made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny: take that thine is, and go thy way.-The Jews were very angry and disappointed, when they saw the Gentiles made Christians. They murmured with a vengeance. They could not bear the thought, that these people should become the people of God, as much as themselves, who had been called since the days of Abraham, many hundred years before. Take that thine is, says the good householder, and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not law. ful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called but few chosen.

This is the parable. As I said before, it will give me an occasion of teaching you a great deal of what perhaps you would

otherwise be ignorant of. I hope you will make it a point to attend seriously to my instructions. You, my friends, have been amongst the Gentiles or heathens: you have therefore been amongst the last, who are called into the vineyard and invited. to become Christians. May you go so cheerfully into it-that is, may you prove such willing and sincere Christians-that you may find yourselves made equal to the first! You are now, by my preaching amongst the many, who be called-may you so believe and so behave-may you have such faith, such repentance, and do works so good, that when you die, and the wages are to be paid to all who have been working in the vineyard, you may find yourselves amongst the chosen of the Lord -counted worthy of that kingdom, which is to last for ever and ever.

And now to God, &c.

LECTURE XLVIII.

GENESIS ii. 1.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

I PROMISED you, on Sunday last, to give you a short history of the early part of the Bible, in order that you may understand better the parable on which I am about to lecture. You all believe that there is a God. I know that you believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that deligently seek him.

There was a time, my friends, when this world was not. Instead of it, there was nothing but darkness, nothing but emptiness.

God, who lived for ever, and who lives for ever, was pleased to determine to make this world. The first thing he made was light. What a thing it must have been for the angels in heaven to see light in so large a place, where was nothing but darkness before. God has so much power, that he only said, "Let there be light, and there was light." The light did not last continually. It was followed by darkness. The light he called day: the darkness he called night. This was God's work on the first day. On the second day, he made the firmament, that is, the air around us, which we breathe, and without which we could not live. This was the work of the second day. On the third day he made the dry land, which he called earth. The waters had covered the whole earth. He drew them off, and put them into one place. This place he called seas. And wonderful and mighty is the sea. They that go to it in ships, they indeed see the works of the Lord, and his wonders

in the deep. Then God commanded the earth to bring forth grass for the cattle, and herb for the service of man. At that time he created every tree, and plant, and herb, with seeds in themselves to bring forth others like themselves. This was the work of the third day. Then God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, and set them in heaven: the greater light, the sun, to rule, to shine on the day, the lesser light, the moon, to rule, to shine on the night. He appointed also, that they should be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years. Men divide time into months, by means of the moon, and into years, by means of the sun. All this was the work of the fourth day. On the fifth day, God made all kinds of fishes both great and small, and all kinds of birds, that fly in the air. On the sixth day, he made all the beasts of the field, and creeping things and cattle. On the sixth day also, he made man, one man,