The unbelievers preparing for Christ. By T.HThe vnbeleevers preparing for Christ. By T.H

We have heard heretofore that all men being dead in sins and trespasses are so far from working out their own 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 happiness hereafter, and therefore the last general circumstance ⟨p. 189⟩of preparation we did handle, was this, That howsoever a natural 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 Jesus, and then he will bestow the Lord Jesus and grace and salvation upon them. Now concerning this point, there are two circumstances of special consideration. The first is the circumstance of time in regard of the means, and that we have already handled out of Luke 19.42. and the point then delivered was this; When God continues life and the means of salvation to a people, then this is the time when God means to bestow mercy and salvation upon them. The second circumstance concerning the time of this work is in respect of the men upon whom God will work: and some he works upon in their tender age, some in their riper years, and some in their old age, at all times God doth call some; and this is the circumstance we will now grapple withal, 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 sense and meaning thereof. When therefore we hear in the parable of a vineyard, and of the master of the vineyard, and of the servants that were hired to work in this vineyard, and of the several hours wherein they are hired; these are only 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 Jesus, the ⟨p. 190⟩hiring of the servants into the vineyard, is nothing else but the powerful calling of poor sinners by the work of the Ministry, to the knowledge of the truth here, and happiness hereafter, and in that he calls some at one hour, and some at another; the meaning is, that God calls some at one time, some at another; some in their tender years, some in their middle age, and some in their old age; some older, some younger: