406

' My head with oil thou didst not
anoint, but she hath anointed my
feet with ointment. Therefore, her
sins, which are many, are forgiven,
for she loved much. But he to
whom little is forgiven, loveth lit-
tle.” And Jesus said to the woman,
“Thy sins are forgiven; thy faith
hath saved thee; go in peace.”
How much happier this poor wo-
man was, who felt her sinfulness,
and went to Jesus for pardon, than
the proud Pharisee who thought
himself too good to need a Saviour!

THE PHARISEES’ UNBELIEPF.

she was forgiven; but he had no
forgiveness, because he did not ask
for it. Simon was a sinner ag wel]
as the woman. All are sinners ip
the sight of God. “None doeth
good, no, not one.” Romans iii. 12,
Butthe humble and penitent, who
come to Jesus in faith and prayer,
will surely be forgiven. He says
to them, “Though your sins be ag
scarlet, they shall be white as snow;
though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.” Isaiah
i. 18.

 

CCLXXIV.

yHE PHARISEES UNBELIEF.

GRAD

HRIST showed His power
by casting out devils, and
doing many other won-
derful works, yet the proud
Pharisees would not be-

lieve Him to be the son of God. They

even said, that He cast out devils
by the power of Beelzebub, or Sa-
tan, the prince of the devils, and not
by His own power. This was very
wicked ; and Jesus solemnly warned
them of their great sin in rejecting

Him. Then He told them this par-

able.

A certain man was possessed of
an evil spirit, which, after a time,
went out of him, and wandered
about in the earth, seeking rest. But
he found no rest; wicked spirits
never can; so at last, he said, “I
will return where I was before ;”
and he went back to the man, and
found him ready and willing to re-
ceive him. Then the devil went

 

and called seven other spirits, wick-
ed like himself, and they all entered
into the man, and dwelt with him;
“and the last state of that man was
worse than the first.”

When Jesus had ended the par-
able, He said, “So shall it be unto
this wicked generation.” What did
Jesus mean? The Jews, like the
man in the parable, had long been
under Satan’s power,—ignorant and
unbelieving. But now, Jesus was
preaching and working miracles
among them; the gospel was being
made known to them; and the
power of Satan was lessened; he was
driven away for a little time, like
the evil spirit in the parable. But
if the Jews would not receive Christ,
Satan would soon return, and take
possession of them again, and then
they would become more hardened
in their sins than they were before
And so itwas, The Jews did reject