Several Works, Work 2 · Part 9
Verſe 10.
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HEre it ſeemeth they had no more wit then to go to buy of them that ſell.
How difficult is it to beat a man off his creature-confidence and Doctr.refuges which he hath for his ſoul?
For theſe fooliſh Virgins here, they had kindled ſparks of their own, and walked in the light of their own ſparks a great while, and all that while it was an exceeding hard matter to perſwade them to the contrary, but their penny was as good ſilver as other mens; to perſwade a painted hypocrite, while his paint laſts, that he is but a Sepulchre, and full of rottenneſs, and no reſting in that conditlon, is as hard, as to perſwade a man that looks upon his money baggs, he is a beggar. But now a man would have thought when this Lamp had gone out, and they ſaw their ſparks of their own kindling would not endure to eternal life, that then they ſhould have bethought themſelves of a higher born flame, a higher principle that would endure to get that oyl, and that fire from heaven that would aſpire, and never reſt until it reached heaven: my meaning is, that when they ſaw the profeſſion and form which they could by their induſtrie and parts work out of themſelves, went out and failed them, they ſhould have thought of going to a higher principle, but what do they do? they go to the creature you ſee, to the wiſe Virgins for oyl, & there they have another repulſe; they had none to ſpare for them: By this a man would have thought they might have taken a hint, that ſure it is not to be had then from the creature, we muſt look higher; if any creature could furniſh us, tht wiſe Virgins, the Saints indeed could furniſh us; but we have knockt at their doors, and it is not to be had there. And do they now bethink themſelves of going to Chriſt? no, not at all. Let it be conſidered yet further, that they had a very ſharp blow, to rap their fingers off the creature, which a man would have thought ſhould have made them afraid of ever laying hold upon an arm of fleſh again, for this Irony, or holy mock of them, go to them that ſell, if they underſtood it ſo, was a reproof as full of Vinegar as can be. As that of our Saviour, ſleep on, now, (ſaith he) take your reſt; now they are at hand, let us go hence; they had little liſt to ſleep Mat. 26. 45.after ſuch a reproof as that: and yet we ſee theſe fooliſh Virgins are ſo ſtupid, that this mock of them, it beateth them not off at all, but to the Creature they go ſtill, to try whether there be any oyl to be had among them that ſell; the flatterers and merit-mongers, they think not of going to Jeſus Chriſt.
And whence doth this appear brethren? but firſt, From our corrupt nature, which hath departed from the Lord, and is now ful of enmity to him, and is loth to return to him; ſo proud we are, that as long as we can find any thing in our ſelves, we will go no further; but when we ſee our own gourd is withered, our torrent is dried up, ſuch is the enmity of our wretched hearts to God in the way of his Grace, that we would go any whither for ſuccour rather then to God, to Chriſt; the Jews would not Ioh. 5. 40.come to Chriſt, that they might have life; they might have it for coming for, but they would not, they would take any pains in their own works; men will rather put themſelves to any pennance, mortifyings and maceratings of the fleſh, as the Papiſts ſome of them do; will be at any charge for their indulgences, from men, rather then they will go to Jeſus Chriſt. Thus the Lord complains of his people, that they did wander from mountain to Ier. 50. 6.hill, expecting help here and there, but forgot God their reſting place. The Raven would not return to the Ark, if ſhe could get a place to reſt any where upon the earth, though the Dove had no reſt any where elſe but in the Ark. Ah what woful natures Gen. 8. 7.have we brethren! ſo contrary to the God of love, and fulneſs of bowels and compaſſions; ſurely we can ſee nothing in him, wherefore we ſhould be ſo averſe, but the pride and rebellion of our own deſperately wicked hearts; how ſhould this exceedingly humble us!
2. Not only nature, but it ſhould ſeem, they were accuſtomed to it alſo, and that increaſed the natural inclination to it; at firſt their ſparks were of their own kindling, they would have fire out of their own flint, and oyl from within: well, this failed you, ſo they went to the wiſe Virgins, and were habituated in it, it was a rooted evil, and well watered; and therefore no marvel, if at the very laſt, they thus go to them that ſell, Can the Ethyopian change Ier. 13. 23.his skin, or the Leopard his ſpots? no more can ye that are accuſtomed to do evil, learn to do well; here is a firſt nature, and a ſecond nature, nature upon nature, and what is harder to carnality then nature, while it remaineth unchanged? naturam expellas, &c. You may keep a Woolftame, and train him up like a Dog to follow you, but he will retain his woolfiſh nature ſtill, and if he have occaſion, will manifeſt it; where a Creature hath been uſed to betake it ſelf for refuge, thither will it go in time of need, the Chicken to the wing, the Conies to the rocks, the Fox to her holes, and the Child of God to the rock; what time I am afraid, Pſal. 56. 3.I will truſt in thee, as before; and poor Hypocrite to the Creature, this or that, ſomewhat in himſelf, or ſomewhat in ſome other, as you ſee: for this he is accuſtomed to, to go to his prayers, to the opinion of flattering perſons, &c.
3. Another reaſon may be this, in Profeſſors that have long reſted in a formality, and now at laſt come to ſee their nakedneſs, God plucks off their plumes, letteth them ſee they are naked, and yet they go not to Chriſt, it may be, becauſe he holds their eyes, hideth this wiſdom from their eyes: alas, if the Pſal. 16. ul….Lord ſhew us not the path of life brethren, we can never find it out our ſelves, we ſhall grope at noon-day, though we have never ſo Luke 19. 41.much glorious light about us, and Chriſt be held out never ſo plainly to us: we ſhall grope and wander, and never have a heart to come to him, as it is ſaid of the Iſraelites, God did not give you to this day, a heart to underſtand. O ſaith the Pſalmiſt, Teach Deut. 24. 4. Pſal. 86. 11.me thy way, and I will walk in thy truth. Now God and Chriſt, in a juſt diſpleaſure againſt us in ſuch a caſe, may hide himſelf from us, a…d will not be found: either we ſhall not have an heart to ſeek him at all, or elſe not an upright heart to ſeek him, and therefore though we ſeek him, he will not be found.
As this ſhould teach us all to be humbled before the Lord for wickedneſs and averſeneſs of our hearts to Chriſt, that we will not come to him, ſo long as we can get a drop out of our dry Bottle: we will not come to the Fountain, but wander up and down, and weary our ſelves to ſeek reſt anywhere then in Jeſus Chriſt. Haſt thou been a Prodigal, and haſt thou known this by experience? haſt thou ſhifted, and ſhuffled, and lick… thy ſelf whole as often as thou couldſt, and born it out by head and ſhoulders, the Convictions thou haſt had ſometimes, when thy Lamp hath been dying? O how ſhould this teach thee now, if the Lord have, notwithſtanding this, ſhewed thee the path of life, ſhewed thee the Fountain, the Olive, whence the oyl is to be had indeed: this ſhould teach us I ſay, to loath our ſelves: Ah wretch, wretch that I am, that ſhould carry ſuch a heart toward Jeſus Chriſt!
2. It may ſerve to advance and magnifie the juſtice and mercy of the Lord: on Hypocrites juſtice and ſeverity, that ſince they have loved to wander from Creature to Creature, and would never come to Jeſus Chriſt. Now at the laſt, when they muſt come to cloſe with him or never, he ſhould be hidden from their eyes: Is Ier. 14. 10.not this a righteous, a ſevere hand? are they not paid in their own coin? the Lord grant we fall not any of us under this ſtroke of Divine juſtice, to be left and given up to a wandring heart, becauſe we love to wander. O methinks, this ſevere hand of God upon them, lying upon them to the very laſt, ſhould affright poor Formaliſts, that have nothing elſe but a few broad leaves to be their refuge: when theſe wither, what will you do? what muſt ſhadow you from everlaſting burnings? you will ſay Jeſus Chriſt; but do your hearts ſay ſo indeed? and why do you not now make ſure to cloſe with him? for if you wander thus up and down from Creature to Creature, who knoweth whether he may not make you examples of his diſpleaſure, and ſuffer you, yea, give you up to wander, as thoſe fooliſh Virgins, that you ſhall never be able to look after him, becauſe he will never look after you again.
And then it ſerveth to magnifie the mercy and grace of Jeſus Chriſt, that notwithſtanding this be the natures all of us, and we practiſe accordingly, and have made many a poor ſhift likely to quiet a guilty, accuſing, galled Conſcience, ſometimes with one, ſometimes with another ſhift, ſometimes with a duty, a prayer or tears; O if we could but weep for our ſins, all would be well; this would make a calm, and we are at peace; ſometimes the opinion of others, or ſometimes our own opinion of holineſs and our ſelves, to which we have done all that we have done it may be. Well, that after all this, now the Lord Ieſus after ſo long being ſlighted, and ſuch forms, and duties, and fig-leaves, and any broken Ciſterns, empty Bottles, and husky vanities, preferred before him, that yet he ſhould manifeſt himſelf to ſuch, to any of us, and give us that true oyl of Grace in the heart, whereby the ſinfulneſs and emptineſs of all our former ſhifts have been diſcovered to us. O what ſhall we render to the Lord for his love! behold what manner of love is this, that will overcome all our ſlighting of him, that will not let us alone under our fading gourds, until he bring us under his own ſhadow, and never ſuffer us to wander up and down from him any more; have our ſouls taſted of this his love? O bleſs him, magnifie him, make your boaſt in God, let the humble hear thereof, and be glad, live Pſal. 34. 2.his praiſes; what, can you do too much for him who hath thus loved you? but ſo much for this.
foreign. Here we have had the ſad ſurpriſal of theſe poor Creatures, that have their Grace to get, at the laſt they are taken, before they are ready for Chriſt; for alas, their Lamps ware out. Let men put off the coming of Chriſt as long as they will, and trifle away their day of Grace, though he tarry a while, yet he that ſhall come, will come, and will not tarry. Well, now he cometh.
But that is not all neither, he cometh upon them, not only while they are getting their Grace, but while they are ſeeking up and down to the creature for it, and never look at him at all; and this maketh it ſo much the ſadder indeed, when Jeſus Chriſt ſhall come to judgement, particular or general, to find men with their backs upon himſelf, and their faces upon their formalities and profeſſion, upon their flattering falſe Teachers, that at a venture cry peace, peace, though there be no ground; will it not be ſad brethren? The Lord help us every one to look to it, for I intend not to ſtay upon this; either we are ſuch as ſeek our oyl of Jeſus Chriſt, we live by faith in him; or elſe we ſeek to the Creature, we hang our hopes upon ſomewhat elſe; if ſo, whatever it be that relieveth us in the time of our trouble on this ſide Jeſus Chriſt, this is the object of our whoredom; Now ſhall the Bridegroom find us in the very act of whoredom, playing the whore, in departing from him, and will this be peace or comfort to our ſouls? How will you lift up your faces before him? brethren, how can a Woman that pretends faithfulneſs to an Husband, if he take her in the very act, how can ſhe hold up her head to him? O the confuſion and amazement will be upon us, if Jeſus Chriſt find us in the like Coudition! can you think how poor creatures will hang the head, and be filled with their ſhame, whether ſhall they cauſe their ſhame to paſs from them?
O then brethren, If you have neglected the day of Grace, and while oyl hath been offered you, and that upon eaſie terms, without money, and without price, and now you be convinced of your want of it, becauſe you know not how ſoon it may come upon you. Let me beg of you, that whenever he cometh, he may not find you going up and down to buy of the Creature, but coming to him, waiting upon him, (as the Apoſtle did) that you may be found in him; hence the poor thief upon the Croſs found mercy, Phil. 3.though it were at the laſt. O take heed of deceit here, for every one will ſay, that they have no other hope but in Jeſus Chriſt, and him they wait upon all the day: O that it were ſo brethren; but I doubt he will find many of us going to buy, when he cometh, and not of him, but of them that ſell; then they are running to their flattering paraſitical Preachers, then they muſt have an abſolution, a comfortable word, though they have lived never ſo wretchedly, as if a few comfortable words of a daubing Mountebank, would transform them from Devils incarnate, into Saints in a Moment, which is not much better (if any thing) then the Prieſts mumbling over the bread and wine, to change it into the body and blood of Chriſt. Then when Chriſt is coming, the Bride-groom cometh; doth he not find many running then to a prayer, then to a Sacrament? if they can but have that, they think they are ſecure enough; poor ignorant creatures! what is this, but to go and buy of them that ſell, inſtead of going to Jeſus Chriſt? Well ſurely, as this will much concern him to find men ſo undervaluing him, who is a Saviour to the utmoſt, to go any whether, rather then to him; ſo will it be confuſion to your ſouls, if you be found in the very act; there will be no denying, no excuſing of it; you will have nothing to ſay for your ſelves; therefore let us be warned to take heed of this. But ſo much for this.