Ver. 7, 8. xxvt'. Chapter of St. MA TT .}1 E W. 47 Secondly, To keep to your firfl beginnings, after a long time of growth, is to be Babes loll, Heb. 5. r z, 13, 14. When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need to be taught the firft Principles of the Oracles of God, and are become fich as have need of Milk, and not of flrong Meat ; for every one that ufeth Milk, is oie- skilful in the word of Righteoufnefs, for h: is a Babe ;kit flrong Meat belongeth un- to them that are of full Age, even thofe who by reafon of ufe, have their fenfes exec- cited to difcern good and evil. A Child, if he fhould continue a Child and an In- fant flill, is a Monfter. Thirdly, The fame reafons that invited you to begin with Chrift, fhould invite you to go on with his Service. If a little Grace is defirable, Purely more is defirable, becaufe 'tis the adorning of the Soul ; excellency in Grace is a great means to convince and Convert the World, Mat. 5. j6. Let your light fo thine before men, that others Peeing your good works, may glorifie your Father which is in Heaven : and yob. 15.6. Hereby is my Father glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit. Deprive not God of the Honour you owe him, nor the World of loch a powerful help ; we put forth our utmoft endeavours to get excellent things here on Earth, and fhall Eternal Glory be only coldly thought of, and carelefly fought after ? Fourthly, The more ferviceable you are for Chri'i here, the more Glory you [hall re- ceive in Heaven : We believe there are degrees of Glory, we read of being Ru- ler of many Cities, and fitting at Chrifts right hand and left, Mat. zo. 13. The Mother of Zsbedee's Children, when the asked Chrift that her Sons might fit one at his right hand and the other at his left ; Chrift doth not deny the thing, that there were degrees of Glory, but it was to be given them for whom it was prepared of his Father. The next thing obfetvable in the Parable, is the going out of their Lamps ; Our Lamps are going, or gone out ; what is the meaning of that ? fometimes the Phrafe is ufed in Scripture, for the failing and ceafing of the wickeds happinefs, or the Splendour and Glory wherein they lived in the World, as yob 09.6. The light ¡ball be dark in his Tabernakle, and his lamp (hall be put out with him : and yob z I. 07. How often is the Candle of the wicked put out: But here it muff be interpre- ted with refpeâ to the fcope of this Parable, and fo by the Lamps two things are intended. r. The glorious Profeffion that they make of Religion. a. The Hope and Comfort that is built thereupon. Dolt. ;. Their Lamps will go' out, who have not a flock of Grace to feed and main- tain them. Let us explain this: Firft, What is this going out of their Lamps? Secondly, When is this verified? (i.) What is this going out of their Lamps ? s. It may note an extinlïion of their Profeffion, and fo Profeffion where it hath not a bottom of Grace, will fail, Pro. 26. 26. His wickednefs ¡hall be 'hewed before all the Congregation. God loveth to uncale Hypocrites : in the court of his Providence one occafion or other falleth out to make them ftumble and break the neck of all their refpe &s to the wayes of God,fohn 15. 6. If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch that is withered : Chrift dryeth up their Gifts and feeming Graces, their Duties ; they are given up headlong to their own Apo - ftate courfes. 2. It may be meant of the extinbtion of their vain Hopes and foolifb Confidence, and falte Peace, which is grounded upon their outward Profeffion and formal Pra- biice of external Duties ; thus we read that the hope of the wicked (hall be as the f iders web, Job 8. 14. curioufly woven, but gone with the turn of the Be- fome : fo Yob 11. so. The hope of the Wicked ¡hall be as the giving up of the Ghoft : No more hope of them than of a mans Life that is giving up the Ghoft ; or with pains and gripes ; which is not only to be meant of the hope, or the conti- nuance of their profperous Condition in the World, but of heavenly happinefs ; there is a groundlefs expe&ation of that, the Apoflles expreffion intimateth it, Rom. 5. 5. And hope that maketh not afbame4: The Hope of Temporaries will at length deceive them in their greateft need, and leave them alhamed. As Abfalomr Mule
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