SERM. highly refented by him, and he faid to XXI. his fervants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and caft him into outer darknefs; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; for many are called, but few are chofen. Thus endeth this elegant and poignant parable: a tale told with the utmoft fimplicity, but which yet contained several very neceffary and important truths, as will moft evidently appear, when we come to what I propofed, Secondly, to confider; namely, the proper explanation and interpretation of it. And First, then: By the king who made a marriage for his fon, we are doubtless to understand the great King of kings, and Lord of lords, who, in the person of his beloved Son, Jefus XXI. Christ the righteous, propofed to man SERM. the gracious terms of acceptance through him. He invites first his chosen people, the Jews, to the glorious banquet of happiness and falvation, which he had prepared for them: but this obdurate and rebellious nation, who had already shewn themselves fo unworthy of his divine favour and protection, now gave him a fresh inftance of their obftinacy and perverfeness, by rejecting the gofpel of his Son, refusing to adopt his precepts, or to obey his commands: flaves as they were to their own lufts and paffions, they pleaded that as an excufe for their neglect which could only heighten their condemnation, and not only despised his word, but perfecuted his minifters and fervants. Our bleffed Saviour therefore doth, in the parable before us, predict many of those things which afterwards came to pafs, concerning them and him XXI. SERM. felf alfo; and in the artful and wellconducted progrefs of it, foretells the expulfion and deftruction of the Jews, and the admiffion of the Gentiles into his church in latter ages. By the halt, the poor, the maimed, and the blind, is fhadowed out unto us the whole Gentile world, involved at that time in ignorance and error, poor in knowledge, maimed and imperfect in their understanding, blinded with prejudice and superstition : for these the feast was graciously prepared by their Almighty Sovereign. The glorious light of the Gofpel, which like another fun fhone upon all, broke thro' the clouds of Paganism, and opened to them a delightful profpect of truth and happiness. By thofe fervants who were spitefully intreated and flain, are apparently pointed out to us the faithful minifters of Christ, his holy apostles, all his chofen fervants, all the primitive faints, and XXI. and the whole army of martyrs who SERM. fought his cause, who lived but to ferve their master, and died in his defence. That city, which the parable points out to us as an object of divine vengeance, which for its ingratitude and cruelty was burnt up and destroyed, can be no other than Jerufalem, which for the fins of its inhabitants was given up a prey to the Romans, and which, according to this and other predictions concerning it in Holy Writ, was totally deftroyed and overthrown, infomuch that not one stone was left upon another. A dreadful and ftupendous event! An ever-memorable manifeftation both of the truth and of the power of God. The Jews refusal to attend the marriage feast was unanimous, and therefore their whole city was destroyed. Their guilt was general, and fo was their punishment: their obstinacy and perverfenefs were univerfal, as univerfal XXI. pa SERM. univerfal was their ruin and deftruction. When our Saviour informs us in the rable, that the wedding was furnished with guests, we are doubtless to confider those words as prophetic of that fuccefs which the Gospel of Christ was to meet with in after ages; though the Jews rejected, the Gentiles received his doctrines Christianity was fo rapid in its progrefs, as to astonish and confound those who had vainly imagined that all mankind would treat it with the fame contempt as themselves. It was not without the utmost fuprize, as well as concern, that they beheld fuch numbers affembled in that house where they had refused to come, and the table which they had despised, fo crouded with guests. None of thofe, fays our Saviour, who were first bidden, fhall taste of my fupper. This prophetic part of the parable was most remarkably and exactly fulfilled. By thofe |