The Parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, Treatise · Verse 8
Vers. 8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your Oyle, for our Lamps are gone out.
In these words consider 1. The Request that the foolish Virgins made unto the wise, Give us of your Oyle. 2. The Reason of their Request, For our Lamps are gone out.
The foolish Virgin-professors were now at last made sensible that they wanted Oyle, and that it was their great folly that they did take no Oyle with them (as the wise Virgins did in their Vessels) when they took their Lamps, and went out to meet the Bridegroom.
1. Meditation. It argues and demonstrates very great folly in those Virgin-professors, and Church-members, who seem to be Religious, having a form of Godliness, and are looking for and bearing Testimony unto the spiritual Kingdom and glorious appearance and coming of Christ the Churches Bridegroom, to be without Christ and to want the spirit of Christ, and the saving and sanctifying Grace of Jesus Christ in their hearts.
Doubtless, Now at last the foolish Virgins were very sensible of their folly in resting satisfied and contented with a profession of Christ, without a possession of Christ; with having their Lamps, and the form of Godliness, without the Oyle of Grace, and the power of Godliness; And with being in a Gospel Church State, and therein partaking of the holy Ordinances of God and enjoying fellowship with the Wise Virgin-Saints, and yet not being partakers of the Divine Nature, nor having communion and fellowship with God the Father, Son and holy Spirit in the wayes and Ordinances of God.
Now those foolish Virgin-professors wish they had some of the wise Virgins Oyle; O, say they, that we had Christ, the Spirit of Christ, and the Grace of Christ in our hearts. Now they ask and beg, they seek unto and intreat the wise Virgin-Saints, saying, Give us of your Oyle, Communicate of your saving and sanctifying Graces to our souls.
2. Meditation. The time will come when foolish Professors and formal Church members will see and sadly experience their being without Christ, and their want of the Spirit and Grace of God.
Many Professors now can live without Christ, and without God, and without Grace in the World, yea in the Churches of Saints, and in the Ordinances of the Gospel, sometimes making a shining profession of Christ, and witnessing of, and bearing their testimony to the Kingdom and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ; and at other times slumbering and sleeping in a carnal security, luke-warmness, formality and backsliding Apostasie: who when they are awakened by some midnight dispensation of God, will see and be convinced, and made sensible of their want and need of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ, and the Grace of Christ.
The time will come when they shall see and know by a thorow conviction, and woful experience that none but Christ, nothing but Grace will supply their wants, nor satisfie their souls. Give us of your Oyle: Oh! that we had possession of Christ as you have; Oh! that the saving sanctifying Grace of God, and Spirit of God were in our hearts, as they are in yours; We now see our want of the power of Godliness, Truth of Grace, and Union and Communion with Christ, which you have and enjoy.
And though Men and Women, yea some Professors and Church-members can live without Christ, buy and sell without Christ, build and plant without Christ, marry and give in marriage without Christ (for they will be very busie about such things, when the Son of Man cometh, Luke 17.26, 27, 28, 29, 30.) and some Professors can have and hold Communion with the Saints in the Churches and holy Ordinances of God, without Christ and Grace: Yet when Christ comes, yea when death comes, and they are awakened by that midnight dispensation, then they see themselves lost and undone to Eternity, then they know not what to do, nor how to dye without Christ and without Grace. Then they call, and cry, send for, and seek unto the Ministers and Saints of God, and say pray for us, speak to us, pity us, tell us what we shall do. O Men and Brethren what shall we do (as they did, Acts 2.37. And as the Jayler did, Acts 16.30. Sirs what shall I do to be saved? And as the foolish Virgins did here to the wise Virgins, Give us of your Oyle.)
For our Lamps are gone out; or are going out, as in the Margent. This is the Reason of their Request; as if they had said, O ye wise Virgin-Saints, Sanctified Believers, who have Union with Christ, who have obtained the precious faith of Gods Elect, and have received the Grace of God in truth, and all the fruits of the Spirit; Give us of your Oyle, communicate some of your saving sanctifying Grace unto us. For our Lamps of professed Gospel-light, our shining Temple-Light, all our spiritual Gifts and common Grace, all our former Gospel Enjoyments, even all our hopes and comforts are now decayed, withered, perished, and are ready to dye, and be utterly extinguished, and we our selves are in the dark, and must sit down and perish in eternal darkness, unless you can and will supply us with some of your spiritual Oyle; For our Lamps are gone out.
3. Meditation. That all the Gospel-light, that shines in the spiritual gifts, and religious actions of foolish and formal professors, will at last be extinguished, and go out, and they will fall away.
1. There are some formal Professors that have received spiritual Gifts from God, 1 Cor. 12.4. to the 11 verse, Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are differences of Administrations, but the same Lord— And there are diversities of Operations, but it is the same God that worketh all in all— But the manifestation of the Spirit, is given to every Man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the Word of Wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, by the same spirit — To another faith by the same spirit, to another the gift of healing by the same spirit, to another the working of Miracles, to another Prophesie, to another discerning of Spirits, to another divers kinds of Tongues, to another the Interpretation of tongues. One member of the Church may have a word of knowledge, another may have a word of Wisdom, another may have a gift of Prophesie, another may have faith (not sanctifying faith) and all these and several other Gifts given them by the holy Spirit of God, and yet not have Christ, nor the Graces of faith and Love in Christ Jesus, 1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3. Though I speak with the tongues of Men and of Angels, and have not Charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling Cymbal. And though I have the gifts of prophesie, and understand all Mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove Mountains, and have not Charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my Body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing. Gal. 5.6. For in Jesus Christ, neither Circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by Love. The Apostle in these words, Neither Circumcision availeth any thing, sheweth and testifieth that no Priviledges, Ordinances, Gifts or Administrations that the Jews had under the Law; Nor Ʋncircumcision, that is to say, no Priviledges, Ordinances, Gifts or Administrations, which the Gentiles have under the Gospel, will profit or avail them any thing in order unto the obtaining of Eternal Life, and Everlasting Salvation, without faith in Christ Jesus, that works by Love, or as Paul saith, Gal. 6.15. For in Christ Jesus, neither Circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new Creature; that is, unless the professing Jew or Gentile be a new Creature, 2 Cor. 5.17. that is, Gods Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works, Ephes. 2.10. that we should walk in them.
2. And some foolish and formal Virgin-professors may shine for a season in the Acts and Exercise of those spiritual gifts that they have received from God for the Churches Edification, 1 Cor. 14.1, & 3. Follow after Charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may Prophesie. — But he that Prophesieth speaketh unto men to Edification, and Exhortation and Comfort. And they may also shine in some kind and degree of Gospel-like conversation, and Saint-like life, in respect of some external actions and outward performance of holy duties. And they may likewise shine like Lamps and Temple-lights in bearing their Witness and Testimony for Christ, his Head-ship, Ministry, Churches, Worship, Kingdom and Government. And lastly, they may shine like Lamps and burning Lights in enduring the Afflictions of the Gospel, in suffering the spoyling of their goods, imprisonment, Banishment, yea and death it self, 2 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3.
3. And yet after all this their Lamps will go out, and those foolish and formal Professors will fall away, Luk. 8.13. They on the Rock are they which when they hear, receive the Word with Joy, and these have no Root, which for a time believe, and in time of temptation fall away. Those hard hearted hearers believed for a time, They made a profession of the faith of the Gospel, and they made a confession too, and that before many Witnesses; But in time of temptation fell away. When that hour of temptation comes upon them which Christ hath foretold shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the Earth, Rev. 3.10. then they will fall away; and the Reason is, because they have no Root, that is, they have not Christ, they are not rooted in him, Col. 2.6, 7. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, stablished in the faith: as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Faith in Christ never falls away, 1 Pet. 1.3, 4, 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant Mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the mighty power of God, through faith unto Salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. It's a faith without Christ that foolish Professors depart from, 1 Tim. 4.1. Now the spirit speaketh expresly, that in the later times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils.