The Tupelo journal., 1902-09-05
One is in the vision Of Isaiah and the

O1 Matthew IN the parable OF
the marriage supper. One portrays a
soul coming, during the earthly life,
into the presence of God, the other of
one who has come after the earthly
life into the marriage supper OF
the Lamb, without the wedding gar
ment of preparation. Isaiah, this side
the grave, realizes the righteousness
OF God and his own sinful condition,
and cries out: "Woe is me! for ] am a
mar of unclean lips, and ! dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips; for
mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord
of hosts" And when the soul comes
to God with that cry, He does for it
what the live coal from off Gods altar
did for Isaiah. He ~cleanses from all
sin.
But the man without the wedding
garment on, having refused to hear
Gods voice in this life and prepare to
meet Him, stands speeches. in His
presence. Isaiah was able to utter a
cry for mercy, but the man without
the wedding garment, having sinned
away the day of grace, is face to face
with judgment.
There was a time when his tongue
could frame reasons and Xcuses with
great glibness for not yielding HIM
self to the Lord. Most likely he was
the chap who was always running
down the followers of Jesus Christ
and showing how much better he was
than were they. He was always look
ing for the failures of others and some
how or other had an idea he would be
able to convince the Lord Almighty
that he had as good or a better right
to a place in Heaven than some of His
weak followers. All, but how changed
it all is when he gets into the pres
ence of God! His erstwhile glib and
convincing tongue is palsied and still.
No sound can be forced from his lips,
until, bound hand and foot, and cast
into outer darkness, his teeth gnash
together and the sound of despairing
weeping breaks from his darkened
and lost soul.
: Face to face with God means some-
thing. And because of its solemn and
eternal import, we come to u fourth
point. We need preparation to meet
Him. prepare to meet thy God"
There is escape even yet for the way
ing this solemn call of God to them as
voiced by our text there comes in the
fifth chapter the tender pleading:
Seek the Lord, and we shall live" A
last chance of preparation before
judgment falls and they come face
to face with God. In the recent coro-
nation of King Edward you could not
help but be struck by the importance
attaching to every one in attendance
being in proper dress. Every detail of
the dress of every rank and every per-
sonage there was weighed with the ut
most care. and failure to provide the
garment designated would have ex-
cluded from the brilliant browning
scene in Westminster Abbey.
Even in unconventional America
great Importance is unconsciously at
tached to appropriateness in dress.
The laborer in silk nat and patent
leather shoes would attract instant
attention and become the mark for the
i%rreverent street urchin. The bank
president with overalls on as he sat at
his desk during banking hours would
be adjudged insane and sent to the
asylum. The lady with the party
dress who would don her inery to go
to the store to do her marketing
would set all the gossiping tongues
90 +ha roinhh nchn m arrinp No
do not realize how conventional we
really are until some ~irregularity in
dress forces it upon the attention. To
have on the proper garment is really
very essential. 1t is absolutely essen
tial that the soul should be clothed
upon with the proper garment in prep
aration for meeting God. The man
who had not on the wedding garment
was cast out from the feast. So will
YOU be east out from the pres
ence of God if you have not on the
garment of His righteousness fur
nished in Christ Jesus. All our own
garments Cor righteousness. as Isaiah
calls them) are as filthy rags. A re-
pentant heart must strip the SOU Of
self. David cries: "a broken and a
contrite heart, oh God, Thou wilt not
despise." Here is the first step in
preparation for meeting God. Con-
seriousness of sin and a %repentant
heart. John the Baptist came bearing
that message. Christ began His min
istry with that cry upon His lips.
That is the message of the Gospel to-
day. Repent, for "the blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth from all sim" And
as we hear that message and believe it
we become stripped of u own right
eousness and become clothed in the
spotless garment of Christ's righteous
ness. Then we are ready to meet our
God.
Daily Perpendicular connection
with this text is a beautiful thought
for the followers of Jesus Christ.
That of fellowship day by day with
Him, which makes the heart glad at
the thought of meeting God, the low
ing Father. To the unprepared soul
the words of our text come with dread
and terrible sound. To the soul rest
ing sweetly in the Saviour's cleansing
blood and saving power, the words
sound as Heaven-sent music. stirring
to more Christ-likeness day by day.
DR.. F. B. Meyer says: Each morning,
when we stand ready for the duties
of the day, we hear the voice: Prepare
TO meet Me- Each Lords Day we wake
with this same summons in our heart,
and repair ourselves to meet our
Cod. Each illness, each futtering of