The Parable of the Ten Virgins, Part 1 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Sheweth the Markes and Signes whereby the Soul may know whether he be in league or love with any lust or creature, or married to the Law.
SECT. I.
1 THose that never were in bitternesse and sorrow of heart for the losse of God.Sign 1. For these two things are as clear as the Sun. 1. That the losse of God is the greatest losse; for 'tis the utmost and last plague upon the damned in Hell: My Comforts, my Friends, Means, Heaven is gone, but if God were mine, I could be comforted; No, God is gone: Hence no sorrow for any losse so much as for this. Saul, 1 Sam. 28. 15. God is departed from me. Hence sore distressed. Nay, the Lord Jesus when the Father departed for a time, and he knew he would return and visit him, cried out, My God why hast thou for saken me? 2. That all men living have lost God, Isa. 59. 1, 2. Psal. 58. 3. The wicked go astray from their womb. Now I would demand why men either seel no losse at all, or if they do, have not so much Grace as the damned in Hell, to mourn bitterly for it, so as nothing can comfort them, or if they do, they are soon eased and quiered before the Lord returns? Why surely here is the great cause of it, they have some other thing to ease their hearts in the want and losse of God, Ier. 2. 13, 14. Men must have water to drink, why do men live from the fountain, go not to it, nay not know it? Because they have broken pits, and wels at their own doors: So here. And hence the damned that have lived at ease here all their life time, assoon as ever dead, then they cry out of the losse of God, when 'tis too late, because while they lived, they had somwhat to ease themselves withall. And hence many that have lived long with convinced Spirits and guilty Conscienes, when they come to die, then they are in perplexities of mind, agonies of heart, insomuch as their sweat trickles like water from them, and their doleful outcries for losse of time, strike to the hearts of all that come near them. Oh! God is gone, because now all comforts which were their Gods, and in stead of God before, have taken their final leave of them. Search your hearts therefore all you that hear me this day. Wast never troubled yet? Yes, I have lost my health, my child, my husband, my goods, and this hathtroubled me: But tell me, Did'st never feel a losse of God blessed for ever? loss of his light, his sweetnesse, his love, his fellowship, his presence, &c. and this hath been thy intollerable load? Or if thou hast felt it, hast thou sought and found him? No, but art jocund in that estate, and now and then it troubles thee a little, then 'tis certain and as clear as the Sun, there is some creature or content that thy heart is in league withal, which easeth thee in the want of God, and which is instead of God to thee, and which therefore is thy God. It may be thy apparel, thy wife, child, &c. and if thou die in this estate, never shalt thou have communion with Jesus Christ, The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
2. Dost find the Lord a stranger to thee in all his Ordinances, wherein it may be the Lord sweetly and wonderfully and mightily, yet not alway,Sign 2. but seasonably reveals himself to others. Oh but thy heart dries and parches away, and that without much trouble under them all. If so, suspect it, beleeve it that there is some league with a lust. For there is a double life of a Christian. 1. An outward life, which others see: Men see he comes to Church, prayes in the Family, &c. 2. There is a secret inward life; according to that of Mat. 6. 6. Thy Father which sees in secret, which none knowes but himself, and the Lord; and this is an ineffable communion with God, vision of God, delight in God, &c. Psal. 45. The Kings daughter is all glorious within. There is an open life of prayer, and hearing, and fasting, and there is an inward, secret life in all these, wherein the Lord acquaints himself with his people, Psal. 63. 1, 2, 3. To see thee as I have seen thee. Now there be divers have this open life, yet wanting the secret life. As we love not to live among Tombes, not to have communion with dead men; so the Lord is a stranger to them. He may secretly sweeten an Ordinance to them, and move them, and shake and trouble them, but himself is a stranger, spiritual miseries not removed, spiritual mercies not conveyed, Isa. 58. 1, 2, 3, 4. Why have we fasted, and thou regardest not? You took pleasure saith the Lord, and break the bonds of wickednesse, &c. I know Saints may be thus denied, and it may be for some space of time, yet they quarrel not with God for denying them, but are more taken off from pleasures thereby. Thou hidst thy face, and I was troubled, though the Mount stood still. But some there be whom neither good day mends them, not bad day pairs them: Surely there is some content thy heart is bewitched withal. That look as 'tis with a suitor to another, let him while he comes to her, professe never so much love, and desire love, yet if when he goes from her, commits lewdnesse with every one, she will lock him out. So 'tis here; never did I know any lockt out from the power and sweetnesse of Ordinances, but because they went a whoring from God out of them. The Lord knowes (though others do not) whether 'tis so with you. Look therefore upon thy self, you enjoy great means every where in this place. Is it enough to have Ordinances? the Ark? No, Do you find the Lord in them? Blessed be God. But tell me truly, Do you find no want of God? Yes. Do you find him? I find more knowledge, strength, &c. But do you find no God usually? No. Then either some creature contents thee, or if the Lord should refresh thee, thou would'st be content without him. Man and wife will (if they love) meet at Meals, Iohn 14. But when no meeting, dead prayers, dry Sermons, saplesse Sacraments, worse then before. If thou beest the Lord's, he will by affictions purge, &c. But if thou continuest so, look for no communion in Heaven.
3. Dost thou find no rest in any thing that thou hast?Sign 3. For this is clear,…nothing can give rest to a mans soul but God: He is big enough only to fill it, and then a man hath it, Isa. 26. 3. Now if no rest, 'tis a sign thy heart sticks to the creature, yet thou saist I would fain have the Lord: It may be so; but thou wouldst have creatures too. And hence God will not, and creatures cannot give the fulnesse of rest. Thus it was with Solomon, Eècles. 2. 3. So 'tis with thee, thou findest thy soul delighting it self in all things; yet vanity and vexation, and withal giving thy self to wisdom too. 'Tis true, a Saint feels an emptinesse in these things, yet he feels a fulnesse in somthing else. (He hath better meat which you know not of) which Solomon did not for a time, yet afterward he did. But thou findest a vanity and trouble, and art never at peace when all is done; weary of world, But hath the Lord swallowed thee up into himself, in the cloud of his Glory, so that in his favour and presence thou findest life? No, Then there is some lust thou lovest, and dying thus, shalt never see the face of Christ. Ye…, this will come as a heavy endi…ement against thee, that God hath so wearied thee in thy way. Yet Ier. 2. 25. There is no hope, after thy Lovers thou wilt go. You shall scarce find any but feel the creature vain, and yet get not to rest in God.
SECT. II.
II. DIscoveries whether we are married to the Law or not. And here I shall stay longer. Where I premise,
1. When I speak of not being married to the Law in stead of Christ, I do not hereby exempt your selves from obedience to the Law, after you are in Christ.
2. Do not think I speak against all evidencing your estates from conformity to the Law; though I do from some subjection and obedience performed to the Law.
1. If the Law was never dead in thee, thou art married to the Law, Rom. 7. 2. Now look as tis with a husband, if the wife be sick, and he be at home, whoever forsakes her, he will comfort her, and support and chear her; so that if he chear her not, its a sign he is dead; if he doth, its a sign he is alive; for the life of the Law, is the comfort and support that the Law doth give for a time. So that if thou wert never brought to that sore straight, that thou hast not felt any one duty to cheer or revive thee, and comfort thee, but hast found some little thing or other to do it, its certain you are yet married to the Law. Ex. gr. It may be thou hast been troubled in mind for thy sins, What hath cheared thee? I have forsaken them, and cast out Ionah, and there hath been a calm: Why this forsaking thy sins (which hath not been all but some) is not Christ, but an act of the Law. Oh but I have fallen again into sins, this hath troubled thee: What hath cheared thee? I have repented and been sorry for them, and purposed to do so no more. This is the life of the Law still. Oh but you find sins prevailing against you, and you cannot part with them; and hence dare not resolve against them. Oh but my desire is good though, my will hath ever been against them. Oh ignorance! This desire is but a work of the Law, 'tis not Christ. Oh but I have found no desire sometime: What hath quiered you now? I have trusted to Christ: You have done it. The Lord never made you feel a need of the Lord, to draw you to trust; though to be assured of Christ's love. Is this a legal Act? Ans. As obedience to the Law done by the power of Christ, is an Evangelical work, so to perform any Evangelical work from a mans self, is a Legal work; and you are under the life of the Law. So that thou hast not been so oft troubled, but the Law hath supported thee; thou hast not been brought to that passe as the Church, the Spouse was, Isa. 54. 5, 6. And as one of my best friends, and best men that lives this day in the world, after many wrestlings to find somwhat in himself to chear him, and could not; Now saith he, if the Lord out of his good Nature, &c. do not help me, I am undone for ever; for I have a heart and a nature against him, and the more I do, the worse I am. And therefore thither I look. Surely you are under the life of the Law, and are fat enough off from Christ, if not sensible of this. Not that a man is alway thus, for he that cannot feel afterward the Lord Jesus by the power of his Grace working in his heart, I would conclude, he never had any at all. But at first 'tis so. For these two things man naturally seeks,
1. To have a righteousnesse in himself that will ease him.
2. To have it from himself: Kitchin Physick is not far to fetch.
Now the Lords plot in saving his, is, 1. To make them seek it out of themselves in another: Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. 2. To have all from another, that so, no flesh night glory before him. And to doubt of this, is to doubt whether God hath plotted the Glory of his Grace or no. Hence the Lord empties the soul of both, that the soul saith, Ashur shall not save us, Hos. 14. 3, 4. None durst, none can comfort it. And now to the wonde…ment of Heaven, and everlasting joy of a poor cast-away, and the eternal honour of his free Grace, now, and never till now, doth he begin to make the match between the Lord Jesus and this poor soul: And as the Lord never comes to him till now, so he never will come to the Lord, while he hath the least good; as it was with the Prodigal, while any husks, or as it was with the woman with her bloody issue, while any mony to spend on other Physitians, never will try what Christ can do. And therefore those that never yet knew of the de…th of the Law, they are yet married to it, Rom. 2. 17. I know many a soul grieve; for the de…th of this husband, and now thinks 'tis undone, I cannot do this and that, though formerly I could indeed; I say if there be any love of Christ, now is the time of it. Only understand Gods scope here in it.
2. If a man complains more or chiefly for want of grace or righteousnesse,Sign 2. to remove sin, and not so much for want of Jesus Christ: Then in this case 'tis as it is with a woman, that man for whose absence she mourns most, that is her husband: She saith the other is, no but he is not. So this is the estate of many a soul, they have neither Christ not righteousnesse: Now they complain so much that their hearts sink and dye away quite within them: And what is it for? I cannot do this, nor I do not find nor feel such signs and affections within me. Such a vile heart, I know not the like, such rising in my heart to sin and thoughts of it; why if you had Christ, all this would be mended. I can do all through Christ. But you complain not for want of Christ, nor need of him from these two Arguments.
1. Because the feeling of your sins, does not make you feel a greater need of Christ, as Iohn, I have need to be baptized, &c. but drive you further from Christ, and reason it out against him, And why? Because you would have a righteousness without him which you stand in need of.
2. Because he that seels a need of the Lord Jesus, shall not when he is offered, need intreating to take him; as you shall not need intreat hungry men to eat their bread, you shall not need to intreat Zacheus to receive Christ joyfuly. But no commands, no intreaties can prevail with you to take him when he is offered, you have no heart to it. Like women that love their own husbands, grieve so for their absence, that they have no heart to any other offer. Is it thus with thee? Then 'tis with thee, as it was with that young man, that askt Christ what he should do to inherit eternal life; he liked Christ well, but he did not feel a need of Christ himself so much, as of some more knowledge of the Law, and ability to do it. Its the great plot of Arminians, to make Christ a means only, to make every man a first Adam; setting men to work for their living again; for they grant all Grace is lost, all comes from Christ, Christ gives all, and to Christ we must look for all; and then when we have it, use it well, thus you shall have life, else look for death: So 'tis a misery many a soul is in. Men will trade in small wares, rather than live on anothers Almes. Do you think the Lord takes it well to make him a Merchant for your ends? Oh no, never look to have communion with him in this way!
3. Those that close with, but rejoyce more in a little Grace they receive from Christ,Sign 3. than in all the fulnesse in Christ, more in a little they do, than in all the Lord Jesus hath done, Phil. 3. 3. That is a womans husband, in whom she rejoyceth most. Do you rejoyce more in what you have, and do, than in what the Lord Jesus hath, and hath done? more in what you receive from him (for a hypocrite may receive from Christ, Iohn 15. 2.) than in what there is in him? It argues a whorish heart. I know a man may rejoyce in what Christ works in him, but 1. not more in this than in Christ himself. 2. A child of God may while he knows not whether Christ is his do so: but you think the Lord is yours; well, when you feel affections and life, then you are glad, when that is lost then sad; why is there no life when thou art dead, no glory when thou art base, no wisdom, no communion with God when thou hast none? Yes, why dost thou not rejoyce in this which is here most fully, which Saints presenting, please the Lord more by, than by giving the glory of Angels infinite millions of years: Oh thy heart is not in love with Christ, but somewhat else, for here is the joy of all Saints, In thy seed shall all Nations account themselves blessed: all Nations, one and another, Isai. 45. 24, 25. shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. Consider therefore this, thou art sometime joyed; why? O I find my heart thus and thus, and is this all? yes, for when this is gone, all joy dies; and should I not do thus? yes, else you never felt comfort of it: but not only rejoyce here, but when the beam is gone, the Lord is not gone, Rom. 7. ult. when the bottles are spent, the spring is full.
4. He that performs any duty ultimately to ease his conscience,Sign 4. he is married yet unto the Law, for there are two sorts of duties to the Law.
1. Some are directed to give Christ content to ease his heart, by seeing Gods love in Christ, then love being shed, the heart sheds it on Christ again: and thus saith the Apostle, I through the Law am dead to it, that I might live to God, Gal. 2. 19.
2. Some are to give the soul ease, it sees sin, and fears it must dye and the Devil appears, and when it lies down, it fears it shall never awaken again; and when it hears, thinks no mercy, but only threats belong to it: and hence having no peace of conscience to think God will love it, it loves duties, doth duties, and now takes these for good tokens and signs of love, and if it feels a need of Christ, 'tis only to ease it. Now a man is married to the Law, when he crouds for ease into the bosome of it, Deut. 5. 27. they were in great fear, Whatever God will have us do, we will do it: is it not thus with many? How shall we know this?
Answ. Dost find this while fears and terrors of conscience are on thee, so long thou dost seek, and pray, and he…r, and call on God, and when they are worn away by time, or blown over with feeling some good things, and hopes from them, then thy heart is careless again; 'tis certain you are yet married to the Law: as many a man exceeding forward while prest under sense of sin for a year or two. Lord! how many hundreds drop away by little and little afterwards? Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were such a heart alway. Mat. 3. 7. to 13. they saw a wrath to come, hence feared, and hence came to Iohns Baptism to repent and confesse him.
5. No man that is married to the Law,Sign 5. but his fig-leaves ever cover some nakedness; all the duties ever broodsome lust: there is some one sin or other the man lives in, which either the Lord discovers, and he will not parwith, as the young man, or else is so spiritual he cannot see all his life-time; read through the strictest of all, and see this, Mat. 23. Painted Sepulchres: Paul that was blamelesse, yet Eph. 2. 3. Tit. 3. 3. served divers lusts and pleasures, and the reason is, the Law is not the ministration of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 3. 8, 9. which breaks off from every sin,Isai. 1. 11 there is no saw that can give …ife, Gal. 3. 21. And hence many men have strong resolutions, and break all again; hence men sin, and sorrow, and pray again, and then go with more ease in their sin; examine thy self, is there any living lust with thy righteousnesse, 'tis sure 'tis a righteousnesse thou art married to, and never wert yet match'd to Christ; hence note thy self, it may be thou hast rested in duties, and since more light came, saw it; and seeing this, thinking that here is all thy errour, thou hast laboured to see the emptinesse of thy own Righteousnesse, and the fulnesse of Christ, and now thou art come to both, and now well. So then thou hast not found out any lust thou livest in all that time; nor the … of thy old nature: no; why then I pronounce thou art yet ma…ied to the Law, take and trust never so much to Christs righteousnesse, … the power of a proud heart, an unclean heart still, never speak of Christ.
6. They that are fearful to be troubled at their estate to have it prove ill,Sign 6. which a Saint may do, yet brings it out to the light at last, Iohn 3. 20. When a Woman is married to a condemned man, guilt being upon him, he loves not to be seen abroad in the sight of others; thou hearest a Sermon, and art loath it should be found out, loath to be troubled; he that hath righteousnesse in Christ will not only bring it to tryal, before men, but God himself. Now is it thus with any of you? what shall I say? shall I say that Christ is or may be thine in this estate …uly if I durst I should; bless thy self thou maist: but remember that the Lord will take thee to do for it; and what is it to lose communion with Christ, I cannot express it. The Disciples were sad when he went away from them in his abasement, but for the Lord to leave thee, when in his glory, to stand a far off and see him go, never to see him more, when no tears shall ever prevail again; Therefore if thou hast been found out this day, confess and give glory to God, and let thine eyes be tears, that Christ would overcome and draw thy soul with love, and espouse thee to himself for ever.