ten Virgins Openedand Applied. .. SECT. I!; · THtit the precimJ fouls and hearts of 11ll the faithful Are vefftls made chieflJ .tnd Dall i -ondJ to receive And ~referve the Spirjt an.d Grace of Chrift, Or .thegracious pre- • ' fe;,ce of the Spirit of Chrl(f : That as tt ts Wtth the fou,ls of the Wtcked, they are made onely ro hold Satan, fin and wrath, and fo fitted for de!l:ruCl:ion; fo the Iouis of the Saints are made and ficred onely to receive and nourilh rhe Spirit, orace, artd love of Chriil. That as •ris wirh Princes, the bell rooms ace refer~ ~ed onely for them; rheir AttendaJs may come in and out to ferve them; but its their room, their lodging : So ere, the hearts of the faithfu_l, and rhe belt rooms, bell: affeCtions of ir, are o ly to entertain the Lord, and hi~ grace and Spirit; yet other thing~ m.ty co:n.c in and out as Attendant~ to him, to ferve him, but"rhe rooms themfelves are onely for his proper we1 2 Tim. z. :10, 21; The Church is Gods Houfe ; now there are many Ve!fels (many fouls) fo:ne b.lfer of wood, and emh, fome of honour; wh:tr are rhefe? Anfw. If aman pitrge himfelf from thefe; for nu man is born with a next difpofition to receive grace, as aVetfel full of puddle water chat mull: firfl: be call: our: Now when rhis isdone,beisa Ve!felmeer forhis Mallers ufe,prepared,&c. The be(l: Vef· fels abide in rhe houfe, nor for their own or fervanrs ufe, bur for the Ma!l:ers ufe one!y. And though the Spi;ia may withdraw for fo:ne rim~,. and they be un• able t0 do any good work, yet they are prepared for the Spmr, and fo f.or every good work,. and here is all the ufe of the ve!ld of honour, Hypocrites are ve!fels of Pocnpe, and Sme, and Ornamenc : Oh rhe qrave .Church of Sardu ! the profound judgments, de~p heads, eminen~ ChriHians, but not V ~ifels of honour, becaufe no~ Ve!fels of ufe emely for ~heir Mafler, ondy to receive the eternal anointing of the Spiric of the Lord Jefus. . If you would know the certainty of this more fully, I. Go and ask themfelves; Is it fo -or no ? If they be of age,and know rhemfelves they will fay, I am the Lords onely, /fa·44· 4, ) . whm they fpring "P M willows by the water-cor~rfes : .One fhall fay, I .tm the Lordi. As char eminent Light faid, when dying, Oh Lord, I \Yill be thine : Ask rhe world whofe they are? and ro what ufe and purpofe they ferve?rhey will anfwer, they are none of ours; and therefore Johll I 5. 19. The World hates thein. Ask the Lord himfelf, he will profefs though many wants and weakne!fe; ill them, nay, tho11gh focnerimes ·they are weary and negleCt him, fall and !Oil rhemfelves, yet Ifai.-+P r. Thii ~tople htwe 1 formed for my felf: Ve!fels formed and fitted of God onely for his glory. _ , . . I. Becaufe all the creatures in the world are theirs, and fervan ts to them, and1 Rea[. i therefore they are for the Lordonely, I Cor. r; l 1,22,2 3· . If the more we took care for, and fer our hearts upon the creature, if the more we were converfant ' wirh it, the more we lhould have, and' tbe better we lhould live; Or if chey lhould nor ferveus; unlefswe did fir!l: b01v down our, knees to worlhip them, and our backs ro be.1r rhen; Then feeing the world lives by Gatching, we fnighr then dif-robeand dif-throne o1,1r fouls, and care more for rhefe things, and lefs for the Lord; love thefe things more, and the Lord !e!fe ; bur rhe Lord Jefus having taken all care for his people, and bearing more lqve r&tbem, and paving more care of them than themfelves, and therefore having given all er ea~ cures in the heJvens; fea and dry land to ferve them, they ought to be, and ~re onelyfor him,Ho[.2 •.zr,z3. \Vb, ertaman is the feed ofGod,andborn£;]2rh"m, Now all crearurel ferv~ him; hence i Tim.6. I7, I8. Tis a prevailing M rive with all. the Saints, we have a jiving God that gives us all things ; cre.ttures ~mg dead, and not able of themfelv~s to belp us, therefore u¥ nor on r~efe things, but him onely, be not· high minded in thefe - tbi~gs ; bur m~gni6e htm onely; We know how angry God was wi~h Btlfh~ for profaning che Z Veffe!s
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