Creator towards his creatures; then they be come the proper objects of divine refentment, and worthy of the higheft difpleasure of Almighty God. But when they are so changed," as to cease to be evil and vicious, and are become really and truly good and virtuous creatures, when they are concerned for, and undo, as far as it is in their power, what they have done amifs, and thereby, as far as poffible, repair the injury they have done in the creation, and for time to come, act fuch a part as they ought, then they ceafeby fuch a change, to be the objects of God's displeasure and divine refentment, and become the proper objects of God's mercy and forgivenefs, of his approbation and affection. For this my fon was dead, and is alive again; and was loft, and is found; and they began to be merry.

Verf. 25,-39. Now his elder fon was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the boufe, be heard mufick and dancing. And be called one of the fervants, and asked what thofe things meant. And be faid unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him Jafe and found. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he anfwering, faid to his father, Lo, these many years do I ferve thee, neither tranfgreffed I at any time thy command, and yet thou never gaveft me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

C 2

But

But as foon as this thy for was come, that bath devoured thy living with harlots, thou haft killed for him the fatted calf. In this branch of the parable, the elder brother is reprefented as fhewing his diflike of his father's behaviour toward the younger brother; which diflike was grounded upon the appearance of partiality in his father, in that he had never fhewed fuch a fignal mark of respect to him, the elder fon, tho' he had been always dutiful and obedient to him, as he now did to the younger fon, who had devoured his living with harlots. This is not introduced to fhew the fpirit and temper of good men, because their true character is quite the reverfe;, they are fo far from envying the favours which true penitents obtain from the hand of God, that on the contrary, it minifters juft ground for pleasure and delight to them. There is joy, not only in the prefence of the angels of God, but of every good mind thro' the intelligent world, (where the knowledge of it reacheth,) over one finner that repenteth. This murmuring of the elder brother, therefore is only brought in, to introduce the answer which follows.

Verf. 31, 32. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was loft, and is found. Which is the fame as if the father had faid, Son, I acknowledge what thou

fayeft

fayeft to be true, thou hast been ever duti ful and obedient to me, and therefore the utmost that I have, or can do, is at thy fervice, And tho' I have never made fuch an entertainment for thee, as I do this day, because nothing has happened to give occas fion for it; yet it is fuitable and proper, it is perfectly just and reafonable that I should behave as I do, with regard to thy brother, because of the great change that is wrought in him. Thy brother, in times past, was a moft wicked profligate creature, abandoned and given up to every thing that is evil, and dead and loft to all the valuable purposes of life; and whilft he was in this depraved ftate, he was the proper object of my higheft difpleafure; but as he is now fo changed, as to be quite the reverse of what he was, therefore he muft, in the na ture of the thing, and by parity of reafon, be the proper object, not only of my compaffion and mercy, but of my complacency and delight; and therefore it was meet and right that we should make merry and be glad, for, or because this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was loft, and is found, In this laft branch of the parable it is intended to be fhewn, not only that repentance and reformation is the only ground of God's fhewing mercy and favour to finners; but alfo to justify the divine conduct in this par-. ticular, by infifting that it was fit and reafonable he should do fo. This is the only

reafoning

reafoning offered by the father, to take off the force of the objection made to his conduct, by the elder fon; (it was meet or fit that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again, &c.) which objection feems to be introduced on purpose to make way for it. The father did not attempt to take off the force of the objection, by urging, that as it was in his power; fo be would difpenfe his favours arbitrarily, he would fhew mercy and kindness to his fon, either with, or without, or against reafon, as he pleafed. Neither did he urge, that tho' his younger fon had been greatly defective in his duty; yet now he was become acceptable, by the perfect obedience of his elder brother. Nor did he pretend to justify his conduct, by obferving, that tho' his fon had been greatly criminal, and had thereby rendered himself worthy of a fevere correction; yet he would forgive him, because another perfon, who was near and dear to the father, had fuffered in his fon's ftead; or that he was prevailed upon to fhew mercy to his fon, by the importunity and interceffion of another, which otherways he fhould not have done. There is no fuch kind of reafoning offered by the father, to take off the force of the objection made to his conduct, by the elder fon; nor indeed if it had been offered, would it have been fufficient for that purpofe; becaufe if the younger fon had continued on in his wicked course of

life, then he would have continued to be the proper object of his father's difpleasure, notwithstanding any obedience, or fuffering, or interceffion which might be made in his be half, and under thefe circumftances, it would have been greatly improper for the father to have received and treated him in the manner he did, and the elder fon would have had just ground for complaint. But if the younger fon was fo changed and reformed, as to ceafe to be a wicked vicious man, and was become a real virtuous good man, which is fupposed to be the cafe; then he ceased to be the object of his father's difpleasure, and was, in himself, the proper object of his mercy and kindness, and therefore did not need either the obedience, or fuffering, or interceffion of any other perfon to make him fo, and under these circumstances it was greatly proper that the father fhould receive and treat him as he did; and this takes off the force of the objection made to his conduct by the elder fon. And indeed repentance and reformation must be the only proper ground for God to fhew mercy and receive to favour any creature, who had by his past behaviour rendered himfelf the proper object of his difpleafure; because it is that change alone which can poffibly make fuch a creature ceafe to be the object of his difpleasure, and which can render him the proper object of God's mercy and kindness. And it is greatly abfurd to fuppofe, that God will be either

pleased,