depends upon his being and acting as a sovereign. For by acting in a sovereign and irresistible manner, he will infallibly overrule all things for his own glory; which will necessarily secure the highest good of all his benevolent and dutiful

servants.

5. Since God places his highest happiness in promoting the highest happiness of his creatures, we have solid ground to believe that he will fulfil all his great and precious promises to believers. He has inseparably connected their happiness with his own. If he will certainly seek his own blessedness, he will as certainly seek theirs; and if he is able to make himself most perfectly blessed, he is as able to make all those whom he has set apart for himself, completely blessed. He has made as rich and large promises of good to his people as he can make. He has promised that all things shall work together for good to them that love him; and that all things are theirs; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are theirs. All the promises which God has made to his people, are founded in his pure and perfect benevolence, and can no more fail than his benevolence can fail. And his love to his creatures can no more fail than his love to himself, because it is pure disinterested love, which regards their good as his own. The same perfectly benevolent spirit which moves him to seek his own blessedness, equally moves him to seek the blessedness of those whom he has renewed and sanctified. As he has begun a good work in them, he will irresistibly carry it on until it is completed. Though they may meet with a thousand difficulties, embarrassments, discouragements and fiery trials, in their Christian course, yet these will no more prevent their receiving the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls, than they will prevent God's obtaining his supreme and ultimate end, even his own supreme and everlasting blessedness. For the very same things which will promote his glory, will equally promote their final felicity. Hence Christ said to his followers, just before he left them to go to heaven, "Because I live, ye shall live also."

6. If God places his own blessedness in promoting the highest good of the universe, then there is the same solid ground to believe that he will fulfil his threatenings to the wicked, as there is to believe that he will fulfil his promises to the righteous. For the only reason why he determined to save a part and not the whole of mankind, was, because he saw that by saving only a part he could promote the greatest good of the universe, and most clearly act out the benevolence of his heart. His decree of reprobation originated in the same benevolence in

which his decree of election originated. So that there is the same reason to believe that he will carry into effect his decree of reprobation, as there is that he will carry into effect his decree of election. His own blessedness, and the good of the universe, both necessarily require him to execute his decree of reprobation, as well as his decree of election. God's threatenings to the finally wicked stand upon the same immovable foundation that his promises to the finally righteous do. They both stand upon the perfect, immutable benevolence of God. The argument, the principal argument, therefore, which is usually employed to prove that God will not fulfil his threatenings to the wicked, demonstratively proves that he will. The argument is taken from his infinite benevolence. It is said that God is too good to make any of his creatures, even his most sinful ones, for ever miserable. But it was owing to his benevolence to himself and to the universe, that he decreed to save a part and not the whole of the human race; and the same benevolence will infallibly move him to execute this decree. There is precisely the same reason to believe that God will fulfil his threatenings, as that he will fulfil his promises; and the same reason to believe both, that there is to believe that he is perfectly benevolent and infinitely blessed.

7. We learn from what has been said, that none can be miserable, in time or eternity, but those who are unwilling that God should promote the highest good of the universe. Those who are desirous that God should do this, must be completely gratified and blessed, when they shall see this glorious and benevolent design accomplished. But those who are unwilling that God should bring about this happy event, must of necessity be completely disappointed and wretched. And do not those who are hostile to the highest good of the universe, deserve the disapprobation and condemnation of all holy and benevolent beings? Do they not deserve the tokens of God's displeasure, and of the displeasure of all the heavenly world? But who are they that are unwilling God should promote the highest good of the universe? They are certainly such as are unwil ling that God should glorify himself, by punishing the finally impenitent and incorrigible. And are there not many such in this world, who would rather God should not be glorified in promoting the highest blessedness of himself, and the highest happiness of the universe, than that he should make either themselves or others miserable for ever? All unrenewed sinners possess such selfish feelings, and desire that God would make them happy, though it should diminish his own blessedness, and obstruct the highest good of the universe. And they bitterly complain of God, if he will not gratify their selfish feel

ings. But it is morally impossible for him to gratify their selfish and sinful desires. He must pursue and accomplish his benevolent purposes, though it sinks them in endless perdition. But this they might escape, if they would only renounce their unreasonable and selfish desires, and exercise pure and disinterested benevolence, which is their indispensable duty. God's ways are equal; he regards the good of the whole, more than the good of individuals; but their ways are unequal; for they regard the good of individuals more than the good of the whole. It would be infinitely wrong for God to renounce his benevolent object, and pursue their selfish object. But it would be perfectly wise and right in them to renounce their object, and pursue his. Therefore "let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Finally: Let all the friends of God appear on his side, in this murmuring, repining, unbelieving, rebellious world, who hate. him and oppose him without a cause. Let them go on their way rejoicing, while others murmur and complain. Let them unite with God in carrying on his designs, while others attempt to counteract and oppose them. Let them love and promote truth, while others run into errors and fatal delusions. They have the greatest encouragement to do this; for God is on their side, and employing all his perfections for their good. He is promoting the most benevolent design, which he will infallibly accomplish. By its accomplishment, he will raise the holiness and happiness of the universe to the highest possible perfection, which shall continue for ever and ever. And in the high

est holiness and happiness of the universe, God will perfectly gratify his infinite benevolence, and enjoy infinite and everlasting blessedness. Amen.

SERMON XXXVIII.

THE FINAL HARVEST.

THE harvest is the end of the world.

MATTHEW, xiii. 39.

AFTER Christ had spoken and explained the parable of the sower, "he put forth another parable saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came, and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." This parable Christ spake to the multitude, in the hearing of his disciples, who, when Jesus had sent the multitude away, and went into the house, " came unto him saying, declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that sowed the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world; the Son of man

shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. Who that hath ears to hear, let him hear." By this parable Christ gives us a lively and striking representation of the last day. "The harvest is the end of the world." The time of harvest, is the time when men reap the fruits of their long and painful labors. So the end of the world is the time when God will reap the fruits, not only of his own labors, but of the labors of all whom he employs in his vineyard. The text in this connection plainly teaches us,

That God will have a harvest at the end of the world.

I shall endeavor to make it appear, in the first place, that God will have a harvest, and in the second place, that this harvest will be at the end of the world.

I. God is the wisest, the most powerful, and most active being in the universe. He always proposes some wise and important end in all he does. No wise man will cultivate and sow his field, without a design of reaping a valuable crop. Who then can suppose that God will be incessantly sowing, without any design of reaping? He had a wise design in creating the world, and he is constantly exerting his almighty power in accomplishing his primary and important design. He employs his powerful influence every moment in preserving and governing the world, in causing the regular succession of day and night, of winter and summer, of seed time and harvest, and in bringing about every event that takes place in any part of his vast dominions. And can we entertain the thought that he will exert his omnipotence for thousands of years, without obtaining his object, and enjoying the fruits of his labors? The ultimate end of all labor is rest and enjoyment. Men labor in one season, in order to enjoy rest in another. God intends that all his great and laborious exertions shall terminate in eternal rest and enjoyment. Though his plan of operation be immensely great in duration, as well as extent, yet it must be completely accomplished. Though his seed time may continue many thousand years, yet it is inseparably connected with the harvest. To suppose that he should be eternally creating new worlds, or new modifying old ones, would be to suppose that he has no perfect, consistent and ultimate end in view. And to suppose this, would destroy all the wisdom of his operations. His ultimate end, therefore, in the creation of this world, must be completely accomplished; and the accomplishment of it must put a final period to all his operations, and to the operations of