you have the gospel of Christ before you; it claims your obedience on the most extraordinary credentials; it cannot therefore be an indifferent matter whether you receive or reject this law; and you therefore come under the rule of the text. The gospel is a call to repentance from dead works, a summons to turn to the living God in works of righteousness and holiness: this the forewarning of John the Baptist; this the doctrine of our Lord and his Apostles. If then the great promises of Christ belong only to penitents, who in newness of heart turn to God, how sadly do men impose on themselves, who trust to be saved by God's mercy, without doing his work, and continue in sin that grace may abound: this subject enlarged on to the end.

DISCOURSE XX.

LUKE, CHAP. XII.-VERSE 48.

Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

THE equity of this general rule is so apparent to common sense, that it admits of no dispute, and calls for no explanation. A single mite offered by a poor widow is a present fit for the King of heaven, which from the hand of a rich man would hardly be a decent charity to a poor widow. And thus the case is in all instances to which the rule is applicable.

But plain as this general maxim is, yet we are very apt to mistake in the application of it to particular cases: for then self-love and self-interest will not permit us to discern that true proportion of one thing to another, from which the equity of the rule arises. If we have any claim to make in our own behalf, we think nothing too much, and are apt to overrate the ability of the person on whom we have the demand, and to expect from him much more than he in reason ought to grant: if any claim be on us, we are ready enough to excuse ourselves, to dissemble, or to undervalue our power, and consequently to do less than may in reason and justice be required from us. Hence it is that we are rarely pleased with those who are above us, and seldom able to satisfy those who are below us.

As this rule has place in the intercourse of all the offices of life, so ought it especially to influence the distribution of rewards and punishments: but the weakness and wickedness of men have almost totally excluded it from human judicatures. For as it is in every body's power to pretend ignorance of the law, or some other inability, in excuse for the crimes for which

they are to answer; were the plea as easily admitted as it is pleaded, it would open a door to all kind of licentiousness, and take off the fear of punishment, which is so necessary a restraint upon the depraved inclinations of men and since the wisest and ablest judges cannot discern, some few cases perhaps excepted, between real and affected ignorance; or so distinguish the powers and abilities of one man from another, as to proportion rewards and punishments according to this rule; therefore the law puts all, except those who are manifestly deficient in reason, upon the same level, and supposes every man to know the law of his country; and consequently, where a malicious act is proved, a malicious intention is implied, and the criminal is sentenced accordingly.

But how justifiable soever this proceeding is, on the necessity there is for it in order to maintain some tolerable degree of peace and quiet in the world; yet it is evident that these general presumptions, on which all human judicatures proceed, do not leave room for an exact distribution of justice; but it often happens that men are made equal in the punishment, whose crimes, could all circumstances be considered, were not equal.

But could you introduce a judge endowed with the perfect knowlege of men's hearts, there would be an end of all such general presumptions: he would do in every case what was exactly right and equitable; and the only standing rule of the court, would be that of the text, Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.'

One such court there is in which he who knows the secrets of every heart will sit judge himself; before whose tribunal there will want no evidence to convict the guilty, no advocates to defend the innocent: there no pretended excuse will be admitted, no real one excluded: there every man with all his actions, with all his talents and abilities, and all his opportunities of knowing the will of God, will be weighed in the balance; and unto whom much was given, of him shall much be required.'

Since then we are to be judged, and finally sentenced, by this rule, it concerns us to be careful in the application of it to ourselves; for if we mistake, we shall gain only a deceitful security, and which at the last will prove fatal: and there is

the more reason for this care, considering how apt men are to make unreasonable allowances to themselves, where their own interest is concerned.

It is no uncommon thing for men who have no hopes of being justified by the terms of the gospel, to take shelter in this general declaration, and to imagine that they see an equity in their own case, which shall stand between them and the rigorous execution of the gospel law. When they read in the New Testament, that all whoremongers and adulterers, all drunkards and riotous persons, all extortioners and fraudulent dealers, in a word, all who in any manner injure their neighbours and fellow-creatures, shall without doubt perish everlastingly; they plainly perceive that the crimes and the punishment are so inseparably annexed, that, being conscious of the crimes, they have no way to ward off the punishment. But when they read that 'unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required,' and infer from thence that unto whomsoever little is given, of him shall little be required; they immediately conclude that all their errors and mistakes, of what kind soever, are well secured: for whoever is in error, be it through want of understanding, or of the external means of knowlege, or be it through passion and prejudices, does, so long as the error continues, want the light, and is so far to be considered as one to whom little is given. This is one step towards their justification; but still conscience remains, and proves that they had the light in many instances in which they have been offenders. But then they consider that, to render a man accountable for his actions, it is not enough that he knows the terms of his duty, he must also have power to put them in execution for no man ought to be punished for not acting, who never had it in his power to act, or for doing what was not in his power to avoid doing. Being thus far advanced, they recollect all the temptations and incitements they met with, and how strongly their passions were moved to the commission of those iniquities of which their conscience accuses them; and being judges disposed to favor the criminal, they conclude it was not in their power to do otherwise than they did; and since so little was given them, they shall be answerable but for little and thus secured, they imagine they may safely appear before the

judgment-seat of Christ, and plead to him his own rule of equity against all the peremptory laws of his gospel.

Allow this plea, and it will indeed justify all men, and leave no room for judgment; but it must reflect great dishonor and reproach on him who made them, and has declared to them a judgment to come, as well by the reason which he has given them, as by the revelation which he has published.

Few men are so essentially wicked as to choose wickedness for its own sake; either error or passion is pleaded in all cases. The Canaanites who worshipped the work of men's hands, were greatly in error; and the wicked inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah had strong unnatural passions: but these by fire from heaven, and those by the sword of Joshua, were rooted out. Which part now would you take? Were they sinners, or was the Judge of all the world unjust?

If men are really of such a make, that their passions are too strong for their reason, and reason of no use but to contrive means for the satisfaction of the passions and appetites; it is impossible to justify God in giving such creatures any notion of a judgment to come: for to what purpose does it serve but to plague and torment them unnecessarily? And how is it reconcileable with the goodness of God, to plant such seeds of misery in our very nature? to arm the little reason we have against us, which is perpetually placing fears and terrors before us, which yet have, can have, no relation to us?

In order to clear this matter, there are two things proper to be considered:

First, to what instances this rule of the text is extended by our blessed Saviour and his Apostles.

Secondly, how far we may extend and apply this rule by parity of reason to other cases.

That we may bring this inquiry within proper bounds, it is fit to observe, in the first place, that the rule of the text is never applied in Scripture to extenuate or excuse immoral actions on account of the violence of the temptation from whence they proceed. So far from it, that even indulging the passion is imputed as sin, though the immoral wicked action does not ensue : 'He that hateth his brother,' says an Apostle, is a murderer; and he that looketh on a woman to lust after