SERMON ER MON XX. 51 LUKE XV. 18, 19. I will arife and go to my father, and fay unto him, Father, I have finned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon. WH XX. HEN our bleffed Saviour conde- SERM, fcended, in an eafy and familiar manner, to inftruct his followers, the better to infinuate his divine precepts into the minds of thofe to whom pofitive injunctions might feem harsh and difagreeable, he frequently cloathed them in the becoming garb of fable or allegory; deceiving them, as it were, into virtue, and at the fame time commanding their His SERM. attention by novelty and grace. XX. beautiful parables are all adapted to the capacities of thofe to whom they were delivered; though plain, yet elegant, and though fimple, yet fublime; such, in short, as the most ignorant must have understood, and the most learned could not but admire; not spun out by tedious and unneceffary digreffions, or obfcured by phrases remote and unintelligible; not 'calculated merely to amuse and entertain, but defigned to better and improve the mind, to convey inftruction, and inculcate the most important tenets of his divine institution. And amongst these, there is not perhaps one abounding with more beautiful imagery, conveying more ufeful leffons, nor more clearly, or more pathetically expreffed, than that which is now before us. The Pharifees, whom our Saviour fo often rebukes for their pride and hypo crify, XX. crify, were extremely surprised, and no SERM. lefs diffatisfied alfo, to fee one who affumed the title of a Law-giver, condefcend to affociate and converfe with men of the lowest rank in life; and what to them appeared still more extraordinary, men of bad character and reputation alfo and they murmured, faying, This man receiveth finners, and eateth with them. Our Saviour, therefore, takes this occafion of vindicating his conduct, and explaining to them the nature and end of his divine miffion, which they were, or pretended to be ftrangers to: they feemed to imagine (like the church of Rome, which to this day treads in their fteps) that they were the favourites, the elect of God, and that none could poffibly entertain hopes of falvation but themselves. SERM. XX. He endeavours, therefore, to free them from fuch falfe opinions, to enlarge their narrow minds, and informs them, that he was not come to call the righteous, but finners to repentance; and that God, fo far from refufing, would moft willingly' admit all to his divine favour, who with a true penitent heart, and lively faith, would turn unto him. That this was not only his moft gracious offer and defign, but that it was even pleafing and delightful to him, and that there was more joy in heaven over one finner that repenteth, than over ninety-and-nine just perfons who need no repentance. He then proceeds, in the beautiful parable before us, to illuftrate and explain to them the goodness of God, and to propose those terms of mercy and falvation, by which all men may attain what all men have, or ought to have, in view, "their final and everlasting happiness. But XX. But as these things were written not SERM. only for their learning to whom they were delivered, but for ours alfo, it will not certainly be an unpleafing, nor perhaps a useless or unimproving task, to run over, as briefly as poffible, the principal circumstances and occurrences, as recounted in the parable, and to confider as we pass along, what leffons of inftruction may be drawn from them. A certain man, fays the parable, had two fons of the nature and difpofition of the elder we have no particular account, though from what is related of his conduct and behaviour, we may fuppofe him to have been a man whose paffions were easily fubdued by resistance, or artfully concealed by hypocrify; one, in short, whofe beft of virtues were probably no more than what is generally termed common prudence and difcretion. |