Which words, as put in the mouth of the prodigal Gentile, returning at the preaching of the Gospel to the church of God, the house of his heavenly Father, may, it is apprehended, be thus paraphrased -"Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Maker of all things, Judge of all men; I acknowledge and bewail my manifold sins and wickedness, "which I from time to time," from the first hour of my departure," most grievously have committed, by "thought, word, and deed, against thy divine Ma"jesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indig"nation against me. I do earnestly repent, and am "heartily sorry for these my misdoings: the remem"brance of them is grievous unto me; the burden of "them is intolerable. Have mercy upon me, have

mercy upon me, most merciful Father. For thy "Son my Lord Jesus Christ's sake forgive me what "is past, and grant that I may ever hereafter serve "and please thee in newness of life, to the honour "and glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our "Lord." This is the confession which the church enjoins us, poor prodigal sinners of the Gentiles, to make, as often as we return from feeding upon husks in the world, to eat the bread of life in our Father's house. And a noble comment it is upon the short but full confession of the prodigal in the parable. Let us now hear what was the reception this returning penitent met with, and consequently, what reception we shall meet with, when we return like him.

"But while he was yet a great way off, his father "saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on

"his neck, and kissed him;" and while he was confessing his sinfulness and unworthiness," he said to "the servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it "on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on "his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, "and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found. "And they began to be merry."

Here let all sinners (and sinners we all are) behold the loving kindness of our heavenly Father to those who truly repent and turn to him, as it was displayed towards the Gentiles upon their conversion. The bowels of his mercy yearned over them in their lost estate; and he longed for their return, as a father for that of his child gone from him. When the time of life was come, he saw them while they were yet afar off, and had compassion on them, and ran forth to meet them by the preaching of the apostles, and embraced them in the arms of his mercy, and gave them the sure pledge and token of reconciliation and love, by the word and spirit of his mouth. No sooner did he behold them making their humble confession to him, meekly kneeling on their knees, than he ordered his ministers to bring forth from the wardrobe of heaven the best robe, the robe of righteousness and garment of salvation; that fine white linen, spotless and bright as the sun, which is the righteousness of saints, the wedding garment of the church of the redeemed. These robes the Father commanded the ministers of his sanctuary to bring forth, and put them on the new converts, by investing them in baptism with all the righteousness, merits,

and graces of the Lord Jesus Christ; giving them at the same time, a lively impression of his Spirit which is the seal of adoption, a pledge of the inheritance in heaven, an earnest of the eternal promises, a token of their espousals to the Lamb of God, signified in the parable by "putting a ring on his hand;" bestowing on them such graces and assistances as might enable them to walk in the way of his commandments and in the practice of good works, to secure themselves from the thorns of worldly cares and the mire of earthly pleasures, and to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and all the power of the enemy, the devil and his temptations, all which is described by "putting shoes upon his feet." And, lastly, the ministers were to prepare the Christian sacrifice, on which the now accepted Gentiles were to feast at the table of their heavenly Father, singing and making melody to the Lord, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven: "O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the "Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his

name; show forth his salvation from day to day. "He hath remembered his mercy and truth; his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight "of the Heathen, and all the ends of the earth have "seen the salvation of our God. Therefore make

a joyful noise unto the Lord all the earth, make a "loud noise, and rejoice and sing praise. Sing unto "the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the "voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of "cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord the king." Such was the joy at the reception of the

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returning prodigal, because he who had been dead in sin, was alive to righteousness; and he who had been lost to the church for ages and generations, was found and restored to it. Well, surely, might they begin to be merry." Who would not be merry with them? Who could have any objection to their being so? Alas! there is one that never would be merry with them, and to this day cannot bear that they should be so, but gnashes his teeth, and consumes away with envy. And that is our elder brother the Jew, whose unreasonable behaviour upon this occasion, with the father's just reproof to him, is represented to us in the concluding part of the parable.

66 'Now his elder son was in the field; and as he "came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music " and dancing. And he called one of the servants, "and asked what these things meant? And he said "unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath "killed for him the fatted calf, because he hath re"ceived him safe and sound. And he was angry, "and would not go in; therefore came his father

out, and entreated him. And he answering, said "to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, "neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I "might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this thy son was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the "fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou, art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was "meet that we should make merry, and be glad;

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"for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; "and was lost, and is found."

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The Jews, hearing the sound of the Gospel, and the voice of joy and rejoicing in the church, were continually "calling to the servants" of God, the apostles and first preachers of the word, and asking "what these things meant;" and were always answered, as in the parable, that " their brother was come;" that God had granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life; that they were now come into the church; and the one great sacrifice was offered for them, and for all men. And are not the words of the parable fulfilled to this day? "They are an"gry, and will not come in." No, not though their Father, God Almighty, time after time came out and entreated them by the voice of his Son, by the preaching of his apostles, by the allurements of his mercies, and by the terror of his judgements. All, all would not do. Their Father they rebelled against, his Son they crucified, his apostles they persecuted, his mercies they forgot, and his judgements they defied. Seventeen hundred years are past; still, still "they are angry, and will not come in!" Their plea is, as represented in the parable, that they served God many years; that they never transgressed at any time his commandment; that God had not showed them sufficient marks of his favour; but treated this worthless prodigal Gentile better than he had treated them; a plea, every article of which is full of pride, falsehood, and envy. Pride is at the bottom of all. They loved to justify themselves by the works of the law, as St. Paul says of them;