The Parable of the Ten Virgins, Part 2 · Chapter 16
Thus much of the Second thing, in this Second Part of the Parable; Now the Third follows, viz. The Coming of Christ himself.
CHAP. XVI.
Concerning Christs Coming.
SECT. I.
NOw this coming of Christ is set forth and amplified from two things.
1. From the time of his coming; While the foolish went to buy, he came.
2. From his different entertainment of the Virgins, and carriage towards them being come.
First, The wise they went in with him to the Mariage.
Secondly, The foolish were shut out, &c.
By this coming of the Lord is (as hath been oft said) meant the coming of Christ to Death or Judgement; but especially and principally his coming to Judgement, as may appear by the whole series of this Chapter and the next, wherein the Lord answers to the second question of the Disciples, viz. the signs and …me of his coming; i. e. his second coming, which is called his coming to judge the the world, &c.
That there is and shall certainly be a Second coming of Christ to Iudgement.Observation 2.
This truth the Prophets have foretold; Enoch, Iude 14. Solom…n, Eccles. 12. ult. Rom. 14. 11. with Isa. 45. 23. The Apostles have preached thus, as 2. Cor. 5. 10, and it was ever in their eye, and the main part of their Ministry when they pressed people to believe in Christ as a King; where is he? He shall come, they tell the unbelieving world; Angels also have published this, Act. 1. 11. and Devils beleive this, who are in their chains bound over to that day; and all the Saints have looked for this, 1 Thess 1. … and hence promises of mercy at that time are made to such, Heb. 9. ult. And lastly, the consciences of many wicked people have confessed this; Paul preacheth of Iudgement to come, and Felix trembles, and Heb. 6. 5. divers felt the powers of the world to come, and by judgements on them have been made to know that he is the Lord.
SECT. II.
Quest. 1. BUt when shall the Lord Iesus come?
Ans. In general, when all the E…ct are gathered under the wings of Christ; hence Matth. 24. 22. For the elects fake those days shall be shortned, i. e. an utter ruine of all had then come but for them; and therefore when they are once collected, the Lord will come; and hence in particular Judgements the Lord doth thus; only a few Elect keep a whole land from being utterly wasted,Isa. 65. 8. Isa. 6. ul…. 1 Cor. 15. 23, 24. first Christ is quickned, i. e. in soul and body raised, then those that are Christs at his coming, and then comes the end; and hence the tares are spared, lest in pulling up them, the wheat also be plucked up.
Now as for setting down the particular time, the Lord Jesus doth it not in this Chapter; onelyonly gives some signs of it, by which we may give certain credit that it is not far off (as of the death of a crazy man) and there are two that are not yet accomplished.
1. The destroying of Antichrist, at least in the principal power of it, and throne of it.
2. The calling of the Jews, Rom. 11. who must have a great day of it again; which dry bones shall live; and their restoring a kinde of resurrection and life from the dead: Some have thought two thousand years before the Law, and under the Law, and under Christ; and then when these six days of a thousand years a piece are ended, comes the great Sabbath; this is already proved to be false in the second two thousand years. In the Primitive times and Churches the Apostles, especially …ames and Peter, spake of the end of all things to be at hand, who writing to the scattered Jews had good reason to tell them of it, viz. the end of the Temple. Though Bar…s to weaken the Authority of Scripture, thinks they spake only their own apprehensions; divers Christians thought then it was nigh; and hence Paul … them to beware of those thoughts, seeing much danger in them, 2 Thess. 2. 1, 2. And in succeeding ages, Tertullian expresseth the affection of the Christians to the Roman State, that they sought not the ruine of it, but prayed pro mor â finis, as fearing it was then coming upon the world for sin; and so many Saints seeing wicked…ess abound, have thought that time is not far off; but yet the times and seasons are not in our hands to know, Act. 1. 7. and that must quiet us, that come he will.
SECT. III.
Quest. 2. WHere will he come to judge?
Answ. Into this visible world again; for if it should be in heaven, as no unclean thing shall come there, so we should then rather come to Christ to be judged, than for him to come to Judgement▪ No, there is a second coming; that as his first was into this visible world, so shall his second, Act. 3. …1. Wh… the heavens must contain untill the time of the restitution of all things; and then shall he break out of heaven again for this work; Now to what particular place in the world he shall come to judge is disputed on by many, especially some of the Schoolmen: Some think that it shall be in Mount Calvary, where he was crucified; some in Mount Olivet, where he ascended; others in the Valley of Iehosaphat, Ioel 3. 2. which as it cannot contain all people that ever were, so the place only speaks of the terror of God against the enemies of his scattered Jews at their conversion; I would not be wise above what is written, all that I read most plainly of, is, 1 Thess. 4. 17, 18. That then we shall meet the Lord in the air; now how high, or where the Lords Throne shall be set, those things are not for us to enquire after, but so the Lord will order it, as that all Nations, all the dead, small and great shall stand before him and see him in one place; which shall not be very low; where men have sinned, there they shall be judged; and hence as Judges have their Circuits; so men having sinned in this world, shall be judged here.
SECT. IV.
Quest. 4. HOw will he come to judge?
Answ. He shall come in power and great glory, Matth. 24. 30. As first, The glory of the Father, Matth. 16. 27. the brightness of his Diety, his infinite wisdom was hid in the dark lanthorn of his humanity, but then he shall appear, as 'tis said, Rom. 1. 4. manifested to be the Son of God by his Resurrection, so then much more when he comes to raise the world, all the world shall see his power, wisdom, greatness then.
Secondly, All his mighty Angels with him, Matth. 16. 27. all shall be there, so that heaven shall be left empty; a thousand times ten thousand▪ shall then minister unto him; and you know how gloriously the Lord made the Angels shine at Christs Resurrection.
Thirdly, With the voyce of the Arch-Angel and the trump of God, and with a shout, 1 Thess. 4. 16. He shall descend with a shout, i. e. of joy to the Saints, as in the day of victory and triumph of God; as at giving the Law the Trumpet did blow to work dread and terror then, so now.
Fourthly, With burning and consuming of the world, 2 Pet. 3. 7. 2 Thess. 1.
Fifthly, Raising and call…ng all the dead before him, small and great, good and bad, in earth and sea, and that in a moment it shall not be a long work, 1 Cor. 15. 52. and thus the Lord shall appear at this day, that as he came before with baseness, so he shall now come in glory, and nothing then shall have any glory but himself, and those that are his, because he will damp all the glory of the world; and thus sitting in the clouds in a Throne of glory, he shall judge, i. e. examine, convince, and condemn; examine all secrets, and convict men of their evils, and then condemn them and pass sentence upon the wicked, and grace to his Saints; the Saints examinations, and all their duties and actings for God opened, and that all the world that censured them may see then the infinite wisdom and love of God in his people, in making and keeping them sincere.
SECT. V.
Quest. 4. VVHy will he come?
Answ. 1. If it was only for his peoples sake, for their perfect redemption, and refreshing, there were reason enough for it; hence it is called a day of redemption, and a time of refreshing; here they are captived under miseries, and sadded by them under sin, Satan, world, but then they shall be redeemed: Now that it shall be so;
First, He hath come already to redeem his people from sin, which is the greatest evil, and which redemption w…s performed by his blood; now if he hath redeemed from the greatest evil, viz. Sin; then from Corruption, then from Death, and Satan, &c. If he once came by blood and baseness, then he will come in glory and greatness; if he came through fire to them, then he will come through fair ways to them; if by death to them, then by life to them; and hence Ioh. 5. 24. all judgement is committed to him, because he is the Son of Man. And though it be long, yet surely he will, he must come, especially seeing himself hath perfectly redeemed his people, and is now himself exalted above all: A man that hath been in prison himself, with his poor brethre… that are left there still, the price of their redemption being paid, and there being nothing for their delivera…ce wanting, but one to fetch them, if none help, he will do it alone: So here.
Secondly, in regard of the Justice of God, that that may be cleared before the eyes of all the world; men sin now, and are not punished; but flourish, and the Saints are grieved; every man sees patience, bounty, long…sufferance exercised; but the wrath of God against the least sins is not yet made known; there must therefore be a day to declare it, and the equity of it.
Thirdly, In regard of the Wisdom of God: Look in all Commonwealths well governed in the world, and we shall not finde any but they have Court days, and their Petty Sessions, and great Assizes, as in Israel; for to what extremity of wickness would places come to else? so here; Shall the wise Governor of the world never have a day of hearing and trying causes? hath he no care? others are but in his room under him till that time: neither is it enough to say that there is Judgement of death▪ Answ. That is only Christs judging the soul in private either to his shame or glory before Christ; but the body is to be judged as well as the soul, to shame before men, or glory before all the world.
Fourthly, In regard of Christ's soveraignty and excellency; the coming of Christ is called his Kingdom, 2 Tim. 4. 1. Why, doth not Christ rule now in the world? Yes, but it is in the midst of his enemies; his enemies rule and he rules also; but there must a time come that no enemies must rule, but Christ alone▪ and this is his kingdom in a most illustrious manner; for the things of Christ are said to be with us, when they do in a special manner appear; as the coming of his Spirit, and his love, so his Kingdom; now Christ must reign till all his enemies are put under foot; for it is not fit he should lose his Kingdom; hath the Lord suffered others to reign and rule, and himself to be hid, and his glory lost, and that so long? and will he never return to his Kingdom to be glorious, there to reap all his glory that he hath lost by all his enemies in the world? Was there ever King that would ever endure one generation of Rebels after another, and never make himself sole Sovereign? however Man may suffer it, yet the Lord will not, he must reign. And wherefore doth Christ reign? It is to trample … under foot, his and his peoples enemies; Christ sets death his enemy, to destroy his enemies, and keep them as in a Goal; but afterward Christ will call them forth, and pass an irreversible doom upon them.
SECT. VI.
SEE therefore and believe the truth of this Point as well as hear it:Use 1. At the first coming of Christ, Heb. 11. 13. they did thus, saw the Promises afar off, and embraced them; so see it afar off: There be divers people that profess this truth that do not fully believe it; for if they did, they would never live as they do: That look as men that know the Judge rides Circuit within half a year, dare not commit any open sins; so if you believed this, you would make conscience of secret sins which this Judge shall judge.
Others there be that do believe it as they do reports that every man saith, but they do not see that really to be true indeed, which their hearts literally believe; and hence mens hearts are not a whit moved with grief, or sorrow, or joy, or fear at the remembrance of this day. For as it is with us in reports of news out of Germany, many hear things, but are not affected with their misery, because they do not see it acted before their eyes; God presents not their sorrows; and hence they are not moved; but when they do see them acted, then they are moved much; so here. Look as it is with a man awake and in sleep; a man awake believes the day of Judgement, and never stirs; but when asleep he dreams of it, and is much affected with that because he sees it acted before his eyes; much more when men have not dreams but real visions or sight of it, it will affect: And hence set, painted fire before a Malefactor, it affects not, but shew him really it wherein he must be burnt, now it amazeth him; and hence 2 Pet. 2. 11, 12, 14. looking for; and hence Peter saith what manner of persons ought we to be! and whereever there is Faith, thus it will be, Heb. 11. 1. it makes things absent present, and things unseen evident.
Oh that God would shew you this truth, you young men, Eccles. 11. 9. you would not spend time vainly, but know God: You aged men whose hearts are rooted in this world, Oh know that God will come and burn up your delights; will you never see this day and fear it before you see it, and mourn because of it!
Oh take heed of rash judging and condemning,Vse. 2. and suspecting, and censuring other men: In Pauls time Rom. 14. 10. one Brother in a Church there judged another about indifferent things in a Christ-like manner, as if he had no Grace, &c. You shall stand before Christs Iudgement Seat, saith Paul▪ and hence Paul, 1 Cor. 4. 3, 4, 5. accounts little of mans Judgement, and bids them judge nothing, &c. What if Christ find that to be a lye which thou judgest to be true.
Many of Gods Servants lie under hard thoughts and speeches in private, not only from Enemies abroad, but from inhabitants at home; men out of the Church censuring and judging of Members; men in the Church, one of another, especially if they take to a side; The Lord will discover hard speeches, and an edition of all your hard thoughts put out in print at the last day: This breaks love, this breaks Church-fellowship, and is the cause of breache… in this Country.
Oh take heed of an hypocritical heart;Use 3. if the Lord should come to judge according to the seeing of the eyes of the outward man, then well were it with many; but when the secrets of the hearts shall be judged it will be terrible; if there should never be a calling over of things again, happy were it for many, but 'tis otherwise, 2 Cor. 5. 10. Paul sought only to please the Lord, for we must all appear, &c. Civil men if they can carry it so as men may not say hurt of them, they think 'tis well; Hypocrites if they can maintain a name of Religion, so as they may maintain their interest in good mens hearts, it is well; if they get some enlargement in duties, that they are commen… of them, well; if they can get so much mercy as to get the Lord to accept of Christs righteousness for them, it is well; but saith Paul, We laborto be accepted of him. I am perswaded godly men do not think of this; we think the wicked shall have all their secrets laid open, but the Saints come not into condemnation; 'tis true not of wrath, but of trial, so as that their righteousness shall be laid open to all, to their glory at the great day, 1 Pet. 1. 6, 7. And therefore get that life which Christ himself may commend; that as Christ said, I have not found such faith in Isr…el: So here, when thou hast spoken a good word, repeated a Sermon, spent a Sabbath, ask thy heart, is this worth shewing to all the world? that though at be vile, yet Christ himself will commend this? Oh you will finde only acting for him will commend the act, Mat. 25. 40. there is that needlework, and golden Arras of Holiness which is lapt up in the Saints, that Christ will open before all the world another day.
Oh therefore repent,Use 4. Act. 17. 31. Paul tells them times past were spent in ignorance without God, time to come was a time of Judgement and wrath of God against all sin; Oh then repent: Mourn for all wrongs done against Christ: You will …il then, if you take not your season now; mourn therefore for time past, and for time to come agree with him; now he sits on a throne of Mercy in Heaven if thou wouldst not be put to shame; then, Oh be ashamed for all sins now; if not judged then, then condemn and judge thy self now; the Lord looks for no more; Oh welcome him as King into thy heart as his Kingdom.