_. f . ten Virgins Openedand Applied. J or come ro Cbrifl, which is rhere dcn;ed, or Chrift; pro:ni!e is fallc, fo r rhen a CJrnal hem may hear and k.<rn of rhe Father, and never come to Chri£l. That narwirhltmdmg 'ris thlls with them, yet fooliQ, Virgin; may hwe fon'e Conc!uf. 3· light in rb;;:ir Larnp, fome fight and knowledge of ]efu_s Ch_rift. It is faid we: h''l! in daye> of light, and-!pmdeed we _do, bur as the Lord f:nd to rhem rh1r had fecn his Miracles, ;et the Lord had not geven them eps to fee to thu da7; rbey IVC:re inliobmcd,ycr feii,Hebr.6.4. I !hall tbc:rcfore fre.1k nor .of rlie revelation of•Tl rhe Word, but of Chri!l: the end of ir, and rhe knowledge of who:n co:nprehends all ~he reft. , · "' . . . . I. There 1s a knowleage of Chnfl: m mmy a man wh1ch 1S begot by tci'UT.dn fame, and humane privare inftruction, which mf;!n hearing fro:n credible men, conceive of and believe; As that Chrill: is· the Saviour of the World, is c0me, is cead, is rifen, is at Gods right hand, that iB himGods jullice and mercy is reconciled, rh:tt there is mercy wirh hirn for the grcarcfl: of all !inners, &c. And l according as men ·ate mor:e or lefs i~~rueted; fo d8 "tnen conccrve and belcevc. [ But now this knowledge 1s but tradmonal, and b.egot by common f.1me and humane repe>rr, like 1lerods, that helrd many thing~ ?f Chri!l, and yet indeed dcfpifed him. The Lord I know dorh make ufe of thts ro caul<:: the foul ro come ro I further. light of him, as in the Q!een of Sheba,but its far enough off, from givin8 any favu1~ knowledge of rhe Lord Je!us; and hence John I .46.when rney-had been wirb Chnit,tbey do nor wifl1 them ro rell in the report, bm Come and fee; fo you hear of rhefe things, but come and fee thefe things. You have learned them from Iil1an co&e unto the Lord that he may teach them;~nd hence w~ ihall fee many of rhe peojlle of God that have be~n put to a ~elhon of all thmgs that ever they learned, and learnt them over agam; as,Wherher there be a ChriH or no,&c.And they nevcr faw rbefe things indeed,. until the Lord taught thelll a fecond rime; /, hence therefore tbofe that have been thus trained up, and have been troubled and comforred by fon:e conceived promifes of Chrift, but never faw any more of his perfon, then what you havelem1ed before; , Your eyes are clofed up to this day. 2. If any man tl1ould fee aBd behold Chrill: re•lly,immediatly,this j, not thefaving knowledPe of him. I know the Saints do know Chri!t as if immediatly prefenr, theyare ~1o_c Hrangers by their diltance,.if ot hers have feen him more imrnedi,1tly I will not difpure it, bur if they havefeen the Lor d Jefu; as immediatly as if here on emh, yet CapernAum faw him [o ; nay, fome of them were Difciples for a rime, and followed hi~, John_6. andyett~e Lord was hid from their eyes; nay al\ the world ihallfee h1m1n h1s glory wh1ch tl1all ar:naze them, and yer this i; far ih;m of the fa.ving knowledge of hi!l'!, wkich the Lord cloth comT.unicate tQ rheElect. Sothatthough you [eerheLordforeally as,tbatyou become familiarwich him, yet LIJ~· £3. 26. Lord have we nBt eat and,drupk_, &~. And fo peritl1. · . 3. A man may fee the Lord in his wonderful works, and "lori:Jus kinodome and government, and yet not know him f.wingly, wondrous ~eliverances, prefcrV.l tipns of himfelf, and of Gods people, dreadful defl:ruetion of enemies, fuch as , they cmnot but fay, This is the finger •f the Lord, and yet know not, Deut. 29. I, z, 3, 4· At1d hence fuhn I 5. 24. and hence men think fuch things are done, and ihall I ever be vile again, yet they become as bad as ever. 4· He may fee the Lord Je!us yet more clearly by ~e letter of the Scripture, which though ir bri,ngs ro the faving knowledge of Chriil, yet to fee rhe Lord Jefus no ?tlJcriVife rfien by the !lrength of fancy and underfl:anding, from thence ts no favmg knowledge of Jefm Chnft; and hence R•m. I6. 26. the Myflery of the Gofpel w_•s hid from the Jew~, bur now 'tis revealed to all Nati?ns; literally, ro all ~here 1tcomes,favu1gly to fo'll~few. For b<!~we~n thefavmgknowledge f_Ch:1Hm rile Gofpel,.a~d ·p_al~:abletgnorance of h1m m the Gofpel, there is l dus !T'1dd!e knowledge wh1ch 1S lm::ral,whereby a man dotb fee, yet in feeing, fee's . ' Dd · -~
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