bandmen throughout the Parable agrees to this Expofition: When they faw the Tares spring up, they betrayed no Consciousness of Guilt or Negligence; they did not come with Excuses to their Mafter, but with a Question, which plainly speaks how little they mistrusted themselves: Sir, didft not thou fow good Seed in thy Field? From whence then hath it Tares? Would any Servant, who had fuffered the Field to grow wild by his own Lazinefs, have expoftulated the Case in such a manner? The Master, far from charging any of his Family with the Fault, lays it at another Door, An Enemy hath done this. Upon which the Servants, not sparing of their own Pains, were defirous to go to work immediately, and to root out all the Tares at once. What is there in all this, that fuits with the Character of a lazy, idle, negligent Servant? What is there that does not speak a Care and Concern for their Master's Affairs? As foon as they discover the Tares, they go directly to their Mafter, and inform him, and offer their Service to root them out. In this Particular he corrects their Judgment, though he does not condemn their Diligence. And, in truth, one main View of the Parable is to correct the Zeal of those, who cannot fee the

Enemy. Whilft they were awake, their Care was awake alfo, and the Enemy had no Accefs: But fleep they muft, Nature requires it; and then it was the Enemy did the Mifchief. Had it been faid, while Men played, or were careless, or riotous, that would have been a Charge upon them; but to say, while Men flept, is so far from proving that their Negligence caufed it, that it plainly proves their Diligence could not prevent it. For, what will you say? Should Hufbandmen never fleep? It is a Condition upon which they cannot live, and therefore their fleeping cannot be charged as their Crime. This Circumstance therefore in the Parable is to fhew, not the Fault of the Husbandmen, but the Zeal and Industry of the Enemy to do Mischief. Watch him as narrowly as you will, yet ftill he will break through all your Care and Diligence. If you do but step afide, compelled by the Call of Nature, to eat, to drink, or to fleep, he is ready to take the Opportunity to fow his Tares; and the Ground, which will not answer the Hufbandman's Hope without his Toil, and Labour, and Cost, will produce the ill Seed of its own accord, and yield but too plentiful a Crop. Farther, the Character of the Hufbandmen

bandmen throughout the Parable agrees to this Expofition: When they faw the Tares fpring up, they betrayed no Consciousness of Guilt or Negligence; they did not come with Excuses to their Master, but with a Question, which plainly speaks how little they mistrusted themselves: Sir, didft not thou fow good Seed in thy Field? From whence then hath it Tares? Would any Servant, who had fuffered the Field to grow wild by his own Lazinefs, have expoftulated the Cafe in fuch a manner? The Mafter, far from charging any of his Family with the Fault, lays it at another Door, An Enemy hath done this. Upon which the Servants, not sparing of their own Pains, were defirous to go to work immediately, and to root out all the Tares at once. What is there in all this, that fuits with the Character of a lazy, idle, negligent Servant? What is there that does not speak a Care and Concern for their Master's Affairs? As foon as they discover the Tares, they go directly to their Mafter, and inform him, and offer their Service to root them out. In this Particular he corrects their Judgment, though he does not condemn their Diligence. And, in truth, one main View of the Parable is to correct the Zeal of thofe, who cannot fee the

Iniquity of the World without great Indigna♣ tion; and, not being able to stop or to correct it themselves, are apt to call upon God to vindicate his own Cause, by taking the Matter to himself, and punishing the evil Doers. The Men who have this Zeal and Warmth against Iniquity, are not commonly the idle, negligent Rulers; nor can we fuppofe that our Saviour would paint the fame Men in fuch different Colours in the Compafs of a hort Parable, representing them idle and careless at the twenty-fifth Verse, active and zealous at the twenty-eighth. Besides, as was obferved before, to charge the Wickednefs of the World upon the Negligence of this or that Part of Men anfwers no Purpose of the Parable, which is to justify the Wif dom of Providence in permitting the Sins of Men to go unpunished for the present: But the Juftification does not arise from confidering the Causes of Iniquity, but from confidering the Effect which immediate Punishment would have. In the other Way, now explained to you, this Circumstance, that while Men flept the Tares were fown, promotes the main End of the Parable, and completes the Juftification of the Providence of God: For this fhews, that Offences muft needs come ;

they

they are not to be prevented without dif turbing the very Courfe of Nature, without God's interpofing miraculously to fufpend the Workings of fecond Caufes; fince all Care exercised in an human Way is too little, for even when Men fleep, and fleep they must, the Enemy will fow his Tares. Since therefore the Parable fhews, that Iniquity can neither be prevented, nor immediately punished, confiftently with the Wisdom and Goodness of God, it fhuts out every Complaint, and forces us to acknowledge, that God is just in all his Ways, and righteous in all his Dealings with Mankind.

The Scope of the Parable being thus accounted for, let us now proceed to confider the Text more particularly; which contains the Reason, Why God delays to punish the Sins of Men in this World, referving them to the Judgment which fhall be hereafter. There are two Ways in which we may confider the Words of the Text:

First, As they regard the particular Case in View, and account for the Justice of God in suspending his Judgments.

Secondly, As they furnish us with a Principle of Reason and Equity applicable to