hair in thy head, but if God arise in anger, He can
cause it seem a devil unto thee, and every nail of thy fingers, to be a
torment of hell against thee. O Lord of hosts, and King of kings, who
can stand out against Thee? And yet thou hast offended Him, and run away
from Him, and miskent Him, and transgressed all His commandments, and
hell, and wrath, and judgment is thy portion which thou deservest, and
yet the Lord is sending out His servants, to see if they can make an
agreement. Then, for God's sake, think on this wonder: for all this text
is full of wonders, all God's works are indeed full of wonders, but this
is the wonder of wonders. We then are God's ambassadors, I beseech you
to be reconciled to God. Should not ye have sought unto Him first, with
ropes about your necks, with sackcloth upon your loins, and with tears
in your eyes? Should not ye have lain at His door, and scraped, if ye
could not knock? And yet the Lord hath sent me to you, and our faithful
men about here, crying, Come away to the marriage: Come away, I will
renew My contract with you; I will not give you a bill of divorcement,
but I will give My Son to you; and your souls that are black and blae, I
will make them beautiful. Behold yet another wonder! When He has sent
out other servants, and they got a nay-say; yet He will not take a
nay-say. Ye know a good neighbour, when he has prepared a dinner for
another of his neighbours, sends out his servants, intimating that all
things are ready, the table is covered, and dishes set on; if once
warned, he refuses, he might well send once or twice to him, but at last
he would take a displeasure, and not send again: but behold a wonder! He
sends out His servants, in the plural number. But behold a great wonder!
After one servant is abused, He sends out others, and when they are
slain, and spitefully used by these who should have followed their call,
and come in; what does the Lord? Read the chapter before, and ye shall
see a great wonder; "He sent out His own SON:" when Moses cannot do it,
when the prophets cannot do it, when John the Baptist cannot do it;
well, says the Lord, I will see if My Son can do it; I have not a Son
but one, and that is the Son of My love, and I will make Him a man, and
send Him down among them, and see how they will treat Him: and when He
comes, they cry out, "There is the heir, let us kill him." But behold a
greater wonder! That after these servants are abused, and spitefully
hand