Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-02-14
VOL, x. NO. 81.

/ CURED hlm to choose Tor his associates
such holy men as scribes and pharisees
were supposed to be, and 10 spurn from
his presence publicans and sinners, thar
is, tax-gatherers and profigates; the
former being generally cohsided as sig
nally guilty of extortion and injustice;
the latter as chargeable in an uncommon
degree with those vices which poliute and
debase the human character, 10 refuting
this charge, our Lord might have told
his aecusers that the exalted opinion which
they entertained Of their own goodness
was entirely groundless; that instead oil.
being hoIier, they were in reality far more
depraved than tax-gatherers and profit
gates; that their hypocrisy, and spiritual
pride, were far more offensive to God than,
the immoral practices with which public
ans were chargeable. But he chooses to
reason with them in different manner i,
He admits for arguments sake that the
opinion which they entertained of their
own Sanctity is perfectly correct-that
they are as holy as they think themselves
to be; and that, on the other hand, the
pubiicans and sinners are as criminal as
they are supposed to be. And he under-
takes on this very ground, to justify him
self in neglecting the former, and associ-
ating almoS, exclusively with the latter.
what man Of YOU" says he, "having
an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,
doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and GO after that which is lost,
until he find it? And when he hath
found it, he layeth it on his shoulder re-
ioicing. And when he cometh home, he z
calIeth together his friends and neighbors,
saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for
have found my sheep which was lost
He adds, II say unto you, that likewise
Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner
that repenteth more than over ninety and
nine just persons that need no repentance"
AS if he had said, You scribes and Phar-
isees think yourselves uneommonly holy;
and you consider these publicans and
sinners as abandoned to vice and wicked
ness. Be it so; on that very ground my
conduct is perfectly justi6able. / have
come into the world as the great and
good Shepherd. You suppose that you
are the ninety and nine sheepwho remain
quiet in the pasture; and that these pub
licans and sinners are in the condition Of
the one sheep which went astray Be it
SO. What is then proper for me, the
Shepherd, to do? Ought l to continue
with those who remain quiet in theepas-
ture, or 60 after that sheep which is gone
astray? The latter, unquestionably.-
That is, I should say little or nothing to
you Scribes and Pharisees, and devote my
whole time to these publcans and sinners
who have gone astray like lost sheep, and
labor night and day 10 bring them back
to the fold of God. And no one ought to
wonder, if, when, LhaVe in any instance
succeeded in retaining them from the
error of their ways, rejoice exceedingly.
This must be the natural consequence of
my having found that about which hac
felt so much solicitude. You need not
wonder that l, the Shepherd, rejoice, on
such an occasion. Joy is felt in distant
part of the universe. There is joy in
heaven, remote as it is from this lower
world-"there is joy in heaven over one
sinner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine just persons who need no
repentance" Does my reader ask, as
many have already done, who are the
ninety and nine just persons who need no
repentance?" answer, no such persons
can be found, for ali have sinned and come
! short of the glory Of God Christ does
not mean to intimate that any of our race
are sinless. He merely assumes as cor
rect, the opinion which the Scribes and
Pharisees entertained ofthemselves. They
: supposed tina: they were so holy as to
need no repentance. Our Lord admits for
arguments sake, that this was in fact the
case, and on this ground he maintains the
position, that the inhabitants of heaven
rejoice more over one repenting sinner
than over ninety and nine individuals,
could such be found, who had never trans
gressed the law of their Greater. &c.