Luke v. 27 — 29. After these ihings, he went forth, and saw a publican named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house.
IF we notice particularly who they are whom God has more especially selected as objects of his grace and mercy, we shall be struck with this plain and obvious truth, that " God's thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor his ways as our ways." Had it been left to man to dispense the blessings of salvation, he would have imparted them to those whose previous qualifications and endowments seemed to have marked them out for this high distinction. But God has rather sought, by the preference which he has shewn, to magnify his own grace and mercy.
The person here chosen to the apostleship was a " publican." Now the publicans were characters universally hated by the Jewish nation, because, as tax-gatherers, they aided the Roman government, by whom they were appointed, and whose interests they served. The persons who executed this office, know- ing that, independently of their own character, they were hated and despised by their brethren, were intent only on advancing their own interests, and were guilty of exacting in many cases more than they were authorized to require ; and thus by their oppressive conduct they rendered the office, and all who held it, objects of unqualified reprobation. Yet of these persons did God select many, in preference to the Scribes and Pharisees, to participate the bene- fits of the Redeemer's kingdom ; as our blessed Lord himself says, " The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before youa." The person whom our text mentions as executing that office, is here called " Levi :" but in his own account which he gives of himself, he calls himself by the name of Matthew b. Of his conversion we are informed in the words before us. He was " sitting at the receipt of custom," in the regular discharge of his duty, and, without any previous intimation or instruction, was called by our blessed Lord to a constant attendance upon him, as one of his Disciples. This event will be found deeply interesting to us all, whilst we consider,
a Matt. xxi. 31. b Matt. ix. 9.