ten Virgins Opened and Applied. Dorh it draw rhe~ at la!l: eo him, nearer ro him ; a1id fo the mNe he di!i;enfetb of himfelf, rhe nelrer rhou art brought ro him; here is the exprdiion of'eterml love, and the Lord will keep thee, Yohn 6.37. All that aregiven me jhal!' come to me. Let the Lord give his Spirit, though but lirrle, they grow thankful. Oh he is cone, whom I thouoht would never have rewrned again ! I.er him deny it, this keep5 them hMailile. Let the Lord di[j1enfe himfe!f in an Ordinance, they love him; and one day here, bmer than a rhou[11nd e!fewheru. Let him not do fo, they feel the more need of him. Let the Lord free rhen fron te:nptarions, and give rbem conque!l:, F.1irb now rejoycerh. Let them fall in:o m;my remrrarion;, rheir Faith growes the more purified. than .ever. Lee the Lord give I• them outward bleffinss, t hey ?,tOW more vde m thetr own eyes, lejfe than the lelljf, with 'J;tcob, Let the Lo,d deny them.,Hab-3-18. they re)oyce in the Lord. They gee good and are more endeared to the Lord by everr carriage of rhe Lords, at le.1Ct in rhe i!fue it i~ fo. As 'tis with wicked men, they may for a fir be affeeted and rerurn to rbe Lord, but in the i!fue they forger .the Lord, fo 'tis here coHrrariwife. There is not any unregenerate nw1, bur fornthing or o~her confurne; him. The wicked ever are like Chaffc driveR fwm God. Gold that i; of an C\'erlaGing n!rure, keep ir, bear ir, burn ir, you cannot confun:e, bur o!lly purifie it, 'ris nor fo wirb Chaffe. Let the Lord give hi rn ta,Hs 0f Grace and Joy, it e!l:rJngerh. his foul from ChriH, it dorb nor bring him near to Chrift. 2. Obferve wherner thou dofl grow our of,·and live upon an ever!Jfling Covenant or no, Rom.II.I. God hfl.th ·not caftojf his people, whom he forek!few. Who are rkofe? Children oftf.e promife, Rvm.9.7 ,8. Thlt are born and bred of the promifeor whole Covenant ofGrace; God bath rreafured up all Grace in ChriH, laid it up in that !lore-houfe, Ch.rifl harb dropt it in his proriifes. Now when r,he foul is rooted in the Covenant, now idhaU never die nor perilh. As 'ris wirh fome trees, fer them in the ground, they will gro1v, if rbey have Suna·,d rain, bur die at !alt: Take another, and fet it in a Stock, fo that it abides there, and l ' fetcherh all irs life from rnence by cleaving to it; now it will grow and becorr.e a flourilbing Branch. Now then the foul growes our of the Coven am, when the whole foul cleives ro the whole Covenmr, for the wh.!!le benefit ofir, and is full ly fatisfied with it, 2 S.tm.2 3.4,5. As take a foul tbat feels a w.mt of ~ 11 ~he be- . nelirs ofthe <::>wenam, pard0n, peKe, life, ch.1t t be Spirit is ready oft rof-,il, and h.uh no a!furance it l11all have any parr of char which is the Ch'ldre.Js portion; and looks upon his own unworrhinefs, never ro have any fro:n the Lord, yer ir loo'(S up ro rhe free mercy and Grace rhar made it ro fume, ro m... 1ke ir good ro , me, and fo pleads the promife, and fo laies it felf there, and rhere reHs, and there looks, and here fucks, and takes roor, and the roo: fpread; to ev,ery parr of rhe Covenant. The Lord hathnow rooted rhe foul in this Co\•enant,and it h1th received life fro:n hence, this is everl.!ll ing, you lhall continue. And whel'i rhe foul efpecially is like a bou~h blown by the wind, yet it fhnds f•ft Hill. Ifmen hotVe been in horrors and then fell to reformation, and rbe;e rcfted, it will not la!l:. Ifmen bve had fome working> and ael:ings of rhe Spirit U?On rhe:n, and rhen fay, God mu!l: do all, bur t hey grow noo inco the Covenanr, tbef will die; But here though God keeps thee 01orr ;1Jld naked;· ltnd thou only pbde!l: the Covenant, thou Oult !l:and. lfY'lll p\e1d fo r pardon, and fou:e good, no: rhe vvhok goodoftheCovenanr, you ili.alldicalfo. If you grow uponfome di fl e:nper, and the whole he.rrgrownotupon this, yoo will di~ alfo. Look as 'ris wi th a man that builds, he will make an end if the foundation be laid, bur if nJ t pull it down, fo here. < 3. If the polYer of Grace received and aeted by the Spir:t, hnl1 riiento the mrure offruirs,and not !elves only, John 15,:1, And thJt is, 1vbenrbe foul re- . t:eives rhatGrace, as that in everything its [cope is to live to God, ro give hi1 · hem
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