his shoulders, and

Many get from his some get an office in

nobles, even all the judges of the earth." The whole government stands upon he sets these up under him. left hand riches and honour; his church, and a gift, as Judas did: many thousands take the name of Christ, though they are not partakers of his spirit, and are called christians. All flesh get food and raiment from him, for we lost all in Adam; but Christ is now heir of all things, and the God of the whole earth shall he be called.

But who gets the fat? The fat falls to the share of poor, sensible, perishing sinners, whether kings or beggars; for all who believe on his name shall be saved; for thus saith the Lord, "And it shall come to pass in that day, the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come that were ready to perish," and they that be of heavy hearts; let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more. And so it is, for to save our souls after having been at this banquet of wine, we cannot bring all our former guilt, fear, shame, wrath, and confusion of face, back upon us again; the gates of hell are shut, and the door of hope is open; the dark regions of the shadow of death are vanished, and life and immortality is brought to light; wrath is fled, and love is come; his. anger in the law is turned away, and in Christ he comforts us. The night is spent, and day is come; his anger endured but a moment; in his

favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy came in the morning. Prov xxx. 5.

But these wines are wines on the lees. The blood of Christ is called wine. He blessed the cup and said, Take this cup of the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you and for many. Oil and wine were poured into the wounds of the poor man who fell among the thieves. Oil was intended to mollify his wounds and heal them, and wine to revive his spirits; and these are wines on the lees, which do not lose their strength. The love of God, says the spouse, is better than wine, it makes the lips of those asleep to speak. The love of the Father, Son, and Spirit, will ever rest in God to his people; "He will rest in his love." The blood of Christ will never lose its healing, cleansing, and purifying efficacy to the world's end.

And these are wines well refined, pure of all dissimulation, unfaithfulness, inconstancy, and fickleness; they are free, generous, unchangeable, and everlasting; and they appear well refined, as they are conveyed through the instrumentality of God's ministers to the people; not savouring of self, self-seeking; nor tainted with pride, arrogance, fleshly wisdom, feigned humility, mock modesty, affected words and gestures; much less with art, guile, and cunning craftiness.

This feast is to consist of marrow as well as fatness. Marrow is the life of the bone, and the

bone is the strength of the body; and the oil of the marrow supplies all the joints with moisture, and keeps them supple and active. The dear Redeemer not only gives us his flesh to eat, and his blood to drink, but he feeds us with spiritual might in the inward man, and makes his strength perfect in our weakness; "As thy days so shall thy strength be." But by the power of inbred corruptions, Satan's temptations, and our own foolishness, we often find our spiritual might impaired; we diminish in our prevalency with God in prayer, and our boldness and fortitude against our enemies, and appear weak before them like Samson when he made sport for those in his weakness, who had formerly trembled at his power: then we crу, "Heal the bones that thou hast broken;" and in waiting upon the Lord our strength is renewed, fresh life and health appear in the bones, and fresh oil in the joints, which knit the body together in love, having nourishment ministered, which nourishment is that which every joint supplieth, and so increases itself with the increase of God.

But who is the perishing sinner that shall come to this feast of fat things? I reply, he that feels his guilt, and thirsts for pardon; he that feels the curse, and longs for the blessing; he that labours under wrath, and thirsts for love; he that feels the sting of death, and hungers after the bread of life; he that is condemned in his soul, and longs for righteousness; he that is sick of Satan's tyranny,

and thirsts for the living God; he that is miserable, and waits for comfort; and he that is in the dread and horrors of damnation, and longs for salvation by grace. They shall come, saith the Lord, that were ready to perish." Where to? To Zion, and to the feast of fat things, to a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, and of wines on the lees well refined: and who so proper for such a feast, as those who are ready to perish? seeing all is free, and none but the hungry are invited.

V.

THE BELIEVER'S PACE SLOW BUT SURE.

ISAIAH XXviii. 16.

"He that believeth shall not make haste."

THIS verse contains a noble account of the foundation which God the Father hath laid in Zion, which foundation is Christ Jesus. God chose this foundation, and he chose all the materials in him which are called his chosen, and chosen ones; and as he laid the foundation, so he brings all the materials to it. "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him;" and as the foundation and the superstructure must be united together, so the Father calls us to the fellowship of his Son.

It is the folly of the simple one to believe every word, but the character of the prudent is, that he looks well to his way. The simple one, in the New Testament language, is one that hears the word, and anon with joy receives it; and this frothy joy, mingling with his legal self-righteous spirit, inflames him with an immoderate heat; he catches the lamp, and off he goes. This sort the Saviour calls the first; but there are first that shall be last. The prudent man, who looks well to his way, has much work within to attend to, and he