ten Virgins Opened and Applied. ------...,.-- do you do? You that eat the bread of carefulneffe, fell your commodities dear, and fer your buyers on Tainter-hook~? I look w_be rich. You char can fpeak well, and have parts, and profe!fe fauly i but go mro your C!ofets, God is negle6h:d i~ your hearts, your ~on~ant umo_n t? Chnft , depend~nce on Chrift, approvmg your felves to Chn!t, IS not mamtamed. I would fam be ho- . noured. You are come far from your own Councrey: Why did you depart rhence? To befree from trouble. And now here, what Hay you for ? Oh for eafe. 'Vill thefe Coynes go, and be taken atthe !aft day? No, you look 9'5. nor forrhar. 1 II. ~hey that fay t_hey loakfor Chrifl, but do not reJoyce abundamly in hope s,ign z; of thisnme. Somenmes the hopes of God~ people begm to dt~, and tben comforrle!fe, but when rbeir hopes are up, and Hirring, and not wounded by fomo:: !in or lleeping, there is a double JOY that now they have. ' I. This alone comforts them and fils th~m, John 14.t,z,}: So that they wonder at God, though they have no::ver fo lmle here, to have thefe b!effin"s now, andever!aHing Glory, endle!fe compaffions and mercy at that day, John 16.2:1.. 2. This Joy is Glorious joy,higheft comfort, Rom. 5.3 .We Glor7 in hope oft he gl~ry of God. D1fgraced, but then honoured; bared of men, but rben loved of Chnll ; poor, but then enriched; miferable, btu then blelfed; empty, but then filled ; fatherle!fe, friendle!fe, but then glorified. Ob I tell you miferies thus confidered, are fweet! Can it be otbenvife ? Now you fay you hope and look for this day. Whereisyourcomfottofit? Where is your gloryin it? AEls I.II,u. Comparedwirh L11~ 24- p . So thou wilt be in the Temple, nay in the fields rejoycing and blcffing the Lord, rhat ever he fhoul~ .intend to fer thae at his right hand, at that great day of his coming. No man but bath fomething to joy his heart. Is it Corn, and wine and Oyl, and not the Light uf God.t co11ntenrmce at this day? Its align rhey neverlook forit. Do the world rejoycein{heir hopes, and nQt Saims? III. They that comenr tbemfelves with any meafure of bolineffe and Grace ; . they look not for Chrifts coming and company. For Saints that do look for him, Stgn j • thou~h they have not that Holine!fe andGrace they would have, yet they reft not fatisbed wirh any meafure, I John 3·3· He that hathrhishope p~<rifieth himftlf a. he is pure. Chrift finds us not lovely, but makes us lovely, by puning on hi1 own garments, imprinting his own Image. Hence Saints conrem not rhemfelves with any dref1ings , till made glorious, and fo fit for fellowfhip wirh that Spoufe. And when the Soul fees this Love eo be a Son, and then to bepwclaimed Heir, Oh this makes them fet Cbrill himfelfas rheparrern to walk by. Now therefore, I. When men fhall tl:Jiok this way is bad,& another wayof fome Saints is good, afld fo rake a Copy of his courfe from tho::m, and now is well, this on! y is to be pure as man is pure. · , z. When aman leaves not till he gets fuch a meafure of Fairh and Grace, · and now when he barb got this, contents himfelf wirh this as agood lion : he fhall beraved, he looks no.t for Chrill. Or "' . 3· When men are heavily loaden with fin, then dofe with Chrifl, and thei~ arecc;>mforred, fealed, and have joy that fils them, and now the work is done, and rhey are paft Grace, and paft Repentance, and daily cleaniing, now they !ludy not what to do for Chrifl, that neither Family nor Church where they live, are the better for them. 4· When men !ball not content themfelves wirh an}\ meafure, butwilb they had more, ifGrace would grow, while they tell Clocks, and fit idle, and fo God mutt do ai!, but do not purge themfelves, and make work of it ( Indeed Saints pur~e not themfelves of themfelves, for dirty hands will never wa01 a foul face ) but by a daily dependance on, and importunity· of Faith !igh after the Lord to
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