XVIII. SERM. it requires the keenest and most judging eye to diftinguish, the niceft hand to separate and disunite them. How careful, for instance, fhould the parent be in the education of his children, left with the tares he root up the wheat alfo! Who shall say whether, in stopping the growth of apparent prodigality, he may not eradicate the noble feeds of charity and benevolence, and fill the garden with the pernicious weeds of avarice and felflove? whether by curbing with severity the freedom and openness of youth, we may not destroy all its courage and spirit, and stain the ingenuous mind with cowardice and diffimulation? The fuppreffion of anger and refentment hath not unfrequently been observed to introduce meanness and pufillanimity: thus may the mistaken husbandman impoverifh that estate which he endeavoured by wrong means to improve, and with the tares root up the wheat alfo. God, XVIII. God, we may obferve, my brethren, SERM. hath in this particular fet an example unto men, and most indifputable it is, that he would not delegate or affign over a power unto them, which he seems himfelf unwilling to exercife; it would ill become us therefore to attempt it. When weak and finful men take upon them the office of extirpating evil, what additional evils do they always produce! How unable are they to distinguish the good wheat from the tares and weeds of the field! Can they know the fecrets of the heart, or enter into the real defigns and intentions of their fellow-creatures? Whenever men have thus impiously asfumed the authority, and invaded the prerogative of their Creator, how dreadful have been the confequences of it! Who can reflect without horror on the fad effects of bigotry and perfecution? Or what shall we fay to that church, VOL. II. which, C XVIII. SERM. which, in direct oppofition to the great husbandman, under a pretence of gathering up the weeds of herefy and fchifm, hath rooted up the faireft fheaves of innocence and virtue ! But the last and most powerful vindication of God's knowledge and juftice is ftill behind, fufficient of itself to stop the clamours, and put to filence the ignorance of foolish men. Omniscience alone is able to diftinguish, to separate, and to reward: the divine husbandman knows precifely at what time the divifion is to be made, when both the wheat and the tares are grown to maturity, when they cannot poffibly be mistaken for, or confounded with each other. Let both, fays.he, grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will Say to the reapers, Gather up together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; them; but gather the wheat into my barn: SERM. XVIII. The fon or, as our Saviour interprets it, This gracious declaration, from the mouth of infinite wifdom, at once removes the veil which ignorance had caft over the determinations of Providence, and opens to us a full and fair prospect of the divine juftice. Thus every doubt is cleared, and every fufpicion banished; all the miferies and misfortunes which the introduction and permiffion of evil brought on the good and virtuous in this world, are amply recompenfed by his superior share of happiness in another. He is moreover indebted to those very forrows, C 2 XVIII. SERM. forrows, which he complained of, for that bleffing which he is to enjoy, as they gave him opportunities of exerting those virtues which increased his reward. Whilft, on the other hand, the workers of iniquity, in proportion to their fuccefs in one state, are punished with more feverity in the other: the longer the tares grow and flourish in the field, the easier are they rooted up, and with the fiercer flames will they burn. To conclude, therefore: If we have any doubts or fcruples concerning the ways of Providence, and the distribution of good and evil in this world, to the last and great day let us with all humility refer them, where every fcruple will be fatisfied, and every doubt removed. In ⚫he mean time let us patiently and piously fubmit to the divine difpenfation: let us rest assured that the great Hufband man |