taneously, at the same time, was indeed what he professed himself to be, a Teacher come from God; especially as his doctrines and precepts bear a Divine impress, and can have only a Divine original.

I purpose briefly considering our Saviour's parables, in a series of lectures, to which I invite the serious attention of the readers of the Christian Pilot and Gospel Moralist.

No doubt our Lord's parables are inimitably beautiful and perfect in themselves, and it would be high presumption in any one to think of improving them; yet, they are so interwoven with the manners and customs of the East, and of his times, that they cannot be fully understood, and their excellence duly appreciated, without the aid of these exterior advantages It would be different to those who heard them. But to others, at this remote period of time, and in this distant region of the globe, they are partly hidden from their sight, without this necessary, and, I may add, valuable assistance.

The parables of Christ, moreover, are the best illustrations of his holy religion, and show more plainly than any thing else its true nature and character; and this, not by any process of reasoning or argumentation, but by embodying great truths in striking or beautiful representations. I might here give numerous instances of this kind. But, I will leave them to present themselves more properly in their natural course. And I therefore proceed, without further preface, to the object before me.

Jesus had just called Matthew to the work of the gospel, and had been invited by him to a great feast. (Matthew ix. 9, 10.; Luke v. 27-29.) The entertainment was given by the future apostle in his own house; and it was probably intended by him as a "farewell feast to his friends, and an occasion to hear Jesus converse." He invited many of his own profession, that is, publicans; and many others, who are here called sinners, or Gentiles; sinners so termed by the Jews, though some might really be sinners. It was on this festive occasion that Jesus delivered what appears to be his first parable.

It arose out of a question put to him by the disciples of John, in concurrence with the Pharisees: "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not ?" (Matt. ix. 14; Mark ii. 18; Luke v. 33.) The intention of John's disciples was no doubt good; but, the Pharisees, from the captiousness and invidiousness which they had already manifested, wished to attach odium to Jesus. And he replied, "Can the children of the bride-chamber* mourn, as long as

The attendants on the nuptial ceremony.

the bridegroom is with them? but, the day will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast." (Matt. ix. 15.) He himself was with his disciples; and they might rejoice, and not be sorrowful at such a time. But, hereafter, he should be taken from them, and then "they might be sad in heart, and be disposed to fast."

Jesus knew, moreover, that he had been commissioned from on High to introduce a new dispensation, and that the old one could not incorporate with it, or be brought, by any means, to attempt to incorporate with it, without great danger.

Strongly impressed, therefore, by this conviction, and painfully conscious of the insidious opposition he had so far met with, he addressed to the inquirers the following parable, of The New Cloth, and the Old Garment. Matt. ix. 16 "No man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse." In Luke v., 36, the passage runs thus::-"And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old."

The parable is founded on a plain and simple fact, which most persons may have observed at one time or another. If the garment is very old and tender, and the new piece is very firm and of a good texture, the rent in a very short time becomes worse. The new piece and the old do not agree; they will not stand wear together; the old gives way the first, and from the greater strength of the new, it gives way more than it did before; so that the garment, in fact, is made worse, by the attempt to make it better. It was too old, and too far gone, to be mended; and there was no hope of making it good for any thing. And hence, the labour bestowed upon it has been lost, and worse than lost; for the garment has been made worse, by the trouble which has been taken with it to make it better.

Dr. Doddridge, commenting on this passage, says, that new cloth here, signifies " cloth that has not passed through the fuller's hands, and which is consequently much harsher than what has been often washed and worn; and therefore, yielding less than that, will tear away the edges to which it is sewed.'

"

Dr. Adam Clarke gives the same explanation. The new cloth, is cloth which has not passed through the fuller's hands. And when this is put upon old, as a patch, "instead of closing up the rent, it makes a larger, by tearing away with it the whole breadth of the cloth over which it was laid."

Livermore, in his Commentary, says of this new cloth that it is a "cloth not dressed, or fulled, but raw, or unwrought, which when wet would shrink. A patch of such cloth, being put upon an old garment, would occasion a worse rent than before, by pulling away the parts to which it was sewed." This, however, holds good, with respect to the very best of new cloth that can be applied to old. And the better the one is, the more will it tear away the other.

But what is the meaning of the parable? what is the application? and what is the lesson which it is intended to teach? It implies a just censure on the Scribes and Pharisees. Their religion is the old garment, and the religion of Jesus Christ is the new cloth. So inveterate were their prejudices, so great their sinfulness, and so long had they been habituated to the way of unrighteousness, under the garb of outward sanctity, that they would not incorporate with his holy Gospel, or receive its pure spirit into their souls; but would spurn it from them with scorn and contempt. They would not only fail to receive any benefit from it, but they would become worse, the nearer they approached it, more prejudiced, more bigoted, and more reckless in their conduct, from the rancour and violence with which they would oppose it, and seek to exterminate it from the earth; especially from their first impression of it, and while it remained new in the world. And their history plainly testifies, that such was the lamentable fact. They did resist the Gospel of Christ, with all the bitterness that malignity could display; and they, in consequence, became much worse than they were before; just as an old garment becomes worse, by contact with new cloth; and worse, in proportion to the excellence and firmness of texture of the new cloth. So were the Scribes and Pharisees, from their corrupt principles, by coming in contact with the pure religion of Jesus Christ. So is it with the worst of men, when they come into collision with the purest of principles. They are hence more exasperated, more inveterate, more malignant, more fully set in their hearts to do evil. It is invariably the case, unless they repent, and humble themselves, and put their sins far from them. In other words, unless they lay aside that old, tattered, rotten garment, and take the new cloth, and make of it for themselves a new garment. That seems to be the spirit of the parable, See then, my brethren, the baneful effects of prejudice! It blinded the minds of those unhappy misguided men, the Scribes and Pharisees, to the light of truth; and it impelled

them madly to spurn the blessing, and to cling to the bane. It confirmed them in their errors, their bigotry, and their sins, and hurried them recklessly on in the paths of folly and vice to their ruin. We should, therefore, always keep our minds open to conviction, and should always be willing and humble to learn. We should condemn nothing without good reason, and should reject nothing without a fair and impartial examination. There is much good scattered around us on every side; and we should be anxious to select it wherever we may, regardless of the distinctions of sects and parties, and the prejudices and partialities of names. Our principal desire should be, to become wiser and better, and for this purpose, we should readily avail ourselves of all the means of grace, and of all other sources of improvement within our reach. We should study to "go on unto perfection ;" and this should be our motto: "Prove all things: hold fast that which is good.”

We see also what a pernicious effect moral evil has upon truth and righteousness, virtue and piety, pure and undefiled religion, fervency of spirit in the service of God, zeal to promote the spread of the gospel, fruitfulness in good works, and diligence to make the calling and election sure. In all these things, it is as the old garment to the new cloth; an attempt to incorporate them with it, or any portion of them, by way of a patch, leaving the old fabric still as a ground-work, tears the rent more widely asunder, and makes it worse than it was before; thus illustrating another saying of Scripture, namely, that "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” There can be no patching here. The old garment must be put off, and a new one must be put on. In other words, all evil must be banished from your breasts, if you would be illumined with the light of divine truth, and sanctified by the spirit of holiness; for "blessed are the pure in heart,for they shall see God;" but, "without holiness no man can see him.”

Livermore says, that the explanation of the parable is this: that "the new doctrines of the Gospel would not harmonise with the old rites of the Pharisees. They were not to expect that Judaism could be repaired and renovated by Christianity."

(Lecture I. to be concluded in our next Number.)

REVIEW.

Lectures on the Development of Religious Life in the Modern Christian Church. (To be completed in Six monthly Parts.) Part I. Luther and Munzer. By Henry Solly. London, C. E. Mudie, pp. 50.

THE importance of the subject embraced by Mr. Solly in these Lectures, as well as the interest which it is calculated to arouse, have been amply shewn by the success of a similar attempt on a much larger scale, though confined to England, by the Rev. J. J. Tayler, B.A., of Manchester What that work has in many respects admirably accomplished in regard to our own country, it is to be hoped will now be effected, though in a much smaller compass, as it respects the individuals noticed, and a still more popular way, for the modern Christian church generally.

Men, in many places, are beginning gradually to perceive, that the religious life is the most important result of the religious creed, and that the religious creed is valuable in proportion as it is the groundwork of practical godliness and benevolence. Men are better judges of the moral character as displayed in life, than they are of the correctness of any abstract theological proposition, though it is their duty also to "prove all things." It is often, indeed, safer to judge of principles by their inevitable fruits, than by any logical arguments, or learned dissertations. By their fruits must we judge the prophet's principles. Seeing the good works, will men glorify God, who has given sufficient light and love to the world to produce them.

Hitherto ecclesiastical history has paid far too little attention to the life in the church, or to the worth of the individuals who have taken a prominent part in promoting its true interests. The private character of divines as husbands, fathers, friends, philanthropists, and patriots, has been almost overlooked, while considering the particular creed they avowed, or the party to which they belonged, We must know the character of the individuals as men before we can well understand the value of their belief. It often happens that the character will influence and bias the judgment in interpreting a text; just as much as the conviction when acquired will re-act on and modify the character. Besides this, an history is rendered interesting, as well as improving, much in proportion as it partakes of the biographical character. Our sympathies are stirred up, and energies roused, when we perceive how "faith has been proved by works." We then see