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MEDITATION VIII.

[February 3, 1788.]

MATTHEW XXII. 4.

ALL THINGS ARE READY: COME UNTO THE MARRIAGE.

LET me read to you a little of this surprising story, as it came from the mouth of our Lord himself; and remember, while you are hearing it, that it may typify this very feast that you now are invited to; a feast provided by the King of kings to celebrate the espousals of the Son of God with the children of men. Now, then, hear and wonder. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage." I will not read any further now, nor will I take up your time with showing you how by those that were first bidden are to be understood the Jews,

to whom the gospel was first preached; and that by those in the highways and hedges are to be understood the Gentiles. We have now no one to consider but ourselves. We are as immediately

concerned in it as if our names were inserted in the invitation; and I have read enough of it to furnish out matter of delightful contemplation for an hour, for an age, for eternity. It is all so wonderful, that one knows not what to wonder at first or most.

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son." When an earthly king intends to marry his eldest son, the prince, the heir apparent of his crown, he looks round among the families of his brother monarchs, and singles out the princess whom he thinks most worthy in point of rank and merit. But when God proposed an alliance for his Son, he had no equals to match with; he must of necessity have recourse to some or other of his creatures; and here the choice lay between angels and men-holy angels or sinful men. The disparity is so great, that to appearance there was not room for a moment's hesitation; and one is ready to imagine, that on God's first declaring his intention, the Son would say, 66 'Holy Father, since it is thy will that I should form a connexion with some of thy creatures, and thereby advance them to a relationship with ourselves, let it not be with that execrable race of rebels below; the very sight of them is

I call," says he; " and

my

offensive. Let it be with angels. These have been long residents in heaven, and have been always dutiful and affectionate; their capacities are great, and their zeal for thy glory ardent. Let me call to one of them that are here about thy throne, and bid him tell all his brethren what honour is preparing for them." So Christ might have said; and could we have blamed him if he had? But no such thing was said or thought of; he took not on him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham. "Unto you, O men, voice is to the sons of men." How unexpected! and, to finite comprehension, how impossible! Light and darkness, heaven and earth, yea, heaven and hell, we should have thought, might sooner have united, than the eternal Son of God with the sinful children of men. And yet, impossible as it might seem, and improbable as it really was, infinite wisdom and infinite love have found out a way to accomplish it. Christians, have you well considered the nearness, the dignity of your new relation? It is not that of a prince to his subjects, of a master to his servants, of one friend to another, of a brother to a brother; nearer and better than all this-it is the relation of husband and wife. I will only refer you to two texts of scripture, which the oftener read the more you will admire: "For

you thy Maker is thine Husband; the Lord of hosts is

his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of

Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called." "And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the Lord," Isa. liv. 5. Hosea ii. 19, 20. This honour have all the saints, praise ye the Lord. But to proceed with the story.

"He sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come." Amazing! Though it was an alliance so inconceivably honourable and advantageous, they would not come. They would not come. O christians, we have no right to censure others; let us take it to ourselves We would not come. I need not say that the first proposal could not come from us. Low as we were fallen, and desperate as our circumstances were, we should never have thought of repairing them by such an alliance as this; or if we had thought of it, the distance was so great, and the breach so wide, that we never should have dared to mention it. So far from it, even when it was proposed to us on the part of God, and the ambassadors of Christ came to us and opened their commission, and told us what proposals they were ordered to make to us, and that nothing was wanting but our consent; strange to tell, that consent was not easily obtained. That consent was at first

denied. Yes, christians, you may well blush at the recollection of it; but you must know, that when you were first applied to on the behalf of Christ, your answer was, "I pray thee have me excused: go thy way for this time, and when I have a more convenient season I will send for thee." You were then otherwise engaged. You were lovers of pleasure, lovers of the world, lovers of your own selves, lovers of sin; and there was no room in your hearts for the love of Christ. So you would not come; and if the treaty had broken off here, we had been lost for ever. But it follows," Again, he sent forth other servants." Happy for us,

Christ did not take the first refusal; he renewed his solicitations, and by all the winning arguments of love, he did at length prevail, and made us willing in the day of his power: and here at this very table was the solemn contract first signed and sealed, and you declared before all the world, I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine."

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Next, let us contemplate the feast that was made upon the occasion. The king was so pleased with his new relations, that he would celebrate it as a high festival, and have all his friends to partake of his joy. And the preparations were accordingly of the best. "My oxen and my fatlings are killed;" as if he thought nothing too good to be produced on this joyful day. Now, christians, think with astogreater feast before you. Here

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