and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, f,3c. 181 with pleafure on the high polls they were to enjoy in their Mafler's kingdom. Peter feems particularly to have been difap- pointed ; and therefore addreffedhis Maf- ter in the name of the reft, begging him to remember, that his apoftles had aftually done what the young man had refufed : they had abandoned their relations, their friends,, their poffeffions, and their em- ployments, on his account: and, therefore, defired to know what reward they were to expert, for thefe inhances oftheir obe- dience. To which JESUS replied, That they fhould not fail of a reward, even in this life : for immediately after his refur- reElion; when he afcended to his Father, and entered on his mediatorial office, they fhould be advanced to the honour of judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael ; that is, of ruling the church of CHRIST, which they were to plant in different parts of the earth : Verily, Ifay unto you, That ye which have followed me in the regenera- tion, when the Son of man[hall fit in the throne of his glory, ye allo (hall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael. Our Lord having given this anfwer to Peter, he next mentioned the rewards his other difciples should receive, both in this world, and in that which is to come : they, faid he, who have forfaken all for my falte, shall be no lofers in the end ; their bene- volent Father, who intends to give them pofleflions in the heavenly Canaan, will not fail to fupport them, during their Iong and painful journey to that happy country, and raife them up friends who [hall alfift them with thofe neteffaries they might have expelled from their relations, had theynot left them for my fake. Divine Providence will take care that they have -every thing valuable that can be given them by their relations, or they could de- fire from large pofleffrons : they [hall, in- deed, be fed with the bread of forrow, but 'this Ihall produce joys, to which all the earthly pleafures bear no proportion ; and, in the end, obtain everlaffing life: they (hall No. t&. leave this vale of teats, with all it's pains and forrows, behind them, and fly to the bofom of their Almighty Father, the foun- tain of life and joy, where, for all the fuf- ferings they have undergone in this world, they fhall, be infinitely rewarded. According to this, many who are by their fellow-mortals, confidered as the lait of mankind, becaufe of their fufferings, felf - denials, and mortifications, (hall be really firfl, not only in point of future re- ward, but even with regard to prefent fatisfadî.ion: But many that are fill [hall be loft ; and the loft fhall be fir/i. It feems thefe words were fpoken to keep the difciples humble, as, in all pro- bability, they at firft underflood the pro- mife oftheir fitting on twelve thrones in a natural fenfe ; fo they were ready to con- ffrue every expreffion to a temporal king- dom, which they hill expelled their Mailer would ereil upon earth. Our bleffed Lord, therefore, to remove all thoughts they might entertain of this kind, told them, that though he had defcribed the rewards they were to expedl for the ready obedience they had (hewn to his commands, and the pains they were to take in propagating the gofpel amongff the children of men; yet thefe rewards were fpiritual, and not con- fined to the Jews alone, but extended allo to the Gentiles, who, in point of time, fhould excel the Jews, and univerfally embrace the gofpel before that nation was converted. Our great Redeemer illufirated this dollrine with the parable ofthe houlholder, who, at different hours of the day, hired labourers to work in his vineyard : The kingdomofheaven, fays our bleffed Saviour, is like unto a man that is an houfholder, which went out early in the morning, to hire labourers into his vineyard. Andwhen he had agreed with the labourers forapenny a-day, he lent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and jaw others(landing idle in the marketplace, and faid unto them, Go ye alfo into the vineyard; and whatfoever is right I will X x give
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