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is the accomplishment of the prophetic declarations of our Lord in this parable and in other parts of Scripture, that his Church fhould thus become infected and overfpread But how has this evil Did Christ himself in

with wickednefs. been introduced? troduce it?

No.

He fowed good feed

only. Did he approve the introduction of tares among his wheat? No. When he beheld them, he said, an enemy hath done this. As it was his purpose that the members of his Church fhould be put to the proof, and receive the gift of falvation through his blood after a course of willing obedience; he did not bar the entrance against temptation, he did not preclude the existence and ravages of evil. But the author of evil in his Church he ftigmatifed as an enemy. And who was this enemy? Our Lord has difclofed him. The enemy that fowed the tares is the devil. The au thor of the evil by which the world, antecedently to the promulgation of the Gospel, was overwhelmed had not remained unknown. Since the hour when judgement was pronounced in Paradife on the tranfgreffors, he had been declared. Since the hour when the third chapter of the book of Genefis was penned, he had stood recorded.

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recorded. From the fame fountain all the waters of bitterness have flowed. He who has scattered evil throughout the Christian world is that adversary of God and man, who, in the beginning, brought evil upon earth. From the beginning he was a father of lies and a murderer. By inducing Adam and Eve firft to doubt the revealed will of God, and then to difobey his pofitive commandment; Satan became their mafter. Their pofterity he viewed as his flaves; the world as his empire.

When the avenger of man, the divine Redeemer, came fo fet the flaves of Satan free, to transform the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God; the author of evil fought against him, perfecuted him, bruifed his heel, effected his death. When the grave had given back its conqueror, when the good feed which Chrift had fown began to flourifh ; the devil renewed all his wiles to fmother the rifing harveft. He came, while men flept, and fowed tares among the wheat. He exerted every effort of fubtlety to draw back into bondage those who were rescued from his power. He darkened the understandings, and took poffeffion of the hearts of men who watched not against him, liftened to his artifices,

and

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and obeyed not the grace of God. He filled them with the love of falfe doctrines and of evil deeds. And thofe whom he had enfnared into captivity he employed, as inftruments for taking others captive. Hence heretical teachers are termed by St. Paul minifters and apoftles of Satan. Hence alfo St. John affirms that every one who committeth fin is of the devil. The tares are the children of the wicked one. The feed which Satan fows and the crop which it produces; evil fuggeftions, and the fons who are governed by them, equally belong to Satan, are equally tares of his planting. To this hour he continues his enmity against the followers of Chrift. By inward temptation, by the allurements of finful example; by blinding men to the true meaning of the Scriptures; by diffufing ignorance, and lukewarmnefs, and fanaticifm, and pride, and every abominable work of the flesh, he brings multitudes of profeffed Chriftians into his fetters. It is through his persevering enmity that, when you look abroad into the field of the Chriftian church, you behold the good feed reduced to ftruggle, as it were, for life against the tares which on every fide cling around it, and labour to overtop it.

II. Though you charge not God as the author of fin; though you confefs that he cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth be any man: yet perhaps your mind has been astonished and perplexed at his forbearance and long-fuffering respecting wickedness. "When imperfect beings are

placed in a state of trial; the admiffion "of evil," you may have faid to yourself, ❝is unavoidable. But why are finners per"mitted fo long to triumph in impunity, "in fuccefs? I know that God is merciful, " and folicitous that all fhould come to

repentance. But why does he allow men to flourish or to live, when they "become hardened beyond the profpect

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of repentance? I know alfo that he em¿c ploys the wicked for the chastisement of "each other, and as inftruments of probation "to the righteous. But might not the "wicked be cháftifed by other means? ἐσ Might not the righteous be tried without "the conceffion of fo great power, of fuch "lengthened profperity, to the guilty? The

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delay of vengeance is encouragement to "fin. Because fentence against an evil work "is not executed fpeedily; therefore the heart "of the fons of men is fully fet in them to "do evil. They begin to imagine that

"God

"God will never execute his, judgements "in their threatened extent; or that he will never execute them at all; or even that he is indifferent as to good or evil, "Why," you enquire, " has the Almighty'

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adopted fuch a plan in the government "of his church?" He has adopted it because He forefees that it will contribute to the more glorious manifestation of his own perfections, and to the increase of happiness throughout the universe. He permits the continuance of evil so far, and fo far only, as he knows that it will finally promote the establishment of good. Prolonged opportunities of repentance, means of worldly chastisement and probation, are benefits which you acknowledge to arife from the exercise of divine forbearance towards the guilty. Can you compute the amount of thefe benefits? Can you affirm that it exceeds not the evils with which it is accompanied? Can you affirm that a different system of moral government would on the whole be productive of superior, of more abundant, good? Turn however to the parable before you; and read another motive, equally forcible and full of mercy, for the long-fuffering of God. He abstains from commiffioning his miniftering angels

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