ten Virgins Openedand Applied. f) 3 Jfr.zel: So 'ris with rhefe,in ~mtward profeiiion higher rhJn others, but their oyle is fpenr. . · . ·.. Bur do nor many of rke Smnts fall openly ancUecretl y ? , . 06jef1. True, they may and do_ fall exceeding greatly• Bu,t as A!ofes. prophecyingof ~he Anf 111 ; apoHacy of l{rllel after hts death, Dent. 3 :·29. yer tl~ fatd, 'tlS not the corrupum, nor !pot ofhiHhildren, Deu:. 32·5. There _1s a great dtf!erence betwe~n an Hypocrites Apoltacie from hts grace, and Satnts from thetrs. Its one dung to fJ!I from branch and roocroo, another thing only for rhe br.mches robe broken off .and rhe root nor rulledup, Jude 12. ·Tberearefo~e apvllacie1 rhat argue rhere was neYer a dram of gr.KC! in that foul. Saints fall down, but do not fall away : And of fuch Apo!bcies as argue want of gr.Ke, t.tke the following Difcoveries. 1. When a mans riftrt" is the caufe of his fall (or feats a m:m up in his f.tll ) or at le.t!l rhe c<Lufe,rhrough· his corrnption,E.t'.gr•. Time was aman lived aloofe, carelef>,c.trnallife;bythe Min!try of fome Word, or r~ading of fome.Book, or fpe.1king with fome Friend, he comes t_? b~ convinced of his mifery an:J woful condinon,and fees no good, nor gr:tce m htmfelf, he harh been even httberto deceived ; at laH he comes ro get fome light, fome talle, fomc forrows, fome hearHo ufethc means,forne comforr, and mercy, and hflpeof life : And when 'ris thus wirh him nmv he falls, he grows full and falls, and rhisrilingis rhecaufe of' his fall, his light is darkneTs, and de.1th to him, and grows ro a form of knowledge: H~s rilin_g mak~s hi~ fall'ro formality, a~d then to prophanenefsi and fo his ra!ltng fanslies hl.ffi, hts forrows empty hts heart of forrow for lin, and . his farrows for his falls harden his heart in his falls, andatl rhe means of recovering him harden him ; that now if men never had had means, even s~dom, they would have re! emed before now. This is a fad token of falling away, and hJving ha1 only ~ighter work, it being a ~JaiL~ evidence ~hat at :heir bell they w~re filled wtrh thetr luHs, becaufe a lmle hghr and affectiOn fausfied them; whtcb !s. n01v turned by rhe power of rheir lull to harden them, lfai. 6. 9· This is giveu as one fure ftgn of a people forfaken of God, when in feeing rhe; fee not,and hearing the; hear not. Lookas it is in difeafes, if d1e Phylick and men turns to be Poyfon, then there is no hope of recovery, a man is lick ro de.nh nmv. The Saints little meafure makes rhem forget wh•r is behinde, Prov. 4.18. He lhines brighter and 6righm till the perfeEt da7. So that let him fall he catmot be quiet there, but when he remembers fro:n whom he is fallen, if once he tailed the Lord, this will fetch himagain, and make him re!tlelo; rill.he rerurn. But if it be fo as now iris with rhefe, then the cafe is WG>ful, whe11 there is fuch ;. plaoue on men and they know it nor. W~en aman faith ro htmfelf,asrhe Glutton faidt:> his foul, Tak_tthy rejl,fll'r thou h~tft goods laid up for many years, fo<hou halt repencance,and grace,and peace enough for many ye•rs; and hetKe the foul takes irs re!l,grmvs flugoilh and ne"- ligenr.. Oh if you die in this cafe, this night thy loullha\1 be t~ken ~vay to HeU. 2. Ifwhen men fall from fhe Lord, and they rife up only in Ordimnce; . but fall d?Wn ~onflan:ty out of Ordir:at~ces without feeling. Acarnal heart falls: b~t he rhmks h~mfel~ ts not thereforeWtthout all grace, becaufe in ah Ordinance hts heart fomenmes LS affected, fo they were Euk.;3 3. 31. The Propl1ets Minifir~ was fweet ~o them, but their heartJ went after their covctoufnefs, thei rHog5, thetr houfes,thetr.lu!l:s, thetr lots; and theyJoy in the Prophet, buo never mourn for char. Aprec10us heart alfo falls out of Ordinances, but he feels his falls : Though he falls from the Benefit of his riling, yet not from thefeelin!' of his fall Bur to another man the lweeE he fin~s in Ordinances, is but Muftck ~o his mear: or as a man falls from Muftck to hts meat, 1!"11t.7.26,27. He .thatheamh my wordr and doth them not, that mans houfe u budt u1on a Sand, whteh fallr, and the · , caufe o~ gre.tt falls is this : L~ok as _' tis with corn-ground, if rain falls upon th<lt, though It be long before any npe frutt come>; yet ic makes it at !allcome ro forre H h rire~
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