"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham :" 6-so does he assure us, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." If ye reverence the Son, and receive him as king to reign over you, then acknowledge his laws. Make them your rule of right and wrong, and not the practice of the world. Judge of conduct and of character by these, and not by the standard of men. When he says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," "blessed are the meek," "blessed are the pure in heart," "blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness;"-let these be the qualities which ye promote in yourselves, and approve in others. Let the father set them before his children, the master before his servants; as the apostles, who recognise no other rule-"Ye know the words of the Lord Jesus"-"let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." This is indeed, to reverence the Son: otherwise, he will justly inquire, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

The concluding words of the parable point out in awful language the danger of despising the mercy of God.

15. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

16. He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

6 John viii. 39.

He did come, and blotted the kingdom of the Jews out of the book of nations, and gave the vineyard to the Gentiles. It was vain to answer, God forbid! Jesus pointed to the Scripture which foretold it.

17. And he beheld them; and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

18. Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Most complete has been the accomplishment of these words. The Jews refuse to rebuild their church upon the foundation of the prophets, and according to the spirit of the law, making "Jesus Christ the chief corner stone." Many individuals stumbled against that stone, and were broken: and at last the stone fell on the whole people, and ground them to powder: since which it has "become a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." 7

From first to last, the dispensation utters a fearful, yet a merciful warning: "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder:" and that ye perish not, do not disappoint the just expectations of God; who, when he sent his Son into the world that as many as believe in him might have everlasting life, had reason to demand that the world should reverence his Son.

7 Dan. ii. 35.

8 Isa. xxix. 14. See Acts xiii. 41.

LECTURE LXXVI.

A QUESTION CONCERNING THE RIGHT OF CÆSAR TO TRIBUTE, GIVES JESUS OCCASION TO ENFORCE THE RIGHT OF GOD TO THE ALLEGIANCE OF MEN.

LUKE XX. 19-26.

(Matt. xxii. 15-21. Mark xii. 12—17.)

19. And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

20. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

21. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly;

22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no?

A party among the Jews at this time, as it appears, maintained that it was not lawful for them, “a royal nation, a peculiar people," to give tribute unto Cæsar. They had no king but God. This was a favourite doctrine with the common sort, who were proud of being children of Abraham, and "never in bondage to any man." So that these artful enemies, in suborning men who should pro

D D

pose the question to Jesus, hoped to destroy his influence with the people, if he replied in favour of tribute or, if he declared against it, to accuse him before the Roman governor.

23. But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them. Why tempt ye me?

24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar's.

25. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

26. And they could not take hold of his words before the people; and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

The admittance of Cæsar's coin into the land, seemed evident proof that he had dominion in the land. And if he had dominion, allegiance was due to him, and with allegiance tribute. Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar's: "for the powers that be, are ordained of God;" whose will it is, that confusion should thus be prevented in the world, and order maintained.

But if allegiance is due to an earthly king, much more is it due to our King who is in heaven. If Cæsar is to have his due, so is God to have his due. Render unto God the things which be God's.

It is the refusal of this right, the neglect of this allegiance, which constitutes the sin of mankind, and makes them what they are in the sight of God— offenders who need a Saviour.

For God, when he created mankind, did not leave them to themselves, to follow the devices and desires of their own hearts. From the beginning,

he reserved to himself dominion.

Even in para

dise the first man and woman were not left without law. When they were so circumstanced, that there were few duties which they could either observe or transgress, God appointed them a law, that they might acknowledge him as governor, and be accustomed to obedience. (Gen. ii. 16.) "The Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." That obedience they were bound to render unto God: and in transgressing it, they sinned against him, and incurred the consequence of transgression.

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So again, in after times, God issued laws by the mouth of his servant Moses to regulate his people Israel. (Deut. iv. 1.) 'Hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you."

The heathen world to whom this revelation of God's will was not formally made known, still were not without law. "They had a law written in their hearts: that is, they might have known what was fitting for them to do, and what to avoid, by the light of their conscience and reasonable understanding.

I need not say that God has given a law to us Christians. Jesus Christ confirmed the rule which God had laid down to govern his creatures, and

1 Rom. ii. 15.