verses we are now looking at, and be afraid no more. There is nothing on God's part to justify his fears. An open door is set before him. A free pardon awaits him. "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John i. 8.)

Let the man who is ashamed to repent, consider these verses, and cast shame aside. What though the world mocks and jests at his repentance? While man is mocking angels are rejoicing. The very change which sinners call foolishness, is a change which fills heaven with joy.

Have we repented ourselves? This, after all, is the principal question which concerns us. What shall it profit us to know Christ's love, if we do not use it? "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." xiii. 17.)

(John

NOTES. LUKE XV. 1-10.

1.—[Then drew near.] The Greek words so translated do not literally mean a particular act at a particular time. They would be more closely rendered, " And there were drawing near." Alford renders them, were busied in drawing near,' were continually about Him." The beginning of this chapter, be it observed, is an unbroken continuation of the last.

66

66

Let us mark the accessibleness and affability of our Lord's demeanour in this expression. He was one of whom people were not afraid. Such a demeanour is a great gift.

[All the publicans and sinners.] By the expression "all" we are evidently meant to understand" all" in that particular neighbourhood where our Lord at present was.

Let it be noted that no Gospel writer gives so many instances of our Lord's mercy to sinners as St. Luke. It is supposed, with much reason, that this was intended for the encouragement of Gentile converts, for whom his Gospel was specially written. Observe, beside this chapter, Luke xviii. 10; xxiii. 34, 43. These passages are all peculiar to St. Luke.

2.--[Murmured.] The Greek word here is only used in one other

place,-Luke xix. 7. It means literally "murmured greatly," or "were constantly murmuring" throughout the journey.

[This man receiveth sinners.]—These words should be carefully noted. They are the key note to the whole chapter. A constant recollection of them throws light on the interpretation of all the three parables which follow. The Pharisees found fault with our Lord for "inviting sinners." Our Lord replies, in effect, that the thing which they found fault with was the very thing He came on earth to do, and a thing of which He was not ashamed. He came to do for sinners what the shepherd did for his lost sheep, the woman did for her lost money, and the father did for the prodigal son. As for His murmuring enemies, they were like the elder brother of the prodigal son.

I am persuaded that remembrance of this expression is of great importance in the chapter, and that many strange explanations of things in the chapter have been given by commentators, for want of observing the expression.-The great object of all the three parables is one and the same. They all three exhibit the love and mercy of Christ towards sinners, but under three different aspects. I hold with Bengel, that the lost sheep represents the stupid, foolish sinner,-the lost piece of money the sinner altogether ignorant of himself,-and the younger son the daring and wilful sinner. But I also hold that the love which goes after the sheep, seeks the money, and runs to meet the prodigal, is all through intended to represent the love of Christ. I cannot assent to the view that the three parables were meant to point to the work of the Three Persons of the Trinity. I cannot hold the view of Bengel, Alford, and Stier, that "the woman" represents the Holy Ghost,-and the view of Ambrose and Wordsworth, that she represents the Church. All these ideas I believe to be foreign to our Lord's intention when He spoke the three parables. I consider that the right way to view the three parables before us is to suppose that our Lord's meaning was as follows:-" You blame me for receiving sinners. I am not ashamed of it. I do receive them. came on earth for that very purpose. If you would know my feeling towards sinners, mark the conduct of a shepherd seeking a lost sheep, a woman seeking a lost piece of money, and a kind father receiving a prodigal son. In the love exhibited in each of these three cases you have an emblem of my love to sinners." 4.-[What_man of you, &c.] Both in this and the two following verses, I must decline assigning the allegorical meanings to every part of the parable, which many commentators have discovered. The two numbers, hundred, and ninety-nine,— the wilderness, the shepherd's laying the lost sheep on his shoulders, the home,-the friends and neighbours,-all appear to me to be subordinate circumstances of the parable, which

I

were simply intended to illustrate one great leading truth, the deep self-sacrificing love of Christ towards sinners, and the pleasure with which He saves them.

The beautiful fitness of the images chosen in the parable, is very striking. Our Lord speaks of Himself in the 10th chapter of St. John, as the good Shepherd.-Isaiah says, in the 53rd chapter of his prophecy, "All we, like sheep, have gone astray." 7.-I say unto you.] In this verse the Lord drops the language of parables and declares to us a great truth.

[Likewise.] The Greek word thus rendered here, and at the 10th verse, is more commonly translated "so," or

even so."

[Joy shall be in heaven.] The use of the future tense in this expression, has led some to think that our Lord is speaking of the day of judgment, when the saved souls shall be presented before the Father with exceeding joy. I cannot see this. I believe that our Lord simply means that when any sinner shall repent, at any time in the history of the Church, his repentance will be regarded with gladness in heaven, whatever murmuring there may be among Pharisees on earth.

[One sinner.] The exceeding value of one soul, in God's sight, appears in this expression. It also appears to overthrow the idea entertained by some, that the lost sheep represents the whole church of the elect, or the redeemed world.

Those who are cast down and dispirited in preaching and teaching, by apparently small success, should often think of this expression, and the parallel one in the 10th verse. The value of one soul is not enough considered.

[Ninety and nine just...no repentance.] This expression is remarkable, and has caused much difference of opinion among commentators. Five different explanations are given.

1. Some think that it means the angels who have never sinned.

2. Some think that it means the glorified saints who can sin no more.

3. Some think that it means living saints who have not lost baptismal purity.

4. Some think that it means the inhabitants of other worlds, who have not fallen like man.

5. Some think that it means people who think themselves righteous and just, like the Pharisees, and fancy they need no repentance.

I believe the last to be the true view, and the others to be untenable. It is confirmed by Luke v. 32; xvi. 15; xviii. 9. Matt. ix. 13. Mark ii. 17. 8.-Either what woman.]

Let us note both here and in the

last parable, how simple and familiar our Lord's illustrations of truth were. A shepherd, and a woman, are his chosen vehicles to convey to our minds some idea of His care for sinners.

Both in this verse, and the following verse, I adhere to the view expressed in the comments on the preceding parable. I decline to assign allegorical meanings to the expressions used. The woman, the number ten,-the candle lighting, the house, —the sweeping,—the friends and neighbours, all appear to me nothing more than subordinate circumstances in a story which is intended to teach one great truth, Christ's care for sinners, and pleasure in saving them.

Many commentators see much meaning in a "piece of silver" being the type of the sinner. They dwell upon the image stamped on the coin, as significant of the image of God, in which man was originally created. Those who wish to see how far this idea may be worked out, will find it fully given in Ness's History and Mystery of the New Testament.

10.-Joy...angels of God.] This expression seems to show that the salvation of sinners is a matter of deep interest to the angels, and the recovery of each one carefully observed. This, be it remembered, is a very different thing from saying that angels can help our souls.

LUKE XV. 11-24.

11 And he said, A certain man had

two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father,

and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

THE parable before us is commonly known as the parable of "the prodigal son." It may be truly called a mighty spiritual picture. Unlike some of our Lord's parables, it does not convey to us one great lesson only, but many. Every part of it is peculiarly rich in instruction.

We see, firstly, in this parable, man following the natural bent of his own heart. Our Lord shows us a "younger son" making haste to set up for himself, going far away from a kind father's house, and "wasting his substance in riotous living."

We have in these words a faithful portrait of the mind with which we are all born. This is our likeness. We are all naturally proud and self-willed. We have no pleasure in fellowship with God. We depart from Him, and go afar off. We spend our time, and strength, and faculties, and affections, on things that cannot profit. The covetous man does it in one fashion, the slave of lusts and passions in another, the lover of pleasure in another. In one point only all are agreed. Like sheep, we all naturally 'go astray, and turn every one to his own way." (Isai. liii. 6.) In the younger son's first conduct we see the natural heart.

He that knows nothing of these things has yet much to learn. He is spiritually blind. The eyes of his understanding need to be opened. The worst ignorance in the world is not to know ourselves. Happy is he who has been delivered from the kingdom of darkness, and been made acquainted with himself! Of too many it may be said, "They know not, neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness." (Psalm lxxxii. 5.)

We see, secondly, in this parable, man finding out that