God to take our mercies away. If Israel had peculiar national privileges, so also has England. Let English- men mark this well, and take heed lest that which happened to Israel should happen also to them.
Let us observe, in the second place, God's patience and long suffering towards the Jewish nation. What is their whole history as recorded in the Old Testament, but a long record of repeated provocations, and repeated par- dons ? Over and over again we read of prophets being sent to them, and warnings being delivered, but too often entirely in vain. One servant after another came to the vineyard of Israel, and asked for fruit. One ser- vant after another was "sent away empty" by the Jew- ish husbandmen, and no fruit borne by the nation to the glory of God. "They mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets." (2 Chron. xxxvi. 16.) Yet hundreds of years passed away before " the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy." Never was there a people so patiently dealt with as Israel.
And we too, who dwell in Great Britain, have we no longsuffering of God to be thankful for ? Beyond doubt, we have abundant cause to say that our Lord is patient. He does not deal with us according to our sins, or reward us according to our iniquities. We have often provoked Him to take our candlestick away, and to deal with us as He has dealt with Tyre, and Babylon, and Kome. Yet His longsuffering and lovingkindness continue still. Let us beware that we do not presume on His goodness too far. Let us hear in His mercies a loud call to us to bear fruit, and let us strive to abound in that righteous-
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ness which alone exalteth a nation. (Prov. xiv. 34.) Let every family in the land feel its responsibility to God, and then the whole nation will be seen showing forth His praise.
Let us observe, in the third place, the hardness and wickedness of human nature, as exemplified in the history of the Jewish people.
It is difficult to imagine a more striking proof of this truth, than the summary of Israel's dealings with God's messengers, which our Lord sketches m this parable. Prophet after prophet was sent to them in vain. Miracle after miracle was wrought among them, without any lasting effect. The Son of God Himself, the well be- loved, at last came down to them, and was not believed. God Himself was manifest in the flesh, dwelling among them, and " they took Him and killed Him."
There is no truth so little realized and believed as the " desperate wickedness" of the human heart. Let the parable before us this day be always reckoned among the standing proofs of it. Let us see in it what men and women can do, in the full blaze of religious privileges — in the midst of prophecies and miracles — in the presence of the Son of God Himself. " The carnal mind is enmity against God." (Rom. viii. 7.) Men never saw God face to face but once, when Jesus became a man, and lived upon earth. They saw Him holy, harmless, undefiled, going about doing good. Yet they would not have Him, rebelled against Him, and at last killed Him. Let us dismiss from our minds the idea that there is any innate goodness or natural rectitude, in our hearts. Let us put away the common notion that seeing and knowing what is good
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