lift up his eyes to heaven: but smote upon his breast, saying, O God, be propitiated to me the notorious sinner.

14. I tell you, this man went down to his house, approved by God in preference to the other: for every one who exalteth himself in his own estimation, shall be abased; but he that abaseth himself in his own opinion, shall be exalted.

v. 10 went up: the Temple being on higher ground than the city.

v. 11: to stand was an attitude of devotion.

v. 12: the public and private fasts of the Jews were upon the second and fifth days of the week.

THE chief purpose of this parable, as appears from the opening words, is to discountenance spiritual pride, and to reprove those who haughtily despise others as sinners in comparison with themselves. This temper is clearly manifested in the form of the Pharisee's prayer. While the publican does not presume to approach near to the Sanctuary, but smites upon his breast in outward contrition, and, in his mental prayer, throws himself upon the gratuitous mercy of God; on the other hand, the Pharisee is the herald of his fancied merits, and regards with peculiar contempt this publican.

The spiritual pride with which the Pharisee was swollen, is deservedly hateful to God. It was pride that first brought rebellion and strife into heaven, and expelled the apostate angels, who affected to be equal or superior to their God and Creator. It is pride that inspires contempt of the same divine Majesty, in every presumptuous offender who quenches his Spirit, and tramples his laws under foot. Every proud man robs God of the honour due to his grace, erects new altars to strange deities; and by the wildest idolatry, burns incense to himself.

But most especially is this vice destructive to a man's own soul: for it taints all our principles; it covers our lurking faults, and prevents all repentance, and forbids the advice of friends. To one, so full of himself as to see no need of amendment, all reasonings of his own mind must needs be ineffectual. For everything there is seen through false glasses. The most slender appearances of virtue are brought nearer and magnified;

the most deformed blemishes are thrown off at a vast distance, and lessened to the eye. Truth is never received till some awakening dispensation does, perhaps too late, discover the man to himself.

1. In considering the nature of that righteousness in which the Pharisee trusted, we observe that the foundation of those excellences he supposed in himself, lies chiefly in comparisons: 'I am not as other men are: I am not as this publican.' This is a most deceitful way of arguing, by which men are betrayed into speaking such comforts to their own consciences as no way belong to them. Each man's actions are the proper issue he shall be judged upon; those of our brethren cannot be considered in the account. And for a man to be esteemed righteous here, or to depend upon being happy hereafter, because some others are more wicked now, or shall be more miserable then, is not less absurd than it were for a person actually in sickness and pain, to fancy he hath perfect ease, because his neighbour's torments are more acute than his own.

(2.) The offences this Pharisee disavows, are adulteries, extortion, injustice; such, in a word, as very profligate people are supposed to abandon themselves to: and the standing clear of these is, no doubt, a blessing, of which every man ought to have a very thankful sense. For we are all by nature frail, and capable even of horrible enormities. But yet the virtue, requisite for commending us to God, must be a great deal more than this.

We do this Pharisee no wrong in saying that what he thanks God for, is in effect but that he was clear, not of all, but of the grossest and most infamous vices; had lived more cautiously than many others; and had been hitherto successful in deceiving the world with a pretence and pomp of godliness, without the true power of it. The frequent fastings and exact tithings in which he expressed so great satisfaction, are acts of piety which have much less of difficulty in them, than the attaining to any tolerable advancement in solid and substantial virtue. If our passions be not subdued, fasting is formality. If our Christian endeavours be not answerable to our devotions, prayer is but lip-service. But justice, charity, and humility, commend us, through Christ, to the favour and acceptance of God, and prepare us for a future state. The

devotional acts of the Pharisee expose us to the danger of placing religion where it is not. They dispose us to imaginary confidences, and carry away the mind after ceremony and show. They betray indiscreet people into that fatal error, that some peculiar voluntary severities will atone for many and grievous violations of moral duty. Thus our blessed Saviour (Matt. xxiii. 23) reproves the tithing of mint, and anise, and cumin, as taken in, to supply the place of righteousness, and mercy, and faith, by much the weightier matters of the law. Thus fasting and hanging down the head like a bulrush, are exposed by Isaiah (Isa. lviii. 4, 5), because many, who did so, fasted for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.

If, then, the pretended innocence of this Pharisee before us was so imperfect, and if his boasted righteousness was liable to so just exceptions, our wonder may very well cease, that even that publican, the object of his scorn, shall return home more approved, rather than he: for, though we are at liberty to suppose this man's former life was blameable, yet the stains of his guilt appear to have been washed away by repentance; a repentance, which proved its own sincerity, by the profoundest remorse, and the exemplary modesty of his behaviour. These show him to us a pattern of true humility, a virtue more valuable than all the fasting in the world: a virtue, that defrauds none, but renders to all their due to God, by magnifying his mercy and grace, and unfeignedly lamenting our own vileness; to men, by rejoicing in their just praises. It slanders not, despises not, but contains itself within its own sphere; triumphs not in the faults of others, but shows every man his own. It opens our ear to discipline, makes us susceptible of advice, and patient of reproof. It teaches us to disavow all merit, and to take sanctuary in mercy. The mistaken Pharisee imagined that the encomium on himself was a prayer, and trusted in this defective morality, and these ceremonies of human device, while an utter stranger to real vital religion. Happier, a thousand times happier, the poor publican, when abasing himself in the dust; when smiting on his breast; when owning himself a sinner, and imploring the Divine mercy as his only hope! Lord,,we equally need it may we with equal humility seek it! May we habitually maintain those views of ourselves, which may promote that humility, so necessary in order to the acceptance of our addresses, and therefore to the happiness of our souls. And indeed, if in our

approaches to God, we can place our confidence in any righteousness of our own, whatever we may imagine of our own knowledge or holiness, we have need to be taught again the first principles of both, and are strangers to the essentials of religion. (STANHOPE. DODDRIDGE.)

In the parable of the Labourers, our Saviour alludes to the unwillingness of the Jews to admit the Gentiles into a participation of their spiritual privileges: MATTHEW, XX. 1-16. THE kingdom of heaven may be fitly represented by a master of a family, who went out early in the morning, to hire labourers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers at a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3. And he went out about the third hour [nine o'clock], and saw other labourers standing unemployed in the market-place; the usual resort of those who wished to be hired: and said unto them, ' Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is equitable, I will give you.' And they went their way, without any other agreement.

5. Again he went out about the sixth hour [twelve], and ninth hour [three]; and did likewise.

6. And about the eleventh hour [five in the afternoon] when there was but one hour remaining, he went out and found others standing unemployed, and said unto them, 'Why stand ye here all the day, unemployed?' They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us.' He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is equitable, that shall ye receive.'

8. Now when evening was come [six o'clock] the master of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers and pay them their wages, beginning from those who were last hired, even to the first.' (Deut. xxiv. 15.)

9. And when they came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a denarius. And when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; but they also received, every man, a denarius. 11. And when they had received it, they murmured against the master, saying, Truly these last have laboured but one hour: and thou hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and the heat of the whole day. 13. But he answered, and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no injury: didst thou not agree with me for a denarius?

Take what is thine; and go thy way; I will give to this last, even as to thee: is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own property? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? Art thou envious, because I am liberal?

16. So the last in privileges shall be first in enjoyment of them and the first shall be last for many are invited by the messages of salvation; but few are chosen: few will obediently avail themselves of the invitation, so as to be approved and accepted by God.

v. 1: A denarius (74d.) was the usual price for a day's work. v. 3: The hours of a Jewish day were divided into four watches, each consisting of three hours. The day commenced at six in the morning, and closed at six in the evening.

THE parable of the labourers in the vineyard appears to have had, like other parables delivered by our Lord, a twofold purpose. It seems to have been designed, partly, to indicate in a prophetical manner the malignant dissatisfaction, with which the Jews would contemplate, after the ascension of Christ, the admission of the Gentiles to a participation of the blessings of the gospel, on a footing of equality with the descendants from Abraham; and partly, to warn men in all future ages, against the indulgence of a kindred spirit of discontent on any other occasion. It is to the latter purpose that the parable is now to be applied.

When the owner of the vineyard directed that a sum, the same with that which he had contracted to give to the persons who had been hired early in the morning, should also be paid to the others, who had been hired at later periods of the forenoon, or in the afternoon, or even but an hour before sunset; he was aware perhaps that it was not from unwillingness to labour, that several sets of his workmen had lost parts of the day; but merely because no man had hired them. Perhaps, he observed that, when they were sent into his vineyard, they worked with greater diligence than their companions who had been hired sooner. At any rate, the murmurers could not complain either that he was withholding from them any portion of the sum which he had promised; or that the sum which they received from him, was not an equitable recompense for their labour. Because he was kind, they were grudging: did that spirit point