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fited by them: and they are lost to themselves—to their own true honour, interest, and happiness. They are lost to safety—they are exposed to the most imminent danger of being destroyed, like a strayed sheep, which is liable to be devoured by wild beasts. And as a lost sheep is said to be very unlikely to find its way back, so they would never return to God, but would continue to wander farther and farther away from him for ever.

If a man miss one of his sheep, he will leave the ninety and nine, the remainder of the flock, “in the wilderness.” The Jews called uncultivated ground, which was used only for pasture, wilderness, or desert, as distinguished from that which was ploughed and sown and inclosed.* A man would leave his flock in their usual pasture, where they were comparatively safe, and would go after the lost sheep, till he found it. In like manner, the Son of man came to seek and to save lost sinners. For this merciful purpose, he left the glorious company of heaven, came into this world, and laid down "his life a ransom for many." The sword of Jehovah's justice awoke against the man who is God's Fellow and Shepherd, and smote him; so that, though the sheep were scattered at the time, God turned his hand upon the little ones, to shelter and save them. The chief Shepherd was most assiduous, during his stay on earth, in going after lost sheep, to bring them in by his preaching and gracious invitations: and, he is still following them, in the ministrations of his under shepherds, the dispensations of his providence, and the influences of his Spirit, in order to bring them home to himself. He has already found and brought home multitudes, but, as long as there shall be one of his sheep away from the flock, he will never desist from the search.

When a man has found his lost sheep, he brings it home with the greatest care and tenderness: and if necessary, he even takes it up and carries it. Now, this figure is employed to shadow forth the care and tenderness shown to men by their God and Saviour, both on their conversion, and in their subsequent treatment. "In his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them all the days of old."—" He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." He removes the convert from the barren and dangerous mountains of distance from God * Matt. iii. 1; Mark vi. 31.

and of this world's vanity, and introduces him into the true Church, and to the enjoyment of its safety and all its other privileges.

In such a recovery of strayed property, a man rejoices. So the blessed Redeemer finds great delight in the recovery of a lost soul. This success in prospect, was his solace in the midst of his sufferings: "For the joy that was set before him" (and this was the joy, in part), "he endured the cross, despising the shame." And this success, actually beheld, appears to be one of the sources of his peculiar enjoyment as Mediator. "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." How beautiful the words of Zephaniah: "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."

In the case here supposed, too, the man would expect his friends and neighbours to be glad, as well as himself; and in fact, those who took an interest in his affairs would participate in his joy. Thus it is, that Jesus expects all who know and love him, and take an interest in his cause, to rejoice with him, on the recovery of a soul. There is, indeed, great reason to rejoice in such an event; for thus, God is glorified, the Saviour is exalted, and a sinner is rescued from condemnation, pollution, infamy, and misery, and brought into a state of acceptance, sanctification, and life.

But, the joy for such an event of grace is not confined to believers on earth. "I say unto you,” adds our Lord, “that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." God the Father takes pleasure in such an event, and declares his satisfaction in it-God who has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but that he turn from his wickedness, and live. We have already noticed the pleasure it gives to the Son of God. It would seem, from this general declaration, that the glorified saints are, at least, frequently, made acquainted, by some means, with such events, and always derive an accession of joy from the intelligence. As for the holy angels, their joy, in such cases, is expressly asserted in the next parable. Nay, we are even taught that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, "more than over ninety and nine just persons, who need no repent

ance." The persons who need no repentance, may possibly signify those who imagine they need none, those who are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness: and, thus, our Lord is to be considered as declaring, that the conversion of a notorious offender, or of any sinner, is far more worthy of being rejoiced in, than the proud formality of such self-deceivers; as the sighing of the publican is represented, in another parable, to have been more acceptable to God than the boasting of the Pharisee. But, by those "who need no repentance," are probably here rather to be understood, those who, having been already savingly enlightened, pardoned, and converted, do not need to undergo, and, strictly speaking, cannot undergo, that great radical change a second time. Repentance should be the believer's daily work, inasmuch as he is still guilty of sin, more or less; but, having once become truly penitent, he never falls back into a state of absolute impenitence, and therefore, cannot need repentance, in the strongest sense of the word here employed, which is a change of mind. "If I wash thee not," said Christ,* "thou hast no part with me:" but "he that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet." Our Lord teaches that the repentance, the thorough change of mind, of one sinner, occasions more joy in heaven than the stability of many who are already obedient. Not that those who have been long pious, may not, probably, have been more useful, and have attained to higher excellence, than the new convert; but, it is well known, that any very recent happy event, especially if unexpected, occasions more sensible joy, and is more particularly marked, for a time, than even more important advantages with which we have long been familiar. Thus, the restoration from a dangerous sickness, of one member of a family, occasions more joy in a house, at the time, than the continued health of all the rest, however great the latter blessing may be, and however sensible they ought to be of it. The conversion of a sinner is the great turning point of his history, and must always be considered as cause of great and immediate joy.

Such is the parable of the lost sheep; and surely, it is very pertinent to the purposes for which it was introduced, namely, to rebuke the uncharitable and censorious, and to encourage poor and self-convicted sinners. For the same general purposes, though with some interesting peculiarities, our Lord spoke the second parable, or that of the lost piece

* John xiii. 8, 10.

of silver. Following the other parable, as it does immediately, and corresponding so closely with it in several points, its explanation may be very brief. The "piece of silver" here mentioned, is the drachma, which, some say, corresponded to the denarius, or Roman penny, and was a small coin, in value about seven pence halfpenny of our money. A woman who had but "ten" of these would make every search to find one of them when lost, and when she had found it, would expect her neighbours to feel and express satisfaction on the occasion. This is another comparison, to show Christ's desire to save sinners, and the joy which their salvation occasions. The soul is, indeed, more precious than silver, yet its safety is not necessary to the riches of the Eternal Word; for he would have continued infinitely glorious, though men had been all lost for ever: hence the care he manifests for our salvation is the more wonderful. The lighting of the candle, and the sweeping of the house, represent all that he did and suffered, and all that he is still doing, for our salvation: and all this labour and searching are necessary, only because of our blindness, guilt, and waywardness. "He lights the candle of the gospel, not to show him the way to us, but to show us the way to him.”* Not one of those who are his property shall be ultimately lost. They shall all be found, and separated from the rubbish, and preserved in his treasury. "They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Here, too, the joy is again asserted which such conversion occasions: and, on so delightful a theme, repetition cannot be tedious. "Likewise, I say unto you, There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." The holy angels are represented, in Scripture, as taking a deep interest in the work of redemption throughout. They rejoiced to annouce the birth of the Saviour, and to ascribe, in reference to that event, glory to God in the highest, in connexion with peace on earth, and good-will to men. Of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow, and the effects produced by the preaching of the gospel, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, it is said, "Which things the angels desire to look into." And the success of this work in the conversion, which is always followed at last by the glorification, of a soul, we are here assured, excites their liveliest joy. In

* Henry.

short, there is a close connexion between the visible and invisible worlds, so that we may say, all hell triumphs in the condemnation, and all heaven triumphs in the salvation, of a sinner.

Among many reflections, this passage suggests the following:

1. How admirable the grace and condescension of the Lord Jesus, in seeking and restoring the lost! If he did not seek us, we would never seek him. But, blessed be his name for his spontaneous mercy, persevering search, and matchless care and tenderness, here so beautifully delineated! How kindly he invites, how sweetly he constrains us, to come home to himself, and to happiness! How concerned is he both to find and bring us home at first, and also, to find and bring us back from our occasional subsequent wanderings! Though applicable more directly to converted Jews, the words of Jehovah by Ezekiel* are applicable in spirit to converts of all nations and ages. “For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock, in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day."-" I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick."

And, I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David, he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them: I the Lord have spoken it."

2. How anxious ought we all to be for the salvation of our own souls! The indifference of most men to their own salvation is truly astonishing, and can only arise from wilful, sinful, and awful blindness. Do men manifest such anxiety to recover a lost sheep, or a lost piece of silver, or any other trifle of property; and shall we not be concerned for the recovery of our precious and immortal souls? Let us mark the importance attached to their recovery by those whom we must acknowledge to be the very best judges, namely, the saints and angels, and God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: and let us esteem every care light, which may, in any way, promote our everlasting welfare.

3. How beautifully and strongly are Christians, and

Ezek. xxxiv. 11.

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