Thirdly, The doom and punishment.
1. They are not permitted to taste of the feast. God denieth them grace, and so they have but an empty ordinance. Surely this is a great evil. Cain was sensible of this, and afflicted with it ; his countenance fell when God testified not of his gifts, Gen. iv. 4, 5. It is threatened, Hosea. v. 6, ' They shall go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but shall not find him ; for he hath withdrawn himself from them.' They come to external duties, but God is not found in them : 1 Sam. xxviii. 6, ' When Saul inquired of the Lord, he answered him not." They have the shell of the gospel, but not the kernel. God will make them see they have no interest in him.
2. They incur eternal wrath, the portion of hypocrites : Mat. xxiv. 51, 'And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with hypocrites,' There is an eternal disappointment. When others go from feast to feast, from the gospel to heaven, the earthly banquet
A SERMON ON MATTHEW XXII. 11-13. 21
raaketh way for the heavenly ; they are exchided the feast, and cast into the dungeon.
Use. To persuade us to get this wedding garment.
1. Then you are welcome and acceptable to God ; you are not intruders, but welcome guests ; not only invited, but nobly enter- taiaed : Ps. xlv. 14, ' She shall be brought to the king in raiment of needle-work ; the virgins, her companions, shall be brought with her.' When the church and all the members thereof shine in all the graces of holiness, purity, humility, charity, then they are acceptably brought to God ; the whole church, particular congregations, particular saints, all welcome to God ; they shall live with him in eternal blessedness.
2. Then you may be bold, and will not be dashed out of coun- tenance: Isa. Ixi. 10, * I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation ; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.'
3. This showetb you are real friends to the bridegroom ; that you mean to honour him with such a conversation as floweth from faith and love to Christ, Gal. v. 6, 2 Thes. i. 10, 11. Faith and love evi- dencing itself in the fruits of holiness are the true glory of religion ; the badge and cognisance of the Lord Jesus, tessura hospitalls ; not riches, not honours, not parts, not bare profession. Alas ! without this we are but as tinkling cymbals ; of the faction of christians, rather than of the religion of christians. The question will not be whether you are of this or that party — Presbyterian, Independent, Episcopal — but whether we are really sanctified and do adorn the gospel, and walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called, and do so know and love God in Christ as to live to him. Oh ! then look to this.
4. Nothing doth more concern you than that you should not be christians in vain, and profess Christ to your loss. Haman boasted that he was invited to the queen's feast, but from that feast was he taken away to execution ; so many pride themselves with the name of christians, and some external duties of Christianity, when their danger is the greater because they get so little by their Christianity. What if all your prayers and preaching should be in vain, and frequenting holy duties in vain ? ' Have you suffered so many things in vain ? ' saith the apostle, Gal. iii. 4. It is so when you are not changed, but remain still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. Dead faith that is not effectual to godliness, will not save you, James ii. 20. You must be exact, complete christians, if any at all.
What remaineth, then, but that we look after the wedding garment.
Means —
1. Determine what it is. It is that grace which inclineth us to order our whole conversation according to God's will, and for his glory. There are doctrinals in religion, and practicals : now it is not enough, to be sound in the faith, but there must be a hearty love to Christ, and
22 A SERMON ON MATTHEW XXII. 11-13.
a sober, righteous, and godly life, Titus ii. 12. Tliere are privileges in religion, and duties. Now it is not enough to trust in Christ for privileges, but we must frame our hearts to the duties also : Ps. cxix. 166, 'I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.' We must believe in Christ to bring us to everlasting glory, and must also love God, and live in obedience to him. Heaven must be our hope, and scope, and aim. Love to God is the very constitution, bent, and inclination of our hearts, and thankful obedience the business of our lives. There are externals in religion, and internals. Now to attend upon external duties, and not to look to the internal frame and change of the heart, is not enough. But a holy conversation coming out of a renewed heart, is this wedding garment required of us : Mat. xii. 34, ' A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good things.' There are negatives in religion, and positives. Not an adulterer, not an extortioner, this would suit with the light of nature, which remaineth now to guide us in duties of the lower hemisphere, in our commerce with men, but gives us little help in the worship of God. And therefore to do no harm is too low and too little to prove you to be christians. If men be civil and unblamable in their lives, yet destitute of the Spirit of God and his grace, it is not becoming the gospel, Kom. viii. 4. Again, there is a consent given and performed. Where feeble resolutions are not seconded with answerable endeavours, it produceth little effect : Acts xi. 23, ' He exhorteth them to cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart.' Hopeful purposes must be verified and made good in the christian life.