Shepard - BT378 T4 S44 1660

ten Virgins Opened and Applied. -:-------:- tre.nbtmg, but rhc Lord rotd her, Now fear not, be it unto thee acc~rding to thy Faith: onlythJlffueuburbeguntohea/; .Wh.!tfayyou, hJveyou ne~er co:ne to him never received any heating fr::>n hm1? rh1t ts h1rd. Surely •ns fo , that I woutd not be in my luft again for aworld. . If none of diefe prevail, bur the Lord follows thee Wtth fears 'on fem, as wave Means 6. 011 wave then fee if there be not fome guile of fpirit in thee; i. c. fome fin you have or ~vould give way to if Y?u had afiu:ance of Gods love; _It was the fpeech of one to me, next to the Donmon ofChnH, no mercy hke thts, to deny affurance Ion"' 1 and why ? for if the Lord h.<d nor, I lhould have givenw.ty to ~ loofe heart and''!ife, bur, &c. fo if rhe Lord 01ould deal ~o with rhee, it may be rhouwould'fi lye in rhy fins, if thou had'H peace there, and lt m~y b~ you have had tt,~ut finned, and nor confc{fed, nor lamented, not oppofed: T hus1r was"wtth D11vtd, Pf;~lm 3 2.1,2,3,4· Hence when he_confeiled, the~ord.forgave.in his Confcience his fin. Men will withdraw tbetr love from rhe1r WIVes 1f lt make them wmto;1, and deal!harplywirh them: fo one that never re!tored, could 11ever get pea~e; -(ome ever compwmng, never fetled, becaufe they have their True~" -; ;vir!) fn, and would have pe1ce with Chrilt, and it cann:Jt be. And this is a ~le I ha:ve long held, in rhcm rhar havedearli~hr of rhe Gofp~l , long denial of a!litrance is like fire to burn our fome fin, and th'Zn the Lor.J Wlll fp~a~ peace, Judg. 10. 16. And therefore rake rhis counfel, and God will tell thee thy 'lip; if thou art defirous that he lhould find it out , bu~ get this mercy from :him , Z ach • . 1 3 /r{;,g-thy he~rt to a ftrai~hr , either to rejeC! or receive him to be rni~e , he !s Means 7 • offered to be Kmg, and Savtour, and Lord, and Husband; now thou lha!r have h1s hearr, his hand;-his Spirit, his Father, his Kingdom, his Ordinances, his Angels, himfelf if you receive him,or elfe if nou, youlhalllofe him , and then woc·ro thee when any mercy, any mifery, any Ordinance befalls thee, for alllhall fuck thy Blood, confume thee, and fit thee for eternal ruine : and then wilh , Oh that I had taken him , but then too late; therefore receive him or reject him: Oh I cannot; that's anorher matter: However we propound tbefe'Evangelical commands that may come with power, and therefore know, that if they do not now, rhey lhall arife again in time. SECT. !I. THis is not all t~mwhich makes you ready for_ Chrifl, unleffeyou1 love is fe~ Exhort. 2 • and fixed on hm1: ~nd therefore look that 1t be ready. I doubt not but , tl}lt there is glowing in your hearts; fome love mthe Lord, ie cannot be that all 1ould be quenched, that all his kindneefe lhould be forgotten , but remembred ~nany tiine.s with fome affiietion : but know it , if it be fo, your lamp is not yet m your hand, nor your Souls ready to meet the Lord: For look as 'tis with a m1g~ty Prince that iliall fer his heart on fome poor fcrvanr, and he requires no pomon but to love him the more , and ilie cannot bring ,her bem to love him more than orher mean Fellows , is lhe fit or ready to be Matcbt unto him ? S:J here: henceMar.Io. 37· Hethatloves FatherorMother,&c. thenyouarere,tdy when your love is fit for fuch an Husband ; and therefore though you fe_el fome lo'le under the allies (when you flir UJ? your hearts) to the Lord Jefus , yet if it be uot a fit love befeeming his Excellency, and the Glory of his Perfon, when you can draw out buckets of love, and pour it upon other thin<>s , but fcarce fetch out a drop for Chrilt, and yet you hope that will ferve uhe tunf; I rell you no, you arc yet unfit and unready for him. Look as it was with their offering the Telti- , mo111es ~flove and tha~~uln.e~e, Mal. r. 14. f~ it's here. And rhe~efore my Exhonauonlhallbcas nsfai<lmthatPfalm, GweuntotheLord the 1zjngd1ms of Pfal. 86.7,8; H 2 the ·

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