parison of God's goodness, are thus beautifully represented: "When he was yet a great way off, his father Luk. xv. 20. saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." He seems also to interrupt his son in his act of confession and self-abasement by the command, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on Ver. 22, 23. him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:" for it remained that the son should add, "Make me as one of thy hired servants"." The jealousy and indignation of the Jews at the admission of the Gentiles into God's favour, their rejection of the gospel on that account, and God's benevolent endeavours to overcome their prejudices, are set forth with equal excellence in the remaining part of the parable. When the elder son knew the cause of the rejoicing, "he was angry, and would not go in: there- Ver. 28-30. fore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answered and said to his father, Behold, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this THY SON was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf." Here is ostentation of his own obedience; a charge of unkindness against his father; aggravation of the younger son's conduct, for he does not vouchsafe him the endearing appellation of BROTHER; and expostulation with his father for an act of the greatest placability and goodness. The father replies with the most perfect mildness. The claim of unp. 62.

r Comp. Luke xv. 18, 19, with ver. 21. There is an unnecessary refinement in this observation: as the authorities for adding these words are sufficient. See note c,

interrupted obedience is not denied; and thus the case is put as favourably as possible for the Jews; and they are left, with much delicacy, to collect their guilt from their former history and present conduct. And whereas the angry language of THIS THY SON had been used, the father endeavours to raise the most tender sensaLuk. xv. 31, tions by changing it into THIS THY BROTHER'. "Son,

32.

Jo. xiv. 1, 2,

3,16,18,27.

thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad : for this THY BROTHER was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."

We shall in vain search the treasures of ancient and modern learning for apologues equal in beauty to our Lord's parables in general, and particularly to the three last; which I have therefore somewhat largely illustrated.

In some of our Lord's discourses the sedate and composed affections prevail", displaying the humane and attractive virtues of the speaker, penetrating and possessing the heart of the hearers, and clearly reflecting back the mild lustre of an amiable character: than which natural species of eloquence none is more persuasive or delightful. The best illustrations of this may be taken from our Lord's addresses to the companions of his ministry, and the future preachers of his gospel, on the night before his crucifixion.

He thus comforts them on his departure: "Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also

t See Doddridge on Luke xv.32. u'Hoos quod intelligimus, quod que a docentibus desideramus, id erit quod ante omnia bonitate commendabitur : non solum mite ac placidum, sed plerumque blandum et humanum, et audientibus amabile atque jucundum : in quo exprimendo summa virtus ea est,

ut fluere omnia ex natura rerum hominumque videantur, quo mores dicentis ex oratione pelluceant, et quodammodo agnoscantur. Quod est proculdubio inter conjunctas maxime personas, quoties perferimus, ignoscimus, satisfacimus, monemus, procul ab ira, procul ab odio. Quinct. vi. 2.

in me.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if
it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also." "I will pray
the Father, and he will give you another Advocate*,
that he may abide with you for every." "I will not leave
you in an orphan state: I will come unto you." "Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart
be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

19, 21. xvi.

He thus arms them against the persecutions which they were to undergo: "If the world hate you, ye Jo. xv. 18, know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were 2,4 of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.... All these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." "They will put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service....But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.”

21.

He thus exhorts them to the discharge of their duty as his disciples: "If ye love me, keep my command- Jo. xiv. 15, ments....He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him." "Herein is my Father Jo.xv.8, 10,

24.

glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples....If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments, and abide in his love....This is my
commandment. That ye love one another, as I have
loved you.... Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I
command you."

And he thus supports and animates them in the
prayer with which he concludes these affectionate dis-

Jo. xvii. 1, 2, courses: "Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give everlasting life to as many as thou hast given him....Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world."

Luk.xiii.34,

35.

-44.

But our Lord occasionally moves as well as persuades; and commands our passions as well as conciliates our affections. This will appear from the following instances; in which pity, terror, and hatred of vice, are strongly excited.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Luk. xix. 42 If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hidden from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest

19.

not the time of thy visitation." "Woe unto them that Mat. xxiv. are with child, and unto them that give suck in those days." "Behold, the days are coming in which they Luk. xxiii. shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that 29. never bare, and the breasts which never gave suck."

66

Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able Mat. x. 28. to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to

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7, 8.

25, 26.

destroy both soul and body in hell." "Nation shall Mat. xxiv. rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.' "Immediately after the tribulation of Ver. 29. those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, Luk. xxi. and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." "Then shall they begin to Luk. xxiii. say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us." "Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Mat. xxiv. man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the 30, 31. land mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a trumpet of a great sound, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

30.

"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, Mat.xii. 34. speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." "Every plant, which my Mat. xv. 13, heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the

14.