43 doth come. But know this, that, if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken 44 up. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye 45 think not, the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his 46 household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. 47 Verily, I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all 48 his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 49 My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his 50 fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the

lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not 51 for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of; and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth.

of death, resembles in every age that of the last day; and the hour of death is equivalent to the hour of resurrection and judgment, as though no time had been interposed. 4. The feeling of the godly, which stretches forward to meet the Lord, is the same, whether with the longest or the shortest expectation." Bengel. To us who believe that the day of each one's death is the day also of his resurrection and judgment, these remarks come with greater force than to Bengel, who believed as Martha did (John xi. 24) before Jesus had taught her better, that we "shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 43. his house to be broken up] Stopvyĥvai, to be dug through. The houses, being built of stones and

45.

51.

clay, might be entered with little
difficulty by digging through the
walls. See note, vi. 19.
Who then is a faithful] the
faithful and wise servant.
and shall cut him asunder]
cut him in pieces, "a cruel kind of
punishment practised among the
Hebrews and other ancient nations.”
Here it is used figuratively, to de-
note a severe punishment. It may
mean to cut off or separate.
will cut him off [from his present
associates] and assign him his por-
tion with the hypocrites."

"He

the hypocrites] This word is used by Jesus to denote those who have incurred the greatest possible guilt, making virtue and religion a cloak for their hideous crimes against God and man.

CHAPTER XXV.

PURPOSE OF THESE PARABLES.

THE Conclusions at which we arrived in the last chapter make the interpretation of the present chapter easy. From the judgments of God which are represented by the coming of the Son of man in the retributions which fell on the Jewish city and people, the transition (xxiv. 36) is natural to the judgments of God which are represented by the coming of the Son of man in the retributions which await each individual soul when its period of earthly probation is ended. The twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters are continuous parts of the same discourse, which treats of the coming of the Son of man in the retributions of God on a wicked city and people, on each individual soul at the close of its earthly life, and on all the nations of men. The momentous thought which presents itself to any one who carefully reads the parables here given, is unquestionably that which they were intended to teach. The impression which they make as a whole is the true one, and it ought not to be weakened or disturbed by any minute analysis of the parts. One after another, by images the most awful that can be presented to the soul, they would set before us, in their most personal and practical form, the principles of a divine retribution, and thus keep alive in us a sense of solemn accountability to God, and the need of constant diligence and watchfulness in our calling.

PARABLE OF THE VIRGINS.

1-13. In xxiv. 37-51 we are exhorted to watch, because we know not how soon our Lord will come; and

here, by the example of the wise and foolish virgins, we are taught not only to be ready now, but to make provision also for the future; for we know not how long we may have to wait for his coming. They who are represented by the wise virgins "foresee," says Trench, "that they may have a long life to live of toil and self-denial, before they are called to cease from their labors, before the kingdom shall come unto them; and consequently feel that it is not a few excited feelings which will carry them successfully through all this. They feel that principles as well as feelings must be engaged in the work, that their first good impulses and desires will carry them but a very little way, unless they be revived, strengthened, and purified by a continual supply of the Spirit of God. If the bridegroom were to come at once, perhaps it might be another thing, but their wisdom is, that, since it may possibly be otherwise, they see their need of making provision against the contingency." Another distinction between this and the previous parable is, that in that acts of wickedness are reproved; here, a lack of the Christian virtues, not bad oil, but no oil. There is little reserved power for the unknown contingencies that may arise. "By the lighted lamps," says Gerhard, "may be understood the external profession and outward form of piety," as well as the sudden emotions connected with it; "by the oil in the vessels, the inward righteousness of the heart, true faith, sincere love, watchfulness, and prudence, which, though unnoticed by man, are God's alone." With what a solemn emphasis do the words, "and the door was shut," fall upon the heart! The privilege, whatever it may be, which we have neglected to prepare ourselves to improve, is closed against us. Thus day after day the door is shut; and if at its close the whole of life has failed of its great purpose in regard to us, its privileges are all withdrawn, the door is shut, and we are left outside in darkness and

sorrow.

PARABLE OF THE TALENTS.

14-30. This parable goes a step further. Not merely must we abstain from cruel and wicked acts; not merely must we have a reserved fund of religious principle for future emergencies; but we must increase that fund by constant fidelity in the use of it. Not only are we accountable for what has been given to us, but also for the gain which we might secure by using it with diligence and care. God provides us with opportunities according to our several abilities. These opportunities are really ours only as we avail ourselves of them. He who neglected to use the one talent had not even that. The great law of our nature and of retributive justice here laid down is, 1. that we cannot really continue to possess any one of God's gifts, except so far as we faithfully exercise, appropriate, and improve it; and, 2. that we are accountable, not for the amount that we have gained, but for our diligence and fidelity in the use of what has been entrusted to us. It is not, Well done, good He who had and successful, but good and faithful servant.

gained five, and he who had gained two talents, are in the same terms welcomed to the joy of their Lord. And he who came with his one talent was condemned, not because he had been unfortunate, but because, harboring evil thoughts towards his lord, he had shown himself a wicked and slothful servant in the use he had made of the talent intrusted to him. Verses 25-28 show how an evil disposition of mind and heart lies at the bottom of a sluggish and unfaithful life. The want of opportunity is oftener the fault than the misfortune of those who resort to it as an excuse for their evil conduct; and therefore it can only aggravate their condemnation.

PARABLE OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS.

31-46. Thus far this world has been in the foreground, its characters and acts visibly ripening for the judgments

which are represented as taking place at the coming of the Son of man. Here the higher world is brought forward, and the actions of this mortal life, the deeds done in the body, lie in the background, and appear only in their results. Not the scenes and events of this life, hastening to judgment, but the judgments which await them in another world, are foremost in the picture. Heretofore the mind has dwelt on individual cases, the wicked city and people, the cruel servant, the ten virgins, the three servants to whom the different talents were intrusted; but now, by one majestic sweep of thought, all individual cases from all ages and nations are brought together, and the view is the most awful and sublime that has ever been presented in human language. "But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all the nations." So, 2 Cor. v. 10: "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive according to what he hath done in the body, whether it be good or bad." So again, Rev. xx. 12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened." The great fact that every soul shall hereafter meet a retribution in accordance with its life here, is thus set before us in language the most solemn and emphatic. And the grounds on which the sentence rests, as in Matt. vii. 22, 23, are not outward professions or forms of belief, but the principles of holiness and love manifested on earth, though in ways and acts obscure and unrecognized by man. He who sits upon the throne of judgment identifies himself with every one of his suffering brethren, and in the great day of account will acknowledge any act of kindness done to the least of them as if it had been done to him. Both righteous and wicked are filled with amazement and surprise; but not the less, therefore, shall the words of Christ stand; and the inward life of all, as revealed to him in their conduct, shall go on working out for each one the