SERMON XVIII. MATTHEW XIII. 24, 25. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which fowed good feed in his field; but when men flept, his enemy came and fowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. SUCH XVIII. is the impatience, the igno- SERM. rance, and the ingratitude of mankind, that whilst the manifold bleffings poured on them by their divine Benefactor, are utterly forgotten or difregarded; the few evils which they fuffer are most warmly resented, and most grievously complained of. The goodness and mercy XVIII. SERM. mercy of the Almighty are every day called in question by his murmuring and difcontented fubjects, who boldly arraign his Providence, and impiously accuse him of partiality and injuftice: because it was in the power of God to have made men unchangeably and perpetually happy, they haftily and rafhly conclude that he ought to have done fo. God, fay they, might, had he so pleased, have communicated to man a much larger fhare both of happiness and virtue, and rendered us throughout the exact image of his own divine perfection. Thus argueth the pride and felf-sufficiency of man, which dareth to dispute the wisdom and goodness of that God who made him. In oppofition to these weak and impious fuggeftions, our blessed Redeemer hath, in the parable now before us, taken upon him to defend his almighty Father, and to vindicate the divine XVIII. divine conduct in this important parti- SERM. cular. The image which he hath thought fit to make use of in this beautiful allegory, is adapted, we may obferve, to the meanest capacity, taken from an humble state of life, and therefore more proper to convey general and univerfal inftruction. God is here reprefented to us as a càréful and industrious husbandman, cultivating and improving his farm to the best advantage, by fowing good feed in his field; after which he appointed (which, though not expreffed, is visibly implied) proper persons to guard and look after it. His enemy, however, (and fuch the most innocent will always have) watching his opportunity, came by night, whilst the men flept, fowed tares amongst the wheat, and went his way. The confequence of |
