"Taken from you and given to an- other." What might be ours may be- come another's. " See that no man take thy crown," Rev. 3:11. " F a ll on this stone." It is much better to fall on this stone and be broken into penitence and a cry for mercy than to stubbornly withstand His overtures of grace and go down in de- feat. " The Pharisees perceived." They were convicted but refused to bow the knee, and thus hardened their hearts into hatred and into plotting the life of their own Messiah. What mourning and bitterness will be theirs when their eyes are opened to behold His "Spirit of Grace" Zech. 12:10. May this lesson of rejection so ad- monish us we will cry: " T h y will, oh God, help me to do, Thy ways of righteousness pursue.'? —A. H. SUNDAY, SEPT. 11. Matt. 22:1-14. B. J. H. Sammis. ; OUTLINE. I. THE WEDDING FEAST. 1. The Giver. ! •; 2. The Groom. 3. The Bride. 4. The Banquet. II. THE WEDDING INVITATION. 1. Befused. 2. Benewed. 3. Bejected. 4. Bevenged. III. THE WEDDING GUESTS. 1. Whosoever. 2. Wheresoever. 3. Whatsoever. IV. THE WEDDING GARMENT. I. THE WEDDING FEAST. " E ye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive the things God hath prepared for them that love Him," 1 Cor. 2-9. The good time coming is represented by various figures, a dedication. Zee. 7-9; a coronation, Ps. 45; Rev. 11:15-17; a triumph, Rev. 19:11-14; Ps. 24:7-10; a sacrificial feast, Zeph. 1:7; and here a wedding. 1. The Giver. (1) The giver of the feast is a King. It will be a great feast. "Wh at can the man do that cometh after the King?'' Ecc. 2:12. See the feast of Ahasuerus, Est. 1:3-8. (2) The giver of this feast is the King of the Universe. As earthly 1. The Guests Inspected. 2. The Fraud Detected. 3. The Man Ejected.
kings are mere shadows of " t h e King immortal, invisible, dwelling in light inapproachable," so their royal ban- quets are only shadow feasts. Can you think of any good thing this king can not provide? 2. The Groom. The groom at this wedding will be (1) The Prince of Princes, Dan. 8:25, (2) The Prince of Peace, Isai 9:6; greater than Solomon,/ Luke 11:31; (3) fairer than men, Psa. 45:2; (4) more joyous than others, Psa. 45:7. What a wedding must such a king spread for sueh a son! Do not fail to be there. 3. The Bride. Nothing is said about a bride. But you can not have a: wedding with- out a bride. Who will she be? (1) A King's daughter, Psa., 45:13; and (2) beautiful, 45:11; and (3) elegantly ar- rayed, for her clothing will be of " g o l d ," not tinsel, but "wrought gold," v. 13; of the best gold "gold of Ophir," v. 9; and of "raiment of needlework,'' celestial embroidery, v. 14; and (4) she will be without spot, or blemish, or wrinkle, or any such thing," Eph. 5:27; in fact (5) she will be " clothed with the sun! 4. The Banquet. (1) It will be of the best " my oxen and my failings are killed," v. 4; " a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined," Isa. 25:6; "Thou hast kept the best until now," Jno. 2:10. (2) The guests will be most welcome. ' ' Eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness, Isa. 55:2; "drink, yea, drink abundantly, O Beloved,'' Songs Sol. 5:1. (3) There will be more than enough, " No good thing will He with- hold," Psa.'84:11; "more than we can ask or think," Eph. 3:20; " My cup runneth over," Psa. 23:5. II. THE WEDDING INVITATION. 1. The Refusal. (1) Certain favored ones had been bidden and now, by cus- tom, were notified that all was ready, l'hey were representative Jews, Princes of Israel, they stood for all Jewry. "r>ut'(2) they would not come." They "forsook their own mercies." Men exclude themselves from the blessings of salvation. ' ' Ye will not come nnto Me that ye might have life.'' Jno. 5:40. 2. The Renewal. But the call was renewed. They should have a sec- ond opportunity. (1) God " i s not will- ing that any should perish." What a gracious King He is! "A ll day long have I stretched forth my hand,'' Bom. 10:21, " H e sent to them by His mes- sengers, rising up betimes and sending"
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