Opened ~nd Applied. f~otin1 Virgins, you Dull fay, Oh that I were readr !_ I_ know n()[ almofi which is greatell: love , to prepa_re for glory, or eo bnng tnro the poffeffio!l of it; eo make a Veffel qf poyfonous drofs a Ve1fel of g~ld_, o_r- when !C. is fo, to fill ir; for the Lord to look UJ?On a man w~en he ts 1n hts blood, and then to waili him; when a man ts as water fpllr upon the ground, and j a \>roken Velfel of no ufe, nqwfor the Lord to pity , and fie for ufe , it is exi ceeding rich grace. . l j:eaf. 3· In regard of the honour of the Lw~ yefm; it was one part of the honour of Chnll:, to have John go before htm; and Luks I. I7. to prtJ f<re a people rcadJ for tke £,rd: As i~ is ,parr of a_ Prin_ces honour, to have his .BriJe ·ready, and aturedtowelcome andenrerrame htm, when he Jhal.l return to b.:r, ilie owes rbis honour to him, and he expeCls this honour 1 from her ; So tbeLord Jefus deferves this honour from all his people ro be in a readinefs for him. Suppofe thefe Virgins had turned Harlots, and gone awhoring from !)im rill his .very coming, and then had been taken ! in , what might the world thmk ? doth he lo'e the fellowlhip of Har• j lots? for~ man~ heart to go a w~oringfrom th() Lord,arr~r the world,or lufis, , rod\e fo, tsto dtfgrace the Lord jefus; And hence, Ph,/. 3· 17. to the end, I there are two forts_ of men pr?feffing godlinefs; fome mi_nde earth!J_thing,, others look and mmde a Sa1mur ftom heaven; the one dtfgrace Chnll, and are enemies to him; and hence PaHl weeps for them; the other are his fri~nds; And are Princes fo far refpeCled as all things are ready for them? and is the Lord worthy of noJ"uch refpe6l: , fo as that his People then ll1ould be wnready? No, knmy it,a_s·he faig, c.M~tl. 1. He u agreat King. The parnculars wherem thts rea-ainefs confifis, I have fpoken of in rhe firfl: Part of the Parable, an.d Jhall now only fpeak of them in the fubfequentUfes. · ~===-. -, ~ -{~-~~-=~:~ ..-·-·-· -~! ~r~-_:.,-· -·-·- SECT. III. Ufe I. QF terr~r and a,cl·opjjht»rnt of hea~t )to tdl_thofe that au wholly . unready, that f;ave ,;o rcadinej[e at all to mm, or to h'ave ft!- lowfhip w,"th the Lord Jefm; if thufe that are readj be received zv , then zh,fs tknt be unmtdy, jh11ll be_jhut out. . . · There is a number among us , young and old , of all forts almo(t among Jus, that fwarme. up and down Townes , -and Woods, and Fields, whofe care and work hithe.rto hath been like bees, only to get honey to their. own Hive, only to)~ve here CQI!lfprqbly with nqeir hou(es;!and dots , and ViClaals, and fin~ ~I oaths, &c, ,l;>qr not to live hereafter .et'erilaily. · .: s~.~pp.ofe the lord l11ould,llop thy breac]l:; and cut thee off, ·what, ~voul~ become of thee ? I rru!t to Gods mercy, I hope I iliould-go to Chr,ifi; though I am I}c:>t t~ifured ; but .are you r):,ady for Chrill .f, yes, . I hope :I am ; Oh poor- ~vretF~ '· whyd"o(lhope fo, if thou never hadfi one houres {eriousthoughrs, What wtll become of me? o.r hpvir JhalUA~ ready? feeling 1hy un~eadinefs \and unfirnefs thereunto. Or if thou hall had any thoughts, never wall poffeffed with ar. y ltrong feares of eternity, and feparation from the LordJefus, which hath dampt thy mirth, and funk thy heart,and perplexed thy tho!Jghts, and made thee think with terror upoh thy confcience, What will become of me ? nor made thee defirous to ask others that gueflion , as it is commonly one of the firll:, rhough but a common work, to think of dying pr~- S ff 2. fently,
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