The Parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, Treatise · Verse 5
Vers. 5. While the Bride-groom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
The Bride-groom is the Lord Jesus Christ, vers. 1. who is here said to tarry or delay his coming, Chap. 24.48. which he will not do in respect of the time appointed of the Father. Then he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry, Heb. 10.37. But Christ is said to tarry or delay his coming;
1. Because He came not when they prayed for his coming, and earnestly desired his presence and appearance: thus Jesus tarried two dayes after Lazarus Sisters had sent him word that he was sick, Joh. 11.1, 3.6. and yet came in due time and manifested himself with power and great glory in raising Lazarus from the Dead, ver. 23.40, 43, 44.
2. Because He came not when they looked for him, and at the time when they expected his coming. The Apostle tells us, Heb. 9.28. Ʋnto them that look for him he shall appear the second time without sin unto Salvation. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels of Heaven, but my Father, said Christ, Matth. 24.36.
They all slumbred and slept. All the Virgins, both the foolish and the Wise Virgins. First, They all slumbred or nodded, that is to say, they did not wake and watch as formerly they had done, while they waited for and expected the glorious appearance of their LORD, and bare their testimony of his coming; but began to be careless and secure, neglecting their Duty, they became drowsie and indisposed to wait any longer for the coming of the Bride-groom, grew weary, silent and sleepy as the Spouse did, Cant. 4.16.5.1, 2. between her intreating and inviting her Beloved to come into his Garden, and his coming, I sleep but my heart waketh, ver. 2.
Secondly, They all slept, or were fast asleep, that is to say, the wise Virgins as well as the foolish were fallen into a state of security, as persons are when they are fast asleep in the night season, fearing neither Fire, thieves or any other danger. So all these ten Virgins (it being now near Mid night) were fast asleep (as it were in a dead sleep) through their carnal security, and careless neglect of their Watch and other Holy Duties. And some of them backslide into a deep Apostasie, and so continued till the Cry at Mid-night awaked them out of that deep sleep of carnal security, backsliding and apostasie, into which they were fallen, as appears in the 6 and 7 verses of this Chapter.
Meditation. Many Virgin-professors being mistaken about this time of Christs coming, who tarried longer than they expected, will fall into the slumber of sinful silence and careless security. And some Professors will fall into a dead and deadly sleep of Backsliding and Apostasie. This Meditation consists of four Propositions.
First, Many Virgin-professors have been and are mistaken about this time of Christs coming. And that doth appear by what many learned and Godly men have written and witnessed touching the coming of Christ, many have looked for the coming of Christ, as the Judge of quick and dead, 2 Tim. 4.1. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom. And that at the end of the World, 2 Pet. 3.3, 10, 12. When he shall give up his Kingdom to the Father, 1 Cor. 15.24-28. But few have expected the coming of Christ as the Bride-groom, and the New Jerusalem to come down from Heaven as a Bride adorned for her Husband, Rev. 21.1, 2. Who looks for the Marriage of the Lamb? and who will grant that his Bride shall make her self ready, Rev. 14.7, 8. to be marryed to Christ and to live and reign with Christ a thousand years here on Earth between the final destruction of the Beast and the false Prophet and the Eternal Judgement of the last Day, Rev. 20.4. But more will be spoken of the coming of Christ in the Exposition of the next verse.
Secondly, The Bride-groom tarryed longer than the Virgins expected, while the Bride-groom tarried, saith the Text; They expected his coming while they were awake, watching and witnessing, praying and looking for him, but He tarried till they all slumbred and slept. And then He came at Mid-night, ver. 6. at an hour (in a Dispensation) when they looked not for him. Matth. 24.44, 50. Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of man cometh. —The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of. Matth. 25.13. Watch therefore for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. And 1 Thes. 5.2. For your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Thirdly, The generality of Virgin-professors will fall into the slumber of a sinful silence, neglect to watch and wait for the spiritual Bride-groom; and grow careless and secure whilest he tarries.
So long as Virgin-professors will be speaking of Christs Coming and Kingdom, and talking of his power (as was prophesied the later day Saints shall do, Psal. 145.11.) whilest they are praying continually for the coming and Kingdom of Christ (as He taught his Disciples to pray, Matth. 6.10. Thy Kingdom come:) And whilest they are watching and waiting for the Lord from Heaven in his glorious appearance with Kingly power and Majesty, as the Saints were exhorted by the Apostle to do, 1 Thes. 1.9, 10. To serve the living God and to wait for his Son from Heaven; I say, so long as Virgin-professors are so doing, they will not, cannot, shall not slumber nor sleep. But when they begin to be silent in bearing their Testimony for the Kingdom of Christ against the Kingdom of Antichrist, and will not, dare not speak of his glorious coming and Kingdom as the Bride-groom, but give over praying for it, and waiting for him; Then they begin to be careless of his coming, and to grow secure, and being at ease in Zion, begin to slumber, and at last some of them fall fast asleep.
Fourthly, Some Professors will fall into a deep and deadly sleep of Backsliding and Apostasie. As some of the later day Saints will be shining Believers, Isa. 60.1, 2. So some of the Virgin Professors in the last days will prove backsliding formalists and damnable Apostates, and this grand and greatest Apostasie hath these four steps or gradations. 1. A liberal inordinate resting and reposing their hearts in and upon worldly contentments. 2. A cooling in their Affections and careless neglect of holy duties, Ordinances and the pure worship of God. 3. A fearlesness of declining and backsliding. 4. A Benummed deadness, hardness, insensibleness, security and contentedness, being at ease and rest, and so fall asleep in that condition, and this will happen a little before the coming of Christ, 2 Thes. 1.2, 3. Now we beseech you Brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together in him — That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit nor by word, nor by letters as from us, that the day of Christ is at hand — Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come exept there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. This Apostasie was foretold also by the Apostle Peter in his second Epistle the third Chapter, and the 3 and 4 verses. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last dayes Scoffers, walking after their own Lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming; for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation. The Apostle Paul also foretold Timothy, that in the last dayes, (which will be perillous times) Men eminent for profession, (having the form of Godliness) will deny the power thereof through their own Lusts, 2 Tim. 3.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There are two Expressions used by both those Apostles touching this grand and last Apostasie which doth confirm my opinion, that they both prophesied and writ of the same Apostasie. Paul saith, 2 Tim. 3.1. This know also that in the last dayes. And Peter saith, 1 Pet. 3.3. Knowing that first —that in the later dayes, &c.
The Root of this grand and last Apostasie is self-love, and love of pleasures, which the Apostle in his Epistle to Timothy notes to be the chief Character of the formal Professors and Apostates in the last dayes, 2 Tim. 3.2, 4. foreign, The men of Name shall be Lovers of their own selves and Lovers of pleasures, more than Lovers of God. These sinful Pleasures, and worldly Contents cause Professors to slumber, and some to fall fast asleep in Apostasie, Self-love is that Root of bitterness out of which those unblessed, yea those cursed Branches of sinful lusts (there mentioned) do sprout and grow, especially Covetousness, Pride and Covenant-breaking. And the Love of Pleasures is the corrupt fountain from whence the bitter waters of those sinful Lusts spring and flow.
Let him that hath understanding judge what I say. If MEN not profane only but Professors also, not only the men of the world, but also members of Churches do love themselves more than truth and Righteousness, and love the world more than faith and a good Conscience, yea love their vain sinful delights and pleasures more than God and Jesus Christ, may not those and such as those be ranked and numbred among the Apostates and Backsliders of the last dayes? By how much the more we see and know men that have been very eminent in profession above many others, and have been highly esteemed in the Churches of Saints, men of name, Chief men among the Brethren, yea among the Elders for knowledge, Gifts, Zeal, &c. who have born a glorious Testimony for Christ against Antichrist: But yet they have afterwards (through love of themselves and love of pleasures and other sinful Lusts) Backslided, Revolted and Apostatized from what they formerly practised and professed before many Witnesses; may we not conclude them to be among the number of the Apostates of the last dayes?