XIII. Of the Bidding of Guests to the Great Supper
For his divine wisdom shall find a better manner and measure, time and place, than we can think, even although that should be done by miracles. Even as in the Old Testament, Exod. 14, when the children of Israel trusted that God would deliver them, and yet no possible means were before their eyes, or in all their thoughts, then the Red
Sea opened itself, and gave them passage, drowning all their enemies at once. The holy woman Judith, when she heard that the citizens of Bethulia would after the space of five days give up the city, if God in the mean time did not help them, rebuked them, saying, "What are ye, that ye tempt the Lord? those are not devices and purposes, whereby we obtain mercy of God, but rather whereby we provoke him unto wrath and displeasure. Will ye set the mercy of the Lord a time, and appoint him a day after your will!" Hereupon God did help her after a marvellous sort, that at the last she slew Holofernes, and put the enemies to flight, Judith 13. So St. Paul also saith, Eph. 3:20, that the power of God is such and so great, that it doth far greater and better things than we either ask or think. Wherefore we ought to think ourselves more vile, than that we may name, appoint, or prescribe the time, place, manner, measure, and other circumstances of that which we ask of God, but we must leave all things wholly unto him, constantly and boldly, believing that he will hear us.
SERMON XIII
ON THE BIDDING OF GUESTS TO THE GREAT SUPPER
Luke 14:16–24. A certain man made a great supper, and bade many, &c.
As in the whole scripture, so in this text also we must endeavour, that according to our ability (as ye have oftentimes heard heretofore) we may understand the true and simple meaning, and thereupon settle our heart and conscience. For he that shall encounter with Satan, must not waver and stagger this way and that way, but must be certain of his cause, and instructed with many places of scripture, otherwise when the devil shall by an uncertain place of scripture, draw him to his fork, he will toss him this way, and that way, as the wind doth a dry leaf. Wherefore out of this text we must gather a certain meaning, whereby we may persist and stand sure. Howbeit it is not to be understood of the reverend eucharist, or the bread of the Lord's table, although Papists have miserably wrested it, as they have done many other authorities of scripture. But this is the scope, this is the sum of this text; that the gospel is preached and published through the whole world, but few receive and embrace it; and it is therefore called a supper, for that the gospel must be the last word, which shall continue to the end of the world. Wherefore the supper here is nothing else, but a very rich and sumptuous feast, which God hath made through Christ by the gospel, which setteth before us great good things and rich treasures. And he sent his servants to bid men to this sumptuous supper; that is, the apostles were altogether sent with one word into the whole world, that they might bid and call men to this supper, with one voice, with one gospel, with one embassage; after such sort, that if St. Peter had come and preached the gospel of God in that place where Paul had preached it before, yet had it been one word, and the same preaching, that the hearers should have been compelled to say, Behold he preacheth the same that we heard before of the other; they wholly consent and agree, and the thing that they publish is all one.
That the Evangelist might insinuate this consent and agreement in preaching, he saith, "He sent his servant," he saith not, his servants, as of many. Now this message the servant must do to the bidden guests. "Come, for all things are now ready." For Christ hath suffered death, and in his death hath slain sin and death, also was risen again from death, the Holy Ghost was given; and briefly all things were
prepared which pertained unto that great supper. All things were without all our cost. For the Father by Christ hath paid the price of all things, that without all our merit and labour we might enjoy his goodness, and be nourished and enriched. He sendeth his servant therefore first to the Jews, to bid them to this great supper, unto whom the promise was made of God; for the law and all the prophets were directed hereunto, that they might prepare the people of God.
As the angel Gabriel declared of John the Baptist to his father Zacharias, Luke 1:15, 16, 17, "He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." But what did the guest answer to the message of the servant? The text following declareth, "And they all with one consent began to make excuse." This is that whereof the Lord speaketh, Matt. 10:37, 38, "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me: And he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." For he that will be partaker of this supper, must put all things into danger for the gospel sake, body, goods, wife, children, friends, &c.
Moreover he must leave all things whatsoever they be, that separate him from the gospel, although they seem good, just, right, and holy; neither think ye that these men which here excuse themselves, were guilty of grievous sins, or occupied about unjust matters and works; for it is not unjust to buy, to use trade of merchandize, to maintain himself honestly, to marry a wife, to be joined in matrimony. But therefore can they not come to this supper, for that they will not forsake these things, but will rather cleave to them in their heart; now they must be utterly forsaken and left, when the gospel so requireth; thou wilt perhaps say, I would indeed willingly follow the gospel, I would cleave unto it, and do all other things whatsoever, but to forsake goods, houses, family, wife, children, &c., surely this is a hard matter; God hath commanded me to labour, to maintain my
wife and children, &c. Behold therefore this is the scope and sum, that the gospel is the word of faith and offence, because of which every faithful man doth bear offence willingly; indeed God hath willed thee to do these things, however he hath also commanded, that thou prefer him before all creatures, and love him above all things, and think him higher than all things which thou canst know, even as the chief and greatest commandment giveth us to understand; "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might," Deut. 6:5. Wherefore thou must forsake all things before thou suffer thyself to be plucked away from the love of him, or his words; although indeed he loseth nothing, which forsaketh anything for the gospel's sake; if for the gospel's sake thou lose this temporal life, God will give thee another far better, viz., eternal life, as Christ saith, Matt. 10:39, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: And he that loseth his life for my sake,
Shall find it."
If thou be compelled to forsake thy wife, together with thy children, remember that God hath a care of them, he will be a better father unto them than thyself which undoubtedly cometh to pass, if so be that thou believe; for we have very great and rich promises that he will not suffer his word to fail, but will always fulfil; if we can freely and confidently trust in him, and commit ourselves wholly to him;
Christ saith after this sort, Matt. 19:29, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life." We have here his words and promise, what would we have more? or what can we desire more?
Wherein therefore do we fail? only in our faith; whereof no man cometh to this supper, but he that bringeth with him a sincere faith, which God preferreth and loveth above all creatures; but how doth the Lord recompense them which excused themselves that they could not come to the supper? The text itself declareth, "Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." To go into the streets and lanes
is nothing else, but that whereas the Jews made themselves unworthy of the gospel, and did refuse it, the disciples turned to the Gentiles: for it was enjoined them of Christ, that they should not turn themselves to the Gentiles, nor preach the Kingdom of God in the cities of the Samaritans, but should go only to the sheep of the house of Israel, and should feed them only, as they did; now the Jews striving against this sword, and by no means receiving it, the disciples said, Acts 13:46, 47, "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from [you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." But what meaneth that which he saith moreover to the servant?
"Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." This is to be understood of desperate and weak consciences, which also pertain unto this supper, and are compelled unto it, but this compulsion is not outward, but inward and spiritual, and is done after this sort: when the law is preached, sin is set before our eyes and revealed, that a man may come to the knowledge of himself, so that to compel to enter, or come in, doth rightly signify to drive sin into the conscience, whereby a man may know that he is nothing, that all his works are sins, and subject to damnation, and so suddenly his conscience may become desperate, and his heart faint and terrified, that all that confidence and opinion of help may depart, and man himself be able no where to comfort himself in any thing, and at the last be driven to despair of himself; if so be that one be once after this sort compelled, then do not long delay to let him come in, but deliver the man out of desperation; that cometh to pass, when thou comfortest him by the gospel, and declarest that he is delivered from his sins, saying, Believe in Christ that he hath made the free from thy sins, then shalt thou be delivered and free from sin.