We muſi Similit des, Ic 1s brough 1nſtrud vs 1 to. lay the b God himſelf, dread of hi trom Labou with which that if there diji Izuifhin Will, he 1h; hereafter f, Cale conde reap wher mn, 2, Cuſung » will Unprofitahle Sloth, and \ ut a meer he had dre could; he \ en he tho a as juſt heir leud a eir not he epent and Wicked and Were nor Fl Wake your ( *\ Power in
]
bo XXV.. St. MATTHEW. Chap. XXV.
Men and Women make of thoſe Gitrs, whether of common Pro- | did nor give you a ſpecial Effeual Grace ? Bur had you. not a widance, or Of Grace , eſpecially common Grace, which the Lord | Power to keep from the Taverns and Ale-houſes * To keep trom
p Some make a great Ule of them tor the | Lying, and Curſing, and Sweari Nee > ww
ſtowed ON them. , : S» 8 ana Swearing, and open Profimation of my Sab-
any of cher Maſter , for the End which God betrruſted | baths * Had nor you a Power, ro Rod - fm to. Pr hy it
tem with chem, £O'Wit, the Glory of his Holy Name, and the | you had tc» your urmoſt uſed the Talencs I gave you and I had
$41yacion of cheir Souls. Others make no uſc ac all of them for | been wanrting in my turther neceflary Intluences of Grace, ve C - 5 J
0\oſe Ends might indeed have faid ſomething , bur when you made no uſe
io After 2 long time, the lord of thoſe ſervants | % che Talents you had, why thould 1 ruſt you with more ? £ich
g 4 k th with then COMEs by Reading, Heat ing, Praying ; you had a Power to theſe cometh ana TecROone | 1, things, theſe Talents you had, Why did you not Read,” Her God in the Day of Judgment, will call all Men to Account for | Pray, that you mighr Believe? It you took me to be th GT. choſe Gitts which he hath given them, how they have uſed the | 4 Maſter, why did nor you do what was in your Power to do. that Days of Life, the Meaſures of Health , their Knowledge, Wir, | you mighr find me otherwiſe? If you had done what lay FR Memory, Underſtanding, their Wealth, Eftare, Honours, Digni- | your Power to do, in the uſe of thoſe Talents, which 1 gave Relations, all their Nacural, or Acquired Habirs, all their En- | you tor that End, you might then have blamed me it 1 had not 7c. for che Honour of his Name, and che Advanrage of | given you more, bur you never tryed my kindneſs in ſuch a _ : So _ -_ are nor Ruined by any Severity of mine; bur
. . our own Sloth, Negle = 20 And ſo he that had recelvecd five talents, came Partble reacherh us , Ther God in ce laſt and brought other five talents,ſaying, Lord, thou de- | Day of Judgment, will be found Juft; and Sinners will all be
liyercdft unro me fivetalenrs: behold, L have gained | found Liars, and cheir Damnation will be of chemſelves, beſides them five talents more. . 3 28 Take therefore the talent from-him, and give 21 His lord {1id unto him. Well _ - ny g0OU | 1t unto him which hath ten talents. VAR ON: * WE 2 I10t , 22 - 7 : . Sis
T1CS, Joyments, cheir 01 Souls.
and faid, Lord,zhou deitveredft unto me two talents : h-hold, I have gained two orher talents beſides them.
23 His lord faid unto him, Well done, good and fiichful ſervant; thou halt been fairhful OVeT A few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the Joy of thy lord.
This parc of the Parable teacheth us only theſe rhings : 1. That ſome Pertons in this World make a very good Uſe and Improve-
bath blefied chem,rho'ir be nor proportionable ro theService which others of greater Parts, and who have had greater Advantages and Oppcrcunities have made it; if Men have bur #0 Talents, yer it they gain other two, they ſhall go to Heaven ar laſt, as well as thoſe who have had five, and improved them ro the gaining of other five, We muſt rake heed ot concluding trom his part of the Parable, thar thoſe who have moſt given them ordinarily do make the beſt Improvement ot them ; for daily Experience teacheth us the contrary z. neither 1s the Parable brought to 1n- ſtruct us 11 any ſuch rhing.
24 Then he which had received the one talent, came and ſaid, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where rhou haſt not ſown, and eathering where thou haſt not ſtrawed : =
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth : lo, there thou haſt that zs thine.
26 His lord anſwered and ſaid unto him, Thou wicked and flothful ſervant , thou kneweſt thar I reap where I ſowed nor, and gather where I have not {trawed : ;
27 Thou oughteſt therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming | ſhould have received my own with uſury.
darknels:there ſhall be weeping and gnathing ofteeth,
God often in this Life, depriveth Men and Women of thoſe Gitts which he hath given chem , and they do not mike uſe of tor the Glory of his Name, and the Gocd of their and others Souls, the great Ends for which he hath berruſted them with chem : Bur this ſeems nor to be here intended, this Text reterri ng to the Day of Judgment : All therefore that we are to under-
and others Souls. For all thote that have heen Unprofitable,Hell will be theip Portion at laſt, where cheir Mifery will be,as of thoſe that live in extreme Darkneſs, continual Weeping , and Gnaſhing of Teeth. The ſubſtance of whar is in ver. 29. we mer with Chap. 13. 12, | To him that hath ſhall be given, &c.) Bur Ithink the Proverbial Speech here , is applied differently trom the Application of ir there. There, He that hath , ſeemerh to fig- nite, He that hath in a&ual Poſſeſſiin; for it is ſaid betore, Be- cauſe it is given to you, to know the Myſteries of the Kingdom of God.
So thar I take thar Text, to contain a Promiſe of the Encreaſe ot Grace to thoſe that have the Seed of God: Whenas the Ap- pearances of ir, in others ſhall nor laſt, bur vaniſh away. Kere plainly, He that hath, tignifieth , He that maketh a good and true Uje of what he hath ;, and thus the Parable expounds it. So as the Senſe 1s: He that hath any Talents from God, and maketh Uſe of them, and improverh them for the Honour and Glory of God, ſhall be rewarded, with further Gitrs of Grace, or Glory, But if a Man hath not; that is, Hath, buy is, as if he had not, making no Ute of whar he harh for the Glo+y of God , thoſe Gifts and Tu- lents which he hath, ſhall be of no Profic and Advantage, bur miſerable Diſadyanrtage to him ar laſt,
upon the throne of his glory.
30 And caſt ye theunprofitable fervant into * outer * C11.8.12-
31 * When the fon of man ſhall come in his glory, FZec.14. 5.