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SERMON,

Delivered at Princeton, before the Board of Trustees of the College of New-Jersey, May 6, 1795, occasioned by the death of the Rev. JOHN WITHERSPOON, D. D. L. L. D. President of said College, by JOHN RODGERS, D. D. Senior Minister of the United Presbyterian Churches, in the city of New-York.

PUBLISHED BY PARTICULAR REQUEST OF THE BOARD,

MATTHEW, xxv. 21.

"His Lord said unto him, "Well done, thou good and faithful Servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

THE

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HE doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments, lies deep at the foundation of our holy religion: It is a doctrine perfectly confonant to reafon and fupported by it; and is either afferted, or juftly taken for granted, in every page of the facred oracles. This is the immortality, for the bleffedness of which we became incapacitated, by our apoftacy from God; and that, for the enjoyment of which, it is one great design of the religion of Jefus Chrift to prepare us. The whole frame of this religion is wifely calculated for this end. Among the many evidences of thefe truths, we may appeal to the difcourfes of our Divine Mafter; and particularly to this, of which our text is a part.

VOL. I.

B

In the preceding chapter, he had given his difciples an inftructive difcourfe on the certainty and folemnity of his fecond coming. He continues the fubject in this chapter, and enforces the great duty of preparation for it, by the parable of the ten virgins, from the firft verfe to the thirteenth; by the parable of the talents, from thence to the thirtieth verfe; and by a more particular account of the process of the judgment of the great day, from thence to the end of the chapter.

The more immediate defign of the parable of the talents, of which our text is a part, is to enforce the duty, and illuftrate the happiness of being prepared for giving up our account, when he fhall come to judge the world in righteoufnels. You may read it at your leifure. The "man travelling into a far country," in this parable means our Lord himfelf; who is the great head of his church, which is his family. The "fervants," of whom we here read, mean all profeffing Chriftians; all who call themfelves the fervants of Chrift, whatever their nation or denomination may be; though fome fuppofe the Minifters of the Gospel are more particularly intended.

By the talents, we are to underftand the various gifts of Heaven, whether of a common or of a fpecial nature. They include the bounties of Providence, fuch as health, ftrength, reafon, genius, riches, honor, power, learning, reputation, the feveral advantages arifing from our stations in life; and, together with thefe, thofe graces of the spirit that conftitute the Chriftian temper. Thefe are all fo many talents put into our hands, to be improved for God, and the beft interefts of our fellow-creatures; and they are different to different perfons. To one God gives more of these gifts or graces, and to another lefs; which is defigned in the parable by the mafter's giving to one fervant five talents, and to another two, and to another one.

By" the Lord of thofe fervants coming, after a long time, to reckon with them," we are to understand that particular judgment which every one paffes under at death, when our final ftates are determined: and also, and principally, our Lord's coming to judge the world in righteoufnefs, at the laft day, "When every one fhall re

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