| 492 and they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right that shall ye receive."
It is evident that the term "hour," here stands for a noted epoch of the world, or the commencement of an important dispensation; and the 'day for the whole time of the world's existence in its present state. For instance, in the morning of the creation, the Lord sent laborers into the vineyard, in the days of Noah and Abraham he sent others into it, and also at the commencement and duration of the Mosaic dispensation. These may answer to the first, third and sixth hours, for it is plain that in each of these periods the Lord performed a work adopted to the peculiarities of the age, or in other words, that he committed a dispensation to his people. At the opening of the Christian, which corresponds to the "ninth hour," he had a great work to do; therefore, he sent many into the vineyard. But in the latter days, which corresponds to the "eleventh hour," he will commission and send other servants into his vineyard.
That the term "hour" in this parable refers to a noted epoch of time in the history of the world, is plain from the following: Verily, verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear them shall live;" John v:25. Christ here certainly alludes to the resurrection from the dead, and should we apply the term "hour" here used, in its literal sense, as meaning but sixty minutes of time, we would make a contradiction of terms, for he surely alludes to two resurrections, or periods at which a resurrection shall take place. No resurrection took place during the literal hour in which he said this; but in that age or epoch of the world, for proof of which we refer the reader to Mat. xxvii, 52, 53: The "hour that is coming" refers to the resurrection that is yet to transpire.
Having, as we trust, satisfactorally [satisfactorily] settled the question, relative to the term hour, we will now examine the manner in which the Lord called men to work in his vineyard at these respective periods. He had a particular work to perform in the days of Noah; the consequence was, he called him to perform it, and gave revelations adapted to the same, which were to proclaim the law of righteousness, and construct an ark for the saving of himself and family. These revelations did not conflict or infringe upon any item of the law of God which was previously given to Adam, Enoch and others; but were such as were absolutely necessary to suit the peculiar circumstances of Noah and his family, but not those of another age.
Abraham lived in what is generally termed the patriarchal dispensation. He was called by revelation, and authorized to perform the work that the Lord had to do in this age. Had Abraham taken the position that many of the religionists of the present time have, he would have contended that his ancestors who lived at the opening of the patriarchal dispensation received revelations which were sufficient for him and his posterity after him. Suppose that Lot, after the angel appeared to him, and warned him to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah, had replied that the revelations that were given to those who lived before, were all sufficient; or in other words, instead of acting in accordance with the express command to flee to Zoar, had undertaken to build an ark to save himself and family from the awful conflagration; would not the result have been his distruction [destruction]? An ark answered the purpose of Noah, but it would not that of Lot.
(To be Continued)
THE MANNER IN WHICH THE ANCIENT CHRISTIANS WERE CALUMNIATED.
We extract the following from "Milner's Church History," that our readers may compare the slanderous imputations that were lavished upon the former day saints, with those of the latter days.
"The extracts from Celsus, who wrote in the latter end of the second century, preserved in Origen's work against him are very valuable which I have stated. I shall select a few passages, partly from the collections of others, and partly from such as I have noticed myself. The reader must be prepared to hear bitter things. A more spiteful calumniator hardly ever existed; but he may serve a purpose which he never intended: when the following extracts have been seriously considered, the just inferences to be drawn from them, concerning the nature of the gospel, and the characters of its professors, cannot fail to present themselves to the mind of every candid inquirer after truth.
'When they say, do not examine, and the like, in their usual manner, surely it is incumbent on them to teach what those things are which they assert, and whence they are derived.'
'They say; Wisdom in life is a bad thing, but folly is good.'
'Christ was privately educated, and served
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