Again invited, after the death of Christ, they made light of it. Alas, how many are like them today! Will was at work then, and will is at work now. Men love their own wills and their own ways better than God’s will and God’s way. Self-will is sin, and to go my own way is sin too.
Now, the grace of God has prepared everything our souls need. Pardon, justification, reconciliation, salvation, everything is provided and as free as God can make it. But men are occupied with other things. The Jews made light of His invitation, “and went their ways—one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them” (Matt. 22:5, 65But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. (Matthew 22:5‑6)). It is the same today. The countryman is occupied with the land, and the townsman with commerce. Men’s hearts and minds are engrossed in their varied callings and occupations, and with the mass there is no time or room for God and His Christ. A bare hour or two may be spared by some for a little bit of religion once a week, but, alas, only too often for the sake of the respectability of the thing. But where is the heart? All the while wrapt up in things temporal; and the subject of conversation with many the moment they are outside the Church door, consists of criticisms of the sermon, congratulations one to another, Consols, crops, and other chit-chat—in short, anything but Christ. Is it not true?
Satan is very busy. He has many webs for his victims, and no mercy. Thousands of his dupes, whilst shunning gross evil, respectable moralists and religionists, are traveling swiftly down the broad road, their hearts and minds wholly engrossed with the lawful pursuits of this life. There is no wrong in attending to the farm and to the merchandise, but there is very great wrong in doing your own will and going your own way without God. Man has a duty to perform, business of some kind to attend to, a responsibility to fulfill, a family to sustain. All true, perfectly true. But it is all for this life, for time. How about the future, eternity? You are not going to sow and reap, and buy and sell, forever. There will be a day, when you can no longer attend the market, or go on “Change,” when you will no longer go your way. Sooner or later (it might be today), you must give your ways up. Landlords, farmers, crofters, farm-laborers, die. Professional men, merchants, shopkeepers, workmen, die. Emperors, kings, lords, ministers, die. You will die too in the ordinary course of things. Well, you have looked after your interests here, we suppose; made your will, too, very likely, in case you should die, and thus thought of other people; but how about your interests for eternity? Have you seriously considered them, or have you made light of them? We expect you like to be considered as a wise person, and to be credited with care and foresight, and yet you have never given a serious half-hour to the matter, which is more important than all the rest put together! Rather short-sighted wisdom that. To make light of God, and the claims of His Son, and your own eternal interest, is to reap a harvest of folly in an eternal hell. And you will never get out.
Now, there are many ways of making light of God’s gracious invitations. If you despise them, His Word says, “Behold ye despisers, and wonder, and perish,” &c. (Acts 13:4141Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. (Acts 13:41)). If you reject them, the Lord says, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him” (John 12:4848He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (John 12:48)). If you neglect them, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation.” If you simply go your own way, engrossed with the things of time, you will surely rue your folly eternally!
Friend, take care! You have already made light of this too long. If death were to overtake you this moment, would you really be at the marriage? Have you received the grace of God? May be, you look at death as a long way off, and think there is no need to be troubled. Not so far off, perhaps, as you may think. The writer was recently in a little town to preach the gospel, where one after another were taken away, several without a moment’s warning. The clergyman (a sporting gentleman) had just died. Mrs.― had just fallen into a fit, and died in a few hours. Another had dropped dead on her hearth-rug. Mr.―, a well-known townsman, went to the funeral. Next day, standing behind his counter, talking to another, he dropped down dead too. Another laborer in the gospel who came to visit us, said: “A very sad death has just occurred where I have been preaching. A young woman was going to a ball with her sister at eleven o’clock at night, when she suddenly fell ill. Seeking aid in a neighboring house, before daybreak she had exchanged her ball-dress for a death-shroud!” Two days later, going to a small village to preach the gospel, almost the first thing we heard was, “A miner went to his work as usual this morning, and, when he returned for his breakfast, found his wife dead in her bed!”
Sinner, arouse thee! Trifle no longer with the love and the longsuffering of God. Your life hangs as it were on a thread. Death, stern, inexorable death is here, and bid it begone you cannot. It may mark you for its victim next. Beware. You are sporting, unsaved one, on the brink of eternal woe. Take care, lest God in the midst of your-vanity and pleasure-seeking should cut you down. You may make light of His grace, but be ye sure of this, your sin will find you out. Eternal issues are at stake!
We press upon you, therefore, dear reader, the importance of present decision. God spreads the feast of grace in honor of His Son; the invitation today is world-wide. Both His heart, His hand, and His door are wide open. To take your place you need a wedding garment, Christ. In oriental countries the giver of the feast provides this necessary robe. So now, our God in His rich grace has provided a robe for any and every sinner who comes, suited both for His own presence and for us. It is Christ Himself. In Him alone can you remain before Him, and enjoy His grace both now and forever. Thousands, yea, tens of thousands, alas, make light of grace, some even now entreating God’s servants spitefully. What are you doing? Ere long the doors will be closed. Come now, while you may. Would you come; seek no righteousness of your own, but submit to God’s. Christ is God’s righteousness, and the only One who can meet your case. Come as you are, a sinner, undeserving, guilty, lost, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, and God will account you righteous, and see you henceforth in Him. Christ is the One your soul needs. His blood was shed for sinners, and cleanses from all sin. Whiter than snow you must be to meet His eye, whiter than snow you are the moment you trust in Christ’s precious blood. Perfect and complete you must be to dwell in the glory of God, perfect and complete in Christ you are, the moment you bow your whole soul to God’s testimony concerning Him in simple faith. Henceforth you are clothed by God Himself in the wedding garment of His providing, a sinner saved by grace, to enjoy grace now, and forever, in His glorious presence.
How awful the alternative! “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Sinner, dare you any longer trifle with God, and make light of the invitation of His grace? Christless professor, dare you any longer run the risk of meeting God without a wedding garment? The reckoning moment is at hand. Without Christ you will be bound hand and foot, so that you can neither deliver yourself nor flee; taken away, and cast out of the light of His holy presence into the outer darkness, the blackness of darkness (Matt. 22:1313Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 22:13); Jude 1313Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (Jude 13)), there to weep in utter misery, and to grind your teeth in utter despair, a Christless soul for eternity.
Sinner, will you not have Christ now?
E. H. C.