The Parable of the Ten Virgins, Part 1 · Chapter 20 · Section 7
SECT. VII.
TAke heed you fall not short of the Grace of God,Use 4. of the promise and Spirit of Grace,Of Exhort. Heb. 12. 15. Oh get Oyl in your Vessels! When there is much counterfeit Gold abroad, every man will have his Scales, and not only look and rub, but he will weigh every piece he takes: Was there ever more Counterfeits abro…d, or such similitudes of the Truth? Insomuch as some in their Opinions, think it impossible, others in their practises find it hard and very difficult to distinguish the one from the other. Oh but there is a vast distance and difference! As ever you look for Mercy, get this Oyl in your Vessel. As ever you look for peace, know that you have it in your Vessel. I am perswaded that there is never a soul that follows the Lord tremblingly and tenderly, but when he hears of this, sends up his sighs, good Lord let me not fail here; better never have had thy Name in my Forehead, nor affection in my heart, than to want Oyl in my Vessel: And I am perswaded he trembles to think, what if I should perish at the last? And yet how many never have strong fears of failing here, that have most cause so to do. This Parable is directed to Virgin-Churches at the last period of the decrepit world; wherein methinks the Lord Jesus speaks unto his people, There is much profession, affection, but o… take heed you perish not for want of oyle in your Vessel. Le… all your care be to get that, and fear to want that, wherein the Lord doth answer that fear, and question, and thought of his people: Oh what if I should perish at last? … in your Vessel then, and if the Lord Jesus had been of that minde that there are no inherent graces in the Saints, or so dim they cannot be known, or if known you are not to respect them as any signs, but to look for a witness of grace upon you, or out of you, without respecting or looking upon grace in you, he would never have reco…ded this Parable, which to wise Virgins is to prevent those conceipts: Oh therefore how many fall short here, and regard not this!
1. Some fall short here by trusting to, and omnifying of Christ and grace, regarding not any grace within; they separate those things …rom one another which God hath joyned, and which a gracious heart joyns one to another: They respect not sanctification, faith or vocation, they look to Christ, and can they honour Christ enough? Hence profess they that regard those things have trus…ed to their frames of heart, and they scoffe at them that look to be justified by Faith: Tis such a delusion as is likely to deceive (if possible) the very Elect. Look as it was with the Israelites, 1 Sam. 4. They were overthrown in the battel of the Philistines; but what's the cause, Oh send for the Ark where the strength and presence of God wa…, but what good did the Ark do them with unhumbled hearts, that looked to that, and trusted to that, but minde not themselves; and hence when Samuel bids the… tur… from their Idols, and serve the Lord only; now they do it; so here.
2. Some only look to the out-side, like those that built the tombe… and painted the Sepulchres of the Prophets: And hence if they be inwardly zealous for external Order, Ceremony, Ordinances, carriage in garments, speeches, &c. they think the bitterness of death is past, when Agag-like they are clad with such soft raiment, and hence if there be transgression here 'tis sad: But what if they walk wi…h unbroken hearts? oh they respect not this! And so their care being taken up in trimming and making the Vessel bright, they neglect to get oyle within.
3. Some fall short here by thinking this thought, that that grace which is inward is also sincere and unfained: And hence do not judge themselves prophane nor civil, because of their profession, nor yet Hypocrites because they do not make only an outward shew, when as the dee…est hypocrisie lies under much inward affection many times: And hence they take every such work upon trust without weighing it, if double guilt, and there is no shew of Coppe…, put it up, never enquiring where the bounds of truth and hypocrisie part; And hence if they have inward comfort though by a dream, they take it; If upon their sick beds after trouble they have had peace, they take it on trust; if they have any promise of rest and peace, or feel some desires, love to Ordinances, and Gods people; they take hold on promises, and trust themselves without trying, without weighing: Sudden work is superficial.
4. Some feel a want of these things, and content themselves with desires, and so never come to be indeed … they desire to be; Its true, Saints feel wants and desire supply: But 1. They are never satisfied till 'tis so indeed: My flesh is meat indeed. 2. They are humble and vile in their own eyes till the Lord help; but these like Solomons sluggard, desire and have not; whereas in things of lesser worth they will not do so, They will not only desire, but indeed till the ground; If one neglects to till, though they answer, I desire, and God accepts that, every one will say he is deceived; their hunger is their food; they build the sluggards nest of desire, and there sit: Oh therefore take heed you fall not short here! Take heed your prayers and desires prove not lazie and unfaithful Messengers which you send to your Friends to come and help you, and they go half way and no further, and never fetch them to you indeed. Oh therefore get oyle in your Vessels, do not only fear the Lord, but fear him greatly, 1 Sam. 12. 18. Do not only cleave to the Lord, but with the whole heart, and cle…ve to him onelyonly; Beg this of the Lord. Look as poor people when they come to rich men that have full heaps, do say, let me have full measure, my family is poor, and charge great: So here.
Consider if once you get this it will never die,Motive 1. it shall increase exceedingly: Its a treasure you cannot part withal, that you shall never grow poor with; but Luke 8. 18. From him that hath not, shall be taken away that which he seemed to have. Oh many a one saith, I fear I shall fall at last, and I finde my heart so soon cooled; Oh get this, nothing shall quench it again! If you say I cannot keep it, I say it shall keep you, Prov. 2. 10, 11. Not when you have Christ and Spirit, and grace in your head, nor in your Conscience to give you peace, but in your heart; and when nothing is sweet but that, nothing lies between your heart and that; it shall now preserve and keep thee, it shall follow thee, fill thee, seal thee, live with thee, go to heaven with thee, &c. Mark this you feeble ones.
Oh consider what a …ad thing it will be to thy heart to miss of,Motive 2. and lose the Lord at last; The servants in Isaac's Family did not mourn so much as Esan when the blessing was gone. Why? They never had hope of it, never were nee… it. He was so long in the field that the blessing was gone before he came, and he sold it away for a trifle: So them that never came so neer the Lord and his blessing, never will have such sorrow, especially to think I sold it away for a trifle: O thought Esa… that I had come a little sooner, &c. When Saul went to Gilgal to sacrifice, 1 Sam. 13. 10. He staid seven days, and then sacrificed before the Lord, but then his doom was passed by God: And its said presently Samvel came, Oh if he had staid a little longer! So you will one day think, I sought and waited but forsook the Lord. Oh had I waited one day more I had been well. This is the reason why the Hypocrites portion is heaviest in Hell.
You will say, It will be heavy hereafter,Motive 3. but not now? Yes, now to if you do consider the Lord Jesus is so full, and thou not to have one drop of that which is saving, even when you come for it. It was a heavy token of the Lords anger, 1 Sam. 14. 17. when the Lord answered not all that day (when yet he did not speak bitter things against them) because he did use to do it: It notes the anger of the Lord Jesus; as a man that hath abundance of bread, and yet gives not any, this argues he is very angry if he continue so; and if so, how canst thou sleep under it?
Consider,Motive 4. else the Lord will try you; God hath his trying times, and they were never sent but to discover who were dross, who were gold, and the main end of all Gods Tryals is to discover this Truth that I now am pressing upon you. Some have a thorow work, and now the Tryal discovers the Truth, as in Abraham, Hebr. 11. 17. Some have superficial work, and they fall in Tryal, as Saul, and it doth discover it was but an overly work; For this is the Question God makes: Is it through or no? I, saith a carnal heart, Yes, saith a gracious heart. Hence its strange to see what men will do when a tryal comes. A man maintains a lust, he will not shew it, nor defend it, he shall turn to be of some opinion or other, and the corruption of his minde shall shew the corruption of his heart: A man loaths the people of God, but he saith he loves them; now this shall be a sign: Time shall come that some of them shall be matter of offence to him, and shall not honour him, it shall try him. A man loaths Ordinances, he saith he doth not, but comes to the worlds end to enjoy them. He shall have plenty of them, and some sad losses with them, and then you shall see he surfets of them, never quickned by them, to shew the work was but overly. A mans heart is above God, he saith he is content to be at the Lords dispose, let him do any thing with him, this comforts him. He shall have a cross wi…e, or something that doth not please him, and now hi… heart quarrels, and thus he shall be tryed, to shew it was but overly work. Men despise the liberties the Lord gives them; they say they pri…e them. A general Governour shall come with pretences of Religion and Protection, and you shall see this chaffe will take old Birds now. Oh therefore try your selves here, and be sure you fall not short here.
Wh… M…ans are there to be used?Quest.
1. Look that you make your Vessels clear.Answ. It hath been said of old, and I beleeve tis a truth still, …that the Lord will never send his Spirit to dwell in an unclean heart. Doves build not their habitations on dunghils. Gods Spirit must come as an efficient to take it away, but not as an Inhabitant to dwell in an unclean heart, 2 Tim. 2. 19, 20, 21. He that pargeth himself, he doth not say, God must do all, but he under God searcheth and purgeth, he shall be a vessel of honour, if from these things, especially from those sins which Apostates are conquered with, of which he there speaks: For there be many sins a man may be purged from, and not be a Vessel of honour. But what are the sins the Apostates perish by, mark them, finde them out, one by pride, another by sloth, another by world, &c. He shall be a Vessel of honour. Men see and confess, but make not work of it indeed, the old heart is not better, you consume and languish still, 1 Cor. 9. 26, 27. I beat not the air, i. e. I lay deadly blows on my enemy, and I bea… down my body, least, &c. Overly search of sin, hath made overly decay of sin, and hence overly grace and affection. As a man hath not light, nor love, nor esteem enough, because he never felt his wound to the bottome. Oh account it an inestimable mercy when 'tis thus; oh therefore remember the rule of the Prophet, Ier. 4. 3, 4. Sow not among thorns, &c. Many mens profession springs up, but withers, never comes to perfection; this ground is not plowed, or if so, not thorowly plowed, but thorns left to choak it. Well saith the Lord, look to your selves lest my wrath breake out like fire; why is the Lord so dreadful here? Oh because men are careless here, I look to Christ, and my desires are good, and I pray in secret, and I am much changed, &c.
2. Look that your Vessel be ever kept empty; when a man hath no grace, and sees how others can pray and mourn, and how far short he falls of them, its easie now to be empty, as Saul when he was no King; but when the Lord hath given some light and affection, and some comfort, and some Reformation; now a man grows full here: Saints do for God, and ca…al hearts do something too; but a little fills them, and quiets them, and so damns them. And hence men at the first work upon them are very diligent in the use of means, but after that they be brought to neglect prayer, sleep out Sermons, and to be careless, sapless, liveless, who is the better for them? Because I say that now they have got something, the main work is wrought, they call not that into Question, and so when God comes to reckon, they are found too light. Oh therefore keep the Vessel empty, never content thy self with any measure. Hath the Lord called thee? Yes I think so, and beleeve sometimes so, but I am afraid I may at last be found without oyle in my Vessel; be then every day, as if thou wert but now to begin. And this I say, true grace as it comforts, so it never fills, but puts an edge on the appeti…e; more of that grace Lord! Thus Paul, Phil. 3. 13, 14. Thus David, Out of my poverty I have given, &c. 1 Chron. 29. 3, 17, 18.
Its a sure way never to be deceived in lighter strokes of the Spirit to be thankful for any, but to be content with no measure of it, and this cuts the thread of difference between a superficial lighter stroke of the Spirit, and that which is sound.
3. Look that your vessel be not broken, nor crackt, that when the Lord pours in, it runs not out again, Heb. 2. 1, 2. Prov. 4. 12, 13. Oh here is the wound of many a man, he hath many affections in Word, in Ordinances, and they take hold on him to convince; to affect him, but he takes not fast hold on them, he keeps them not as his life, with thankfulness for any little, and with watchfulness. And hence a man is where he was, dry and barren. It's true the Lord will not give that out of an Ordinance which he doth in an Ordinance. But it's one thing to have it lost out of thy hands and the Lords hands too, another thing only to lose it out of thy hand. It's one thing for the Lord to withdraw it, another thing for thee to spend it away by the prevailing power of a lust, viz. either the world without, or contempt of Grace within; you esteem it not as your life, and hence seek not to keep it, you will lose the Oyl in your Vessels. And I am confident this is one reason why a man lives long under means, and never profits, the Lord sees if he should poure any thing into the heart, it would be lost. He takes fast hold of world or self, and keeps that, and hence all runs out again.
4. Look that you be at the cost to get this Oyl in your Vessel. These …irgins when the door was shut and too late would, but the time was past. For we shall find the reason why mens works are sleight, their buildings, their garments, why, they will not be at the cost; so mens work of Grace is sleight, because they will not be at the cost. They find a want of Grace, and prize it, and would fain have it, but it shall cost them little: they will not be at the cost of their time. Somtime they can seek the Lord in an Ordinance, but what if he comes not? They depart from him. Sometimes in pangs, and fits when the Spirit comes, they seek, but to be ever seeking, ever carrying sense of sin, 'tis too much time and trouble, they will not be at the cost. Some affections and hearts they spend, but not their whole hearts: Hence Christ exhorts, oh strive, because many seek and are never able. Look therefore as it was with Ionathan, Saul, 1 Sam. 14. 45. said he should die: No, the people said, not so, for he hath wrought with God this day. Not that a man can get Grace by his own strength, but Col. 1. 29. I strive according to his mighty working. Only let me add this, be at cost first to get the Lord Jesus himself; As Mat. 13. 33. He sold all and bought the Field; and when he had the Field, now he had the Treasure. Oh think no time too much, no lusts too dear, no affections too much for him (and then you have all things with him, and shall receive life from him) and not for a dead, but for a living, risen Christ. Christ bestowed Gifts on Iudas, on Saul, but whom he bestowed himself upon, those never wanted any thing, Psal. 23. 1. But here I might take up a doleful complaint; Oh that men content themselves with colours and tinctures of Truth and Spirit, &c. Some Naturalists observe, that Brass would be Gold, it tends to it, had it but more heat of the Sun to concoct it and to bring it to perfection; so 'tis with the lighter Stroaks of common Grace.