A Warning Piece for the Slumbering Virgins, Part 2
What are the ſpeciall times for a Chriſtians Spirituall watch?
As all Chriſtians ſhould watch, ſo at all times; there is a time for all things under the Sun, but no time to loſe in ſpirituall ſlumber: there's not a ſpare-minute for ſinfull ſecuritie; a Chriſtian muſt never give over working, watching, Warring; his labours in the Lord muſt end with his life, when he dyes in the Lord; and his watch muſt not fall, till he fall aſleepe in Jeſus: This in general, but more eſpecially.
1. In times of ſpiritual deſertion, when the Lord has withdrawn his ſpirit and grace, and ſeemes to be aſleepe and ſilent to us; oh then 'tis high time to call upon our ſelves, ſaying Awake, awake; and to cry mightily to the Lord, to awake and keep not ſilence; When our beloved is going, then 'tis time (as we love him and our own Soules) to ſtirr up our ſtrength, to take hold of him, and not let him goe for a world; does he begin to eſtrange himſelf from us, Oh cry heartily to him in their language, oh thou hope of Iſrael, Jer. 14.….why ſhould'ſt thou be a ſtranger, as a waifaring man that tarryes but for a night, &c? Thou art in the mid'ſt of us, oh leave us not; Woe unto us, when he ſhall depart from us: how many evils will come when he goes away? We have all good, in the chiefeſt Good, and all evil without him; 'Tis loſſe unſpeakable to want him, whoſe abſence nothing in Heaven or Earth can make up: if he ſay, Depart from mee, there will be a corner of Hell in it here, as it will be the very Hell in Hell hereafter, Depart ye curſed, &c.
Woe and alas unto us, for we have ſadly ſinned away his gracious preſence as ever any people did, by careleſſe ſlumbring, and carnal ſecuritie; how oft hath he found us ſlugging it upon beds of eaſe, when his finger has been put in at the hole of the door? VVe have made him wait, till his head hath been filled with dew,Can. 5.2. and his locks with the drops of the night; and yet we have not opened the door to him, neither for his importunitie, nor becauſe he is our friend. Had it beene an enemie or a ſtranger had done thus, he could have borne it; but that his own familiar friends ſhould lift up the heel againſt him; that ever they ſhould prove ſo hard-hearted againſt ſo tender-hearted a Saviour; this goes to the heart indeed. And now our Beloved ſtands behind the wall, as one highly offended, that will ſcarce look at thoſe, that have ſhut their eyes againſt his light, and their hearts againſt his love; this glorious Sun covers himſelf as with a Cloud, becauſe we ſleepe out the ſhinings of his light, and ſlumber out ſweet breathing-times ſhamefully, even in the ſight of the Sun; and leaves us under thick ſpirituall darkneſſe (even ſuch as may be felt) and we are covered as with a Cloud in his anger; And ſhall we not now awake, and cry after him with open mouth, heart, eyes, ſaying as the daughters of Jeruſalem, Whither is our beloved gone,Cant. 6.1. whither is he turned aſide? Oh return, return, make haſte our Beloved, and be thou like a young Har… upon the Mountains of ſpices;Cant. 8.14. Oh why ſhould we be, as they that are vailed, and turn aſide, &c? Ah, the longer he is abſent from us, the worſe it will be with us every day; and the greater diſtance from him, the greater our unhappineſſe: Oh then, as the two Diſciples, when the Lord Jeſus made as if he would goe further, conſtrained him, ſaying, Abide with us, for 'tis towards evening, &c: So now when he carries ſtrange to us, makes as if he would away, and carry all away with him too; we ſhould even lay hands on him, and hold him by an humble holy force, ſaying, Abide with us, for 'tis towards evening; &c: The day declines.
2. In times of ſpiritual declenſion: When noble Vines prove degenerate Plants, when Stars fall from Heaven; when many begin in the Spirit, and end in the fleſh. Oh then we had need be upon our ſpiritual watch, and take ſpecial heed to our ſpirits; when ſo many loſe firſt life and love, and leave their firſt works; we had need have our eyes about us, yea within us, and look into our own hearts, leſt we be at a loſſe there too, and coole within; when ſo many fall away. Let him that thinketh he ſtands, take heed leaſt he fall; 'Tis a time of (almoſt) an univerſal conſumption in Spirituals; never ſo great decayes in inwards; Chriſtians Spirits faile and fall ſadly; Stomack's gone, every where, to the beſt ſood; little ſpiritual Palate is left in any to relliſh the ſweet ſavour of Chriſts precious Oyntments, all ſpiritual ſenſes dull and heavie; And ſhall we not now awake? feele our own pulſes; conſult with ſpirituall Phyſitians, and make diligent uſe of all quickning and ſtrengthning meanes of grace, leſt we alſo be left under the ſame ſpiritual languiſhings, and have wofull occaſion to cry out another day, Our leanneſſe, our leanneſſe?
3. When an hour of ſpiritual Temptation is upon us, when many are led Captive by ſpiritual wickedneſſes; Oh then that Counſel is moſt ſeaſonable, Be vigilant, … Pet. 5.8.becauſe your adverſary the Devill as a Roaring Lion, walketh about, ſeeking whom he may devour; 'Tis not for us to ſlumber, when Satan Watches; nor to ſhut our eyes, when hee's running up and down with open mouth; how eaſily may he make a prey of us; when we lie ſleeping at his, Feet? The Devil is come down with great rage, he will be worſt at laſt, and doe much miſchief in a little time; and if the envious one find us aſleep, when he is moſt awakned, watching over us for evill, what a world of evil vvill he bring upon us? what havock will he make amongſt us, yea within us? what tares will he ſow? If Satan belet looſe, hee will be working with all power and policie; and if he find us at a looſe end, ſleeping idlely in the Devils ſhop; hee'l be very buſie with us, and ſet us aworke to our own woe; we may expect, a flood of ſtrong deluſions, and ſtrange temptations will be iſſuing out of his wide mouth, which gapes for us; and if we lie ſleeping in his way, we ſhall be carryed away in theſe filthy ſtreames, like dead fiſh; The Prince of darkneſſe is broke out, and ſmoak is broak out of the bottom leſſe pit with him; there's great danger of being loſt in it, or choked by it, eſpecially if we walk as blind men in a ſpirituall ſleep.
Oh what need then to awake (if ever) and to call upon the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah to awake, and reſcue his darlings from the mouth of this roaring Lyon, to ariſe for his prey, to divide the ſpoil with the mightie, and to lead captivitie captive; If we lie down to ſleep now with folded armes, leaving the guide of our ſpirits, and he leave us alone to the miſguidings of our owne deceitfull hearts, how will the ſubtle Serpent deceive us at every turn, and turne us out of the way, to the right hand or to the left; eſpecially now the old experienced deceiver, transforms himſelf into an Angel of light that he may drive on his Soulcooſening trade, the more myſteriouſly and miſchievouſly, putting darkneſſe for light, and light for darkneſſe. Why then, 'tis more then time to awake out of ſleep, to get our ſpirits quickned up by the influence of Gods good Spirit, and to muſter up all our ſpirituall forces, ſpeedily and ſtrenuouſly, putting on the whole armour of God on the right hand, and on the left; that we may be able to ſtand againſt the wiles of the Devil on all hands, in this evill day, and having done all to ſtand.
4. In times of great expectation: When we look for great things from Heaven, when Zion is in travel for glorious Births, when precious promiſes are nigh accompliſhment,Jool. 3.18 the Mountaines readie to drop new Wine, and the Hills to flow with milk; As, the Spirits powering out like floods, &c: A Spirit of Life i'th witneſſes, and a voice out of the Clouds, ſaying, Come up hither; A Nation to be borne at once! Is it not time to cry, Awake, awake, the glory of the Lord is riſing, &c: Oh ſhould we not look with both eyes, and liſten with both eares, to heare when it ſhall be ſaid;Jſai. 66.8. Who hath heard ſuch a thing, who hath ſeen ſuch things? ſhall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Were it not great pitty to ſleep out the awakening providences that are upon us, making way to fulfill ſuch glorious promiſes? Is not this the language of awakened Saints, crying, Awake, awake, put on ſtrength thou Arme of the Lord, as in the dayes of Old, &c: and ſhall we now cry, A little ſleep, a little ſlumber, &c: God forbid; Oh now, now, the Lords remembrancers muſt give him no reſt, nor reſt day or night under a ſpirit of ſlumber, 'till Jeruſalem be made a praiſe in the Earth, and the Reſt of his feet be glorious.
'Tis the common cry amongſt Gods people (when they are in ſtraits, and at a ſtand) Awake, O Lord, why ſleepeſt thou? When as alas, 'tis they that are aſleep, and muſt be awakened (or they'l be nonplus'd ever and anon) and aſſoon as they are awakned, they'l ſee it and ſay ſo; We wonder, the work goes on no faſter, and that the Lord does no more for us; whereas 'tis a wonder, he has wrought ſo much for us, or does any thing at all for our good, who are grovvn ſo heedleſſe, heartleſſe, careleſſe under mercies.
However, his work goes on in his own way, whether we ſleep or wake; for his heart is upon't and he neither ſlumbers nor ſleeps, but is running his courſasa Gyant refreſhed with Wine, and will leave his ſlumbring Servants behind, to follow him with ſhame and ſorrow; The Ancient of dayes, will keep his time, not loſe a day, nor miſſe a minute (however we loſe time); And hee'l, give a good account one day, what he has been doing for his poore Children, when they will not be able to anſwer one of a thouſand, for their ſlumbrings and wandrings.
2. When the Lord looks for great things from us, having done great things for us, commanded mighty ſalvations, communicated choiſe mercies, commended peculiar Goſpel-bleſſings to us, and all by a ſtrong hand through wonders of Providence; Now when and where the Lord does much, ſo much; then and there he looks for much very much. He may well call us to an account, at ſuch a time, and ſay, What doe you more then others? Special mercy may challenge ſingular duty;Math. 5.47 He has been at extraordinary charge and coſt with us, and he expects more then ordinary in our ſpirits and ſervices; Tis not for us to ſerve him with that which coſts us nought; when we have coſt him ſo deare; one would think, the weight of ſuch obligations lying upon us, ſhould effectually awaken us, to look up to Heaven, for ſuch a ſuitable and ſeaſonable communication of his Spirit and grace, as may more clearly informe us in that high and heavenly leſſon, (moſt proper for the day) and more fully enable us to take it out; namely, to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleaſing, being fruitfull in every good work, Col. 2.10.&c: A low Spirit, and lazie ſervices are moſt unanſwerable to high and mighty diſpenſations, and will be moſt uncomfortable; ſhall we do leaſt for him, when he has done moſt for us? Has he watched over us, and his eyes been alwayes upon us, from the beginning of the yeare unto the end? Deut. 11.12.and ſhall we ſlumber now like ſlothfull Servants, as if we had neither eyes to ſee him working for us, nor hands to work for him? ſhall living mercies lie dead by us, and we dying in the midſt of them, offering up the dead in ſacrifice to the living God, who has given us our lives for a prey? ſhall we thus requite the Lord like a fooliſh people and unwiſe? will it not be ill taken at our hands that we ſhould be worſt to him, when hee's beſt to us? No wonder, if he withhold his Spirit, when we thus grieve, tempt, and quench it by a Spirit of ſecuritie; how can we look for other, but that he ſhould be taking away his Golden Candleſtick,Deut. 32.6 and the light too, when ſo many do little elſe, but play or ſleep by it? We muſt not think to lie alwaies ſleeping with the breaſt i'th mouth: he will be covering the bleſſed paps, girt about with a Golden Girdle.