The Parable of the Ten Virgins, Collection of sermons · Sermon 8
SERMON VIII. On Matthew 25. v. 6, &c.
And at Midnight there was a Cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him.
Then all thoſe Virgins aroſe, and trimmed their Lamps.
And the Fooliſh ſaid unto the Wiſe, Give us of your Oil, for our Lamps are gone out, &c.
I Have led you through ſeveral parts of this great and admirable Parable: The laſt thing I Diſcourſed to you, was concerning the Midnight-Cry, and endeavoured to ſhew you:
That though there might be ſome uſe made of it, as a Deſcription of any Judgment, that ſhould come upon the Churches of Chriſt, before his Coming; Yet, That the Principal Intention is, That Cry, That Voice of the Son of God, That Shout that the Lord will deſcend in, That Voice of the Archangel, That Trump of God, that ſhall raiſe all that are aſleep in their Graves, and ſhall bring them forth.
I Endeavoured to open to you, That every one ſhall riſe in the very ſame Circumſtances wherein they lay down in Death, and in the Grave.
And therefore, That the Day of Judgment coming upon Prophane and Inſolent Perſons, upon the Fools that ſay in their hearts, There is no God, will be like the Writing of the Fingers on the Wall before Belſhazzar, that we read of Dan. 5. And as it comes upon ignorant Perſons in Chriſtianity, and upon the Worldlings, thoſe Fools that ſay, We have much Goods laid up for many Years; and therefore, Soul, Take thy eaſe, Eat, Drink and be Merry. O! what an Earthquake will it be upon them, to ſee the Kingdom of Chriſt! Now, They ſhall be raiſed, both the Fools that ſay, That there is no God, and the Worldlings, &c. They ſhall be raiſed juſt in the ſame Terror, in the ſame Conſternation, as if the Earthquake was now upon them, or in the Time of Life, now on Earth.
But I propoſed to ſhew you alſo, Wherein the ſtate of the fooliſh, and the wiſe Virgins differ; wherein this great difference lies, That one enter into the Wedding, and the other are ſhut out.
And that is it, which now, by the aſſiſtance of God, I would undertake, and go forward, to give you a clear Repreſentation of this great Matter: For (as I told you) Virgins, beſpeaks a being of the Pure and True Religion; the true Religion of the Goſpel, the Doctrine of God in the Goſpel: For all, whatſoever falſe Doctrine, or falſe Worſhip does adulterate this, it is called in Scripture, not by the Name of Virginity, but by the Name of Whoredom, by the Name of Adultery and Fornication.▪
Whatever defiles the Religion of Jeſus Chriſt, is not ſtiled Virginity, but by other Names; And therefore it is certain, That theſe Virgins muſt be of the trueſt and of the pureſt Religion of Jeſus Chriſt.
In the ſecond Place I told you, That they muſt needs be of a tollerable, ſober Converſation: They are not of the Prophane, the Drunkards or the Swearers, or the Senſualiſts of the World; but they are thoſe, that walk in ſuch unblameable life, that they are worthy to be counted, and to be ſtiled Virgins.
What a critical Caſe therefore, What a very nice and curious Point is this, that diſtinguiſhes between the wiſe and the fooliſh Virgins?
If therefore God ſhall be pleaſed, in any meaſure, to enable me to open this to you, and that you may aright conceive, and underſtand ſo great a Point; I hope, That by his Bleſſing, our coming together may be for the better, and not for the worſe.
I ſhall therefore apply my ſelf to it,
Firſt, By conſidering the ſcope of the Parable in this Matter: And, I find, That it lies here:
The one had Oyl in their Lamps, but they had not Oyl in their Veſſels.
The other had Oyl in their Veſſels as well as in their Lamps.
So, that it comes to this; One hath a Treaſure, a Store of Grace, beyond the Profeſſion, the other hath not.
I ſhall Anſwer very plainly, and down-right Diſcourſe in this thing; by leading you to ſome great Expreſſions of Scripture, which do to me aſſure, what our Lord intends. In the Third Chapter of the Epiſtle to the Epheſians, v. 16, &c. The Apoſtle, in that Great and Excellent Prayer, begs of the Father of Glory; the Father of Glory! An Expreſſion moſt ſuitable and agreeable to the Kingdom of Chriſt, appearing in its Glory, to which this Parable refers: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his Glory, to be ſtrengthned with might, by his Spirit in the inner man: That Chriſt may dwell in your hearts by Faith: I look upon this to be Oyl in the Veſſel. It is Chriſt abiding in the heart: For tho indeed the Veſſel is not the Fountain; yet it ſpeaks the Veſſel cloſely conjoyned with the Fountain; and the Fountain continually ſpringing into't.
Another place of Scripture that I would give you: You know Faith and Love, they are much required and inſiſted on in the Goſpel, now obſerve what the Apoſtle ſaith, in the 1 Tim. 1. 14. And the Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with Faith and Love which is in Chriſt Jeſus: Where is the Treaſure of Faith and Love? It is in Chriſt Jeſus, it is never out of him; the Spring of it is never out of him; Faith and Love which is in Chriſt Jeſus; The Spring overflows to the Veſſel, with Faith and Love, but the Spring and the Fountain is Chriſt himſelf.
And ſo, 2 Tim. 2, 1. Thou therefore, my Son, be ſtrong in the Grace that is in Chriſt Jeſus: Be ſtrong in the Grace that is in him. It is never out of him, though it flows to the Souls and Spirits of Believers, yet it is never out of Chriſt.
So that here is the Oyl in the Treaſure of it; it is when the Soul is united to Chriſt, the Fountain of it; here is the Oyl that is able to bear up.
For, in two things, I think, the compariſon lies, that our Lord intended in this Parable, between Grace and Oyl.
Firſt, It muſt needs be of ſuch an excellent quality, that it can bear up with the Glory of that Day; And then,
In the Second place, It muſt be ſo abundant, that it can laſt with the Glory of that Day.
For, if the Oyl be not of the high and excellent kind, it will preſently go out.
As you know, the higher Light of the Sun, it puts out the lower Light of Fire or Tapers, that we have below; ſo the Glory of that Day will put out any Light, but only the Light of the Righteouſneſs and Grace that is in Jeſus Chriſt, and none elſe will laſt; There's no Spring of Light, but only that which comes from him, Heb. 7. 16. who is after the power of an endleſs life. It is only Chriſt that is Oil in the Treaſure; Therefore, take the moſt Excellent Grace; That's the Point that I would endeavour to carry out to you: Take the moſt Excellent Grace; if it be out of Chriſt, if it be only in the Perſon himſelf, it is a Lamp that will go out; but if the Veſſel be at the Fountain Head, and is joined to the Fountain; then it is able to ſupply to the Glory of that Day.
And I ſhall repreſent it to you therefore, by a Hiſtory of Scripture, that may ſerve as an excellent Parallel, to Expound the Parable that I am now upon; In 2 Kings 4. 1. There cried a certain Woman of the Wives of the Sons of the Prophets unto Eliſha, ſaying, Thy Servant my Husband is dead, and thou knoweſt that thy Servant did fear the Lord; and the Creditor is come to take unto him my two Sons to be Bond-men. And Eliſha ſaid unto her, What ſhall I do for thee? Tell me, What haſt thou in the Houſe? And ſhe ſaid, Thine Hand-Maid hath not any thing in the Houſe, ſave a Pot of Oil. Then he ſaid, Go, Borrow thee Veſſels abroad of all thy Neighbours, even empty Veſſels, borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou ſhalt ſhut▪ the Door upon thee, and upon thy Sons, and ſhall pour out into all thoſe Veſſels, and thou ſhalt ſet aſide that which is full. So ſhe went from him, and ſhut the Door upon her, and upon her Sons, who brought the Veſſels to her, and ſhe poured out. And it came to paſs, when the Veſſels were full, that ſhe ſaid unto her Son, bring me yet a Veſſel. And he ſaid unto her, There is not a Veſſel more. And the Oil ſtayed.
Now this is the thing only, That I would repreſent to you; That to us, that are in a miſerable and needy, and wanting condition, and in danger to be Bond-Men and Bond-Women to the Wrath and Juſtice of God for ever, Here is the Oil multiplied; The Oil multiplies from the Fountain, from the Infinite Grace that is in Jeſus Chriſt, that we may ſtand at that Day.
And therefore, That which I would adviſe, and preſs upon every one of us, from this very Point is, That above all things we would mind our being in Chriſt. I ſhall endeavour to free it from all Objections that you may be ready to make, before I cloſe the Point.
But, to give you a Parable, or a Repreſentation that is nearer, and does indeed intend this very thing; If you look into the Prophet Zachary, you ſhall ſee what it is to have Oil, not only in the Lamp, but in the Veſſel; that is, to have a continual ſupply.
For, though indeed, this Parable ſeems to go no further, than Oil in the Veſſel; yet when we come to enter into it, we muſt needs find, that it muſt be Oil from the Fountain alone, that can do us good, Zach. 4. 1, 2. And the Angel that talked with me, came again, and waked me, as a Man that is wakened out of his ſleep; And ſaid unto me, what Seeſt thou? and I ſaid, I looked, and behold, a Candleſtick all of Gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his Seven Lamps thereon, and Seven Pipes to the Seven Lamps, which were upon the top thereof: And two Olive-Trees by it, one upon the Right ſide of the Bowl, and the other upon the Left ſide thereof. And it came to that; The Sons of oyl (as they are called, v. 12.) through the Golden Pipes empty the Golden Oil out of themſelves into the Golden Bowl.
Now, What's the Meaning of all this? Not by Might, nor by Power, but by my Spirit, ſaith the Lord; that's the Meaning of all: They Empty the Golden Oil out of themſelves.
That Golden Oil, by which our Lamps will bear up and ſhine at that Day, it muſt come from thoſe Sons of Oyl; That is, From thoſe Olive-branches, Both which are only a Repreſentation of Chriſt's Fulneſs in his Righteouſneſs, and in his Spirit.
So that here is that, that alone can bear us up, and bear up the Shining of our Lamps in that Day of the Glorious Solemnity of the Marriage of the Lamb: That which alone can bear us up, is the Righteouſneſs and Spirit of Jeſus Chriſt; Which are always Connected and Joyned one with another.
And, Proportionable hereunto are other Similitudes; The Wedding-Garment, that we read of, Matt. 22. which, a Man not having on, when he came to the Wedding, he was ſound Speechleſs; That is Nothing, but the Garment of the Righteouſneſs of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and of the Graces of his Spirit. The King came in to ſee the Gueſts, he ſaw there a Man which had not on a Wedding-Garment; (The ſame with Oyl in the Veſſel:) And he ſaith unto him, Friend, How cameſt thou in hither, not having a Wedding Garment? And he was Speechleſs; Bind him Hand and Foot, and take him away, ſaith Chriſt, and cast him into outer Darkneſs, becauſe he had not the Linen White and Clean, the Righteouſneſs of Saints, Robes waſh'd in the Blood of the Lamb; for that's the Wedding-Garment. He had not put on the Wedding-Garment of Chriſt; he had not on the White Raiment. Buy of me Gold tryed in the Fire, and White Raiment (ſuitable to that Time) and buy of me Eye-Salve, that thou may'st ſee, &c. Rev. 3. All is from Chriſt. So that the Whole Matter is This; Whether we are in Chriſt, or whether we are not in Chriſt?
So the Apoſtle John ſaith, 1 John 5. 12. He that hath the Son, (here's the plain Propoſition, the Caſe of every Man) He that hath the Son, hath Life; And he that hath not the Son of God, hath not Life: And this is ihe Record, that God hath given to us Eternal Life, (the Place is as full to the Purpoſe, as poſſibly can be) God hath given to us Eternal Life, and this Life is in his Son, in the Fountain. The Sun of Righteouſneſs ariſes with healing in his Wings. He that hath the Son, hath Life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not Life: And hereby, we may underſtand that great Place of Scripture, which elſe may be more hard to be underſtood, Rom. 9. 28. ſaith the Apoſtle there, out of the Prophet Iſaiah. A ſhort work (ſaith he) will the Lord make upon the Earth: What is the meaning of that, That he will make ſuch a ſhort Work upon the Earth? The Meaning is this, That it ſhall come to this ſpeedy Queſtion: Are you in Chriſt? Or are you not in Chriſt? For he will finiſh the Work, and cut it ſhort in Righteouſneſs; becauſe a ſhort Work will the Lord make upon the Earth. A ſhort Work.
Many are ready to think, That the Judiciary part of the Day of Judgment will be a mighty long time; Becauſe every Caſe of a Man muſt be examined, and his Works; It is a Miſtake, when we think ſo.
For though it will be, as exact to every Man, as if every Man's Caſe were laid down in his particular Works, viz. of thoſe who are not pardoned; But yet it will be a time of the blotting out of Iniquity; I ſay, a Time of the full blotting out of Sin, in all the Servants of God; Though Sins are ſought for, they ſhall not be found, There ſhall be none, but upon the Wicked.
A ſhort Work will the Lord make upon the Wicked, when they are found not to be in Chriſt; They have not a biding Light; They are preſently found by the Company they are in, and by the Habit of the Body; For the Saints are in the Habit of Bodies of Glory; And the other, in the Habit of Bodies of Contempt: So, a ſhort Work will the Lord make: It will be preſently ſeen by our Appearance, whether we are Chriſt's, or no.
Now this I ſhall endeavour to Argue to you a little from Scripture-Reaſon, And then it ſhall be the Principal Part of this Diſcourſe to clear to you the Doubts and Scruples, and Objections, that may ariſe in your Minds; That this cannot be ſo.
Firſt, In regard of other Scriptures, that inſiſt ſo much upon what is in us; And then to Anſwer theſe Queſtions.
In the Second Place, you may ſay,
How ſhall we come to have an Intereſt in Chriſt? And
In the Third Place; How ſhall we know, That we have an Intereſt in Chriſt?
And ſo I ſhall conclude with the Application of All.
The Great Scripture-Argument I would give you, is this:
If we could ſeriouſly conſider the Infinite Holineſs, and Purity of God; If we could but (I ſay) ſeriouſly lay this to Heart; That God cannot ſee Things, any other ways than they are, How would it clear this? A great many Good Men are ready to ſay,
The Evangelical Righteouſneſs that we have, ſhall ſtand before God, in Juſtification; for Chriſt's ſake.
I ſay, If we ſeriouſly conſider, That God is Infinitely Holy; That the Angels he charges with Folly; That the Heavens are not clean in his Sight; That he cannot ſee any otherwiſe, than Things are: I do beſeech you to conſider, Whether you would venture into the Preſence of ſuch a Holineſs, with the Beſt Graces, that you know in any Perſon in the World? For my part, I do not know how Men can Anſwer it in their own Judgments: But I think, it is as impoſſible for any Man to appear with the Holineſs of the beſt Saint, that ever was in the World, (except the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt) as I think it impoſſible for a Man to ſtand in the Greateſt Preſence, without Confuſion, having nothing but the Squallidneſs, and Filthineſs of Impure Garments, and Putrefaction all over him. For, ſurely, the Saints of God ſpeak in the Name of all Saints; All our Righteouſneſſes are as filthy Rags; and our Iniquities, like the Wind, hurry us away: And there's no ſtanding, but by that ſtable Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, Jehovah our Righteouſneſs, and by the Holineſs that flows from his Death, and from his Reſurrection, and that is under the Cover of his Blood, and under the Anſwer, that his Righteouſneſs makes for the Imperfection of it.
I am ſure, this Reaſon is ſo ſolid, ſo ſubſtantial, and ſo weighty; That whoever Conſiders it, muſt needs yield, and ſubmit to it, if they do not go off from it, but ſtrictly and preciſely conſider it; That no other Righteouſneſs can be accepted, but only the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and the Holineſs that flows from it, that needs the Cover of his Righteouſneſs, and is made up in its own Imperfection, by the Perfection of his Righteouſneſs.
Surely, it muſt be a great Hazard, for ſuch a Perſon as Paul, to go before the Judgment-Seat, with his own Righteouſneſs, when he ſaid, (even in a State of Grace, and in Jeſus Chriſt) 1 Cor. 4. 4. I know nothing by my ſelf, yet am I not hereby juſtified; For he that judgeth me, is the Lord: If we have not now the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, How then can we ſtand before God!
I Argue this, not ſo much, to make you of an Opinion, or a Judgment; (for that I ought not to aim at) but with the utmoſt Sincerity, as God inables me, that you may know, your Peace, and Safety, and Security lies only in the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt.
That Lamp will certainly be put out in obſcure Darkneſs, that hath not the Golden Oil: And therefore I ſpeak, that you may have your Hearts full of this; Chriſt, and Chriſt only. I am ſo far from being moved by any Objection, that I am aſſured, That this is the True Grace of God that I now Preach to you, wherein we are all to ſtand: We read, Heb. 24. Chriſt is not entered into the Holy Places made with Hands, which are Figures of the true, but into Heaven it ſelf, now to appear in the Preſence of God for us: We Tranſlate it, In the Preſence of God; but the Greek is much more Emphatical: He Appears, or is made apparent to the Face of God for us: Now, Chriſt is preſent with, and makes himſelf appear to the very Face of God; That Face, that is Ten Thouſand times Brighter than the Sun, and that Dazles all Created Righteouſneſs; Chriſt appears to that very Face, and he appears now, in his own Blood, to that very Face, for us. Herein is our great Comfort, when we come before the Face of God; Chriſt appears to that very Face, in our Behalf: It is further ſaid, Nor yet that he ſhould offer himſelf often; as the High-Prieſt Offer'd other Sacrifices: For then muſt he often have Suffered, ſince the Foundation of the World.
It may be, you only read this, with a General Thought of it; and may not have conſidered the deep Senſe, and the Importance of it.
For, I ask, Why Chriſt muſt have Suffered often, from the Foundation of the World, if he had not been a Lamb ſlain, once for All?
The Anſwer is, If his Offering had not been an Offering once for All, It muſt have ariſen from the Inſufficiency of it, the Weakneſs, and Imperfection of it, to have done All at once; and then he muſt, (as the Apoſtle ſays) Have Suffer'd often, ſince the Foundation of the World; and not have Died only 1700 Years ago, when the World was about 4000 Years old; but he muſt have Suffer'd from the very Foundation of the World: He muſt have begun there, where the Sin of Man, the Apoſtacy of Adam enter'd, and he muſt ſtill have been Suffering; For the World could not have been born up, but by the Efficacy of his Sacrifice, and therefore it muſt ſtill have been renew'd. The World hath been variouſly divided, the Old World before the Flood, and then before the Law, and ſince the Law till Chriſt; It is capable of more Diviſions; but divide it as we can, I do not ſee how any Diviſion of it could have been without the Sacrifice of Chriſt, nor how often each Diviſion would have requir'd the Benefit of it, if once Offering had not been for All; but becauſe once Offering of a Lamb without Spot, by the Eternal Spirit, doth Perfect and Conſecrate for ever to the Enjoyment of God, and Freedom from Wrath Them who are Sanctified from the Guilt and the Power of Sin; And ſo it looks backward to all ſuch before it, as a Lamb ſlain, from the Foundation of the World, and forward to all, who ſhall be to the Delivery up of the Kingdom to God All in All, and even throughout Eternity, ſupporting Saints in their Union to the Father and his Love by Himſelf: Hence this Great High-Priest choſe his Time in the End of the World, ſhewing the Right of Chriſt, to have put an end upon this Sunk, Fallen, Defiled World; but that for Wiſeſt and Holieſt Purpoſes, Viſion and Propheſie, in the Great Efficacy of his Redemption were Seal'd, and now of neceſſity are near to be opened: This was the Fulneſs of Time, not far from the Fulneſs of Times, or of all Time; That is, from the Kingdom of Chriſt.
Now on this Foundation of his Sacrifice for ever perfecting Them who are Sanctified, we learn, That as All is Deriv'd from Chriſt, Wiſdom, Righteouſneſs, Sanctification, Redemption; So it is Conſerv'd in him, he hath for ever perfected, as in himſelf; For all ſtill reſts in him, and depends upon Freſh Receivings from him, as is moſt evident in this; He went immediately into the Holy Places made without Hands, there to appear in the Preſence of God; or according to the Force of the Greek, there to be made Illuſtrious to the very Face of God for us: So that notwithſtanding what he hath done, we could not dare to appear to the Face of God, if he were not there for us, appearing to that very Face, receiving the Grace, and Favour of it, and Reflecting it on us: And ſo in Sanctification, in the ſtricteſt, and moſt proper Senſe of it, It is continually Iſſuing from his Blood; The Blood of the Everlaſting Covenant ſends forth the Efficacy of making perfect in every good Work, working in us, that which is well pleaſing in his Sight.
Now then from hence ariſes a Neceſſity of continual Looking to Jeſus, the Author and Finiſher of our Faith, in both Juſtification and Sanctification.
Take then, as in relation to the Point of Juſtification, our Faith, our Love, our Repentance, our Charity, our Holineſs, our Obedience, and ſeparate theſe from the Satisfaction, Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, and how can they ſtand before God on any account whatever, even in the Senſe of All that do at all acknowledge Chriſt! But beyond this, How pitiful are they, compar'd with Everlaſting Righteouſneſs, with Infinite Righteouſneſs! Nay, ſo Imperfect, and ſo Polluted are they, that they cannot ſo much as enter into any the leaſt Conſideration in the Point of Righteouſneſs, or Juſtification, but they muſt needs before a Righteous, and Holy God, Themſelves, and the Perſons, in whom they are, fall under Condemnation: And in point of Holineſs, if you divide them from Chriſt, They are like a Beam, or a Ray cut off from the Sun, it immediately vaniſhes, and comes to nothing; As therefore, The Conſcience truly enlightned, will ſay; Alas, I cannot come before God with this, and that, which looks like Godlineſs, Holineſs, or what we call Religion, as in Prayer, or other Duties; I muſt have the Infinite Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, elſe I know my Lamp will immediately go out: So in point of Sanctification, even that Holineſs we receive from Chriſt, all its Excellency and Life is in Union to Chriſt, If it be ſeparate from him, it is like a Drop out of the Fountain; A Drop in the Fountain is conſiderable, while it is in it; If you ſeparate it from it, it preſently is loſt, and comes to nothing: My Son (ſays he unto Timothy) be ſtrong in the Grace, that is in Jeſus Christ; it muſt be in him, Conſerv'd in him; Elſe, it is as a Ray wandring from the Sun, or a Drop from the Fountain, or to ſpeak in the Language of the Parable, as a Lamp from the Veſſel, or even the Veſſel from the Son of Oil: The Sum of all is, our dependance is on Chriſt alone, our Union, and Communion with him; He is the Fountain, he is the Great Son of Oil; All Lamps go out, not ſo united; In Jehovah, ſhall one ſay, Have I Righteouſneſs, and Strength, ſtrength of Holineſs alſo; In him ſhall all his Seed be Juſtified and Glory.
Thus far I have endeavoured to fix and eſtabliſh this Point to you; And from which, I hope, and am aſſur'd, I ſhall never find Reaſon to depart; That the Oil in the Veſſel, is the Heart united to Jeſus Chriſt by Faith; The Having the Son, and ſo having Life; For he is the Great Son of Oyl, the Branch made ſtrong, even the Fountain, the Root, the Spring to Eternity.
I ſhall now endeavour to anſwer, and to clear up, what may riſe, by way of Objection, in any of our Thoughts to this Truth.
Object. 1. It may be ſaid, All the Graces and Duties of Chriſtianity, of Holineſs, are they not ſpoken of, as received from, and done by the Power of Christ, and yet as if they were ours, and we ſtood by them before God, as in our ſelves? Is it not ſaid of ſuch a Saint, as of Enoch, That he walked with God? Of Noah, That he wis Just, and Perfect, and Ʋpright in his Generations, and that he Walked with God? Of Abraham, That he Believed in God, and it was imputed to him for Righteouſneſs? Of David, and other Good Kings, That they Served God with an Upright Heart? Of Job, That he was an Upright, Perfect Man, That he Feared God, and Eſchewed Evil? Theſe Things ſeem to be ſpoken abſolutely, and as if the Perſons of whom they are ſpoken in theſe High Characters, Subſiſted by themſelves; Chriſt may indeed lie at the Bottom, and be the Foundation, why all is accepted, and all is upon his Account principally, but yet under him, theſe Qualifications may be conſider'd as our Righteouſneſs.
Anſw. Now to this I ſhall anſwer very plainly; That Scripture hath indeed laid this Foundation; Jeſus Chriſt; and Other no Man can lay, that acknowledges the Goſpel of Chriſt: And this being firmly ſetled, and the Conſequences of it look'd every way into, the Key of All is given into our Hands: For though Scripture ſpeaks freely, and at large, and as may moſt ſerve in the Hand of the Spirit, as an Inſtrument to work upon the Hearts of thoſe, who are in Chriſt; As, Bleſſed are the Ʋndefiled in the Way; Bleſſed are they that keep his Teſtimonies; Bleſſed is he that Conſidereth the Poor; And Innumerable the like Scriptures; Which look, as if we had a Righteouſneſs in our ſelves; Yet how exact, how poſitive is it in leading us to the Spring, to the Fountain, to the Sun of Righteouſneſs, Chriſt; and thereby giving us (as I ſaid) a Key into All! That All is, not only from him, but All is in him, (as the Sun holding all Light in it ſelf,) while it ſhines from him; The Head holding all Influences within himſelf, the Root, Fountain, All in him, while from him: Noah was Righteous, becauſe Heir of the Righteouſneſs of Faith uniting to Christ: David deſcribes, in relation to Abraham and all Saints, the Bleſſedneſs of the Man, to whom the Lord imputeth Righteouſneſs without Works; It conſiſts in Free Pardon, and not imputing Sin; Bleſſed is the Man (ſaith he) whoſe Iniquities are Forgiven, and whoſe Sins are covered; Bleſſed is the Man to whom the Lord imputeth not Sin: The Apoſtle Paul hath many high Expreſſions ſhewing the Neceſſity of Holineſs; and yet he ſays, I deſire to be found in Christ, not having my own Righteouſneſs, but that, which is by the Faith of the Son of God; as David ſays, We will make mention of thy Righteouſneſs, even of thine only. Thus, notwithſtanding all the Holineſs, and Graces of Believers, the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt is their Righteouſneſs alone, in the Point of Juſtification; And this Righteouſneſs never goes out of himſelf, for then it would ſoon fail; But it is always Conſerved in himſelf, he is Jehovah, our Righteouſneſs: And ſo our Holineſs, the inward Holineſs of Saints dwells in him, and from him is continually communicated, even while the Gracious Frame is fixed in them; Yet the Frame is in Union to him, we are in Christ Jeſus, or in Union to him, Created to Good Works; In Christ Jeſus is the New Creature, or New Creation; We know him firſt, and then the Power of his Reſurrection; He is our Sanctification, and our very Wiſdom for Faith and Repentance; We are Married unto him, that is Riſen from the Dead, that we may bring forth Fruits unto God; So that All is not only from him, but in him: All therefore that is ſpoken of, as in us, or by us, is no other, but like the Attributing ſuch and ſuch Things to the Eyes, or to the Hands, and Feet. There is a Preparation of each Member to the Uſes, and Offices proper to it, but the very Active Part is proper to the Head alone and to that Spirit dwelling in it, without which they are but Lumps of Clay; So that Graces, and Gracious Actions are attributed to Believers who are the Curious Workmanſhip of God to ſuch Good Works; but it is, as they are in Chriſt, in whom their Spiritual Life always reſides, in and from whom it flows to them; So that the Oyl in the Veſſel ſhining through the Lamp is ſtill in Union to him, the Great Meſſiah, or Annointed of God.
Object. 2. A Second Objection, may be taken from that, in this Matth. 25, 34. You know, it is there ſaid, When Christ had ſet the Goats on the Left Hand, and the Sheep on the Right; He ſpeaks in this manner; Then ſhall the King ſay unto them Come ye Bleſſed of my Father, Inherit the Kingdom prepared for …u: For I was an hungry, and ye gave me Meat; I was Thirſty, and ye gave me Drink; A Stranger, and ye took me in; Naked, and ye cloathed me; Sick and in Priſon, and ye Viſited me: And ſo on the other ſide, he ſaid to the Wicked, Ye did not ſo and ſo; And ye did nothing to my Succour and Relief: Is it not plain therefore, may Men ſay, That it is not according to the Righteouſneſs of Christ, or a Being in Christ, but according as we have done?
Now I'll give you a clear Anſwer agreeable to what I ſaid before: It is true, Where Chriſt hath laid the Foundation, and hath opened the Spring of his Righteouſneſs, he takes any Grace he pleaſes, and Inſiſts upon it; Becauſe it is all of the Contexture, and Frame, and whole Webb (as I may ſay) of his Righteouſneſs; It is Weav'd out of his Righteouſneſs, and Redemption: And therefore, he'll take what Grace ſoever he pleaſes, becauſe it is in the Fountain ſtill; It is all in the Sun, and in the Fountain: As if the Sun ſhould ſay, Here's ſuch or ſuch a Particle of Light, and it ſhall do any thing proportionable to the Nature of ſuch a Beam of Light; But, conſider, ſuch a Beam is in me; But if it go out of me, it will preſently be as a Lamp gone out.
So, our Faith, our Love, or our Repentance, or our Holineſs, take them in the Fountain, and in the Spring, they are of great Moment: If you take them out, they are nothing at all: So here's the Caſe.
Becauſe the Robes of the Saints are Waſh'd all over in the Blood of Christ; And becauſe all our Graces are in him, as in the Fountain, they are of great Value, not any to be taken in the ſingle Grace, by it ſelf, (though Chriſt is pleaſed to inſtance in this, or that, as he ſees meet) but whether one or more are ſpoken of, they are all ſpoken of, as they are in the whole Orb, and the whole Body and Sphere of Light, his own Righteouſneſs and Perfection; And they all are Communicated from him: And therefore it is, that theſe Graces are ſpoken ſo Graciouſly of, becauſe they are in him.
In the Third Place, you may ſay, But ſuppoſe I am ſatisfied and convinced, That it is not what is in my Self, but what is in Christ, where all my Imperfections are made up, and where every thing is in Purity and Perfection; This is the Great Thing lies upon me, That I don't know how to come to Christ, that I may be his, and that he may be mine.
And therefore, this is that I ſhall Anſwer to you; There are under the Profeſſion of Chriſtianity two Sorts of Men.
Firſt, Thoſe that never care for theſe Things, that never mind them, that never conſider them, that never ask the Queſtion, Whether Chriſt is theirs, or not? Nor have any Thought, or any Trouble about it: Now, to ſuch Perſons, there's no great need of anſwering; It is a vain Thing to Reſolve Caſes of Conſcience to an Atheiſt, to him that ſaith, There's no God, There's no Religion: So it is in vain to anſwer ſuch Scruples to the Man that never minds Chriſt, or conſiders himſelf, Whether in Chriſt, or not?
But, if there are any of us, that are really under the Senſe of the Want of Chriſt, and of the Greatneſs of that Want, If there be any ſuch; Why then there is not at any time ſuch a Thought in our Hearts as this, Whether we are Chriſt's, or not, but it is a Hopeful Argument, That Jeſus Chriſt doth Call us, and does Invite us: He doth Call and Invite us, or elſe, Why ſhould it ſo be, That we are concerned and troubled about our having, or not having of him? Our Caſe is juſt like the Caſe of that Blind Man in the Goſpel, that we read of, Mark 10. 46. When they were come to Jericho, there was a great Number of People: And Blind Bartimeus, the Son of Timeus, ſate by the Way-ſide, Begging: And when he heard that it was Jeſus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and ſay, Jeſus, thou Son of David, have Mercy on me: And many charged him that he ſhould hold his Peace: They would not have him make ſuch ado after Chriſt; But he cry'd the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have Mercy on me. And Jeſus ſtood ſtill, and commanded him to be called; And they call the Blind-Man, ſaying unto him, Be of good Comfort, riſe, he calleth thee. I would only make an Alluſion, and ſo an Application of this: Chriſt coming near him, Invited his Deſires, and when he Deſired, Chriſt further Invited him.
When we find our Souls moved with any thing of the Senſe of the Want of Chriſt, or Deſire after him; It is a ſign Chriſt is coming near to us, and when we find that, let us cry out more earneſtly after him, and though our own Corruptions, our own Unbelief, our own Fears, our own Luſts ſay, Don't make ſuch a ſtir after Chriſt; They charge us to hold our Peace, and Satan charges us, and many Doctrines in the World, (yea, of ſome very good Men) they charge us to hold our Peace, and ſay,
Firſt of all, Get more Humiliation and Senſe of Sin; Get Holineſs; Get Reſolutions of being better, and don't expect and ask for Salvation, till you come ſo and ſo qualified.
Now, I ſay, in this Caſe, Let us cry ſo much the more; For if we want Humiliation, where ſhould we have it, but only from Chriſt? If we want Reſolutions to Holineſs, where ſhould we have them, but from Chriſt? It is not intended, that you ſhould be negligent of Humiliation, or Senſe of Sin, or Sorrow for it, or Reſolutions for Holineſs; But the Queſtion is, Where ſhall we have theſe?
Now, I ſay, We can have them no where, but from Chriſt; From the Firſt Item of coming to God, even from firſt to laſt, to an Everlaſting Happineſs, it is from God, it is from Christ; He calleth all thoſe whoſe Souls are moved, and thoſe that have had no more Senſe of theſe things heretofore, than the very Stones and Stocks, than the very Heathen and Pagans; To all theſe, I ſay, If Chriſt do but move and ſtir you, fly ye to him, and ſay, If I periſh, I'll periſh here: I know nothing in my want of Everlaſting Life, but only coming to Chriſt to help me, may every Soul ſay.
Objection. But then you'll ſay, There's a Danger, that Men ſhould Sleep, and do nothing, but put off all with coming to Christ.
Don't fear this; If we are indeed in Motion to Chriſt, be aſſured of this; He'll come to you, and make himſelf further known to you; And, in that very Moment, that you think to be doing ſomething, look upon Chriſt as the very Author and Finiſher of our Faith, and in his Strength go and do it; For, ſurely, we may ſtand long enough fetching Water out of a Flint, till Jeſus Chriſt, be pleaſed to turn the Flint into a ſtanding Water: Such an Expreſſion is in the Pſalms.
So I ſay, The Flint in the Heart, the Heart of Flint, Chriſt will turn into a Standing-Water; And it can never be done, till Chriſt do it.
And therefore, I know not how to adviſe ſuch otherwiſe; Many complain of the Want of this and that Grace, What Advice would you give us? Alas! Many would ſay, Be Induſtrious and Earneſt; I do not deny, but there's a Place for it, But, I ſay, It is for a Man to begin at the Wrong End of the Thing, to begin there without looking firſt to Chriſt: Let us therefore go to Chriſt; For Faith and Love are in him abundant; And he'll draw Souls to himſelf; When I am lifted up (ſaith he) I will Draw all Men to me; The Death of Chriſt upon the Croſs was a Spiritual Emblem of this Drawing: And the Father Draws, and the Spirit Convinces, That Perſons may by it be Drawn to Chriſt: It is therefore in the High and Supream Hand; And when we have any Intimations and Motives upon us, to move, and to ſtir, ſtill go to the Fountain; Go to him that is the Son of Oil: Theſe Rays and Beams lead to him that is the Spring of all Grace, from the very firſt to the laſt.
It is worthy our Conſideration, that Place of the Prophet Iſaiah, Chap. 22. laſt Verſes, And I will faſten him as a Nail in a ſure Place, and he ſhall be for a Glorious Throne to his Father's Houſe: And they ſhall hang upon him all the Glory of his Father's Houſe, the Off-ſpring and the Iſſue; (The very Beginning and the End) Veſſels of all Quantities; from the Veſſels of Cups, even to all the Veſſels of Flagons; They hang all upon him.
Now therefore, If you would hang your Humiliation, or Preparation, that's a Veſſel of the Off-ſpring, and it is a ſmall Veſſel, a Veſſel of ſmall Quantity; if you hang this any where, but upon the Nail in the ſure Place, nothing of Good can be expected; But if you would hang, even the leaſt Veſſel, the Veſſel of leaſt Quantity any where, hang it upon Chriſt, Hang it upon the Nail in the ſure Place.
And, if any of you have any Troubled Thoughts, or Conteſt of Mind about theſe Things, I beſeech you, That you would go up to this Nail that is faſtned in a ſure Place; For that Veſſel, that we hang any where elſe, it ſhall certainly be cut down, and the Nail we hang it upon will certainly be cut down, or removed, for the Lord hath ſpoken it; All our Lamps that ſhine in their own Light, they will go out in that Day, at the Appearance of Chriſt, like Sparks, that we compaſs our ſelves with, of our own kindling; All that do ſo, ſhall lie down in Sorrow.
The Laſt Objection is, But, how ſhall we know that we are in Christ? Can we diſcern it any otherwiſe, than by the Marks and Signs of Grace, that we find in our Selves? If therefore we find not Faith, if we find not Repentance, and all the Fruits of Holineſs, How can we think, or dare we think that we are in Christ?
Now therefore, To this I would give you this Twofold Anſwer.
Firſt, It is certain, That the Supream Witneſs to any of our Souls, it muſt be from the Spirit of Chriſt, it muſt be from the Spirit of Adoption, crying Abba, Father.
He is called the Spirit of the Son; I beſeech you ſeriouſly conſider it, Gal. 4. 6. Becauſe ye are Sons, God hath ſent forth the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts, crying, Abba, Father: Why does he call it the Spirit of the Son? But to ſhew, that it is the Witneſs coming from Chriſt: If therefore it comes from him, The Great Witneſs of the Spirit is, That we are in Chriſt: It doth not come to us in our own Righteouſneſs; For then, Why ſhould it be called, The Spirit of the Son? No, not in our own Sanctification, does it come to us; But it is, The Spirit of the Son; And, It's a ſure Teſtimony of its Glorifying Chriſt, in taking the Things that are Chriſt's, and Giving to us even in its Teſtimony.
You may ſay, This may Deceive us; And we don't know, Whether it is the Spirit, or not?
Obſerve what the Apoſtle ſaith, in 1 John 5. ſpeaking of the Witneſs of the Spirit; (latter part of the 6th Verſe) And the Witneſs of the Spirit is Truth: Why does he ſay, The Witneſs of the Spirit is Truth, but to meet with the Things that are in our Hearts, that we are ready to ſay: There are other Good Witneſſes, we dare not Believe the Spirit alone; But we have other Good Witneſſes, and we muſt bring them in; And if they ſay ſo too, then we may Believe the Spirit, or elſe not.
Now the Apoſtle ſaith, The Witneſs of the Spirit is Truth; To let us know, there is a ſeparate ſingle Witneſs of the Spirit of God, that is true.
I know no Reaſon at all, That we ſhould be afraid to Affirm this; For, If the Spirit of God dwells (as Generally the Beſt and moſt Judicious Diſcourſers of theſe Things, allow) if the Spirit of God dwell in us, Why ſhould it be ſtrange, that the Spirit of God ſhould whiſper its Witneſs in this way? And the Apoſtle ſpeaks of this very Witneſs, when he ſaith, The Witneſs of the Spirit is True: But then,
In the Second Place, I do acknowledge this freely and abundantly, That the Spirit of God doth make uſe of this, or that particular Grace, or Holineſs in general, in a Saint of Chriſt: As he pleaſes, ſometimes he Witneſſeth only by himſelf, ſometimes by ſuch and ſuch Graces: And why? Not becauſe the Graces themſelves are alone able to bear up the Witneſs; That I plainly deny. But then,
The Spirit Witneſſeth not only of Grace, of Faith, of Repen…ance, and Holineſs, &c. but as they are in Chriſt; Faith and Love in Christ Jeſus; And as they are made up of his Righteouſneſs; and flow from his Death, Reſurrection and Interceſſion.
And here is that, that I ſaid to you, Chriſt takes any Grace of his Servants, and ſhews it at the Day of Judgment; Not as it is out of himſelf, but as it is in himſelf, and in his own Righteouſneſs, and by his Spirit; He now ſhews to any of his Servants, any of their Graces, but not as out of Chriſt, but as in Chriſt, ſurrounded, made up, fill'd up with his Righteouſneſs: As I remember the Expreſſion in the Book of Exodus, where the Jewels that were in the Ʋrim and Thummim, in the Breast-plate of the High-Priest; Their ſetting is called, Filling up.
They were filled up in the Gold, the Receptacles and Lodgings of them were filled up, Exod. 28. So I ſay, In every Grace, there's the filling up of the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt.
Take all the Graces of Paul, and of Peter, or any of the Servants of Chriſt; And if they had not been Set in the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, if there were not a Filling up by the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, they would all come to nought; And therefore they are filled up with his Righteouſneſs.
And ſo I do acknowledge, That it may be; That the Spirit of God may give his Servants a Witneſs, and a Teſtimony from their own Graces: And ſo, in 1 John 4. 17. Herein (ſaith he) is our Love made perfect, That we may have Boldneſs in the Day of Judgment; Becauſe as he is, ſo are we in this World: There is no Fear in Love, but perfect Love caſteth out Fear; He that feareth, is not made perfect in Love. Here the Apoſtle ſpeaks of a Tormenting, a Diſturbing, and Perplexing Fear: The Power of Love to Chriſt drives it out; Becauſe as he was, ſo are we in this World; That is, The more Chriſt is pleaſed to Sanctifie his People, (taking it ſtill for a Sanctification in himſelf) as he is made to us Wiſdom in our Calling, Righteouſneſs in our Juſtification, Holineſs in our Sanctification, and Eternal Glory, ſtiled Redemption, all in him, and from him.
I ſhall therefore wind up This, in theſe two Brief Applications.
The Firſt is, You ſee here, as Solomon ſpeaks in another Caſe, When all is ſpoken, that can be ſpoken, We know (ſaith he) it is but Man; It is nothing but Man; That is, ſpeaking of the Weakneſs of Man; All that can be ſaid (ſaith he) you have nothing but Weak, Frail Man: And, on the other ſide, (ſpeaking of Chriſt) There's nothing to be ſaid, but this; He is All, All in All, we are nothing: Here's the Sum of the Matter; We are Nothing; all that is in us is Nothing; All that God, or his Spirit hath wrought in us, it is nothing, (if you could take it out of Chriſt) it will be a Lamp put out in obſcure Darkneſs.
Carry this conſtantly upon your Thoughts; He that hath the Son, hath Life; And he that hath not the Son of God, hath not Life. We reſt upon nothing, when we reſt upon our ſelves: Let us take him in, who is the Great Melchiſedeck, that King of Righteouſneſs, that King of Peace; Let us never go without him, let us never ſay, Here's ſuch and ſuch a Grace, and ſuch and ſuch a good Action, but let it lead us to the Spring and to the Fountain; If we can but Chatter, as Hezekiah, the Name of Chriſt; It is the Bleſſed Name that is poured forth; It is the Savour of the Knowledge of Christ, that makes acceptable to God.
If we can but only lie down at the Foot of God and Chriſt, and earneſtly beg for his Sake, according to the Great Expreſſions of Scripture in Prayer; If we want Quickning, if we want Comfort, if we want Humiliation, if we want the Senſe of Sin, Sorrow for it; I have no Intention in theſe Diſcourſes, that you ſhould throw theſe Things away, or think lightly of them; But that you ſhould have them all from the Fountain, and in the Fountain, by a continual Union with him, and Communication from him.
Therefore, if any of us want any of theſe, the more we ſhould cry to him; If ſuch a Sin grow too hard, and ſuch a Luſt and Corruption will take hold upon us and Domineer in our Souls, whether ſhould we go, but to the Great Redeemer? And when we come to have a continual Converſe with him, and to have all our Graces from him, and in him, conſiſting wholly in him, this will bring us to ſuch a Love, ſuch an Acquaintance with him, that it will caſt out fear; As thoſe that we continually Converſe with, our Love ariſes far above our Fear, and ſo, when we Converſe thus with Jeſus Chriſt: I beſeech you, that you would take the Name of Chriſt; And if you cannot get your Hearts ſo affected as you deſire, yet let not that Name go, but preſs it upon your Hearts, in Prayer to God through Chriſt; I am ſurely perſwaded, the Flinty Rock will be turned into a Standing-Water: If you ſay, How? There's no need to give a Man Satisfaction, if a Man ſlights it, and has no care about this; But if our Souls are indeed and in earneſt Affected, as Bartimeus, cry more earneſtly; And if any thing bids you hold your Peace, yet you'll find that it will be ſaid to you, He calleth thee; And ſo ſtand up, and lay the Weight and Burden of all upon him, as I ſaid before; From the Off-ſpring to the Iſſue, from Flagons of great Quantity, even to little Cups, the leaſt Thing in Religion, let all be hung upon this Nail in the ſure Place: And then,
The Second Thing; Becauſe I deſire ſtill to make mention to you, of the Great and Gladſome Expectation of the Kingdom of our Lord Jeſus, to come into its Succeſſion; Let us all earneſtly beg, That it may be ſo; And then I am ſure, theſe Things will be cleared, there will be no claſhing then: For the Name of Chriſt will ſwallow up every thing; The Glory of the Doctrine of Chriſt, when a Few years are but over, I make no Queſtion, the Name of Chriſt will ſound ſo loud, that all Things will be drawn up to him, and be united into that Bleſſed, and Excellent Name of Chriſt.
And therefore, we will ſay (with which, I'll conclude this Diſcourſe) Thy Name is as Oyntment poured forth, therefore do the Virgins love Thee, &c.