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lighted on that account, and had killed the fatted calf, and made a great entertainment, "because he had received him safe and sound"—in good health of body, and restored to a dutiful state of mind. On receiving this information, instead of being delighted, the elder son was angry, and would not go in" to the house. Now, of the traits of his character presented to us, let us mark,

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1. His displeasure at the kind reception of his prodigal brother. "He was angry." It would be a misapprehension of the character and feelings of the elder son, to consider it as intended to represent a truly righteous person. No doubt, some degree of these feelings is occasionally betrayed by persons of true piety. Thus, when the Lord spared Nineveh, it "displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry." And thus, "when the apostles and brethren that were in Judea, heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God, and when Peter was come up to Jerusa lem, those of them who were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." But pious men cannot be habitually characterized by this spirit, or continue to cherish it: accordingly, when Peter had explained the matter, it is said of these same brethren, "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." We may here observe, that some consider the elder brother, in this parable, as standing for the Jew, and the younger for the Gentile, the Jew and the Gentile being brethren, as children by creation of the same God, and by descent of the same progenitors, whether Adam or Noah. According to this interpretation, they think that the elder brother's feeling on this occasion, is intended to represent the national prejudice which the generality of the Jews entertained against the Gentiles, and especially against the idea of their being admitted to participate with them in the privileges of Messiah's kingdom. Certainly this prejudice did prevail extensively and strongly. Writing to the Colossians, concerning the crimes of the Jews, Paul says, "They please not God, and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway," which signifies, that this was the consummation of their guilt. The parable is, no doubt, very applicable in that way; the connexion, however, in which it is introduced, *Acts xi. 1-3, 18.

shows that it refers more exactly to two particular classes of similar characters, than to the nation at large; for it is one of three parables spoken to obviate the objection of the Pharisees and scribes to Christ, because of his willingness to receive noted sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles. To suppose that our Lord introduced the elder brother to personate a truly righteous man, would be to conceive of him as speaking in a way unsuitable to the occasion, and calculated to confirm the objecting Pharisees in their opinion of their own excellence. He does not, indeed, carry the argument so far against them, as he might do with truth; he rather takes them on their own principles, and shows the unreasonableness of their objection, even on the supposition of their being as righteous as they pretended. In the way the character is drawn, however, its unlovely and unchristian features are plainly seen: and it is to be considered as a portrait of the Pharisees of every nation and every age.

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Surely, the displeasure which the elder brother now manifested was very unreasonable and very sinful. was angry, and would not go in," when, on every account, he ought to have been glad, and to have hastened to hail his reclaimed brother on his return, to join with the rest of the household in marks of kindness towards him, and to share in the joyful festivities. He had some thing to say for himself, no doubt, but instead of justifying, it condemned him more and more. And so it is always. What though Pharisaical men attempt to cloak their displeasure at the kind reception of a convert, and their hatred of the godly, under the pretence of a regard for religion and morality? It is nothing but a pretence, and the pretence is an aggravation of the crime. "Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word," says Isaiah, "Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified! But he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." In the character of the elder brother, we notice,

2. His self-righteous pride. "Lo, these many years do 1 serve thee," said he to his father, “neither transgressed 1 at any time thy commandment." He boasted of the many years he had lived with him, labouring, perhaps, in the field, and in the capacity of a servant, rather than of a son. And what of that? was he not kindly treated all the time? and should he not have been happy before the face of so indulgent a parent? Let us not boast of any little service

we render to our heavenly Father. Is not his service perfect freedom? Is not our duty our true interest? and should it not be our pleasure? Even though we may have been very dutiful, according to the scale of human attainment, nay, even though our service were absolutely perfect, all could give it no claim of merit. "So likewise ye," says Christ, "when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do." As to the son's boast that he had never at any time transgressed his father's commandment, he must have been such a son as never yet existed in any other family, if it was true: for, however amiable and dutiful the character and conduct of some children may be, where is the child who has never shown any frowardness, or disobedience, and who has never at any time "done evil as he could?" The emptiness of this boast is rendered plain by his own conduct on this occasion; for, if he had really been so very dutiful formerly, as he pretended, would he now have become angry and obstinate, or would he have been guilty of reflecting so unworthily on his father's conduct? But, it is not uncommon for men to boast of their uprightness, at the very time when they might certainly know that they are radically defective. We have a very striking example of this in the case of Saul, after his marked disobedience of the divine command, with regard to Amalek. When Samuel came to him, he said to the prophet, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" Grant, however, that the elder son's conduct was decent and dutiful in comparison of that of the younger in his wanderings, it was mere ignorance, pride, and self-righteousness, to speak of it in this way. Let us be admonished by this. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." By deeds of law none of us can be justified in the sight of God. "Where is boasting, then? It is excluded." Observe,

3. The elder brother's ingratitude. "Yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends." He considered his good services as undervalued, and forgot all the obligations under which his father had laid him. Did not his father assign him his portion of goods at the same time with his brother?-but that he now forgot. Had he not always fared well in his father's house, and

shared in all its pleasures? He seems, too, to betray a dissatisfaction with his father's society, and a desire to find enjoyment in the company of others, when he speaks of making merry with his friends, as he calls them. He ungratefully and enviously complained that his father had not given him so much as a kid, while he had killed the fatted calf for his younger son. In a word, he accused him of unkindness and partiality. How perverse! Let us beware of this spirit. Let us not say, or think, that God is as “an austere man;" but let us be sensible of, and acknowledge, his many unmerited favours. Let us not be of those whose words are stout against the Lord, saying, “It is vain to serve God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance?" Let us not be discontented with the favour shown to ourselves, because of the favour shown to others. In this respect, too, there is bread enough in our heavenly Father's house, and to spare: and if we view the matter properly, the greater the number of those who share his kindness, and the greater the degree in which they share it, the richer and the happier we shall be.

4. We cannot fail to remark the elder brother's malicious pleasure in dwelling on the misconduct of the reclaimed prodigal, and overlooking the change that had taken place in him. "As soon as this thy son was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots." Perhaps, this may have been a correct description of his conduct on the whole, though it was not expressed exactly in the same way before; yet, it must be allowed that the terms here employed are very strong, and even intentionally harsh. It was going beyond the truth, too, to say, without qualification, that the prodigal had devoured his father's living-that is, all his living; for, it is obvious that his father was still opulent. And then, while he enlarged on the former crimes, he entirely overlooked the late conversion of the prodigal, and thereby tacitly insinuated, that it was of no consequence, or that it was all hypocrisy. We are here reminded, how cruel and sinful it is to disdain, and vilify, and upbraid those who, whatever they have been, or done, formerly, are now reformed, and brought to believe in the Saviour, and live to God. The baseness of such conduct far outweighs any good that there can be in mere external sobriety; and proves that those who are wilfully and habitually guilty of it have never been true penitents themselves, and are far inferior in character to those whom they despise. It becomes all pious persons to

be on their guard against every degree of this spirit. Paul thus writes to the Corinthians, concerning the excommunicated person, who had repented and been restored to the Church: "Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that, contrariwise, ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such an one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore, I beseech you that ye would confirm your love towards him." After enumerating various classes of sinners, too, he thus writes to the Corinthian converts in general, in a strain that shows how he delighted to dwell, not on what they were in the days of their ignorance, but on what they had become since they received the gospel: "And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

5. Remark this elder son's virtually disowning the reclaimed prodigal. He would not acknowledge him as his brother. "This thy son," said he, to his father, sneeringly. He would not call him by his name, nor by the endearing appellation of brother, as those who stand in that relation to each other are wont to do. This was surely very improper, more especially considering the happy change which had taken place on him. "This son of thine," said he, intimating that his father might treat him as a son, if he was so disposed, but he would not own him as a brother, and thereby insinuating that his father's conduct, in the case, was at least weak, if not worse. This was exactly the opposite of what true religion requires. Whether there be any tie of blood between us or not, we are bound to own those whom God has forgiven, and to acknowledge, as a brother, him whom he has received as a son. When Ananias of Damascus was directed, in a vision, to go and inquire for Saul of Tarsus, and put his hand on him that he might receive his sight, he answered, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But as soon as

he understood that Saul was a chosen vessel unto the Lord, and a converted man, he went with cheerfulness, entered into the house, and putting his hands on him, addressed him affectionately-"Brother Saul." The same apostle afterwards wrote concerning himself, " I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ; but they

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