may be slandered and misrepresented, the Lord Jesus Christ writes all their doings in His book. He lives who testified to the importance of John the Baptist's ministry, when John was dead and buried. He will yet testify to the toil of every one of His faithful servants at the last day. In the world they may have tribulation and disappointment. But they are not forgotten by Christ.

Let us notice, lastly, in this passage, the falsehood of which our Lord's enemies were guilty. In reply to our Lord's question whether John's baptism was from heaven or men, "they answered that they could not tell." This was a downright untruth. They could have told, but they would not. They knew that if they said what they really believed they would condemn themselves. If they confessed that John was a prophet sent from God, they would be guilty of a gross inconsistency in not believing his testimony about Christ.

Falsehoods like this, it may be feared, are only too common among unconverted men. Thousands will say anything rather than acknowledge themselves to be in the wrong. Lying is just one of the sins to which the human heart is most naturally inclined, and one of the commonest sins in the world. Gehazi, Ananias and Sapphira have more followers and imitators than Peter and Paul. The number of lies which are constantly told by men, to save their own credit, and to cover over their own wickedness, is probably far greater than we are

aware.

The true servant of Christ will do well to remember these things as he travels through this world. He must not believe all he hears, and especially in the matter of

religion. He must not suppose that unconverted men really believe in their own hearts all that they say. They often feel more than they appear to feel. They often say things against religion and religious people, which they secretly know to be untrue. They often know the Gospel is true, but have not the courage to confess it. They often know the Christian's life is right, but are too proud to say so. The chief priests and scribes are not the only people who deal dishonestly in religion, and say what they know to be false. Then let the servant of Christ go patiently on his way. enemies, will one day confess that he was right, though they used to cry loudly that he was wrong.

Those who are now his

NOTES. LUKE XX. 1-8.

1.-[And it came to pass, &c.] The chapter we have now begun is remarkable because of the variety of attacks on our Lord which it describes. Whether the whole of the events here narrated took place on one day is a question on which commentators do not agree. If they did not all happen on one day, they must at any rate have happened on two successive days.

[In the temple.] This expression means "in the outward courts of the temple," to which all Jews were admitted. 4.-[The baptism of John, &c.] We must beware of supposing that this question which our Lord put was not pertinent to the one which had been put to himself, or was at all an evasion of a disagreeable query by a counter inquiry.

Our Lord's question was in reality an answer to the question of His inquirers. They had asked Him" by what authority" He did what He did. In reply, He asked them whether "John the Baptist was a prophet sent from God." His meaning evidently was that John the Baptist had expressly testified that He was the Messiah. They knew this. They could not deny it. Now if they really believed that John the Baptist was a prophet, they would see at once by "what authority" He did what He did. He did all as the Messiah, whom John had proclaimed Him to be.

[From heaven.] This expression means simply "from God." (See Dan. iv. 26. Luke xv. 18, 21.)

5.-[Why then believed ye him not.] The meaning of this of course must be, "Why did ye not believe what he told you about me?" 6.-[The people will stone us.] Grotius remarks, "They had themselves accustomed the people to this violence. When they could not legally convict their enemies, they incited the people to stone them. It was called the judgment of zeal." John x. 31: Acts xiv. 19.

See

7.-[They could not tell.] The Greek words here, when literally translated, are even more remarkable than our version, as a proof of the falsehood of our Lord's enemies. They are literally, they did not know."

8.-[Neither tell I you, &c.] Our Lord's refusal was just, because those who asked Him were not honest in their inquiry about His authority. Our Lord never refused to answer the question of any honest inquirer.

LUKE XX. 9-19.

9 Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into far country for a long time.

10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

11 And again he sent another servant and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him

out.

13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us

kill him, that the inheritance may be our's.

15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

19 And the Chief Priests and the Scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

THE parable we have now read, is one of the very few which are recorded more than once by the Gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all give it at full length.

This three-fold repetition is alone sufficient to point out the importance of its contents.

The parable, no doubt, was specially intended for the Jews to whom it was addressed. But we must not confine its application to them. It contains lessons which should be remembered in all churches of Christ as long as the world stands.

In the first place, the parable shows us the deep corruption of human nature. The conduct of the wicked. “husbandmen,” is a vivid representation of man's dealings with God. It is a faithful picture of the history of the Jewish church. In spite of privileges, such as no nation ever had, in the face of warnings such as no people ever received, the Jews rebelled against God's lawful authority, refused to give Him His rightful dues, rejected the counsel of His prophets, and at length crucified His onlybegotten Son. It is a no less faithful picture of the history of all the Gentile churches. Called as they were out of heathen darkness by infinite mercy, they have done nothing worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called. On the contrary, they have allowed false doctrines and wicked practices to spring up rankly among them, and have crucified Christ afresh. It is a mournful fact that in hardness, unbelief, superstition, and self-righteousness, the Christian churches, as a whole, are little better than the Jewish church of our Lord's time. Both are described with painful correctness in the story of the wicked husbandmen. In both we may point to countless privileges misused, and countless warnings despised.

Let us often pray that we may thoroughly understand

the sinfulness of man's heart. Few of us, it may be feared, have the least conception of the strength and virulence of the spiritual disease with which we are born. Few entirely realize that "the carnal mind is enmity against God," and that unconverted human nature, if it had the power, would cast its Maker down from His throne. The behaviour of the husbandmen before us, whatever we may please to think, is only a picture of what every natural man would do to God, if he only could. To see these things is of great importance. Christ is never fully valued, until sin is clearly seen. We must know the depth and malignity of our disease, in order to appreciate the great Physician.

In the second place, this parable shows us the amazing patience and long-suffering of God. The conduct of the "lord of the vineyard" is a vivid representation of God's dealings with man.-It is a faithful picture of His merciful dealings with the Jewish church. Prophet after prophet was sent to warn Israel of his danger. Message after message was repeatedly sent, notwithstanding insults and injuries heaped on the messengers.-It is a no less faithful picture of His gracious treatment of the Gentile churches. For eighteen hundred years He has suffered their manners. They have repeatedly tried Him by false doctrines, superstitions, and contempt of His word. Yet He has repeatedly granted them seasons of refreshing, raised up for them holy ministers and mighty reformers, and not cut them off, notwithstanding all their persecutions. The churches of Christ have no right to boast. They are debtors to God for innumerable mercies, no less than the Jews were in our Lord's time. They