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them expreffes them by going one to his Farm, and another to his Merchandize, things of infinitely lefs Concern than thofe to which they are fo graciously invited: and therefore we may well think how little fuch feign'd Excufes will a vail before God; as appears by the next words of the Parable: So that Servant came and fhewed his Lord thefe things. At which the Mafter of the Houfe is faid to be exceeding angry; and well he might, for their Baseness and Ingratitude in rejecting the Tenders of his Mercy and Goodness upon fuch flight and trifling Pretences: for who that had provided a rich and coftly Banquet, and fpread his Table with all manner of Varieties, would not be highly offended with fuch unthankful Guefts, as refufe to come and partake of them upon fo free and kind an Invitation? Will flight Excufes pafs with you upon fuch Occafions? How then can we think that God will take them at our hands? Why, that himself declares in this Gospel, that none of them that were bidden fhall taste of my Supper. None can endure to have his Favours defpis'd; and therefore God here ftrikes fuch wilful Contemners of his Grace out of the Lift of his Friends, and refolves not to invite them any more, but to give them up to a reprobate Senfe, having no feeling of God's Love, nor Relifh of Divine Things.

Now this Expofitors generally understand of God's utter rejecting of the Jews for their great Perverseness and Infidelity for tho they were once his peculiar People, dignify'd above all others by many high and noble Privileges; tho the Covenant, the giving of the Law and the Promises, were all theirs, yea, tho the Meffias came from them, and was firft fent to them; yet because they thruft Salvation from them, and obftinately rejected all the Offers of Mercy and Pardon made to them, God alfo rejected them, and left them to the Blindness and Perverseness of their own Minds; in which unhappy State they remain to this day. This is reprefented here by a fumptuous Supper or Entertainment made for them, and many earneft and importunate Invitations made to them; God fending his Prophets and Meffengers from time to time to woo and intreat them to come in and accept Salvation from him: but their frequent and frivolous Excufes, and at laft their final rejecting of all that could be faid or done for them, provok'd God utterly to caft them off, and to call in other Perfons of meaner Quality and Circumftances to him.

So

So we here read, that the Mafter of the Houfe being angry, faid to his Servant, Go out quickly into the Streets and Lanes of the City, and bring in hither the Poor, and the Maim'd, and the Halt, and the Blind. This is generally interpreted of the Calling in of the Gentiles, who were before but forlorn Perfons and Caftaways, excluded from all the Privileges of the Temple, and deftitute of all hopes of Favour: Aliens from the Commonwealth of Ifrael, and Strangers to the Covenant of Promife; as the Apostle defcribes them. These, upon the Rejection of the Jews, were receiv'd into Mercy, and made Partakers of the manifold Grace of God. So Paul and Barnabas told the Jews, It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been Spoken to you, but feeing ye put it from you, and judg your felves unworthy of everlasting Life, lo! we turn to the Gentiles: for fo bath the Lord commanded us, faying, I have fet thee to be a Light to the Gentiles, that thou shouldft be for Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: Acts 13.46, 47. Chrift himself foretold that the Children of the Kingdom, meaning the Jews, fhould be caft out, and that the Gentiles fhould be receiv'd in their room, according to that Promife and Prediction, Pfal. 2. 8. I will give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the Earth for thy Poffeffion; which Promife was here parabolically exprefs'd and fulfil'd in the Master of the Feaft's laying afide the Jews, who refus'd the Grace of the Gospel, and commanding his Servant to go into the Streets and Lanes of the City, where the Gentiles were wont to walk forlorn and deftitute, and to bring in those who in refpect of the Jews were poor in Substance, maim'd in Body, halt in their Feet, and blind in their Eyes, that is, labouring under great Infirmities and Diftreffes both in Body, Mind and Eftate. Thefe he order'd to be brought in to this Gospel-Feaft, and for accepting of it he heal'd all their Infirmities of Body and Mind; for we read that the Blind receiv'd their Sight, the Lame walked, the Lepers were cleanfed, and the Poor had the Gospel preached unto them. Mat. 11. 5.

When this was done according to Order, the Servant goes to his Mafter again, and said unto him, Lord it is done as thou haft commanded, and yet there is room: meaning, that the Plenty of the Provifion was fuch, as might well ferve a greater Company, and that his Grace was fufficient for all. Whereupon the Lord fends his Servant again, and bids him go out into the Highways and Hedges, and to

fetch

fetch in all the Stragglers and Outlyers, that his Houfe may be filled: fhewing, that his Houfe is free to all Comers, that none are excluded for their Meannefs and Poverty, but all are invited, Rich and Poor, Bafe and Honourable, all may come, and find a true Welcome; for God is not willing that any fhould perish, but that all Men should be Javed, and come to the knowledg of the Truth; 1Tim. 2. 4.

But because fome Mens Backwardness may be fuch as to need a fpur, and to require a little awakening, our Saviour here adds with refpect to fuch, Compel them to come in. What may be the Import of that Command, what this Compulfion is, and how far it is to be used in fuch Cafes, may be worth our while a little to confider. To which end we may take notice of a twofold Compulfion, the one by Perfuafion, the other by Penalties; both which may be useful in many Cafes, and in fome neceffary.

For the first, there is a fort of Violence in the Arts and Methods of Perfuafion, and many are drawn to believe and do many things by the mere Force of Reason: this oftimes overpowers the Mind, and by an invifible and invincible Influence carries it captive to the Obedience of Faith. Words fometimes pierce deeper than the Sword, and gain that point by Perfuafion, which no outward Force or Compulfion could obtain. St. Stephen's Adverfaries could not refift the Wisdom and Spirit with which he fpake. St. Peter's Hearers were, by the Sharpnefs of his Difcourfe, prick'd at the heart, and faid unto him, What shall we do? In this fenfe, to compel them to come in, is by the Force of Arguments to draw them unto Chrift, and by the Arts of Perfuafion to conftrain them to come to him,

But where these cannot prevail, (as with the Ignorant and Obftinate they can do little) there they may be driven by Laws and Punishments. Children may be made to learn by the Rod, and the Backwardness of Men may be chastiz'd and quicken'd by good Laws. 'Tis no prejudice to any to be compel'd to their Duty, to reftrain their Wandrings, and to keep them in the right way: whereas Multitudes are undone by Liberty and Indulgence. To fupprefs Schifm and Vice by Cenfures, and the Sanctions of human Laws, hath been ever ufed in the Chriftian Church; and 'tis both a fafe, proper, and wife Courfe, to awaken and reclaim Offenders by moderate Penalties: Compel them to come in (faith our Saviour) that my Houfe may be fill'd. Chrift loves to fee a full Table, and delights to have his House

furnish'd

furnish'd with Guefts. But then care must be taken, to fit and prepare our felves for this holy Feast, to have on our Wedding-Garment, that we may be welcome Guests to this Marriage-Supper; for holy things may not be given to Dogs. And what our Saviour here faid to the obftinate Jews, he faith to all impenitent Sinners; None of those Men that were bidden fhall taste of my Supper.

This is the Sum of this Day's Gofpel: which may teach us,

1. To magnify and adore the infinite Love and Condefcenfion of Chrift, in making fuch ample Provifions for us, and fo graciously inviting his worthless Creatures to them. The Plenty and Coftliness of his Provifions, is reprefented by the killing of his Oxen and Fatlings, the best of his Cattel, and the choiceft of his Herds and Flocks. The Freedom and Kindness of his Invitation is exprefs'd by his bidding of many; indeed, all that by a due Preparation of themfelves will come and accept of it: he calls both Jew and Gentile, Male and Female, Bond and Free; for they are all one in Christ Jesus. By which he fhews himself to be no Respecter of Perfons, but in every Nation he that feareth God, and worketh Righteousness, is accepted of him. This is a Mercy too great to be exprefs'd, indeed too great to be expected, had hot God of his undeferv'd Goodness vouchfafed to be ftow it; and is therefore to be own'd and accepted with all Thankfulness.

2. From the many Excufes made by the Guests for their not accepting of this Supper, we may learn the natural Backwardness and Averfenefs of Mankind to their own Good. Tho they were here invited to a highly honourable and beneficial Entertainment, yet every flight Pretence was thought fufficient to keep them from it, and no Intreaty could prevail with them for their own Happiness. Indeed, the Matters alledg'd by them were in themselves lawful and innocent: their buying and feeing a Farm, their providing and proving of Oxen, their efpoufing and enjoying a Wife, were things in their due time and place very allowable; but the fault was, the preferring thefe trifling and perifhing matters of the World, above the weightier things of Hea ven, and the great Affairs of Eternity: their minding a Farm above the Kingdom of Heaven, their taking greater care of Oxen than their own Souls, and their loving Fa

ther

ther and Mother, Husband and Wife, more than Christ: which they that do, are not worthy of him.

3. From the Mafter of the Feaft's great Difpleasure at these things, we may learn the Danger as well as Vanity of all fuch Excufes he was fo wroth with them, as to threaten that they should not tafte of his Supper; they fhould nei ther feed at his Table here, nor feaft with him hereafter. But 'tis to be fear'd there are fome in our days, that abstain from this Feaft upon worfe Excufes than these they are loth to come, because they are unwilling to leave their Sins, and amend their Lives, or be oblig'd to fuch a Strictness as the holy Sacrament requires. But if those more innocent Excufes in the Gospel were not accepted, with what Indignation (think you) will thofe viler Pretences be rejected? Wherefore, in the laft place, let us lay afide all manner of Excufes, and make our felves ready to go to the Lord's Supper; and fo by accepting of Grace now, we fhall e'er long be advanc'd to Glory.

DISCOURSE

XVI.

The EPISTLE for the Third Sunday after

Trinity.

1 St. Peter v. 5——————12.

All of you be fubject one to another, and be clothed with Humility; for God refifteth the Proud, and giveth Grace to the Humble. Humble Humble your felves therefore under the mighty Hand of God, that in due time, &c.

he may

T

exalt

you

HE Collect for this Day befeeches God mercifully to hear our Prayers; that we, to whom he hath given a hearty Defire to pray, may by his mighty Aid be defended and comforted in all Dangers and Adverfities. Now because Pride and Haughtinefs of Spirit is the greatest Obftacle to the Succefs of our Prayers, and to our Security from Dangers; and nothing conduces more to a

good

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