to excuse themselves for not the highways, and hedges, and coming to the same feast. Though few presume to excuse themselves for not coming at all; yet multitudes excuse themselves for not coming at present. They plead that they are pre-engaged and too busy to come at present, though they sincerely intend to come, when they find a more convenient season, or when they have no cares, nor concerns, nor pursuits of more importance than the salvation of their souls. This is the excuse of the careless, the thoughtless, and stupid, who make light of the invitations of the gospel. Those who make this excuse, the parable tells us, will be rejected, condemned and destroyed. Others make a more specious “excuse. — They say they are unworthy to come an partake of the rich provisions of the feast, and to associate with those who cordially accept the invitation. But this is a groundless excuse, for all are invited however mean, unworthy, or ill deserving they are. When the servant came and told the master of the house, that those who were first invited rejected the invitation, he was displeased, and said to his servants, "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto his servant, Go out into compel them to come in, that my The only selves, and may sacrifice their interest to his own glory and the general good of the universe.-They value their own interest and happiness more than the glory of God and the interest of the whole universe, and rather perish than give up their own interest and happiness, on any consideration' whatsoever. This is the only cause of their being unable to embrace the gospel. God knows that this is the only ground of their excuse, and that this ground of their excuse is the source of all their criminality; and therefore instead of accepting this excse, he will condemn and punish them forever for making it, unless they repent and give it up. If they neglect to come to the gospel feast on any account; or if they come without the wedding garment, they will be forever speechless and self-condemned. 3. If God is sincere in his offers of salvation to sinners, then he is unspeakably gracious in making such offers to them. The grace he displays in offering them salvation, is as great as the salvation he offers. And this is as great a salvation as he can offer, or as they can receive. They are by nature dead in trespasses and sins; but God offers to deliver them from the power, and dominion of sin, and to sanctify and purify them from all iniquity. They are under the condemnation of his holy and righteous law; but God offers to pardon all their transgressions, free them from the curse of the law, and save them from the wrath to come. They are poor, and wretched, and miserable; but God offers to give them all the blessings of his heavenly kingdom.They are vile and odious creatures, who deserve to be banished from the presence of God, and the society of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect, and doomed to dwell forever with the impure spirits in prison: but God offers to put them in the mansion of the blessed. They have forfeited all good at the hands of God; but he offers to bestow all the good upon, them. which they are capable of enjoying through every period of their eternal existence. Now can there be greater, or more valuable, or more necessary, or more durable blessings than these, which God freely offers to all sinners, upon the lowest and easiest terms? In these of fers, therefore, God displays the richest and most astonishing grace. The apostle having given a striking representation of the wretched and guilty state of sinners by nature, proceeds to give a more striking, though faint description of the marvellous grace of God in their salvation. Speaking in the name of christians, he says, "But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved) and bath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus." Such a salvation God has actually bestowed upon sinners, and such a salvation he now freely offers to all, who will cordially accept it. Such exceeding riches of his grace God now displays in his offers of salvation to sinners in the gospel. And are not such offers of so great salvation, worthy of all acceptation, by those who deserve and stand exposed to eternal destruction? 4. If God be consistent in calling more than he has elected to eternal life; then he is consistent in every thing, respecting his calls to sinners, of which they are apt to complain. In particular, He is consistent in sending the offers of salvation to a part, and not to the whole human race.As he has a right to call some whom he has not elected, so he has a right not to call some whom he has not elected. He calls all where he sends the gospel; but he does not call any where he does not send the gospel. This many have called insincerity and inconsistency in God; but there is no ground for this objection. If he has a right to call some whom he has not elected, be must have as good a right not to call some whom he has not elected. He may have good reasons for send ing the gospel to one nation and not to another, and for calling all where he sends the gospel, and for not calling any where he does not send it. Those who live under the light of the gospel, bave no reason to call the consistency of God in question, because he does not send the gospel and the offers of salvation to all the heathen world. If any have reason to complain, they are the only persons who have reason to complain, but they have no reason to complain; for they are sinners and deserve to be denied every temporal and spiritual favour. Again, God is consistent in calling so long as he does, those whom he has not elected. It has been shown, that he is consistent in cal'ing them, notwithstanding he has not chosen them; and if this be consistent, then it is equally consistent that he should call them time after time and year after year. even to the last moments of life though he does not intend to ave them at last. He may answer the same important purposes by calling them so long and using so many means with them, as by callthem once. As he puts a price in their hands when he knows they have no heart to improve it, so he may continue that price in their hands as long as they live, though he knows, that they never will improve it; and so make the offers of life a savour of death unto death and aggravation of their final ruin. Again, since God is consistent in offering salvation to the non- to hear, that God has chosen some elect; so he is equally consistent to salvation; and are even pleased in punishing them forever, for with the doctrine of personal etheir free, voluntary refusal lection to eternal life, if it be of his gracious and sincere offers. preached separately and ucThis many call inconsistent, insin- connected with any other doctrine. cere and unjust. Since the good They are not so well pleased to ness of God in offering them salva- hear, that God has passed by, or tion on the easiest and best terms, reprobated some of the human does not lead them to repentance, race; though they can bear to but to impenitence and unbelief, hear even the doctrine of reprothey justly deserve to be punished bation, if it be preached separatefor all their sins, and especial- ly and unconnected with any othly for their sins of impenitence er doctrine. But they cannot and unbelief. They have as fair very patiently endure to hear both ap opportunity to embrace the the doctrine of election and of repgospel and secure the salvation of robation brought into view at once their souls, as the elect have; but in connection with the sincerity of they reject the offers, which the God in his offers of salvation to all. elect embrace; and why should. This they say is puzzling preachthey complain if God treats them ing. But it is not my design to according to their own free, volun- puzzle, but to instruct, in this distary conduct? The truth is, God course. Christ taught that " many is consistent, but they are incon- are called, but few are chosen," sistent. God's ways are equal, though he knew that his declarabut their ways are unequal.- tion would puzzle some. then, and They abuse the goodness, pa- ten thousand more in time to come tience, and forbearance of God, & Why then did he make the declaratreasure up to themselves wrath tion? It was because he knew against the day of wrath, and righteous judgment of God. that God had called some whom he had not chosen; because he knew that he was as sincere in calling those whom he had not chosen, as in calling those whom he had chosen; because he knew, that men might see the consistency of his calling those whom he had not chosen and because he knew that it was of vast importance, that men should see the consistency of these most interest-' 5. If God be consistent in offering salvation not only to the elec, but to the non-elect; then it is of great importance, that all men should see this consistency in the divine conduct. It is found to be very hard to make men see this consistency; not because they are incapable of seeing it, but because they are naturally extremely unwilling to see it.. They can bearing truths. But there is ground to suppose, that some are pleased with the doctrine of election because they think they are elected and safe. Some are displeased with the doctrine of election, because they doubt whether they are elected. And others dread the doctrine of reprobation, because they fear that they are reprobated. None of these selfish persons wish to see the consistency of the doctrine of election and the doctrine of reprobation with one another, and with the divine sincerity in offering salvation to all. Those who are pleased with the doctrine of election, merely because they think it secures their salvation, are not at all concerned to knew whether God is consistent in choosing them and passing by others, because they value their own good more than the good of all other men & all other beings. And those who hate the doctrine of reprobation, merely because they fear that they are reprobated, are not at all concerned to see the consistency of God in calling them, when he has reprobated them; for they had rather all the elect should be destroyed, than that they themselves should be finally lost. But neither those who love, nor those who hate the doctrines of election and reprobation in their real and inseparable connection, can cordially embrace the gospel which contains these two doctrines, and requires men to approve of both, as consistent with each other and with the sincerity of God, in call ing those whom he has not elected. Hence it is of vast importance that preachers should clearly prove the doctrines of election and reprobation, and clearly illustrate their consistency with each other, and with the sincerity of God in offering salvation to all; though he has chosen but a part of mankind. Those who understand and love these two doctrines in their harmony and connection, are prepared to understand and embrace all the other doctrines of the gospel, and to praise; and glorify, and enjoy God in the kingdom of heayen, where those doctrines will be a permanent source of gratitude and joy to all that are redeemed from among men. 6. the gospel of the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, teaches us that " many are called but few are chosen ;" then it places those who enjoy it in a very critical and interesting situation. If men believe and love both these doctrines, the gospel will save them; but if they disbelieve and hate both these doctrines, the gospel will destroy them. They cannot believe one without believing the other; and they cannot disbelieve one without disbelieving the other.-If they believe, that some are chosen, they must believe, that some are not chosen. If they believe some are chosen, they must believe, that some will be saved. If they believe, that none are chosen, they must believe, that none |