Then the Lord says, Dear, silly Ephraim, My dear child, has a broken heart that he has grieved Me, and I tell you I have a sore heart and troubled bowels that I was so rough to him, and cast him off. And so there is a new embracing betwixt the Lord and His people (Ezekiel xvi. 60), &c. There God, after a new agreement, remembers His covenant towards them. Then marvel not; though there be new out-casts betwixt Christ and Scotland, I hope that the end of it shall be, that Christ and Scotland shall yet weep in one another's arms; and the poor people, after they have come through the trial, shall go towards Zion, and say, Which is the way to Zion? Where shall we find the Lord? When the Lord shall again take in this land anew. As after a wood is cut, there appears a fair young green wood, so the Lord will have a numerous seed yet to serve Him in Scotland. Scotland will have a new growth, like a second growth, that grows after a long hot drought. There will be many sweet calm showers, summer showers, which will make our withered garden grow green again; and so become a fair green garden with many pleasant flowers. Seek to be among Christ's little ones, and covenant yourself away to Him, that so ye may be able to say, the Lord is your God; and that He may acknowledge you to be His people. And, if you are His, there is no fear of a happy out-gate, though you should have ever so many straits, trials, and difficulties in the way. The Lord enable you to close with Him. Amen.

Then said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many; and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready, &c.-Luke xiv. 16, 17, &c.

THERE

HERE are two things which we have to mark in this parable. 1. The dependance thereof on the preceding words. 2. The sum and scope of Christ's words therein.

The Lord is shewing what sort of guests they must invite to their feast; even the poor and needy, whom the Lord shall recompense "at the resurrection of the just." Whereupon, a man who sat at meat with Him (whether a Pharisee or not is uncertain) says to Christ, "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." Many call them happy who have part in Christ, and yet think it not. Many will talk broad words for the kingdom of heaven, and of the worth of Christ; but when it comes to this, What will ye quit for Christ? Will ye quit your farms and your lands for Christ? Will ye quit your five yoke of oxen for Christ? And will ye quit your new married wife, and your children, for Christ ?-then they make a stand, and question all. We are all good Christians till we be tried. We often make a fair profession, while we

*

A Preparation Sermon, before the Communion, at Kirkmabreck, in Galloway, 1634.

mar all in practice. Many do with Jesus Christ as onlookers do in a great fair; they go through the market, and commend everything they see, but never open their purse to buy any thing. So multitudes can say, "It is good to be a Christian; O! the Son of God is worth all the world;" but they will never offer a penny for Christ's cause. They will not want a ridge of land, nor suffer the loss of an ox for Him. They will rather lose their immortal souls than lose their gear. All you who now speak proudly of Christ, when persecution comes, see what ye will lose for Him. Oh! the Lord Jesus has many friends, who yet are but false friends and flatterers at bottom. They will speak good of Him, but will do no good for Him. Few leave their nets and custom-box for Him. But the man who finds the pearl, he sells all, buys it.

and

This man would here say, Blessed are they who have a keen appetite to banquet with Jesus Christ. This lets us see that many have a false stomach, and can call them blessed who eat bread with Christ, as if it were from true hunger; and yet it is only like the hunger of sick folk, who cry for meat, but as soon as they taste of it their stomach recoils, and they can take no more of it. Many have the like hunger for Christ; they are soon full of Him when they come to the table. Balaam could say, "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel," and yet for the peace of Jacob, he would not lose court with the King of Moab. The petty kings of clay are often obeyed at the expense of disobeying the great King of heaven.

I now come to enter upon the particulars of the parable. The scope of it is to show "that few obey the gospel of Christ," set down under the similitude

of a man who made a great supper, and invited many, who, notwithstanding of that, refused to come, the parts of which are these:

I. The Preparation of the Supper : "A certain man made a great supper, and bade many."

II. The Invitation of the Guests: things are now ready."

Come; for all

III. Their refusal : 66 They all with one consent began to make excuse," &c. And

IV. The Servant's coming, and "shewing his Lord these things."

The Lord then takes a second course of filling up his table, albeit they refuse who were first bidden; for he loses not his supper. Wisdom's wine that was drawn sours not he gets two sorts of guests to eat his meat. I. The diseased and poor. II. The common people up and down the streets. And then, III. Ye have the Lord's sentence upon the recusants or refusers. I. 66 A certain man made a great supper."—The Lord is here offering mercy in the gospel, and is compared to a man, not a common man, nor to one who makes a supper only for his friends. This shows us God's mercy in the gospel. He shows Himself to us a man, a friend, banqueting us. But when we become beasts, and like the horse or mule that have no understanding, He then turns from a man to a lion, and to the house of Judah as a young lion; "I, even I, will tear and go away, and none shall rescue him." It is a hard word that the Lord speaks to Ephraim, Hos. v. 14, "I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and to the house of Judah as a young lion." If we be men, God will be a man to us; but if we be beasts, God is as a lion and a bear, Lam. iii. 10, "He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places."

Use. God carries Himself to us as a man and a

friend, and has been feasting us these seventy years; and, I assure you, the Lord is near the drawing of the table. The ordinary time of removing the table is, when all at it are full, and can eat no more. The gospel is now loathed by us, and the word of God contemned. At the beginning of this Supper, one sermon or a Communion was sweet; people ran to it like hungry banqueters; now it is disregarded. One sermon in the day of the Lord's banquet is now thought sufficient. Well, I see men are fallen asleep. I fear, beloved, I fear (think of it as ye please) the word shall be taken from you, the board drawn, and the plague of the Lord follow it. Amos viii. 2, The famine of the word of God shall come. The II. Part of the parable is, the Lord's invitation of the guests, 66 Come, for all things are now ready."Here there be three things. 1. A commission to His servant, that is, His ministers, to bid those that were called Come. 2. The Time-It is at supper-time. 3. A Reason-"All things are now ready."

I shall only touch these points, and briefly go over the words.

Doctrine. The Lord invites us to a banquet and great Supper. That is the hardest word that the Gospel speaks to poor sinners, "Come." Never a word of hell, the wrath of God, or the plagues of God for sin. But His words are all (though He speaks in wrath to His enemies), My dear friends, I shall think Myself in your common, *if ye will come and sup with Me. Surely, beloved, the Lord might have supped Hist alone. The angels are good company; but God thinks He wants company if the children of men are not with Him! In Proverbs viii. 31, says Wisdom

* Under obligation to you. Without any to bear Him company.