CHAPTER IX.

THE PARABLE OF THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN.

Matt. xxi. 33-44. Mark xii. 1-12. Luke xx. 9-18.

"HEAR another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

When the lord therewhat will he do unto

fore of the vineyard cometh, those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, 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? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and

given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

Miss Morton. In the parable which I have chosen for us to consider together to-day our Lord makes use of a comparison that was very familiar to the Jews, and therefore very easy to be understood by them. We read that a certain householder planted a vineyard. We read in other parts of the Bible of a vineyard. Can you tell me any other parable about one? Ellen. That in the book of Isaiah. Isa. v. 1—7.

Mary. That of the householder who hired men to work in his vineyard.

Miss M. Yes; these are both quite right. That in the book of Isaiah is in several respects very like the one which we have read to-day, as we shall see. To go on with our parable-we said that a householder planted a vineyard: what are we further told about it? Ellen. That he digged a winepress, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen.

Miss M. Now read Isaiah v. 2.

Mary reads." And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes."

Miss M. You see that the description of the vineyard is the same. We shall see later whether the meaning of the two parables is alike. What did the householder do when he had planted the vineyard ? Anna. He went into a far country.

Miss M. Yes; he left it for a while in the hands of the husbandmen. When the time to receive the fruit drew near, who was sent to the vineyard?

Elizabeth. The servants of the householder.

Miss M. And what did the husbandmen do to the servants ?

Charlotte. They beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

Miss M. How did the householder then act?

Ellen. He sent other servants, and the husbandmen did the same to these.

Miss M. Whom did he then send?

Kate. He sent his own son, saying, "They will reverence my son."

Miss M. Did they do so?

Mary. No; they said, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him."

Miss M. They treated him as they had done the servants. What did the householder then do?

Charlotte. He destroyed those wicked men, and let out his vineyard to other servants, who would render him the fruits in their seasons.

Miss M. I see that the parable as it is in the Bible is clear to you; we will now see how much you understand of its hidden meaning. How does the parable begin?

Mary. There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard.

Miss M. Tell me in the first place who the householder is ?

Ellen. God.

Miss M. Yes; now what is meant by the vineyard? -This is perhaps rather a difficult question. Read Isaiah v. 7.

Elizabeth reads. "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.”

Miss M. Yes; God had, as it were, planted His vineyard when He called the people of Israel to be His chosen people. Where did He plant His vineyard ?—what land was given to the Israelites ?

Charlotte. The land of Canaan.

Miss M. Yes; God planted His vineyard, which ve are told was the house of Israel, in the land of Canaan. Now it seems from the parable that the householder took care of the vineyard himself for some time. Nov does that apply in any way to what God did towards the house of Israel?

Selina. Yes; God was at one time their King; but when they desired an earthly sovereign, He granted their request, and no longer governed them in so peculiar a manner as He had done before when He had given them His commands through Moses, speaking

to him in the mountain and at other times.

Miss M. Does God ever speak to us now?
Mary. No.

Miss M. He does not speak to us in the same manner that a man would talk to us, or as He spake to His prophets of old; but He has still ways of speaking to His people. Can you tell me any of the ways ?

Ellen. He speaks to us in the Bible.

Miss M. Yes; read 2 Timothy iii. 15.

Emily reads. "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make

thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Miss M. And in Romans xv. 4.

Mary reads. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning."

Miss M. You see, therefore, that God speaks to us through the Bible; can you tell me any other ways that He has of doing so?

Emily. Through His ministers.

Miss M. Yes, through those who have been ordained to serve in His Church, and to teach and preach His word. Therefore, when we hear the clergyman speaking to us from the pulpit, he is giving us as it were some message from God: they are God's messengers upon earth. Who was sent to prepare the way for our Lord at His first coming?

Susan. John the Baptist.

Miss M. And clergymen have now the same thing to do; they are to prepare the way for our Saviour's second coming. How is it that they are to do so? You know the collect for the third Sunday in Advent.

Jane. "By turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just."

Miss M. Quite right; their duty is to try and turn the hearts of the wicked to righteousness; that is to say, to lead them away from sin, and direct them to God. God also speaks to us when He sends us any affliction, or any great mercy; teaching us a lesson of patience and humility by the one, and a lesson of thankfulness by the other. We have not now time to consider the many ways which God has of speaking