28 For which of you, intend- | sitteth not down first, and coning to build a tower, sitteth not sulteth whether be able with ten down first, and counteth the thousand to meet him that comcost, whether he have sufficient eth against him with twenty to finish it? thousand?

29 Lest haply after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 Or what king going to make war against another king,

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Messiah, to an examination of his claims, and to a comparison of their hearts and purposes with those claims. || A tower. The original word sometimes means a costly edifice, such as would be furnished with a tower; an expensive mansion.

be willing, out of regard to him, to en- Unless a man does this, he exposes dure all sorts of trials; and to submit, himself to a failure and to the derision instead of renouncing him, even to of all who may know him. The same the most painful and shameful death. wisdom which prompts a person to There were prevalent so many erro- enter deliberately, and after due exneous notions respecting the Messi-amination of his means, on any imah's designs, and such wrong expec-portant measure, ought to prompt tations respecting dignity and bliss on those, who propose to follow the earth, as connected with the Messiah's cause, that a clear statement of what Jesus required in his followers was greatly needed. He made this clear statement, so that every one who might propose to follow him should know on what to calculate, and might carefully examine beforehand whether he was willing to encounter what, in all probability, he would meet; lest, afterwards, he should regret having begun to follow the Messiah, and should bring on himself the condemnation and the shame which those would incur, who, through fear of danger and love of the present world, should renounce the Messiah's cause.

28-30. For which of you, &c. The importance of knowing the Messiah's claims thoroughly, of carefully examining one's disposition towards him, and of making an intelligent calculation in regard to the prospect before his followers, Jesus illustrated by what occurs in common life. When a prudent man is proposing to undertake an important matter, he looks at it thoroughly, reflects on his resources, and weighs the probabilities in regard to ultimate success.

31. Or what king, &c. So a king, proposing hostilities with another king, would naturally take the matter into consideration, and calculate the chances of success, by comparing his own forces with those of the enemy. And if his own forces should be very inferior to those of his enemy, he would consider whether it would be at all likely, that, with his inferior forces, he could overcome the enemy and reduce him to terms.

32. Or else, &c. If the king, without this previous reflection and consultation, should rush into hostilities, he would expose himself to the mortification, after having himself begun the war, of suing for peace.

33. So likewise, &c. So if a person proposes to become a disciple of Jesus, he ought carefully to consider whether he has such an attachment to the Saviour, and such an estimate of the surpassing glory which will be

34 Salt is good: but if the hath ears to hear, let him salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

REFLECTION. A profession of religion is a very serious transaction. Much self-examination and prayer should precede it. Yet if you are conscious of loving the Saviour and his cause; if, so far as you can honestly judge, you prefer the Saviour's cause to every other interest, and out of regard to that preference are will-ners ing to renounce earthly enjoyments and ease you ought not to be deterred by a sense of your weakness. "He gives power to them who feel that they have no might." Your very sense of weakness will prove your strongest security, if it leads you to

2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

4 What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety

and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, guide, and Jesus gladly imparted to success, and should associate with them additional instruction. But those who had excited so painful their having become truly pious, an interest in his bosom, and for and their having become attached whom his solicitude had been availto Jesus, would not induce the Phari-ing. It was natural, even, that he sees to cease regarding them as irreligious; for even Jesus himself they could stigmatize as a glutton and a wine-drinker. See Matt. 11: 19. However reformed, then, persons belonging to these classes might become through the instructions of Jesus, the odious appellation of publicans and sinners would still be given them.

2. The Pharisees and scribes murmured. They made it an objection against Jesus, that he would condescend to be on so familiar terms with such persons; as though such conduct detracted from the dignity of a religious teacher, and was a just cause of suspicion as to the moral purity of his character. The Pharisees cared little about the low and the degraded; they thought rather about the dignity and emolument which pertained to the office of a religious teacher. The views of Jesus were entirely different; and he stated it as one of the deciding evidences of his being the Messiah, that "the poor had the gospel preached to them." See Matt. 11:5. 3. He spake this parable. In order to meet this cavil of the Pharisees, and to vindicate himself for associating with those whom they contemptuously styled sinners, Jesus brought to view, in a parable, the reasons for his conduct. It was the express purpose of his coming, to reclaim the guilty who were wandering from holiness and happiness; and having succeeded in reclaiming some, it was natural that he should rejoice in his 8

VOL. 11.

should feel more joy in contem plating these recently reclaimed wanderers than in contemplating multitudes of holy beings that had never departed from God, and that were never exposed to such danger.

4-6. What man of you, &c. Just as a shepherd, observing that one of his sheep had wandered away, would bend all his energies to the reclaiming of that one.sheep, neglecting, for a time, the flock which was in safety, leaving them in the pasture. And should his anxious seeking for the one wanderer prove successful, with what interest would he take it up, torn and emaciated, and bring it back to the fold' And who would think it strange if, in the fulness of his joy at having recovered the hapless wanderer, he should speak of the circumstance to his neighbors, and manifest more pleasure in contemplating and still taking care of that sheep, than he would show for the whole flock which had not been exposed to danger? Now, the principle which would lead such a shepherd to rejoice, would also lead Jesus to look with peculiar interest on sinners who had been reclaimed, and who still needed and desired his watchful care. || Wilderness; equivalent to the word pasture. See on Matt. 3:1. || Layeth it on his shoulders. The sheep may be regarded as having suffered injury, and as requiring great tenderness of treatment. The strong affection of Oriental shepherds for their sheep well

Rejoice with me; for I have 9 And when she hath found found my sheep which was lost. it, she calleth her friends and 7 I say unto you, that like- her neighbors together, saying, wise joy shall be in heaven over Rejoice with me; for I have one sinner that repenteth, more found the piece which I had than over ninety and nine just per- lost. sons which need no repentance. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

10 Likewise, I say unto you, There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

lost? And who would think of finding fault with her for experiencing so much pleasure in having found the one piece of money? Rather, would not her friends rejoice with her, and express to her their congratulations? And why, then, should not Jesus feel a deep interest in reclaimed sinners? Why should the Pharisees find fault with him? Had their hearts been right, and had they felt such a sym

justifies this particular in the descrip- she not show more joy at having tion. found the one piece than she would 7. Just persons, who need no re-in reference to all which she had not pentance. The word beings would exhibit the Saviour's thought more clearly than the word persons. He did not mean to represent any persons on earth as not needing repentance (see on Matt. 9:13); but his idea was, that one sinner who has become a true penitent is an object of more absorbing interest in heaven than multitudes of holy beings would be, who had never been exposed to eternal death. And if such feel-pathy for the people as religious ings in respect to penitent sinners exist in heaven, surely the holy and benevolent breast of Jesus would swell with emotion in contemplating those whom he had reclaimed; and it was, in the Pharisees, an entire oversight of the Messiah's design, and of the spontaneous feelings of a holy heart, that induced them to find fault with Jesus. Even if those Pharisees had really been as righteous as they professed to be, and had not needed repentance, it would be natural that Jesus should rejoice more over those whom all acknowledged to be sinners, than over them.

teachers and guides ought to feel, they would have rejoiced with him in so desirable a result of his efforts. But since the Pharisees found fault with Jesus on account of his interest in these reclaimed sinners, they betrayed the absence of all those feelings which the occasion demanded. Light a candle. This circumstance indicates a careful, earnest search, a searching in every dark corner. The houses of the poor were not well lighted from without; so that, even in day-time, a lamp or torch would be needed in order to make a thorough search.

11. In order to show very distinctly, and to rebuke, the utterly unjustifiable spirit which the Pharisees and scribes had manifested, he added another parable. Here, an

8-10. In enforcing the same thought, Jesus appealed to them, whether a woman, having a few pieces of money, and losing one of them, and feeling that in her circum-undutiful son is pictured to us, who, stances even one was too valuable to be lost, would not direct all her efforts to the finding of what she had lost; and if she should find it, would

after sinking to an exceedingly low depth of degradation, became penitent, and returned to his father. The father, perceiving satisfactory evi

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine

in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.

dered his property. With riotous living; living in a dissolute manner.

15. Joined himself; engaged himself as a laborer, hired himself out. | To feed swine. This, in the estimation of a Jew, was a most degrading and revolting employment. Other nations, also, regarded the employment as peculiarly vile. The design of introducing this particular was, to express an exceedingly low degradation.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's dence that his wandering son had posed, for money, of what he had recome to a proper mind, at once received. Wasted his substance; squanceives him, and orders special manifestations of joy at his recovery from guilt and ruin. The brother of the penitent feels no interest in his having come back, is angry at the father's expressions of joy, needs to be reasoned with on the propriety of his father's deep interest at the wanderer's return, and with a haughty opinion of his own good desert, blames his father for having never manifested a special interest in him. Now, as this father gladly received his returning son, so God would receive repenting sinners; and the same principle which would justify the manifesting of so much happiness at the prodigal's return, would justify Jesus in being so much interested in the penitent sinners who had returned to obedience. And the unlovely, selfish spirit which the elder brother showed, forcibly exhibited the temper which the scribes and Pharisees manifested. If they were right in their feelings, then was that elder brother right. The parable must have covered them with shame.

12. He divided unto them his living. It was sometimes the case that a father would make a distribution, in part, of his property among his sons, making a suitable reservation for himself.

13. Gathered all together. We may suppose him either to have received his portion in money, or to have dis

16. He would fain have filled, &c.; he would gladly have filled, if he could have had permission. But this was not granted him. || Husks. The original word, thus rendered, signifies the fruit of the carob-tree, which grows in Eastern countries, and even in the southern parts of Europe. The fruit of this tree was used for swine, and sometimes even poor people subsisted on it. The tree produces pods, with a fruit somewhat like beans. | And no man gave unto him; but no one permitted him. The master to whom he had hired himself would, of course, engage to furnish him food. But the representation is, that he had such poor fare, and so scanty a portion even of that, that he longed to partake of the swine's food, but was not allowed. The swine's food was, probably, that which was measured out to them at certain hours of the day, in addition to their feeding themselves in the fields.