can comfort the weary, and support the weak, shall become the daily, the everlasting food of your souls-] To evince how much our message is disregarded, we proceed to shew II. Who are they that make light of the invitation Among the numberless classes that might be men. tioned, two only shall be selected; 1. They who satisfy themselves with excuses for declining it [The persons, mentioned in the context, excused themselves on account of "their farms or merchandize"-But their pleas, however satisfactory in their own eyes, were not admitted by God-On the contrary, he declared them to be "unworthy ever to taste of his supper"-Now what excuses has any man more urgent than these?-And if these were of no avail in their case, what right have we to think, that the plea of worldly business will be admitted in our favour?-If the prosecuting of our worldly business were really incompatible with the enjoyment of God, there can be no doubt which we ought to prefer-He was " a wise merchant, who having found a pearl of great price, sold all that he had and bought it"-But our duties to God and to the world are by no means irreconcileable with each other-And therefore the resting in such vain excuses shews, that we make light of the salvation offered us-] 2. They who do not accept it with all thankfulness [Blessings, like those set before us in the gospel, ought to be regarded as of the first importance-Indifference towards them is a positive contempt of them-If a slave, whom we had ransomed at a great price, and to whom we offered liberty, and affluence, and honour, should express no gratitude, no joy on the occasion, should we not think that he "made light of" our proffered kindness?-But what bondage is so dreadful as that in which we are held by sin and Satan? or what liberty is like that of God's children? or what comparison is there between the riches and honours of this world, and those which are imparted to us on our union with Christ?-If then our joy and gratitude excited by the gospel salvation, be not in some measure proportioned to its value and importance, we cannot but be considered as making light of it-] Nor will this be thought a venial matter, if we duly consider III. The folly and sinfulness of their conduct VOL, IV. P But what words can sufficiently express this? for they make light of 1. That which is of the greatest possible value [Estimate the blessings of salvation either positively by the price paid for them, or comparatively by weighing them, as it were, in a balance against all other things, and then see what it is that they despise-Only consider, that every one of those blessings was bought with blood, with the blood of God's co-equal, co-eternal Son, a price infinitely exceeding ten thousand worlds-Is there no guilt, no folly in disregarding things of such inestimable value?-Bring into competition with them all that the world can give; and it will be found lighter than the dust upon the balance, yea, "altogether lighter than vanity itself”—Well therefore does the apostle put that unanswerable question, "How shall ye escape, if ye neglect sa great salvation?"—] 2. That without which they can never be happy [The creature, at best, is but as "a broken cistern:" in vain shall any one go to it for solid happiness" There is not, there cannot be, any true peace to the wicked"—Let any man try to make himself happy, while the guilt of all his sins continues to lie upon him, and he is in awful suspense about his eternal state; he may be thoughtless as a child, or stupid as a beast; but he cannot be happy-And if this be the case in the midst of all his gaiety, what will be his situation in a dying hour?-At all events, supposing him ever so happy in life and in death, how will he feel himself on his first entrance into the invisible world?-Will he who made light of the marriage-feast on earth, sit down with boldness at "the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven?"-Will all those employments to which he was averse in this world, be at once his joy and delight, as soon as he passes into the world above? If he disregarded earthly things, he would have reason on his side; because he might be happy in God, even though he were destitute of every thing else: but to hope for happiness without God is a desperate delusion; and consequently, to make light of the invitations of the gospel is nothing less than madness itself] 3. That which they are sure to value, when it will be gone beyond recovery [Here men are of very different sentiments; some accounting godliness the one thing needful, and others despising it as enthusiasm and needless singularity-But in the eternal world there is no such diversity of opinion: the saints in glory are fully confirmed in the judgment they had formed h Isaiah xlviii. 22. f Heb. ii. 3. Jer. ii. 13. on earth; and the wicked in hell are fully convinced of their error; the one know by their enjoyments how good it was to obey the heavenly call; and the other know by their sufferings; what "a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God"-What then is it but madness to make light of that, which we are so sure to value when there remains to us no longer any possibility of attaining it? Let due weight be given to these considerations, and we shall need nothing more to convince us either of the folly or sinfulness of slighting the invitations of the gospel-] APPLICATION [It is to be feared that, after all, many will persist in their infatuated conduct-But we would at least make one more effort to reclaim them; and beg of God to render his word effectual to their conversion Know then that the marriage supper is now prepared; and we, as God's servants, come in his name to invite you to itWe invite you all: the rich, the poor; the old, the young; the moral, the immoral-We announce to you, that all things are ready. Are ye then not ready? If ye say, "We have not a suitable garment; we declare to you, that the Master of the feast has provided garments for all his guests; and that ye need only to be clothed with the unspotted robe of Christ's righteousness, and ye shall instantly be acceptable in the sight of God-Put away then your excuses: receive thankfully the invitation sent you: and begin to feast upon those spiritual provisions that shall nourish your souls unto life eternal-] i Wisd. v. 4. CCCLXXI. THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE LAW! Rom. vii. 7. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God for bid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. THERE is not any thing, however good, which has not been abused to the vilest purposes-· The blessings of Providence are rendered subservient to intemperance The holy scriptures are often wrested to support error But we must blame, not the things that are perverted, but the persons who pervert them- We must estimate things by their use, and not by their abuse To this effect the apostle speaks respecting the law of God And, in his vindication of it, he opens to us I. Its nature The law here spoken of must be the moral law, because it is that which forbids inordinate desireIts spirituality may be scen by considering 1. The commandments in general [Our Lord comprises them all in two, namely, love to God, and love to man Our love to God must be supreme, without intermission or reserve The smallest defect in the degree or manner of our love is a violation of our duty towards him Our love to our neighbour must resemble our love to ourselves This is transgressed, not by overt acts only, but by secret thoughts In this extent our Lord himself explains those very commandments, which we should be most ready to limit and restrict Hence it appears, that we may be blameless respecting the outward breach of the law, and yet have transgressed every one of the commandments throughout our whole lives-] 2. The particular commandment before us [This, in the very letter of it, extends to our inclinations and desires It prohibits all dissatisfaction with our own state or lotall envy at the prosperity of others jects all desire of any evil or forbidden object all inordinate love even of good and lawful ob It does not say, that we must not indulge a wrong desire, but that we must not have it a He had spoken of the law as the accidental occasion of sin and death, ver. 5. From hence he supposes that some would object against it as the cause of sin and death. But, shuddering at such a blasphemous thought, he refutes the objection; and shews that, instead of being a promoter of sin, it discovered and prohibited sin in its first and most secret workings. b Matt. xxii. 37-40. e Matt. 21, 22, 27, 28. Well therefore does David say respecting the law, "Thy commandment is exceeding broad"_] It may seem unjust in God to publish such a law, seeing that man in his present fallen state cannot keep it one single hour— But God could not, consistently with his own honour and our good, publish a less spiritual law than thisAnd this will be found both "just and good," if we consider II. Its use Many are the uses of this law both to saints and sinners But there is one use in particular mentioned in the text; and to that we shall confine our attention act The nature of sin is but little understood [The generality think sin consists only in the outward Hence they suppose themselves in a good and safe stateThis was the case with St. Paul himself before his conversion But the law is intended to discover sin to us in its true colours [Like a perfect rule, it leads to a discovery of our smallest obliquities When applied to our motives, and principles, and to the manner and measure of our duties, it shews us that our very best actions are extremely defective Thus it plucks up by the roots all conceit of our own good ness And causes us to lie low before God as miserable sinnersIt was to a view of the law that St. Paul owed his knowledge of his own sinfulness And it is by this light that we must see the evil of our state APPLICATION 1. What "know" we of "sin?" law? [Have we ever seen the spirituality and extent of the |