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What hath God wrought? Is it not good to draw near to God? Have you not tasted that the Lord is gracious? "God hath strewed all the way from the gate of hell where thou wast, to the gate of heaven, whither thou art going, with flowers out of his own garden. Behold, how the promises, invitations, calls, and encouragements of the Gospel lie round about thee." O keep near to thy Saviour; there is safety, there is peace.

This last affords to every believer a sure mark of his election. Do you sometimes fear whether your name is written in heaven; whether you are among his elect? - Behold the certain proof. "All that the Father hath given to me shall come to me." Have you come to Christ? Well, then, this is the proof of your being one of those who were given to him. Thus make "your calling and election sure;" your election, by your calling.

Finally, let those who have come to Christ, by faith, rejoice to think, that in the heavenly world they shall come to him in a superior manner. "Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face: Faith shall be changed into sight, and hope into possession. "So shall we be for ever with the Lord."

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SERMON XXI.

THE VAIN EXCUSES OF SINNERS EXPOSED.

Luke xiv. 18. And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse.

HE blessings of the gospel of Christ are, in the parable of which the text is a part, fitly compared to the dainties of a noble and costly feast. "A certain man made a great supper, and bade many," ver. 16. So Christ has made plentiful provision in his Gospel for the souls of men, and freely invites all who hear it to be partakers. "And he sent his servants at supper-time, to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready," ver. 17. So Christ having called the Jews by his own ministry, sent the apostles after his resurrection to renew the invitation, and to say that the work of redemption was finished, and that he was willing to receive all who should come by faith to him; and this is the language of the Gospel wherever it is preached.

If we consider the nature of a feast, we shall see how properly our Saviour compares the blessings of our salvation to it. In a feast we expect wholesome provision— plenty--variety--elegance--company, and the whole gratis. All these, and more, Jesus gives us in his Gospel. Here is "the bread of life which came down from heaven," without which we must for ever perish; but eating which secures our eternal life. Here is plenty, for in our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare; and however many the guests who come, still "there is room." Here is variety; pardon, peace, holiness, adoption, joy in the Holy Ghost, communion with God, perseverance to the end, and glory, to crown the whole. Here is elegance; dainties worthy God to bestow; dainties fetched from heaven; dainties purchased at a cost beyond the value of a thousand worlds-for "Christ's flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed!" Here is good company; for, sitting down at the Gospel feast, "we come to an innumerable company of angels: to the general assembly and church of the first-born; and to God, the Judge of all; and to the

spirits of just men made perfect; and to Jesus." And what is best of all, it is gratis" without money, and without price"-"the poorer the wretch, the welcomer here."

Now if these great and glorious blessings are considered, how necessary, how free, how precious and delightful! one would naturally suppose that all men, to whom the Gospel offers them, would as readily and joyfully receive them, as they usually accept an invitation to a plentiful and agreeable entertainment. But, alas, it is not so! If we examine the word, or look into the world, we shall find it quite otherwise.-"They all with one consent begin to make excuse;" for all men, till changed by the grace of God, are blind, and lame, and deaf, and dead, as to all spiritual things; seduced by the Devil's lies, and in love with the world, they vainly strive "to fill their belly with the husks of swine," but have no more relish for salvation, than a sick man for wholesome food; yea, like him, “their soul loatheth dainty meat."

Yet amidst this awful depravity, to the honour of Scripture and the truths of God, men are ashamed to give a direct refusal; conscience admits the value of the Gospel: and therefore, to make their neglect of it appear justifiable, they have recourse to various excuses, with which they strive to satisfy themselves and their neighbours, and vainly hope to satisfy God. To describe these excuses, and to answer them; to shew what they are, and the folly of them, is the business, which, with the Lord's assistance, I shall now attempt; and O that the Spirit of our God may succeed what shall be said to the conviction of these excusers, and sweeping away all their refuges of lies."

We shall first notice the three excuses which follow our text; and then proceed to mention other excuses and objections which are often made.

I. The first said-I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it; I pray thee have me excused. This is the plea of a rich man, who had been adding field to field. He was under no kind of necessity to view the land he had bought : probably he had seen it before he had bought it; if not, he might have staid till another day, and have found the field in the same condition; but he wanted VOL. I.

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to feast his eyes upon his new purchase. See here an instance of the inordinate love of the world, the pride of possession, the deceitfulness of riches. This was "a man of the world, whose portion was in this life," for the sake of which he was deaf to the call of Christ. O how hardly shall they who are rich enter into the kingdom of heaven! so great is the danger of loving the world too much.

2. And another said-Ihave bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. Here is the man of business: the former was taken up with pleasure; this with care. "Too much leisure, or too much business, are equally dangerous to the soul." This was a frivolous excuse like the former; another day would have done as well for proving oxen in the plough, for the purchase was already made; but anxiety for the world prevailed over his spiritual interest. And what is this but the common excuse of tradesmen, labourers, and women who have families? I have no time to spare for religion. Let me ask you, What is your time for? Is not the care of the soul the one thing needful? Should you not seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Besides, "what will it profit, if you gain the whole world, and lose your own soul." And let me tell you, there is time enough to mind the affairs of both worlds; and both are best minded together the one need not shut out the other. Religion will not make men idle; it will make an idle man industrious; it tends even to worldly prosperity. "Godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of this life, and of that which is to come.'

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How can any man say he has no time for religion, when the Sabbath-day is appointed for that very purpose; yet that holy day is profaned by many, by business, idleness, or taking pleasure. There ere fifty-two days in every year, which ought to be wholly employed in public or private duties of religion. What account will they give to God of their time, who have squandered away their precious hours in sin and folly, and who have turned their backs on the means of grace, which might have made them wise to salvation.

Permit me also to observe, that some, who cannot find time to serve God, can find time to sin: they can find

time to curse and swear, to talk and sing obscenely, to be drunken, and to be wanton. Yea, some of these people complain of too much time; and therefore they invent amusements to kill time. O, if the hours that some consume at the ale-house, the fairs, and merry meetings, were spent in hearing and reading the word of God, in prayer, and singing his praises, to how much better account would they turn out!

3. The excuse of a third person was, I have married a wife, and therefore cannot come. Here is an excuse of another kind, which takes in too great a regard to creatures, too much fondness for domestic enjoyments, and the pleasures of this life. It was a very weak excuse; for though he had married a wife, he might surely have left her for a few hours, without a breach of proper affection; or he might have taken her with him to such a great feast as this, where so many were bidden, and none forbidden ; or he might have gone alone, if he could not persuade her to go with him. How many perish by the unlawful use of lawful things, and undue regard to carnal relations! Husbands and wives, who ought to help each other in the great concerns of salvation, are often deadly hindrances; and will reproach each other to all eternity for being such. Thus Adam ruined himself and all his posterity by carnal fondness, and loving the creature more than the Creator. Let married persons be on their guard; and remember that not only houses and lands, but wives too, must sometimes be forsaken, rather than for their sakes we should forsake Christ.

All these excuses were, as you see, frivolous and foolish; they were all of a worldly kind; and indeed it is the world, in some form or other, that proves the great hindrance of men's salvation. But there are many other excuses which people are apt to make, equally absurd. I shall proceed to notice some of them.

Religion, says one, is a hard and difficult thing, hard to understand, and difficult to practise. I answer, Is it necessary? Christ says, it is the one thing necessary. It is just as necessary as salvation is. And do you object to every thing necessary, because it is difficult? Do not you find hardships in your trade or business! and yet you pursue it.

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