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he fent forth his armies and destroyed thofe murderers, and burnt up their city. After this he fent out into the highways, to invite all that could be found to come to the marriage; but one of the guests happening to fit down to table without a wedding-garment, the king ordered him to be bound hand and foot, and caft into outer darkness.

But it is clear, that this allegory relates only to the kingdom of heaven; therefore, affuredly no man can affume a right from thence to fetter or imprison his neighbour who should come to dine with him, without being properly drefed; nor do I believe, that hiftory furnishes us with any instance of a prince caufing one of his courtiers to be hanged upon fuch an occasion : and there is little reafon to apprehend, that when the emperor fend his pages to any princes of the empire to invite them to an entertainment, thofe princes fhould fall upon the pages and kill them..

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The invitation to the marriage-feaft, is a. type of the preaching of the gofpel; and themurder of the king's fervants, is figurative of the perfecution of those who preach wisdom and virtue..

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The other parable is that of a private person who made a great fupper, to which he invited many of his friends ‡, and when he was ready to fit down to table, fent his fervants to tell them that all things was ready; but one excufed himself, by faying, that he had bought a piece of ground, and muft needs go and fee it; an excufe which was not admiffible, as no one goes to vifit their lands in the night-time; another faid he had bought five yoke of oxen, and was going to prove them; he was as much to blame as the other, fince no one would go to prove oxen at fupper-time: the third faid he had married a wife, and could not come; this last was certainly a very good excuse. The mafter of the house being very angry at this dif appointment, told his fervants to go into the ftreets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, and the maimed, the halt, and the blind; this being done, and finding that there was yet room, he said unto his fervant, "Go out into "the highways and hedges, and compel them (that you find) to come in."

It is true, that we are not exprefsly told that this parable is a type of the kingdom of heaven, and the words compel them to come in,"

St. Luke, chap. xiv.

have been perverted to very bad purposes; but it is very evident, that one fingle fervant could not forcibly compel every perfon he met to come and fup with his master; befides, the company of people fo compelled would not have made the fupper very agreeable. "Compel them to come in," therefore, means nothing more, according to commentators of the best reputation, than pray, defire, prefs them to come in; therefore what connection, for heaven-fake, can prayers and invitations have with perfecution?

But to take things in a literal fenfe, is it neceffary to be maimed, halt, and blind, or to be compelled by force to enter into the bofom of the church? Chrift fays in the fame parable, “When thou makest a dinner, or a supper, call "not thy friends nor thy brethren, nor thy rich "kinfmen;" but did any one ever infer from thence, that we fhould never dine or fup with our friends or kinfmen, if they happen to be worth money?

-Our Saviour, after this parable of the feast, fays, "If any man come to me, and hate not "his father and mother, his wife and children, his brethren and fifters, yea, and his own "life also, he cannot be my disciple, &c." But

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is there any perfon living fo unnatural to conclude from hence, that he ought to hate his father and mother and his nearest relations? And is it not evident to one of the meaneft capacity, that the true interpretation of these words is, hefitate not between me, and your deareft affections?

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The following paffages in the eighth chapter of St. Matthew is alfo quoted; "Whofoever heareth not the word of God fhall be like to 66 an heathen, and like one who fitteth at the "receipt of cuftom;" but certainly, this is not faying that we ought to perfecute all unbelievers: and cuftom-house officers; they are frequently, curfed indeed, but they are not delivered up the arm of fecular power. And fo far from depriving the latter of any part of the prerogatives of citizens, they are indulged with the greatest privileges; and though their profeffion is the only one condemned in fcripture, it is of all others the most protected and favoured by every government. Why then fhould (not we show fome indulgence to our brethren who are unbelievers, while we load with benefits our brethren the tax-gatherers?

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Another paffage which has been grossly abufed, is that in St. Matthew and St. Mark, where we are told, that Jefus being hungry in the morning, and coming to a fig tree which had no leaves, (for it was not the time of figs) Jefus curfed the tree, and it immediately dried

up.

This miracle has been explained several different ways; but not one of them appears to authorize perfecution. Tho' a fig-tree could not be expected to bear fruit in the beginning of March, yet we find it blafted but is that a reafon why we should blaft our brethren with affliction in all feasons of the year? When we meet with any thing in holy writing that may occafion doubts in our vain and inquifitive minds, we fhould pay it all due reverence, but let us not make use of it to countenance cruelty and perfecution.

The fpirit of perfecution which perverts' every thing, has also ftrained in its own vindication the story of Chrift driving the buyers and fellers out of the temple, and that of his fending a legion of devils out of the body of the man poffeffed with an evil spirit into two thoufand unclean animals; but cannot any one perceive, that these two inftances were no

other

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