The Parable of the Ten Virgins, proteCtors Of fin> not purifie~~ from_fm (Which is mo(t dreadful) [U[Ling grace to wa_nronnefs, as 1 beyod fa~nfke; fo rhefe would fin uuder the f1 1 a_ cowot Chnlt, becaufe the lhadow ts go.od a·nd fweet, t:Micnh 3 _ r r . rhex had fubtle flye ends in good quries, for therein may Jie amans fin; yet they leanupon t~e_Lord, &~- t:Mauhew 3· 7l o. The Scnbes came in peace to Johns Mmtltry, whtch was to awaken men to believe in the Melliah Oh generation ~F Vip<rs '· ' who hath fo rewar_ned you to flee ji-om wrath t; come ! hence fatth he, Brmg fwth fi:!''ts; as If he lhoulc.l fay, You would have rh:: bleffing of the warn;e Sun itlll, but you ca~e not to have your viperous narure changed, you Will bnng fonh the old bmer fruits , &c. when Mony-change rs came into the Temple, you have made ita Den of Thieves· Thieves when hunted, fly to the1r Den, or Cave, a-11d there they arefecur~' againlt all fearchers , and hue-an9-cryes ; fo here, bvt Chri(t whipped them out; fo when men are pur~ued wuh cryes and feares of confcience, away to Chr ill they go , .as to rhe1r Den; not as Sainrs, topray and lament ou r the life 9f their fin there, but ro preferve their fin ; this is vile; will the Lord receive fuch? I am perf>~aded, n;any ~mans heart is kept _from_breaking and mourning, becaufe of thts; he fatth ( lt may be ) that he ts a vtle finner . but I rrurt in Chri!l, &c. lf rhey do go to Chri(t to dellroy their fin , this makes them more fecure in rheir fin; for (fay_ they)) cannot help it ; and the thing I 1vould not do, that do I, and Chn!l mull: do all ; whereas fairh makes·rhe loulmol!rn aftcrthe Lord the more, as Paul did ; yet do you think they that believed faid , b :t us Jixn: , that Grace ma1 abonnd? No, No. . _ , 3· By feeing fome glory, and rall:ing fome fweet in rhe Gofpel, and Chri!l -manifelled and ariling therein; hence fome !l;len may apprehend ChriH neither out of fear~ of mifery, nor only ro pre!erve fome fin ; bur God lets in light and heat of rhe bldfed beames of the glorious Gofpel of rhe Son of God , and therefor.! rhere is merq Rich, Free, Sweet, for damned oreat vile !inners ; Good Lord (faith the foul) what ·a fweet Minifiry: Word, God, and Gofpel is this! and there refls; this was the frame of rhe ~ny ground, which heard the Word, '!nd receiv ed it with i~r, and\ for a mne be! ~Cvcd, Luke 8. I 3· And rh! IS rhe cafe of thoufands that ·are much affetted wirh the promife and mercy of ChriH, and hang upon free- grace for a time ; but as 'cis with fweet fmells _in a Room, they continue not long; or as flowers, they grow old and wnhered, and then fall; in rime of temptation, lult, and world, and ilorh is more fweet than Chrilt and all his Gofpel is ; 'tis in this cafe wirh the foule, as it was with c..MarJ, who applyed the Spikenard only to the feet of Chrifl, bur all ch'e Room was filled with the fweetnefs of it ; fo in the Gofpel, the fweet odour of ir is fcattered eo all; agd the Apo!He Paul faith, We are a {wm favour of God to them that peri(h ; but Chrill only applyes it unto the heart of a wounded, poor, humbled !inner; and though fm'ells and odours refrell1, yet men cannot live by the fmell ; . fo 'tis here; fuch isthe rich grace of Chrilt, that the \' worH !hall know and fay, He is good ; As the King pa!feth by , many come to 'fee him; butdoth he rake all up to the Chariot wirh him? No' \ butthey go home to theirfeyeral ho~fesagaine, and then they commune, and fpeak of whar they f.1w ; fo ChnH accepts only of,' and apprehends none! but thofe chat have forfaken all at his call, and fo live upon his favour; fo\ here, as ? f at. 45· all hisGarmenrsfmellof myrrh, yet onlythe~een \ which hearcs, confiders, and forgets her Fathers houfe, !lands at his right ~~ J 4· When the fo ul is perfwaded to clofe with rhe Lord Jefus Chrill by the i ·=-~------~----------------------?~~
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