The Unbelievers Preparing for Christ, Treatise · Sermon 5
MATTH. 20.3, 4, 5, 6.
And he went out about the third houre and ſaw others ſtanding idle in the market place, and ſaid unto them, Go ye alſo into the vineyard, and whatſoever is right I will give you, and they went their way. Again he went out about the ſixt houre & ninth houre, and did likewiſe; and about the eleventh houre hee went out and ſaw others ſtanding idle? and ſaith unto them; Why ſtand you here all the day idle? They ſaid unto him, becauſe no man hath hired us, he ſaith unto them, Go ye alſo into the vineyard, and whatſoever is right that ſhall ye receive.
WEe have heard heretofore that all men being dead in ſinnes and treſpaſſes are ſo farre from working out their owne ſalvation from themſelves, as that they are not able to receive grace and mercy offered unto them from the Lord, for the comforting of their hearts here, and obtaining of happineſſe hereafter, and therefore the laſt generall circumſtance of preparation we did handle, was this, That howſoever a naturall man is not able to underſtand the things of the Lord, yet the Lord will make all thoſe which belong unto him able to receive the Lord Ieſus, and then he will beſtow the Lord Ieſus and grace and ſalvation upon them. Now concerning this point, there are two circumſtances of ſpeciall conſideration. The firſt is the circumſtance of time in regard of the meanes, and that wee have already handled out of Luke 19.42. and the point then delivered was this; When God continues life and the meanes of ſalvation to a people, then this is the time when God meanes to beſtow mercy and ſalvation upon them. The ſecond circumſtance concerning the time of this worke is in reſpect of the men upon whom God will worke: and ſome he workes upon in their tender age, ſome in their riper yeares, and ſome in their old age, at all times God doth call ſome; and this is the circumſtance we will now grapple withall, and for this purpoſe I have choſen this part of the Parable; and in the Parable, as in all other Parables, beſides the outſide, and letter of the Parable, we muſt underſtand the ſence and meaning thereof. When therefore we heare in the parable of a vineyard, and of the maſter of the vineyard, and of the ſervants that were hired to worke in this vineyard, and of the ſeverall houres wherein they are hired; theſe are onelyonly the outſides of the Parable, the meaning thereof is this; by vineyard is meant the Church of God, and by the Maſter of the vineyard is meant the Lord Ieſus, the hiring of the ſervants into the vineyard, is nothing elſe but the powerfull calling of poore ſinners by the worke of the Miniſtery, to the knowledge of the truth here, and happineſſe hereafter, and in that he calls ſome at one houre, and ſome at another; the meaning is, that God calls ſome at one time, ſome at another; ſome in their tender yeares, ſome in their middle age, and ſome in their old age; ſome older, ſome younger: but that wee may underſtand the ſence of the Spirit, in theſe words, The third houre, the ſixth houre, ninth houre, and the eleventh houre: We muſt underſtand that the Iewes and the Romanes uſed to divide their dayes, which conſiſted of twelve houres into foure parts, from ſixe to nine was one parcell of the day, from nine to twelve was the ſecond, from twelve to three was the third part, and from three in the afternoone till ſixe at night was the laſt parcell of the day. Now therefore the third houre was nine of the clocke, the ſixt houre was twelve of the clocke, the ninth houre was three of the clocke in the afternoone, and the eleventh houre was five of the clocke, an houre before night. Now the Lord doth provide ſome ſoules for himſelfe at nine a clocke in the morning, ſome at three in the afternoone, and ſome at the laſt caſt, at five of the clocke when the Sunne beginns to ſet; in their old decrepit age the Lord meant to convert ſome unto himſelfe. Some underſtand this parable of the calling of Miniſters, good and bad, and in that it is ſaid here, They were hired every one for a penny; they underſtand by this, that ſome will be Miniſters for this living, ſome for that, ſome for preferment, ſome alſo come into the Miniſtery for the ſalvation of ſoules: but this cannot be the meaning of the Text here, and the reaſon is this. This Parable muſt be underſtood of thoſe men of whom the laſt clauſe in the 19. Chapter is underſtood; in the 30. Verſe of the 19. Chapter, the Text ſaith, Many that are firſt ſhall be laſt, and the laſt ſhall be firſt. Now this Parable is ſet downe here in the beginning of this Chapter, and brought in by the Spirit of God meerely for the manifeſtation of the Scripture going before; therefore it is cleare that this Parable is to be underſtood concerning thoſe perſons ſpoken of before in the former Chapter. Of thoſe alſo this Parable muſt be underſtood to whom it is applied afterward in the 16, Verſe of this Chapter, it is ſaid alſo, The laſt ſhall be firſt; and the firſt ſhall be laſt. So that the caſe is cleare, this Parable being brought in by the Spirit for the illuſtration & diſcovery of the former truth, therefore who ever they be that were there underſtood, and whoever they be to whō this Parable is afterward applied, of the ſame the Parable here muſt be underſtood; but it is cleare, that that Verſe muſt be underſtood of thoſe that are gracious, for the Text ſaith in the 29. verſe of the former Chapter, Every one that have forſaken houſes or brethren, or ſiſters, or father, or mother, or wife or children, or lands for my name ſake ſhall receive an hundred fold, but many that are last ſhall be firſt, and many that be first ſhall be laſt, that is, they that are firſt called if they truſt unto themſelves ſhall be laſt rewarded, and they that are laſt called if they renounce themſelves and goe out of themſelves ſhall be firſt rewarded, & then preſently followes this parable as a manifeſtation of that truth, and this is the interpretation of the words. So that now wee ſee the meaning of the Parable. The Doctrine is, That God can and doth call in all ages, ſome in their yonger age, ſome in their riper yeares, and ſome in their old age; God calls ſome in all ages, but moſt and moſt uſually before their old age; this is that wee ſhall obſerve here in the Parable, the Lord calleth at the third, ſixe, and ninth houre, but at the eleventh houre he went out occaſionally not thinking to ſee any ſtanding idle at that time of the day, it was ſtrange and unexpected to ſee any then idle, no man would hire any man to worke in his vineyard for one houre, and therefore the text ſaith, he asked them, Why ſtand you here idle? As who ſhould ſay, hee did not once expect to ſee any idle at that time. For the explaning of the Doctrine there are two parts of it, wee will handle them ſeverally, that we may perceive our proceeding the better. The firſt part is this, That God doth and can call ſeverall of his ſervants at ſeverall times: Secondly, That God doth call moſt, and moſt uſually before their old age. Firſt to beginne with the former, That God can, doth, and hath called ſeverall of his ſervants at ſeverall times, ſome in their younger age, ſome in their older, ſome in their tender yeares, ſome in their riper age; he calls them when hee ſeeth it moſt agreeable to his good pleaſure; we ſhall obſerve that of Timothy that he was called in his tender yeares, 2 Tim. 3.15. 2 Tim. 3.15.There ſaith S. Paul, Thou haſt knowne the Scriptures from a child, which are able to make thee wiſe unto ſalvation… and therefore the Apoſtle tells us in the ſame Epiſtle, that he was nouriſhed up in the Word, that is, he was made ſtrong with the milke of the wholeſome Scripture▪ So 1 King. 18.12.1 King, 18.12. It is ſaid that Obadiah feared God from his youth; and 1 Sam. 12.1 Sam. 12. It is ſaid of Samuel, that he carried himſelfe ſo blameleſſe from his youth that hee was without all exception. So much to prove that ſome are called in their younger age; now we have examples of many alſo that were converted in their middle age, as that of the Iaylor, Acts 16.37. and that of Lydia, Acts 16.14.Acts 16.37. and the converſion of Paul, Acts 9. and of Zacheus,Acts 16.14. Acts 19. It is very probable that all theſe were converted in their middle age; for it is ſaid of Lydia, that ſhe was a ſeller of purple, and that ſhee got her living thereby; and the Iaylor, it is like he was in his middle age, for he had a great charge of priſoners committed unto him; and Paul was in his prime when he was converted, for a long time after hee was converted, hee continued a great inſtrument to ſet forth Gods glory: and Zacheus hee was a tole gatherer, and had gotten a good eſtate by that meanes. By this it appeareth that God did call theſe about their middle age. Now for old age, I muſt confeſſe it is true that there is not any pregnant example in Scripture of Gods hand this way:Gen 12.4. we know, Gen. 12.4. compared with Ioſhua 24.2. Ioſhua 24.2.that Abraham the father of the faithfull was an idolater, and that God called him at 75. yeares old, but Abraham lived 175 yeares, to that Abraham was but in his middle age when he was called; but for any pregnant example, the Scripture is marvellous ſparing this way: onelyonly that which may be obſerved by probabilitie and may be gathered, depends upon thoſe two places Acts 2.41. Acts 2.41.there were 3000 ſoules added to the Church by the preaching of Peter, and Acts 10. It is ſaid that Cornelius had got all his kindred and acquaintance together againſt Peter came,Acts 10. whom by the commandement of God he was ſent for; and the text ſaith when Peter came, they were all gathered together to heare the Doctrine of life & ſalvation; & that while Peter was inſpeaking, the holy Ghoſt fell upon them all; now Divines reaſon thus, it is marvellous probable, that among thoſe 3000 which were converted by Peter, ſome of them were aged men; and when Cornelius had gotten all his kindred and acquaintance together, and the holy Ghoſt fell upon them all: there were, it is very likely, ſome aged men among them whom God was pleaſed to ſhew mercy unto, we know theſe things may be, and there is good probabilitie of it, and wee ſee it out of the Text plainely, that God may call ſome in their old age; for he called ſome at the eleventh houre when it was almoſt night, but he hath reſerved this power in his owne hands, he hath left no pregnant example thereof in the Scripture that we may not rely upon it; ſo then we ſee that God doth, and can, and hath called ſeverall of his ſervants, at ſeverall times, ſome at the third houre, ſome at the ſixt, ſome at nine, and ſome, though few at the eleventh houre; and the reaſon of the Point is double, why, the Lord doth deale thus in this caſe, hee doth not alwayes chuſe young men that are ſtrong, nor old men that are grave and wiſe; the ground of it is, that he might expreſſe the freeneſſe of his favour in Ieſus Chriſt, as if he ſhould proclaime to the world that we could doe nothing of our ſelves this way, that we have nothing in us that can move God to ſhew mercy unto us, but that it is out of the freeneſſe of his love in Ieſus Chriſt; for ſhould God call onelyonly children, middle aged men, or old men onelyonly, then men would conceive that there were ſomething in the perſons that moved him to this, either the weakeneſſe of the child, or elſe the innocencie thereof did move God to ſhew mercy thereunto, or elſe that God did delight in the ſtrength or in the gifts and parts of a young man, or if he ſhould call men in their old age onelyonly, then men might thinke that their experience and gravitie did move God to call them onelyonly; but when God calleth ſome in all ages and at all times, ſome young ones choſen, and ſome refuſed, ſome old men called, and others caſt aſide; then all men may conceive that there is nothing in the perſons or parts of men, but that it proceedes all from the freeneſſe of Gods mercy that he deales thus with the ſoules of poore ſinners; it is the reaſon of that paſſage in the 15. verſe of this Chapter, there the Maſter of the vineyard called the labourers together, and they received every man a penny; now they that came firſt and had borne the heate of the day, when they ſaw that they which came laſt had as much as they, they murmured againſt the maſter of the vineyard ſaying, Theſe laſt have wrought but one houre, and thou haſt made them equall unto us which have borne the heate of the day, but then the maſter anſwered ſaying, Friend I doe thee no wrong, is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne? as if he had ſayd, I called thee at the third houre, and him at the ſixth houre, and this man at the eleventh houre, it was out of my mercy that I called thee, and out of my mercy that I called him, is it not lawfull to doe what I will with mine owne; mercy is mine, and love is mine, and reward is mine, it is my mercy that I will call any at any time, and therefore I may diſpoſe of it as I pleaſe. Secondly as the Lord doth expreſſe hereby the freeneſſe of his grace, ſo the Lord alſo hereby doth mervelouſly magnifie his great power and All-ſufficiency in ſaving the ſoules of poore people, that is able to doe what hee will in heaven and in earth; and ſo likewiſe in the hearts of his ſervants, there are many little ones that are fooles and have no knowledge and yet the Lord is able to convert them and make them underſtand the myſteries of ſalvation, there are many ſtrong men that ſnuffle up the wind like the Aſſe in the Wilderneſſe, they will not ſtoope, they will not be humbled, but they will doe what they liſt, and yet the Lord is able to over power this ſturdy heart of a young and ſtrong man, and he is able to ſupport the weake nature of a young one. And ſo men that are weatherbeaten in their ſinnes and ſcrewed into their corruptions, God is able to overpower theſe, and convert theſe alſo and bring them home unto himſelfe, if hee be a weake ſilly child, yet God is able to inlighten him, if hee have a ſturdy heart, yet God can bring him downe, and if he be a weatherbeaten and an old ſinner, yet God is able to call him and convert him alſo; and hereby the wonderfull power of the Lord is ſeene, in that hee is able to worke how hee will, when hee will, and upon whom he will in this kind; looke as it is with a Phyſitian, when a man hath a diſeaſe which lies low in his body and breedes rottenneſſe in his bones, inſomuch that it is almoſt paſt cure, then the Phyſitian that can recover this man ſheweth admirable skill, and he ſheweth admirable power in regard that he is able to provide ſuch meanes, and apply ſuch meanes as thereby the party may bee cured; by this meanes the skill of the Phyſitian and the power of him is magnified, ſo it is with this great God, when all ſorts of ſinners are called, and all corruptions ſubdued, your little ones that know nothing yet God inlightens them and ſupports them, Timothy did ſucke the ſincere milke of the Goſpel on one ſide, as he did ſucke the milke of his mothers breſts on the other ſide; and then there is a ſtubborne heart on another ſide, which breakes all bonds and ſnappes all cords apeeces, h…e cares for nothing, he will be ruled by no man, and then there is your old forlorne ſinner, his ſinnes are become a rottenneſſe in his bones, old incanl…ed pride and incancred covetouſneſſe and malice, God now to conquer all theſe and helpe theſe, doth not this ſhew admirable power in the Lord, … to worke and thus to order things for the good of his people: ſo that wee ſee that God doth and can call in all ages. We come now to the next paſſage, and that is this, however the Lord doth at ſeverall times convert ſeverall of his ſervants, and there is no time alotted to him, yet moſt and moſt uſually God doth call them before their old age, and that ſome interpreters wittily obſerve out of the Text, it is ſayd that the maſter of the Vineyard went out at the third, ſixt and ninth houre, and ſaw ſome ſtanding idle, and he ſent them into his Vineyard; he went then on purpoſe to ſee and hire, and ſend in Labourers to work in his Vineyard, but the Text ſaith, he went out at the eleventh houre not to hire any, for he did not expect to ſee any then idle, but hee went out upon ſome other occaſion, and ſeeing ſome then ſtanding idle hee wondred at it and ſayd, Why ſtand yee all the day idle, as if he ſhould ſay, no man will hire you now, it is but one houre to night, it is time for men to leave working, and not to beginne to worke, he went out occaſionally and meeting with theſe unexpected, hee wondered at theſe and therefore they obſerve, that if there had not beene great mercy in the maſter of the Vineyard, this was no time to hire Labourers in, ſo that the caſe is cleare, ſome are called in their youth, ſome in their middle age, ſome in their old age, ſome in their tender yeares, ſome in their riper age, ſome old, ſome young, but this is moſt true than thoſe whom God doth call it is moſt commonly in their middle age before they come to their old age, this is the generall courſe of God, he call many before, ſome after, but moſt then, Eccleſ. 3.1. there the wiſe man obſerves, that there is a time appointed for every purpoſe, and it appeareth that the middle age is the fitteſt time for this purpoſe, it is true indeede that all things depend upon Gods will, but yet there is wiſedome in this God, and he ordereth things according to wiſe dome, and this ſeemes to bee the fitteſt ſeaſon wherein the Lord ſhould deale thus graciouſly in converting of a ſinner; if wee conſider either the nature of man, or the end of Gods giving grace, in both theſe reſpects, firſt if wee looke to man, and regard either the conſtitution of his body or the gifts & qualities of his minde, we ſhall ſee that it is moſt fit for God to worke upon him in his middle age, he can doe it, and may doe it at another time, but that is the fitteſt time; and that firſt in regard of the conſtitution of his body, for it is obſerved by Philoſophers that a man in his tender infancie lives the life of a tree onelyonly, he onelyonly eates and growes, and ſo it is with little children in their ſwadling cloathes, afterwards when he comes into further yeares, when he comes to be ten or twelve yeares old, then hee lives the life of a beaſt, he is taken away with thoſe objects that are then moſt ſutable to him; for a child to conſider of the myſteries of life & ſalvation is almoſt impoſſible, he is not yet come to that ripeneſſe of judgement, but when he comes to the ripeneſſe of his yeares, from 20. years untill he come to be 40. or thereabouts, then the workes of reaſon put forth themſelves, then his apprehenſion is quick to conceive a thing, and his memory is ſtrong and pregnant to retaine a thing apprehended, and his heart is ſomewhat plyable, and his heart is ſomewhat frameable to receive that impreſſion that is put upon him; now becauſe in a mans middle yeares abilitie of nature comes on, and reaſon comes on, inſomuch that a man is able to conceive and partake of the things of grace, and fadom them, and the power of his underſtanding comes on whereby he is able to embrace them, therefore then is the fitteſt time that God ſhould beſtow his graces upon a man, looke as it is with waxe, if a man melt it, it will be too ſoft to hold any impreſſion, and when it is too hard it will receive no ſeale neither, but when it is neither too ſoft nor too hand but in a middle temper betweene them both, then it is fit and ready to receive any impreſſion whatſoever a man ſtampes upon it, it muſt neither be too extremely hot nor too hard, but mediatly diſpoſed, and then it will receive a ſeale, ſo it is with the nature of a man, in his tender yeares hee can hold nothing, he hath ſuch a weake underſtanding; tell a child of the wonders of ſalvation, and it is impoſſible unleſſe God workes wonderfully that hee ſhould receive them; a mans nature in his infancie is like wax that is too ſoft, and the nature of an old man that alſo is like wax too hard, but now a middle aged man is neither ſo weake as the one, nor ſo hard as the other, but it is moſt fit for God to put a ſtamp upon, for his heart is then moſt plyable to receive the things of grace, and his affections are then moſt frameable to the minde of the Lord. Secondly, as this is the fitteſt time for God to worke upon a man in regard of the conſtitution of his body, ſo alſo in regard of corruption, becauſe a young man that is come to the ſtrength of his yeares, his minde will be ſooner informed, and his judgement ſooner convinced in regard of thoſe corruptions that are in him, becauſe hee hath not continued long in any baſe courſe, therefore hee is moſt eaſy to bee wrought upon, but when a man is growne old in wickedneſſe, when his ſoule as his body begins to buckle under the ſinnes of his younger yeares, when the heart is hardned, and the conſcience ſeared in wickedneſſe, then it is deſperately hard, it is a mervelous miracle for the meanes of ſalvation to take place in ſuch a man, wee ſee it is marvelous hard to drive a naile into an old knotty ſnarly poſt, eſpecially when it is weatherbeaten and ſeaſoned, and clung together. It is no wonder that we ſpend our hearts and can doe no good, for thoſe that have beene old weatherbeaten ſinners, knotty ſnarly, ſtubborne rebellious hearts, a man were as good ſpeak to the ſeats where they ſit, and to the walls as to the hearts of them, it is marvelous hard to bring any thing home to the affections of ſuch men, they will not away from their old corruptions, their hearts are rivited to their old luſts and corruptions, and therefore they will not entertaine that which may doe good unto them, if a man will tranſplant a tree, he doth not take an old withered rotten tree, that is not fit to bee tranſplanted, but hee takes a young tender twigge and tranſplants it, ſo it is here, thoſe old trees, old ſinners that are withering, dying and decaying, ſuch are of the Leapers ſpots, and Blackamoores hue, they that are ſetled in their corruptions, and reſolve to take up their old courſes; now they are too old to learne, thus long they have lived, and if they be now ſtubborne they will be ſo ever; if they be now peeviſh and malicious they will be ſo ever; if they be now covetous they will be ſo ever, they will not entertaine, they will not partake of thoſe things which God hath appointed for their good. The third and laſt argument is in regard of grace it ſelfe; it is very convenient and reaſonable that God ſhould beſtow grace upon thoſe that are in their middle age, rather than upon thoſe that are in their tender yeares, or in their old age, if we conſider the end of the giving of grace, for what is the end of grace, and why doth God give a man grace and frame his heart ſo, that he may be fitted to partake of happineſſe, but that the Lord hereby might receive the praiſe and glory of the riches of his grace? That they which have it may expreſſe the power of God, that hath called them out of darkeneſſe into marvellous light; the Lord is pleaſed to ſhew this favour towards them, that they might ſhew forth what God hath done to their poore ſoules, as the Prophet David doth; now this middle age of a man is the fitteſt time, wherein grace may receive moſt glory, and God moſt honour, in regard of the giving of it; for grace when it commeth to nature doth not deſtroy it, but perfect it, it doth not take away the naturall parts, as learning, knowledge and courage, and the like, but rectifieth them and turneth them the right way: as for example, he that had a ſtrong memory, or a ſharpe wit, or a great courage, and a violent affection, God preſerveth and keepeth thoſe ſtill, but when grace comes God, turneth them the right way and maketh him a fit inſtrument to ſet forth his glory, that before was a great enemy to the ſame, and therefore it is ſaid that Paul was a choſen veſſell for the Lord, and why? becauſe Saul was a man of great learning, fiery zeale, fervent love, and undanted courage, and therefore when he perſecuted the Church, it is ſaid that hee breathed forth perſecutions; he got him a good Steed, & got letters from Damaſcus, & haled all poore Chriſtians to priſon where he came, but when grace came, the Lord did ſtill retaine the naturall power of zeale, love, courage, and learning, the Lord did retaine all theſe; that tongue that before ſpake againſt God is now fitted to confute the adverſary, hee convinced them mightily ſaith the text, & that courage whereby he before was carried againſt Gods Saints is, now fitted to ſuffer perſecution, impriſonment and diſgrace for his names ſake, and therefore in all reaſon it was fitteſt that the Lord ſhould take Paul in the middle of thoſe yeares, that he might employ him to the furtherance of his praiſe, that had before beene a great hinderance to his Goſpell; It is ſaid by the Apoſtle Paul, that the members of a godly mans body, and the faculties of his ſoule, are weapons of righteouſneſſe; a gracious tongue will ſpeake thoſe things which may be for Gods praiſe, and the good of men; a gracious foote will be ſwift to runne the wayes of Gods Commandements: now the wiſeſt, workeman will not chuſe an inſtrument that is broken and unfit for ſervice; now an old man is a broken and crazie inſtrument, little honour can God have by his tongue when it faulters, little good can God have by his underſtanding, and learning, and wiſedome, when as in regard of his age he is become a child againe, and therefore it is marvellous reaſonable that God ſhould take this time for the expreſſing of his grace; for when a man is in the ſtrength of nature, then grace turnes all the members of his body and faculties of his ſoule the right way, and a man runnes as earneſtly forward in a good courſe, as hee did before in the wayes of wickedneſſe; ſo then gather up the point, if in regard of the conſtitution of his body, a man is then fitteſt to receive the things of grace, if in regard of corruption he is not ſo hardened to reſiſt grace, if alſo then he is fitteſt to glorifie God for beſtowing grace upon him; then it is reaſonable, that as God can call when he will, ſo it is moſt fit that he ſhould call him before he is in his old declining age, when his body is fit for nothing but to be carried upon a coffin and laid into the grave; now we ſee then that it is cleare, God can call at any time, but God doth moſt uſually call moſt of his ſervants before their old age: Let us now ſee what uſe we can make of the Point; and firſt obſerve from hence a ground of Inſtruction; we muſt take heede that we be not too raſh & giddily cenſorious, in ſetting downe a finall cenſure upon men; ſeeſt thou men running on headlong in the wayes of wickedneſſe, yet never conclude therefore that God will never ſhew mercy and favour unto them, and worke upon the ſoules of them, for we know that God can call at the eleventh houre, and therefore be not too raſh in cenſuring this way,1 Cor. 4.5. but receive the exhortation of the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 4.5. There ſaith the Text, Iudge nothing before the time untill the Lord come, &c.
FINIS.