this is as plain as any diforder incident to the body. Men are univerfally indisposed as to religion; and on this account our world is, as a great genius calls it, "the Bedlam of the univerfe." The fame natural faculties, the fame understanding, will, and affections, that render us able to act with prudence in the affairs of this life, are alfo fufficient for the affairs of religion; but, alas! with regard to this they are difordered, though they exercise themselves aright about other things. They can acquire the knowledge of languages and fciences; but, alas! they have no difpofition to know God, and Jefus Chrift, whom he has fent.They understand how to trade, and carry on schemes for this world; but they will not act wifely for eternity. They have fense enough not to run into the fire, or to drink poison; but they will run on in the ways of fin to everlafting mifery. They will afk the way when they have loft themfelves; but how hard is it to bring them to inquire, What fhall I do to be faved? They will ask help for their bodies from their fellow-creatures, but how hard is it to bring them in the posture of earneft petitioners to ask immortal bleffings for their fouls from God! In fhort, they can contrive with prudence, and act with vigour, courage and perfeverance in the affairs of time; but in the concerns of religion and eternity they are ignorant, ftupid, languid, and careless. And how can we account for this, but by fuppofing that they are degenerate creatures, and that their nature has fuffered a dreadful fhock by the firft fall, which has deprived them of their fenfes! Alas! this is a truth too evident to be denied! SERMON SERMON XXXIX. REJECTION OF CHRIST A COMMON, BUT MOST MARK Xii, 6. Having, yet therefore one fon, his wellbeloved, he fent him alfo laft unto them, faying, They will reverence my fon. HERE is no fin more common or more pernici THER ous in the chriftian world than an unfuitable reception of Jefus Chrift and the gofpel. It is not only the fin of profeffed unbelievers and profane fcoffers, but it often hides itself under the cloak of religion, and a profeffion of faith. It is of fo fubtle a nature, that it is often unfufpected, even by thofe who are deftroyed by it: and it is of fo deadly a nature, that nothing can fave a foul under the power of it. A foul that has the offer of Chrift and the gospel, and yet neglects him, is certainly in a perifhing condition, whatever good works, whatever amiable qualities or appearances of virtue it may be adorned with. If our gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath -not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 2 Cor. iv. 3. John iii. 18. This was the fin of the Jews in Chrift's time, and this brought temporal and eternal ruin upon them. To reprefent this fin in a convictive light is the primary defign of this parable. The bleffed God had chofen the Jews, out of the world, to be his peculiar people, and distinguished them with the gracious privileges of his church. Hence they are represented as his vineyard, enclosed from the wilderness of the world, and furnished with every thing neceffary to render it fruitful. And hence God God is represented as expecting fruit from them, as a man expects it from his vineyard; which intimates the reasonablenefs of their obedience: it is what any one would expect; who would judge by what is due and reafonable. But it does not intimate that God does properly look for or expect what will never come to pafs; for the certainty and univerfality of his fore-knowledge excludes all poffibility of a disappointment. It is fpeaking to us in our own language, which we are most likely to understand; but it must be explained agreeably to the perfection of the nature of God, and not according to the imperfection of ours. The fcribes and Pharifees, the priests and rulers of the Jews, who were intrufted with the management of their church and ftate, are reprefented by the husbandmen, to whom this vineyard was leafed or rented, and they were obliged to make annual payments of a part of the fruit. The fucceffion of fervants fent to demand the income of fruit in its season, signifies the prophets and other meffengers of God fent to the Jews to call them to bring forth the fruits of holinefs. But inftead of obeying the call, they treated them abufively, perfecuted and killed them, and refufed that return of duty which God demanded, and which his diftinguifhing mercies to wards them rendered fo due upon the footing of gratitude. After repeated trials to no purpofe by thefe fervants, the great God refolves to make one trial more, and that by his own Son, his only Son, his beloved Son. Him he will fend to thefe rebellious husbandmen. And he prefumes that, bad as they are, they would at leaft reverence his Son, and count themselves highly honoured in having fuch a meffenger sent to them. He might juftly have fent his army to deftroy them, who had murdered his former fervants; but inftead of this, he fends his Son with propofals of peace once more. He prefumes fuch clemency will melt down the rebels, and make them afhamed of their former conduct. They will rever ence ence my Son as if he fhould fay, "Though they have wickedly abused and flain my fervants, furely they will not dare to treat my fon in the fame manner. Surely, the very fight of him must command awe and reverence. This will alfo make them afhamed of their bafe ingratitude and cruelty to my former meffengers."* When the omnifcient God reprefents himself as prefuming or expecting that they would receive his Son in a friendly manner, it does not intimate, as I juft obferved in a fimilar cafe, that he is defective in knowledge as to things future, or liable to disappointment; but it only expreffes, in the ftrongest manner, the reasonablenefs of the thing expected. It is fo reasonable, that any one who judges only according to the reasonablenefs of the thing, and has no view of futurity, would certainly look for it. It is fo reasonable, that God himself would expect it, were he not omnifcient, and incapable of being deceived by the most plaufible appearances. In this view God expected (that is, he looked upon it as infinitely reasonable) that the Jewish rulers fhould reverence his Son. But, alas! when they faw him, they were raised to a still higher pitch of rebellion and cruelty. They feized the Son himself, caft him out of his own vineyard, and with wicked hands crucified and flew him. On this account the vineyard was taken from them, and let out to others, who fhould pay the great Proprietor his fruit in its feafon; that is, they were caft out of the church, and the Gentiles received in their ftead, who would make a better use of their privileges. This is the primary fenfe of the parable, as referring to the Jews of that age. But it will admit of a more extenfive application. It reaches us in thefe ends of the earth, and all the nations of the world, to * The word, entrepomai, fignifies "to be flushed with fhame," as well as "to reverence" and fo it may be rendered here, "They will be ftruck with fhame at my Son;" that is, “at the fight of him." 1 to whom the gofpel has been proposed: and in this latitude I would confider the text. The world had gone on for four thousand years in wickedness, in fpite of all the means used for its reformation by lawgivers, prophets, and philofophers, and by the providence of God. Perfuafions, warnings, chaftifements, mercies, and whatever had a tendency to bring them to repentance, had been used with them. Philofophers had often reafoned; legiflators had prescribed; prophets had carefully inftructed, allured with promises, and deterred with threatenings, and carried their heavenly credentials in their hands; angels had appeared and conversed with men upon extraordinary occafions; Jefus, the great Angel of the covenant, had given frequent preludes of his incarnation; nay, Jehovah himself had defcended, and published his law with Godlike pomp in the ears of his fubjects on mount Sinai. But all this would not do! the world finned on ftill, impenitent and incorrigible. And what fhall be done in fuch a defperate cafe? What expedient remains to be tried? After fo many meffengers abused, perfecuted, and killed, who will go upon fo dangerous a meffage again? There is indeed the Son of God, the great co-equal of the Supreme Divinity, if he would undertake it, perhaps fomething might be done. But O! who can dare to hope for fuch condescension from one fo high! Who can expect fuch a favour for rebels ripe for vengeance! Who can hope the Father will give him up! My text feems to hint fundry objections against it. He is his Son, his well-beloved Son, and he has but one Son; but one of his rank, though he has produced fo many worlds. And will he part with his Son, his well-beloved, his only Son, and fend him upon fuch a miffion; a miffion fo difficult, fo dangerous, in which fo many of his fervants have loft their lives? Who could believe that even divine love and mercy could go fo far, had we not the teftimony of God in the gofpel for it! Having VOL. II. Ggg one |