George Clark Memorial Tract:
"A Wedding Garment"

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, who made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding; and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, 'Tell them who are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage.' But they made light of it, 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. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth; and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but they who were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.' So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment; and he saith unto him, 'Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then said the king to his servants, Bind him had and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:2-14).

The foregoing narrative takes us to the return of our Lord, where we find Him asking the question: "Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?" Jesus, speaking to his followers, once said, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14). Unquestionably this man had obeyed the former half of Jesus' command, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." The latter half, "his righteousness," had not been sought; therefore, we see this man, who was a friend of Jesus; yet he was a foolish virgin, being thrown out of the kingdom of God. In other words, "Many are called, but few are chosen."

This thought takes us back to the following words of Jesus, as recorded in Luke 13:28: "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." Yes, it is true, there is to be a second choosing, and this choosing is to come from among those who are called into the kingdom of God.

First, we must realize that the kingdom of God, or the church if you should prefer to use that term, is at the present composed of both the bad and the good; this is, the two classes of virgins, the wise and the foolish. The wise have sought and obtained the kingdom of God (which is the baptism of the holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues), and are now seeking "his righteousness" which we shall learn later in this message is a wedding garment. The foolish, too, have sought and obtained a seat in God's kingdom, but they seem to be ignoring the righteousness of God and missing the mark. Dear reader, perhaps you are moral and very respectable, but yet there may be in your life, hatred, or intolerance, or spite, or a tendency to anger, or a disposition to get the best of a neighbor in a trade, or a little streak of dishonesty, or self-righteousness, or the practice of slandering someone, or the love of gossip that destroys the reputation of others, or a disposition to engage in illegal traffic because it offers easy money, or a lack of respect for other members of your family, or a growling faultfinding disposition, so that you make your home a place of confusion, or any one of a hundred other things. If you should like to know whether or not you are seeking the righteousness of God, just leave off the word "sin" and substitute the scriptural term "missing the mark." This means that you fall short of perfect conduct, and thereby you fail to seek "his righteousness."

Now, what about it, friend? Are you seeking "his righteousness" or trying to establish your own? It is to be noticed that the Pharisee prayed toward himself. This is what every Pharisee does, when he prays. He may not be conscious of it, but, just so surely as he takes credit to himself for his "extraordinary" righteousness, just that surely will he thank himself that he is not like others. He may mention the name of God, but, in reality, he, himself, is the god whom he is thanking. If we really thank God for any virtue that we have, we look with pity on any one who is lacking in this virtue, and we recognize that, but for the grace of God, we would b like the other. When we look with disdain on those who practice what we do= not practice, it is an absolute proof that we are taking the credit for our being free from that particular weakness. And if we do take the credit for it, we are not very apt to think that we have any weakness.

I have found that those who recognize that they often miss the mark are very gracious in their dealings with others. Paul manifested this same graciousness in his later years. The world is not supposed to have love for us, but we are supposed to love one another. All that we do in our dealings with one another ought to be done with a view to helping.

If a brother is precipitated in some offense, he needs me to attune him. I may need him to attune me tomorrow, for I may be tried.

The highest wisdom of men can never see anything more sublime than human effort. Self-righteousness is man's highest attainment. It is his greatest boast to imagine he is capable of doing things. All his religious efforts, however, are vain and fruitless before God. Faith is God's way to obtain His righteousness. Faith is effortless -- it is an attitude of the heart. Faith believes God -- it takes the sinner's place and is crowned with God's righteousness.

The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, gives us this splendid description of the wise virgin in his anticipation for a Wedding Garment: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (our body) were dissolved (turned to clay), we have a building (a glorified body -- a Wedding Garment) of God, an house (body) not made with hands (by men), eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house (glorified body) which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle (body of clay) do groan, being burdened, not for that we would be unclothed (dead), but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life" (2 Cor. 5:1-4).

In this connection the Lord spoke to the church at Sardis, using these words: "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment: and I will not blot his name out of the book of life" (Rev. 3:5).

In John's revelation at the consummation of this age the voice of the wise virgin may be heard in the following triumphant words: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints" (Rev. 19:8). Yes, this is the righteousness which every saint will receive, and wear as a Wedding Garment. Many who are refusing this righteousness are going about to establish their own righteousness, which is as filthy rags in the sight of God. "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after (His) righteousness," something that will clothe you and grant you the privilege to remain in the kingdom of God for that great banquet when Jesus comes for his bride.

Yes, friends, it is going to take more than just our entrance into the kingdom of God; more than merely being born of the Spirit. It is going to take seeking -- yea, striving to be finally saved with an everlasting salvation and clothed upon with immortality at the appearance of our Lord. We must have on a Wedding Garment to enter that celestial city where nothing "defileth." Yea, to be sure, "Old things" in our hearts and lives -- habits, practices, pleasures, and customs, unlike God, will have had to "pass away," and behold all things will have had to "become new," thank God.

Oh yes, we will have had to drink the cup of repentance to the dreg, all have had to surrender without reservation to Jesus Christ as Lord and Master of our souls, for this is the price of a Wedding Garment, the bride's costume for that great feast in the air.

By George C. Clark

Questions? E-mail them to: GSAVELLI@aol.com

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