could not but come far fhort of the demerit of their Actions; and after all, would but little contribute to manifeft the Divine Justice of God, or excite the Repentance of Men; fince what God would in that cafe inflict, would be far different from what Men efteem the greatest Mifery: Which ren ders the conftant execution of Divine Juftice in this Life unpracticable.

Other Confiderations make it unreasonable. And firft, the Wifdom of God hath appointed fome time, wherein Man fhould give a trial of his Obedience, and live in a State of Probation; during which time, neither Rewards nor Punishments of his Actions fhould ordinarily be diftributed; but both referved till that Probation fhould expire, and the laft Refolutions of Man were known. This time can be no other than that of Life on Earth; in which Man at his first entrance hath propofed to him the Arguments of Obedience to God, the Rewards of that Obedience, and all other Motives to his Duty. On the other fide, the Pleasures of Sin allure him, the Suggestions of evil Spirits tempt him, the want of Confideration fits him to follow the directions of Senfe alone, and not to trouble himself with any other Intereft than that of this Life. His Will and the freedom of Choice is ftill referved intire to him; Life and Death is fet before him, as it was by Mofes before the Jews: He is at liberty to choose which he pleaseth;

pleafeth; ftill remembring that upon his con duct in this Life depends the Happiness or Mifery of his future State.

In the mean time God ordinarily affrights him not into his Duty, by a certain Execu tion of Punishment confequent in this Life to the Commiffion of his Sins; neither doth he draw him to Obedience by the fenfible experience of Rewards. For that would deftroy all the merit of Faith or Obedience; fince the Actions of Men would then pro ceed from the dictates of their own Senfe, not upon the principle of believing this, be caufe God hath faid it, or doing that because God hath commanded it.

I fay, that ordinarily God doth not difpose Men to Obedience by the fenfible experience of Juftice executed in this Life, although often in Mercy to Mankind, he doth extraordinarily in this Life Reward the eminent good Actions of his Obedient Ser vants, and Punifh the more notorious Sins of Wicked Men. This he doth for the Vindication of his Juftice, and for the Inftruction of other Men, to whom befide the or dinary Light of Revelation, he doth fome time indulge these extraordinary Admoniti ons. But this is not to be drawn into any Rule by us; we may not hence conclude that Profperity is an Argument of the Fa vour of God, or the not inflicting of exemplary Revenge, a fign of Reconciliation with him. Rather we ought to judge, that T 2

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the time of this Life God hath given us for a Trial of Obedience, during which he patiently awaits our Refolution. All this our Lord manifefts to us in the Parable of the Tares, which the Houtholder would not fuffer to be plucked up till the time of Harvelt, but till then, be mixed fecurely among the Corn; plainly infinuating, that the or dinary Providence of God fhould in this Life make no Difcrimination between the Good and Bad; but fuffer both alike to live fecure without any Denunciation of his Judgment till the time of Harveft, which himself explains to be the time of the laft Judgment, when the Tares and Wheat fhould be fevered from each other.

This proceeding indeed doth fhock the common Understanding of Men; but that arifeth from this Prejudice, that Men forming Rules from like Cafes of this World, fondly imagine, that Men have efcaped all poffibility of Punishment, when they have put off the Body; as the Tyrant faid of his Adverfary, who had killed himself, that he bad efcaped his Hands. In that cafe Men fee not Punishment inflicted on them; and then those who are wont to confult the report of Senfe alone, will not believe it, little confidering that it is impoffible the Soul of Man fhould perifh; that after the diffolution of the Body it is no lefs capable of Reward or Punishment, fince by that alone it is that Man even in this Life, is fenfible of either;

that

that after Death it ceaseth not to be the Creature of God, fubject to his Dominion, and refponfible for all its Actions done in this Life, which was the time of Probation allowed to it.

All this is illuftrated by the Parable following in this Chapter, which our Lord purpotely delivered in confirmation of what he had fpoken in the Text. There God is reprefented in the Perfon of the Poffeffor of a Vineyard, wherein was an unfruitful Vine; the ordinary apprehenfions of Men are reprefented in the Dreffer of that Vineyard, who perceiving the unfruitfulness of the Vine, prefently crieth out, that it ought to be cut down, that it cumbreth the Ground, that it fhould be rooted up and caft out of the Vineyard. The Owner of the Vineyard on the contrary commandeth it should be let alone for fome while longer, that it may fully appear, if perhaps it will ever bear Fruit; during which he willeth the Dreffer of his Vineyard to dig about it and dung it, to promote the fertility of it by all means poffible; and if after all it continueth unfruitful, then giveth Sentence that it shall be cut down.

During the time of this Life, God executeth not his final Sentence upon Men; he doth not immediately deliver them up to the Tormenter upon the first Act of Dilobedience; for then alas who could be faved? But with an admirable Patience awaits their T 3

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Repentance till the end of Life, when there is no more place of Repentance left; and in the mean time promotes it by the folicitațions of his Spirit, by the admonitions of his Paftors, by all imaginable methods, which may incline the Will of Man, without put ting any force upon it. If then, in this Life, we find not the juft recompence of our evil Actions; it is not because they have escaped the knowledge of God, or pafs unregarded by him; it is not because they deserve not the Divine Vengeance, or that we continue in his Favour; but because he will not alter the method of his moft prudent Government of the World, nor violate the ordinary Rules of it; by which he hath determined this World to be the Stage of Action for Mankind, and the next to be the Seat of Judgment.

Yet may not this forbearance of God encourage Men to deferr their Repentance till the end of their Life. That St. Paul tells us, Rom. 2. Is to defpife the riches of the goodness, forbearance and long-fuffering of God, and thereby to treafure up wrath against the day of wrath. Our Lord throughout all his Gofpel warns Men concerning the suddeness and unexpected time of his coming to Judg. ment, in prevention of this fatal Errour What his fecond coming was to the Jews, and what his laft coming in Judgment will be to all Mankind, that Death is to us, which if it finds us unprepared, all the mife