Against all these unchristian feelings the parable is directed. It teaches plainly this lesson that as all are, or at least ought to be, conscious of the necessity of forgiveness for sins at the hands of their Heavenly Father, so are they bound to forgive from their hearts every one the trespasses of his brother. Or, in other words, a hearty readiness to forgive others is a necessary condition of forgiveness from God. This disposition however, as is the case with other Christian graces, possesses in itself no actual merit to deserve or procure pardon; but is a condition or qualification absolutely necessary, in order that through the merits of Christ, man may find acceptance and reconciliation with that God whom he has so grievously offended.

But the Saviour enforces not only forgiveness, but forgiveness from the heart. To say outwardly, and to pretend to others, that an injury is forgotten, when a remembrance of it is secretly cherished in the heart; to express reconciliation with the lips, and to nourish the expectation that some time or other an opportunity may occur for retorting secretly on the offender, is no Christian forgiveness; it is not that love in deed and in truth' of which the Apostle speaks. To have no unkind feelings towards the man who has done wrong; to pray for him; to utter no sly insinuations, and to cast no slur, upon his character; never to attempt to lessen him in the esteem of others; to be heartily sorry at his misfortunes; cordially to rejoice at his success; to conceal his faults, and make known his virtues; such are some of the signs of that

forgiveness from the heart which the parable urges on Christians; such is the genuine and true reconciliation which can alone be pleasing in the sight of Him who 'has set man's sins from Him as far as the east is from the west.'

Above all, as the injuries of one man towards another, when compared with the offences of men towards their Father in Heaven are but as one hundred pence compared with ten thousand talents, the reason for which God has promised to forgive sinners must be steadily kept in view. God for Christ's sake has forgiven us.' If He was pleased to give His own Son to suffer for man, and thereby to reconcile his creatures to Himself, what sacrifice can be too great for man to make in order to reconcile to himself one of his own brethren; one for whom, as well as for himself, Christ died. What can be so powerful a check to angry feelings and revengeful thoughts as to meditate on Him, who when he was reviled reviled not again?' What so wholesome a restraint under provocation or injury as to call to mind His last words on the cross, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?' What so strong a motive for a meek, quiet, and placable spirit as constantly to bear in mind this great Christian truth, which lies at the very root of the Gospel, that 'without charity all man's doings are nothing worth,' and that the love of man should follow the pattern of Him 'who loved us,' and 'gave himself for us, when we were yet sinners?'

35

THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD.

MATT. XX. I-16.

For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny ? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last for many be called, but few chosen.

HERE is here an instance of the inconveniencé

THERE

which attends the division of God's word into chapters and verses, although it is clear that on many accounts such a division is absolutely necessary. For, as the 16th chapter opens with the parable, it is easy

to imagine that no notice will be taken of the concluding verses of the preceding chapter. On these, however, the main force of the parable depends, as is shown by the identity of the words which close our Lord's answer to his Apostles, in the 19th chapter, and of those which contain the moral of the parable, Chap. xx. 16.

The occasion of the parable is shortly as follows:

Our Lord, Chap. xix. 23, had been led to declare the difficulty which would attend the admission of a rich man into the kingdom of heaven. Upon this, Peter, in a spirit, as it seems, of self-satisfaction at the devotion of himself and his fellow apostles to their Master's service, exclaims- Behold we have left all and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?' As if he had said-'We are not rich, nor have we trusted in riches; nay, we have resigned all for the sake of the Gospel; surely, then, we shall find no such difficulty in receiving admission into the kingdom of heaven, as has been represented to be the inevitable lot of those who trust in uncertain riches.' Our Lord's answer is plain, that to those his disciples who had faithfully followed him, the special reward should be allotted, that they should 'Sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.' Nor was the self-denial of the apostles alone to be rewarded; but every one who had forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for their Saviour's sake, should receive an hundredfold, and should inherit everlasting life.' But

he immediately adds the caution, that 'many that are first shall be last, and the last first'-a caution which he proceeds to illustrate in the parable. The particular moral of it will be seen in these same words, which introduce the narrative, and with a slight addition, conclude it.

1. For. This word is clearly intended to connect what follows with the preceding verse.

The kingdom of heaven, that is, God's ordinary course of dealing with mankind in dispensing the privileges of the Gospel, is of the same character as the conduct of the householder in the parable.

Went out early. At break of day.' The division of the day among the Jews, like that among the Greeks and Romans, was into twelve hours, calculated from sunrise to sunset. The first hour answered to what is now six o'clock, though it seems that some slight variation took place in the winter, when the sun did not rise until after that hour.

Vineyard. Some parts of Judæa, Peræa, for instance, in which our Lord very probably was at the time he uttered this parable, abounded, as is mentioned by Josephus, with vineyards.

2. Penny. The original word is a' denarius,' which, as is stated in the marginal note of the English Bible, was of the value of 74d. This was no inconsiderable sum, allowing for the difference in value of the precious metals; and it formed the usual daily pay a Roman soldier.

of

3. Third hour. According to the mode of reckon