Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-04-24

10 your souls; Tor my yoke is easy and
my burden is light" He also says,
"lle that cometh unto me will in no
wise cast out" but God, not willing that
any should perish, still continues to liz
vte. This time, in the parable of the
kings son, he says, "My oxen and fat
| lings are killed and all things are ready"
implying an abundant preparation.
Now he says, "Come to the marriage"
1t might not have been the fashion
then to bring presents at a wedding, even
the wedding garment was furnished for
the guests. Did those INVITED accept
the invitation! No, they could not
spend time, but went on with their usual
business as you have done. But what
does the king say? lie says they that
were hidden were not worthy. Go
out in the highway and bring in others
for many are called, but few are chosen.
that is, many are invited, but few accept
the invitation. Christ says, "What
more can | do than haye done for my
people and yet know you that we have
not the love of God in you and We will
not come unto me that We might have
life. When God looks upon the bleed
ing hands, the riven side and the pierre
ed feet of his son, his heart vearns for
you and he says, "Shall all this be in
vaint' SO he calls all heaven and
earth to unite with him in giving you
one more last invitation which you will
find in the last chapter of Revelations,
almost the last verse, in these words
And the spirit and the bride say
come, and let him that heareth say,
come, and let him that Is athirst come,
and whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely" Will you now come
and accept Christ as your hope and
portion?
We have thus far been showing the
character of the supreme being as one of
mercy but we must not let his attribute
of mercy outride that of justice, for he is
not only a God of love, but a just God,
and out of respect to his children and his
own character he must vindicate his JUS
tice and truth, and notwiths landing all
the offers he has made you, yet he says.
My spirit shall not always strive with
man; and he says Gin Isa. Xviii: Isl,
so that thou hadst hearkened to my
commandments, then had thy peace been
as Il river and thy righteousness as the
waves of the sea ; (and in Prov. i: 2j)
But We have set at naught all my cOun-
sci and would none of my reproOf. |
also will laugh at your calamity; | will
mock when your fear cOmeth; when
your fear cOmeth a deSolation and
your destruction cometh as a WhrlWind,
when distress and anguish come upon
you. Then shall they call upon me and
| will not answer; the shall seek me
early, but shall not find me-" We read
that lit is appointed unto man once to
die, but after death the judgment" SO
we come now, secondly, to see what God
says about coming to the judgment.
These invitations, numerous as they have
been, freely as they have been given.
must come to an end; this word of our
text, so long used in entreaty, will be-
come imperative. What has been an in
vitation will become Il command-no
longer at your option whether to obey or
not, but compulsory. The angel will
blow the trumpet long and loud, and
Christ shall proclaim in tones louder
than ten thousand thunders, Come to
Judgment" If not in ust these words,
yet we find it embodied in the following
passages (Rev. Xxx: l2), "And saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God !;
and the books were opened, and another
book was opened, which is the book of
life; and the dead were Judged out of
those things which were written in the
books, according to their works. And
the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and the grave gave up the
dead which were in them; and they were
Judged, every man according TO their
works. And whOSoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire" (lI. Cor. V: 100 For
we must all appear before the Judgment
seat of Christ; that every one may re-
ceive the things done in his body, accord
ing to that he hath done. whether it he
good or bad" Matt. XIV 3l-32) "When
tho SON of Man shall ANNA in bi- r1,r,-
and all the holy angels with him. Then
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory,
and before him shall be gathered all ma
tiOns; and he shall separate them one
from another. as shepherd divideth his
sheep from the goats" None shall be
omitted, none can escape. Though you
may hide among the stuff as did Saul
when they sought him to make him king
! so God, as he found him will find you.
Because there are one hundred and thir-
ty-eight John Smiths in one city. do YOU
think one of them will escape notice.
every man must give account of him
self to God" "And every eye shall see
him, and they also who pierced him; and
all the kindreds of the earth shall wall
because of him." "And they shall look
on him whom they pierced" And you
and must stand before the Judge of all
llt tdTlll. lace W lace. W give all ACCOUNT
of our stewardship. | have seen men
whom | thought could not look an hon
est man square in the face, and if any
one feareth poor, mutable man who can
but destroy the body, why not fear him
who is able to destroy both the soul and
the body in hell? Are you prepared to
meet him face to face, eye to eye. whom
you have pierced through with so many
sorrows by refusing to accept his prof
fers of mercy. If the man not having on
Il wedding garment was speeches. before
an earthly king, who hath brought him
in to the feast, where will your tongue
be when you meet the king of saints,
who hath all your life long offered and
urged upon you to accept the garment of
salvation, and yet you have refused? If
a prisoner, guilty of breaking the laws of
our land, fears and trembles and his
heart refuses to beat when brought be-
fore an earthly tribunal that can poorly
discern the guilt of the culprit through
the conflicting testimony of false wit
no