It was a terribly solemn thing for the Pharisees to " resist the counsel of God against themselves." They stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts, and would not hear God's message through John the Baptist.

John came preaching repentance, exhorting the people to the confession of their sins, and faith in the One coming after him. "The people and publicans justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and lawyers resisted the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." (Luke 7:29, 30.)

Two classes we find here,-those who justified God, and those who resisted His counsel against themselves. The one moved by the word of God, and took their place in self-judgment before Him, owning themselves sinners and needy; while the other built up in self-righteousness, and instead of yielding to the divine counsel which sought to lead them to repentance and blessing, they resisted that counsel, and were offended at His word. And when the One came of whom John spake, and told out the tale of divine love to a ruined world, and piped the sweet notes of grace, they were as far from receiving Him as they had been from receiving John. They neither mourned when John preached repentance, nor danced when the Son of God proclaimed the grace of God. Of the one they said, " He hath a devil;" of the other, " Behold a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." " They resisted the counsel of God against themselves." How terribly solemn! God would lead them to repentance, but they would none of Him. All was resisted, despised, and set at naught.

" But Wisdom is justified of all her children." (Luke 7:35.) What distinguishes Wisdom's children from the unbelieving mass is that they justify God, and, in the reception and belief of the truth, they take their place as ruined and guilty before Him, and cast themselves upon His mercy. They resist not His counsel which leads to repentance, but own in full all that they are, and find pardon and eternal blessing at His hand. Their prayer is, " God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" and God answers their prayer by justifying them. It is God in grace meeting the repentant soul with a full salvation. This is how God is revealed in the gospel. The sinner, therefore, who justifies God and condemns himself is in return justified of God " freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Rom.' 3:24.)

In this very chapter (Luke 7:36-50) we have a lovely instance of one of Wisdom's children finding her way to Jesus, and what she received at His hand. In a way, her experience is the experience of all who return, for " Wisdom is justified of all her children."

Jesus was invited to eat with a certain Pharisee, and He accepts the invitation. And while there, a woman, a known sinner, crosses the threshold of the man's house, and finds her way to where Jesus was sitting. What has brought her there? Unbidden, and undesired by the Pharisees at least, she had come; but the burden of her sins, and the sense of her guilt, had driven her to the One who had come to seek and to save such as she, and had said, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." He had come from heaven to save such ; she comes to Him to be saved. His counsel drew her; she resisted not His gracious counsel against herself. She finds herself in His blessed presence, and with confidence in God already replacing itself in her heart, she had brought an alabaster box of ointment, for she felt that He was worthy. She stands at His feet behind Him weeping, washing His feet with her tears, wiping them with the hairs of her head, and anointing His feet with the ointment. Blessed place indeed! A repentant soul in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ is a blessed picture. It furnishes joy for the unjealous hosts above, as it is written, " There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." (Luke 15:10.)

In the presence of this sovereign grace of God the hideous spirit of self-righteousness could not rest. The man who had bidden Jesus said within himself, " This Man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him, for she is a sinner," Self-righteousness would upset the poor woman, but grace would draw her to the Saviour. Man's religion, as cold and heartless as death, would create a wide gulf between the sinner and the would-be-righteous people, but the sweet story of love divine told out by the lips of the God-man could but win her to Himself.

Jesus, who read the thoughts of the Pharisee's heart, said, " Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee." " Master, say on," he replies. " There was a certain creditor which had two debtors:the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty:and when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him most?" "Simon answered and said, ' I suppose that he to whom he forgave most.'" "Thou hast rightly judged," responded the Saviour. " And He turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, ' Seest thou this woman ? I entered into thine house, thou gavest Me no water for My feet; but she hath washed My feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest Me no kiss; but this woman, since the time 1 came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath anointed My feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins which are many are forgiven; for she loved much:but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.' And He said unto her, ' thy SINS ARE FORGIVEN.' "

Again the murmurs of self-righteousness are heard, " Who is this that forgiveth sins also?" but they are answered with a more positive expression of grace than before. "And He said to the woman, ' THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE :GO IN PEACE.' "

How very beautiful is all this, as far as the Saviour and the poor woman are concerned! Condemned by the Pharisees, He is nevertheless justified by Wisdom's child, who is in repentance at His feet, and He lavishes upon her, poor needy sinner as she is, all His love and grace. She came believing, and He pardons and saves, and sends her away in peace. " "THY SINS ARE FORGIVEN." "THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE:GO IN PEACE." Pardon, salvation, peace. Oh the precious grace of God! To the God of all grace, and to His adorable Son, be eternal praise!

Beloved reader, are you one of Wisdom's children? Are you pardoned, saved, and in peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ? or are you careless, indifferent, unbelieving, self-righteous, and therefore resisting the counsel of God against yourself? If the latter, O sin of all sins, which will blight and ruin your soul for eternity! E.A