ON OUR LORD'S CONDUCT

Satan. In this situation how does our Lord proceed? Does he involve his doctrines in impenetrable darkness? Far otherwise. A veil indeed is cast over them; but of so fine a texture, that the features and beauty of his religion shine through it. "With many such parables [relating to his kingdom as the Messiah] spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it :" still graciously adapting himself to their capacity and prejudices, though they would not sufficiently exert their facuities to understand him. And at the close of the first parable he added: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear:" Let the atten-tive lover of truth comprehend my doctrines. Could then St. Mark's words be meant in the sense which some wrest them to; that our Lord designed to keep his hearers in total and final ignorance, and to obstruct their conversion and forgiveness? Could the evangelist almost immediately contradict himself in so palpable a manner? Could such a teacher afterwards deliver many lessons to the people in the plainest and most familiar manner? We must say then that our Lord did not cause. but foretel, the ignorance, infidelity and aggravated guilt of the Jews: that he lessened indeed their means of conviction at this particular time, and on the particular subject of the gospel kingdom, with great justice and dignity; but still accommodated himself to the capacity of the teachable and well disposed hearer, with his accustomed prudence and benevolence.

• See Doddridge in loc. c. iv. 12.

P Mark iv. 33.

↑ Matt xiii. 9

Our Lord seems particularly to guard against the objection of speaking with a general purpose of concealing his doctrine. When he was alone, he ex

pounded all his parables to his disciples. "And he said unto them," using an apt comparison, "Is a 'candle brought, to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hidden [by me] which shall not be manifested: nor has any thing been made secret, [by being wrapt up in parables,] but that [in the course of my preaching or yours] it should come abroad." And his general precept to his disciples was, "What "I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the house tops."

Such then are the reasons assigned in the gospels for the use of parabies. But it is not agreeable to the manner of the sacred writers to give all the reasons of our Lord's conduct in this or other respects. We may therefore go on to inquire what other uses were served by parables at the time when they were spoken, and in succeeding ages of the church.

W

They suited the turn and manner of the eastern nations; to the bulk of whom a train of reasoning

tib. 21, 22.

Mark iv. 34. Matt. x. 27. The houses were low, and the tops of them were flat, with windows open to the inner court, and obstructed by lattice on the outside. The house top was the place for seeing or proclaiming any thing See Bishop Lowth on Isai. xxii. 1. w There are many parables in the Koran. See the word in Sale's index. "The Chinese are most taken with comparisons, parables and histories," Le Compte's China, p. 389. * Rustici et imperiti simplicius quæ ficta sunt audiunt; et, capti voluptate, facile iis quibus delectantur consentiunt. Quinct. 1. v. c. xi.

ON OUR LORD'S CONDUCT

would have appeared cold and lifeless, but who delighted in having their imagination struck by the boldest figures and the most glowing imagery. In colder climates the imagination is less lively, and the attention to plain argument proportionably greater and therefore to imitate this manner is by no means incumbent on christian instructors of every age and country.

As our Lord's ministry was introductory, and the whole plan of the gospel dispensation was not to be disclosed till after the descent of the Holy Spirit, they were particularly adapted to convey those truths relating to christianity which the national prejudices of the Jews made it expedient for him rather to insinuate than to declare. Thus the reception of the Gentiles into the Christian church, that grand stumbling block to the Jews, was delivered with much wisdom in the parable of the son who wasted his substance with riotous living; in that of a certain man who made a great supper and bade many; in that of the labourers who murmured at the reward of those who were called at a late hour; and in that of the wicked husbandmen whose vineyard was to be let out to others.

b

y

Parables were also highly suitable to the prophetical style in general, as it abounds with figure and allegory and they were employed with much wisdom to convey such prophecies as those concerning

quoted by Mr. Gray in his ingenious and useful delineation of our Lord's parables. London, Murray. 1777. y Luke xv. 11, &c. Luke xx. 9, &c.

zib. xiv. 16, &c.

a Matt. xx. 1-16.

the rapid and extensive propagation of the gospel, and the exemplary destruction of the Jews; which are each the subject of more than one parable. Whereas directly foretelling such events would have exasperated our Lord's enemies against him; and the effects of their unwearied malice would have shortened the course of his ministry, or have made repeated miracles necessary to protract it.

A further end served by parables was to confirm the disciples in the belief of the gospel, by shewing them that Christ's opposers and persecutors among the Jews were guilty of such conduct towards God as to stand self condemned, confessing themselves to be wicked men deserving a miserable destruction.

Parable is a lively and affecting way of instruction, which makes deep impressions on the mind. There are many parables recorded by the evangelists, which were spoken by our Saviour to his disciples when alone and we may well suppose that he taught them in this manner, not only to exercise their funderstanding, but because it was a forcible and animated way of teaching. The minds of most readers will always dwell with singular & delight and improvement on our Lord's parables; their imagination, warmed with the beauty of the images, will long

g

See Mark iv. 26, &c. 31, &c. Matt. xiii. 33. Luke xiii. 6, &c. Matt. xxi. 33, &c. d Matt. xxi. 41. • Matt. xviii. 23, &c. f As Matt. xiii. 44—50.

xiii. 44--50. xxv. 1, &c. 14, &c. "St. Luke, who, setting aside his sacred character, may justly claim a place among good writers, seems to have been particularly affected and pleased with the parables of Christ; and has recorded some which the other evangelists have omitted." Jortin's Sermons, vol. ii, p. 229. London ed.

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retain them; and they will ever be regarded as striking lessons of religious and moral instruction.

The lessons thus conveyed are inoffensive, because indirect. We ourselves make the application; our eyes are turned unawares on our own behaviour and the duties of self examination and amendment are most skilfully and agreeably taught. Thus an hable writer has observed that "the parable of the merciful Samaritan was a gentle reproof to the Jews for their antipathy to strangers, by opposing to it an example of humanity and mercy."

Parables serve likewise, as has been hinted, to employ the faculties of the human mind; they excite inquiry when the resemblance between the fiction and the true state of things is to be traced out; and they lead us in the most engaging way to exercise our thoughts on religious subjects, and to acquaint ourselves with the divine dispensations.

The remarkable decorum which prevails in our Lord's parables has been observed by Archbishop Tillotson, and by Mr. Lowth in his useful Directions for reading the Scriptures. The instances given by these writers are, that, in the parable of the ten virgins, five are wise and five foolish; in that of the prodigal son, the brother continues constant to his duty; in that of the ten " talents, one makes no improvement of his talent, but two improve theirs; and in the parable of the lost sheep,

m

i Serm. xxxi. on Matt. xxv. 1, 2. m Luke xv. 29. ■ Matt. xxv. 24.