through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, and have shewn the truth of their repentance by the renovation of their lives. Others there are, who have been sober and moral in their conduct : they profess to respect all the commands of their heavenly Father: but they rest in " the form, while destitute of the power of godliness ;" they neglect the duties of" repent- ance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus ;" they will not be prevailed on to look to " Christ for all their righteousness and strength ;" in short, " they are whole, and see no need of a physician :" hence, though amiable in themselves, they are " enemies of the cross of Christ."]
On a comparison of the two, the latter appears decidedly the better character —
\_The former manifested indeed at first the greatest im- piety, and might justly have been dismissed for ever from his father's house : but his subsequent repentance altogether altered his character ; and his obedience arising from it proved him to have attained a becoming sense of his duty. On the other hand, the latter was " an hypocrite in heart :" his fair promises only added to the guilt of his disobedience, and his continued violation of them constituted him a most worthless character. Our Lord referred it to the Pharisees themselves to decide their comparative merits ; they instantly gave their testimony in favour of the former : nor could prejudice itself withhold its assent in so clear a case.]
Having determined this point, we shall proceed, in imitation of our Lord, to,
IL Make some observations resulting from that com- parison—
The Pharisees did not immediately see for what end our Lord put to them that question —
But, by their answer to that, many important truths are established : 1. It is not always the most specious character that is most likely to go to heaven —
[Far be it from us to plead for wickedness of any kind. It is certainly better to be moral and sober, than immoral and profane. It is better to be a decent Pharisee than to be num- bered with " publicans and harlots :" but it is no less certain that moral persons are apt to pride themselves in their virtue ; they cannot endure to be told that they deserve the Divine displeasure ; and, that they must be as much indebted to divine grace as the very vilest of mankind ; they think they may place some dependence at least on their own works ; nor