September 3

16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many.

17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were hidden, Come; for all things are now ready

18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The fast said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come

21 So that servant came, and shewed his Lord these things. 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 half, and the hand.

22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out

into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

24 For I say unto you that none of those men which were hidden shall taste of my supper.

25 And there went great multitudes with him, and he turned, and said unto them,

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29 Test haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him.

30 Saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish.

31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and deseth conditions of peace.

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that

forseker not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

34 ¶ Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

This lesson concerns the Gospel Feast, from which we take a few practical teachings:

1. The gospel is a feast, abundant, and perfectly satisfying to the soul. "The righteous eateth to the satisfying of the soul." 2. The invitation is universal. All are invited—but the poor in spirit, those who find themselves crippled in their endeavors to walk uprightly, and those whose moral vision is not so good as their neighbors—are urged to come 3. There are no good reasons for not immediately accepting the gospel invitation. All the excuses of men are born of an evil heart, and are not really hindrances at all. 4. All rejections of the invitation are a choice of the pleasures of this world as against the enjoyments of the next. It is an attempt to gain them at the peril of the soul. 5. The invitation is only for the present time. The time will come when the Master of the house will say: "None of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper."

Closet Promise.—My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, saith the Lord.—Jer. xxxi. 14

Have you a want? Keep it not, carry it to Him: it shall lie on the mercy-seat to be considered. In due time shall be written on it, "To be provided for."—Lady Powerscourt.