world upon the negligence of this or that part of men, answers no purpose of the parable, which is to justify the wisdom of Providence in permitting the fins 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 are not to be prevented without disturbing the very course 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 muft, the enemy will fow his tares. Since therefore the parable fhews, that iniquity can neither be prevented, nor immediately punished, confiftently with the wifdom and goodness of God, it shuts out every complaint, and forces us to acknowledge, that God is juft 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 fins of men in this world, reserving 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 cafe in view,

and account for the juftice of God in fufpending his judgments.

Secondly, as they furnifh us with a principle of reafon and equity applicable to many other cafes.

Firft, as they regard the particular cafe in view, and account for the juftice of God in fufpending his judgments. To fee the full force of the reafon in this respect, it is neceffary to understand what fort of finners are spoken of: for this reason is not applicable to all cafes, many finners are fpared upon other accounts than this which is given us in the text. The finners intended in the text are spared merely on account of the righteous, that they may not be involved in the punishment due to the fins of others: but fome finners are spared out of a mercy which regards themselves, in hopes of their amendment. Thus St. Paul has taught us, that the riches of God's goodness, and forbearance, and long-fuffering, lead to repentance. The finners, who are represented by the tares in the text, are fuch of whose repentance and amendment there is no hope; for tares, let them grow ever fo long, will ftill be tares, they can never turn to wheat. And our Saviour has told us in the close of the parable, that these finners fhall certainly be punished at the last; which cannot certainly be faid of any but incorrigible finners, for he that repenteth, and forfaketh the evil of his way, fhall fave his foul alive.

The finners therefore being confidered as incorrigible, there was no room to juftify the delay of punishment from any circumftances arising out of their own cafe. Even the mercy of God was ex

cluded in this circumftance; for if the incorrigible finner be the object of mercy, no finner need fear punishment. Our Saviour therefore gives them up entirely, and juftifies the wisdom and goodness of God in fparing them from other motives. The interefts of good and bad men are fo united in this world, there is fuch a connection between them in many respects, that no fignal calamity can befal the wicked, but the righteous must have his share in it. It is out of mercy therefore to the righteous that God spares the wicked, left, whilft he gathers up the tares, he fhould root out the wheat alfo. This was Abraham's plea when he interceded with the Lord for the men of Sodom, Wilt thou also deftroy the righteous with the wicked? The reafon of which plea was fo ftrong, that had there been ten righteous perfons in the city, the whole had been. preserved from ruin. In public calamities it is evident that all must be fufferers without diftinction: fire and sword, famine and peftilence, rage indifferently in the borders of the righteous and the finner, and sweep away one as well as the other. Thus far then the reafon of the text moft certainly extends, and fhews us the great mercy of God in forbearing to appear against finners in fuch vifible and exemplary punishments, which would deftroy whole countries, and bring even upon the best of men the punishments due only to the worst.

But are there not, you will fay, many ways of punishing men without including others in the calamity? Do not fevers, and many other diftempers, carry off fingle perfons without fpreading farther? And would not thefe be proper meffengers of Pro

vidence to fingle out defperate finners, in which cafe there would be no danger of involving the righteous in the punishment of the wicked? And if the wicked are spared only for the fake of the righteous, why are they exempted from these punishments, in which the righteous have no concern or connection with them?

In answer to which, several things may be faid: and, firft, to him that afks the queftion, an anfwer may be returned by a like queftion; How do you know but that the wicked are often and commonly thus punifhed? and that the thing is done every day, which you complain of as never done? Wicked men die every day, and die in the way you speak of, fome by fevers, fome by other diftempers or accidents. Can you diftinguish which of them fall in the common way of nature, and which are taken away by the fecret judgments of God? Can you tell by the pulse when a fever is to be reckoned among the common accidents of life, and when to be afcribed to the vengeance of God? If not, how can you tell but that every hour may produce fuch inftances, as you complain are very rare and scarce to be found, and the want of which you think fo great an objection against an overruling Providence? As to outward appearance, the fame casualties attend both the good and the bad; but he has thought very little, who cannot fee that the outward appearance is no rule to judge by in this cafe. Lazarus died, and the rich man died alfo: thus far there was no diftinction in their fate; the lookers on could not fay which was taken away in mercy, and which in judgment but the very next fcene cleared up all the

doubt, and fhewed how terrible a judgment death was to the rich man, how great a mercy to the poor one for the rich man died, and was tormented in hell; the poor man died, and was carried to Abraham's bofom. It may therefore be true, that God does exercise many judgments on the wicked in this filent manner, though it is not in our power to point out the particular inftances, or pronounce upon fingle perfons, who are under judgments, and who not. Now the objection from the want of fuch punishments can have no more force, than the objector has certainty that there are no fuch punishments; and fince there is no certainty in one, there can be no force in the other.

But, fecondly, allow the matter of the objection to be true, that there are great numbers of wicked men ripe for deftruction, who yet escape all these punishments, who live and flourish in the world, and at laft die the common death of men, and, as far as we can judge, go down in peace to their graves yet ftill, though this be allowed, the reafoning of the objection will not be good, because our Saviour's refolution of the general cafe extends to these inftances alfo; and the wicked are often exempted even from private judgment, that the righteous may not be overwhelmed in their ruin. For confider; you fee a great wicked man in a profperous and flourishing condition, and you think his happy tranquillity a perpetual reproach to the providence of God: what would you have done? You would not have God rain fire and brimstone upon the city for the fake of this great offender, fince many innocent perfons would neceflarily fuf