The Invitation
Illustration★★★★Suppose we should write out here to-night this excuse, how would it sound? To the King of Heaven:--While sitting in the Tabernacle in the City of Chicago, January--, 1877, I received a very pressing invitation from one of your servants to be present at the marriage supper of your only-begotten Son. I PRAY THEE HAVE ME EXCUSED.” Would you sign that, young man? Would you, mother? Would you come up to the reporters’ table, take up a pen and put your name down to such an excuse? You would say, “Let my right hand forget its cunning, and my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I sign that.”
Just let me write out another answer: “To the King of Heaven;--While sitting in the Tabernacle, January---, 1877, I received a pressing invitation from one of your messengers to be present at the marriage supper of your only-begotten Son. I hasten to reply: BY THE GRACE OF GOD I WILL BE PRESENT.” Who will sign that? Is there one who will put his name to it? Is there no one who will say, “By the grace of God I will accept the invitation now”?
The point
Moody's invitation to marriage supper of Lamb: would you sign an excuse? Better to accept 'by grace of God.' Powerful call to immediate acceptance of Christ's invitation.