[God makes use of men to collect persons into the visible Church; but he will employ "angels" as his agents to "se- parate the bad from the good." Nor will they, when acting under the direction of the Most High, be liable to the smallest error. They will see with one glance of their eye, who have been justified in Christ Jesus, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. No fisherman can distinguish between the most different sorts of fish more clearly than the angels will, between the weakest of the saints, and the most refined of hypocrites. Not one that is truly good, shall be cast away ; nor one that is really bad, be preserved.]
That separation will be inexpressibly awful —
[Here the parable was inadequate to convey the truth; and therefore our Lord added a further explanation of it. Fishes that are cast away suffer no otherwise than in meeting death a little sooner than those that are reserved in vessels. But it is not thus with souls that are cast away ; for they shall be " cast into a furnace of fire, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for ever" O fearful end! how in- conceivably different from that of those who shall be treasured up in vessels as " meet for their Master's use !" ]
Infer,
1. How diligently should we attend the ordinances
of the Gospel !
[Ministers are made " fishers of men ;" and their one em- ployment is to " catch men^." (This, my brethren, is the office which I am executing for God at this very moment : I am labouring to catch your souls for God.) Now it is in the ordinances that they go forth to cast their net : and if persons do not attend the ordinances, there is no probability of their ever being drawn to God^. Let not any trifling matters then be suffered to detain us from the house of God ; for we cannot tell the precise time at which God has designed to enclose us in his net. And what a loss should we sustain, if through absence we deprived ourselves of that benefit ! Let us then not only come to the house of God, but beg him to instruct his servants how to cast the net in the most advantageous manner', for our benefit, and for his glory.]
2. How careful should we be not to rest in an unsound profession of religion !
[It is not every one that is gathered by the Gospel, that shall enjoy its saving benefits. Many there are who approve of the truth, and take pleasure in hearing it proclaimed"^, who
s Matt. iv. 19. Luke v. 10. ^ Rom. x. 17.
i John xxi. G. ^ Ezek. xxxiii, 31, 32.