said unto them, fear not; for, behold. I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Remark 1st. It cannot be reasonable to suppose that this angel of God would declare an untruth. 2d. He spake of great joy, which should be unto all people. Conclusion, agreeably with the scriptures before quoted: All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. The great joy of salvation shall be unto all people.

PARABLE XXVIII.

"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty: and, when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them. both." LUKE vii. 41, 42.

THESE words were spoken that a question might be stated from them, which would every way confound Simon the pharisee, who, though he had invited Jesus to necessary accommodations in his house, yet, entertained no very high opinion of him. Christ being seated at meat in Simon's house, a woman, who was a sinner, came in with an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping; she also washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head; she kissed them affectionately and anoted them with the ointment; which when Simon saw, he said, within himself, "If this man was a prophet, he would know who, and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for

she is a sinner." By this, it is evident, that Simon did not look on himself to be a sinner as was the woman. Further, that he believed Christ was an impostor, as he pretended to a wisdom which would certainly have enabled him to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked: and if Christ had known that the woman was a sinner, he would, by no means, have suffered her to come nigh him, much less to do those offices for him. These, undoubtedly, are the thoughts which Simon had on that occasion. In the parable, Christ makes his statement according to the pharisee's ideas of himself and of the woman.

1st. Christ represents himself by a creditor who had two debtors..

pence.

2d. The woman is represented as a great sinner, by the debtor who owed five hundred 3d. Simon the pharisec, is represented by the debtor who owed only fifty pence.

4th. That sinners have no power to atone for their sins, is shown by the debtors' having nothing to pay.

6th. The pardoning mercy of the gospel, by which, both pharisees and sinners finally obtain forgiveness of sin, is shown by the creditor's forgiving both. Christ then asks Simon, "Which of them will love him most ?" Simon answers, "I suppose he, to whom he forgave most;" by which answer, this self-righteous pharisee was entirely refuted in respect to his notions of righteousness. For, admitting Simon to be as holy as he looked on himself to be, and the woman as great a sinner as he supposed, she not only stood in more need of mercy than he, but would surely love Christ better, in the same ratio as her sins were greater,

or more numerous than his. This was something of a usual method with the Saviour; he generally confounded his adversaries on the ground of their -own choice. But had Simon's sins been set in order before him at that time, as Saul's were afterwards, no doubt he would have confessed the debt of five hundred pence, and, humbling himself, would have rejoiced in him who deigned to for give.

ILLUSTRATION.

That darling notion, which, in all ages of the world, has been so acceptable to religious people, that favorite opinion of a total difference, in the sight of God, between the true worshippers, and those who were not, was as much contended for in the days of Christ on earth, as it is now; and it appears evident that Simon the pharisee was as fully in this current sentiment as are any in this day. The effect which this opinion had on Simon, was the same that is now produced from the same cause. Simon supposed that Christ was no prophet because he did not know what manner of woman that was who shewed so much affection for him. See verse 39. "Now when the pharisee, which had bidden him, saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner." Simon surely would not have entertained any better opinion of Jesus if he had known that he did know what manner of woman that was, and still indulged her approach to himself; for then even ignorance could not have been plead to extenuate the offence. It was, therefore, the most favorable conclusion which Simon could make, to suppose

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that Jesus was indeed no prophet, and was igno rant of the sinfulness of that woman. It is but just to notice also, that this pharisee was deserving of commendation, not only for being disposed to make the most favorable conclusion possible in this case, but for being one of the most decent and civil of his order, for he did not break out in a rage, and order his guest out of his house, nor did he speak of the unfavorable opinion which he was obliged to entertain of Jesus, to others, but only spake of it within himself. Therefore, while we find the sentiment of Simon perfectly to agree with the sentiment of the pharisees in the present day, we find in his conduct an example worthy of their imitation.

The sentiment, communicated by the foregoing parable and application, is subject to the following objections, from the doctrine of the pharisees, as stated in the first of this illustration:

1st. If the great sinner may obtain forgiveness as well as he whose sins are much less, then there is no encouragement to do well.

2d. If the great sinner will, in consequence of be ing forgiven, love the Saviour more than he whose sins are much less, it appears to be an encour agement to add iniquity to transgression, and to become as sinful as possible, so that the greater love may be exercised when forgiveness is ob tained.

3d. The whole, when put together, amounts to this: Sin is better than righteousness, vice is bet ter than virtue, irreligion is better than religion, and it is no matter how bad people act; the righ teous, who pay strict attention to the things of religion, and abstain from a thousand enjoyment

of this life, are mere fools for all their pains; it would be as well for them, and even better, if they should indulge themselves in all manner of vice and wickedness.

4th. It must be evident to every rational mind, that such doctrine is false, and that whoever teaches such doctrine, is an enemy to the truth.

The foregoing objections are as naturally drawn from the doctrine of the pharisees, which doctrine is the current doctrine of the christian church in the present day, as darkness is the natural consequence of the absence of light. These objections may be thus answered. 1st. If Jesus spake this parable, in its peculiar form, with a design to answer Simon according to his own views of his being less a sinner than that woman was, it is by no means necessary to suppose that Jesus looked on the woman to be any more sinful than Simon. Therefore, if Simon was as great a sinner as the woman, he would love Jesus as well as the woman did, when he should know himself, and feel his sins forgiven. 2d. If no one can enter the kingdom of heaven, unless their righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, it is evident that both ancient and modern pharisees are equally dependent on the Lord our righteousness, for justification unto life, as others. 3d. It is evident that the pharisees have a mistaken notion of sin, righteousness, vice, virtue, irreligion and religion. All their righteousness, their virtue and their religion is consistent with an unreconcilable enmity towards those who do not agree with them in opinions and religious rites. This enmity being directly contrary to the love which Jesus manifested towards sinners, we are authoris

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