I Have entered into this Great Parable of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ And to shew you That the Kingdom of Christ is from the very Beginning to the End of it The Kingdom of Heaven And that the Principal Point of the Kingdom as Now is The Espousing of the Spirits of his Saints unto Himself That in the Glorious Solemnity of the Marriage of the Lamb They may be Bidden to that Marriage-Supper As the Expression is in the Revelation I shall now go on as I intimated to you the Last Day to shew you That This Preparation for the Marriage or for the Vnion with Christ in that Great Glory and Solemnity of his Kingdom is Now And all Christianity looks to That I say It looks to that Glorious Solemnity The Preparation is begun Now and then is the Glorious Solemnity But in the Time of the Preparation in the very present Time the Souls and Spirits of the Servants of Christ move with an Earnest Desire towards that Glory They are They ought to be moved to a desire of the Glory of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ And All our Religion All our Christianity All our Praying and Hearing and Preaching All the Graces that we Labour after our Faith and Repentance our Holiness our Obedience All these they are to be Erected they are to be lifted up to be raised up to the Glory and to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ So that we ought to have an Eye in Every Thing to that State For so you see it is here said Ver. 1. There were Virgins going forth to meet the Bridegroom They took their Lamps and they went forth to meet the Bridegroom Though the Bridegroom delayed his coming and did not come so soon as they might think yet still they went forth to meet the Bridegroom All True Power of Grace and Holiness and as we speak of Religion To be Religious It is to go forth to meet the Bridegroom This is the Great Sense of it Not that we shall be perfect here in any Regard But our Perfection is in that Kingdom and Glory of Christ It is in that Solemnity And therefore it is our Great Mistake if we lay our Christianity lower than This If we don't Elevate and Lift it up to This very Great Point to meet the Bridegroom Our Lamp that is our Profession and our Dealing in Christianity now and in all the Ordinances of it and in all the Graces of it is to this very purpose That we might be Daily meeting of the Bridegroom That we might be fit to meet the Bridegroom and might bear up with the Glory Greatness and Excellency of that Solemnity I spoke to you the Last Day of the Captive Person that appeared Beautiful in the Eyes of Him that had taken her captive And if it was so that he desired to Espouse her she was to abide Thirty Days before the Marriage That is There was to be a Time of Preparation But now I beseech you to consider All that very Time which we read of in Deut. 21. 10. Her Head was to be shaved and her Nails to be pared and the Rayment of her Captivity was to be taken off from her and she was to continue in the house of him that loved her and to bewail her Father and her Mother a full month That is Because she was taken Captive and taken from her nearest Relations and was thus to be washed and her Head shaven and her Nails pared She was to be under such a Preparation all that full Month because a Pagan a Stranger from the Commonwealth of Israel As I said to you in the Expression of David Forget thine own People and thy Father's House So Christ gives us a Time of Preparation a Time of shaving our Heads and paring our Nails and taking off the Garments of our Captivity of our Corrupt and Impure State We have a Month for this That is such a Time as God allows his Servants here in the World and such a Time as his Church hath before the Glory of the Nuptials of the Wedding and of his Kingdom And they are all this Time to bewail that State that lost and undone State wherein they are by Nature And all rhat Time now that such Captives were under this Months Delay under this Months Preparation Undoubtedly they had a Great Respect to the Honour and to the Glory of the Nuptial Solemnity they did every thing with an Eye to that and with an Order to that And if it had not been so to be Accomplished All the Intention All that was meant by that of shaving the Hair and paring the Nails and taking off the Garments of Captivity had been to no purpose she had been turned out again and been a Slave for ever All these methods had been in vain But because there was so Honourable an Intention as that of Marriage That made all this easy and sweet and there was an Eye to it all along In the very same manner if we have not an Eye to the Wedding If we Love and Desire to stay in the State on Earth and not to come to the Honour of the Nuptials to be the Bride and the Spouse of Christ We lay all our Religion and Profession too low And therefore I shall desire to discourse this Point to you so as may move you most to draw up your hearts not to a Christianity as it is now but as it shall be in Glorious Solemnity of the Marriage of the Lamb And to teach you that our Eye is to be all along upon that and to discover to you the Greatness of the mistake in doing otherwise I shall therefore discourse these Heads upon it First To open to you what it is to be a Christian and to be Religious and to be Godly as we usually speak with an Eye to that future State to that Glorious State of the Wedding of our Lord Jesus And of our selves to be Married in Glory to Him And then In the Second Place I shall shew you the Great Reasons why this and nothing else is the Truth and Reality of Christianity And then In the Third Place I 'll shew you how it hath come to pass that this great Aim and Designation of Christianity is fallen so very low as it is in the World And then In the Fourth Place I will Answer Objections to you by which you may seem to think or it may seem to you that this is not so necessary and absolutely needful Doctrine as I hope it will appear to you And then In the Last Place I 'll close with the application of it First therefore I begin to explain it to you what it is to order our selves so as if there was nothing to come after or as if we did not care how long the Month of Preparation and Purification were drawn out And what it is in every thing to have our hearts raised and lifted up to this excellent end to this Glorious Point and Conclusion of the
was in Man He knoweth our Thoughts afar off But now this is a Knowing as Scripture speaks afar off in another Sense He knows our Thoughts long before we conceive them He tells to Man his Thoughts that hereafter will arise up and how they will rise up As it is said in the Prophet Ezekiel concerning Gog and Magog Thoughts shall come up in thee I tell thee long before thou camest into Being God knows our Thoughts at the uttermost Distance But he knows with Approbation all those that are his And therefore that may be the Sense of the Form and Expression of being known of God If any Man Love God he is known of him If any Man be in the Way of Holiness and Righteousness God knows him He knows him with great Approbation For so Knowledge in Scripture does several times speak Psal 1. 6. For the Lord knoweth the Way of the Righteous But the Way of the Vngodly shall Perish The Lord knoweth That is He takes delight to Contemplate as Men desire to know a Thing they like and Love they search into it by Study Meditation and Contemplation The Lord knoweth the Way of the Righteous He knoweth it so as to delight in it Thou most upright doest weigh the Path of the Just As it is said Isa 26. A Third Way of Knowing is The acknowledging of Persons at the Day of the Marriage-Feast He knows them that is he will confess them As Christ saith Whosoever denieth me before Men him will I deny I will not know him And I will confess his Name If any Man takes care to watch and to keep his Garments and not to defile them saith Christ I will know that Person I will Confess him I will not Disown him I will not say I do not know him but I will acknowledge him at that time Rev. 3. 5. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in White Raiment And I will not blot out his Name out of the Book of Life but I will confess his Name before my Father and before his Angels And therefore here we may find why Christ useth this Expression I know you not Because the Persons that were lost they were not known to God in his Eternal Love and Grace from Everlasting And They were never approved by Christ even in their very professing him And Lastly Christ is ashamed to own such Acquaintance when they say to him Lord Have we not been often with Thee in thy House in thy Ordinances in Prayer and Preaching and Hearing and in the Lord's Supper and in all the Duties of thy Worship Lord Do'st thou not know us Can'st thou not Remember we were at such and such a Time Hearing and Receiving the Lord's Supper and Praying unto Thee Can'st thou not Remember this And Christ is ashamed that ever it was so That we not having departed from Iniquity that we could ever make a Pretence to him That we could ever say That he had any thing to do with us or we with him And so I have dispatcht the First Particular to open to you the Sense of these Words I know you not I come to the Second And that is of the Persons of whom it is said I never knew you I know you not They are Virgins tho foolish And certainly it speaks the highest Reach that any one can make without True Grace that is spoken of here This must be said and acknowledged though I confess it is one of the Dreadfullest Things that I know in Scripture and the most Discouraging as it may seem in the Ways of Religion That Christ should say of Persons that have been Virgins That he doth not know that there hath been such a particular Acquaintance and as it were Endearment between Christ and them They owned themselves to him and to be his And yet for all that he should say I know you not They are the highest Attainers in Christianity and in the Profession of God in Natural or in Revealed Religion and yet Christ says I know you not I 'll give you a little clearing of this to you a Lustre of this Truth upon your Minds in very great briefness First therefore I would consider Persons that are Profane and Wicked and that live loosly under the whole Heavens Let their Religion be what it will They that are Cruel and Unjust and Unmerciful They that are Intemperate and Sensual and Debauched They that are Profane and Contemners of God according to the Light that they have let it be what it will it is no wonder that Christ should say to them I know you not I never knew any of you You by your Profession of the Name called Mahometanism or by the Name of this or that Paganism What have I to do with you As God saith to his People You have I known above all the Families of the Earth c. As if God should say I do not know the Heathen or Pagan or obstinate Jew Because he never came into the Profession of my Name But now one would think the Name of Christian should Envelop should gather all within Salvation and Happiness that they that Name the Name of Jesus Christ as a Saviour and Redeemer and Call upon it should be Saved But yet even among Christians there are such kind of Persons as are Blasphemers Common Swearers Common Drunkards Common Impure Persons Covetous Extortioners Unmerciful Unjust Idolaters And of these it is no wonder Christ should say to such I know you not Even Natural Conscience will Justifie Christ in that in saying I know you not But it seems hard when Persons professing the Name of Christ Sober that had lived better than others when they have not an Acknowledgment and owning from Jesus Christ And therefore it is worthy our Consideration that we read of Matth. 19. of the young Man that had done every thing when the Commandments were reckoned up and repeated to him saith he All these have I kept from my youth He was so sober a man so just a liver what lack I yet says he Here was a plain good Liver a man of a good Life You know it is very much spoken of a Good Life a Good Life And it is true it ought to be required and every one ought to mind this of himself nothing can be spoken in derogation or diminution to it in it self And yet this young man that had kept all this and was so good that Christ looked upon him and loved him He saw a great amiableness and loveliness in his Person and Deportment And yet for all this Christ intimates very severely he animadverts and makes very harsh notes upon this Person when Christ proposes to sell all he went away sorrowful And Christ makes this sharp Remark upon him With great difficulty such men shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Verily I say unto you it is hardly possible that a rich man should enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Nay though he be such a good Liver If a
man that is look'd upon as a Religious Man and that makes a great Figure in the World and that God hath blest Now this Man living so sober in regard of all the Commandments in outward acts all these commandments have I kept from my youth up One would think it were not possible that such a Man should not go to Heaven And yet saith Christ Verily I say unto you with relation to this lovely young man it is a hard thing for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Certainly he did not come up to that was properly the Virgin-state in the acknowledgment of Christ however he was of unspotted unblameable external conversation he had too an acknowledgment of Christ as a very Excelling man and a Great Master of Divine Knowledg but He had not a Sense of his Divine Glory nor the very power of Christianity so as to Grasp the Inside of it to Lay Hold upon the very Spirit and Life of it as in Christ and so to devest Himself of every thing for Chrst if Called to it Nay he was unwilling to Own and Follow Christ in the very Outward Profession and herein he came short of the Foolish Virgins who yet Fall short of Heaven and therefore Christ preaches upon him this General Doctrine How Hard is it for a Rich man to Enter into the Kingdom of Heaven In the Third place I might Name to you the men of Tradition the men of Superstition that look upon it as their Glory and Security for Heaven to add many things to the Commands of God and of Christ as if they either exceeded or made more perfect or more beautiful decent and honourable the Religion of Divine Institution by their own super-added observations but this needs not to be much insisted upon because Christ hath declared from the Word of God in the Old Testament by the Prophet Esay This People draw nigh to me with their Lips but their hearts are far from me But in vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the commandmens of men Matth. 15 c. But now these Virgins as they hold the Truth so the purity of the Worship of the Gospel and were also of an unblameable outward Conversation as was before opened concerning the Virgin State From all this we may plainly perceive it is a very nice Case to distinguish either in Doctrine or in Practice between Virginity enlivened with Wisdom and Virginity that hath the dead Fly of Folly in it I come therefore to the Third Head of Discourse to give you the Reasons of this even Tremendous Dispensation of God That there should be Virgins and yet Foolish Virgins For to speak the very bottom and foundation of the matter This Resemblance of our Lords of the Case of Souls or Spirits not accepted by Christ compared with the Apostles Expression of presenting them as chast Virgins to Christ and yet that some Virgins presented to him he charges according to those expressions in Job with folly It seems to carry an Allusion in a spiritual sence to that Case Deut. 24. 1 c. Those that are espoused as Virgins to Christ and yet they are not clean in his sight they are for ever eternally separated from him even divorced from him He sends them a Renunciation a Bill of Divorcement from himself This is dreadfully stupendious These Two Accounts I would give hereof according to Scripture why there is such a severity of the Gospel towards those who are Virgins and are found foolish Virgins 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ would hereby Remonstrate to us the great Corruption and Depravation of Human Nature we do not enough apprehend what a Nature and what Hearts thereupon we carry about us Hearts deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know them It is strange so excellent so pure a thing as a Virgin State should be defiled and made wholly unacceptable to Christ by Folly our Lord therefore hereby calls upon us to be aware what Natures and Hearts we bear about with us since that very time that God made Man Vpright in Knowledge Wisdom Righteousness and true Holiness and he defiled his Nature with the folly of many inventions The Nature of Man Taints and defiles every thing even Virginity it self though not by a false Religion a false Worship or grosly polluted Conversation yet by the folly of insincerity and want of the Treasure of Grace standing in Union to Christ This should carry us to fear our own Hearts Blessed is the Man that feareth always but he that trusteth in his own heart is a Fool he deceiveth himself as the Apostle James saith Many ways seem right enough in our own Eyes but the issue and end thereof is death Let us therefore as the Apostle Peter warns Pass the time of our sojourning here in fear and as the Apostle Paul saith be jealous over our selves least while we think we present our selves as chast Virgins to Christ that we are Espoused to him there should be any corruption from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus Christ is one most single simple Jesus without Multiplicity as in Doctrine and Worship so in our Union to him whoever misses him in that uncompounded Faith and undivided Affection defiles the Virgin-State and looses the Glory and Purity of it You may be Virgins as to the Chastity of Profession and outward Conversation and yet you may loose the Wisdom of Virginity if there be not a singleness of Eye and Heart to Christ which cannot be but in Union to himself from thence arises the simplicity that is in Christ and our conformity to it A Second Reason why so severe and dreadful a Dispensation is offered to you in this Parable that I shall now give you is That we might learn Three great Lessons from it it is not to discourage or beat you off from your Profession but that you may bow down your Ears and Hearts to these three things 1. That you may depend upon the Free Grace of Electing Love every one ought to humble himself ond to lie in the Dust before God in the sence of this It is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy And who art thou Oh Man that repliest against God All this speaks the necessity of lying low before God in the sence of this supream Grace And what can tend more thus to humble us that to consider Virgins may be Virgins and yet Foolish Virgins This should make us look to a Love and Grace above and beyond any thing in our selves or that is wrought in our selves we should keep our Eye on this The Apostle after the Description of the Antichristian Apostacy retires to Election God hath chosen us to Salvation This is not to draw off our minds from any of those Graces that are the fruits of Election but to carry up our Minds above them to the Fountain of them And there is no greater assurance of the Truth
THE Parable of the Ten Virgins In its Peculiar Relation to the Coming and Glorious KINGDOM OF OUR Lord Iesus Christ OPENED According to the Analogy of the whole Parable and of Scripture in General and Practically Applied for Exercising all the Churches to Holy Watchfulness Mark iv 13. WITH AN APOLOGY for the Hope of the Kingdom of Christ Appearing within this Approaching Year 1697. Wherein some of the Principal Arguments for such an Expectation are briefly Couch'd and the Greater Objections Answered Presented to the Notice and Examination of the Arch-Bishops and Bishops Now in PARLIAMENT Assembled By T. BEVERLEY Ezek. 10. 13. As concerning the Wheels It was cryed to them in my Hearing Oh! Revolution LONDON Printed for and Sold byWill Marshal at the Bible in Newgate-Street and John Marshal at the Bible in Grace-Church-Street 1697. A TABLE of the Principal Doctrines of each SERMON The Sermons are Divided into Five and Six Each Part viz. The first Five begin with Page 1. and so go on And the Six Last also with Page 1. and so go on The Doctrine of the First Sermon Page 1. THE Kingdom of Christ is in every Thing and throughout The Kingdom of Heaven SERMON II. Page 21. There is a Marriage-Union betwixt Christ and his Church and every Particular Believing Soul SERMON III. Page 39. The Preparation for the Glorious Marriage-Solemnity is Now and All Christianity looks to that Solemnity SERMON IV. Page 59. All those that are Christs are to hold the great Feast of the Supper of the Lamb to Jehovah SERMON V. Page 74. That the Coming of Jesus Christ hath not yet been since He was here on Earth neither yet is it immediately to be The Bridegroom Tarried The Second Part. SERMON VI. Page 1. While the Bridegroom tarried All these Virgins both the Wise and the Vnwise Slumber and Sleep SERMON VII Page 18. In the very same Circumstances wherein any of us lye down in the Grave in the very same we must be awaken'd and Rise up again SERMON VIII Page 38. It is a Point of great Consideration What the difference is between the Wise and the Foolish Virgins SERMON IX Page 58. It must be sadly Acknowledged and every one is to take it to himself That a Virgin if a Foolish Virgin shall not be admitted nor suffered to enter into the Glory of that Marriage-Feast the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb. SERMON X. Page 24. Every one that hears the Word of the Gospel concerning the Coming and Kingdom of Christ is bound to Watch as if it might be the very next Day and Hour yea though he had lived in the Days of Christ and had known certainly that his Coming and Kingdom should not have been in so many Ages as have run out since SERMON XI Page 87. 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Where you may be likewise Supplied with Mr. Rich's Testament and Psalms in Short Hand bound THE Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied SERMON I. On Matth. 25. from Ver. 1 to 13. 1. Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be
the Nature of the Type and to fill up all the Parts of it and all the Colours of the Picture For the meaning is no more than this Look well to this That you have a Provision a Treasure of Grace that will last out the whole Time of the Wedding-Solemnity For if you have not you will not be able to make a Provision then you will be as those that are unready Now that this is the meaning of Watching is very plain from hence because the Virgins that had Oil in their Lamps and in their Vessels too they Slumbred and Slept yet they went immediately into the Wedding But all those that had only Oil in their Lamps and not in their vessels they were shut out there was no possibility of making Provision for themselves at that time From all which particulars then that I have given you at this Time but the Generals of I collect Let it be our care let us seriously look to it that we make such a provision now that may last out that whole State that is That we have such Grace as will bear out the Tryal of that Day and that Time That 's the main Importance of this so great Parable so excellent Parable that every one of us should look to it That we have such Treasure such real Riches of Grace in the Blood of Jesus and in the power of his Death and Resurrection upon us that will comport with that great Solemnity of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ And let us not say among all the Professions and Ways that there are in the VVorld we have chosen out what we think the best and the purest It is not enough that we are Virgins in our Profession but we must have this rich Treasure this real Treasure of Grace in our Hearts This I say is the main Importance of this great Parable and it Issues into this That we should take heed of pleasing our selves in a Profession and that we should be under the power of this Apprehension That the most excellent Profession that there is in the World in the whole Christian Name whatever it is that shall have the Precedency above any other yet if our Hearts are not Enriched with the true Grace of God and of Jesus Christ we do not know the Truth as it is in Christ effectually And therefore indeed there is not any place of Scripture that Imports a greater Severity or makes more necessary tryal and search into our State and Condition than this very Parable does For when it gives a Representation of the purest State that can be given that is to call all Virgins and yet that some of these are shut out for ever from the Glory of the Kingdom of Christ How should it as our Saviour speaks in a like Parable engage us to strive to enter in at the strait Gate For many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able Many of the Children of the Kingdom shall be thrust out as Christ speaks in another place This is the great care therefore that should lie upon us to secure the inward part the vital part the true Power the true Light of Christianity that shall never be as a Lamp put out in obscure Darkness If you look upon the 14 Revel you may see what a high Importance this very Word or Representation of Virgins hath saith the Spirit of God there concerning those that were in the purity of Christian Religion These saith he are VIRGINS and have not defiled themselves with Women as other Professors of the Name of Christ had with the Impurity that others were defiled with For they are Virgins and they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth So that though this be so great a Representation of the purity of Christian Religion yet you see here in this Parable our Saviour hath taken this very Representation to set forth the State that yet shall miscarry in the End to Eternity And so the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 11. 2. I am Jealous over you with a godly Jealousie for I have espoused you to one Husband that I may present you as a chast Virgin to Christ You see sometimes this Representation Metaphor or Emblem of a Virgin is made use of to speak the highest and truest Purity And yet our Lord doth as it were abase and humble it here in speaking of the Foolish Virgins that he might gain his main point and end That is to tell us The most excellent Profession let it be what it will it will not avail us if there be not the truth and power of Christianity in it I shall therefore according to the particulars I have laid down to you endeavour to open this great Point all along by those lively Resemblances that our Lord hath given us in this Parable In the first place I shall consider the State of the Gospel as it is here called the Kingdom in its setting out from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ 'till it attains that great Point of Glory its manifestation in the visible Appearance of our Lord Jesus It is all the while the Kingdom of Heaven Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened So as I have Represented to you from Gal. 4. and Ephes 1. Here 's the whole State or Time of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of all the course and motion it runs It begins in the preaching of the Gospel and it ends in the Glory of it Gal. 4. 4. I look upon it to be a great Foundation of all that Discourse that I have endeavoured to Instruct you by concerning the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law The first Appearance of Christ it is called the Fulness of Time that 's the beginning point of it And then there 's the Recapitulation the gathering of all things again into Christ and that is as the Apostle tells us Eph. 1. 10. In the dispensation of the fulness of Times he will gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in Heaven and which are in Earth even in him In the Fulness of Time Christ came to bear the sins of many In the fulness of Times he gathers all into himself So that the Kingdom of Heaven it hath its beginning in the first Appearance of Christ and it hath its uttermost Glory in the gathering together in one all things into Christ And then it is delivered up into the Kingdom of Eternity We should therefore apprehend our selves even now under the preaching of the Gospel that we are under the motion of the Kingdom of Heaven here 's the beginning of it And then we should look to our selves and draw All to the Issue and last Result For the Kingdom of Heaven lasts till that great Solemnity of the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb it lasts to that very time and so it continues till the Kingdom is delivered up to God all in all You
4. In the fourth Place I beseech you consider the great difference between the City of the Servants of Christ of those that are of the true Wise Virgins in Christianity And between the City of those that are not or are Foolish Virgins I would but very briefly represent that to you in Scripture-Expression and so I will conclude If you consider the City of the Servants of Jesus Christ consider it in that of the last Chapter of Ezekiel and the very last Verse the End of that Prophesie And the Name of the City in that day shall be The Lord is there There shall be the Bridegroom There shall be the Glory of the Prince himself That 's the City wherein Christ will entertain those that have the Bride-like Affection And Rev. 21. 2. I John saw the Holy City New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven Prepared as a Bride adorned for her Bridegroom Here 's the City of those that are Virgins in Spirit to Christ in the sincere Love of him that shall be presented at that day as Chast Virgins to him But now consider on the other side You have the Name of another City And it is very admirable And I cannot but propose my Observation to you that God hath been pleased very lately to cause me to consider and to observe There is the Name of another City I say And it is the Name of the City of the Multitude Ezek. 39. 17. The Name of that City shall be Hamonah And they shall cleanse the Land The Name of that City shall be Hamonah Or The Multitude thereof Or its Multitude That is The Dead Those that are slain with the Sword of Christ's Mouth The Gog-Magog Tho they are Dead That is as to the sense of Glory and Life and Happiness and Peace and Enjoyment yet they are in Being for they have a City It were but in vain that meer Dead should have a City But those Dead that is they that are not Partakers of the first Resurrection Their City the Name of it is Hamonah the Multitude of the World are of that City and belong to that City and are taken at last into that City Multitudes Multitudes as it is said in Joel 3. Multitudes Multitudes in the Valley of Decision and the Valley of Excision They are not onely Judged but cut off They are slain with the Sword of Christ's Mouth As it is said Rev. 29. 5. They lived not again till the End of the Thousand Years That is they lay in Chains under the Footstool of Christ At the End of the Thousand Years God gave them leave to move a little and they make a New Attempt And then Fire comes down upon them and casts them into the Lake And if you think all this is too Metaphorical or too Nice and Curious and that you cannot understand so well I 'll conclude all with that of Matth. 7. 13. Where you shall find the very Hamonah in plain Doctrinal Practical Discourse it self Enter ye in at the strait Gate for wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth to Destruction And many there be which go in thereat As the New Jerusalem hath its Gates and an Angel before it So the City here is the City of Destruction as it is called Isa 19. It hath its Gate But it is a Wide Gate It lets in every one that is not taken up into the New Jerusalem There be many There is a Hamonah there is a Multitude that go in thereat Therefore let us seriously take heed Look diligently to this lest any of us fail of the Grace of God of the true Bride-like affection by which we may enter with him with the Bridegroom into the Wedding when he comes c. SERMON IV. On Matth. XXV Ver. 1. and so on to Ver. 13. Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto Ten Virgins which took their Lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom I Have you know made entrance into this Great Parable which I told you is in an admirable manner prepared and fitted to be a Representation of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ as I have shew'd you First Even from the Begining to the Complement and Perfection of it It is the Kingdom of Heaven I have shewn you that the very meaning of all Christianity is a Going forth to meet the Bridegroom And therefore the present State is a State of Espousals a State wherein we are Contracted and Affianced unto the Great Bridegroom For that the Eye of every Christian the great Aim and Design of those that are Wise Virgins is that they may have a much higher Enjoyment of Christ than they have now And because the Religion that is for the present World and the present State will not serve the great Interest and great purpose of our Immortal beings I shall now proceed to a fourth Doctrine or Proposition from these words They went forth to meet the Bridegroom And they that were ready they went in with him to the Wedding So the Observation that I shall lay down to you is this That all those that are Christ's they are to hold according to the Scripture Expression they are to hold a Great Feast unto Jehovah The great Intention and meaning of the Gospel is to assure us that after the Time of Preparation and the Time of the Espousals there shall be a Glorious Festival A Glorious Feast The Marriage Supper of the Lamb As you know it is called And I shall endeavour to open this to you according to the Scripture-Light concerning it And then I shall compare it with all the Feasts that we read of in Scripture under the Law And so I shall come to make the Application of it to our own State and Condition First therefore to make it evident to you that this is a great Notion of Scripture That there is a Feast to be held a Feast of Joy and Rejoycing and of Happiness to be held to Jehovah And it is this very Marriage-Supper as you shall see of the Lamb. That the Scripture delights in this Representation is very evident by sundry Great Expressions of it Isaiah 25. 6 7 8. And in this Mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all People a Feast of Fat things a Feast of Wines on the lees of Fat things full of Marrow Of Wines on the lees well refined And he will destroy in this Mountain the Face of the covering cast over all People and the vail that is spread over all Nations He will swallow up Death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away Tears from off all Faces and the rebuke of his People shall he take away from off all the Earth For the Lord hath spoken it There is a great Feast that God will make to all People And it is set out by such Kind of Resemblances and Similitudes as express a Great and a Plentiful and a Rich and a most Delicious Entertainment among Men Fat things full
and so far as any of us have Opportunity to Propogate the koowledge of this thing among all the Prophane and Wicked of the World so far as I say they will bear it or that we can have place to speak so much to them To consider if foolish Virgins will not be accepted in that Day O! What will be the End of those that are so boldly and insolently prophane and wicked It were a happy thing indeed in regard of the present state of things and of the hopes of something better That we could prevail upon Persons that we know are prodigiously Contemners of God and bold in Sin and Railers at and Scoffers of every thing that is good and that wallow like Swine in the Mire and that are drinking up the Vomit of their Sins perpetually and doing the same things over and over again O that Persons would be prevailed with to read the First of the Proverbs And to draw the Land-scaph of their Case by looking upon Belshazzar and reading his Story I say That they would be prevailed with Men that are Carousing and shewing their Contempt of God and of every thing sacred Oh that they might be prevailed with For as the Apostle saith If the righteous be scarcely saved and foolish Virgins perish where shall the Wicked and Vngodly appear And 2. In the Second Place Then let every one of us as I hope upon the generality there may be drawn this Title of a Virgin without any injury done to Christ I hope we do make a Profession of God and Christ seriously We do Pray and Hear and wait upon God in his Word and read the Scripture and we are serious in drawing nigh to Christ at his Table I say I hope the Title of the Virgin may be put upon many of us in these regards But Let it not be grievous to any of us either Hearer or Speakers to consider this That there are Foolish Virgins as well as Wise You may have a very desirable and commendable Profession of Christianity upon you We may have this and yet be foolish Virgins Consider seriously If there be folly in our Virginity it will utterly spoil it it will be such a Dead Fly in the Ointment of Virginity that it will certainly spoil and poison all As our Lord speaks If the Salt have lost its savour The Word in the Greek is if it be foolish Salt it goes to the Dunghil There may be Virginity but if it be foolish Virginity it will come to be said Our Lamps are gone out We have heard and profest Christianity with you but lo now Our Lamps are gone out We cannot hold out Immediately the Fire of that Day as we say the Sun will put out those little Fires So the Fire of that Day the Glory of that Day will put out our Lamps But this is that Point That I shall especially Discourse to you next To shew you Wherein is the difference between a Lamp that goes out and a Lamp that is furnished with the Treasure of Oil still within it self That hath still new supply that hath a Fountain to supply it That doth not go out upon the very spot as we say And if the Lord enable me to clear so great a Point to the Conviction of every one that both hears and speaks How great might the advantage be For I would not discourage any from his Profession God forbid that any one should be stopp'd or hinder'd in the way of Christianity so far as they have proceeded but yet you see this is a necessary faithfulness to be told of our danger and perswaded and convinced of it if by any means we might escape out of the Snare that the Snare might be broken and we escape The Third Application I make is this 3. That according to the assurance I have given you and that I profess in the Presence of God with greatest sincerity upon duest Consideration to be more and more assured That the Kingdom of Jesus Christ draws very near and very hard and very fast upon us That therefore you would have another Consideration of these things than those that lived a great way of of the Time For though it is true if any of us come to die it will be the same case as if the Day of Judgment were just now upon him but yet still the Scripture makes use of this as a further and higher Argument It is high time now to awake the Night passeth the Day is at hand your Salvation is nearer And therefore I beseech you That you would seriously take it into Consideration and to Heart That the ends of the World must needs be upon us For if the Apostle said that the Ends of the World came upon them so many Hundred Years since how can it be but that the Ends of the World must be upon us We are on the very last Sands of the Glass of the World And therefore Let this Preaching of John the Baptist and Christ be in all your Ears and Hearts Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Look to be wise Virgins for the Bridegroom will not long delay his coming He hath delay'd it so long but will not delay it long now And then 4. In the last Place I beseech you be not so afraid of the Coming of the Kingdom of Christ This will be your great advantage If any would choose they would choose to see the Kingdom of Christ in its succession For I have always taken care to distinguish to you these two There is a great Difference betwixt the Kingdom of Christ coming in its Glory as it shall be at the Time designed by this Text and Parable and another thing intended by its Succession Rev. 11. 15. As a King Entring upon his Reign which you know is immediately and as soon as the former King went off and as they speak Demised It is another thing his Inauguration You know there is a distance of Time between the Entring in of the Reign and Succession and the Coronation the great Time of Glory And so there 's a difference betwixt Christ's coming when the Midnight-Cry shall be and his coming into the Succession of his Kingdom For there shall be a wonderful pouring out of the Spirit of God as soon as ever the Kingdom of Christ shall come into its Succession There shall be a mighty Preaching of the Everlasting Gospel Christianity shall grow much higher much more pure much more efficacious there shall be bringing in multitudes of Gentiles that are now Unbelievers in Christ Mahometan or Pagan Antichristians and the Ancient Israel coming in as I have often said Who then can be perswaded that it shall be possible to see the Jews and Gentiles flocking in to Christ and that there should be any that should not believe in Christ and receive his Gospel And therefore I say know assuredly That it will be a great advantage to you And for my part There 's nothing that I more earnestly
of Grace than to look up to Electing Grace Knowing Brethren your Election of God and giving diligence in every Grace to make our Calling and Election sure The Apostle hath given us a great Admonition for Adoring Supream Grace Rom. 11. 32 c. God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all That is upon all that he will have mercy upon He hath shut them up in such a way that they could not stir if his Grace did not open the way O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out For who hath known the Mind of the Lord or who hath been his Counseller Who could direct God what he should do in the eternal concernments of Souls Or Who hath first given to him and it shall be recompenced unto him again Can any say to God Thou hast done unjustly or unrighteously that thou hast not chosen me Why what hast thou done or any Creature done to oblige him If he hath I dare assure him it shall be recompenced to him to the uttermost But I assure him he that replies thus he is a Bold Man and Proud and Haughty is his Name And as Christ saith Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to Babes For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be Glory for ever And therefore I desire to be among the number of those that do not quarrel with God That dare not enter a contest and a contention with him concerning his Eternal Choice Let us humble our selves every one at his foot and say Of thee and through thee and to thee are all things and I desire to be to thy Glory Thus let us make our selves nothing before God nothing at all but make him all We never did any thing for him we could never lay an Obligation and therefore we have nothing to say but Free Grace Free Grace Free Love and Free foreknowledge of God 2. In the Second Place This Parable in this dreadful part teaches That we should all be beholding to Christ and to the Free Grace that is in him the Pardon of Sin the Righteousness of Christ his Bloud and his Redemption Here 's our all I say here is our all For as I opened to you the Great Point is Whether in Christ or not Whether Christ be in us and whether we are in him Whether we are found in him as the Apostle speaks Phil. 3. 7 c. Here 's the Point That every one may depend upon the Righteousness of God in Christ It is not the works that we have done but according to his own mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit And here the wise Virgins reached out themselves to be found in Christ and only in him but the Foolish Virgins fell short here 3. Thirdly We can do nothing but by the Spirit of Christ Our only hope is in the Spirit of the Lord our God And therefore the foolish Virgins were mistaken That they did all in their own strength and power They trusted in their own Beauty they trusted in their own Virginity and did not mind the Righteousness of Christ the Free Grace of God and the Spirit of Jesus Christ I come to the Fourth thing I proposed and that is To answer the Objections that may be made against this state of this Case I have given you And I desire to speak plainly yet in very short to you in this matter You may say then What can any one do What hope can there be Though I am in the True Religion and in the True Worship of God and though I am in an unblameable Conversation and yet I may be lost and undone because I have not Wisdom because I have not something that I am not able to apprehend or to be sensible of Now therfore I 'll satisfie you in this because you may think In all Religion there lies a discouragement upon us If things be thus Therefore I 'll Answer you in Two things very briefly First Let no man mistake for I am sure Let any thing be preached that can be preached yet there shall not so much as be one Moral Person fewer in the World I am sure that the measure of Restraining Grace of Preventing Grace of Morallizing Grace that God will give to the World nothing of Discourse or Opinion shall be able to straiten it or to lessen it I say I am sure of this There shall not be one Honest Man in the World less because Christ preached to that young Man that had kept all the Commandments from his youth Thou art yet under a great difficulty as to the Kingdom of Heaven A man might have taken the Advantage of that discourse of Christ with this young man and have made a Clamour and noise of it and said here 's one that despises and discourages a good young man for he saith How hardly shall such a young man that hath kept all the Commands from his youth enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but Christ knew very well that he should not hinder or lessen or straiten Moral Honesty or Goodness in the World by what he said for he knew all these things are in God and from God and there shall not one hair from the head of Morality as I may so speak Fall to the Ground because of any thing that can be said for There is a Common Grace of Morality and Honesty given out from God and Christ and whomsoever he thinks fit to Receive it They shall receive it and must receive it and they shall be under the power of it and live suitably to it And so for the Grace of God There shall no one be hindred of his Graee Let men have as many Conceptions as they can have of things and however Discouraging if his Truth be duely spoken and in the season Therefore dont think that the preaching of the Truth of Scripture can do any hurt for God is allwayes present breathing in the Word both with a Spirit of Morality and common Gifts of Righteousness and also with a Spirit of Grace and none shall be ever able to straighten his Spirit in any of the Effects of it And the Truths of God spoken according to his Word shall be subordinated to it In the Second Place I do always acknowledge and Declare with Greatest Freedom and Sincerity That this is the onely way of Preaching the Gospel To preach it so that Every one should be Sensible of True Holiness and True Grace And yet withal They must be Sensible of Free Grace the free Grace of God the free Choice of God Free Grace in the Righteousness of Christ of the Spirit Blowing where it listeth and where it pleaseth as our Lord tells us These things are not to be Divided nor Justled out one by another for they both stand
are To hear a Man swear against their Religion profanely and to see a Man Drinking and Carousing and saying according to the very usual ways of Mens Discourse To drink as it were Healths to Protestants Is not this an abominable Shame and that speaks our great dishonour And that may make even Papists scandalized at the loose and licentious way of those that call themselves Protestants To hear Men Swear and Damn and blaspheme and yet at the very same time to profess a Zeal against Popery Certainly this we ought to take care of That we are not carried away by the Name of a Wicked Licentious Blasphemous and Prophane Protestantism And beyond this we should look That that Pride Vanity Cruelty Earthliness and Oppression and whatever the Sins are that are among us that we do not cover them and disguise them under the Name of this Why yet for all this I am not a Papist I am a Protestant surely God will Tear that Name out of the Mouths of such Protestants As he saith in Ezekiel You sow Pillows and Kerchiefs that is some Disguising things upon their heads And saith he I 'll tear these Kierchiefs Ezek. 13. So God will tear off from those that have the Profession of Protestantism but have nothing of the Power Life and Zeal of the Reformation and their Open Testimony for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ that very Profession from them In the last Place that I may draw to a Conclusion Notwithstanding all that I have said to you concerning the Thoughts of Death and of Judgment and of Heaven and Hell yet I would desire that we may have a sence of the Glory and of the Kingdom of Christ that is to appear and that you would look to have it in your hearts to have the Kingdom of God in your hearts Let me propose a great Scripture to you upon this account And after a short Explanation of it I 'll conclude in a few Words Luke 17. 20. There was a great Question put to Christ in this case He was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God should come he answered them and said The Kingdom of God cometh not with Observation Neither shall they say lo here or lo there for behold the Kingdom of God is within you That 's the Kingdom of God For in some way certainly there 's none of us but Profess it else why do we pray it should come When that which is the Great Petition the very Central-Petition of the Lord's Prayer surely that 's the very Key that turns all about Now I say if you would believe a Kingdom of God in any sence And that you will be ready to say When shall that Kingdom come Remember what Christ saith it does not come by Observation for Men shall not say Lo here or lo there Though indeed it shall be a Glorious Sight a Glorious Shew as the Apostle saith which in his Time he will shew Yet for all that you shan't say Lo here comes Christ and here come such and such Saints And here comes such a Glory and Heaven and Earth glowing in a flame You shan't say here or there thus and thus it is though you shall have reason to say so yet saith Christ the main thing is The Kingdom of God is within you What will you be the better for that Kingdom of God if it be not within you You must bring it to that Day The Kingdom of God comes not with Observation it does not come with a shew without us but our God will come and all his Saints shall come with him They shall come with Bodies of Glory and Bodies of Light Bodies full of Glory it does not come with an outward shew but within us Every one that hath not the Kingdom of God within him at that Day they will appear by that very thing to be foolish Virgins for they must bring that Kingdom in the Righteousness of Christ with peace of Conscience through his Bloud by Grace and by Vertue of his Holy Spirit And now I beseech you That you would ballance these two things continually one with another You pray that the Kingdom of Christ may come The Kingdom of Christ comes when his Day comes when the Day and Appearance of Christ comes 2 Tim. 4. 1. Now Amos. 5. 18. Saith God Wo unto you that desire the Day of the Lord to what end is it for you the day of the Lord is darkness and not light As if a man did flee from a Lion and a Bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a Serpent bit him It is just such a thing saith the Prophet as if a man in a storm should go into a house and take shelter there and when he found the storm ready to carry him away he goes and leans upon a Wall and there a Serpent comes out of a Hole and bites him to Death Even so shall the Kingdom and Day of Christ be It is in vain to say Thy Kingdom come If that Kingdom be not within us for It comes not with Observation but it is within us O Therefore That we could be perswaded to get out of the formality of that Petition and to look for that Kingdom within Thy Kingdom come by my Enjoyment of such a presence of thy Kingdom within my own heart That when it comes I may come with it and it may come along with me for else I say it will be darkness and not light I make no doubt there was a great many that the Prophet spake usually to them of the Day of the Lord. You know it is an usual expression in Scripture The Day of the Lord And upon the often hearing of it Men come to say We would fain see it And so many are ready to say concerning that Kingdom if it be such a Glorious State and Thing we would fain see it Now remember it comes not with observation but you must have it within you for if you have it not within you it is in vain for you for for what end do you desire the day of the Lord To shut up this in a brief Recollection of all In the First Place I desire you seriously often to meditate upon this Parable as I have in some weak manner endeavoured to open it to you And to remember also That even my Christianity say to your selves will not do me any service I had as good have been a Heathen as to the main purpose of my Eternal Condition if I have not Oil in my Vessel if I have not truly a great replenishing of my Soul from the Great Son of Oil And so if you speak of Protestantism If you have not Oil in your Vessel it will be but a very empty thing and do you no good except you have Oil in your Vessels except you are united to Jesus Christ except you have the Kingdom of God within you And then In the Second Place Another great Use for
as a Storm of Hail and Fire mingled with Blood who because They were to Become the Subjects of the Antichristian Papacy are call'd The Gentiles Entring into the Outward Court And their 42 Moons Commence being Solemnly as it were Inaugurated into Them by Cyril Bishop of Alexandria that very Year so Earnest in Adjusting Lunar Time to Solar At the same Time began that Apostacy the Apostle Paul speaks of in Delay of the Kingdom of Christ And in such Corruptions of the Doctrine Worship and Conversation of Christianity the True Church was Hidden under the Publick Profession so Corrupted as to be the Church as in a Wilderness and on which the Witnesses Prophecy That is Declare Christs Kingdom in Delay as in Sackcloth of which That Year there was a Sample in a Persecution Rais'd by Gensericus a Vandal Prince against the Servants of God Holding the Testimony of Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of God and It was continued against Those who Kept the Commandments of God and Held the Testimony of Jesus Christ by the Papal Tyranny Within the Four First Trumpets Fall the so often Burning and Sacking Rome the utter Cessation of the Name of Emperor of Rome in the West and even of Consular Dignity At that very Time of the Cessation of Empire begin the Moons of the Papal Antichristian Power which Prophecy styles The Beast as a Preparation to which the Hierarchy as the Historian Sozomen Relates had been Rising stilly as Feet of Clay from the Earth and crept silently Forward into a Dynasty styl'd therefore The Other Beast which procurated for the Grand Beast thus Came in the Succession of the Beast Dated to this very Year 476 and so its Succession is Given as the 7th Head and Eighth King Rev. 17. For it is in Immediate Succession to the Seventh King no Head which was the Christian Emperor in the West Then the Bestian Anti-christian Power grew up to its height or Supremacy at 606 as the Star Fallen to the Earth within his First Time and pursued by God with the First Woe or the Mahometan Imposture at 622 and so to 797 Arm'd in the Saracenick Inrodes upon the Western Parts of the Empire This continued along the Second Time or First of the Two Times of his settled or consistent Power till the Second Turkish Woe starts out in the Third Time or Second of the Two Times where His stint or the Bounds of his Power were set Till it came down to the Reformation at the Beginning of his Half Time at the Year 1517. Where it hath continued an 180 Years down to the present 1697 a declined and decayed but not a Fallen Power according to the very Importance of Two Times degraded to a Half Time Now I would Appeal to all the Reason and Understanding of Man whether when all the Prophetical Images are so expressive of these Events And that the Line of Time that Prophecy hath proportion'd to them when laid to them is so fairly every way Adjustable Viz. From Cyrus before the Weeks Since the Weeks to the Death and Resurrection of Christ After the Death and Resurrection of Christ and the Preaching of the Apostles at the End of the Weeks in 400 Years of the Seales and the Greater Cantons of Time Times Half Time dividing and distributing 1260 Years into 360 720 180 and All so according with the very Years we Vulgarly Account to 1697. I would I say appeal to all Sense and Understanding whether this Account can be the Creature of Fancy and Imagination or so much as of Accident Except they think such a Conspiration of so many things of so great Concernment to the World and to the Churches of Christ be below the Notice of the Divine Spirit or its Care to make them known For that the very things themselves cannot be contriv'd into such Representations cannot be once said when it is so Experimental that the things if not so Design'd by the All-seeing Spirit must by Accident be so subject to the Elaboration of Fancy and Imagination or rather of Judgment and Understanding Seeing this Threefold Respect is found in Reality and Substance of Scripture-Emblems of Scripture-Numbers of Correspondent Events in History and Chronology To say which Undermines All Rationality of Inference from the Greatest Correspondency of Effects in Creation and Providence with the Wisdom and Power of the Supreme Creator and Governour of All Viz. If we may not Reason from these to the Intention of Divine Spirit Now from hence reach the Additional 75 to the Thousand Years of the Blessed State Viz. From the Kingdom of Christ in Succession in Thirty years of the Sealed Thunders opened in Rev. c. 14. Making the 1260 1290. Wherein First there is a Glorious shining out of the Gospel and the Glory of Christianity for the Conversion and bringing Multitudes to Christ and for a Testimony against those who remain obstinate the Filthy being Filthy still And then the Vials poured out that Time of Trouble such as never was since Man was upon Earth Through the Forty Five Additional to the 1290 and making them 1335 to the Glorious and Blessed State and the Lots of the New Jerusalem in the End of these Days Dan. 12. 11 12 13. And in the same way of Evidence and Assurance I find my self through the Gracious Assistance of God able to go backward in the Analytical or Retrograde method to the very Death of Solomon where I began and find the Connexion of one thing to another so Just so True so Stedfast and so Unmoveable that they cannot be dislocated nor Disjoynted And the Numbers of Scripture Time so Lock'd one within another That they cannot be Wrench'd or Forced asunder All which I have in Readiness to offer to every Judicious Considerer and of which I would give the Briefest Specimen in this following Scheme that I can Contrive The Thousand Years are by all the Wonders of it the most undoubted End or Finishing of Wonders And the very same with the Mystery of God to be Finish'd by the Seventh Angel sounding according as he hath spoken in Gospel to and by his Servants the Prophets This being the Fullness of Times all Times Center or flow down and rest in it Here rest the 45 Last of the 2300 Eves Morns as is exprest in Daniel The 45 take such hold of the 30 that all the force in the World can't divide them As is Apparent by 1290 made 1335 the Thirty take the same hold of the 1260 Which are the Times and Half That they can no more be separated then the others The 1260 in the Three Divisions Viz. The Half Time takes hold of the 720 or the two Times And the two Times of the First Time or 360 And they can endure no distance Because they are together one 1260. The 1260 necessarily take hold of whatever Time went before and lay between the 490 of the Weeks and the 1260 This can be no way contested Because the Weeks by
the Servants of God Oh Revolution It immediately pass'd upon them All and there were Loud Voices in Heaven upon it proclaiming that Revolution The Kingdoms of this World are bocome the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ And this is done at Half Time Ending which signifies Suddenness and Surprise When this is done He who does it Comes with strong Hand His Arm Rules for Him He understands his own Work In the midst of All the Perplexities of it His work is before him He understands it perfectly and throughout Every Spring every Wheel to be moved Every Pin of Connexion But that which may much indeed Terrify and Discourage is the Great Unworthiness of All Sorts and Degrees of Men of Nations and even of Churches so that some very Sweeping Judgment and Desolation rather or at least is first to be expected The Hope yet is That when God works for his Kingdom and seems to be Lifting up his Hand to Destroy He will work for his own Names sake in a Deliverance He will consider He to whom the Kingdom is to be Given is worthy And when the Lord Jesus Christ the Angel of the Covenant comes into his Temple He does not expect to find Refinement ready to his Hand but He comes to Refine He hath given an Example in the Apostle Paul of All Long-suffering and Patience especially prepared for that very Time Those who shall Hereafter in a great distance of Time Believe on Him His Reward is with Him He expects it only from Himself when his work ie so before him And even to Impenitents there is first a time of Warning and Testimony and then the Day that will Burn as an Ouen and the wicked are as Ashes under the Soles of the Feet After this warning is the perdition of ungodly Men reserv'd for punishment I know very well Notwithstanding all this Assurance and the Reason of it I have given It will be said yet to me Seeing this Year 97 is in so near on Approach and there are no Appearances of such a Succession or opening of the Kingdom of Christ ought it not therefore to shake your Confidence and put a diffidence upon such a continued Affirmation of such a Kingdom to make any Entrance at this Time In Answer to this I would make this Humble Profession or Confession in these Three things First I cannot be shaken in my assurance Because I find my Grounds in the Word of God unshakable and unmoveable A False Witness that hath no Foundation Perisheth in this Sense He cannot Bear up to nor continue in his Testimony But He that Heareth and knows on what Grounds He speaks Affirmeth constantly He that hath seen nothing as the Ground of his Prophecy is like a Reed shaken with the Wind But they that have the Word of the Lord Continue to speak it While I am so certain The Kingdom of Christ Enters its Succession without any delay whenever the Last of the Four Kingdoms Ends That the Third Woe of the Seventh Angel that Sounds the Kingdom of Christ Cometh quickly I look to see therefore what assurances there are this Last Kingdom even its Last State is upon giving up I find then the Times and Half Which are the Term of the Last State of the Last Kingdom By the Time since Constantine By the Time since the Christian Empire Demised By the Time since Mahometanism and more Particularly the Ottoman Empire hath entred the World By the Time since the Reformation first entred by Luther just ending All these have such Lively Sculptures and Engravings in the Sure word of Prophecy and their Times so Delineated I do not better know the Course of the Months in the Year the Days in the Month or the Hours in the Day then I know the very Last Year of the 1260 Days of Years is now entring and to Run its Circle and that within its Circle the Kingdom of Christ will come into its Succession The Second thing that I most Humbly desire to be Stedfast Unmoveable Unshaken in and upon is the Exceeding Riches of the Grace and Loving Kindness of God in Jesus Christ the Great High Priest and Apostle of my Profession That Shepherd of the Sheep that is to Shine forth as the Great Prince to have That great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Fold that is a Court One Shepherd and One Fold the Goodness and Faithfulness of the Spirit of Truth Guiding into all Truth Glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ by taking of the Things That are His and so of his Kingdom and shewing them to his Servants and shewing them Things that are to Come I have Great Assurance in his Tenderest Mercies having Led and Guided and Supported me thus far in the Search after his Kingdom and Manifested so much to me He will not Leave me to be ashamed of my Hope I can Humbly say before Him as his Servant Jeremy Oh Lord thy Words have been Found and I have Eaten them and they have been the Joy and the Rejoycing of my Heart I Humbly therefore Expostulate with Him Wilt Thou Wilt Thou be to me as a Lyar I know it is Impossible He should Lye He is God that cannot Lye And therefore herein His Servants may plead with Him The Vision shall not Lye He will not be as Waters that are not sure of which he hath given so Lively a Description in comparing the Unfaithfulness of Friends to Them My Friends have dealt Deceitfully with me as a Brook and as the Streams of Waters that pass away Which are Blackish by Reason of Ice c. But what Time they are warm They Vanish when it is Hot They are Consumed out of their Place the Paths of their way are turned aside They go to nothing and Perish The Troops of Tema Looked and VVaited The Companies of Seba were Confounded Because they had Hoped they came thither and were Ashamed Jer. 15. 15. c. Job 15. 15. c. How fully does this Express what Jeremy understood by Waters not sure And how Applicable to My Case if the Hopes I have of the Kingdom of Christ should prove mistaken It may be said Indeed if I were sure I had the Right Sense of Scripture-Prophecy the Argument were enough sure I therefore herein Rely on his Grace that he hath Guided me into the Truth of his Word that as I am sure His Word cannot Fail He cannot Lie so neither can any Iron any Created Power break the Northern Iron or prepared Steel of his Wisdom Truth and Power But lest any should say If you have such a Fasth have it to your self before God and Happy are you if you do not find Reason to Condemn your self in what you so much approve This therefore is my Third Profession The things that I have so heard and seen by continual search into Meditation upon and seeking Divine Direction in I cannot but speak I look upon the Kingdom as of those Things wherein we should confess Christ and not
of Christ be to me so as if be set me as a Seal upon his Heart as a Seal upon his Arm. This is the greatest Indenture the strongest obligation and uniting of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Soul and of the Soul thereby to him again for then Love is as strong as Death and it is cruel as the Grave The coals thereof are coals of Fire which hath a most vehement Flame Many Waters cannot quench Love neither can the flouds drown it If a Man would give all the substance of his House for Love That is to buy that Love off from Christ That 's the meaning of it If a Man would give all the Substance of his House where Love is once fixed to draw it off It would utterly be contemned Now this we should look to whether we have such a chast and Inviolable Love to Jesus Christ That all the substance of the VVorld would be utterly contemned whether Christ hath Set us as a Seal upon his Heart and Arm It is impossible then it should ever be taken off 3. The third is this when once we come to be thus united to Christ in the Chastness and Purity of our Affections in the sense of his Love to us and our Love to him Immediately there follows and all along there follows a Self-Resignation and Obedience And it cannot be otherwise For Love from a worthy Person hath a great command over those that are Loved It hath a mighty command on the Persons Loved to engage to Love again So that they are willing to do any thing to give up themselves to the will of the Person that Loves and is Loved upon his Love first And this is most due indeed to our Lord Jesus Christ Because he is the most excellent of all that can be proposed to us And he Hath Loved us and Washed us in his Blood And he thus wins us to his own Holiness Eph. 5. Saith the Apostle the Church is Subject unto Christ as unto the Head the Saviour of the Body It is in a perfect complyance with the Holy will of God Object If you ll say But how can we say this We find many Imperfections in our Obedience many Motions in our Hearts that are disloyal to Jesus Christ and are not at all according to the Obligations that lie upon us Answ Because we are going on to perfection in this state and because we find that we are under a Degree of Captivity and not perfectly freed Therefore the Soul cries out earnestly for the coming of the Great Bridegroom I shall but make Two or Three Expressions of Application and so conclude this Point 1. In the First Place I beseech you that you would consider what your Christianity is If it be not so strict an Adherence of your Souls and Affections to Christ as every wise and prudent and good Husband requires and expects from his Wife I say if it be not so how is it possible that you can say That Christ is mine and I am his And therefore look well to it and have a Jealous Eye as the Apostle said I am Jealous over you with a Godly Jealousie So we should be All Jealous over our own Hearts and the Motions of our Eyes to see whether there be such a Faithfullness to Jesus Christ as ought to be VVhen the Church is Subject to Christ as the most Excellent and Virtuous VVoman and VVife is to the most Honourable and Worthy Husband There is not any thing then that can or ought or is possible to come between our Souls and Jesus Christ And If we cry out Alas We are not able hereunto we do not find this I shall after by the Grace and Assistance of God press upon you Every such Discovery of the remaining defection and falseness of our hearts It should make us cry out earnestly Come thou Beloved of my Soul That there may be an entire and a perfect Union between me and thee Betwixt thy self and my heart This it should make us weary of the World and weary of Life and weary of the present State We cannot find our hearts come up as we desire they should But in the mean time there is a True and a Real and a Substantial Faithfulness and Purity and Chastity of Affections towards Christ in every Soul that is His That tho there are things that do not look so Resigning to Christ as they should do and so perfectly complyant Yet the Spirit is United to him As the Apostle speaks by way of Allusion to this very thing in the 1 Cor. 6. latter end But he that is Joyned to the Lord is one Spirit That is in regard of the present State of Flesh and Blood there will be some Wandrings of Heart But the Spirit is Stedfast and Jealous over those Unholy and Impure motions towards Sin Flesh and the World and it gathers it self back and it humbles it self And it bewails it self in regard of the Trayterousness of the Flesh and corrupt part wherein it does any way behave it self unworthily towards Jesus Christ that Saviour of it self He is the Saviour of the Body and therefore the Church is Subject to him And then 2. In the Second Place It should teach us very vehemently to look and cry out for that Time of free and full Enjoyments of Christ I wonder we should not be earnestly desirous when I consider the Reason the necessity and the great obligation which lies upon us I wonder we are not more earnest to dye and to be with Christ we are apt to think there is a State of the World ordained wherein we should have such and such Enjoyments and bear up our selves for a Time While in the mean time we forget Jesus Christ But hereafter it will be endeavoured to be made plain in this Discourse that either to go out of the Body and to be with Jesus Christ in Spirit Or to have the whole frame of this VVorld unpinn'd and dis-joynted one part from another That there may come that Glorious Kingdom of Jesus Christ and that Marriage of the Lamb and coming down of that New-Jerusalem And our selves as a part of it as a Bride adorned for her Husband is the Inward Groan of every Saint These things should be sweet to us And we should not be Gulp'd down by the present Temptations of the World which have so much force because our hearts are not steady to Christ O Let us look earnestly for that Love which many Waters cannot quench nor the Flouds drown And If we find that we cannot be as we would be We should therefore cry out Make haste O Beloved And appear upon the Mountain of Spices That we may be for ever quiet and Pure and Un-interrupted in our Love unto thee and receiving thine upon us SERMON III. On Matth. XXV Ver. 1. and so on to Ver. 13. Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto Ten Virgins which took their Lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom