156

SECT.

XXIII.

Luke

xv. 11

12

13

14

The parable of the prodigal son.

SECT. CXXIII.

Our Lord farther pursues the design of the preceding parables, by delivering that of the prodigal son. Luke XV. 11, to the end.

WT

LUKE XV. 11.

LUKE XV. 11.

ITH the same design of vindicating A certain man
AND he said,
himself in conversing with publicans had two sons:

and sinners, of reproving the envy of the
Pharisees, and of encouraging every sincere
penitent by moving representations of the
Divine mercy, our Lord went on to utter an-
other most beautiful and affecting parable.
And he said, while this various multitude was
standing round him, There was a certain man
in plentiful circumstances, and of a very con-
descending temper, who had two sons that were
now grown up to manhood. And the younger 12 And the young-
of them, fondly conceited of his own capacity er of them said to
to manage his affairs, and weary of the restraints his father, Father,
give me the portion
of his father's house, said one day to his indul- of goods that falleth
gent parent, Father, as I am now come to years to me.
of discretion, I desire thou wouldst give me vided unto them his
into mine own hands that portion of goods living.

And he di

13 And not ma

which, according to an equitable distribution,
falls to my share. And he, unwilling to make
any invidious distinction in distributing his
effects, divided his living between them both,
and gave them his chief stock of money, re-
serving the house and estate in his own hands.
And not many days after this division was
made, the younger son gathering all his treasure ny days after, the
together, and pretending a design of traffic- younger son gather-
ing with it, took a journey into a very distant took his journey into
ed all together, and
country; and there forgetting his relations at a far country, and
home, and living with a knot of companions there wasted his
like himself, in a very riotous, debauched, and substance with riot-
ous living.
extravagant manner, he quickly squandered
away the whole of his substance.

And when he had consumed all in this wretched 14 And when he course, it so happened, through the righteous had spent all, there judgment of God upon him, that there was an

• Divided his living between them both.] It is plain, no significant sense can be put on this circumstance of the parable, as referring to the dispensations of God to his

creatures. It is one of those many ornamental circumstances which it would be weakness overrigorously to accommodate to the general design.

Having spent all his substance, he is reduced to want.

and he began to be in want.

to a citizen of that country; and he sent

feed swine.

157

SECT.

CXXIII.

Luke

arose a mighty fam- extreme famine in that country where he soine in that land journed; and he soon began to be in want of the very necessaries of life. And, finding no 15 And he went shelter or relief among those who had been xv. 15 and joined himself the companions of his luxury, and shared in the spoils of his substance, yet unable to brook him into his fields to the mortification of returning home in such circumstances, he went and joined himself as a servant to a citizen of that place; who, thinking such a worthless creature unfit for any better post, sent him away into his grounds belonging to an estate in the country, where he employed him to feed swine; to which, however mean and disagreeable the employment was, this unhappy youth, who had once lived in so much. plenty and splendor, was forced to submit : 16 And he would And even then, through the unkindness of his 16 fain have filled his master, and the extremity of the season, he belly with the husks that the swine did was kept so poorly that he had not bread; but eat and no man would gladly have filled his hungry belly with gave unto him.

17 And when he

the sorriest husks which the swine did eat: and
yet there was no man that would take so much
pity upon him as to give unto him one morsel
of food; so sparing did the famine make them,
and so much did every one despise this foolish
and scandalous prodigal.

And now the infamy and distress of his pres- 17 came to himself, he ent situation began to lead him into serious consideration; and coming to himself, he so far recovered his reason, which had before been dethroned and extinguished by the mad intoxication of sensual pleasure, that he said in his

Who-sent him into his grounds.] That zas, in such a construction, should be rendered in this manner, the accurate Elsner has shewn by a variety of convincing instances. (Observ. Vol. I. p. 248.)

However mean and disagreeable the employment was.] It is true, that among the ancient Greeks, the chief swineherd was looked upon as an officer of no inconsiderable rank; as evidently appears from the figure which Eumaus makes in the Odyssey but this was an age of greater refinement; the unhappy youth was obliged to tend the swine himself; and if he be considered as a Jew, the aversion of that nation for this unclean animal must render the employment peculiarly „dious to him; and probably this circum.

stance was chosen by our Lord to represent him as reduced to the most vile and servile state that could be imagined.

a With the sorriest husks] A late translation (after Brown, Saubert, Grotius, and many others) renders xpalav carraways, or the fruit of the carubtree, which bore a mean, though sweetish kind of fruit, in long crooked pods; which by some is called St. John's bread; but if the account which Saubert himself gives of it be true, swine would hardly have been fed with any thing but the husky part of this, in a time of extreme famine. I therefore choose to retain our version; but take it, on the whole, to have been the fruit of a tree something of a wild chestnut kind. See Drusius in loc.

158

xv. 17

Awakened at last to a sense of his folly, he returns home. SECT. own mind, Alas, how many hired servants in said, How many cxx111. the family of my good father have bread enough hired servants of my and to spare, while I his child, who have known father's have bread Luke so many better days, am even perishing with and I perish with enough and to spare, famine, and am not thought worth my food by hunger! this unkind master to whom I have hired my. 18 self! Whatever be the consequence of it, I 18 I will arise, and am resolved that I will sit no longer in this go to my father, and miserable condition; but I will immediately Father, I have sinwill say unto him, arise, and go to my father, if all my little re- ned against heaven, maining strength can carry me such a journey; and before thee, and, without vainly attempting an apology, I will say to him, O my dear injured father, I humbly confess that I have sinned against the great God of heaven by a long course of vice and wickedness, and have been guilty also of the vilest behaviour before thee, in abusing thy goodness, and grieving thee by my unnatural 19 rebellion; And in consequence of this I am

-20

19 And am

по

no more worthy to be called thy son, nor can more worthy to be
I expect the favour of being admitted into thy called thy son: make
me as one of thy hir-
family on such terms again; nevertheless, do ed servants.
not suffer me to perish, but rather make me as
one of thine hired servants,f and I will be con-
tented for the future to labour and to fare as
they do, so I may but live in thy sight.

20 And he arose

father.

And accordingly he arose at that very instant, and set forward on his long journey, passing and came to his through all the stages of it with a firm resolution, Providence taking care of his subsistence, though he was obliged to beg his way; and at length he came to the neighbourhood of the house in which his father dwelt.

But while he was yet at a considerable distance, -But when he was his father, who happened to be then looking that yet a great way off, his father saw him, way, saw him, and presently knew him, dis- and had compassion, guised as he was; and his bowels yearned over him, to see him in so wretched a condition: and immediately, as if he had forgot the dignity of his own character, and all the injuries he had

Sinned against the great God of heaven.] This was, as Dr. Goodman observes (Parable of the Prodigal, p. 207), an acknowledgment that his father's yoke had been so easy, that his throwing it off had been an act of rebellion against God: and it shewed also that his heart was touched with a sense, not only of the folly but the

guilt of his conduct, and that the fear of God began to take hold of him.

Make me as one of thine hired servants.] He mentions this, not because such servants fared worse than slaves; but because he was himself an hired servant, and therefore naturally compared his own condition with those of that rank in his father's family.

him.

21 And the son

His father kindly receives him.

159

SECT.

Luke

IV. 21.

and ran, and fell on received, he ran to his child, and fell on his his neck, and kissed neck with an eager embrace, and tenderly kissed cxx111. him with tears of joy. And the son began to said unto him, Fa- make his humble acknowledgments, as he bether, I have sinned fore had purposed, and said unto him, O my against heaven, and abused and injured father, I am ashamed to in thy sight, and am no more worthy to appear in thy presence; for such has been my be called thy son. vileness, that I have sinned against the God of heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy

to be called and owned as thy son, or to receive 22 But the father any token of thy favourable regards. But, be- 22 said to his servants, fore he could make an end of the speech he inBring forth the best tended, the compassionate father turned, and him, and put a ring said to his servants, who were now gathered on his hand, and round them, Go immediately into the house, shoes on his feet.

robe, and put it on

and kill it; and let

useat and be merry :

and bring out the best robe that is there, and clothe him with it, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet, that my dear child may 23 And bring hi- appear like himself: And let others of you run 23 ther the fatted calf, to the stall, and bring hither the fatted calf that is there, and kill it1 for a festival entertain24 For this my son ment; and let us eat and be cheerful: For I 24 was dead, and is esteem this as one of the happiest days of my alive again; he was life, and more joyful than the birthday of one of my children; since this my son, that was so long considered by me as dead, is restored to life and he who was concluded to be irrecov. erably lost, is found, so that I have renewed hope of comfort in him. And the whole house was filled with joy, and, having made the entertainment ready, they began to be cheerful.

lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

The best robe.] It is observed by Ferrarius (de Re Vestiar. lib iii. cap. 24), that the sun, or long robe, was a garment which servants never wore; so that his father's ordering any such garment, and especially the best, to be brought, was declaring, in the most moving manner that can be imagined, how far he was from intending to treat him like a servant. His mentioning the ring and shoes spake the same language; as many learned writers have observed. See Wolfius in loc.

h The fatted calf, and kill it.] Elsner would render the word Jurals, sacrifice it; truly urging that it was customary to offer a sacrifice at the birth, and sometimes at the unexpected recovery of a child. (See Elener, Observ. p. 249, 250.) But no such sacrifice was appointed among the Jews, nor could any have been lawfully offered VOL. 2.

22

but at Jerusalem, which does not appear to have been the scene of this parable; so that I can see no just reason for such a rendering.

That was dead, is restored to life.] It is by a very common and beautiful emblem that vicious persons are represented as dead, both by sacred and profane authors; (compare 1 Tim. v. 6; Eph. ii. 1; v. 14; and Wolfius in loc.) and the natural death of their children would be less grievous to pious parents, than to see them abandoned to such a course as this young sinner took. But to suppose an allusion here to that statute (Deut. xxi. 18-21) which condemned a disobedient and rebellious son to death on the prosecution of his parents, would in this case be most unnatural, and utterly spoil the tenderness and grace of this speech.

160

SECT.

XV. 25

His elder brother repines, and resents it;

and as he came and

and asked what

But while the younger son was thus received 25 Now his elder CXXIII. into his father's house, his elder son was abroad son was in the field : in the field; and as on his return he approached drew nigh to the Luke the house, he heard the sound of musick and house, he heard mu dancing, and was surprised at the discovery of sick and dancing. 26 such unusual joy. And calling one of the ser- 26 And he called vants to come to him, he inquired of him what one of the servants, was the meaning of these things, and what could these things meant? have occasioned this extraordinary rejoicing? 27 And he said to him, It is because thy younger 27 And he said brother is come home; and thy father is so unto him, Thy brotransported with joy at his unexpected return, thy father hath killthat he has killed the fatted calf, and made a ed the fatted calf, very splendid entertainment, because he has re- because he hath received him in good health again, and found him ceived him safe and 28 happily recovered to a sense of his duty. And 28 And he was he was very angry at the kind reception of his brother, and resolved that he would not go in. go in :—

29

ther is come; and

sound.

angry, and would not

His father therefore hearing he was there, Therefore came and being told he had discovered some uneasi- his father out, and ness, came out with great condescension, and entreated him. calmly entreated him to be pacified, and to join

with them in the festivities of the day.

But, instead of rejoicing on so happy an oc- 29 And he ancasion, and running to embrace his penitent swering, said to his father, Lo, these brother, he was still full of envy and resentmany years do I ment, and replied to his father, Behold, I have serve thee, neither served thee these many years, and even to this transgressed I at day am as careful of thy affairs as if thou wast any time thy commandment, and yet my master, rather than my father; nor canst thou never gavest thou say I have at any time departed from my me a kid, that I duty, or transgressed thy command; and yet might make merry with my friends: thou hast never given me so much as a kid, that I might make an entertainment with a few of 30 my select friends: But as soon as ever this thy 30 But as soon as favourite son was come, who has, as much as this thy son was in him lay, devoured thy substance with harlots come, which hath devoured thy living abroad, in a long course of scandalous de- with harlots, thou baucheries, to his own ruin, and the infamy of hast killed for him thy family, thou hast killed for him the fatted the fatted calf. calf, and made him as welcome as if he had

31

been the most dutiful child upon earth.

art ever with me,

And, though his father justly might have 31 And he said taken offence at his unbecoming reply, yet, unto him, Son, thou with great gentleness, he said to him, Son, thou and all that I have is art always with me, and art every day receiving thine. some token of my kindness; yea, all that I have