14.

Even so, it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

In these last words, which contain the meaning of the parable, more is included than seems to be expressed: for the idea intended to be conveyed is not merely that God is unwilling that any Christian should perish; but that he is highly grieved at the prospect, and experiences the utmost joy when he is recovered, as the shepherd does when he finds the lost sheep.

REFLECTIONS.

1.

Let Christians learn from this passage, how much it is their duty to cultivate a spirit of humility. It is excellent in itself, and it gives grace and beauty to every other virtue: it is necessary to entitle us to the character of the disciples of Christ: without it we are unworthy of the name: we do not deserve the lowest place in the kingdom of Christ upon earth, and shall not find admittance into the kingdom of God in heaven. Let us check the first rising of pride and ambition in our hearts, when we know that if cherished they will prove our ruin: let us labour to convince ourselves of the vanity of all worldly honours, whether they arise from sounding titles, from great fame, or from any other distinction: let us especially take care that we do not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Whatever talents or virtues or worldly honours we possess, let us remember that we are indebted to God for them. Having thus received them from another, let us not boast as though we had not received them.

How unbecoming does it appear in the apostles, who were to teach others their duty, and ought to have set

an example of it in their own conduct, to be contending among themselves which of them should be the greatest! Justly are they reprehended by Christ's placing a child before them: for in a child there is much to shame the pride of man; but notwithstanding this reproof, the contention, although stopped for the present, was renewed on future occasions; nor has it been confined to the apostles; it has been the disgrace of the ministers of Christ in all ages of the church, but more especially in latter times, when the violence of the contest has been increased by those artificial distinctions and titles which have been introduced among them by human policy.

How much, alas, has the peace of the world been disturbed by these struggles for superiority, and how many have been disgusted with Christianity itself, from observing the indecent behaviour of those who profess to teach it! If they value the peace of the church, the credit of their religion, or the salvation of men's souls, let the ministers of the gospel be careful to remove such stumbling-blocks from the way of their brethren.

2. Let us learn to submit to every kind of mortification and self-denial which our duty may require, upon the principle which Christ here suggests---that it is wise to submit to a less evil, in order to avoid a greater. When tempted to indulge our passions beyond the bounds which religion prescribes, let us remember that it must be at the expence of much greater happiness hereafter; that for a short, momentary gratification, we must submit to ages of excruciating torment; and ask ourselves, whether we can deem this a wise and proper choice. Whereas, if we deny ourselves a little present pleasure in performing our duty, our loss will be repaid with a store of endless pleasure in heaven. With such prospects before us, we need not hesitate

what to do.

3. How amiable is the view here given us of the compassion of the Divine Being towards the human race! Every sheep that wanders from his fold is the object of his pity, and there are no pains which he is not

willing to take, in order to recover it. If other shepherds, sent out for this purpose, cannot bring them back, he will send to them his Son; and if he succeed in recovering one, our Father in heaven experiences the highest joy. He seems to forget that he has other sheep, who have not wandered, while he rejoices for that which has returned. Let us learn to admire and adore the benevolence of the divine nature, which sets so much value upon our happiness, and employs such expensive methods to promote it. Let us praise him, who so loved the world as to send his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew xviii. 15. to the end.

15. Moreover, if thy brother, one of the same religion as thyself, shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him, alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

The trespasses to which Christ here refers are injuries, which may be done us through the weakness of human nature, from passion, envy or covetousness: when these arise, he would have us to be more concerned to convince the person who has committed them of his fault, than to obtain redress; and to do this with success, we must not reprove him for it publicly, lest we hereby inflame his passions; but we ought to shew the utmost tenderness to his feelings and his reputation, by reminding him of the injury which he has done us, in private, where no one can be a witness of his disgrace but ourselves. If he listen to our admonition, and repent of his fault, we have accomplished what ought to be our principal design; we have saved a fellow crea

ture from that ruin which he would have brought upon himself by a crime unrepented of. There is a precept in the Mosaic law, which in its spirit and tendency greatly resembles this. Lev. xix. 17. "Thou shalt in

any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." Language very like to what Christ here uses is likewise found in the Jewish writers; nor can we wonder that Christ, who freely reproves the faults of the Jews, should sometimes adopt their language, where it is founded upon the principles of wisdom and benevolence, and calculated to do good.

16. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

If thou fail to convince him of his fault, by reasoning with him thyself, it is very probable that he will acknowledge that he has done wrong, when he finds that his conduct is condemned by disinterested whose judgment and integrity he has been accustomed persons, to respect: such persons do thou take with thee, to admonish him a second time, when the first admonition has been unsuccessful. By a rule of the Jewish law, no one could be convicted of a crime by the testimony of a single witness; but there must be two, at least, for this purpose. Hence "two or three witnesses" came to be a proverbial expression for competent and satisfactory evidence. It is to this law that our Lord alludes

in this

passage.

17. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen-man and a publican.

By the church Christ must here mean the religious community of which the persons to whom he addressed himself were members; this, to the Jews, would be the

synagogue; and to Christians, the separate societies into which they were formed for public worship. To them the case was to be referred, when other methods of reclaiming the offender failed, with the hope that the concurring judgment of a great number of persons, in condemning his conduct, would convince him that it was reprehensible, and induce him to acknowledge his fault: but if he still persisted in maintaining that he had done right, and despised these repeated admonitions, Christians were then to be freed from all further concern for his reformation, and were to behave towards him as the Jews acted towards heathens, or those of their own countrymen who were considered as flagitious characters; i. e. they were to avoid all friendly intercourse with him: not, however, that we are to deny to such a person the common offices of humanity, as many of the Jews did to publicans and heathens; but only to withdraw from him every mark of particular friendship.

18.

Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

If any despise the sentence which you shall pass concerning him, agreeably to the rules which I have given you, it will be at his peril: for he whom you exclude from your society, on account of the injuries which he has committed, shall be deprived of the favour of God; but he whom you admit again to your society, upon the profession of repentance, shall be pardoned by God. Both the impunity which you grant to those who return, and your severity towards the disobedient, shall be ratified in heaven.

The meaning of the phrase "binding and loosing" has been explained above, when applied by our Lord to Peter. Chap. xvi. 19.