have not been dealt with according to their sins, nor rewarded according to their iniquities.

We should learn to be more thankful for God's mercy. We have probably little idea of the extent of our obligations to it, and of the number of gracious messages which the Lord of the vineyard is constantly sending to our souls. The last day will unfold to our wondering eyes a long list of unacknowledged kindnesses, of which while we lived we took no notice. Mercy we shall find was indeed God's darling attribute. "He delighteth in mercy." (Micah vii. 18.) Mercies before conversion, mercies after conversion, mercies at every step of their journey on earth, will be revealed to the minds of saved saints, and make them ashamed of their own thanklessness. Sparing mercies, providential mercies, mercies in the way of warnings, mercies in the way of sudden visitations, will all be set forth in order before the minds of lost sinners, and confound them by the exhibition of their own hardness and unbelief. We shall all find that God was often speaking to us when we did not hear, and sending us messages which we did not regard. Few texts will be brought out so prominently at the last day as that of St. Peter: "The Lord is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish." (2 Peter iii. 9.)

In the last place, this parable shows us the severity of God's judgments when they fall on obstinate sinners. The punishment of the wicked husbandmen is a vivid representation of God's final dealings with such as go on still in wickedness.—At the time when our Lord spoke this parable, it was a prophetical picture of the approaching ruin of the Jewish church and nation. The vineyard

of the Lord in the land of Israel, was about to be taken from its unfaithful tenants. Jerusalem was to be destroyed. The temple was to be burned. The Jews were to be scattered over the earth.-At the present time, it may be feared, it is a mournful picture of things yet to come on the Gentile churches in the latter days. The judgments of God will yet fall on unbelieving Christians, as they fell on unbelieving Jews. The solemn warning of St. Paul to the Romans will yet receive an accomplishment: "If thou continuest not in God's goodness, thou also shalt be cut off." (Rom. xi. 22.)

We must never flatter ourselves that God cannot be angry. He is indeed a God of infinite grace and compassion. But it is also written, that He is "a consuming fire." (Heb. xii. 29.) His Spirit will not always strive with men. (Gen. vi. 3.) There will be a day when His patience will come to an end, and when He will arise to judge terribly the earth. Happy will they be who are found hid in the ark in the day of the Lord's anger! Of all wrath, none can be conceived so awful as "the wrath of the Lamb." The man on whom the "stone cut out without hands" falls at His second coming, will indeed be crushed to powder. (Dan. ii. 34, 35.)

Do we know these things, and do we live up to our knowledge? The chief priests and elders, we are told, "perceived that this parable was spoken against them.” But they were too proud to repent, and too hardened to turn from their sins. Let us beware of doing likewise.

NOTES. LUKE XX. 9-19.

10.-[Speak to... people...parable.] Let it be noted, that our Lord

addresses this parable to all the people who were listening to His teaching, and not to the priests and elders only.

The parable itself is a remarkable combination of figure, history, and prophecy. Cyril calls it "the history of Israel in a compendium." The parable of the sower, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of the wicked husbandmen, are the only parables which are three times recorded in the Gospels.

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[A vineyard.] This expression is one which we find used parabolically in Isaiah: The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel." (Isa. v. 7; &c.) Here it seems to mean the land of Judæa, and the peculiar privileges of the Jewish nation.

[Husbandmen.] These are the Jewish people and their rulers and priests.

[Went into a far country.] This expression must not be pressed too closely. It signifies that as the lord of the vineyard left his vineyard to the occupation of the tenants, so God left the privileges of the Jews to be turned to good account by

the nation.

10, 11, 12.—A servant.] In all these three verses the "servants" sent signify the prophets and others whom God sent to call the Jews to repentance, and rouse them to a sense of their privileges and responsibilities. The treatment the prophets received from the Jews is figured by the beating and wounding of the servants. 13.-[My beloved Son.] This part of the parable admits of only one interpretation. The Lord Jesus speaks of Himself and the treatment which he was on the point of receiving at the hands of the priests and elders. He knew that while He spoke they were already plotting His death, and saying “let us kill him."

16.-[He shall come and destroy.] Here the parable passes into prophecy. Our Lord predicts the destruction of Jerusalem, the scattering of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles to enjoy their privileges.

[They said, God forbid.] These words would be rendered more literally" may it not be." The word " God," is not in the Greek. The exclamation appears to me to show clearly, that those who heard this parable saw the application of it. 17.-The stone.] This means Christ. Though rejected by those who called themselves leaders and builders in the Jewish church, it was prophecied that He would become the head-stone of the corner. And as it was foretold, so it would be. (Psa. cxviii. 22.) 18.-[Whosoever shall fall, &c.] The meaning of this verse has perplexed some commentators. The distinction between the first and last parts of it has been thought a difficulty. Some

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have thought that the end of the verse refers to the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans. I venture to think that a better solution of the difficulty can be found.

"Whosoever shall fall upon this stone," signifies every one who stumbles at Christ and His Gospel, and refuses to believe in Him as his Saviour, during the present dispensation. Such an one shall be "broken,” ruined, lost, and cast away.

"On whomsoever it shall fall," signifies every one who shall be found unbelieving when Christ comes again the second time in glory. Such an one shall be “ground to powder," and visited with the heaviest displeasure of God. The guilt of unbelief at the end of the Gospel dispensation shall be far greater than the guilt of unbelief at the beginning.

Barradius says, that Augustine takes this view and refers the verse to the two advents of Christ. The ruin of the unbeliever at the first advent shall be miserable. But the ruin of the unbeliever at the second advent shall be even more miserable still.

Gerhard says, that Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Euthymius, all take the same view with regard to the stone grinding to powder him on whom it falls. They apply it to Christ's coming to judgment at the last day.

Some see in the verse a distinction between the punishment of the Jewish Church for its unbelief at Christ's first advent, and the punishment of the Gentile Churches at Christ's second advent. The Jewish Church stumbled and was "broken," but shall yet be raised again, and restored to God's favour at the latter day. The Gentile Churches, when God's judgments shall fall upon them at last, shall never be restored. Their ruin shall be complete and irretrievable. They shall be “ground to powder."

LUKE XX. 20-26.

20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

21 And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no?

23 But he perceived their crafti

LET us mark, for one thing, in this passage, the cloak of goodness under which some of our Lord's enemies approached Him. We read that they "sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men." We read further that they attempted to impose on Him by flattering words: "We know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly." Those words sounded well. An ignorant bystander would have said, "These are sincere inquirers after truth!" But all was hollow and unreal. It was the wolf putting on the sheep's clothing, under the vain idea of deceiving the shepherd. Their words were "smoother than butter," yet there was "war in their hearts." (Psalm lv. 21.)

The true servant of Christ must expect to meet persons of this description, as long as the world stands. There never will be wanting those, who from interested or sinister motives will profess with their lips to love Christ, while in heart they deny Him. There will always be some, who "by good words and fair speeches," will attempt to deceive the heart of the simple. The union of "burning lips and a wicked heart," is far from uncommon. There are probably few congregations which do not contain some of those whom Solomon likens to "potsherds, covered with silver dross." (Rom. xvi. 18. Prov. xxvi. 23.)

He that would not be often deceived in this wicked world, must carefully remember these things. We must exercise a wise caution as we travel through life, and not play the part of the "simple who believeth every word." (Prov. xiv. 15.) We must not lightly put confidence in every new religious volunteer, nor hastily take it for