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great opulence, he sometimes provided marriage robes for the whole assembly. To this custom we have allusigns in Homer, and other classic writers *; and there are some traces of it in the entertainments of the Turkish court at this very day t. It must be remarked also, that it was in a very high degree indecorous and offensive to good manners, to intrude into the festivity without this garment; hence the indignation of the king against the bold intruder, who dared to appear at the marriage feast without the nuptial garment. "He was cast into outer darkness;" was driven away from the blaze and splendour of the gay apartments within, to the darkness and gloom of the street, where he was left to unavailing grief and remorse for the offence he had committed, and the enjoyments he had lost.

This man was meant to be the representative of those presumptuous persons, who intrude themselves into the Christian covenant, and expect to receive all the privileges and all the rewards annexed to it, without possessing any one of those Christian graces and virtues, which the Gospel requires from all those who profess to believe and to embrace it. Nothing is more common in Scripture than to represent the habits and dispositions of the mind, those which determine and distinguish the whole. character, under the figure of bodily garments and external habits. Thus Job says of himself, "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem ‡." And again, in Isaiah it is said, "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; he hath covered me with a robe of righteousness; as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels §." In the same manner we are commanded in the Gospel to put on charity, to be clothed with humility; and, in the book of Revelation ||, the elders are described as sitting before the throne of God, clothed in white raiment. And in the nineteenth chapter there is a passage, which is a clear and beautiful illustration of that now before us: "The marriage of the Lamb is come; and to her," that is, to the Church, "was granted, that she should be arrayed

* Odyss. viii, 402; Diod Sic, lib. xiii, pp. 375, 376. + At the entertainment given by the Grand Vizier to Lord Elgin aud his suite, in the palace of the seraglio, pelisses were given to all the guests.

+ Job. xxix, 14.

Isaiah lxi, 10.

|| Chap. iv, 4.

in fine linen, clean and white;" and this fine linen, we are expressly told, is the righteousness of saints. " And he saith unto me, Write, blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb;" that is, of Christ the king*. This is a plain allusion to the parable before us; and most evidently shows, that the man without the wedding garment is every man, that is not clothed with the robe of righteousness; every man that pretends to be a Christian, without possessing the true evangelical temper and disposition of mind, without the virtues of a holy life; every one that expects to be saved by Christ, yet regards not the conditions on which that salvation depends; every profane, every unjust, every dissolute man; every one, in short, that presumes to say, "Lord, Lord, yet doeth not the will of his Father which is in heavent." All these shall be excluded from the marriage feast, from the privileges of the Gospel, and the joys of heaven, and shall be cast into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; for many, we are told, are called, but few are chosen; that is, many are called upon and invited to embrace the Gospel; but few, comparatively speaking, receive it, or at least conduct themselves in a manner suitable to their high and heavenly calling, so as to be chosen, or deemed worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

I have only to observe farther on this parable, that although in its primary intention it relates solely to the Jews, yet it has, like many other of our Lord's parables, a secondary reference to persons of every denomination, in every age and nation, who, through indolence, prejudice, vanity, pride, or vice, reject the Christian revelation; or who, professing to receive it, live in direct opposition to its docrines and its precepts. The same future punishment, which is denounced against the unbelieving or hypocritical Jews, will be with equal severity inflicted on them.

After Jesus had delivered this parable, the Pharisees, perceiving plainly that it was directed against them principally, were highly incensed, and determined to take their revenge, and endeavour to bring him into difficulty and danger by ensnaring questions. "Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth; neither carest thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's, and unto God the things which are God's. When they heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way." In order to understand the insidious nature of the question here proposed to Jesus, it must be observed, that the Jews were at this time, as they had been for many years, under the dominion of the Romans; and, as an acknowledgment of their subjection, paid them an annual tribute in money. The Pharisees, however, were adverse to the payment of this tribute; and contended, that, being the peculiar people of God, and he their only rightful sovereign, they ought not to pay tribute to any foreign prince whatever : they considered themselves as subjects of the Almighty, and released from all obedience to any foreign power. There were many others who maintained a contrary opinion, and it was a question much agitated among different parties. Who the Herodians were, that accom panied the Pharisees, and what their sentiments were on this subject, is very doubtful: nor is it a matter of any moment. It is plain, from their name, that they were in some way or other attached to Herod: and as he was a friend to the Roman government, they probably maintained the propriety of paying the tribute*.

* Rev. xix, 7, 8, 9.

+ Matt. vii, 21.

In this state of things both the Pharisees and Herodians came to Jesus, and after some flattering and hypocritical compliments to his love of truth, his intrepidity, impartiality, and disregard to power and greatness (calculated evidently to spirit him up to some bold and offensive declaration of his opinion), they put this question to him; " Is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar, or not?"

* Those, whom St. Mark calls "the leaven of Herod," chap. viii, 15, St. Matthew, in the parallel passage (xvi, 5), calls Sadducees. Hence, perhaps, we may infer, that the Herodians and the Sadducees were the same persons.

They were persuaded, that, in answering this question, he must either render himself odious to the Jewish people, by opposing their popular notions of liberty, and appearing to pay court to the emperor; or, on the other hand, give offence to that prince, and expose himself to the charge of sedition and disaffection to the Roman government, by denying their right to the tribute they had imposed. They conceived it impossible impo for him to extricate himself from this dilemma, or to escape danger on one side or the other; and perhaps no other person but himself could have eluded the snare that was laid for him. But he did it completely; and showed on this occasion, as he had done on many others, that presence of mind and readiness of reply to difficult unexpected questions, which is one of the strongest proofs of superior wisdom, of a quick discernment, and a prompt decision. He pursued, in short, the method which he had adopted in similar instances; he compelled the Jews in effect to answer the question themselves, and to take from him all the odium attending the determination of it. He perceived their wickedness, and said "Why tempt ye me? Why do you try to ensnare me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny (a small silver coin of the Romans called a denarius). And he said unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Cæsar's." By admitting that this was Cæsar's coin, and by consenting to receive it as the current coin of their country, they in fact acknowledged their subjection to his government. For the right of coinage, and of issuing the coin, and giving value and currency to it, is one of the highest prerogatives and most decisive marks of sovereignty: and it was a tradition of their own rabbins, that to admit the impression and the inscription of any prince on their current coin was an acknowledgment of their subjection to him. And it was more particularly so in the present instance, because we are told, that the denarius paid by the Jews as tributemoney had an inscription round the head of Cæsar, to this effect; "Cæsar Augustus, Judæa being subdued*." To pay this coin, with this inscription, was the completest acknowledgment of subjection, and of course of their obligation to pay the tribute demanded of them, that could be imagined. Our Lord's decision therefore was a necessary consequence of their own concession. "Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's" (which you yourselves acknowledge to be Cæsar's), "and unto God the things that are God's. And when they heard these words, they marvelled; they were astonished at his prudence and address; and left him, and went their way."

* See Hammond, in loc.

But in this answer of our Saviour is contained a much stronger proof of his consummate wisdom and discretion than has yet been mentioned. He not only disengaged himself from the difficulties in which the question was meant to involve him, but, without entering into any political discussions, he laid down two doctrines of the very last importance to the peace and happiness of man kind, and the stability of civil government. He made a clear distinction between the duties we owe to God, and the duties we owe to our earthly rulers. He showed that they did not, in the smallest degree, interfere or clash with each other; and that we ought never to refuse what is justly due to Cæsar, under pretence of its being inconsistent with what we owe to our Maker.

On the contrary, he lays down this as a general fundamental rule of his religion, that we ought to pay obedience to LAWFUL AUTHORITY, and submit to that acknowledged and established government under which we live. The Jews had for a hundred years acknowledged their subjection, and paid their tribute to the Roman government; and our Lord's decision therefore was, "Render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's." It is true, that the tyrant Tiberius was then em. peror of Rome, but the Jews alleged no particular grievance or act of oppression to justify their refusal of tribute; and our Lord had no concern with any peculiar form of government. His decision would have been the same had the Roman republic then existed. His doctrine was obedience to lawful authority, in whatever shape that authority might be exercised. If it be contended, that there may be extraordinary cases of extreme and intolerable tyranny, which burst asunder at once the bonds of civil subordination, and justify resistance; the answer is, that these were considerations into which the Divine Founder of our religion did not think it wise or expedient to enter. He left them to be decided (as they always must be) at the moment, by the

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