Twenty-four Discourses / On Some of the Important and Interesting Truths, Duties, and Institutions, of the Gospel, and the General Excellency of the Christian Religion; Calculated for the People of God of Every Communion, Particularly for the Benefit of Pious Families, and the Instruction of All in the Things Which Concern Their Salvation

by Nathan Perkins

DISCOURSE XVII.

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The Parable of the Tares.

MATTHEW xiii. 24–31.

Another Parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the Tares also. So the Servants of the householder, came and said unto him, sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field, from whence then hath it Tares? And he said unto them an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou then we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers; gather ye together first the Tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

There was something, in the manner in which our blessed Saviour taught his hearers, peculiarly pleasing and inimitably beautiful. Being the great prophet in his church, he reveals unto us the will of God for our Salvation, not only in a clear, but in the fittest manner. He spake as never man did, not only as the Religion which he preached was more heavenly and divine, than the world was ever before made acquainted with, but as the power and force with which he spake exceeded all that is human. And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. His address was no doubt the perfection of propriety. His words were not calculated by any splendor to create surprise, but, being well chosen and plain, were adapted to carry conviction to the conscience, and to move the heart. He had, as is very apparent and is generally remarked, an admirable talent at moralizing and spiritualizing upon incidents and objects around him. And he did it, not with the formal airs of affectation, or appearing to invite others to take notice of his superiour sanctity—or to come and see how good he was. It was perfectly easy for him to converse on divine subjects. Whenever a fit opportunity or occasion offered to diffuse religious instruction, he failed not to embrace it. And when he undertook to illustrate any divine truth or doctrine, he seemed to be at home, and in his element—about his proper work and business. He showed that he was a teacher come from God by the heavenly truths which he delivered, as well as miracles which he wrought. He opened the nature of his kingdom, and of the Gospel by natural and easy similitudes. His Parables are well chosen and happily expressed. They will indeed bear the closest and most critical examination. They have been admired by the best judges, and will be admired as long as there shall be genius, learning, or taste in the world.

The greatest scholars have been the most pleased. And, the fact is, the Religion which he taught would be worthy of the attention of all, were it considered in no other view than as a friend to peace, literature, and civil happiness. For it can never long consist with barbarism and general ignorance among a people. Ignorance is so far from being the parent of Christian devotion, that when very great, it totally destroys it. The bitter and implacable foes, therefore, of the Christian Religion, who with its utter extirpation from the earth, and exert themselves mightily to accomplish their wish by impious scoffs and low raillery, will never be able to succeed, till they have banished learning. There may be superstition, where science is gone, but no true Religion. And the more ignorant and uninformed a people, there will superstition reign in horrors proportionally greater.

The Chapter, out of which our text is taken, is full of the most judicious and instructive Parables or similitudes.—There is no other Chapter in the New Testament, so filled up with them; this being altogether composed of them. It contains eight in number—that of the Sower and his seed, which our Lord himself at the desire of his disciples expounds;—that of the Tares, which he likewise explains;—that of the grain of mustard seed;—that of the leaven put into meal;—that of the treasure hid in the field;—that of the merchant-man seeking goodly pearls;—and that of the net which was cast into the Sea, and gathered of every kind.——Our Saviour retiring from the house in which he was, went to the side of the Sea of Tiberias, which lay near his own Country. Great multitudes were collected about him to hear his doctrine and learn his character. They pressed so near him, that he thought it most convenient to enter into a ship, which lay there, that he might be in better circumstances to address the mixed multitude, which stood on the shore, and who were all attention to every word which he spake to them. He, as a wise instructor, adapted his discourse to their several capacities and employments. Some of them, probably, were husbandmen, others merchants, and others fishermen. He taught them, heavenly doctrines, by taking Parables from their respective occupations, or from those things, with which they could not be but most intimately and familiarly acquainted.——Parables are representations or similitudes taken from objects of sense, which are plain and obvious, to illustrate and impress upon the mind, things spiritual and divine. And commonly there is one leading idea,, which the speaker or writer has in view, to explain and enforce. The circumstances in the Parable are to be accommodated to this one or principal thought. If we could rightly understand our Lord’s Parables, we must not lose sight of the remark now made. Infinite mischief has been done to religion by compelling every small or minute circumstance of a parable to speak forth a distinct idea, or doctrine.——

In the subsequent discourse, my intention is to expound the Parable of the tares, or to make some observations upon it, of a practical nature, and such as, it is apprehended, are just.

The word Tares signifies any noxious and hurtful weeds or plants, which spring up among, or mingle with the rich and precious grain, and not any one particular or distinct weed, or poisonous plant to the exclusion of all others. All know how detrimental to the Crop such weeds or poisonous plants are. They take away nourishment from the precious grain, and render it less vigorous while it grows. They diminish the harvest in proportion to their number and strength. Accordingly they are a nuisance in the field, grieve the heart, and in the same measure as they prevail, cut off the hopes of the husbandman. And the more fertile the soil, the more luxuriant will be their growth. They make the labour, which hath been bestowed upon the field, of none effect. And it is always with deep regret, that man beholds lost labour, or unsucceeded exertions.

In the Parable of the Tares now before us, we have several truths of very great importance to us both as individuals, and as collected into a Church-State, as minister and people, speaker and hearer.——

In the first place, in the kingdom of heaven, in this Parable, is the Gospel preached, or the dispensation of the doctrines of Religion.—The state of things under the Gospel is very often, in the stile of our Lord, called his kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven, it is presumed no arguments will be needful to prove that the kingdom of heaven here means the State of things under the Gospel-dispensation. This, it is well known, is the common meaning of the expression. In the primitive Apostolic times Christianity had two names of nearly the same import, the kingdom of God—and the kingdom of heaven. These two phrases were brought into common use by John the Baptist, who came to introduce the Messiah, under the signature, of the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord.—In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He took the phrase from the following passage in the prophesy of Daniel. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. There is an obvious propriety in calling the State of things under the Gospel-dispensation the kingdom of God. It is from him as the original source. It aims at his glory ultimately in all its parts. When finished, it will be given up to him, and He will be all and in all. He, from all Eternity by his unsearchable wisdom, devised the illustrious plan of salvation which it contains. He from motives of overflowing goodness reveals it. He by his power will make it successful. His son, the Messiah, is the prime Minister in it. His spirit sanctifies, and gathers subjects into it.—Inward Religion is also happily described by the name of the kingdom of God. It is God’s kingdom in the soul: is heavenly in its nature: is heavenly in its tendency—and will issue in all the riches of heavenly glory. It comes down from God, in a very important sense, for it is the wisdom that is from above; and is therefore a divine principle, and when completed, it will terminate in God, in the enjoyment and beatific vision of him, who is the sum of all existence and blessedness.

The sower of the seed is our Lord himself, and those, who are in all the ages of his Religion or Gospel kingdom, commissioned and employed by him. The seed sowed is the word of the kingdom. During our Saviour’s personal Ministry, he was assiduous and active in his divine work, patient and persevering under all discouragements and want of success. Herein he was a perfect pattern to all the servants of his household, who are called to minister in holy things, or to sow the seed of the word. That he has ministering servants, and that it is his will there should be, to sow the seed of the word, and to dispense holy ordinances, is as plain as any one principle of his Religion, and cannot be disputed by any, if they would be self-consistent, who seriously believe in divine Revelation. While our Lord was performing his own personal Ministry, he met with great and unjust opposition. He was reviled and abused by those, whom he came to save, whose good he sought with attentive care, and to whom he displayed all the sweetness of a tender and benevolent mind. Very often, indeed, he saw the seed sowed without the desired fruit, and all his exertions to render man happy, repaid with cruel ingratitude. But he went on with his work, as a divine Teacher, with a fortitude, which we cannot help admiring, and which ought to be continually in our eye, as an object of imitation.——He that soweth the good seed is the son of man.

In the next place, another observation upon the Parable of the Tares, is that we can have no pure Church on Earth. It is not necessary for a Church, in order to be the true Church of Christ, to be pure. If so, we could never have a true Church, for there never was a pure one yet, nor ever will be, as long as man is imperfect and unable to lift up the veil, and see what is in the heart, infallibly. There will always be Tares among the wheat, false among true professors—the hypocritical among the sincere, the vile with the precious. The field where the seed is sowed is the world: the good seed are the Children of the kingdom, but the Tares are then Children of the wicked one. By a pure Church is meant a collection of real Saints without one hypocrite, or false-hearted professor. The invisible Church which Christ, at the last day, will present in triumph to his Father, will be pure or spotless, in the highest sense; there will be no hypocrites in it, or any remains of sin. Speaking of this true invisible Church, says the Apostle, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it, unto himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Nothing unclean or impure can be admitted into the New-Jerusalem or Church of the first born, whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. An unanswerable proof against the notion of a pure Church, is that none can know the heart. It is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? It is one of the prerogatives of the omniscient God to look into the hidden mysteries of the heart. Before him all things are open. The darkness and the light are both alike with him. His eye pervades the whole immensity of space. It can penetrate the thickest veil of hypocrisy. No fair disguises can screen us from his all-seeing view. All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits. He searches the heart, and tries the reins of the Children of men. Before we can have a pure Church, we must not only know our own hearts, so as never to be deceived or mistaken about them; but we must likewise know the hearts of others. But the Psalmist exclaims, who can know his errors, cleanse thou me from secret faults. And he prefers to his Maker the following petition: Search, me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. In order to have a pure Church, those who admit persons to Church order and privileges, must have the power of discerning spirits, or they cannot shut the door against hypocrites and deceivers. But this power none have. It was peculiar to the Apostles, and to them only upon some special occasions. For Peter when he baptized Simon the Sorcerer, believed him to be sincere. He knew not the baseness and perfidy of his heart. None of the Apostolic Churches were pure in the sense now under consideration, designing and hollow-hearted men there always will be, among the sincere, as a trial of their graces—of their faith, patience, and meekness. There was a Judas among the Apostles. One traitor was found even in our Lord’s own select family. He professed no doubt, as much zeal and love to his Master, as the rest of the disciples. His other fellow disciples, who were with him all the time, never once suspected his sincerity. So artfully did he assume the appearance of a friend to the cause, in which they were all embarked. But yet he was all the while insincere. He became an Apostate from the truth, and betrayed his Master with the token of friendship. His name is odious. And has come down to us, loaded with infamy. And it will still descend as an epithet of the most finished treachery.

How unreasonable then to look for perfection in any, or a pure Church! Untold mischief has been done to Religion by the pretenders to a pure Church. They usually divide and break up the peace of Churches. Censoriousness occupies the place of Charity. Meekness, humility, condescension, and brotherly love fall before a mad and intemperate zeal, self-confidence, ignorance, and high pretensions to superior sanctity.

Though no pure Church is to be seen on earth, and the idea of it, be a vain and delusive one, yet all the real friends of the Gospel ought to strive to have the greatest purity in doctrines—in worship—in discipline, in ordinances, and conduct. That Church is the purest, which is the most scriptural in its doctrines, ordinances and worship, discipline, and manners. Churches should take the greatest care to be built upon the only foundation, the order and faith of the Gospel, rejecting all human inventions and traditions, having the word of God for their only rule of faith and practice.

How happy would it be, if we have no Tares to defile and dishonour the cause of God, and to injure the precious grain! They often spring up, where good seed had been sown and where least expected. Every thing on earth is changing. Misfortunes and evils arise from quarters, where comfort and happiness were most looked for. While we deplore the mutability of all human things, we may learn the most useful lessons; and one of the most useful is the folly of trusting our own hearts, or the stability of others. Tares are sowed in the field. In the parable of the sower,, the seed means the doctrines of the Gospel. In the Parable of the Tares, the seed sown seems to mean pious and upright members of the Gospel-kingdom; or secondly, truth, as truth is instrumental in saving and enlightening the soul. The Tares, mean then, not hypocrites only, but errors, heresies, and divisions among the professing people of God. One of the clearest proofs of human depravity is the proneness of man to wander into the wilderness of error and delusion. Though conscience and reason be on the side of what is right and just in doctrine and practice, yet the corrupt passions or evil dispositions of the heart lead to all that is wrong. The good man drops tears of grief over abounding errors and immoralities—the want of union, of charity—of peace in the Church of God. We do not see eye to eye. Before there will be a full uniformity of opinions on the doctrines of Religion, we must wait till the openings of celestial day, when that which is in part shall be done away, and that which is perfect is come. But it is exceedingly comfortable to think, however many tares there are in the Church here below, there will be none in the Church above in heaven. No enemy will gain entrance there, to sow them. In the Church triumphant will be no tares, or errors, or evils. In its harmony there will be no interruption. In its doctrines, no dissent. In its worship no coldness. And in its peace no end. But here in the Church militant, there will be hatred, variance, strife, hypocrisy, and errors. Tares will infest the field. And it is worthy of particular notice, they are always sowed by an enemy, open or concealed. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed Tares among the wheat, and went his way. The enemy that sowed them, says our Saviour, is the Devil: He does it by his agents. In the original it is an envious man: one who hates Religion; and the order and peace, purity and harmony of the Church; one who hates Christ and his ordinances and doctrines, and wishes to make mischief and spread confusion. The enemy comes into the field and is active and zealous to sow Tares, what may corrupt and poison, the grain, or hurt the harvest. The enemy is sly and concealed in doing his mischief—he came in the night, while men slept, sowed his Tares, and went away. The servants are astonished when, in process of time, they discover the evil. But when the blade sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the Tares also. In nature’s soil evil seed soon springs up. And so it does when sown in the garden of the Lord.—False doctrines or errors soon spread, being agreeable to the vicious inclinations of the heart.—Often what is most pleasing and promising at first turns out, to our great mortification, far otherwise. When we hoped for a plentiful harvest, and the ground was highly cultivated, tares appeared also. This teaches us to rest our hope in him, who changes not; and whose favour is life. How artful is the enemy of our souls, and of the peace and welfare of the Gospel-kingdom! He is full of devices—of subtle devices. And his instruments and agent to carry on his designs, are usually chosen with skill.

In the third place,, We notice in this parable of the Tares, the great tenderness and care of the Householder for the precious grain. A rash proposal was made by his servants to go and gather up the Tares. They were honest in this proposal, and doubtless viewed it best to root out the Tares immediately. But though the proposal were well meant, yet it was mis-timed. We admire the honesty and faithfulness of the servants. But they could not perform what they were willing to undertake. It is impossible to keep hypocrites, false professors, pretended friends, errors and heresies—delusions and false religions, visions and impulses from mingling with the Children of the kingdom, or to prevent the tares from being among the wheat. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field, from whence hath it Tares? He said unto them an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou, then, that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Thus wonderful is the tenderness of Christ for the pious and upright. He dearly values his friends and the truth. He will preserve and bless them, and in due time own it. He always had his Church in the world, and always will have. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it—No antient or modern heresy or superstition shall destroy it. They may injure it. They may exceedingly distress and persecute it. But no weapon formed against Zion however much at present it may, shall eventually prosper. There is no enchantment against Israel, or divination against Jacob. Error may come in like a flood—the love of many may wax cold, and infidelity may diffuse, far and wide, its poison.—But the cause of God will live and remain, in spite of all persecution or opposition from Earth or hell. The wheat must not be rooted up. Jesus Christ will protect and defend his true Church, in the darkest times. If tares be sown while men sleep, they shall not be permitted to destroy the valuable grain. “While Ministers, while Magistrates, while Parents,” says one, “sleep, the enemy sows tares.”

In the fourth place, another observation which I shall make upon the Parable before us, is that a period of separation between the tares and the wheat is fixed by our Lord. Here he gives to all his people, in all ages and places, most needful and excellent instruction and counsel, in their Church state. A rule is here laid before them of prudence, meekness, and wisdom. No rash expedients have his countenance. No undue severity is admissible by him. As he was all meekness and benevolence himself, so he presses, with all the weight of his authority and ardour of persuasion, the same temper upon all his disciples. They are to be meek and lowly in heart as he was. Judge not, says he, that ye be not judged.—Be more ready to take the beam out of your own eye, than the mote out of your neighbour’s eye. Let a bitter censorious spirit never be exercised. Condescension, forbearance, humility and meekness are the temper of the Gospel. But we are not to be indifferent about truth, and duty. We are to hold fast the form of sound words, the Apostles’ doctrines;—and to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints:—to be firm and courageous in our Lord’s work. But we are not to go and gather up the tares to the danger of the wheat—both must stand till the harvest. A day is appointed, in which exact justice shall be distributed, and a perfect discrimination will be made of characters and principles. The day is that of the harvest. And the harvest is the end of the world. Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. The harvest is the end of the world: the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire: so shall it be in the end of the world. The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity! and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. There is an inimitable beauty and grandeur in this account of the end of the righteous and wicked, in the day of judgment.

Our blessed Saviour, so much disregarded by impious men—some denying his divinity—some his humanity—some his doctrines—some his spirit—and some his ordinances, will preside in that awful solemnity. Angels will be his attendants. They will be employed as agents in carrying on the important transactions of that day. The judge will appear in all the majesty of God. For he will come in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. All things will be brought to light. The hidden things of dishonesty will be in open day. Such forms of guilt will be revealed, as shall strike horror into the mind. Clouded characters will clear up. The rotten hearts of false professors will be seen—Errors will be unmasked—and all characters pass in review. A full and perfect separation will be made by him whose eyes are as a flame of fire. We cannot make the separation between the tares and the wheat. It must be left with him, who is the head of the Church, to dispose of all, according to their works.—And he shall render unto every man according to his works.——

The last observation to be made on this Parable, is the different fate of the tares and wheat; the righteous and wicked. Truth and duty will be at last triumphant, and honoured with a glorious reward. Error and all evil will be frowned upon and rejected. Nothing but Virtue will, in the final result of things, be recompensed. All vice, in all its multiplied forms, will be condemned. With the wicked there shall be weeping and wailing forever. They must be cast into a furnace of fire. They will be rendered as miserable as they have made themselves sinful. The more vile the more miserable. The greater their turpitude of heart and the more their sins of life, the heavier will be their condemnation. All things that offend, and that work iniquity shall be gathered out of the kingdom of Christ. The angels will be honoured with the office of making the final separation. And the righteous will be rewarded forever, and the wicked will be punished forever. Our Lord solemnly affirms this. And we may believe him with all possible safety. The wheat shall be gathered into the barn, and the tares be burnt with fire—be always miserable. The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth—strong expressions to denote remorse and anguish. Then shall the righteous shine forever as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. That there will be as wide a difference in the situation of persons, in another world, as there is in their moral characters in this, is altogether consonant to the dictates of sober reason, and is clearly affirmed in the following words, Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner. But he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. If such language as this can be explained away, so as to get rid of the doctrine of the perpetuity of future misery; any could, which might be used. Besides, it is perfectly consistent with reason, that a discrimination should be eternally made, between Virtue and Vice, right and wrong, between the precious and vile. If there should not, it would infringe upon all our ideas of justice. It is, of course, unreasonable to imagine there will not be such a discrimination. The judge of all the earth will do, all that is right to be done; and nothing but what is so. The wicked, therefore, will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.—Can any thing be more absurd in itself, or contrary to reason and nature, or repugnant to revelation, in its whole drift, than to suppose no difference will be made by the Lord of the Universe, between the tares and the wheat—that both will be gathered into one place—and no separation be made.—Certainly there is not. How unaccountable is it, that any, while they hold to the divinity of the scriptures, should affect to believe that all the human race, the wicked as well as the righteous, are at last to be admitted to the joys of a blissful immortality?—After persons have cast off a belief of the scripture, we are not to be surprised that they should embrace any error—or even deny a future state of rewards and punishment, and adopt, as one article of their Creed, the mortality of the soul. For when persons leave the plain truths and principles of the Gospel, they are on dangerous ground, and no conjecture can be made, how far they may be permitted to proceed in delusion, and vain imaginations, in error and vice—they may not stop till they have landed in absolute scepticism—or atheism. Hence we are exhorted to be steadfast—to be immovable—to abound in the work of the Lord. Hence too we are cautioned against instability of principle—Meddle not with them that are given to change.

Having made the observations upon the Parable of the tares, which seemed to be naturally suggested from it, it remains only to close the discourse, with some practical improvement.

And our subject may very properly put us upon a close and impartial examination of our hearts and ways, that we may know to our satisfaction, whether we may rank in the number of the Children of the kingdom, the precious grain. The field is the world: the good seed are the Children of the kingdom, belong to Christ’s kingdom on earth, and are heirs of his kingdom of glory, but the tares are the Children of the wicked one. In all our inquiries into the state and temper of our hearts, we are carefully to guard against self-flattery. Man loves to think well of himself, and ill of others. In general, he is confident that he is right in principles and conduct, and that others, who differ from him, are wrong. Pride, self-will, and sinister motives have too much influence over all, both in forming their principles, and regulating their conduct. A fair outside, and a specious appearance catch many, who have not patience to investigate truth and duty, or discernment to descry danger, or to detect the insidious arts of the designing. He saith unto them an enemy hath done this. We are to be upon our guard, lest we be led away by the enemy of our souls, and to see that we be true, sincere, and upright—that we act upon pure and worthy motives—that we keep near to the Saviour of the world in duty—that we abide in his doctrines—that we live up to his laws, then shall we have the comforts of his spirit, and at last, the rewards of faithful followers will be conferred upon us.—What great tenderness has he for all his true followers, the Children of the kingdom. Whatever evils are permitted to happen, he will watch and guard them—will protect them in the midst of all dangers, however alarming, and support them in the darkest hours. He has an eye to pity them, and an arm to save them. He is the good shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep. And his sheep know his voice, and a stranger they will not follow.——

2ndly. We learn from what hath been said, how restless and uneasy the enemy of God and man is, except he be plotting evil. The tares are the Children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the Devil. He is a roaring Lion going about seeking whom he may devour. His devices are as subtle as numerous. Concealed and out of sight, he employs his cunning to ensnare and beguile souls—to ruin the incautious—to sow tares, errors and heresies, false principles and divisions. And while men slept, his enemy came, and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. He is ever active to do all the mischief, in his power, to the truth, to religion, and to the cause of God. His policy is deep laid. The factors or agents whom he employs, are commonly selected with great skill. He is a liar from the beginning; and his attacks are generally begun with misrepresenting the truth, and varnishing over error. His kingdom, indeed, has always been supported, in the world, by delusion and Idolatry—by impulses, or supposed divine impressions upon the soul; changing himself into an angel of light, is of all others, his most subtle device, and the most successful. People are usually seduced from the right ways of the Lord, by being made to believe, either by corrupt writings, or by artful deceivers, that error is truth—that superstition is real piety, and enthusiasm a more spiritual way of serving God.—In days of prevailing error and irreligion it is a rich consolation to the serious mind, that God reigns: that the enemy of souls can carry his corrupt designs against piety and Virtue, no further than he is permitted. The wrath of man shall praise God, and the remainder thereof he will restrain. Wise ends are to be answered in all events that take place, in divine Providence. While it is our duty to bewail the evils we behold, our vigilance, and prayerful exertions should be awakened, lest we be led away with the error of the wicked.—

To conclude all, Let us be persuaded to make it our chief concern in life to practise all the great and interesting duties of Religion:—to avoid all vicious and evil courses:—to be preserved from errors:—to cultivate the benevolence and Charity of the Gospel:—to be stedfast in our adherence to him, who died for us:—and to abound in the work of the Lord, that so we may be the Children of the kingdom, and with the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the kingdom of our heavenly Father.—