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النشر الإلكتروني

PSALM CXVIII.

See what a living stone

The builders did refuse;

salutary vigour of Gospel truth, the second time without sin unto become to him through the hardness salvation." Hebrews ix. 28. of his heart, occasions of sin! It is through Divine grace and compassion that we have not been given up to our natural blindness and hardness of heart. Subdue in us, O Lord, every remnant of that hard and stubborn spirit which may still be setting itself in opposition to the truth of thy word and the power of thy grace!"

Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Well may we exclaim, in the language of our church, Oh, terrible voice of most just judgment! Then shall it be too late to cry for mercy when it is the time for judgment ! The best commentary upon these solemn words of our Saviour may be found in the eighth chapter of Isaiah, to which allusion is evidently made. "Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And

many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon the

Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him." Isaiah viii. 13-17. Let us remember, for our guidance, encouragement and comfort, "that unto them that look for him shall he appear

Yet God hath built his church thereon
In spite of envious Jews.
The scribe and angry priest

Reject thine only Son;
Yet on this rock shall Zion rest
As the chief corner stone.

The work, O Lord, is thine,

And wondrous in our eyes,
This day declares it all divine,
This day did Jesus rise.

This is the glorious day

That our Redeemer made;
Let us rejoice, and sing, and pray,
Let all the church be glad.
Hosannah to the King

Of David's royal blood;
Bless him, ye saints; he comes to bring
Salvation from your God.

We bless thine holy word

Which all this grace displays
And offer on thy altar, Lord,
Our sacrifice of praise.

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to the wedding: and they would not come.

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speech

4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I less. have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.

6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

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7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not "worthy.

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came ¶ in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment :

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

a Luke xiv. 16. Rev. xix. 7, 9-6 Prov. ix. 2.-e Dan. ix. 26. Luke xix. 27.-d ch. x. 11, 13. Acts xiii. 46.e ch. xiii. 38. 47.-f2 Cor. v. 3. Eph. iv. 24. Col. iii. 10, 12. Rev. iii. 4; & xvi. 15; & xix. 8.-g ch. viii. 12.h ch. xx. 16.

Reader. This parable, in its primary signification, relates to the rejection of the Jews, who had abused their religious privileges, and the calling of the Gentiles through the mercy and grace of God. At the same time, it is adapted to impart instruction to all those who have received the calls and offers of the Gospel, and have thus been invited to partake of everlasting happiness in the world to come. The following remarks may tend to explain the general scope and meaning of the parable. "The king means the great God. His Son, the Lord Jesus. The marriage feast, the economy of the Gospel, are invited to during which men partake of the blessings purchased nation and death of our blessed by, and consequent on, the incarLord. By those who had been bidden or invited are meant the Jews in general, who were invited

health, property, society, friends, family, good cheer, public diversions,-in short, the life of a respectable man of the world. The second is that of a man absorbed in business, money transactions, affairs of the world and lucrative engagements,-in whom the desire and labour of acquisition stifle the thoughts of salvation and leave no time for the pursuits of eternity.— The third case is that of the openly unjust, violent and outrageous; sin

to believe in and receive the promised Messiah. By the Servants, we are understand the first preachers of the Gospel, proclaiming salvation to the Jews. John the Baptist and the seventy disciples may be here particularly intended. -By the other servants, ver. 4, the Apostles seem to be meant, who, though they were to preach the Gospel to the whole world, yet were to begin at Jerusalem (Luke xxiv. 47) with the first offers of mercy.By their making light of it, is point-ners by profession, and in the eye ed out their neglect of this salvation. -By injuriously using some, and slaying others, of his servants, is pointed out the persecution raised against the Apostles by the Jews, in which some of them were martyred. By sending forth his troops is meant the commission given to the Romans against Judæa, and by burning up their city the total destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the son of Vespasian," an event which is to be regarded as a type or shadow of the punishment which will hereafter be inflicted upon all those who neglect and oppose the Gospel.

Regarding the parable in its more general application to professing Christians, we may consider it as pointing out three several descriptions of persons who fail to partake of the blessings of the Gospel, and render themselves liable to Divine displeasure on account of their refusal to accept the proferred mercy. "The first," says Quesnel, "is the instance of an easy, idle, and voluptuous existence, distinguished by the tranquil enjoyment of life,

of the world; and not only negli gent of the great concern, but fierce against those who warn them of the truth."

are not

The allusions to eastern practices and customs which the parable contains are, for the most part, obvious and easily understood. The wedding garment mentioned in verse 11, and the blame incurred by the guest who appeared at the table without one, imply a reference to certain customs which perhaps generally known, but which ought to be taken into account in order to understand the full meaning and force of the latter portion of the parable. "Among the orientals, long white robes were worn at public festivals; and persons who appeared on such occasions with any other garments were esteemed not only highly culpable, but worthy of punishment. The person who invited the guests prepared such a garment for each, for the time being; and he was furnished with it on his application to the ruler of the feast. It was this which made

the conduct of the person mentioned his unbounded goodness, and of his

in the text inexcusable; he might have had a proper marriage garment if he had applied for it.-Among the Asiatics, garments called caftans, great numbers of which every nobleman has ordinarily ready in his wardrobe, are given to persons whom he wishes to honour; and to refuse to accept or wear such a dress would be deemed the highest insult."

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tender mercy, free grace, and unmerited favour towards lost and helpless man. The Gospel which we are invited to receive, is "the Gospel of the grace of God.”

The Gospel is here compared to a marriage feast, or, as St. Luke expresses it, a great supper. This is a very significant and appropriate figure; and it is one which the Holy Spirit, in condescension to our infirmity, and a view to our edification and comfort, has frequently employed in Holy Scripture. See especially Prov. ix. 1-5; and Isa. xxv. 6; lv. 1, 2.

Let us consider what are those good things of which the soul of a believer partakes in the Gospel feast.

It seems probable that our Lord, in delivering this parable, had in view Zephaniah i. 7, 8, "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the kings-One most distinguishing part of children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel."-In fact, the figure here employed is common, both in the Sacred Scriptures, and in rabbinical writings. The paraThe parable, in its leading features, is repeated in Luke xiv. 16-24.

READER.-The kingdom of heaven, i. e. the Gospel dispensation, is like unto a certain king which made a marriage, i. e. a marriage feast, for his son. This certain king, the master of the feast, denotes Almighty God, our heavenly Father. He is the originator or author of the Gospel, with all its blessings. The rich provision which has been made for our salvation is the produce of his almighty power, his infinite wisdom,

this divine and spiritual banquet is, the body and blood of Christ, the bread of God, the bread of life; in other words, the perfect work and most precious sacrifice of the Saviour of the world, which, being the object of humble and lively faith, becomes the nourishment and the delight of the the believer's soul. "Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." When a man habitually, with an humble and confiding heart, reposes his hope of forgiveness and acceptance with God upon the sacrifice, righteousness, and intercession of the Redeemer,-then he feeds on Christ, and by the enjoyment of this spiritual food and

sustenance his soul is strengthened of Christ's family, holy and beloved,

and refreshed. Nor is this happy effect of true and lively faith at any time more complete, or more rich with its accustomed blessing, than when it is exercised in the use of religious ordinances, and especially in connection with the appointed commemoration of the Saviour's death in the holy Supper. If, while we eat the bread and drink the wine, we also discern the Lord's body which those elements are intended to represent to our minds, -that is to say, if we exercise faith in the crucified Redeemer, truly repenting of our sins, and humbly desiring pardon and grace for Christ's sake, then do we, in an especial manner, enjoy the fulfilment of that saying, "He hath filled the hungry with good things."Again, the soul of a believer is refreshed by drinking of the richly flowing streams of Divine grace. "Living water springing up unto eternal life" is an important part of the provision made in the spiritual banquet of the Gospel. Believers in Christ are partakers of God's Spirit. They know that the blessed influence of this Divine agent has been purchased for them by the sufferings of Christ, and is now dispensed by him from his throne of glory. They pray for these graces, seek for them, prize them, cherish them. They receive them continually from time to time; and find in them no mean part of the heavenly banquet provided by the sovereign Lord, the bountiful dispenser of all good. And often are these brethren

partakers of the heavenly gift, constrained to exclaim, as it were, in the language of the Psalmist, "There be many that say who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased."-Besides this, the soul of an humble believer feeds, as it were, upon all the rich promises which are scattered up and down throughout the word of God. He is nourished and refreshed with the blessed hope of everlasting life. And many are the elements of happiness in his possession and within his reach, which are to his spiritual perception what the provisions of a richly furnished table are to the guests at a noble entertainment. As the pleasure of agreeable society is one recommendation of an earthly feast, so the delight of spiritual intercourse with believing brethren,-in one word, the communion of saints,—is an ingredient in the satisfaction of those who have accepted the gracious invitation of the master of the Gospel banquet. Nor must it be forgotten that all the peace and joy which a faithful Christian can experience during his abode on earth, is no more than a slight foretaste of those pleasures which are at God's right hand for ever, and of which he hopes to partake hereafter, together with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the company of the redeemed.-Truly then, in many points of view, the kingdom of

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