60

whom when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent to them to receive the fruit of the vineyard-by storing some and killing others; and by repeatedly showing this contempt of him who had entrusted it to them, in destroying his messengers. Nor were they satisfied with practising such brutal behaviour on his servants and other messengers; but when the lord of the vineyard, after some deliberation, determined to send, and actually did send, his only, his well-beloved son, on a supposition, and that most just, that they would treat him with due respect and reverence--what, alas! did these barbarous husbandmen do, but conspire against him, kill him, cast him out of the vineyard, and seize on it themselves.

It could not be supposed, that the lord of the vineyard would suffer such inhuman and iniquitous conduct to escape, without inflicting on the perpetrators the severest punishment.

The question is put by our LORD to the Jewish rulers; When the lord of the vineyard cometh, what will he do to those husbandmen? To which they answered without hesitation, He will miserably destroy these wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which will render him the fruits in due

season.

In this answer they unintentionally and unwittingly condemned their own conduct. Yes, said JESUS, He shall come and destroy those husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. Therefore, I say unto you, The kingdom of GOD shall be taken from you, and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. Now what answer could these men make to this sad denunciation? When they heard it, they said, GOD forbid.

Hear, my Brethren, and attend to the reply which the persecuted JESUS made to them, for believe me, we are all concerned in it. What is this then that it is written, did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? This is the LORD's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. And whosoever shall fall upon this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder: that is, whosever shall stumble or be offended at me and my doctrine, while I am here on earth, shall be broken by it; but he on whom this stone shall fall, who shall oppose me and my Gospel, when I shall be elevated to my throne of glory, shall be more violently shattered by it, shall

F

bring upon himself aggravated guilt, and dreadful unavoidable destruction*.

You have seen that the chief priests, the scribes and Pharisees did not at first comprehend this parable, but were led inadvertently to condemn themselves; but afterwards, when they saw that it was plainly levelled at them, they were so exceedingly incensed against JESUS, that they wished to lay hands on him, but they feared the multitude, for they took him for a prophet, and held him in the highest veneration. For the present therefore they left him, and went away; but not without a inalicious determination to seek a favourable opportunity to apprehend him.

I have already intimated, that we are also concerned in this parable: let us not therefore read it only as a tale that is told, to be thought of no more than in the moment of the relation, but let us see what improvement we are to make of it. In short then may we not, Christians, consider ourselves as husbandmen to whom the householder has let the vineyard, after having put it into a most secure and flourishing state of cultivation ? It is our duty then to continue it in this

* Whitby and Doddridge.

state, because we are answerable to the lord of it for the fruits which it is to bring forth, and which he will indeed require at our hands: and you and I shall be the murderers of those whom he shall send to receive it of us, if, instead of having improved, we shall be found to have neglected it, and thus shall send back his messengers empty; that is, if, after all that GOD has done for us by his prophets, by his Son JESUS CHRIST, and by his apostles after him, we continue to reject him and his doctrine by leading wicked and impenitent lives; so far from reverencing his son, we crucify him afresh by so doing, and put him to open shame*, as did the Jews of former times; in whose punishment we must expect to share, and to be ground to powder, for refusing to be guided by his doctrine, after he has abundantly confirmed the Divinity of it, by prophecies and by miracles, and by that last and greatest of all his miracles, the Resurrection from the dead.

The chief priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees, having perceived that the parable of the vineyard which was let to wicked husbandmen had been spoken a

*Heb. vi. 6.

gainst them retired in great indignation, and with a full determination to lay some secret plot for the life of JESUS: fearing at that time to do it publickly, on account of the multitude who took him for a prophet, and, as was just observed, held him in great veneration.

Our LORD was not at all intimidated by the abrupt departure of those, who, he well knew, were contriving how they might destroy him; but as soon as they were gone, addressed himself to the people in general: who, drawn together by his engaging discourses, could not forbear paying the greatest attention to them, Prompted therefore by his usual compassion for them, we find him proceeding to warn the Jews of the great danger they would incur, if they should reject the Gospel, or should act wickedly and hypocritically under a profession of it.

And this he does under the similitude of a king making on the marriage of his son a great feast, and inviting numerous guests to the participation of it. These guests, however, are represented as refusing the gracious invitation of the king; and not only offered some trivial excuses, but on receiving repeated invitations, abused the messengers of the king, towards some of whom they proceeded so far in their cruelty, as to put them to death.