And it to love

Lord he persuades us to be reconciled to God. is in this deep view of our ruin that we learn Christ, and to cherish gratitude towards him. There is immense danger in any vicious course. No one can tell when he is crushing the last germ of life in his soul. But the dangers of the self-righteous spirit are perhaps even greater. It seems to remove the soul even farther from Christ and heaven. It cannot repent; for, it has no sense of the evil of its transgressions; they seem to it to be trivial, because it has perverted the true moral standard within, and formed its judgments, not by God's standard, but its own. It so keeps the life within the bounds of propriety as to prevent the conscience from being disturbed. It has public sentiment, too, in its favor. And it fosters that egotism and pride which are harder to conquer than the passions themselves. There is therefore true, enlightened kindness, only in preaching the strong doctrines of the Gospel.

We may inquire how we are testifying our love and gratitude to Christ. Has he loved us with a love with which no other love can be compared? Was yours an utter bankruptcy, hopeless and helpless? And did he come to your relief; and has he relieved you, blotting out every sentence of condemnation recorded against you? Has he placed you among the children of God, and opened to you the gates of the heavenly city? Then you must have wept at his feet; then you are ready to bring the alabaster box of precious ointment, and pour it on his feet. With you this expression of love may be a patient enduring of severe trials at his hand; a sacrifice of some earthly honor, or possession, or comfort, that you may be unencumbered

for his service. It may be special efforts to cultivate your spirit for extraordinary service; a consecration of yourself or some beloved child to foreign service.

In whatever way, how does your love and grati tude manifest itself?

LECTURE VIII.

THE LABORERS PAID; OR, HUMILITY IN REGARD TO OUR MERITS.

MATT. XX. 1-16. "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine

own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen."

LUKE XVII. 7-10. "But which of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the

field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."

In

WE shall find these two passages to have the same scope. The first compares the administration of Christ's kingdom on earth to a farmer employing laborers. eastern countries, and even in Europe, the custom still remains, of farmers going into the markets to hire reapers who have assembled from neighboring, and even remote districts. This man goes out at several distinct hours, engaging men to work in his vineyard. Some are hired at the very first working hour, at a fixed, and, probably, the ordinary price, of a penny or denarius a day; which is equal to fifteen cents. The others leave the rate of wages to the option of their employer. In the evening the steward is ordered to bring them together, that they may receive their compensation. Beginning at those hired only an hour before, he pays them the denarius; and so goes through the whole company, paying all the same. This surprises and offends those who have been working twelve hours; that they should receive the same compensation with those who had labored only one hour, and that in the cooler hour of the evening. The employer replies to them, that he did them no injustice; that he had a right to pay the others as much as he pleased, without consulting them; and that his generosity should not excite their envy.

The other parable refers to the customs of society

concerning a man who serves another. If he were employed as a farm-laborer and a house-servant, he would not expect when returning from the field to be served by his employer, but would wait on him.

These simple stories or parables have caused much difficulty to commentators, especially the former. And the reason of it I suppose to be, that the shade of feeling they are designed to expose is one of the most subtle of all those that hinder the progress of spiritual life; having an aim somewhat similar to those of the Prodigal Son, and the Pharisee and Publican, yet striking even a deeper vein than they.

The doctrine they exhibit is this:

In the Gospel, gratuity is more prominent than rewards.

The Gospel does not exclude the idea of rewards, but presents it in a modified form, and earnestly guards the heart against selfish emulation, boasting or claiming, in reference to others; and against dealing with God on a quid pro quo or hireling principle. I would now allude to one or two expositions. It has been maintained by some that this parable presents

"A vindication of rewards by merit." But see what difficulties attend this. That merit should be rewarded is a truism belonging to the light of nature. Even heathen philosophy contains it. Rewarding according to merit is the grand principle of natural justice, which it did not require a teacher from heaven to explain. If that were all Christ meant to teach, no parable would have been necessary; for it is a principle of nature, that every man reaps as he sows. And our Lord is not here teaching a truth of nature, but a truth of grace; and one somewhat difficult for the