ll.eafon I. Vfex. The Parable of the Ten Virgins, Nowgrant it be long: the Lord dmh fuff~r them to prevail, and to be prickino bryars w the hearts of Gods people, and to the heart of Gods Spirit in h~ people, yet he will come; and hence the Church pleads this with God as an ufual ,rhing wirh him, Ija.64.I1Z13. He comes when men look nor for him, yea he came fo here; and the name of God lyes upon it to make known his name to his adverfaries,Ifa.66+ He~tr the wordof the Lord, ye thllt trem6!e at his word ; yoHr 6rethren that harrd ;on and caft ;ou out j .1id, Let rh: Lord /Je o/IJrijied, He Jha!l appettr to ;•ur JOJ 1 /Jut theJ (hall be a{hamed. "' Sixrhly, Chri!l is faid to come ro the foul, when he comes to it at d~arh to abolifh all fin and forrow , and to poffefs the foul of immediate fellowihip wirh himfelf, and at Judgement when rhe great mariage day lhall be, and rhe Bride made ready, and the Bridegroom in their perfeCt olory to rhe view of all rhe ~vorld,Joh.t4+ .Oh many aone is troubled now rhe Lord is gone from It mediately to comfort It; Let not ysur hearts 6e rroHb!ld, you have a God in his Word to believe in, cleave to that, and me in it ; bur when death comes againlt me, and enemies co~e againfi m.e, and heart fails, and eyes fails, will rhe Lord come? Yes, I Will come agam, for I go bur only to prepare a place for you, and make Heaven fweetandreadyforyou; fome would have all ChriHs coming here, but there-is fome hereafter. S E C T. III. BEcaufe the love of Jefus Chrill never fails his Churches and Pwple; love will k<=ep men from being ever abfent from the thing they love: Now look as irwas wirh Lq<>arm whom Chrill loved, John. II + he heard that he was lick, he could have come then, but he lingers and l'taysunril he be dead, (6ehold La<>arm u de.rd) yea, rill he had been four days dead, and then awakens himagain, and La<>arusmullcomeforrhof hisgrave, roJ11ewforrh theeverJalling love of the Son of God, verf..4. F_or there are t\vo things in Chrill's love; firll:, it is pure independanr, and dear, Prou.8. Fenulr. hence he will not ever be abfent; for 1. If it be dependant, then we might fay (as we ch:tnge he changeth) he was good, but we have provoked him fince, &c. z. If independant, yet 'cis apt to forger, he minds me not, nor my prayers, nor forrows: Yes, it is exceeding dear, and affures us of all ; if he in love came rofuff~r,wharwillhe not come to do, and that when the Church is moll withered, Zach.3.1,z,3. and hence faith the Lord, wh' fapjl thou, the Lord hath for[~tk,tn me and forg•tten me, when , written upon the palms of mJ hand? Ifa. 48·14· . Lell their fpirit fail; Oh the Lord is very render of that ; he rhar bids parents not to be bitter to their children, !ell their fpirics fail and be provok;:d, will not do it himfelf, Ifa. 57·17• he will n•t alwayuontend, le(f rhe fPirit failw•thin him, and the {ou!s that he h11rh made; Oh remember this ! now how apt is the fpirir of a childe of God to fail upon this ! what more bitter than Gods abfence! :Becaufe to come late, is many times the belt rime, for he comes ever in the fulnefs of rime ; if he Jhould come fooner orlacrer, he fhould not come in~~to~pe~~ I Of unfpeakable confolation to the penple of God rhat he under fad and heavy petplexir_ies in refpeet of the Lor~s abfeJ?ce fr<?m rhem (as for you f that can bear this, rh~t fay to God depart If he will, ch1s c~ncerns n?t you at 1 all) and the Lord betng gone, you lye under fad droughts, that he will never r return '
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