SERMON XIX.

The general Rule of God's Dealing with Mankind; and the same applied to the Case of Jews and Gentiles at large, and of Christians in particular, compared with each other.

MATTH. XX. 16.

So the last shall be first, and the first last for many be called, but few chosen.

THESE words conclude the parable of the labourers hired into the vineyard at several different hours of the day; the morning hour, the third hour, the sixth, the ninth, and the eleventh.

The Jewish way of computing their time was, to begin with sunrise, and to end with sunset; reckoning twelve hours to the day: whereas our way, now in use, begins at midnight, and ends at mid-day; which makes six hours difference in the order of computation.

To understand the several hours at which the labourers were hired, they were, in our style, and according to our reckoning, thus: early in the morning, about six, the first labourers were hired; then again at nine in the morning were hired more; at twelve, our noon, more still; and at three in the afternoon, more; the last of all at five in the afternoon, answering to what the Jews called the eleventh hour.

At these several times, the householder in the parable hired labourers to work in his vineyard: and when "the

even was come," that is, six o'clock at night, the lord of the vineyard was to pay them for their day's work. Some of them had been labouring the whole day, from six to six, twelve hours; others from nine to six; others from twelve to six; others from three to six; and the last of all but a single hour, from five to six. Now the lord of the vineyard, however unequal their times of labour had been, was yet pleased to give them all the very same wages: that is, he paid every man the usual wages for a whole day's work; beginning at the last, and so going on to the first. The first had no just reason to complain, because they were paid their full hire, as much as they had agreed for, and as much as any man could reasonably demand for a day's work: they had therefore no injustice done them: but yet, it seems, they were not well pleased, but "murmured against the good "man of the house," for being so beneficent and liberal to others: "These last," say they, "have wrought but one "hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which "have borne the burden and heat of the day." They could not pretend that he had given them too little, or that their work deserved more; but their complaint was, that he had been barely just to them, when he had been kind and liberal to others: and upon this they were disposed to murmur; putting in their claim to an equal share in their lord's goodness and generosity. In return to their complaint, the lord of the vineyard thus answers one of them: "Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with

me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: "I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not "lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is "thine eye evil, because I am good?"-And thus endeth the parable. The moral of it then follows: "So the last "shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but "few chosen." The parable was undoubtedly intended to represent God's dealings with mankind, in regard both to their outward call to the means of grace, and to the future retribution in a state of glory. For the further clearing of the whole, my design is,

I. To state the thing in general; showing upon what general rules and maxims God's dealings with mankind are founded.

II. To apply those general rules to the case of Jews and Gentiles at large, and of Christians in particular, compared with each other.

I.

I shall endeavour to state the thing in general; showing upon what general rules and maxims God's dealings with mankind are founded.

1. We may lay it down for a certain truth, or maxim, that "God is no respecter of persons," nor subject to any partial fondness in the distributions of his favours. All his disposals are strictly just and equitable, founded in reasons of consummate wisdom, goodness, and equity. His favours indeed are free; and he may "do what he will with "his own:" he may call whom he pleases to the means of grace here, and so to eternal happiness hereafter. It is of his own pure goodness that he either created or has redeemed any man; or that he shall confer eternal happiness upon him. No one has any strict claim upon him in any of these respects, that he should presume to call God his debtor, or to murmur against him, as doing him any wrong, by withholding from him such blessings as are merely matter of free bounty and favour. And this is intimated in a lively manner by the parable, to prevent all aspiring thoughts and proud assumings; to keep men humble and modest, especially in their claims upon God, the Lord of the whole universe, and the sovereign Judge of all the world. Nevertheless, we may be allowed to think, nay, we are bound both to think and say, that, saving to God his absolute freedom and sovereignty, he has such a regard, not only to strict justice, but even to equity too, in all his dealings with men, as to observe an exact equality and proportion in his distributions towards them: which in many cases may appear plain to us; and would so in all, were we let into the whole secret of the Divine conduct, and could see through all the circum

stances: and therefore, whenever God is represented in holy Scripture as acting arbitrarily, and after his own will and pleasure, the design of it is only this; that it is sufficient for us low creatures to know that it is his pleasure; we ought to acquiesce and rest satisfied in it; though at the same time it be certain (and so much we ought to infer) that, because it is his pleasure, it is therefore wise, just, and good; whether we see the reasons for it, or whether we do not. We are certain in the general, and so much Scripture itself, as well as true and sound reason, informs us, that a strict proportion is observed in God's dealings with men; and that all equitable considerations are constantly taken into account. "To whomsoever much is given, of him "shall be much required;" and to whomsoever less is given, the less shall be demanded of him.

It appears likewise from Scripture, compared with Scripture, that there will be degrees both of rewards and punishments hereafter, in proportion to the merits and demerits of persons here; that so all seeming inequalities will then be fully adjusted, and every account equitably balanced at the great day of retribution.

This being premised, and fixed as a general and standing rule of God's dealings with men, I now proceed to observe in particular,

2. That, as to the instance of the labourers in the parable, who were not rewarded in proportion to their respective services, all we ought to conclude from it is this; that the length of their labours, or the time taken up therein, was not the only thing to be considered: there were other circumstances to be taken into account, in order to a due and just proportion in the retribution. Perhaps, those who wrought but a few hours, or but one hour, were as willing to work as others could be; only they had not the good fortune to be hired so soon. Perhaps they might be in more pain and uneasiness for want of work, and might really suffer more trouble on that account, than others found in their day's labour. Perhaps, after they were hired, they might work with ten times the diligence

and application that the others did. When an all-wise God appoints the work, and is to distribute the wages, every minute circumstance shall be exactly weighed and considered. It is not with him as with an earthly master, so much service, so much wages; neither is it computed by the time spent in the mere outward service: men thus deal with one another; because they can look no farther than to the outward work; and because they propose only to have the work done, for the supplying their own occasions: but a wise and good God knows and considers all circumstances; makes allowances for necessary lets and impediments; looks at the men, as well as at the work; at their tempers, their dispositions, their heartiness, and forwardness, in what they do; and, upon the whole, states and balances the account with an unerring exactness. And when he gives us no other reason for what he does herein, but that it is his pleasure to do so; that ought to satisfy us, because his pleasure is always founded upon great and weighty considerations, though perhaps not known to us, or such as we are not capable of knowing. That the case is really so, we may learn from some plain intimations given us by our Lord himself. Mary, the sister of Martha, is represented as a late penitent, and one who had once been a very sinful woman: but then, as her sins had been extraordinary, so was her repentance also: and accordingly our Lord said of her, "her sins, which ❝are many, are forgiven, because she loved much." Here we may perceive, how the rule of proportion was exactly observed in that particular instance: and we may justly infer from thence, that the same equitable measures are as exactly followed in all God's dealings what

soever.

3. I may observe, that the same thing is intimated, though more obscurely, in the parable itself; and especially in the conclusion, which makes part of my text, in these words, "many are called, but few are chosen ;" which is the reason given, why sometimes "the last shall "be first, and the first last." It is an advantage, most