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Notes On The Parables Of The New Testament
Excerpt from Notes on the Parables of the New Testament
Perhaps it may be faid, without encroaching on the feel ings of the reader, that mofi of the ideas imbibed by people, in general, in divinity; are received from the pulpit. And while one congregation is attending to explanations of the Parables in one way, another is entertained with different ideas on the fame pafl'ages. When thofe ideas are received, they form quite a difference in the Opinions of chrifiians this diliirnilarity of fentiment engenders twice as much dif affeaion in the heart, where nothing contrary to charity ought to be found this difaffeaion is like a hot bed to the feeds of contention, and roots of bitternefs.
Perhaps it may be faid, without encroaching on the feel ings of the reader, that mofi of the ideas imbibed by people, in general, in divinity; are received from the pulpit. And while one congregation is attending to explanations of the Parables in one way, another is entertained with different ideas on the fame pafl'ages. When thofe ideas are received, they form quite a difference in the Opinions of chrifiians this diliirnilarity of fentiment engenders twice as much dif affeaion in the heart, where nothing contrary to charity ought to be found this difaffeaion is like a hot bed to the feeds of contention, and roots of bitternefs.
290 pages, Hardcover
Published August 13, 2015
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About the author
Hosea Ballou
149 books3 followersUniversalist clergyman and founder-editor of The Universalist Magazine 1819-1828.
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October 27, 2025
I enjoyed Hosea Ballou's treatise on atonement enough that I purposed to read more of his writings. But I also had in mind digging further into this quote of John Humphrey Noyes:
"In relation to the *judgement,* we agree with the Universalists that the second coming of Christ took place in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem. But we differ from them in regard to the nature of that event; believing that Christ literally came in the spiritual world at the time predicted in Matt. 24, and sat in judgement on that part of mankind, both quick and dead, who previous to that time had been ripened for the harvest of destiny, by the influences of the Jewish dispensation and the gospel of Christ and the apostles. We also differ from the Universalists and certain classes of Perfectionists, and agree with most other sects, in believing that the *final* judgement of mankind is yet future—that it will take place at the end of the 'times of the Gentiles,' as the judgement of the second coming took place at the end of the times of the Jews."
There was nothing in Ballou's book on atonement about Christ's second coming. So I was hoping that in this exposition on the parables Ballou might say something about it. And indeed he does! Like Noyes, he puts Christ's second coming at the destruction of Jerusalem:
"It seems more than probable, that by the time of the harvest, which in his own exposition [of the wheat and the tares] he says is the end of the world he means the end of the then present state of the Jews, as is so clearly expressed in Matt. xxiv. Nothing can be more evident than that what Jesus and his disciples meant by the end of the world, of which we read, in this chapter was the end of the Jewish polity and their destruction by the Romans."
Ballou agrees with Noyes about the purpose of the second coming in 70 A.D.: "The coming of the Son of man in the dispensation of the gospel, was to destroy the whole heavens of religious order, to put out the lights of the Levitical priesthood, and to shut the door against the Jews, so that their darkness and unbelief should effect all which the prophets had allotted to that cause, and to introduce the Gentiles to the light of the gospel, to the bride-chamber of the spiritual bridegroom, and to the knowledge of eternal life."
However Ballou seems to disagree with Noyes about how the world continues. Noyes thinks there will be a future day of judgement at which time the gentiles will be judged. However Ballou seems to think we are *currently* being judged:
"The present is the day in which these scriptures [2 Thes. ii, 7, 8] are receiving their fulfilment. The day of the Lord is already come ; and it burns like an oven. It is manifested by fire, and shall try every man's works, or doctrines, by fire."
Ballou is insistent that this fire is purifying, not punitive:
"Matthew xiii, 49, 50: This furnace of fire is a state of purification, as represented by St. Paul, 1 Cor. iii, 11, &c, where he speaks of a trial of every man's works by fire. This wailing and gnashing of teeth will be found to indicate the situation of the mind in consequence of enduring the loss sustained by this purifying fire. … This wailing seems a very natural incident to a circumstance like that described by St Paul to the Corinthians, where he says, -if any man's work be burnt, he shall suffer loss.' When a man suffers the loss of what he esteems great riches, by the all-devouring element of fire; when he sees the flames rising from all his treasures, which he by no means conceived were combustible, wailing and bitter lamentations are very natural consequences. But who can describe the transition of the despairing mind on discovering that this devouring element is working his greatest possible benefit ! ' But he himself shall be saved ; yet, so as by fire.'"
I can't say I enjoyed this book as much as Ballou's book on atonement. There were a number of places where it bogged down for me. Plus the format did not seem conducive to reasonable organization. If there was a scheme to the order in which the parables were discussed, it escaped me.
"In relation to the *judgement,* we agree with the Universalists that the second coming of Christ took place in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem. But we differ from them in regard to the nature of that event; believing that Christ literally came in the spiritual world at the time predicted in Matt. 24, and sat in judgement on that part of mankind, both quick and dead, who previous to that time had been ripened for the harvest of destiny, by the influences of the Jewish dispensation and the gospel of Christ and the apostles. We also differ from the Universalists and certain classes of Perfectionists, and agree with most other sects, in believing that the *final* judgement of mankind is yet future—that it will take place at the end of the 'times of the Gentiles,' as the judgement of the second coming took place at the end of the times of the Jews."
There was nothing in Ballou's book on atonement about Christ's second coming. So I was hoping that in this exposition on the parables Ballou might say something about it. And indeed he does! Like Noyes, he puts Christ's second coming at the destruction of Jerusalem:
"It seems more than probable, that by the time of the harvest, which in his own exposition [of the wheat and the tares] he says is the end of the world he means the end of the then present state of the Jews, as is so clearly expressed in Matt. xxiv. Nothing can be more evident than that what Jesus and his disciples meant by the end of the world, of which we read, in this chapter was the end of the Jewish polity and their destruction by the Romans."
Ballou agrees with Noyes about the purpose of the second coming in 70 A.D.: "The coming of the Son of man in the dispensation of the gospel, was to destroy the whole heavens of religious order, to put out the lights of the Levitical priesthood, and to shut the door against the Jews, so that their darkness and unbelief should effect all which the prophets had allotted to that cause, and to introduce the Gentiles to the light of the gospel, to the bride-chamber of the spiritual bridegroom, and to the knowledge of eternal life."
However Ballou seems to disagree with Noyes about how the world continues. Noyes thinks there will be a future day of judgement at which time the gentiles will be judged. However Ballou seems to think we are *currently* being judged:
"The present is the day in which these scriptures [2 Thes. ii, 7, 8] are receiving their fulfilment. The day of the Lord is already come ; and it burns like an oven. It is manifested by fire, and shall try every man's works, or doctrines, by fire."
Ballou is insistent that this fire is purifying, not punitive:
"Matthew xiii, 49, 50: This furnace of fire is a state of purification, as represented by St. Paul, 1 Cor. iii, 11, &c, where he speaks of a trial of every man's works by fire. This wailing and gnashing of teeth will be found to indicate the situation of the mind in consequence of enduring the loss sustained by this purifying fire. … This wailing seems a very natural incident to a circumstance like that described by St Paul to the Corinthians, where he says, -if any man's work be burnt, he shall suffer loss.' When a man suffers the loss of what he esteems great riches, by the all-devouring element of fire; when he sees the flames rising from all his treasures, which he by no means conceived were combustible, wailing and bitter lamentations are very natural consequences. But who can describe the transition of the despairing mind on discovering that this devouring element is working his greatest possible benefit ! ' But he himself shall be saved ; yet, so as by fire.'"
I can't say I enjoyed this book as much as Ballou's book on atonement. There were a number of places where it bogged down for me. Plus the format did not seem conducive to reasonable organization. If there was a scheme to the order in which the parables were discussed, it escaped me.
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