and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &c. 197 but when the king came into the apart- ment, hefaw there a man which had not on awedding garment; and hefaith unto him, Friend, how came thou in hither, not hay. ing awedding garment? And he wasfpeeeh- lefs. Then faid the king to thefervants, Bindhim hand andfoots, and takehim away, and call him into outer darknefs; therefhall be weeping andgnafhing of teeth: for many are called, but few are.chofen. Matt. xxii. 11, 12,í1g, 1q. The latter part of the parable reprefents the final judgment, and teaches us, that though the Gentiles obeyed the call of the gofpel with more alacrity than the Jews, yet they fhould not all be faxed. And by the conclufion of the parable we learn, that the profeffionof the Chriftian religion will not fave a man, unlefs he lives in a manner conformable to it's precepts. Let us, therefore, who have obeyed the call, and are by profeffion the people of God, think often on that awful day, when the King will come in to fee his yetis, when the Almighty will, with the greateft ftria- nefs, view every foul that lays claim to the joys of heaven ; let us think of the fpeechlefs confufion that will feize fuch as have not on the wedding-garment, and of the inexorable anxiety with which they will be configned to weeping and gnafhing of teeth: and let us remember, that to have feen for a while the light of the gofpel, and the fair beamings of an eternal hope, will add deeper and more fenfible horrors to thefe gloomy caverns. On the other hand, to animate and encourage us, let us think alfo on the harmony, pomp, and beauty of heaven, that will add to the folemnity, the magnificence, and the joys of the happy time, when the marriage. fupper of the Lamb (hall be celebrated. C H A P T E R XXIX. Our Saviour anfzoers the infidious Queplion of the Pharifees concerning paying Tribute to Ccefar : He, confuteth the Sadducees who quejlioned him touching the Refurrellion : He fheweth which are the tzoo great Commandments of the Lazo : He propofeth to ,the Pharifees a Quellion concerning himfelf: He exhorteth to obferve the Dolrine, but not to follow the evil Examples, of the Scribes and Pharifees; and particularly, not to imitate their Ambition: He pronounceth divers Woes againft the Scribes and Pharifees for their Blindnefs and Hypocrify; and prophecieth the DeruEtion of Jerufalem. THE parable of the marriage-(upper incenfed the Pharifees in fuch a man- ner, that they immediately concerted with the Herodians or Sadducees on the moth proper method of putting our Lord to death. It is fufficiently evident, thattheir hatred was now carried to the higheft pitch, becaufe the molt violent enmity which had fo long fubfifted between the two feats, was on this occafion fufpended, and they joined No. 17 together to execute this cruel determina» tion on the Son of God : they, however, thought it molt eligible to aEl very eau- tioufly, and endeavour, if poffible, to catch force batty expreffion from him, that they might render him odious to the people, and procure fomething againft him, that might ferve as a bafis for a profecution. Accordingly, they fent force of their dif- ciples to him, with orders to feign them. B felves
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=