QUIETNESS IN BUILDING-NOISE IN PULLING DOWN.

WHEN the temple at Jerusalem was built by Solomon, we read that "there was neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house, whilst it was building." The work of godliness does thus often proceed without observation, the building of the spiritual temple proceeding calmly and peacefully, but still effectually. The grace of God working within the soul makes it daily stronger and stronger; and there is peace within, and there is progress, whilst there is strength. Blessed is the spiritual building when there is "peace within its walls," and that "holiness which becometh the house of the Lord for ever." But if those who seek for peace in Zion, love to see that God's work proceeds under the silent, but powerful help of the great Lord of the spiritual Temple, if the sacred Temple of old was built in silence without axe or hammer, very different was it when the work was to destroy the Temple. Then was there clamour, and shouting, and noise; the enemies roared' in the midst of the congregation: then was there the noise of the hammer and the axe, to pull down and to 1 1 Kings vi. 7.

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2 Ps. lxxiv.

destroy. A man had been honoured who had hewed down timber, and prepared it for the building of the Temple; but now the enemy delighted in breaking down the work, the beautiful Temple of the Lord, "with axes and hammers." O Lord, may we delight to see Thy Work increasing,-Thy people devoutly serving Thee; the work, though in silence, still growing in our hearts; thy kingdom enlarging; thy Temple, thy spiritual Temple, advancing within us; for the Temple of the Lord is within us, if we are the faithful followers of Christ! May God teach those who delight in clamour, and noise, and disturbance, to ask themselves whether they believe that they are really engaged in the work of the Lord! How can any one expect to be blessed in his deed, unless he believe that God is with him, and that he is engaged in a work which God approves? In the midst of our endeavours, may our prayer ever be, "Lord, thy will be done;" then we may be assured that our "labour will not be in vain in the Lord!" V.

THE WEDDING GARMENT.

A Sermon on Matt. xxii. 11—14.

Of all the many methods of giving instruction, the ancient parable of Scripture is chiefly striking and remarkable. Its simple and familiar character frequently catches the indifferent ear, and even before the sinner is himself aware, it has been known to captivate his soul within the Gospel net, bringing him under the reproaches of an awakened conscience, and proving to him his own personal interest in the important truths thereby conveyed.

In some of these portions of Gospel instruction there are indeed constant allusions made to eastern customs, which, though perfectly familiar when and where first delivered, may not be equally understood by the generality of readers amongst ourselves-nor need they; since, although such an understanding is both pleasant and profitable, the leading truth and prevailing subject of all such passages is always sufficiently clear for every sanctifying and saving purpose.

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By the parable, of which my text is a most instructive portion, these observations are fully justified; in which we may discover the great purpose of the Gospel covenant, according to which the Jews were first invited to the heavenly feast; and upon their rejection of the mercy, the Gentiles were called and gathered as a visible Church within reach of the blessing; amongst whom, however, many an offensive and self-presuming guest is continually detected, either to a timely conviction on earth, or to his speechless confusion at the last great day. My brethren, I implore your awakened and most serious attention to the present subject. You are now, in a certain sense, guests at your Lord's Table-members of his visible Church. The language of your Christian profession, whether you mean it or not, expresses that you are now no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;" feeding your immortal hopes by faith on his covenant love in Christ Jesus; receiving thereby a rooted principle of holiness, and spending the strength thereof in his entire service. This is the outward profession of all "who profess and call themselves Christians;" a profession renewed by every attendance at the house of prayer, at every sermon you hear, by every outward act of religious worship in which you engage. But, indeed, my brethren, take nothing for granted in this most momentous question. Outward appearances of the fairest promise may be made to consist with an inward condition of heart most corrupt, and "desperately wicked;" and the proof of this will sufficiently appear as I proceed to consider, from the narrative of my text, the deplorable case of the offensive intruder at the Gospel Feast. And let us notice

I. The entrance of the king to see the guests'. And I would by the way observe, that the Lord, the King, is constantly coming in, as it were, amidst his earthly courts. His "eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." This whole creation, like a table richly spread, and superintended by the Divine Providence that furnished it, is the court of God's omni1 Matt. xxii. 11.

presence; nor can any one instance occur of unrighteous abuse, but the Giver of all good sees and marks it well, either for the purpose of sharp wholesome rebuke in this life, or of tremendous condemnation hereafter. Again-there is the court of conscience, from which, although with much sinful dexterity men seek to exclude his entrance, the Spirit of God will linger long, to judge there the heart, and to condemn the life of every ungodly, impenitent man. For a long while, during the sinner's life, conscience remains the judgment throne, to the enlightened decisions of which, if he did but listen, he would soon find their closest agreement with the declarations of the written word. But, alas! one injurious effect of the fall is this, our very "mind and conscience are defiled;" and accordingly natural conviction is but partial and insufficient, and the very testimony of God in the conscience is overcome by the clamorous contradictions of a proud, self-excusing, and self-righteous spirit. One more thought before I proceed to the immediate allusion of the text, is the following. The King of kings is said, in a very special manner, to enter in wherever his professing people meet either in public or private, according to the ordinances of grace. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Yes, brethren, of a truth God is now here present, judging the state of every heart. He has observed with what confidence we have come before Him, whether in the presumptuous formality of mere outward worship, or whether determining in the strength of his grace to yield our entire selves to his holy service. But as, in this respect, God's proceedings on earth are chiefly to be considered as corrective, rather than judicial and decisive of a man's final state (which last appears to be the chief sense of the parable), I shall now endeavour to fix your thoughts on the detection and judgment of the character in the text " The King came in to see the guests." Now then the scene is changed from the confusions of time to the clear light of eternity. The juncture of which I now more exactly speak may relate either to the hour of death, or the day of judgment; the hour of

death, in the experience of individual souls; the day of judgment, anticipating the open decisions of that great event. We read, indeed, in the tenth verse of the chapter, that "the servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests." My brethren, as ministers of the Gospel, our instructions are in a manner unlimited and unconditional; we enter not in " to see the guests;" that is, we have no power to search the heart. Truly, when we see men acting right contrary to their Christian profession, we then speak out, and say, "Thou art the man." When, again, we observe a lukewarm and worldly inclination, we should admonish and reprove; and if our reproof be slighted, we mourn and pray in secret for those who run a risk so awful in a question so momentous and supreme. But this is well nigh all we can do. The Gospel net gathers of every kind: we cry aloud with much incessant desire for the sincerity of all comers, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters;" and if men come with fair appearances and a false heart, they must themselves answer it to their Lord's face if they come either without the grace of inward righteousness, or presumptuously robed in their own, (over the frequent secresy of which corruptions the ministry can exercise but little power of personal reproof,) why then in every such case they must, until their Lord come, still be welcomed to that well-furnished and free table, at which, if they will but learn in the meanwhile to entertain themselves lawfully, they shall not need to fear the entrance of the King. But, with regard to us, brethren, the rapid flight of time will soon bring the Lord of ordinances amongst us; or, what is the same thing, we must, each one, soon be ushered into his presence, transferred to a far more spiritual table, to prove our appetite there; to prove our qualifications for glory by our qualifications of grace. And now behold Him near, announced with all the circumstances of infinite glory, expressing grace ineffable to all his friends indeed. But observe, also, "his fan is in his hand." He comes, according to the prophecy of Zephaniah, to "search