fellow-heir and partaker of tlie same hope" witli the believing Israelite. The Gentiles converted at "the eleventh liour" of the world, shall be as really and truly heirs of gloiy as the Jews. They shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while many of the children of the kingdom are for ever cast out. " The last shall indeed be first."
We learn, in the second place, that in the saving of individuals, as loell as in the calling of nations, God acts as a sovereign, and gives no account of His matters. He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and that too at His own time. (Rom. ix. 15.)
This is a truth which we see illustrated on every side in the church of Christ, as a matter of experience. We see one man called to repentance and faith in the begin- ning of his days, like Timothy, and laboring in the Lord's vineyard for forty or fifty years. We see another man called " at the eleventh hour," like the thief on the cross, and plucked like a brand out of the fire — one day a hard impenitent sinner, and the next day in paradise. And yet the whole tenor of the Gospel leads us to believe that both these men are equally forgiven before God. Both are equally washed in Christ's blood, and clothed in Christ's righteousness. Both are equally justified, both accej)ted, and both will be found at Christ's right hand in the last day.
There can be no doubt that this doctrine sounds strange to the ignorant and inexperienced Christian. It con- founds the pride of human nature. It leaves the self- righteous no room to boast. It is a levelling, humbling doctrine, and gives occasion to many a murmur. But
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it is impossible to reject it, unless we reject the whole Bible. True faith in Christ, though it be but a day old, justifies a man before God as completely as the faith of him who has followed Christ for fifty years. The right- eousness in which Timothy will stand at the day of judg- ment, is the same as that of the 23enitent thief. Both will be saved by grace alone. Both will owe all to Christ. — We may not like this. But it is the doctrine of this parable, and not of this parable only, but of the w^hole New Testament. Happy is he who can receive the doctrine with humility ! Well says Bishop Hall, ^^ If some have cause to magnify God's bounty, none have cause to complain."
Before we leave this parable, let us arm our minds with some necessary cautions. It is a portion of Scrip- ture that is frequently perverted and misapplied. Men have often drawn from it, not milk, but poison.
Let us beware of supposing, from anything in this parable, that salvation is in the slightest degree to be obtained by works. To suppose this is to overthrow the whole teaching of the Bible. Whatever a believer re- ceives in the next world, is a matter of grace, and not of debt. God is never a debtor to us, in any sense whatever. When we have done all, we are un23rofitable servants. (Luke xvii. 10.)
Let us beware of supposing, from this parable, that the distinction between Jews and Gentiles is entirely done away by the Gos23el. To suppose this is to contradict many plain prophecies, both of the Old Testament and New. In the matter of justification, there is no distinc- tion between the believing Jew and the Greek. Yet
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