16. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many :

1

17. And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

All things are now ready. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Son of man is about to open that kingdom to all believers. The predicted Deliverer is born. The glad tidings are revealed. The promises are fulfilled. The prophecies are receiving their accomplishment. The expectations are realised. All things are now ready: and the Messiah has sent forth his apostles, saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Now then we might suppose that all would hasten, and thankfully meet the invitation.

18. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

19. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

Such was the conduct of the people at that time As it had been in the days of Noah, so was it also in the days of the Son of man: they bought; they sold; they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage; the things of this world so occupied their hearts, that they gave no heed to the message which was sounding through

1 A parable to the like purpose occurs in Matt. xxii. 1—10.

their country, and which said, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

And judging from what has been, and from what still is the case, we have reason to fear that so it will remain to the end. The great majority of those who hear the invitation-Come, for all things are now ready-will be so engrossed with things temporal, that things eternal shall have no value for them. They will not " lay hold on eternal life." They will neglect the "treasure hid in the field," for the treasure which is before their eyes. They will not quit the earthly trifles which they are catching at, for that "pearl of great price," which lies beyond the surface of this present world.

May God increase in us that faith, which is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen!"

21. So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

22. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

Jerusalem, and the chief people of the Jews, were putting from them eternal life, and rejecting the Lord of glory. But there were still many Jews dispersed among the Gentiles, and there were others in different parts of the neighbouring country, and there were Samaritans, to whom it was not yet known that God had "remembered his holy covenant," and "visited and redeemed his people."

These were obscure persons, compared with the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and some of them much despised treated as maimed, and halt, and blind. But all souls are alike in the sight of God: and our Lord, before he ascended up to heaven, commanded his apostles to go into these streets and lunes: saying, "Ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria." And it was done as he commanded. " They that were scattered abroad by the persecution at Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching the word."3

Thus, according to the will of God, "the grace of God that bringeth salvation" was first made manifest to the Jewish people. But his mercy was intended for the Gentiles also.

22. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

24. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

Here a doom is passed upon the unbelieving Jews of that day, like the sentence which had been pronounced in the wilderness: "Unto whom I swear in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest." Grace despised, is grace forfeited. The Jewish people were disinherited. As a nation, they lost the favour of God: nay, they incurred his heaviest anger. "Because of unbelief they were

broken off," as branches of a tree which bore no fruit. And the Gentiles, who received the word of God with joy, and repented, and embraced the faith

2 Acts i. 8.

3 Acts viii. 1—5.

of Christ; these were "grafted in." Justly may we say with the apostle, "Behold the goodness and severity of God: towards them that fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness." O that every Christian nation, and every christian individual, would walk more worthily of his goodness, more worthily of the vocation wherewith they are called!

One remark must be distinctly made, before we dismiss this parable. The things which are represented here as keeping men at a distance from God, and preventing their return to him, are not things sinful in themselves, but things needful and proper: the lawful concerns, the indipensable business, the ordinary transactions of life. Many, no doubt, perish through open transgressions, and bold defiance of God's law. But many also perish by things which no law forbids, things which they might justly and unblameably have done, if they had not, for their sake, left things still more needful undone.

Mixed with this warning, there is also comfort in the parable. We learn, that yet there is room: that it is God's will; that his house shall be filled : that "all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth:" and that not until the end, when mercy has been long despised and grace neglected, is the sentence issued, None of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.

4 See Rom. xi. 17—22.

LECTURE LV.

SELF-DENIAL AND RESOLUTION NEEDFUL TO THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST.

LUKE xiv. 25-35.

25. And there went great multitudes with him and he turned, and said unto them,

26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 1

27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

These words bring our religious state and character to a point: to be a disciple of Christ is a personal thing, which every one must take up for himself, individually and deliberately.

Our Lord sees a multitude around him; thinking, perhaps, that to follow him was the easy road to temporal success, and wealth, and honour.

He turns round, and undeceives them: If any man come to me, let him come with full purpose of heart, prepared to renounce everything else, every thing dear to him in the world, for he may be called so to do. I warn you of this now, that you may not discover it too late; that you may not be disheartened, and turn back, after having professed to be my followers.

1 See Matt. xvi. 24-26.