Ver. 7, 8. xxvrh Chapter of St. MATTHEW. 45 2. Trim up your Lamps : That is, let your Priaice and Profefton of Godlinefs be more lively and powerful, and Grace kept in conflant exercife : Having your loins girt, and your lamps burning, Luk. 52. 35. Oh'tis a bleffed thing to be found fo doing. You will never do fo, (1.) While you content your felves with 'a little Religioufnefs by the By, and do not make Gedlinefs your main work and bufinefs : Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling. (2.) Wile you content your felves with doubtful queflionable Grace, and do not put it out of all doubt, 1 Pet. I. co, r r. Give all diligence to make your calling and election fare, that fa an abundant entrance may, be min /red unto you. (3.) You will never do fo while you content your felves with a little gene- ral Religion, without looking into every part and point of Duty ; 1 Pet. r. r 5. Be ye holy in all manner of Converfation : Wherein you are to exercife your Obedi- ence to God, 4/h 26. 7, 8. Vnto which promife our twelve Tribes in/lantly [crying God night and day hope to come. (4.) You will never do fo, 'till your minds be taken off from the prefent World, and more deeply fixed upon the World to come, Matth. 6. a1. 'Till that be your creature, Col. 3. r. Set your affeltions upon things above. Our Affe &ions often cool, being fcattered too much upon prefent things ; we have little or no thoughts of our fpiritual Journey, r Pet. 1. r;. Gird up the loins of your minds, be fiber, and hope to the end, for the Grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of 7efus Chrift r 'Tis meant of the AffeElions. 'Tis the lively expeaation of bleffednels to come, that keepeth us in life and exercife. Secondly, We now come to the confideration of it as to the fool. o ifh Virgins, they all arofe and trimmed their Lamps : The foolifh Virgins made a fair flourifh ; on their part it noteth their vain Confidence, as if they were as ready to meet the Bridegroom as the wife, though the event fheweth the contrary : So that on their part it doth not note, fo much their ferious Preparation, as their foolifh Prefumption. Doff. 2. Many think they have Grace enough to meet Chrift at his coming, when the event fheweth na fuch matter. Or, Many have great Confidence of the goodnefs of their Condition, that will be foundfoolifi Virgins at lait : As in the Text, the foolifb Virgins ; and in the 7th. of Math. Th2 foolifh Builder. There are four Reafons of this. a. Self -love : Which blindeth a man in Judging of his State and anions, Pro: 16. 2. All the wayes of a man are right in his own eyes : 'Tis natural to a man to have a good conceit of his own wayes ; fo Pro. 30. 12. There is a Generation of men ure in their own eyes, yet not wafhed from their filthinefs : A man will favour himfelf, be a Parafite to himfelf. A fel£fufpeaing Heart is very rare, john. x 23, 24. and 2 Sam. 12. 7. 2.. An Overly fenfe of their Duty, and belief of the World to come. Temporaries, have but a tafle of heavenly Doarine, Heb. 6. 4. a light tinRure ; the all of their Faith is not' fo intenfe and ferious as to fet them a work with all life and diligence, or to enable them to Judge impartially, whether they are able to bear the corning of Chrift yea or no. Prefumption is the Child of Ignorance and In- cogitancy : they do not confider of the ftriElnefs of the Gofpel -law, or the 'Impar- tiality of the lafl dayes Account ; there is but a notional, fleight, fuperficial, un- effeftual apprehenfion of thefe things. An Ignorant perfon is fool- hardy, he doth not weigh the danger: 'Tis not the greatnefs of our Confidence, but the acute- nets of our Senfe. 3. Want of fearching, or taking the courfe whereby we may be undeceived : yer. 8.6. No man repented of his wickednefs, flying, What have I done ? Yea when fearch- - ed, and their natural face (hewed them, pm. 5. 23, 24 ; they will not fearch and try their wayes. A Temporary is feldoni difcovered to himfelf, 'till it be too late ; but you may find him by theli notes, ufually he is floathful, he is not a laborious Chriflian ; found exercife maketh us feel qv Condition he is not felf-fearching, he cloth not look into himfelf, he fmothereth thofe mifgivings of Heart which he bath, and will not confider- the Cafe, or return upon himfelf. If they do not feareh, they cannot know themfelves, if they fhould fearch, they do not like them - felves ; they chufe the latter. 4: Build-
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