outward profession at least, to the flock of God, and were Verse 8. Ten pieces of silver] Agaxμas Sına, ten drachmas. Parable of the prodigal son. A. D. 29. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is A.M.40. joy in the presence of the angels of An Olymp. God over one sinner that repenteth. ССІЇ. 1. 11 And he said, a certain man had two sons: 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 с his living. b Matt. 18. 28. Deut. 21. 16. Psal. 17. 14. Prov. 19. 13, 14.- 12. 44. coins, and to state their value in English money. Every Reader will naturally wish to know by what names such and such coins were called in the countries in which they were current. The Grecian drachma was worth about seven pence three farthings of our money; being about the same value as the Rom an denarius. The drachma that was lost, is also a very expressive emblem of a sinner who is estranged from God, and enslaved to habits of iniquity. The longer a piece of money is lost, the less probability is there of its being again found; as it may not only lose its colour, and not be easily observed, but will continue to be more and more covered with dust and dirt: or its value may be vastly lessened by being so trampled on, that a part of the substance, together with the image and superscription, may be worn off. So the sinner sinks deeper and deeper into the impurities of sin, loses even his character among men, and gets the image' and superscription of his Maker defaced from his heart. He who wishes to find the image of God which he has lost by sin; must attend to that word which will be a lantern to his steps, and receive that spirit which is a light to the soul, to convince of sin, righte ousness, and judgment. He must sweep the house-put away the evil of his doings; and seek diligently-use every mean of grace, and cry incessantly to God till he restore to him the light of his countenance. Though parables of this kind must not be obliged to go on all fours as it is termed; yet they afford many useful hints to preachers of the gospel, by which they may edify their hearers. Only let all such take care not to force meanings on the words of Christ, which are contrary to their gravity and majesty. Verse 12. Give me the portion of goods] It may seem strange that such a demand should be made, and that the parent should have acceded to it, when he knew, that it was to minister to his debauches, that his profligate son made the demand here specified. But the matter will appear plain, when it is considered, that it has been an immemorial custom in the East, for sons to demand and receive their portion of the inheritance during their father's lifetime: and the parent, however aware of the dissipated inclinations of the child, could not legally refuse to comply with the application. Parable of the prodigal son; A. M. 4033. CCI. 1. CHAP. XV. 13 And not many days after the An Olymp. 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. he returns to his father. 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and 17 And when he came to himself, he said, am no more worthy to be called thy son. Psal. 73. 27. Prov. 29. 3. 1 Pet. 4. 3. Acts 2, 39. Ephes. 2. 13, 17.- Ps. 51. 4. appears indeed, that the spirit of this law was to provide for the very dregs of the people, have any matrimonial connectthe child, in case of ill treatment by the father: yet the de-ions with them. HEROD. lib. ii. cap. 47. mand must first be acceded to, before the matter could be legally inquired into; and then "if it was found that the father was irreproachable in his character, and had given no just cause for the son to separate from him; in that case, the civil magistrate fined the son in two hundred puns of cowries.". See Code of Gentoo laws, pr. disc. p. 56. see also do. chap. ii. sec. 9. p. 81, 82. xxi. sec. 10. p. 301. Verse 13. Not many days after] He probably hastened his departure for fear of the fine which he must have paid, and the reproach to which he must have been subjected, had the matter come before the civil magistrate. See above. Riotous living.] Zwv nowτws; in a course of life that led him to spend all: from a not, and oww I save. And this we are informed, ver. 30. was among harlots; the readiest way in the world, to exhaust the body, debase the mind, ruin the soul, and destroy the substance. Verse 14. A mighty famine in that land] As he was of a profligate turn of mind himself, it is likely he sought out a place where riot and excess were the ruling characteristics of the inhabitants; and as poverty is the sure consequence of prodigality, it is no wonder that famine preyed on the whole country. Verse 15. To feed swine.] The basest and vilest of all employments; and to a Jew, peculiarly degrading. Shame, contempt and distress are wedded to sin, and can never be divorced. No character could be meaner in the sight of a Jew than that of a swine-herd: and Herodotus informs us, that in Egypt, they were not permitted to mingle with civil society; nor to appear in the worship of the gods, nor would Verse 16. With the husks] Kigatiwy. Bochart, I think, has proved that zegara does not mean husks: to signify which the Greek botanical writers use the word Bo; several examples of which he gives from Theophrastus. He shews also, that the original word means the fruit of the ceratonia or charub tree, which grows plentifully in Syria. This kind of pulse, Columella observes, was made use of to feed swine. See BoCHART, Hieroz. lib. ii. cap. lvi. col. 707—10. Verse 17. When he came to himself] A state of sin is represented in the Sacred Writings, as a course of folly and madness; and repentance is represented as a restoration to sound sense. See this fully explained on Matt. iii. 2. I perish with hunger!] Or, I perish HERE. Nde here, is added by BDL. Syriac, all the Arabic and Persic, Coptic, Ethiopic, Gothic, Saxon, Vulgate, all the Itala, and several of the Fathers. Verse 18. Against heaven] Es Toy Ougavo; that is, against God. The Jews often make use of this periphrasis in order to avoid mentioning the name of God, which they have ever treated with the utmost reverence. But some contend that it should be translated, even unto heaven; a Hebraism for, I have sinned exceedingly-beyond all description. Verse 20. And kissed him.] Or, Kissed him again and again; the proper import of xarepinoy autor. The father thus shewed his great tenderness towards him, and his great affection for him. Verse 21. Make me as one of thy hired servants, is added here by several MSS. and Versions; but it is evident this has been added, merely to make his conduct agree with his reso His father kindly receives him. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. A.M. 4038. A. D. 29. 22 But the father said to his servants, || 26 And he called one of the ser- An. Olymp. Bring forth the best robe, and put it CCII. 1. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill come; And thy father hath killed the fatted it; and let us eat, and be merry: calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. a 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. a Ver. 32. Ephes. 2. 1. & 5. 14. Rev. 3. 1. lution, ver. 19. But by this a very great beauty is lost: for the design of the inspired penman is to shew, not merely the depth of the profligate son's repentance, and the sincerity of his conversion, but to shew the great affection of the father, and his readiness to forgive his disobedient son. His tenderness of heart cannot wait till the son has made his confession, his bowels yearn over him, and he cuts short his tale of contrition and self-reproach, by giving him the most plenary assurances of his pardoning love. Verse 22. Bring forth the best robe] Bring out that chief garment, τny σroλny τny πęwтny, the garment which was laid by, to be used only on birth-days or festival times. Such as that which Rebecca had laid by for Esau, and which she put on Jacob, when she made him personate his brother. See the notes on Gen. xxvii. 15. Put a ring on his hand] Giving a ring was in ancient times a mark of honour and dignity. See Gen. xli. 42. 1 Kings xxi. 8. Esth. viii. 2. Dan. vi. 17. Jam. ii. 2. Shoes on his feet] Formerly those who were captivated had their shoes taken off, Isai. xx. 1. and when they were restored to liberty, their shoes were restored. See 2 Chron. xxviji. 15. Verse 23. The fatted calf, and kill it] Ovoare, sacrifice it. In ancient times the animals provided for public feasts were first sacrificed to God. The blood of the beast being poured out before God, by way of atonement for sin, the flesh was considered as consecrated, and the guests were considered as feeding on divine food. This custom is observed among the Asiatics to this day. Verse 24. Was dead] Lost to all good, given up to all evil. In this figurative sense the word is used by the best Greek writers. See many examples in Kypke. Verse 25. His elder son] Meaning probably persons of a regular moral life, who needed no repentance in comparison of the prodigal already described. In the field] Attending the concerns of the farm. || || || He heard music] Evμfanas, a number of sounds mingled together, as in a concert. Dancing.] Xogwv. But Le Clerc denies that the word means dancing at all, as it properly means a choir of singers. The symphony mentioned before, may mean the musical instruments, which accompanied the choirs of singers. Verse 28. He was angry] This refers to the indignation of the scribes and Pharisees, mentioned ver. 1, 2. In every point of view, the anger of the old son was improper and unreasonable. He had already received his part of the inheri tance, see verse 12. and his profligate brother had received no more than what was his just dividend. Besides, what the father had acquired since that division, he had a right to dispose of as he pleased, even to give it all to one son, nor did the ancient customs of the Asiatic countries permit the other chil dren to claim any share in such property thus disposed of. The following is an Institute of the GENTOO Law on this subject, (CODE, chap. ii. sect. 9. p. 79.) "If a father gives by his own choice land, houses, orchards, and the earning of his own industry to one of his sons, the other sons shall not receive any share of it." Besides, whatever property the father had acquired after the above division, the son or sons as the prodigal in the text, could have no claim at all on, according to another Institute in the above Asiatic laws, see chap. ii. sect. ii. p. 85. but the father might divide it among those who remained with him: therefore is it said in the text, « Son, thou art ALWAYS with me, and ALL that I have is THINE,” ver. 31. Verse 29. Never—a kid] It is evident from ver. 12. that the father gave him his portion when his profligate brother claimed his; for he divided his whole substance between them. And though he had not claimed it, so as to separate from, and live independently of his father, yet he might have done so, whenever he chose; and therefore his complaining was both undutiful ənd unjust. Verse 30. This thy son] THIS son of THINE-words expressive of supreme contempt: THIS son-he would not condescend to call him by his name, or to acknowledge him for his brother; and at the same time, bitterly reproaches his amiable father, for his affectionate tenderness and readiness to receive his once undutiful, but now penitent child! For HIM] I have marked those words in small capitals which should be strongly accented in the pronunciation: this last word shews how supremely he despised his poor unfortunate brother. To Verse 31. All that I have is thine.] See on ver. 28. Verse 32. This thy brother] Or, THIS brother of THINE. awaken this ill-natured, angry, inhumane man to a proper sense of his duty, both to his parent and brother, this amiable father returns him his own unkind words, but in a widely different spirit. This son of mine to whom I shew mercy is THY brother, to whom thou shouldest shew bowels of tenderness and affection; especially as he is no longer the person he was: he was dead in sin-he is quickened by the power of God: he was lost to thee, to me, to himself, and to our God, but now he is found: and he will be a comfort to me, a help to thee, and a standing proof to the honour of the Most High, that God receiveth sinners. This, as well as the two preceding parables, was designed to vindicate the conduct of our blessed Lord in receiving tax-gatherers and heathens: and as the Jews, to whom it was addressed, could not but approve of the conduct of this benevolent father, and reprobate that of his elder son, so they could not but justify the conduct of Christ towards those outcasts of men, and at least in the silence of their hearts, pass sentence of condemnation upon themselves. For the sublime, the beautiful, the pathetic, and the instructive, the history of Joseph in the Old Testament, and the parable of the prodigal son in the New, have no parallels either in sacred or profane history. Isai. 5. 4. Matt. 20. 12.- ver. 24. Psal. 119. 76. Matt. 18. 12. to depend on, and be governed by the Lord. How dangerous is it for us to desire to be at our own disposal, to live in a state of independency, and to be our own governors. God cannot give to wretched man a greater proof of his wrath, than to abandon him to the corruption of his own heart. Not many days, &c. ver. 13. The misery of a sinner has its degrees; and he soon arrives, step by step, at the highest pitch: of his wretchedness. The first degree of his misery is, that he loses sight of God, and removes at a distance from him. There is a boundless distance between the love of God, and impure self-love; and yet strange to tell, we pass in a moment from the one to the other! The second degree of a sinner's misery is, that the love of God being no longer retained in the heart, carnal love and impure desires necessarily enter in, reign there, and corrupt all his actions. The third degree is, that he squanders away all spiritual. riches, and wastes the substance of his gracious father in riot and debauch. When he had spent all, &c. ver. 14. The fourth degree of an apostate sinner's misery is, that having forsaken God, and lost. his grace and love, he can now find nothing but poverty, misery and want. How empty is that soul, which God does not fill! What a famine is there in that heart, which is no longer nourished by the bread of life! In this state, he joined himself-sxoλλnen, he cemented, closely united himself, and fervently cleaved to a citizen of that country, ver. 15. The fifth degree of a sinner's misery is, that he renders hitself a slave to the Devil, is made partaker of his nature, and incorporated into the infernal family. The further a sinner goes from God, the nearer he comes to eternal ruin. The sixth degree of his misery is, that he soon finds by experience, the hardship and rigour of his slavery. There is no master so cruel as the Devil; no yoke so heary as that of The following reflections, taken chiefly from pious Quesnel, sin; and no slavery so mean and vile as for a man to be the cannot fail making this incomparable parable still more instruct-drudge of his own carnal, shameful, and brutish passions. ive. Three points may be considered here, I. The degrees of his fall. II. The degrees of his restoration, and III. The consequence of his conversion. The seventh degree of a sinner's misery is, that he has an insatiable hunger and thirst after happiness; and as this can be had only in God, and he seeks it in the creature, his misery must be extreme. He desired to fill his belly with the I. The prodigal son is the emblem of a sinner who refuses husks, ver. 16. The pleasures of sense and appetite are the plea sures of swine, and to such creatures is he resembled who has frequent recourse to them, 2 Pet. ii. 22. II. Let us observe in the next place, the several degrees of a sinner's conversion and salvation. The first is, he begins to know and feel his misery, the guilt of his conscience, and the corruption of his heart. He comes to himself, because the Spirit of God first comes to him,|| ver. 17. parable of the prodigal son. lis Maker, and feasts on the fatness of the house of the Most High. Secondly, The whole heavenly family are called upon to share in the general joy, the church above and the church below both triumph; for there is joy, (peculiar joy) in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. See ver. 10. Thirdly, God publicly acknowledges him for his son, not The second is, that he resolves to forsake sin and all the oc- only by enabling him to abstain from every appearance of casions of it; and firmly purposes in his soul to return imme-evil, but to walk before him in newness of life, ver. 24. The diately to his God. I will arise, &c. ver. 18. The third is, when under the influence of the spirit of faith, he is enabled to look towards God as a compassionate and tender-hearted father. I will arise and go to my father. The fourth is, when he makes confession of his sin, and feels himself utterly unworthy of all God's favours, ver. 19. The fifth is, when he comes in the spirit of obedience, determined through grace to submit to the authority of God; and to take his word for the rule of all his actions, and his Spirit for the guide of all his affections and desires. The sixth is, his putting his holy resolutions into practice without delay; using the light and power already mercifully restored to him, and seeking God in his appointed ways. And ke arose and came, &c. ver. 20. The seventh is, God tenderly receives him with the kiss of peace and love, blots out all his sins, and restores him to, and reinstates him in, the heavenly family. Ilis father-fell on his neck, and kissed him, ib. The eighth is, his being clothed with holiness, united to God, married as it were to Christ Jesus, 2 Cor. xi. 2. and having his feet shod with the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, Eph. vi. 15. so that he may run the ways of God's commandments, with alacrity and joy. Bring the best robe-put a ring—and shoes, &c. ver. 22. III. The consequences of the sinner's restoration to the favour and image of God are, first, the sacrifice of thanksgiving is offered to God in his behalf; he enters into a covenant with tender-hearted father repeats these words at ver. 32. to shew more particularly, that the soul is dead when separated from God; and that it can only be said to be alive, when united to him through the son of his love. A Christian's sin, is a brother's death; and in proportion to our concern for this, will our joy be at his restoration to spiritual life. Let us have a brotherly heart towards our brethren, as God has that of a father towards his children; and seems to be afflicted at their loss, and to rejoice at their being found again, as if they were necessary to his happiness. In this parable, the younger profligate son may represent the Gentile world; and the elder son, who so long served his father, ver. 29. the Jewish people. The anger of the elder son explains itself at once-it means the indignation evidenced by the Jews, at the Gentiles being received into the favour of God, and made with them, fellow-heirs of the kingdom of heaven. It may also be remarked, that those who were since called Jews and Gentiles, were at first one family, and children of the same father: that the descendants of Ham and Japhet, from whom the principal part of the Gentile world was formcd, were, in their progenitors, of the primitive great family, but had afterwards fallen off from the true religion: and that the parable of the prodigal son may well represent the conversion of the Gentile world, in order that, in the fullness of time, both Jews and Gentiles may become one fold under one Shepherd and Bishop of all souls. CHAPTER XVI. The Pharisees take offence, 14. The parable of the unjust steward, 1-8. Christ applies this to his hearers, 9-13. Our Lord reproves them, and shews the immutability of the law, 15-17. Counsels against divorce, 18. The story of the rich man and the beggar, commonly called Dives and Lazarus, 19—31. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. A A. D. 29. An. Olyrap. CCIL. 1. ND he said also unto his disciples, was accused unto him that he had A.M.4033 There was a certain rich man, wasted his goods. CCHI. 1. which had a steward; and the same An. Olymp. 2 And he called him, and said unto a Gen. 18. 20. Psal. 50. 10. Eccles. 12. 14. NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. Verse 1. A steward] Oxovoμos, from oixos, a house, or vixia, a family, and vw, I administer; one who superintends domestic concerns, and ministers to the support of the family, |