[3.] Thirdly and lastly, I answer. That as it is true that the merits and satisfaction of Christ is the ground and foundation of our reward, and that alone ivhich makes our works capable of a reward, so it is as true that our ivorks are the subject of reward, and this is most agree- able to the compact that ivas made between Christ and his Father — that everlasting happiness and blessedness, that eternal glory and felicity, should be measured out to the saints according to their differ- ent measures of grace, and different degrees of service that they have been engaged in in this world, and all this upon the credit of Christ's blood. Certainly there is nothing under heaven, below the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that can make differing works capable of a different reward. The Papists are most sadly out, for they are so blind and bold as to aflfirm that the more grace any man hath, the more glory he merits by his grace. These men make degrees of grace, and not the blood of Jesus Christ, to be the meritorious cause of de- grees of glory ; and therefore of all men I think they are furthest from glory. Certainly this is the believer's glory, and his crown of rejoic- ing, that all recompenses and rewards shall flow in upon him, not upon the account of his merits, but upon the account of Christ's blood ; and thus much shall suffice to have spoken by way of answer to this objection.
Object. 2. But now, in the second place, I shall come to answer their grand and main objection ; and that is taken from that parable in the 20th of Matthew, where the kingdom of heaven is compared to a vine-
3S0 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
yard. Now in this parable there is mention made of a husbandman that called several labourers into his vineyard, at several hours in the day ; some he called at the first hour, and some he called at the third, and some at the ninth, and some at the eleventh. Now when they came all to receive their wages, the story tells us that he gave every man a penny, he gave every man an equal reward. They that laboured from the first hour, and they that laboured from the third hour, and they that laboured from the sixth hour of the day, had no greater a recompense than he that came in at the eleventh hour, and so had laboured but one hour in the vineyard, and bore but little if any of the heat of the day. From whence the objectors conclude that there are no degrees of glory in heaven, but that all shall have glory alike, happiness and blessedness alike; every man shall have his penny, every man shall have an equal reward, and no man's penny in heaven shall be brighter or bigger than another's.
Now, by way of answer to this objection, give me leave to premise these three things :
First, That this parable of the householder, in giving to every man a penny, hath no reference at all to heaven, nor to the reward, nor to the glory that shall be conferred upon the elect, and this I shall clearly and fully prove by these four following arguments :
[1.] First, This illative particle, ' for,' in ver. 1, sheweth that this parable is inserted to expound the former conclusion, viz., ' that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first,' and therefore the end of the parable is concluded with the repetition of the same sentence, ver. 16, * the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.' Christ by this parable would teach his hearers, that there is no reason under heaven why they which are first called in respect of time should boast or triumph over others, because he can easily call the uncalled at pleasure, and either make them equal with them, or else prefer them before them which are first. The scope of Christ in this parable is not to set forth the equality of celestial glory, it is not to prove that the happiness and blessedness of the saints shall be equal in heaven, but the very drift of the parable is to show, that they which are first called and converted have no cause at all to despise the uncalled and unconverted, or to trample upon them with the foot of pride, considering that they who are yet in their sins, and in their blood, and in an unconverted and un- sanctified estate, may yet be called, and either made equal to them, or preferred before them. But,
[2.] Secondly, Interpreters do generally agree in this, that by the husbandman we are to understand God himseK, and by the labourers men upon earth, and by the vineyard the church of God ; and several of them say, that by the five hours in the parable we are to understand the five ages of man.i
First, By those who were called in the morning and sent into the vineyard, we are to understand those who in their childhood are called and converted ; they are such who begin to seek the Lord, and to serve the Lord, even as soon as they are capable of the use of reason ; as Samuel did, and as Josiah did, and as Timothy did.
Secondly, By those who are called at the third hour, we are to Chrysostom, Origen, Jerome, Gregory, Austin. See my 'Apples of Gold,' [Vol. I.— G.]
HkB. XII. 14] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 381
understand those who are converted and turned to the Lord in~their youth, in the prime, the spring and morning of their days.
Thirdly, By those who were called at the sixth hour, we are to understand those who are turned to the Lord in their strength, and in their full and perfect age.
Fourthly, By those who were called at the ninth hour, we are to understand those who are converted and turned to the Lord in their declining age.
And Ji/thlT/, By those who were called at the eleventh hour, we are to understand those who are converted and turned to the Lord in their decrepit old age, when they have one foot in the grave, and there is but a short step between them and eternity, when, with the thief upon the cross, they are even ready to be turned off of the ladder of life. Now the vineyard being the church, all that this parable proveth is no more but this, that whether men are called into the vineyard of the church either sooner or later — either at the first hour, or at the ninth, or eleventh hour: yet this shall neither greaten nor lessen their reward ; for if they are called at the first hour, their recompense shall be never the greater upon that account, or if they are called at the eleventh hour, their reward shall be never the lesser upon that account ; the reward shall not be different according to the different times of men's being called and converted, and that this parable proves ; but the reward shall be different according to the diversity of our works, and that my former arguments prove.