so that the 
 utterance merely serves to remove the covering, and 
 present the truth in the liveliest manner. Calvin : 
 *' Souls are not possessed of eyes and fingers, neither 
 can they be aflfected by thirst, or hold conferences 
 one with another ; but the Lord here delineates a 
 picture, which represents to us the state after death 
 in a manner suited to our senses. The meaning is : 
 The wicked are dreadfully tormented by a sense of 
 their own misery, catch at some consolation, but with 
 disappointed hope suffer double anguish ; the more 
 oppressed with pain also, that they are constrained 
 
 1 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 361 
 
 to remember their past crimes, and to compare the 
 present bliss of the faithful with their own miserable 
 and lost condition." 
 
 Lifted np his €yes—Y(kQ a man awake from a dream 
 and a state 'of unconsciousness, and again restored 
 to sound thought ; it displays the fearful delusion of 
 the rich man in regard to the continuance, worth, 
 and sufficiency of temporal goods, wliich could nei- 
 ther guarantee nor bestow the possession of happi- 
 ness in eternity, as he had supposed. Grotius : "As 
 corporeal acts are customarily ascribed to God, so are 
 they by a like figure ascribed to disembodied spirits." 
 — Saw Abraham afar off , — this intimates that he had 
 now obtained an idea, though still a very dark one, 
 of the happiness which was enjoyed by Abraham in 
 the world of spirits. Grotius : " Abraham is here 
 mentioned as the chief of the blessed ; then as the 
 person in whom they were accustomed to glory as 
 the head of the family. But how different from this 
 man was Abraham, who so kindly entertained stran- 
 gers I" — And Lazarus in his bosom, — this points to 
 another delusion of the rich man, who had formerly 
 considered Lazarus as an outcast from God, and 
 could not now see him so highly honoured without 
 envy and astonishment. Luther, House-Pos. 4. 213 : 
 " We may therefore hold this to be the occasion of 
 bitterest grief, that the rich, and others who suffer 
 condemnation, must see heaven occupied by the poor, 
 whom they treated with contempt on earth, as is also 
 written in the Book of Wisdom, chap v." 
 
 V. 24. It is signified by the figurative expressions 
 of this verse, that the rich man's perversity of heart 
 continued also in eternity, and that death brings not 
 the smallest moral change upon man ; they contain 
 partly a prayer for mercy, partly a description of his 
 condition. — He cried and said^ Father Abraham; 
 his pride on account of his fleshly descent from 
 Abraham, and his Judaism had gone with him ; he 
 thinks of laying claim to salvation as a right wholly 
 standing in himself, and is quite blinded in regard to 
 
332 THE RlCn MAX AXr> LAZARUS. 
 
 his un filial state of heart, Matth. iii. 8. Rom. ix. 6, 
 7, though he recognizes Abraham as his father. In 
 such a state of mind his condition must be doubly 
 painful to him, Matth. vii. 22, &c. Send. Gnomon: 
 " This voluptuary still treats Lazarus as of little ac- 
 count, as afterwards Moses, v. 30." Grotius : " From 
 this it appears probable, that those are always pre- 
 sent to the thoughts of the wicked, whom they re- 
 member to have been ill treated by them." — Cool my 
 tongue^ 8^c. — marking the continuance of his lusts and 
 desires, which were now without any means of satis- 
 faction, and consequently increased his torment ; the 
 thirst bespeaks a lon:2;ing desire after an absent good ; 
 the suffering of pain a present feeling of distress ; 
 the flame is an image of the highest degree of pain ; 
 he begs, not for entire deliverance, but only for alle- 
 viation ; he sues for mercy, who himself had been so 
 unmerciful. Grotius : " He compares the torture of 
 conscience to a burning flame ; and suitably to this 
 the other things are feigned, for they, who are burn- 
 ed, feel thirst especially in their tongue ; thirst is 
 relieved by water ; the least portion of water is what 
 adheres to the finger. The meaning is, that the rich 
 man who had formerly despised Lazarus, would now 
 willingly supplicate him, if only he could obtain the 
 slightest alleviation of such toitures." 
 
 V, 25, 2(). Abraham's answer is the reply of an 
 accusing conscience, which was once di regarded in 
 its admonitions and v/arnings, but must now he heard 
 in its condemnatory judgment. The first part of the 
 answer in v. 25, points to the righteousness of God, 
 — that he was dealt with just as he deserved, in ac- 
 cordance with his earlier state and conduct. Ols- 
 ^ hausen : " The J<m' talionis, which serves as a basis to 
 tlie whole of the Old Testament, is that through 
 which Abraham convinces the rich man of the 
 righteousness of his sufferings ; so that Moses, upon 
 whom the pliarisees hoped, appears as their accuser, 
 ^ John V. 45 — 47." It is from his connection with 
 Moses' writings, that the accusing conscience of the 
 
THE EICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 363 
 
 rich man, who is painted as a pbarisee, draws his 
 self-condemnation. The other part of the answer in 
 V. 26, refers to the impossibility of his now, when it 
 was too late, obtaining help, Matth xxv. 11, 12. 
 
 Son^ remember, — an affectionate address ; without 
 figure: To me also, as a descendant of Abraham, 
 \A as salvation granted, and God's goodness besides 
 afforded me so many benefits for my earthly life. 
 Upon the propriety, beauty, and truth of this form 
 of address, Brouwer makes the following remarks : 
 " The reply is void of every thing like harshness, 
 crueUy, or M-rong ; the patriarch softly addresses a 
 wretched man. Nor is there any thing more envious 
 or hurtful to human feeling, than when those, who are 
 rejoicing in the highest felicity, treat with scorn and 
 contumely the miserable, though they may have be- 
 come so through their own misconduct, and thus em- 
 bitter their sorrows. In all the discourses of our 
 Lord, there is manifest that regard for what is hon- 
 oural)le and becoming, which cannot but make the 
 perusal and reperusal of them pleasant." Luther, 
 House-Pos. 4. 212 : " Thou in thy lifetime received- 
 est thy good things, now thou must suffer for it pain 
 and torment ; and as thou wouldst have it so, no injury 
 is therefore done to thee. Thou wouldst have thy 
 heavenly kingdom upon earth ; gold and treasure 
 were thy salvation, rich apparel and fine living were 
 thy paradise," Gal. vi. 8. Jas. ii. 13. Of Lazarus it is 
 not said, that he had received his evil things, as if in 
 these he had met with the just punishment of his 
 transgressions, but simply that they were the appoint- 
 ments of heaven. Calvin : " Thy is emphatical ; as 
 if Abraham had said: Though thou wast created for 
 immortality, and the law of God again sought to raise 
 thee to the meditation of a divine life, yet, forgetful 
 of so noble a calling, thou liast preferred being like 
 a sow or a dog; therefore thou receivest the just re- 
 ward of such brutal pleasures." So also Grotius : 
 " Thy good things — those, namely, which thou didst 
 reckon truly, nay mainly good, which thou didst 
 
^KJ-t THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 use, not as intrusted to thee after a certain law and 
 manner, but as properly thine own, in which, in short, 
 thou didst place thy confidence." 
 
 jBui now he is comforted, S^c. — All is, therefore, 
 done in righteousness, I desired only an earthly good 
 and despised the heavenly, hence this is now denied 
 me. Grotius: " That expression, but now, intimates 
 the strongest resolution. It happens indeed very 
 often, that those who fare best in this life, fare worst 
 in the next. On the other hand, those who have been 
 oppressed here with all sorts of evil, enjoy there the 
 highest felicity." Lavater, Considerations 2. 189 : 
 " Thou hast already had enjoyment, and in the midst 
 of thy fulness didst not care for human misery — now 
 therefore the eternal order of things brings it to pass, 
 that waste is succeeded by indigence, misery by 
 bliss." 
 
 And besides all this, S)'C. — Luther, House-Pos. 4. 
 213 : " if we would befriend thee, and go and cool 
 thy tongue, yet we cannot. We act not according 
 to our own will, but God's ; what he wills, that we 
 also will ; we have no power to do what you ask. 
 When Lazarus and thou wast together, were in a sense 
 neighbours, he lay before thy gate, one could have 
 helped another, thou hadst no gulph to pass over.'" 
 And again ! " These are the thoughts of despair, when 
 conscience feels, that the word of God is for ever 
 withdrawn from him, and can never help him." — 
 Thet/ that loould, Grotius : " They that would, that 
 is, if they would." Lavater, as above : " Now thou 
 must miserably bear thy fate ! No deliverance or al- 
 leviation is to be thought of now, no refreshing or 
 consolatory visit of Lazarus to thee. Upon earth 
 every thing is mixed — in eternity there shall be a 
 complete separation. Mere the good must be con- 
 versant both with good and evil ; but in the world of 
 spirits the good are associated with the good, while 
 the evil shall have the irreversible fate of being united 
 only to the evil. Now every one is preparing himself 
 for his destiny, hereafter he shall find it. The nature 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 365 
 
 of things and the eternal laws of the Creator change 
 not," Gal. vi. 7—9. 
 
 Ver. 27 — 31. After the rich man had in v. 25, 26, 
 given utterance to his own condemnation, there is 
 represented from v. 27, the attempt of his wicked 
 heart to justify itself. He first of all, v. 27, 28, tries 
 it on the ground, that he had not been sufficiently- 
 warned or made aware of the mournful consequences 
 of a life given to worldly lusts — the refutation of 
 which is found in v. 29. Then he seeks to excuse 
 himself by falling foul of the ordinary and regular 
 means of grace, as if they were neither sufficient nor 
 powerful enough for salvation, and asks for extraor- 
 dinary methods, v. 30, — the exposure of this refuge 
 is given in v. 31. Olshausen : " But the parable 
 does not conclude with this (v. 25, 26.) The rich 
 man, giving himself up to his fate, appeals from jus- 
 tice to grace, and begs that Lazarus might be sent to 
 his brethren, and warn them, but they also are left 
 by Abraham to Moses and the prophets. It is cer- 
 tainly matter of wonder, that what Abraham here put 
 away from him, has been fulfilled by God in Christ, 
 so that in this parable we have at once a representa- 
 tion of the nature of the law, and an intimation that 
 something higher than that was possible." 
 
 Ver. 27. That thou wouldest send him, Grotius: 
 ** Send him, namely, restored to his body, lest any one 
 should imagine reference were here made to spiritual 
 apparitions. That it is as we have said, appears from 
 the expression farther on : though one should rise 
 from the dead." 
 
 Ver. 28. Luther, House-Pos. 4. 215 : " This is, 
 however, a pious reprobate, who would fain that 
 others do not come into condemnation and torment. 
 But it is not written because the damned actually feel 
 so, but for a warning to others." As the whole is 
 only a colloquy of the lost man with himself, we must 
 neither say, that he begged this out of regard for his 
 brothers' well being, nor affirm that he did it out of 
 self-love, that his agonies might be increased by the 
 
366 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS, 
 
 reproaches of those, who had been misled by him. 
 The five brethren stand for persons of the same tem- 
 per and mode of life with himself; the prayer for 
 them is only a cover for the thought : I was not suf- 
 ficiently warned. 
 
 That he may testify to them, 5/a,«,u>r65o/a,K/, Wahl : 
 " I testify and affirm by God and the faith of men ; 
 when used of exhortation : I seriously admonish ;" — 
 it denotes, not the first communication or report of a 
 thing, but rather its confirmation by an irrefragable 
 testimony. — Lest they also come into this place of tor- 
 ment ; it might therefore have been possible through 
 faith upon earth, to have been kept from condemna- 
 tion ; but this faith is the free act of the mind ; the 
 rich man had not used his opportunities so as to at- 
 tain to faith, and would shove the guilt off himself upon 
 the evidences. 
 
 V. 29. He must still further say to himself, that in 
 Moses and the prophets a testimony had been given 
 to him, which he himself recognized for divine, and 
 which was sufficient for faith to rest upon — but which, 
 though well enough known to him, he had failed to 
 receive in true faith. Acts xiii. 15 ; xv. 21. Calvin: 
 " Christ tells us, that when a certain rule of life is pre- 
 scribed to us, it is not at all to be expected that the 
 dead should rise up to teach and admonish us. For 
 Moses and the prophets, while they lived, were such 
 proficient teachers to the men of their own age, that 
 from their writings the same benefit may be derived 
 to posterity. And since God wishes us in this man- 
 ner to be furnished for a godly life, there is no rea- 
 son why the dead should be sent as witnesses to tes- 
 tify of the punishments or rewards of a future state ; 
 nor will any excuse be found for the indolence of 
 those, who take up with this pretext, that they know 
 not what is to happen hereafter, Deut. xxx. 12. If 
 we would handle sacred history in a pure and pious 
 manner, let us remember that it must be so handled 
 as that we shall derive from it the fruit of sound in- 
 struction. And its design indeed is partly to direct 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 367 
 
 our life, partly to confirm our faith, partly to excite 
 us to the fear of God." — Luther, House-Pos. 4. 195 : 
 <« Here, indeed, the office of preaching is lauded, and 
 people are truly admonished to attend on it, since 
 there is no other way through which they can pro- 
 vide against the frightful danger of eternal condem- 
 nation. But Moses and the prophets preach chiefly 
 these two articles. The first is, that they point to 
 the seed of the woman as the great object of faith — 
 so that according to them, faith in Christ Jesus is the 
 only and the true way whereby sin and death can be 
 escaped and salvation attained. The other is, that 
 we must also be obedient to God, and in this present 
 life do and cleave to that which he commands us, 
 shun and forsake that which he forbids us, for this is 
 to fear God and keep him before us." Gnomon : 
 " The scope of this passage is to commend scripture, 
 which the pharisees despised. Moses and the pro- 
 phets are here considered, especially as testifying 
 concerning Christ, v. 16, whom they mocked, v. 14." 
 Grotius : " They have Moses, whose words are still 
 extant, plainly commanding help to be given to the 
 needy ; and the prophets, as Isaiah, who told the 
 Jews boasting of their fasts, that the best fast was 
 to feed the hungr}'^, to bring the outcast into the house, 
 to clothe the naked, chap. Iviii. 7." 
 
 Let them hear them» Gnomon : •' This is said se- 
 verely, no one is compelled; men are saved by faith- 
 ful hearing, not by apparitions. Herod, unwilling to 
 hear the word, sees no miracle. Very little is openly 
 and plainly said in the New Testament concerning 
 the states after death, which ought at least to suffice 
 for repentance." 
 
 V. 30. Luther, House-Pos. 4. 215: " They are 
 now, he means to say, accustomed to Moses and the 
 prophets, so that these will not do ; but this would be 
 a great and uncommon thing, and would command 
 regard, if one from the dead should appear to them, 
 and testify of my anguish in these flames." Without 
 
368 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 a figure : he demands extraordinary means, as if the 
 ordinary ones were not sufficient. 
 
 V. ÖI. Luther, House- Pos. 4. 216 : " He whom 
 God's word cannot of itself move, will not be moved 
 by any one, whether it were a dead man from hell, or 
 an angel from heaven. For it is not the person who 
 brings a man to believe right, but the word of God 
 must bring him thus far, at least that he shall know 
 it for certain to be the word of God, who is the 
 greatest person." Lavater, Considerations, 2. p. 1 92 : 
 " Whose bones and marrow do not tremble at this 
 discourse of the most merciful and compassionate of 
 teachers ? One can hardly believe, that he, who had 
 just so lately spoken of grace and kindness, of for- 
 giveness and mercy, should by such a representation 
 cut off all hope — should place between salvation and 
 condemnation such an impassable gulph, that he de- 
 spairs of a man's recovery, who has no relish for the 
 truth spoken by Moses and the prophets. At this 
 fearful warning one cannot but tremble for the con- 
 sequences of that carnality, which neglects the cul- 
 ^ tivation of the understanding and the heart. We 
 have learned much from this discourse of our Lord, 
 if we have only learned that our whole eternal fate 
 depends upon our so formed or misformed internal 
 state — that ultimately, and strictly speaking, nothing 
 of our future destiny depends upon the arbitrariness 
 of our judge, but that this arbitrariness merely de- 
 termines itself according to our real state of mind, 
 according to our religious or irreligious, our tender 
 or hardened disposition." The mightiest testimony 
 of God, the most convincing work, the glorious 
 RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, which is here mani- 
 festly pointed at, and whatever else God has appointed 
 to move men to repentance and faith, all this will 
 fail of its design and prove powerless, if the blinded 
 heart will not believe ; for faith depends much more 
 upon a moral bent of mind, than upon the kind and 
 character of the testimony. Gnomon : " The rich 
 
THE EICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 869 
 
 man bad said : If one ivere sent to them they ivould 
 repent, now (as it is affirmed, that they would not 
 be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.) the 
 antecedent hypothesis is increased, but the conse- 
 quent decreases. There are many proofs to be drawn 
 from the invisible world, (Matth. xxvii. 53.) but not 
 in regard to this particular point, that men will re- 
 pent. Another Lazarus was raised up, but they did 
 not believe, John xi. 44, ö3. Tl-ißicCai. as v.ell as 
 ä~ii6s7v, sometimes refers to the understanding, some- 
 times to the will; often to both." Grotius: " Christ 
 restored to life another man called Lazarus (nor is it 
 improbable that Christ had respect to this when he 
 uttered these things). Did tlie Pharisees on that ac- 
 count more heartily yield to the admonitions of Christ? 
 Nay, they did but strive the more to kill him, and 
 Lazarus too. Christ himselr" returned from death, 
 and not a few, of blameless life, and corrupted by 
 no bribe, were witnesses of the fact. Yet, so far 
 from being moved to repentance, (Ley only sought to 
 suppress their testimony by force." Tlie certainty 
 of a life after death, the connection between that life 
 and the present, b}^ the continuing of the same state 
 of mind hereafter, and still farther development of 
 the consequences of our conduct upon earth— that 
 the space given for repentance shall have an end — 
 that repentance may come too late — that there is to 
 be a righteous and irrevocable judgment — that unbe- 
 lief in God's word is the source of condemnation and 
 of all misery ; these truths are plainl}^ brought to 
 light in the preceding parable, and if the parables in 
 the 15th chapter speak of the mercy of God toward 
 the penitent, this presents in the clearest light the 
 righteousness of God towar»! the impenitent, Rom. i. 
 18, as it uplifts the veil which conceals the future 
 world from our view. 
 
 2b 
 
370 THE WORKING SERVANT. 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 THE WORKING SERVANT. 
 
 Luke xvii, 7 — 10. 
 
 After our Lord had spoken to his disciples of in- 
 evitable offences, that is, of the >vicked and malicious 
 opposition of the world to his gospel and the profes- 
 sors thereof; and had also alluded to the singular 
 guilt of those from whom these offences proceeded, 
 (v. 1, 2,) : he admonishes them in v. 3, to cherish a 
 loving and placable disposition, which is ever ready 
 to receive again and pardon, however often it may 
 have been injured, v. 4: which doctrine is still far- 
 ther illustrated and enforced in the 18th of Matthew, 
 by the parable of the wicked servant. Upon this the 
 apostles spoke to him, doubtless under a lively sense 
 of the ditiiculty which there was to human hearts in 
 fulfilling such a command, and said : Lord, wcrease 
 our faith. The feeling, however, of their own impo- 
 tence, and their conviction of the necessity of having 
 an increased measure of faith for the fulfilment of 
 what was enjoined, might not be the only occasion of 
 this prayer, in which something more than what was 
 expressed appears to have mingled, as we may gather 
 from the small parable delivered by our Lord on this 
 occasion, in which, as in so many others, some error 
 or failing is evidently combated. The prayer for an 
 increase of faith seems here to point to the error, 
 which supposes faith capable of being increased with- 
 out any thing further — by an arbitrary manifestation 
 of grace on the part of the Lord, without respect to 
 the spiritual condition of those whose faith is to be 
 strengthened. And as they pray : Increase (add to) 
 our faith, there appears to have existed in the deepest 
 underground of theirheartsacertain self-sufficientcon- 
 lidence and respect to the faith the}'^ already possessed, 
 (,f which they perhaps thought the more, that so many 
 others did not believe in Jesus. So, looking upon 
 
THE WORKING SERVANT. 371 
 
 their faith as meritorious, they thought that they had 
 good grounds for claiming an increase to it. But 
 when the Lord meets them in v. 6, with the declara- 
 tion: If ye had faith -as a grain of mustard-seed, &c.; 
 he means to tell them, that if they really had right, 
 true, living faith, existing as a divine power in the 
 soul, they would not be in the least afraid of the dif- 
 ficulties and hindrances in question, they would be 
 able to overcome them as small and inconsiderable ; 
 and if they were called to contend with opposition, 
 and perfoi-m what was difficult, they might still do so 
 though they had faith but as a grain of mustard- seed, 
 which even when so small can overcome the world. 
 Upon this follows the parable of the working ser\ anf, 
 in which, as the only way of attaining to an increased 
 faith, an unmoved persevering obedience is recom- 
 mended, and that grounded, in v. 9, 11, upon humi- 
 liiy. Through these two the heart is prepared for 
 growing in faith, and so for receiving the desired 
 strengthening or increase of faith. Grotius: "Many 
 of the fathers extend this similitude to the most ap- 
 proved deeds of Christians, teaching, that even in 
 these there is nothing on account of which we sliould 
 boast or presume before God. For, as Chrysostom 
 says, a humble mind without works will more readily 
 bring a man to salvation, than pride along with works. 
 There are many considerations which ought to pre- 
 vent us from seeking a reckoning with God." Cal- 
 vin : '• The sum of this parable is, that since God 
 can by an absolute right challenge every thing to 
 himself, and hold us for his own property, however 
 zealously we may apply to any duty, we cannot bind 
 him to us by the obligation of our merits, because 
 since we are his, he can be in nothing indebted to 
 us. But the argument is from the less to the greater, 
 for if such power is yielded to one man over another, 
 that day and night he may urge him to incessant la- 
 bour, and yet may lie under no obligation to com- 
 pensate him, as if he was his debtor : how much more 
 may God, &c. We see, therefore, that, all are con* 
 
372 THE WORKIXG SERVANT. 
 
 demned of sinful arrogance, who imagine tliat they 
 deserve something at the hands of God, as if they 
 had laid him under contribution to themselves." Ols- 
 hausen : •' To the (foregoing) commendation of faith, 
 which naturally includes within itself an advice to 
 strive earnestly for its increase, succeeds now a para- 
 bolical representation of the relation of disciples to 
 their Lord, which manifestly grows out of what pre- 
 cedes. The prevailing sentiment in the minds of the 
 apostles which led them to ask for an increase to their 
 faith, and our Lord to deliver this parable, was a 
 mournful feeling in regard to the difficulties of the 
 warfare to be maintained, and a thirsting for future 
 rest and reward. In reference to these, Jesus reminds 
 them of the relation in which they stood; they were 
 as servants to their Lord, and the calling of a servant 
 is to work for the interest of his master, and in obe- 
 dience to his will. To work thus, however, can bring 
 no desert, it is matter of obligation. So that the 
 humble Son of Man appears here as a commander, 
 whom all must serve ; and the point of the parable 
 is, to press it on the apostles, and through them on 
 all the members of the church, that man can acquire 
 no merit in the service of God — that the highest tide- 
 lity is nothing but fulfilled obligation, and that he 
 must consequently seek all his consolation in grace." 
 
 TRAIN or THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The necessity of Humility. 
 
 It is necessary, 
 . L Because in all matters we depend on God (are 
 his servants), v. 7 ; 
 
 2. Because we are bound to employ all our powers 
 in his service, v. 8; 
 
 3. Because, in such circumstances, we have no 
 claims for any special praise or recompense from 
 obedience, v. 9; 
 
 4. Because an unpretending disposition is expressly 
 demanded of us, v. 10. 
 
THE WORKING SERVANT. 373 
 
 V. 7. Strvant, a body slave. — Ploughatg or feed- 
 ing cattle. — Olshausen: " Images of spiritual labour, 
 to which the apostles were called." Go and sit down 
 to meat — in one thing or another to have been obe- 
 dient, and to have laboured for the Lord, is not enough 
 to warrant our expecting from him an immediate re- 
 freshment and recompense. 
 
 V. 8. TJje Lord properly regards what the servant 
 has already done, as a matter of obligation, and de- 
 mands from him further obedience, additional labour. 
 Gird thyself, that you may wait upon me without 
 hindrance. 
 
 V. 9. The Lord is not in the least bound to give 
 particular thanks to his servant, and the servant must 
 not lay claim to this as his due ; the ground of its 
 being so lies in the mutual relationship. Grotius: 
 '' In this repect reward differs from grace; that re- 
 ward looks mainly to the work done, grace to the 
 state of mind ; so that reward becomes due according 
 to agreement, although the slave or hired labourer 
 has not done willingly the required work. But they 
 are proper subjects of grace who work with a ready 
 mind, and would do even what they cannot accom- 
 plish. Elsewhere, however, the word reward in a 
 looser sense, imports any sort of recompense, even 
 though much beyond what the deed merits, as an ex- 
 pression of kind feeling. Luke, therefore, after his 
 custom, opposes grace to reward." 
 
 V. 10. This verse contains the application of the 
 similitude to the disciples of our Lord. When ye 
 shall have done ally by the powers both of nature and 
 of grace, which have been conferred on you ; it is 
 spoken by way of concession, and must not be under- 
 stood, contrary to the doctrine of scripture, as im- 
 porting, that man actually can yield a perfect obe- 
 dience to what the law requires in respect to God and 
 Christ. Gnomon : '' There was among the apostles 
 an overweening regard to the obedience they had 
 hitherto rendered, strengthened by what they saw of 
 
374 THE WORKING SERVANT. 
 
 the shameful obstinacy of others, xvi. 14 ; the Lord 
 here call« thciii aw a) from such aline of reflection." 
 
 Say^ ire are vvpiofitable servants — confess, in a 
 spirit of deep, unpretending humility, that they can 
 build nothing upon their own worth. Olshausen : 
 " ' Ayjihg is used in Matth. xxv. Ö0, in a positive 
 sense, denoting worthless, punishable ; here it is used 
 rather negatively, of one, who brings no (special) 
 gain, but does only what is commanded, and hence 
 can obtain blessings only through grace. It there- 
 fore involves the sense of ta-TTuvö;, indicating a con- 
 sciousness of one's own want of desert and worth, in 
 reference to the divine being." — We have done that 
 which it ivas our duty to do, no more than our duty. 
 Gnomon : " Every slave should confess himself to be 
 unprofitable, on the account that he is a slave, owing 
 every thing, and liable to be beaten with stripes, if 
 he is a delinquent ; if he does all, he deserves no- 
 thing ; he ought to esteem nothing done ; no thanks 
 are due to him, as it is not for him to expect any 
 thing great either in employment or in reward. God, 
 who alone is good, can want our services," Rom. xi. 
 35. Matth. xix. 17. Cnlvin : " Christ speaks here 
 concerning the perfect observance of the law, which 
 is nowhere to be found ; for even he, who is nearest 
 perfection, is yet very far from the righteousness 
 which the law requires. The question, therefore, is 
 not discussed here, whether we are justified by works, 
 but whether the observance of the law deserves any 
 reward from God. This last is denied, and because 
 we all come short, not only is an obedience defective, 
 but no part of it e.\actly corresponds to the judgment 
 of God. He does not wish, that his faithful people 
 should be slothful, but only forbids them to be mer- 
 cenaries, who may demand any thing of God, as if 
 it was their legal right." Luther, Church-Pos. 7. 
 176: We have said enough to show, that our works 
 are nothing before God, and we have never in any 
 work fulfilled the least command, how much less could 
 
THE WOr^KING SERVANT, &C. 375 
 
 we attain to his righteousness, so as to deserve his 
 j^race ! Still, if we even were so powerful, as to keep 
 his commands, and walk up on all hands to his right- 
 eousness, we should not thereby be deserving of his 
 grace and salvation ; he should not be obliged to give 
 us these, but might demand the whole of us, as ser- 
 vice due to him from his own creature. What he 
 gives, therefore, is pure grace and mercy.'' Duver- 
 noy : " This is an important inquiry, why we get so 
 little thanks for what we do. We have done it with 
 a willing heart, but stiil it is accounted as nothing; 
 we are conscious of pain, if others make much of it. 
 The ground of this is that virtue of modest}^ which 
 springs from a sense of our misery and guilt. For 
 who can say, that he has done every thing which he 
 was bound to do ? This is not the modesty, which is 
 found among the fair pretences and hypocrisies of the 
 world." Apolog. Aug. Conf. iii. De dilect. et implet. 
 legis 34 : " These words plainly declare, that God 
 may save through his own mercy, and because of his 
 promise, but not because he owes it on account of the 
 excellence of our works. Christ condemns all con- 
 fidence in our works, accuses these works of being un- 
 worthy. Ambrose clearly teaches the same : Agnos- 
 cenda est gratia, sed non ignoranda natura, promis- 
 sioni gratiae, conHdendum est, non naturae nostrae. 
 Unprofitable servants mean insufficient ones, because 
 no person so much fears, so much loves, so much 
 trusts God, as he ought. It is manifest, that confi- 
 dence in one's own works is reprehended" 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 
 
 Luke xviii. 1 — 8. 
 
 This parable, the design of M'hich, according to 
 V. Ist, is to excite to zealous and persevering prayer, 
 
S76 THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 
 
 stands in close connection with chap. xvii. 20 — 37, 
 where our Lord discourses of the mournful times 
 which were to accompany the destruction of Jerusa- 
 lem. He manifestly wishes, by the help granted to 
 the importunate widow and the promise therewith 
 connected in v. 8, to console his disciples, to whose 
 view he had disclosed those troublous times, and to 
 assure them, that they would not be involved in the 
 fearful overthrow of the enemies of his kingdom, if 
 they faitlifally followed his guidance and instruction 
 in other things, for the mighty help of God should 
 then be manifeeted for their deliverance. In regard 
 to their conduct amid those dismal calamities, our 
 Lord gave them direction in v. 23, 31 ; and the par- 
 able was added to stir them up to continued and fer- 
 vent prayer before God, as the most powerful means 
 for preserving them from faint-heartedness, sustain- 
 ing them in immoveable confidence, invincible pa- 
 tience, and the requisite cheerfulness of spirit. La- 
 vater. Considerations, 2. p. 205 : " Great, alone in- 
 terpreter of God and of human nature ! What friend 
 of man or of God, what poet or orator, can come as 
 thou dost into the human heart, and make it believe 
 what to the worldly wisdom, which knows neither God 
 nor man, is so hard, so impossible to be believed : 
 
 THE RESISTLESS POWER OF IMPORTUNATE PRAYER 1'* 
 
 The history of the hard-hearted, unfeeling judge, is 
 admirably fitted to set forth the zeal and perseve- 
 rance, which Christians must exhibit in their suppli- 
 cations to (Tod, — for the begging widow gains her 
 object only by persevering in her entreaty ; without 
 such perseverance she had found as little success as 
 had been given to the man pleading for his friend in 
 Luke xi. As, therefore, in the parable circumstances 
 are represented most unfavourable for the widow, on 
 account of the wreckless character of the judge, the 
 conclusion must, according to v. 7, stand thus: If this 
 woman moved an unfeeling judge, and prevailed upon 
 him to fulHl her urgent prayer, how much more may 
 not we reckon upon a gracious hearing from God to 
 
THE UNJUST JUDGE AKD WIDOW. 377 
 
 our supplications ; since he holds the faithful so in- 
 describably dear to him, and ever desires their wel- 
 fare ! And in this conclusion there is contained a 
 most powerful admonition to contituied prayer, even 
 when the wished for result does not immediately fol-^ 
 low, and relief is withheld. The history of the Ca- 
 naanitish woman in iMatth. xv, "21 — 28, and of Jacob 
 in Gen. xxxii. '2'2 — S], afford real illustrations of this 
 parable. Olshausen : '' The parables of the Redeemer 
 are sometimes drawn from that point of view, which 
 is, not alisolutely, but only relatively true. In the 
 former, God couid never have been compared to such 
 a judge, let men labour as much as they please to 
 soften the representation ; — but considered in the hu- 
 man, subordinate point of view, the comparison speaks 
 a profound truth, for the e.\perienco of those, who 
 have to contend v, ith the necessities of a life on earth. 
 In the struggle with the world and sin, without them 
 and in them, under a sense of the desertion of (lod 
 (as is delineated in the book of Job,) bereft of all 
 support and consolation, the soul appears like a widow, 
 who implores in vain an unrighteous judge. But as- 
 siduity in prayer overcomes at last the severity of . 
 heaven." Calvin : '' We know how rare and difficult 
 a virtue is perseverance in prayer ; and in this ap- 
 pears our want of faith, that, if we succeed not with 
 our first supplications, we presently relinquish our 
 endeavours, together with our hope. But we then 
 only manifest a becoming confidence, when, though , 
 disappointed in our desires, we still do not sink into 
 despondency. Wherefore it was not without cause, 
 that Christ here commends to his disciples perseve- 
 rance in prayer." Gnomon : " Two parables treat 
 of prayer. The first dissuades from indolence, the 
 other from confidence in ourselves ; the two extremes 
 are remarkable. For indolence and improper confi- 
 dence are opposed in v. 1, 9: as proper confidence 
 and indolence in 2 Cor. iij. 4 ; 'v. 1. Eph. iii. \'2, ly." 
 
378 THE UNJUST JUDGE AND V/IDOW. 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 Motives to Persevering Prayer. 
 
 I. The greatness of the necessity is represented, 
 
 1. In our own helplessness; v. S: Tiiere was a 
 widow. 
 
 2. In the evil inflicted ; v. 3 : Avenge me of mine 
 adversary. 
 
 3. In the delay of help ; v. 4 : And he would not 
 for a while. 
 
 II. The ultimate succc'^s ; v. 4 : But afterward he 
 said within himself^ &c. ; and this success is cer- 
 tainly to be expected : 
 
 1. From the goodness of God; v. 7 : And shall 
 not God — as opposed to the unprincipled judge. 
 
 2. Who wills our salvation ; v. 7 : His elect. 
 
 3. If we cou:inue with confidence in prayer; v. 
 7: Who cry to him day and night. 
 
 4. Notwithstanding the long delay in the promised 
 help ; v. 7 : Though he bear long with them. 
 
 5. On account of the sure word of promise ; v. 8 : 
 I say unto you. &c. 
 
 6. Although the help vouchsafed may at first be 
 concealed from our view ; v. 8 : Nevertheless, 
 when the Son of Man cometh, &c. 
 
 V. 1. Always to pray, and i}ot to faint,— h/.y.aziTv 
 is lo flag or be remiss, because one is apt to let the 
 spirit sink before threatening dangers, here in parti- 
 cular on account of deferred help. Gnomon : 
 " Crying is befitting, v. 7 ; exemplified in v. 39." 
 The widow did not remit her entreatii^s, neither must 
 believers. Olshausen : " In the New Testament, 
 prayer appears not as a work or piece of service re- 
 stricted to hours, but as the internal abiding condi- 
 tion of the higher life, Luke xxi. o(>. Eph. vi. 18. 
 1 Thes. V. 1 7. Suitable prayer, accordingly', is not to 
 be regarded as a repetition of certain forms, but as 
 an internal direction of the soul toward God, as a 
 lively longin<^ after manifestations of him, as the 
 
THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 379 
 
 breath of the inner man. In this constant internal 
 flux and reflux of the spiritual life, we find the Re- 
 deemer standing, John i. 5 1 ; v. ] 9 : but as in his life, 
 which might be termed a prayer, there were not awant- 
 ing seasons in which he specially applied himself to 
 prayer with his heavenly Father, so the command 
 always to pray does not exclude from the life of" the 
 believer periods of a more special and elevated exer- 
 cise of a prayerful spirit, in which this pours itself 
 out before God in the words of a direct address. 
 But since the preservation of this higher life presup- 
 poses a contest, inasmuch as it has constantly to la- 
 bour with the oppression of earthly things, Jesus 
 subjoins the admonition, that we should not now tire 
 of this internal warfare." 
 
 V. '2. The character of the judge is so marked, that 
 one could look for no good from him, for he has nei- 
 ther the fear of God, nor the fear of men, who are 
 too feeble to injure one that is in the possession of 
 power. 
 
 V. 3. That the suppliant here is a widow, conveys 
 the idea of perfect helplessness, and gives a still more 
 frightful idea of the hard-heartedness of the judge, 
 which continued unmoved by the circumstance of a 
 desolate woman pleading, not for revenge, but only 
 for her just and righteous claims against the wrongs 
 of her oppressor. ¥y/.hr/sc), Wahl: " 1 defend any 
 one, by pleading his cause," to obtain justice. Calvin : 
 " Christ's proposing to us; a widow in the parable, 
 teaches us, that however wretched and despised they 
 may be who entreat his favour, let them only not cease 
 from their continued isupj)lications, and they shall at 
 length be regarded by him, and have their necessities 
 supplied." Grotius : " A icidoiü, bereft, despised, and 
 one whom this cruel monster valued not a rush." 
 Lavater, Considerations, 2. p. 208 : " We must not 
 create for ourselves arbitrary wants, and go with 
 these before God. The poor widow went not to her 
 judge for the purpose of making a trial. She had to 
 concern herself simply with help and deliverance. 
 
SSO THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 
 
 Help and deliverance must be the object of thy prayer. 
 Thy circums;ances must lie upon thy heart, as the 
 widow's lay upon her heart. She could find no rest, 
 day or ni<^iit, until Aie obtained the ear of the judge. 
 Amid all other things, the oppressed situation in which 
 she was, continually forced itself back u})on her. This 
 burdened, vexed, afflicted her unceasingly, and drove 
 her to the only person from whom, if at all, deliver- 
 ance was to be hoped for. Without the constraint 
 of such a necessity it is folly to beg, and folly to ex- 
 pect deliverance. The feeling of necessity must even 
 burn as an inextinguishable fire in the bosom. We 
 must have grace to believe in God, as in an ever-pre- 
 sent almighty agent. We must renounce every other 
 help, and throw ourselves back upon God alone. But 
 "^ our necessity, our prayer, our faith, our courage, must 
 not be a matter of contrivance and artificial constraint. 
 Suffering and faith are the only two essential condi- 
 tions of prayer. Suffering produces humility, faith, 
 boldness. And humility and boldness in proper mea- 
 sure, constitute the perfection of men and Chris- 
 tians." 
 
 \ V. 4. And he icould not jor a while, — how un- 
 righteous is this dcilay of the judge, bound as he was 
 to exercise justice. But afierwaid he Sdid within 
 himself] S-;c. — he is so shameless, as not to be asham- 
 ed of his ungodly state, yea, rather takes pleasure in 
 proclaiming this. Here he negatively confesses what 
 did not move him to fulfil the prayer of the widow, 
 — it was neither the fear of God, nor a sense of duty. 
 V. 5. Now are the true efficient motives of his con- 
 duct given. It is unpleasant and painful for him to 
 be ever and anon met with the entreaty of the unfor- 
 tunate widow, — therefore self love, regard merely for 
 his own ease, was what moved him to help her; he 
 wished simply to get rid of her. Lest she weary me, 
 rather, duü me, •j'z'jy-taC^Oy I Cor. ix. 27. Wahl : 
 " From ii'zdj-iov, that part of the face which is imme- 
 diately below the eyes, and properly signifying to be 
 struck there so as to have lurid marks, to be made 
 
THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 
 
 381 
 
 black and blue." Luther's note : " That is, that she 
 might not plague and torment him, as one s;iys of 
 forward, intrusive persons, — How troublesome this 
 man is to me ! " 
 
 V. 6. Here the application made by our Lord be- 
 gins. Unjust judge — properly, godless, wrockless, 
 as in Luke xvi. 8. 
 
 V. 7. The question implies a very strong affir- 
 mation : yes, God will certainly do it. Grotius : 
 " Ever}^ word has a stronger meaning and empha- 
 sis. God the just one, as opposed to th;it miser- 
 able judge, wiil he not repcd violence, not from 
 those whom he contemns, but from those whom he 
 loves — not from those v/ho trouble him, but from 
 those whose prayers are greatly esteemed by him?" 
 Shall he not avenge, as in v. 3 ; procure justice, de- 
 fend against the oppressions of the enemy in times 
 of distress ; from him who is love itself, certain help 
 is to be expected. His elect, — a new ground of con- 
 fidence in regard to the help of God, as what could 
 not fail to come, though it might be delayed, — he 
 wills the salvation of tho>e who tru^t in him. The 
 elect, — according to Matth. xxiv. 22, 24, where it is 
 said, that for the elect's sake, the days of trouble 
 should be shortened, and that if it were possible the 
 elect should be deceived by false Christs and false 
 prophets — are undoubtedly the avowed friends and 
 followers of Jesus, who recognized and acknowledg- 
 ed him for the Messias, ülshausen : " The elect 
 are named as the objects of divine care (szölzr^m;) ; 
 these are constantly, until the manifestations of the 
 Son of Man, exposed to the attacks of sin on the part 
 of the kingdom of darkness, but shall be delivered by 
 the Lord in his own time with a strong arm, while 
 they continue in faith, of w hich persevering prayer is 
 a necessary manifestation. Persevering prayer, there- 
 fore, is not strictly the condition of the s-/.bix.7}ffi;, this 
 rather lies in the Ijeing elected ; the elect are in their 
 nature the steadfast believers, whom their Father in 
 heaven will infallibly deliver." 
 
382 THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 
 
 Who cry to him day and night, — another ground 
 foi- expecting unfailing help, as the elect fall in with 
 the divine arrangement, and manifest their faith in 
 his power and love by continuing instant in prayer. 
 
 Though he bear long with (hem. Olshausen : " The 
 help from above is expressly represented as deferred 
 according to God's counsel, with reference to v. 4 ; 
 in which there is at the same time an intimation given, 
 that the apparent injustice (aor/Ja,) of God is always 
 but a wise manifestation of his love." Mo.-KPod-j/xsu, 
 Wahl : " I am tardy in bringing help to any one, or 
 in vindicating him from the wrongs of another." 
 Gnomon: "The long-suffering of God is here ex- 
 tolled, which so regards the injuries of the bad and 
 the sorrows of the good, that it does not immediately 
 put an end to both, although men may think that 
 their indignation against the bad, and their compas- 
 sion toward the good, demands a speedy termina- 
 tion." Grotius : " This word is expressive of a de- 
 lay, which, as it is beneficial to the debtor, so is it 
 grievous to him who suffers wrong." Olshausen : " As 
 
 "*'used of God, this word presupposes his relation to the 
 sins of men. The elect themselves are to be thought 
 of as in part also belonging to sinful humanity, and 
 the delay of redemption is to be regarded, not as an 
 accidental, but as an intentional thing, designed for 
 the purification of the elect ; so that the bearing long 
 
 _carries a very fine reference." Although God delays 
 long in bringing help, yet for the reasons just men- 
 tioned, we must not lose heart and cease praying. 
 For this is introduced to remove an objection and a 
 depressing mistrust, as if the help which is only de- 
 layed were not to be granted, and so the expression 
 corresponds to that in v. 4: He would not for a while. 
 Other expositors think that the divine patience and 
 long-suffering must intimate that he, the merciful Je- 
 hovah, is not annoyed by the continued prayers of his 
 elect, as the judge in question was by the prayers of 
 the widow ; but this view does not appear to suit the 
 context so well Calvin : " If at any time God 
 
THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 383 
 
 winks longer than we would like at our wrongs, let us 
 consider, that he does so with the fatherly design of 
 training us to endure. Were we allowed to look into his 
 hidden counsels, we should learn that his aid is always 
 prompt and seasonable, and is never indeed a moment 
 delayed, but is ready for every emergence." Lavater, 
 Considerations, 2. p. 207 : " Whoever calls persever- 
 ing prayer a powerless thing, he calls Jesus a deceiver. 
 \Mioever calls the expectation of an answer to the 
 persevering prayer of an elect man, i. e. of an approv- 
 ed, righteous worshipper of God, enthusiasm, he calls 
 Jesus an enthusiast. Indeed, we must pray repeatedly 
 and perseveringly. We must begin, continue, and 
 finish ; we must wait and tarry ; we must continue as 
 steadfast as if we saw him, who is invisible, and as if we 
 received the word directly from the mouth of the Lord. 
 The word of the Lord: Shall twt God, — must be to 
 the soul of the supplicant as clear and certain, as the 
 sun shining at noon-day. Whoever can believe and 
 pray on account of this unfailing, ever-abiding word 
 of God, he belongs to the elect." But divine wisdom 
 sometimes postpones the deliverance of his suffering 
 people on other grounds, which accord well with its 
 goodness toward them, and with its fidelity and its 
 promises. In part, such delay must serve for the 
 trial and increase of their faith and piety, and pro- 
 duce in them a much livelier sense of the goodness 
 experienced in the deliverance after great calamities ; 
 they must thereby be trained to a more humble resig- 
 nation to the will of God, to patient continuance in 
 well-doing, and to a firmer confidence in his almighty 
 power and protection. In part also, when the Lord 
 delays the rescue of his peofile to the time of greater 
 necessity, he seeks to render his power and his glory 
 more brightly conspicuous. 
 
 V. 8. / tell you that he will avenge them speedily 
 — last ground of confidence and continued prayer : 
 the true and faithful promise of divine help. He is 
 to interpose speedily, i. e. suddenly, unexpectedly, 
 before they, with their weak faith, and under their 
 
3S4 THE UNJUST JUDGE AND WIDOW. 
 
 heavy formidable trials, looked for it. Grotius: '• He 
 will speedily deliverthera, which is opposeÜ io 'mjl'/.ooöu- 
 fLui (the bearing long) ; nor are we c illed to depart 
 from this very plain interpretation by the fact, that God 
 sometimes suffers his people to be for a time oppressed 
 by the wicked ; for that period, though it may seem 
 long to the sufferers, is yet of very short continuance, 
 only momentary, and hence Paul speaks of the sea- 
 son of tribulation as but for a moment, 2 Cor. iv. 17. 
 Besides, the delay itself is fraught with much good 
 to those who have to suffer, although often not ap- 
 parent. But it will tend much to encourage us to 
 diligence in prayer, if we can rest in confidence, not 
 onl}^ that we shall be delivered, but that we shall be 
 quickly delivered, although it may still be delayed." 
 
 Nevertheless, when (he Son of Man comeih — namely, 
 to fulfil the promise just given, to deliver his own 
 people. '• Every special interposition of the Lord in 
 behalf of his own is a coming of him ; and he comes 
 most unexpectedly when prayer and faith are well- 
 nigh extinguished. But the discourse here is more 
 particularly of his coining to his kingdom, as the sea- 
 son of mightiest deliverance to his people, when little 
 faith shall be found remaining in the earth.'' (Meier's 
 )^\h\Q.)— Shall he find faith in the earth ? 'ihe be- 
 ginning of help at the coming of Christ, is so con- 
 cealed, that even his elect recognize it not as such, 
 because the power of evil and the weight of tribula- 
 tion has pressed on them so heavily. The question 
 bespeaks a strong negative, that this should not be 
 the case, and that even the faithful should be found 
 faint and desponding. Grotius : " Christ complains 
 that many will not persevere in patient trust, and 
 thence in the exercise of prayer, until the time of de- 
 liverance comes, which is not far distant." Calvin : 
 " Faith, therefore, ought not to regard one's own 
 weakness, misery and shortcomings ; but with all di- 
 ligence should wait upon the alone efficacy of God. 
 For if we lean upon our own righteousness or glory, 
 we shall never rise to think of the power of God." 
 
THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 385 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN. 
 
 Luke xviii. 9 — 14. 
 
 When our Lord delivered the parable of the unjust 
 judge, and there admonished to stedfastness in prayer, 
 there might be among the hearers persons with phari- 
 saical hearts, who complacently flattered themselves 
 in the inmost sentiments of their mind, with being 
 zealous in the discharge of this duty, and hence not 
 only conceived themselves to be distinguished by 
 great piety, but also looked with contempt upon otli^^rs, 
 to whom they did not ascribe the same fear of God 
 and diligence in prayer. Against people of this sort 
 the following parable of the pharisee and the publi- 
 can, according to v. 9, is directed, in which our Lord 
 describes, under the publican and his prayer, tlie pro- 
 per character of a prayer which is acceptable to God, 
 and the spirit of true piety as exemplified in prayer, 
 contrasting it also most strikingly with the deport- 
 ment and prayer of a pharisee, with the view of ad- 
 monishing to genuine godly fear, and warning against 
 all conceit in pretences of piety, which is an abomi- 
 nation before God. The connection, therefore, be- "^ 
 tween the two parables may be thus stated, that the 
 first recommends generally the duty of prayer, and 
 the second gives us to understand the property of a 
 right prayer, which alone can obtain the blessing — 
 for the publican only is heard, whilst the proud pha- 
 risee, who properly asks nothing, receives no grace, 
 and in his prayer is not accepted before God. Cal- "^ 
 vin : " Now Christ gives instruction concerning ano- 
 ther virtue, which is necessarj^ for praying rightly, 
 that believers may come into the presence of God in 
 a simple and lowly state of mind. No distemper is 
 more deadly than arrogance, which yet is so deeply 
 inherent in the nature of all, that it can scarcely be 
 expelled and rooted out by any means." Mel. : - Tim» 
 2c 
 
386 THE PHARISEE AXD PUBLICAN. 
 
 are two examples ; in the one, Christ condemns confi- 
 dence in our own righteousness ; in the other, he holds 
 up the pattern of true righteousness." Grotius : 
 «' Luke wisely annexes to the admonitions concerning 
 constancy in the faith, the discourse concerning low- 
 liness of mind, which, as it is of service in every part 
 of life, is especially so in prayer." Luther, House- 
 Pos. 5. 20 : " Here our blessed Lord teaches us, how 
 we must be true and humble Christians, for it is only 
 through this virtue that we can attain to grace. Where 
 this virtue of humility is not, there God can take no 
 pleasure in men, nor be gracious to them." Lavater, 
 Considerations, 2. p. 211 : " It appears to have been 
 one of the chief designs of Jesus to oppose the dead- 
 legal, the cold- religious piety of the pharisees. Why 
 did our Lord do so ? For the sake of the heart, the 
 internal sense, the inward life of man, as far before 
 external punctilios and legal exactness. He desires 
 humble hearts toward God, and loving hearts toward 
 men. He delights more in lost sons, who return to 
 their father's love, than those never-lost, heartless^ 
 self-righteous — in humble labourers, sin-stricken pub- 
 licans, than in outwardly blameless, but proudly self- 
 righteous pharisees." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THK PARABLE. 
 
 Of the conceit of being Pious. 
 
 I. Its nature is delineated : 
 
 A. In the pharisee, with respect to what belongs 
 to this conceit : 
 
 1. It is inclined to stand aloof from others, v. 11 
 The pharisee stood by himself; 
 
 2. It ascribes all good to self as its own desert 
 V. 1 1 ; God, 1 thank thee ; 
 
 3. It thinks the worst of other men; v. 11 
 That I am not, &c. ; 
 
 4. It judges of neighbours in a heartless way 
 from appearances; v. 11 : Or even as this 
 publican ; 
 
THE PHARISEE AND TCBLICAX. 387 
 
 5. It elevates itself above all, taking itself for 
 perfect, v. 11 ; 
 
 6. It extols its own works, v. 12. 
 
 B. In the publican; with respect to that which is 
 awanting, where this conceit fails : 
 
 1. In a lively feeling of guilt; v. 13: Smote 
 upon his breast ; 
 
 2. Ill a confession of this and of deserved punish- 
 ment ; V. 13 : Said, God be merciful to me a 
 sinner ; 
 
 3. In desire after God's favour; v. 13. 
 
 II. The consequences of it are unfolded, v. 14. 
 
 1. It loses the favour and approbation of God, 
 v. 14 : This man went down, &c. 
 
 2. It shall be humbled, v. 14 : For every one, 
 &c. 
 
 Ver. 9. Who tnisled in themselves that they were 
 righteous — they had confidence in their own selves, 
 and the ground of their confidence stood in the con- 
 viction, that they were righteous, in possession of the 
 divine favour. The expression, as illustrated by what 
 follows, evidently marks a groundless persuasion, a 
 vain imagination, a mere conceit. The state of mind 
 described is that of him, who fancies himself to be 
 perfectl}^ righteous, and grounds upon that suppos- 
 ed righteousness a proud self-confidence. Calvin : 
 " Christ reproves and condemns two sins, improper 
 confidence in ourselves, and pride in despising others 
 — the one of which springs from the other ; for who- 
 ever deceives iiimsclf by a false confidence, cannot 
 fail to magnify himself above others. Nor is it won- 
 derful that he should despise his equals, who deals 
 proudly toward God himself. But every one, who 
 is puffed up by such self confidence, avowedly wars 
 with God himself, as his favour can no otherwise be 
 gained, than by an entire renunciation of ourselves, 
 and a simple dependance upon his mercy." Olshau- 
 sen : " To the pharisee there is certainly ascribed a 
 righteousness, but one only that is external, legal j to 
 
388 THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 
 
 the publican an unrighteousness. The relation of tiie 
 heavenly kingdom, which manifests itself to the pe- 
 nitent and needy, must accordingly be brought out 
 here, as in Luke xv. in connection with a legal stand- 
 ing. The endeavour to regard the law as something 
 merely outward, must lead to a flattering self-righ- 
 teousness, which removes us farther from God, than 
 transgression of the law, in the event of this leading 
 to a desire for salvation. A rampant profligacy, in 
 which transgression of the law is coupled with no 
 repentance and no thirsting after salvation; is certainly 
 worse than both." Grotius : " As righteous, that is, 
 as if they were righteous, or because they were righ- 
 teous, namely in their own estimation ; for the words 
 are capable of either interpretation, and the meaning 
 is substantially the same. For as the eye that is suf- 
 fused with humour sees all things, not as they are, 
 but according to the quality of the humour, so he, 
 who is full of self-love, foolishly dreams, and judges 
 of every thing, not according to the truth, but accord- 
 ing to his own desire." 
 
 And despised others, properly lessened them, thought 
 little of them, not giving them credit for so much 
 good as themselves, and less indeed than actually be- 
 longed to them. This despising of others is always 
 inseparably connected with that immoderate self- 
 elation, for the conceit, let its object be what it may, 
 is perpetually as to its nature an error of the under- 
 standing, the man conceiving too highl}'^ of his own 
 worth, and also a perversity of heart, taking one's 
 self to be better than others. The judgment of the 
 pharisee, v. 11, 12, shows it to be so. Luther, House- 
 Pos. 5. 21 : " These were the two leading views of 
 the Pharisees, that they were persons, who not only 
 thought highly of themselves, which had been sin 
 enough, for it is a devilish one, but also despised 
 others." 
 
 Ver. 10. Pharisee and publican — two sorts of peo- 
 ple most widely apart from each other, as well in 
 their manner of life, as in the opinion publicly enter- 
 
THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 389 
 
 tained of them. Olshausen : " The representatives 
 of the two classes — of the self- applauding, arrogant 
 law-keepers, and the abased law-breakers, are set 
 forth in their common relation to God, in prayer, and 
 the thoughts which occur to them in this relation are 
 to be regarded as the expression of their state and 
 character." Luther, House-Pos. 5. 21 : " The pha- 
 risees were among the Jews just like the monks in the 
 papacy ; they had a peculiar dress, set days for fast- 
 ing and prayer, and prosecuted the work of righteous- 
 ness so diligently, that other men were but poor sin- 
 ners in comparison of them. Hence were they called 
 Pharisees, which in Hebrew signifies as much as a 
 separatist, one who separates himself from the com- 
 mon herd, and seeks to be something singular." 
 
 Ver. 1 1 . The pharisee stood and prayed thus with 
 himself; according to Luther, he spoke for himself, 
 that is, for his own satisfaction, and with much com- 
 placency of heart, the following congratulatory pray- 
 er. It may, however, be more naturally understood 
 as meaning, that he stood by himself alone, walked 
 to a side from others, that they might observe him 
 and hear him pray ; he wishes to be seen of men, 
 Matth. vi. 5. — God I thank thee, Luther, House-Pos. 
 V. 28 : " Whoever would judge merely by the words, 
 must confess it was not unrighteously spoken what 
 was here said by the pharisee. For such words are 
 uttered by the truly pious in their prayers, but with 
 a different spirit. For when they thank God for any 
 thing, thej'' acknowledge that it is his work and gift, 
 they have it not of themselves. But this was not the 
 Pharisee's meaning, else would he have said : That I 
 am no adulterer, Szc. Lord, I have no one to thank 
 but thee. Of myself, apart from thj' grace, I would 
 have acted even as other men, for we are all alike ; 
 one must not glory over another. This pharisee, 
 however, did not think thus, but entirely reverses it, 
 finds all his virtues in himself, as if he had all of him- 
 self and not of God, and so he properly thanks not 
 God, but himself, his own reason, his free-will and 
 
o90 THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 
 
 strength, that he had done so much." Calvin : "Al- 
 though in giving God thanks he confesses, that all he 
 has of good works were merely of grace conferred, 
 yet as he rests his confidence in works, and prefers 
 himself to others, he is rejected with his prayer. A 
 remarkable passage ; for to some it appears sufficient, 
 if they take from man the glory of good works, on 
 the ground of these being the gifts of the Holy Spirit ; 
 and thus they understand that we are justified freely, 
 because God finds no righteousness in us, excepting 
 what he has himself conferred. But Christ proceeds 
 much farther, not only ascribing the virtue of acting 
 righteously to the grace of the Spirit, but emptying 
 us of all confidence in our works ; for the pharisee is 
 not reproved for having arrogated to himself what 
 properly belonged to God ; but because he trusted 
 in his own merits, that he might have a gracious God, 
 ^ as far as he deserved it." Olshausen : " The first 
 half of the prayer put into the mouth of the pharisee 
 might be the expression of sincere piety, if in this : 
 I thank thee, there were a real acknowledgement, that 
 his superior, moral condition was a work of divine 
 grace, and that to God alone the honour consequently 
 belonged. But then such a confession of what was 
 done by God could not have been made, without an 
 expression of regret at his ov>'n unfaithfulness, which 
 is always most distinctly recognized where the power 
 of God most powerfully works. 'J'o beget this ac- 
 knowledgment of sin, is always the proper design of 
 the law, which, with the pure, it must of necessity ac- 
 complish. It was only the pharisaical im.purity which 
 occupied itseU'with the form, without lyying open the 
 inner man to the working of the law, that could 
 thence arrogate the vain and self-pleasing distinction of 
 observing the law." Mel. : '• The first image presents 
 to us a secure man, without repentance, vvithout the 
 fear of God, without faith, and without prayer. He 
 has, however, the works of the law, and thinks them 
 to be righteousness, on account of these he conceives 
 that God is his debtor. Therefore he does not sup- 
 
THE PHARISEE AND TUBLICAN. 391 
 
 plicate, that is, does not ask pardon of God or other 
 good things. But why does lie give thanks, since the 
 giving of thanks is a part of true worship? I answer: 
 This giving of thanks was feigned, like that of wicked 
 men, who when they abound in riches, also use words 
 of gratitude, and yet in reality do not feel that riches 
 are the gift of God, but have either been gotten by 
 their own industry, or thrown in their way by chance. 
 Thus the pharisee apprehends that he has made a law 
 by his own efforts, and soothes himself by the thought 
 of that adorniifg. whereby he excels others, and has 
 confidence toward God. Had he truly given thanks, 
 he would have trusted in mercy alone, and not have 
 said, I am not as other men ; but would have acknow- 
 ledged, that he also, if left to himself, would have been 
 incited to robberies and other crimes, and would have 
 declared it to be the goodness of God that he had 
 been preserved. Hence it may be sufficiently under- 
 stood, that these words of the pharisee were not a real 
 giving of thanks." 
 
 Tluit I am not as other men. Gnomon : " The pha- 
 risee forms two classes, into the one of which he throws 
 the whole human race ; he himself appears to consti- 
 tute the other and better one." Grotius : " He twice 
 errs; first, in that he reckons it matter of great praise 
 not to be among the most depraved, then in judging 
 so harshly of other men, the greater part of whom 
 were not known to him." What shameful calumny, 
 to declare the whole world besides to be wicked and 
 abandoned wretches, and what pride ! And is it vir- 
 tue, genuine fear of God and true piety, if a man is 
 only free of the grossest vices and misdemeanors ! 
 Heartlessly he both judges and condemns. Luther, 
 House-Pos. 5. 23 : " So does the hypocrite ; O God, 
 says he, thou seest that thou hast in me a very pious 
 man." He recounts before God his virtues and moral 
 excellencies, that God might know how to recompense 
 him, as his like was not to be found in the world. Mel.: 
 " Here consider how rash the \vorship of hypocrites 
 is — ^they approach God without fear, without repen- 
 
392 THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 
 
 tance, and oppose their own righteousness to the judg- 
 ment of God. But what can be more absurd, than 
 to approach such majesty without fear!" 
 
 Or even as this publican ! how arrogantly he pre- 
 tends to judge of hearts, and judges of them after the 
 appearance, guided by prejudice. With slighting and 
 contempt he looks upon the pubhcan, with self-satis- 
 faction and delight upon himself. Grotius : " If there 
 had been any principle of love in him, he would have 
 believed thut the publican had come to the temple for 
 the purpose of repenting, which his very gesture in- 
 dicated. Bat if, believing this, he threw out the taunt 
 against him on account of his former life, that was still 
 more atrocious." 
 
 Ver. 12. As he had already spoken well of his per- 
 son, so now he praises his works, his extraordinary 
 good deeds, through which God had become as it were 
 vhis debtor. I fast twice in the week; according to 
 Lev. xvi. 29 — 31, and Numb. xxix. 7, a yearly fast 
 only is enjoined, b it the Jews, ind especially the pha- 
 risees, from peculiar sanctity and regard to the service 
 of God, observed two fast days every w^eek, the second 
 and fifth days, for reflecting on the ascent of Moses 
 to Mount Sinai, v. hen he went to receive the law, and 
 ; on his return thence. And give tithes of all that I 
 possess — according to the command of God, it was only 
 the fruits of the earth, and the produce of cattle and 
 flocks, that were to be tithed, Numb, xviii. 21. Deut. 
 xiv. 22. Lev. xxvii. 30. The pharisees extended the 
 obligation to the whole of their possessions, and there- 
 upon grounded a certain claim to distinction and re- 
 ward, Matth. xxiii. 23. Luther, House-Pos. 5. 23 : 
 " To fast is right, to pray is right, to give tithes is 
 right, so also to preserve chastity and abstain from 
 robbery and injustice, — all right and good in itself. 
 But the pharisee bespatters himself with proud pre- 
 tensions to such a degree, that all became as it were 
 pollutions of the devil. How can God be well pleased 
 with sanctit}', when men vaunt and talk proudly against 
 him ? Duvernoy, Extracts 5. p. 26 : " The error of 
 
THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 393 
 
 the pharisee stood in his thinking that he was righte- 
 ous, and the goodness or happiness of the publican, 
 that he acknowledged himself to be a sinner. It be- 
 longs then to the heart, and must be sought in the slate 
 of the Pharisee's and publican's hearts, if the one is 
 named righteous and the other not. The pharisee 
 thought not only that he was better than a robber, 
 adulterer, &c., but that he w-as entirely different from, 
 and not at all as, a robber, an adulterer, or ungodly 
 person. The poor man did not bethink himself of his 
 heart, how it stood with him in regard to the fountain- 
 head, from which every thing proceeds, and therefore 
 he is quite unconcerned. It occurred not to iiim, that 
 so long as the evil was not subdued in its deepest root, 
 it would avail a poor man little" if he did a few imper- 
 fect good works. The pharisee thought not of the 
 state of his heart, the publican saw that his heart was 
 worth nothing. Therefore the publican stood before 
 God better than he regarded him.^elf; he looked upon 
 himself just as he was." Lavater, Considerations, 2. 
 p. 212 : ""'In fact, it was impossible to be more self- 
 righteous, more an egotist, more legal and contempt- 
 uous. Who is contemptuous, if he is not, who de- 
 spises every one but himself? He, who recounts his 
 deserts before God, has, methinks, few deserts. The 
 most white- washed grave was still full of dead men's 
 bones. The pretension destroyed all good, or showed 
 rather, that every thing, which bore externally the ap- 
 pearance of good, was internally rotten and lifeless." 
 
 V. 13. T/ie publican standing afar o^'— far from 
 the holiest, which, from his deep sense of sin, and pain- 
 ful consciousness of guilt, he would not ap[)roach, be- 
 cause he did not think himself worthy. — Would not 
 lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, because he 
 was ashamed — a manifestation of deep humility; smote 
 upon his breast^ as an indication of his keen remorse 
 and melting of heart on account of sin. Gnomon : 
 " In repentance, either fear or shame predominates. 
 Shame is more ingenuous than fear, chap. xv. 18, 21. 
 Ez. xvi. 62. Better is a melting heart, than one merely 
 
394 THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 
 
 contrite through terror and fear of punishment. The 
 particles rubbed from a sandy stone still retain their 
 hardness ; a heart become flesh from one of stone 
 pleases God as his workmanship, and gives glory to 
 him." — God, he merciful to me a sinner. In this 
 short prayer there are three things — I am a sinner — 
 I am liable to punishment — 1 beg for grace, for par- 
 don of sill, for remission of deserved punishment, that 
 thou mayest again visit me with thy ftivour. So this 
 publican shows himself to be a repenting and believing 
 sinner, for prayer for the pardon of sin presupposes 
 faith in God's mercy ; and he is rightly informed, both 
 in regard to his own condition, and in regard to God, 
 as the proper and only helper. Calvin : " That he 
 should obtain favour, he confesses himself unworthy; 
 and, certainly, as the remission of sins alone can con- 
 ciliate God to us, it is necessary to make our com- 
 mencement here, if we desire that our prayers should 
 be acceptable to him. In fine, no one v/ill attain to 
 the righteousness of faith, excepting he who will be 
 unrighteous in himself. This tenet then is to be held, 
 that we are justified, not by our own excellence, but 
 b}' the mercy of God." Lavater, as above, " We 
 have here a short, simple, warm speech from the heart, 
 which, before God and man, is infinitely more valuable 
 than all pompous eloquence. The heart prays in the 
 publican. Tlie poor sinner begs. The wounded op- 
 pressed conscience in him supplicates; and there pro- 
 ceeds now a great internal change and revolution. 
 This internal work upon his soul, this judgment upon 
 himself opens within him a new spring of strength and 
 satisfaction ; he returns justified to his house." iVJel : 
 *' In the other character we have set before us a man 
 exercising himself to repentance, terrified by the con- 
 viction of his sins and the apprehension of the wraih 
 of God. For his not daring to lift his eyes to heaven 
 betokens his apprehension of the wrath of God, his 
 still fleeing from God and struggling with distrust ; but 
 by and by faith gains the victory in him, through which 
 he returns to God, casting himself on divine mercy, 
 
THE PHARISEE AND PÜBLICATJ. 395 
 
 crying and begging for pardon. Therefore he truly 
 becomes righteous and acceptable to God, because in 
 the midst of fears and repentings he is raised up through 
 faith. This is an example of true justification. Nor 
 are good works awanting, for we have here repentance 
 and prayer." The publican longs after God's grace, 
 but sees nothing in himself on account of which he 
 deserves it ; for the measure of good which was in him, 
 was to him as nothing, and he therefore placed his 
 entire confidence upon the sovereign mercy of God, 
 and the sole ground of his hope was, that God is 
 gracious, though he himself was poor and miserable. 
 This is the nature of humility. It stood essentially, 
 not in the publican's deportment, but in his state of 
 mind. The humble man knows his wants, his sins, 
 his imperfections, knows that he might and should 
 have been better, feels before God onl}^ for his guilt, 
 and his endeavours are consequently directed simply 
 upon the favour and grace of God. 
 
 V. ]4. This verse contains the judgment of Christ 
 upon the relation of these two men of prayer to God. 
 This 7ncm went down to his house just ißed rather than 
 the other, that is, the publican was justified, but not 
 the pharisee ; the one received what the other did not, 
 and as the former had sought the pardon of sin, so he 
 obtained this for his portion — God received him into 
 favour — gave him the consoling testimony and the 
 blessed assurance, that his sins were forgiven him, 
 Psal. I. 15; li. 3—5, 19. Isa. Ivii. 15. By the being 
 justified is manifestly to be understood, not a moral 
 change of heart, but only his altered relation toward 
 God. As the full and rich pharisee has asked nothing, 
 so he received nothing, for the best gifts and bounties 
 of heaven can be possessed only by those, who first ^ 
 desire, and then beg for them. And this justification 
 is always, as in the case of the publican, obtained no 
 otherwise than through humility, repentance and faith. 
 It is not amendment of life, nor preceding good 
 works, which are the ground of acceptance, but sim- 
 ply the free grace of God which the sinner lays hold 
 
396 THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 
 
 of by a firm faith. Wherever there is any confidence in 
 one's personal and individual merits, there the foun- 
 dation of the heart is not pure ; but God gives his 
 grace only to those who, while they wholly and en- 
 tirely renounce themselves, trust in him with un- 
 divided hearts, Rom. iii. 24. Eph. ii. S, 9. Calvin : 
 " This passage tells distinctly, what it is properly to 
 be justified: namely, to stand before God as if we 
 were just or righteous ; for the publican is not said 
 to have been justified on this account, that he had 
 suddenly acquired some new quality, but because his 
 guilt being cancelled, and his sins abolished, he found 
 favour; whence it follows, that the being just is made 
 to stand in the remission of sins. As the pharisees 
 spoiled their virtues by a vicious confidence, so that 
 their righteousness, however lauded by the world, was 
 of no price before God : so the publican, without any 
 merits of his own, obtained righteousness simply by 
 entreating pardon, because it is to be looked for only 
 in the free mercy of God. If any one would seek to 
 obtain peace of conscience by his works, (which is 
 seen to be the case with profane and brutish men.) he 
 will labour in vain. For either his bosom has been 
 lulled to sleep through contempt or forgetfulness of 
 divine judgment, or else it is full of fear and trembling, 
 until he has gone to repose in Christ ; for he alone is 
 our peace Therefore, peace of conscience means the 
 security which comes from apprehending tliat God is 
 reconciled. That neither the pharisee has, who is 
 elated with false confidence in his works, nor the stu- 
 pid transgressor who, intoxicated with the pleasure of 
 sin, is conscious of no disquiet." 
 
 For every one that exalteth himseiß Sfc. In this 
 sentiment, often repeated, and on very different occa- 
 sions announced by our Lord, there is contained a 
 general fundamental principle of the divine kingdom, 
 according to which God regulates his procedure ; 
 here, in particular, it forms the ground why the pub- 
 lican, but not the pharisee, was justified. The haugh^ 
 tiness of the latter excluded him from the enjoyment 
 
THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 397 
 
 of the divine favour ; the humility of the former ren- 
 dered him capable and worthy of receiving grace. 
 What is meant by exalting one's self, the pharisee's 
 prayer shows to be an overvaluing of real or only 
 fancied excellencies. He who exalts himself, shall re- 
 ceive a treatment from God quite opposite to the 
 judgment of men, whereby he shall be humbled. The 
 prayer, as well as the entire behaviour of the publican, 
 springing from the deepest feelings of the heart, and not 
 merely so in appearance, is the self-humiliation which 
 pleases the Lord ; and whosoever so humbles himself, 
 shall elicit both from men and from God a judgment 
 and dealing, which is accordant with his graces, Luke 
 xiv. 7 — IL Mel : " A terrible maxim is added con- 
 cerning pride in general. Humility is indeed to fear 
 God, and to acknowledge that gifts are bestoxved by 
 him, that we may be of service to others, not that we 
 may oppress them ; likewise, that they are not capable 
 of making us happy without God. On the other hand, 
 pride is to admire one's self without the fear of God, 
 to trust in personal gifts, and by such confidence to 
 attempt much without word and calling, as Saul against 
 the word of God endeavours to hand down the kino-- 
 dom to his posterity." 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 THE TEN POUNDS. 
 Luke xix. 11 — 27. 
 
 This parable was delivered by Jesus in the house of 
 Zaccheus the publican, when he was on his last jour- 
 ney to Jerusalem, and therefore earlier than the simi- 
 lar parable recorded in Matth xxv. 14 — 30, which was 
 spoken after his arrival in Jerusalem, on the Mount of 
 Olives, and only to the twelve, whereas, when the one 
 before us was spoken, other hearers were also present. 
 The occasion of this parable was the error which even' 
 the disciples of Jesus held in common with ihe mass 
 
398 THE TEN POUNDS. 
 
 of the people, that he was going to establish an earthly 
 and visible kingdom, from which they promised to 
 themselves, as partakers, and especially as friends of 
 Jesus, honour, power, and great glory. This error 
 might have been confirmed by a misunderstanding of 
 the words of our Lord in ver. 10, which they did not 
 apprehend in their true spiritual meaning, and would 
 still farther be strengthened by certain dark expecta- 
 tions, that at the approaching feast something great 
 and decisive in regard to the kingdom would happen. 
 The occasion, then, which gave rise to the parable, inti- 
 mates tlie object it has in view, viz. to correct erroneous 
 views and expectations regarding the Messiah's king- 
 dom, to lead to the proper knowledge of its true na- 
 ture, and to disclose how men would stand related to it. 
 Two false hopes in particular are pointed at in v. 11; 
 the first, that this kingdom should be immediately^ 
 v/ithout any further delay, set up, against which the 
 intimation in the parable is directed, that it should ne- 
 cessarily be a long time before the return of the noble- 
 man ; and the second, that the kingdom should appear, 
 should stand forth as a visibte institution, against which 
 it is taught, that the kingdom was to be received in a 
 far country. Calvin : " But a twofold error prevailed, 
 in that they imagined they should enjoy a blessed rest 
 without suffering, and then conceived of the kingdom 
 of God after their own carnal mind ; from which it 
 appears how weak and unenlightened their faith was. 
 In this respect also Christ's disciples were much de- 
 ceived, as they thought, that he would now have a 
 fixed place for his kingdom, and would come to Jeru- 
 salem that he might presently establish its happy con- 
 dition. So that by taking away the hope of a present 
 kingdom, he exhorted them to hope and patience ; for 
 he informs them that many labours must be long and 
 faithfully discharged by them, before they inherited 
 that glory, after which they too eagerly grasped." 
 Grotius : " Christ, indicating future things covertly, as 
 was his custom, declares indeed that a kingdom was 
 appointed to him, and that not in respect t j the Jews 
 
THE TEN POUNDS. 399 
 
 only, but in respect to all nations, as had been pre- 
 dicted concerning the Messiah ; but that, before the 
 full and blessed establishment of that kingdom, many 
 labours were to be undergone by his people, and much 
 0})position raised on the part of the Jews." There 
 were two other perverted expectations concerning this 
 kingdom, of a more latent form, springing from the 
 conviction of its earthly nature, and which are also 
 combated in the parable before us. It was thought 
 that every one would most joyfully close with this 
 kingdom, and submit themselves to the king; this 
 error is opposed in v. 14. And then men hoped that 
 they should attain to the blessed enjoyment of the king- 
 dom^ altogether apart from their state and disposition 
 of mind, in opposition to which we are told, that the 
 nobleman required activity of his servants, v. 13; that 
 he rewarded them after the measure of their proved 
 fidelity, v. 16 — 19, while he punished the faithless, 
 V. 20 — 24, and dealt still more severely with the 
 avowed enemies, who set themselves up against his 
 sovereignty. The blessedness of the members of 
 Messiah's kingdom is, therefore, made to depend on 
 
 their previous state of mind and manner of acting 
 
 Bauer agrees with us in regarding this parable as a 
 different one from that recorded in Matth. xxv., and 
 remarks on its peculiarity : '^ Jesus could not just 
 plainly s;)y to his disciples, that they were deceived 
 in expecting that his kingdom would now be established 
 with outv/ard pomp and splendour. Their prejudices, 
 which had been imbibed with their mother's milk, were 
 too deeply rooted. He, therefore, chose the agreeable 
 method of the parable, to tell them, under covert of a 
 figure, what, on account of their prejudices and li- 
 mited capacities, he could not plainly and openly 
 declare: that he was indeed the Redeemer {cojtt,^, 
 with reference to v. 9, CM-^ia^ and v. 10, coj^at, comp. 
 Luke ii. 6S.), the Messiah, and was going away to re- 
 ceive from God the kingdom prepaied for him ; but 
 still that he would not shine forth with splendour, 
 glory and majesty. The royal state and glory of his 
 
400 THE TEN POUNDS. 
 
 kingdom were only to be manifested then, when he 
 should return again. Meanwhile, his servants must 
 employ the goods committed to them, because he will 
 sometime call them to a reckoning, reward the faith- 
 ful, humble the slothful, and severely punish all his 
 enemies." 
 
 To me it always appears the proper plan to take 
 each parable by itself, just as it stands, to search into 
 its main subject and illustrate it. Though it have a 
 greater or less resemblance with some other, as is the 
 case here, yet there is no sufficient ground for denying 
 its individuality, and finding out for it a proper aim 
 and subject. While it is the part of the critic to fix, 
 as far as he can, the propable position, the occasion 
 and relative connection of each parable, it is always 
 the duty of the practical expositor to treat what was 
 delivered just as it stands in the gospels, according to 
 the precise form and structure given to it there, and, 
 in particular, when it is a parable, to investigate its 
 chief object and design, as it stands before him. 
 Hence I cannot at all agree with what Unger says, p. 
 129, upon this parable, in its relation to that of Mat- 
 thew, maintaining that in Matthew we have the para- 
 ble in its simple and proper form, and that Luke has, 
 by a sort of incongruous mixture, joined to it another 
 parable, spoken at another time, and for another pur- 
 pose. I agree with what is said by Starke, in his Sy- 
 nopsis of tiie New Testament, " That this parable 
 is different from the one in Matthew is manifest from 
 all the circumstances. It contains, as it were, the 
 testament of Jesus, wherein he shows what was the 
 nature of his kingdom, also his death, resurrection, 
 glory, and future advent." 
 
 TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN THE PARABLE. 
 
 The kingdom of Christ is a heavenly one. 
 I. The proper nature of the kingdom: 
 
 1. The Son of God from heaven is king ; ver. 12: 
 A nobleman ; 
 
THE TEN POUNDS. 401 
 
 2. He has received the kingdom in heaven ; ver. 
 12: Went into a far country to receive to him- 
 self a kingdom ; 
 
 3. He will give full manifestation of it from heaven ; 
 12: And return. 
 
 II. The present state of the kingdom; although 
 Christ's is a heavenly one, it yet stretches over 
 the whole human race upon earth ; for on earth 
 he has : 
 
 1. Servants, as stewards of entrusted gifts, v. 13 ; 
 
 2. Enemies, who grudge his heavenly glory, v. 14. 
 
 III. The future manifestation of the kingdom shows 
 it to be a heavenly one, from the manner in 
 which rewards and punishments are to be distri- 
 buted ; which is, 
 
 1. Righteous and beneficent in the gracious ap- 
 portionment of reward to those of approved 
 fidelity, as exemplified in the case both of the 
 first, V. 15 — 17, 24 — 26, and of the second ser- 
 vant, V. 18, 19. 
 
 2. Just and righteous in the punishment, 
 a.) Of the faithless, v. 20—24 ; 
 
 h.) And of avowed enemies, v. 27. 
 
 V. 12. ^ nobleman — a man of noble birth, hy-cw^g, 
 through his birth, family, ancestry, distinguished from 
 the rest of the people, ver. 14. This was the case 
 with Jesus, who being descended from Abraham and 
 David after the flesh, was of kingly origin, and, be- 
 sides, was the Son of God. This noble one lived for 
 a long time among his fellow-citizens, as one of their 
 equals, until at last the time came wlien he attained 
 to a power and a glory, which belonged to him from 
 his birth, was appointed to him, and raised him fur 
 above all those, among whom he had first lived. 
 Grotius : " A nobleman, to whom the kingdom among 
 his citizens was, by birthright, due." 
 
 Weiit into a far country to receive for himself a 
 kingdom — a reference to the death and ascension of 
 
402 THE TEN POUNDS. 
 
 Jesus Christ, which must mean that he has his king- 
 dom in heaven, and from thence he exercises his power, 
 Matth. xxviii. 18. Phil. ii. 9—11. Eph. i. 17, 20—22 ; 
 until he comes again at the last day to the judgment, 
 Matth. XXV. 31. Von Brunn : " This kingdom is an 
 invisible kingdom, and can only be known from its 
 operations ; and if there must always be something 
 visible in this kingdom, it is only the power which 
 may be seen and felt in the actings of the Christian 
 church, in the exercises of individual souls, and in 
 the exalted visions of a John. The possession of the 
 kingdom consists mainly in the execution of the great 
 plan of the Father in Jesus Christ — in the deliverance 
 of the whole of humanity by degrees from the power 
 of darkness — in opening up to them more and more 
 an entrance into the kingdom of light, and at last en- 
 tirely translating them into it. But the chief develop- 
 ment of this great work takes place in the kingdom 
 of spirits, and but rarely manifests its influence in the 
 great transactions of the world in a manner fitted to 
 strike the eyes of men grovelling in the dust. As 
 soon, however, as it is accomplished, the nobleman 
 shall return again." This image has, besides, a his- 
 torical reference, for Josephus informs us, (Antiq. 
 B. xiv. ch. XXV.) that Archelaus and his brother Ag- 
 grippas, durst not take possession of the kingdom, 
 which came to them by inheritance from their father, 
 until they had sent to Rome, and in a certain way 
 had been invested by the Roman emperor, as their 
 proper sovereign, with kingly dignity. 
 
 V. 13. The distribution of the gifts points to a re- 
 lation of dependance, and lays the ground of the fu- 
 ture reckoning and judgment, v. 15, &c. At the same 
 time, this image gives instruction upon the conscien- 
 tious employment of what is committed to us in the 
 kingdom of Christ. — Von Brunn: "The calling of 
 the ten servants was fulfilled in the choice of the dis- 
 ciples, whom Jesus appointed for his ambassadors in 
 the kingdom. The number ten appears to have indi- 
 cated no other purpose on the part of our Lord, than 
 
THE TEN POUNDS. 403 
 
 that he chose ns many labourers in the kingdom as 
 were necessary for making known the gospel to all 
 nations. Moreover, this calling of the servants must 
 certainly be referred, not only to the disciples, who 
 were singled out by Jesus for his service during his 
 personal ministry, but to nil whom he at any time 
 calls, to point out to his brethren the way of salvation, 
 and press them to yield themselves to him. The for- 
 mer received not the call till they had received the 
 gifts, which fitted them for accomplishing the object 
 of the Lord ; the latter, on the other hand, find this 
 call in the gifts, which he confers upon them at their 
 birth, or which he afterwards imparts to them through 
 his Spirit. The pounds which the Lord gave to the 
 servants, whom he left behind him, are partly the les- 
 sons which they received from the mouth of Jesus, 
 and which have been handed down through the writ- 
 ings of the Evangelists to Christians of later times ; 
 partly, also, the extraordinary gifts which w^ere con- 
 ferred on the disciples of Jesus at the outpouring of 
 the Holy Spirit, and through imposition of hands on 
 those who, by receiving their word, beheved on Jesus ; 
 and finally, those gifts which, even to the present time, 
 adorn through God's grace so many teachers in the 
 church, as servants of the Lord." 
 
 Ten Pounds^ minae, about twenty dollars (between 
 three and four pounds Sterling) ; the distribution of 
 the pounds is here made equally, in Matthew une- 
 qually ; and both alike true, for the measure of the 
 gift is different with different persons, but in all it is 
 so far equal, as the Lord gives to each one precisely 
 what he is able to employ, Matth. xxv. 15. — Occupy ; 
 Gnomon : " The charge is of one meaning with that 
 well known saying, yivsaßs 7ir/,Xoi r^ccrs^rrai." — Von 
 Brunn : " He therefore gave them to recipients, not 
 that they might enjoy themselves therewith, but that, 
 through application, they might increase them and 
 give employment to others, Matth. x. 27 ; v. 14, 15. 
 1 Cor. xii. 4 — 11." Grotius: " Since the gifts which 
 we receive from Christ are partly common, such as 
 
404 THE TEN POUNDS. 
 
 the word of the gospel, and things immediately con- 
 nected therewith, and partly peculiar, such as minis- 
 terial gifts and the miraculous powers, which Christ 
 bestowed after his ascension upon whom he pleased ; 
 Christ appears to me to have had the former in view 
 while pursuing his course on earth, but the latter when 
 drawing near to his death. Therefore, in Luke, the 
 gifts conferred are equal, in Matthew unequal ; Rom. 
 xii. 6. 1 Cor. xii. 7, 11, 29. Eph. iv. 11. 
 
 Ver. 14. This enmity of the nobleman's fellow-citi- 
 zens has its primary fulfilment in the hostile proce- 
 dure of those who would not. regard Jesus as their 
 Lord and Saviour. Von Brunn : " The citizens of the 
 nobleman are doubtless in the first instance the Jews, 
 who even to this day cannot deny their deep and 
 rooted enmit}^ They are here named his citizens, as by 
 John they are called his own (property,) for accord- 
 ing to the oldest predictions he was the king of Zion. 
 They sent messages enough after him to show that 
 they would not acknowledge him as their king, when 
 they incited the heathen to persecute the followers of 
 him whom they crucified. They still send after him 
 such messages, because they pronounce the curse over 
 all their members who venture to receive the Chris- 
 tian faith. With these citizens;, however, of the noble- 
 man we are certainly to class those also, who, while 
 they bear the Christian name, will only recognize Jesus 
 as an enlightened teacher, but not as their Lord and 
 Saviour." For this part of the image also there exists 
 a historical ground, in that the Jews sent messengers 
 to Rome, who protested against Archelaus being made 
 king of Judea; but in vain, and he did not leave their 
 opposition unpunished. 
 
 Ver. 15. The return of Christ, and the general 
 judgment which is to be held upon all v/ho have been 
 his servants, and have received gifts from him, and 
 have known his will. That he might know — as the 
 omniscient he knows all things ; but the conduct of one 
 and all must be made known before the whole world, 
 
THE TEN POUNDS. 40'> 
 
 as also the righteousness of the Lord be acknowledged 
 in rewarding and punishing. 
 
 Ver. 16. A speech of humility — he gives to the 
 Lord all the glory ; he attributes his success, not to his 
 own diligence, his fidelit}^, his application, but to the 
 goodness of the Lord in having given to him. 
 
 Y. 17. Have tliou authority over ten cities — glori- 
 ous recompense of grace, which stands in exact ac- 
 cordance with his past performances, with his approved 
 fidelity, and his acquired capacity — but still far sur- 
 passes his desert. 
 
 Yer. 18, 19. The same substantially as w^ith the 
 former servant, in v. 16, 17. Kev. iii. 21 ; iv. 6. Matth. 
 xix. 28. 1 Cor. viii. 2, 5. 
 
 V. 20 — 24. Yon Brunn : " This servant is an image 
 of those Christians who employ not their powers, lest 
 .they should, in doing so, hurt either themselves or 
 others; and of those who -^yithhold teachers that would 
 labour for the salvation of others, from the fear of a 
 negligent use being made of them ; and also of such, 
 as having obtained the pardon of sin and an interest 
 in grace, from fear of falling again under the power of 
 temptation, shut themselves up in cloisters, or with- 
 draw themselves from the society of men." See Matth. 
 XXV. 24 — "28. Grotius on v. 23 : " Lest you should 
 say that you could find no one who was in need of 
 money. The bankers take money from all with in- 
 terest. The meaning is; You cannot plead the risk 
 of laying out the money ; it w^as mine; and I should 
 have exacted it not at your, but at my risk. For they 
 are safe who manage the affairs of others, as long as 
 they give credit to those who have the public con- 
 fidence. 
 
 Y. 25. The men could not perceive the wisdom and 
 righteousness of the divine procedure. 
 
 Yer. 26. Hence the Lord unfolds the deep ground 
 of his procedure, which, so far from being arbitrary, 
 consists in the highest righteousness, Matth. xxv. 29. 
 
 Y. 27. The judgment extends also to those who 
 would not acknowledge that nobleman for their Lord. 
 
406 THE TEN POUNDS. 
 
 The immediate fulfilment of this threatening was to 
 be found in the destruciiou of Jerusalem ; death, un- 
 utterable and eternal deaths is the fate of those who 
 despise the glorious riches of Christ's kingdom ; but 
 to be enabled to enjoy the eternal blessings of his 
 kingdom, there is needed a faith that worketh by love. 
 Calvin : " In tliis second part, Christ appears to aim 
 chiefly at the Jews ; comprehending, however, all who 
 during his absence take up the weapons of rebellion. 
 But Christ's object was not only to terrify such per- 
 sons by the denunciation of fearful punishment, but 
 also to keep his own disciples in the faith of obedience. 
 For it is not a small temptation to see the kingdom of 
 God wasted by the perfidy and rebellion of multi- 
 tudes. Therefore, that we may continue steadfast 
 amid the disorders, Christ admonishes us that he will 
 return, and at his arrival will execute vengeance upon 
 those who have impiously rebelled against him." The 
 punishment figuratively threatened in v. 27, was, in 
 plain language, delineated, v. 43, 44, in the literally 
 fulfilled prophecy upon Jerusalem, which the Lord 
 spake, when he saw the city lying before him, and, by 
 not knowing the time of its merciful visitation, pre- 
 paring itself for overwhelming destruction. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 J. THOMSON, PRINTER, MILNE SQUARE. 
 
Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 01145 3893