A

SERMON

PREACHED IN NEW-ARK,

JUNE 12, 1744.

AT THE ORDINATION

OF

MR. DAVID BRAINERD,

A MISSIONARY AMONG THE INDIANS

UPON THE BORDERS OF THE PROVINCES OF NEW-YORK, NEW-JERSEY, AND PENNSYLVANIA.

BY

E. PEMBERTON, A. M.

PASTOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE CITY OF NEW-YORK.

AN

ORDINATION SERMON,

&c.

LUKE XIV. 23.

And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the high-ways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

GOD erected this visible world as a monument of his glory,

a theatre for the display of his adorable perfections. The heavens proclaim his wisdom and power in shining characters, and the whole earth is full of his goodness. Man was in his original creation excellently fitted for the service of God, and for perfect happiness in the enjoyment of the divine favour. But sin has disturbed the order of nature, defaced the beauty of the creation, and involved man, the lord of this lower world, in the most disconsolate circumstances of guilt and misery.

The all-seeing eye of God beheld our deplorable state; infinite pity touched the heart of the Father of mercies; and infinite wisdom laid the plan of our recovery. The Majesty of heaven did not see meet to suffer the enemy of mankind eternally to triumph in his success: nor leave his favourite workmanship irrecoverably to perish in the ruins of the apos tasy. By a method, which at once astonishes and delights the sublimest spirits above, he opened a way for the display of his mercy, without any violation of the sacred claims of his justice; in which, the honour of the law is vindicated, and the guilty offender acquitted; sin is condemned, and the sinner eternally saved. To accomplish this blessed design, the beloved Son of God assumed the nature of man, in our nature died a spotless sacrifice for 'sin; by the atoning virtue of his blood "he made reconciliation for iniquity," and by his perfect VOL. III.

3T

obedience to the law of God, "brought in everlasting righte

ousness.

Having finished his work upon earth, before he ascended to his heavenly Father, he commissioned the ministers of his kingdom to "preach the gospel to every creature." He sent them forth to make the most extensive offers of salvation to rebellious sinners, and by all the methods of holy violence to "compel them to come in," and accept the invitations of his grace. We have a lively representation of this in the parable, in which our text is contained.

The evident design of it is, under the figure of a marriagesupper, to set forth the plentiful provision, which is made in our Lord Jesus Christ for the reception of his people, and the freedom and riches of divine grace, which invites the most unworthy and miserable sinners, to partake of this sacred entertainment. The first invited guests were the Jews, the favourite people of God, who were heirs of divine love, while the rest of the world were "aliens from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise:" but these, through the power of prevailing prejudice, and the influence of carnal affections, obstinately rejected the invitation, and were therefore finally excluded from these invaluable blessings.

But it was not the design of infinite wisdom, that these costly preparations should be lost, and the table he had spread remain unfurnished with guests. Therefore he sent forth his servant "into the streets and lanes of the city," and commanded him to bring in "the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind,”—i. e. the most necessitous and miserable of mankind; yea, to "go out into the high-ways and hedges," to the wretched and perishing Gentiles, and not only invite, but even "compel them to come in, that his house might be filled."

The words of the text represent to us,

I. The melancholy state of the Gentile world. They are described as "in the high-ways and hedges," in the most perishing and helpless condition.

II. The compassionate care, which the blessed Redeemer takes of them in these their deplorable circumstances. He "sends out his servants" to them, to invite them to partake of the entertainments of his house.

III. The duty of the ministers of the gospel, to "compel them to come in," and accept of his gracious invitation.These I shall consider in their order, and then apply them to the present occasion.