nd put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his
feet, and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and
be merry." This banquet represents to us two things. It tells of the
father's gladness on his son's return. That represents God's joy on
the reformation of a sinner. It tells of a banquet and a dance given
to the long lost son. That represents the sinner's gladness when he
first understood that God was reconciled to him in Christ. There is a
strange, almost wild, rapture, a strong gush of love and happiness in
those days which are called the days of first conversion. When a man
who has sinned much--a profligate--turns to God, and it becomes first
clear to his apprehension that there is love instead of spurning for
him, there is a luxury of emotion--a banquet of tumultuous blessedness
in the moment of first love to God, which stands alone in life,
nothing before and nothing after like it. And brethren, let us
observe:--This forgiveness is a thing granted while a man is yet afar
off. We are not to wait for the right of being happy till we are good:
we might wait for ever. Joy is not delayed till we deserve it. Just so
soon as a sinful man trusts that the mercy of God in Christ has done
away with his transgression, the ring, and the robe, and the shoes are
his, the banquet and the light of a Father's countenance.

Lastly, we have to consider very briefly God's expostulation with a
saint. There is another brother mentioned in this parable, who
expressed something like indignation at the treatment which his
brother met with. There are commentators who have imagined that this
personage represents the Pharisees who complained that Jesus was
receiving sinners. But this is manifestly impossible, because his
father expostulates with him in this language, "Son, thou, art ever
with me;" not for one moment could that be true of the Pharisees. The
true interpretation seems to be that this elder brother represents a
real Christian perplexed with God's mysterious dealings. We have
before us the description of one of those happy persons who have been
filled with the Holy Ghost from their mother's womb, and on the whole
(with imperfections of course) remained God's servant all his life.
For this is his own account of himself, which the father does not
contradict. "Lo! these many years do I serve thee."

We observe then: The objection made to the reception of a notorious
sinner: "Thou neve