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4. And faid unto them, Go ye alfo into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, I will give you. And they went their way.

5. Again he went out about the fixth and ninth bour, and did likewife.

6. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others ftanding idle, and faith unto them, why ftand ye here all the day idle?

7. They fay unto him, because no man bath hired us. He faid unto them, Go ye alfo into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye re

ceive.

8. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard faith unto his fteward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the laft unto the firft.

9. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10. But when the first came, they fuppofed that they should have received more, and they likewife received every man a penny.

II. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house;

12. Saying, thefe last have wrought but one bour, and thou haft made them equal unto us, which bave borne the burden and heat of the day.

13. But he answered one of them, and faid, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didft not thou agree with me for a penny?

14. Take that thine is, and go thy way; I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will. with my own? is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16. So the laft fhall be firft, and the first laft for many be called, but few chofen.

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The MORAL REFLECTION.

UR Saviour propofes this parable, to teach us God's kindnefs to men; his goodness in rewarding their virtues, and man's folly in difobeying his call, and refufing his invitation. It is a Poftulatum in religion, that we were made for heaven; nor is it lefs certain that we must labour to enter upon the poffeffion of this bleffed inheritance: And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he fent them into his vineyard. He promises a reward, but he requires work; he leaves us the profit of our sweat, and referves only to himself the glory. Yet it is certain all thofe people, who covered their idleness with want of imployment, would not accept of the favourable Opportunity of bettering their fortune. They chofe rather to faunter away the day in the market, than to work it away in the vineyard, altho' their very idlenefs was laborious and without advantage, and their labour fweetened by the expectation of a reward; For many were called, but few chofen. And to keep up the parallel, altho❜ God requires fo little at our hands, and promifes fo much; tho' our toil is fhort, and our recompence will be eternal; we decline the offer, lay hold of fome petty amusement, and leave a happy eternity

to a venture.

Tho' God commands us to labour, he furnishes us with materials, and feems even to stretch his infinite wisdom, in procuring inftruments not only convenient, but moft proper to facilitate the performance of the task he has impofed upon us. He receives us into his fervice by baptifm; he arms us against the burthen, and heat of the day, thofe difficulties that interpofe between us and our duty, by his grace: and if we faint thro' weaknefs or cowardife; if we fink under the force of temptation,

and

and throw up our innocence for an unlawful fatisfaction, his goodness has ftill an infallible remedy in reserve, repentance. This restores a finner to God's favour, renews the covenant, and invefts him again in his forfeited rights, and reinftates him in his loft privilege of being heir of heaven: befides, he awakens our indifference by a thousand menaces, and animates our hopes by as many promises: he fets fometimes before us the difmal profpect of fire and brimftone, of a worm that never dies, of a life that always dies, and of a death that ever lives; then he opens heaven gates, and gives us a view of that feat of blifs, of that region of happiness, where we fhall fear no misfortune, nor defire any greater felicity: he raises our conscience against us when we do ill, and fills us with an internal joy when we do well. In fine, he dafhes all our brutish pleasures with wormwood, and the most mortifying virtues with honey.

And now to confider the general practice of the world, who would not be tempted to think that hell were an unknown region to Chriftians? And yet it is to be fear'd, too many, after death, become acquainted with it. Our bleffed Saviour declares in exprefs terms, that many are called, but few chofen. That heaven gate is narrow, and few enter. To omit many more no lefs plain, than terrible expreffions, which clearly fhew, that, altho' all Chriftians are call'd in a most particular manner to the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, yet few are chofen. And the reafon is, because most run on in the broad way that leads to perdition, and few take the path that carries to heaven. I know fome extend these terrible truths, proclaimed by the mouth of the Son of God, not only to Chriftians, but to the whole race of mankind. Notwithstanding, he fpake to the apoftles, whom he had taken into a peculiar privacy. He fpake to thofe, who, charmed M 2

by

by his divine fermons, and aftonifh'd at his miracles, in all probability believed in him; and thefe circumstances seem to imply, that few, even of those, that then did, or fhould for the future receive his doctrine, would be faved. In fine, he pronounced this fentence, few are chofen, immediately after he had, in the parable, ordered thofe, he found idling away their time, to labour in his vineyard, to wit, in his church; and by confequence it is highly probable, many are called, but few chofen, has relation to those he calls to his fervice by a more clear and explicite invitation than the blind Pagans of Africa or America.

But altho' this fad truth were delivered in fcripture in terms lefs expreffive, lefs emphatical, experience, practice, and example prove it beyond a poffibility of doubting. For is it not clear, that the practice of the far greater part of Chriftians runs quite counter to their obligation? They feem to place their duty in the tranfgreffion of it; to embrace Christianity merely to abuse it; they neglect what it commands, and do what it forbids. So that we may read in mens actions those vices that are prohibited, but fcarce one virtue that is commanded in the gofpel. It is a common principle, notwithstanding, among Chriftians, that they muft fquare their actions by the maxims of the gofpel; they must model their lives by Christ's, which is to imitate his example, efpoufe his fentiments, love what he approved, and hate what he condemned. This is an article of our faith; as there is no falvation but in his name, fo there is none but in the imitation of his example, and the obfervance of his commands. Now if we confront our practice with Chrift's, our actions with his precepts; fhall we find any refemblance? any proportion? I fear very little.

He

He was born in poverty, lived in mifery, and died a death both cruel and ignominious: he returned favours for affronts, and retaliated his enemies intrigues against his reputation and life, with kindness. Is there one ftroke, one dafh in the whole conduct of the greatest part of Chriftians, that resembles this original? Are Chriftians in love with poverty, who are not content even with abundance? who charge through all the ties of nature, honefty, and confcience, for a petty lucre, and barter heaven for a trifle? Are they admirers of afflictions, who even torment themselves, to evade them, who run mad after pleasure, under every disguise, and court it in all dreffes? Do they love their enemies, who to the laft extent of their power confpire their deftruction? and when they have ruined their eftate by unjust law-fuits, and their reputation by the venom of a flanderous tongue; in fine, when they have pleaded their neighbour's purfe empty, and funk his good name to the lowest contempt, wifh him ftill more unfortunate than their malice can make him? If then we fhall not be faved, but by forming our lives upon the model of Christ's, we may truly conclude, that tho' all men are called, few are chofen.

Now, as our practice has no relation to our Saviour's, fo it is diametrically oppofite to his commands. Darkness comes nearer light, than our conduct to our duty. St. Paul tells the Galatians, chap. v. 19. That the works of the flesh are manifeft, which are, adultery, fornication, uncleannefs, lafcivioufnefs, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and fuch like: of the which I tell you before, as I have alfo told you in times paft, that they, who do fuch things, Shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Here is a black catalogue of crimes, that damn the crimi

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nals;

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