from the nature and design of the Parable of the ten Virgins, with which the xxvth chapter commences; which indisputably was, to urge the necessity of that watchfulness which had, so earnestly and so repeatedly, been inculcated, in the preceding chapter:-The object of their watchfulness therefore must be the same in both chapters, namely, for the coming of the Son of Man-or for the coming of the kingdom of Heaven which Jesus, as the Messiah, was to set up.

In the extensive view which has been taken of the various passages, where the phrases, the coming of the Son of Man, and of the kingdom of Heaven, are used the judicious Reader has had many opportunities of observing that they are synonymous, in their signification, and particularly in Luke xvii. 26, 30. but this is perhaps no where, more accurately pointed out, than in the parable of the ten Virgins, taken in connection with the close of the preceding chapter; for, when the Disciples where directed, in the 44th verse of that chapter, to watch; it was in these words-Therefore be ye also ready; for, in such an hour as ye think not-THE SON OF MAŃ cometh: but, in the first verse of the xxvth chapter, it is remarkable that the Evangelist changes the form of the expression, and instead of saying-the coming of the Son of Man -he says-The kingdom of Heaven is like unto ten Virgins. * But that the meaning of the phrase the kingdom of Heaven, might not be misunderstood, and that it might be rendered perfectly clear that the expressions-the coming of the Son of Man and the kingdom of Heaven were used, in a sense which is perfectly synonymous-the Evangelist, again changes the form of the expression, and instead of saying, as he had done, in the first verse-the kingdom of Heaven-he has again recourse to the use of that phrase which he had, so often repeated, in the course of the history, and more particularly in the preceeding chapter, verse 13. Watch therefore, for ye

* There seems to be something to be understood here, and what that is, it will not be difficult to discover; for, in the preceeding chapter, the duty of watchfulness for the coming of the Son of Man; or for the kingdom of Heaven, i. e. of the Messiah, being strongly and repeatedly inculcated; it seems natural to suppose that this watchfulness is to be supplied, and then it may be thus rendered---or rather paraphrased, The watchfulness for THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like that which is required of certain Virgins, whose business it is to be in readiness for the coming of a Bridegroom,

know

know neither the day nor the hour, wherein the Son of Man, cometh.

When it is considered that the whole of the long discourse, in the xxivth chapter, was delivered only four days, prior to our Lord's Crucifixion, and in consequence of the enquiry of the Disciples, when, as the Messiah, he should come and establish his kingdom-that he assured them, verse 33, 34that his kingdom would come,. in that generation that he connected the full manifestation of the nature of his coming with the destruction of Jerusalem, and that this awful event would fully demonstrate, that the kingdom, which they so earnestly expected, was not a temporal but a spiritual kingdom, and particularly that he directed them to be in a constant state of watchfulness, for these important and interesting events-when all these things, are fully and impartially considered; it will, perhaps, appear, by no means improbable, or unnatural to suppose that our Lord, in the parable which immediately follows, intended to direct his disciples to pay particular attention to the importance of the new situation, in which they would then be placed, in a moral and religious view, rather than to those temporal and worldly objects which they had, till then, so constantly connected with the coming of the Mesiah, and particularly as they would be answerable for the improvement or neglect of the advantages, which that new situation would afford them. V. 14. For he, to wit, the Son of Man, is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents-to another two, and to another one to every man acccording to his several, or partie cular abilities, and immediately took his journey.

The judicious Reader can scarcely entertain a doubt, that in this parable-a resemblance is asserted between a Traveller and the Son of Man-but for what purpose is this, comparison instituted, if not to shew that the resemblance was a striking one? And this, it will appear to be, in these three respects, -first, in his departure into a farcountry or his Ascension into Heaven; for there does not appear to be any part of his history, in which this resemblance can be traced, but that, Secondly, in his return, after a long absence or at some far distant period, viz. from Heaven; agreeable to the pro phetic declaration of the Angels after his Ascension, Acts i. This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven,

11.

shall

shall so come, in like manner, as ye have seen him go into Heaven. And thirdly, in his reckoning with his own Servants, as the Traveller is represented to have done with his or, in other words, in his calling all men to an account for their conduct, during his absence.

Upon all these accounts the analogy between our Lord and the Traveller, appears to be very striking, and the parable seems to have been admirably fitted to the great purposes which Jesus, throughout his whole ministry, appears to have had, more immediately in view, namely, to unfold to them the various events which were to happen, as they were able to bear them to correct, in the most gradual and gentle maner, the prejudices of his Disciples, concerning the nature of the Messiah's kingdom, and by these means to draw their attention to his coming under the character of the Messiahnot as they imagined, as the founder of a mighty temporal kingdom-but, of a kingdom of righteousness a moral and religious system, which was to train them to virtue and goodness, and to fit them for a state of immortal happiness in a future world.

After having stated, thus generally, the similitude between our Lord and the Traveller, in their going into a distant country in their return after a long absence, and in their taking an account of their Servants-the first part of the parable appears to represent the resemblance that the Traveller's conduct bore to that of our Lord, in the distribution of various talents to his Servants to one five-to another two, and to another one, according to the abilities, which each of them possessed. And having thus settled his domestic concerns, like a wise and prudent master, and given them their directions and a strict injunction to improve their talents or as the Evangelist expresses it to occupy-to trade with to make a good use of, and to improve, in the best manner they were able, till his return, he straight way took his Journey.

When the Traveller, after a long absence, had fulfilled the purposes of his journey-he, on his return, is represented, as calling together his Servants, to know how they had, each of them, improved the talents which had been committed to their The result of the enquiry was such, as is observable in common life, and is agreeable to the rules of equity--that each should be rewarded, according to their respective improvements

trust.

provements-while the slothful Servant-the man who had made no use of his talent, was justly punished, for not haring turned, what had been committed to his trust, to any advantage.

Such was the reckoning and its consequences, of the Traveller, with his own Servants; which it must be observed, appears to have turned wholly upon the principles of worldly interest; not however without a strict regard to the rules of. equity; for it was the slothful Servant only-he who had made no use of his talent, who was punished, and that because he was slothful..

To the Traveller's reckoning with his own Servants, appears to have been contrasted, that which our Lord is represented as making with his Servants; which, upon the very face of it, seems to have been conducted, upon very different principles; the enquiry turning, upon improvements of a very different nature, viz. upon the good they had done, and the sufferings they had alleviated or removed; for it not only immediately follows that of the Traveller, but appears to have, a close and intimate connection, with the beginning of the Parable, verse 14. For he, to wit, THE SON OF MAN, is, as a man travelling into a far country, &c. verse 31. But when the Son of Man shall come, viz. from Heaven, in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him-then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations.

Such is the great out-line which is here offered to the Reader's attention-of the great object, of the Parable of the Traveller, from the 13th verse to the 31st, and, of what seems to be its application-or rather, of its contrast, from thence to the close of the chapter, which in this view, may be considered as constituting-not two Parables-but one only; the former part representing the conduct of the Traveller, between whom and the Son of Man, the resemblance is affirmed, and the latter, that of the Son of Man, when he shall return from Heaven, in his glory, with his holy Angels. It is the - province of the judicious Reader to give it a candid and impartial consideration. If it is, in itself, deserving of attention, it will probably not be less so, on account of its simplicity, and of its quadrating, so exactly, with that gentle and easy manner of communicating divine truth, which so remarkably distin guished our Lord's discourses, from those of all other Men,

and

and of which, some very striking instances have been given, in the course of this work. And, it may be added that, in no period of our Lord's Ministry could he, with so much propriety, have communicated to his Disciples, the intelligence of his removal from them, and the importance of the situation which they would then hold, as the Subjects of that Kingdom, which it was the great object of his mission to establish. If it should appear to be defective-it is the Reader's province › to examine whether the defect is in the representation here given or in the interpretation itself;-if the former, it may be corrected by abler hands;-if the latter, it would afford the Author real pleasure to discard it for a better.

From this long, but it hoped, not uninteresting examination, of the xxivth and xxvth chapters of St. Matthew, the Reader's attention, is now requested to the concluding scene of the Life of Jesus, when he was arraigned before the great Council of the Jewish Nation as an Impostor, who had assumed the great and important character of the Messiah, without possessing any of those characteristic marks of the Messiahship, which they had, one and all, invariably affixed to it.

It hath been one principal object, in the course of this work, to present the Christian records to the Reader's attention, as an History, and particularly as an History of the peculiar prejudices and sentiments of the Jews, with respect to the nature of the Messiah's character. And, from the view which hath been given, of the conduct of the Disciples; it appears, with an evidence which is not to be resisted, that during his life, they did not renounce the pleasing hope that he would, at a proper time, manifest himself as their temporal deliverer, and that they were thoroughly satisfied, not only that he was an extraordinary personage but that he was the Messiah, though they were then unable to reconcile the various events which he had disclosed to them, with his sustaining that character.

The Jewish Rulers, on the contrary, finding that Jesus did not give them any encouragement to expect him as a temporal Prince, but, that he had denounced nothing but ruin and desolation as awaiting them, and dreading, perhaps, the consequences of their suffering him to remain, any longer, unmolested, determined to put him to death as an Impostor, as not answering, as they imagined, in the most essential and

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important