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Servants; but only to his own Word. (Debet fibi, Non Tibi.) 'Tis the Crown of Righteoufnefs, which the Lord the righteous Judge will Give. I Tim. 6. 8. Give it, because he is Merciful, and faithful to Fulfil what he has faid. But ftill, 'tis Giving; Not Paying: And fo, 'fhuts out all Deferving. Indeed, how

is it poffible, that poor Imperfect Works 'fhould ever Deferve the moft Perfect E'ternal Blifs: Or that any one should

Deferve to be Paid, for Rendring that 'which he Owes? Or that the Good 'Works which God Works in us, (those Works that are his own Gifts to us,) 'fhould make him a Debtor, fo exceffively to Pay us?

Such, and many more Abfurdities in the Doctrine of Merit, which could hardly efcape the Notice of an Author fo Sagacious, have even extorted from 'him feveral Conceffions and Affertions all over this Work, very Inconsistent with 'fuch a proud Tenent. But his Engagement with a Party, whofe forry Caufe needs thofe ill Arts, put him upon the Neceffity of fo Contradicting himself; as to Revoke in one Place what he had Afcrib'd and Given to God's Grace, in feveral others.

"In his Defcant upon the Lord's going out to call Labourers into his Vineyard,

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at the Eleventh Hour, I find his hard 'Censure of the holy Patriarchs and Prophets; That they fhould all of 'em, for 'Hundreds, Yea Thousands of Years, 'be kept, I know not where, out of Heaven: And that, not only the Apostles: and Martyrs of the Primitive Age; but the Monafticks and Votaries of the Romish Church fince them, fhould be fo 'much aforehand with the old Saints, as to Deserve much better, for doing and 'Suffering much more, in this Gospel' time, which he calls the Eleventh Hour; 'I cannot tell, whence he fhould fetch this Divinity: When nothing like it appears to me in Mat. 20. or any where elfe, that I can find, in Old or New • Teftament.

"He will have thofe Fathers only to Admire, and not Repine, at the Lord of the Vineyard, for his Difproportionate Rewards. But if he be not quite out in his Notion, That the Patriarchs and Prophets were thofe Labourers that wrought till "the Laft Hour, i. e. from the Beginning of the World till thefe Gofpel-days of our Lord's Coming, I think then, they have caufe to Murmur at this Author, for fo Poft-poning them, who (according to his own Account,) must be the Men that bore the Burden and Heat of the Day. And Yet he feems to make no Account of their

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Labours; As if any Monks or Abby-Lubbers out-did 'em.

But in what follows, I must readily comply with him; That not all who are called in the Laft hour fhall receive the Reward, unless they apply themselves (for that Short time,) to Labour in the Lord's Vineyard. Because fo many, from this very Confideration, That Life is fhort, and all here will be gone with them fo quickly, (thence) draw the Atheistical Epicure's Inference, Wifd. 2. 1,- Our Life is Short, and in the Death of a man there is o Remedy. -We fhall vanish away, and be

if we had never been: Therefore let us take our Time, to fly out into all Loose Liberty. Such is the Thought and the Way of them that Know not God, or in their Deeds Deny him. Whence we may take up the Conclufion of this Parable, Many Fare Called, but few Chofen.

But wo to us, If in the Narrow space of our Laft Hour, we do Squander away that little Time in Sleeping, Dreffing, Playing, or Rioting; when we fhould be full of Care, to catch every Minute, that it may not fly from us, till Improved by us. Seeing upon this Moment depends the infinite Eternity of Pleafure and Felicity, or of Pain and Mifery. For how much greater to Chriftians is the Grace of the Gofpel, So much greater will be the Condemnation

demnation from the Lord, to Receive it in Vain. And as the Laft will be Firft in the Rewards, who well Acquit themselves in the Laft bour: So the Laft will be first in the Punishment, who during this Hour, ftand Idle, as if they had Nothing, for God and their Souls, to do.

CHA P. IV.

Of the Talents, and Joy of our Lord.

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HE Fourth Parable is that, Mat. 25. Wherein our Lord thus fpeaks concerning the bleffed Reward Well done good and faithful Servant; Thou baft been Faithful in a few things; I wil make thee Ruler over many things. Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. ver. 21. Two things here are Promifed; The wideft Command, and the higheft Joy. I will make thee Ruler over many things: And those Many things, he calls All his Goods, Chap. 24. 47. And to be Ruler of all bis Goods, What is that but to be Invested with a Power over all Inferior things? And to be made a Partner even in that Empire, which God himself has over all the World. And O what King then, or

Emperor

Emperor upon Earth can hereVye with any the leaft Saint in Heaven.

But because it might be fear'd, That fo ample a Power cannot be Lodg'd in any man, without a great deal of Solicitude and Trouble, to attend it ; Therefore, 'tis added, Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. q. d. As I make thee Partner in the utmoft Power, fo in the moft perfect Reft, and confummate Pleasure: Such as no dif quieting Care can ever hinder or Impair. And how abundant is this Joy promis'd to the Juft in Heaven, O, who can tell? Never fhall we know it, Till Experience teach it. But in the mean while, here are Three words, by which we may make fome Conjecture of it.

The first is [Enter;] For 'tis not faid, The Joy of the Lord fhall enter into thee; Bui thou shalt Enter into it. Which speaks it to be a bigger Joy, than we are able to Contain. That we fhall be Overwhelmed with it, as in a mighty Sea of Eternal delight. A Joy that will Fill us within, and Overflow without, and Abound all over on every fide. What place then for any manner of Trouble can there be, in fuch a fulness and Affluence of Joy?

The next Word is [The Joy,] Where is not promised only this or that particular Satisfaction, in fuch or fuch a particular Good; But in the general, and abfolutely,

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