feast to be enjoyed, " a feast of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined"^," "to satiate every weary soul, and to replenish and exhilarate every sorrowful soul^." In calling you to be guests, we require of you no pre-requisites of goodness and worthiness for the meriting of this distinction : it is offered even to the very chief of sinners, provided they be willing to accept of mercy and all the other blessings of salva- tion as the free gift of God in Christ Jesus. All is offered to you freely " without money and without price."]
But what reception has our message met with in the midst of you ?
[Some, I am happy to say, have accepted the invitation, and are already partaking of the feast But the gene- rality amongst you have acted, as those in former days, who " made light of" the proffered mercy, and " went to their farm and merchandize " as an employment better suited to their taste. Some, like the Jews in former ages, have evil-entreated the servants of the Lord*^. Others, who have treated the mes- sengers with more respect, have yet shewn the same indifference to the message, satisfying themselves with vain excuses, which nevertheless they must know can never satisfy their God^
Almost all desire to put off the day of their intercourse
with the heavenly Bridegroom, as though it were rather an evil to be dreaded, than a feast to be enjoyed. If the listening to our invitation would suffice, they would be contented to go thus far on the Sabbath-day: but if they must come to Christ and sit down with him at the wedding-feast, they desire to postpone it to some more convenient season, when the cares and pleasures of life shall have lost all their attraction.]
And what must be the issue of such conduct ?
[Those who have reviled and persecuted the servants of the Most High, will meet with a suitable recompence at his hands**. And those who have " made light of" their labour, will never be admitted " so much as to taste of this supper'." It is a fact that they who come not now to this feast, know nothing of God's pardoning love, nothing of the comforts of the Holy Ghost. They are utter strangers to all spiritual joy. They think all experience of heavenly communications, all manifestations of God's love, and all foretastes of his glory, to be no better than the dreams of a heated imagination. What hope then can they have that they shall possess all the fulness of these blessings in the eternal world ? In their present con- dition they have no capacity for the enjoyment of the heavenly
^ Isai. XXV. 6. e Jer. xxxi. 25. ' ver. 6.
s Lukexiv. 18 — 20. ^ yer. 7. ' Luke xiv. 24.