.M_ bs8 ofEffet-lual Calling. S e c T.XII. An(w. there is one who cometh and fitteth down at the Feaft, is asconfident and bold, as anyofthe other Guefts ; till the Mailer ofthe Feat' come , and expoftulates withhim for the wantof a wedding Garment, and thenbe isfo convinced of his guilt, that prefently he becomes fpeechleffe, upon which his Mailer adjudgeth him to eternal torments, where there are weeping, andwailing, and gnafhing of teeth. If youask, Who is meant byfuch an one ? I anfwer, All thole who do Outwardly acceptof the faith of Chrift, and profeffe a general obedience to him ; but yet in truth, and indeed they do not thorowlyand fully walk accord- ing to Chri(ts rules. As for thofe who wilfully rejeft and refufe Chrift, not fo much as owning any thing of him, theywere the Jews and others ; -bat then there area world of people, who outof cuftom give an external obedience un- toChrift, and will be judged Chriftians, but yet retain nothing of the life and powerof Chriftianity ; fuch are all ignorant andprophane perfons, yea and all civil unblameable men in their lives, yet deflituteof theSpirit of Got, and his grace. Thereforehowfoever it be hotlydifpnted by force, What is meant by this weddingGarment ? Come laying faith, force good andholy works, yet we may conclude, that by it is meant the whole life ola man ordered in a gracious and futable manner to the Wordof God. It dothnot then mean one grace, but thecomprehenfronof all. And as it would be an high contemptand fcotnof a great man, and thecompany invited to a great feaft, ifa man Ihould not come indecent and fit apparel ; So it is anhigh negleft and difhonour untoGod and his people,for thee to take thenameof Chrift in thy mouth, and tobecalled by him, tobe looked upon as aChriftian ; andyet to live in any fuch wayes that Chrift doth condemn. Our Saviour having laid down the Chineand pumfhment of Inch an one, cloCeth up all with this Text, Many are called bar fam are- chofen. Before the words are opened, here is one material Queftion, Why our Savi- our makes this inference, Far many are called , and few chafers , feeing in this Parable of thofe many whocameMat the fecond call, there is one man onely found without a weddingGarment; fo that theclean contrarymight have been afferted, Many are chafen, andof thofe who are called,few are rejeded. But the Anfwer is two-fold, Firft, This may relateto theformer part of theParable, as well as the later; and then you fee all thofe who were invited by the Belt call, did refufe, and none did anfwer. But in thenext place, which is a true Anfwer, by this One man is reprefented a multitude ofperfons of the fame way and tranfgreliion, it being ordinary in the Scriptureby an inftance of One, to reprefent Many of the fame kinde; this is neceffaryfor the coherence. The words themfelvesabfolutely confidered containa vouchfafang of a great mercy, but anexclufion of a greater. The great mercy is intheft words,Many are called, hOmo1 iv here put for c.Erenatyroe, for orherwife Row. r. and in other places xìm'Ioì and sz4ex1ai are all one, the Called and the Chopp, are all one; but hereby thofe that are called aremeant loch who are called, and openly refufe, give no confent at all, or elfe fuchwho dogive a general anfwer, but yet come not up to that fulneffe andexadnefle, which Chrift requireth. The exclufion ofa greater mercy is, Bat few are chofen that is, of thofe manywho have the outward calling, andgive a general Obedience to it, there are but few that are eleled to eternal life. If then anymattermay put you into a ferious and ear- nelt trembling about yourcondition, this bath caufeenough to do it. Godmay give the preachingoftheWord, the meansof Grace, and people give a formal and expreffeconfect to it, yetfewof their be within the number of eleftion. If it had been laid, Few or none of thofe, who rejeft theGofpel of peace, and means of falvation,arechofen; it had beenno wonder but to faythus of thofe, who have Lord, Lord, Chrift, atiltoften in their mouths, Oh hard faying I Who
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