Several Works, Work 2 · Part 8
Verſe 9.
—foreign.
HEre is the third part of the anſwer of the wiſe Virgins to the fooliſh Virgins queſtion: Which is not to be underſtood as a ſerious advice from the wiſe to the fooliſh, directing them to the ready courſe to procure oyl to themſelves; except we could underſtand by them that ſell, Jeſus Chriſt, or Father, Son and Spirit, who ſelleth, and would have us buy of him without money and without price, Iſa. 55. 1. for the Bridegroom, Jeſus Chriſt, ſeemeth to be diſtinguiſhed here from them that ſold, according to the meaning of the wiſe and fooliſh Virgins here; but for that I ſhal leave it. If that may be the meaning of the wiſe Virgins, ſurely the fooliſh Virgins underſtood it not; for it appears not that they went to him to buy, but uſed ſome other impertinent endeavours; as they went to the wiſe Virgins before, and not to Chriſt. Here is little ground for Papiſts to bottom their Doctrine of perſeverance to be attained by their own induſtrie and pains; for alway his price is not comprehended from being, if it be from God, from Jeſus Chriſt; it is alway excluded, Come buy without money, or without price, as before, except they purchaſe it of men. But we may underſtand theſe words, as many godly, learned do, for an upbraiding, a mocking, an Ironical conſent, as there are many inſtances in Scripture; Rejoyce O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart chear thee; but remember, that for all theſe things God will bring thee to judgement. And ſo that of Eccl. 11. 9.Elijah, he is a God, cry aloud, he is either in a journey, or talking, 1 King. 18. 22.or ſome ſuch thing, that he cannot hear. And ſo Micaiah ſpake to Ahab, Go, and proſper, and the Lord ſhall deliver it into thy hand. 1 King. 22. 15.And that of Jeſus to his Diſciples, ſleep on now, take your reſt, which Mat. 26. 45.is Ironical. So as when Ahab would be humoured, the Prophet ſpeaks after his mind; if ſo, as it ſhould ſeem, he might perceive he ſpake not as he meant, how long ſhall I adjure thee to ſpeak nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord? So theſe fooliſh Virgins, they would have their grace from a creature, and the wiſe anſwered them according to their humour, and Ironically yield to them, to ſend them to others, though themſelves had none to part with; Aug. Ep. 120. and Calv. ſo underſtood them; and ſo doth Beza and our Annot.
The Note I would briefly hint to you from hence is this;
That ſuch as trifle away the day of grace, and are not ſerious in the work of getting grace, the time ſhall come when they ſhall have Doct.none to pitty their miſery.
If men may expect pitty or compaſſion from any; it is either from the Lord, who is a God of bowels, and unſpeakable, unſearchable compaſsions: Or elſe from the people of God, who as the Pſal. 86. 15.children of God, do put on bowels of compaſsions, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, they are cloathod with bowels, ſo that their compaſſions are eminent, and to be ſeen by them that have to do with them; but Col. 3. 12.yet the time may come brethren, if you now neglect ſo great ſalvation as is offered to you, held out by Jeſus Chriſt himſelf the Son of God, ſpeaking from heaven, not frō the earth, that you ſhall have no pitty from the Lord; no nor from his people: from God, that is Heb. 2. 3.plain. I will but name it, becauſe it may ſeem impertinent to the Text; yet if it ſerve to no other purpoſe, it may ſerve to ſhew us, that the Saints, if they do not pitty in ſome caſes, where it is evident the day of grace is paſt, and men have wretchedly ſinned it away, that they have the Lord for their pattern for it, therefore I mention it; Then ſhall they call, ſaith the Lord, and I will not anſwer, they ſhall cry, &c. I will mock when their fear cometh, and laugh at their calamity; Prov. 1. 26. It is ſpoken after the manner of men, and ſheweth the heavy aggravation of their miſery, that the Lord ſhall be ſo far from pittying them, that he ſhall laugh at them. So in the 2. Pſal. where the Annointed of God is lifted up upon Zion, there are ſome that will not be bound, will not have him to reign over them, count it a bondage, and a grievous one indeed, the Lord ſhall laugh at them, he ſhall have them Pſal. 2. 4.in deriſion. But for the people of God, they expect it may be to be pittied in ſuch a condition by them, but they may meet with nothing but a mock, though a holy one; and indeed there is need of much holineſs, and in act too, to mock and not to ſin; So here you ſee, and ſo the Prophet by a ſpirit of Propheſie, go and buy of them that ſell. But leſt this may ſeem to be ground enough to build it upon, becauſe it is of doubtful interpretation. therefore take another Scripture, where he ſpeaks of the Deſtruction of perſecutors of the people of God, ſuch as Doeg was, and there is the like reaſon for hypocrites, when diſcovered undenyably, and their Lamps gone out; as here, the righteous ſhall ſee it Pſal. 52. 5.and fear, and laugh at him; when God ſhould deſtroy him for ever, and pluck him out of his dwelling place, and root him out of the Land of the living, then the righteous ſhould ſee it, and laugh at him, have him in a holy deriſion; yet with an holy awe of that glorious and fearful God, who was ſo juſt in his judgements upon him.
And is it not juſt with God it ſhould be ſo, When ſuch hypocrites have in their hearts deſpiſed the long-ſuffering, and patience, Reaſon.and tenderneſs of the Lord waiting upon them; and made a mock and a jeaſt, it may be, at the intreaties of God, at the earneſtneſs of the Saints, and their preſſing ſo hard forward, that now themſelves in extremity ſhould be mocked at by the people of God themſelves?
This may be then in the firſt place, a warning-word to all ſuch trifling profeſſors, as all the while Jeſus Chriſt ſtretcheth out Ʋſe 1.his hands to them, even all the day long, they will not come to him, they will ſit under the ſhadow of their own gourd, while it is green, and not under the ſhadow of Jeſus Chriſt; they will ſit by their own bottle, their own ciſtern, and not come to the Fountain which is opened for ſins, for uncleanneſs. Remember Brethren, there will come a day upon you, wherein (to the Ez…k. 13. 1.cutting and wounding of your ſouls) you ſhall be ſent to thoſe empty things for comfort. Papiſts will not now be perſwaded but there is enough for them in their Church-treaſurie, and lay out their money upon them; but when the Lord ſhall ſhew them their treaſure is empty, there is nothing in it, it will not reach to pay the uttermoſt farthing, no no… one farthing will it reach to pay, then will the Lord and his people ſend ſuch poor deluded ſouls to their Merit-mongers, to their indulgences; Now go to your treaſurie of Merit, for ſome ſucker and r…lief; now go to your dry bottles, ſee if there be any drop of water there to cool your tongues, your inflamed ſouls with the diſpleaſure of the Lord. As the Lord in the day of his peoples deiſtruction, ſends them to their Idols which they doted upon; in a mocking way at their callings, I will ſave you no more, go to your Idols, your gods that have eaten the fat of your ſacrifices, &c. You have made lies Judg. 10. 14. Deut. 32. 37.your refuge, now go and ſhelter your ſelves under them; now go and ſee whether your gourds will ſhade you from the ſcorching of the everlaſting burnings? O how this will grate and gall a guilty conſcience, every ſuch word will ſpeak confuſion and hell to the very heart of a ſinner, and this is that you muſt expect. You that now cannot down with a ſearching powerful Miniſtry, can abide the ſhining, but not the burning of a John Baptiſt, that will deal faithfully with you; but you muſt be daubed and bolſtered up, you muſt have ſuch as will ſpeak peace, peace to you, right or wrong; the time will come when God ſhall ſhew you that this hath been the ruine and undoing of your ſouls; and then in contempt and ſcorn you ſhall be ſent to them, Go now to your Paraſite-Preachers; when the conſoience is all on a flame, and you ſee your Lamps are gone out, and the Bridegroom is ready to come, and there is but a ſtep between you and hell▪ Ah the woful condition of ſuch a ſoul! then may the Lord and his people ſay, Now go to your daubers, now ſee if they can heal your breaches, ſee if they can bind you up, if they can cool you and quench you? you ſhall have it of Gods hand to lye down in ſorrow: Iſa 50. 11.and then ſee whether your daubers with untempered morter, ſhall lull you aſleep? O how grievous will this be from the Lord, when they ſhall have nothing but deriſion from him, and from his people! Now, the people of God will pitty you, and pray for you, but the time may come, if you know not the things which belong to your peace in this your day, that they ſhall laugh at you, they ſhall in a mock, a holy ſcorn, ſend you to your falſe refuges for help; Go to them that buy, go to your flatterers, ſee if they can comfort you.
2. This then is a comfort to the people of God, that are now guided by the holy Spirit to go to Jeſus Chriſt, to the Ʋſe 2.Fountain indeed, to hang their ſouls upon him, repleniſh themſelves ſtill from his fulneſs, as it is in that firſt of John; becauſe Brethren there will come a day of diſtinguiſhing between ſuch as have made the Lord their hope, their ſtrength, Joh. 1. 16.and ſuch as have dallyed and trifled; and as the one ſhall have a mock from God, and from his people; the Believer that hath been uſed to make the name of the Lord his refuge, he ſhall then find acceptance, find a free acceſs, What time I am afraid, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, I will truſt in thee; doſt thou not love Pſal. 56. 3.to be flattered? wouldſt thou have thy ſoul dealt faithfully with, and not gently, as is ſaid concerning Abſolom; happy art thou: when others ſhall be ſent to their broken Ciſterns, thou ſhalt be admitted to the Fountain, to the fulneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, to which thou uſually hadſt recourſe: as the wiſe Virgins here, they trimmed their Lamps, they got a new ſupply of oyl; but the fooliſh are ſent to them that ſell, to their flatterers, their Mountebanks, their money-changers, to ſee what they can afford them.
In ſuch a time as this, thou ſhalt come to the true Phyſitian, to the high-treaſurer of heaven, &c.