cum gemitu fugit the life which is the light of men goeth likewise away with a groane Virg. AEneid 12 Iohn 1 4. In the last day all the elements shall be confused leave their naturall operations so in death the parts of the elements whereof we be made shall be confused and all dead without operation In the last day the earth which shall be the remainder of the world must be overrunne with fire to purifie it so in death the carcasse all the remainder of the whole man must be purified by rotting from the drosse of corruption Lastly in the judgement day the soules are brought before the Lord in the ayre to be tryed for all they did so in death the soule is presented before the Lord where the Lord hath set up his seate of judgement and therefore after tryall and sentence given is sent either to heaven or hell Both unknowne both have signes going before Besides as death doth shew thee the state of the world so the knowledge that wee may have of death sheweth what knowledge we may have of the judgement day As the Lord hath hidden the knowledge of that day from men and Angells so is the day of our death hidden from men and Angells but as the Lord hath prefixed signes and markes to know when it approacheth if wee have eyes to see them so the Lord hath foreshewen signes in our bodie and behaviour if wee marke and observe them which prophecie our mortalitie And as blindnesse shall overcome men in the end of the world and they shall cry peace and safety when sodaine destruction is comming so when men are surest to live long to enjoy the world and improve it to the most then are they caught away and we see them no more I therefore intreate that all men would provide and study what concernes their death when they thinke of the last comming of Christ according to both which this doctrine is to bee applied First The reason of Christs stay in both wee see ofttimes the Lord tary long Saint Peter tells us the reason not that hee is slacke or desirous to put off the time but that hee is patient towards us and would have no man to perish but that all should come to repentance the Lord hath some chosen to salvation that are either unborne or uncalled and therefore the judgement day cannot come untill this bee done Againe seest thou a wicked man to live long the Lord stayes to give him time to repent which he not doing is made inexcusable if God gave him repentance then for this did the Lord suffer him to live Know the reason why the Lord preserves your life even that you may have time to turne and amend beware therefore that this time given for repentance be not used to the hardning of your hearts and heaping up of judgement And this was the cause why the great judgement came not long agoe Time uncertaine that we may prepare Secondly you see that the Lord will have the time of death and judgement uncertaine lest we conceiving the Lord giveth us time of repentance should convert and use it to our destruction that being certaine that they shall come but uncertaine of the time wee may prepare our selves shake off sinne more speedily and avoid it more carefully Are we then uncertaine of the time when we shall die and be brought to judgement First then let us be ever prepared Christ compareth the uncertainty of them to a snare Luke 21 35. Mat 24 43. that shall come upon the inhabitants of the earth likewise Christ 2 Pet. 3 10. 2 Thess 5 2. Peter and Paul compare them to the unexpected comming of a theef Christ compareth them to the flood in Noahs time Mat 24 37. O then how prepared ought we to be For if the bird feared the snare if the goodman feared the theef if the world would feare an universall flood to drowne them what providence how many lockes how many watches would be used and how many prayers would be said When the Spouse is uncertaine of her husbands comming how is her sleepe broken in the night her labour hindred in the day with thinking on him So saith Christ Luke 21 35. Watch therefore for the day when you shall goe to your Lord or your Lord come to you that you may be accounted worthy to stand before the Sonne of man in his comming Secondly And shake off sinne seeing the time of death and judgement are uncertaine take the Wisemans Counsell Make no delay in turning to the Lord and put not off from day to day c. Ecclesiasticus 5.7 If the King were to give one pardon for life or a grant for preferment upon condition to have his patent ingrossed in one day what haste would he make It may be that thou seest some live long and therefore thou presumest for the like Who would not beware of a mad man who killeth all before him as we see death doth every day But as hogges stand by whilest some of themselves are a killing cry for company with that which is killed and so goe away without any care or feare of the like so it is with most of us wee lament and bemoane for our friends whom the Lord calls but never consider that the next day the like is to befall us Seeing therefore we must goe out of the world to make account let us not deferre time to cast off sinne lest wee be forced to carry it to judgement A ship may be overloadened and overburdened so may the soule be if a man heape up sinne never so fast it may be the Lord will never punish in this life that after death he may be damned Israel hath sinned Esay 1 5. Ezek 16 42. I will smite him no more he will free him from dangers that destruction when it commeth may be the more intollerable Theramenes got our and escaped killing Aelian de var. hist lib. 9. when his house in Athens fell sodainly he crying out Iupiter for what time doest thou keepe mee when shortly after thirty robbers compelled him to eate and drink of the hemlock till it killed him Therefore let the uncertainty of the time and feare of greater judgement move you to turne truely to God And prevent it in time to come Finally the uncertainty of the time of death and judgement are soveraigne helpes to make us feare sinne and prevent it if the Ninivites had not feared they had perished as did Lots sonnes in law that feared not Iacobs sonnes at their first going into Aegypt feared little and fared ill at their second going they were in great feare and fared the better Hosea 13.1 When Ephraim spake as trembling the Lord exalted him but when he committed idolatry without feare the Lord destroyed him Sozom. lib. 7. ca. 31. Chrysostome counseiling the people of Antioch to call upon God to remove his anger lest Theodosius should destroy
the offenders remembring that it is the part of a Iudge qui ponit personam amici cum induit judicis that he then layeth downe the person of a friend when he taketh on him the person of a judge If we forsake our selves or our frindship with sinne when we confesse our sinnes to God we shall finde it to encrease the sorrow of our repentance and help us to be readier for a discharge when God seeth how we condemne and hate our selves for the wrong we have done unto him Secondly there is another thing without the which Christs satisfaction makes vs ready our repentance cannot make us ready Though we repent yet God lookes for satisfaction or one to suffer the punishment due unto us which being performed by our Saviour and the Covenant of Gods mercy confirmed unto us by the sheding of his blood we may justly disclaime the guilt of our sinnes which he was charged withall and for full satisfaction unto God and discharge of our selves cry unto God in these words of David Psal 84.9 Iustus advocatus noster iustos nos defendet in Iudicio quia nosmet ipfos cognoscimus accusamus iniustos Non ergo c. Greg. in Ezech. lib. 1. Hom 7. Regard o Lord and looke upon the face of thine Annoyneed And therefore as Gregory saith Our just Advocate shall defend us as iust in judgement because we know accuse our selves as unjust Non ergo in fletibus non in actibus nostris sed in Advocati nostri allegatione confidamus and therefore let us not trust in our weeping or in our deedes but in the defending which our Advocate maketh and by consequence qui se caelesti precio vident redemptos ad caelestia non dubitent praeparatos They who see themselves redeemed by an heavenly price Euseb Emiss de Pasch Hom. 1 3. neede not doubt but that they are prepared for heavenly things Thus are we at all times to doe and at all times the Lord shall finde us ready to be called to judgement When the account is past Gods servants find it easie to reckon with the world and consider what interest they have in it or it in them That which maketh us cleave so much to the world is the separation that our sinnes make betweene vs and God when this partition wall is taken away the world can give no relish unto us who seeke our comfort from above Philip. 3.8 St. Paul counted the best of it doung and losse Eliah who tasted but litle comfort of it 1 King 19 4. said long before he did leaue it Lord it is enough Thus Gods servants loath the world because so long as they are in it they are kept recourse unto the Lord that is they shall well understand how good it had beene for them if in their life time they had sought unto the Lord and amended their life which they shall then desire to doe when they can neither doe other wise nor gaine any profit by it Christ hereby would teach us that after death and in the generall judgement wicked men begin to repent heartily and when all teares are wiped from the eyes of others Repentance of Reprobates in this and the life to come they begin their eternall lamentations In this life Reprobates may repent but in sorrowing they are either too severe that when they feele it they shun comfort and aggravate it untill it overcome them and proves to be despaire which is that eternall worme that possesseth the soule after unseasonable repentance but most commonly their repentance is too slacke Ahab repented but sorrow pearced not his heart otherwise he would have amended his idolatry And so many bowe the bodie who have bowed little at the heart and therfore though they seeme to repent yet they shall in the day of judgement repent because they repented no better before Labour therefore to end your repentance with your life and let death which cureth all sores bring also an end to your sorrowes and labour to repent to salvation which never needeth to be repented of 2 Cor 7 11. This saith Paul causeth us to have great care to cleare our selves and to be more zealous of our life in time to come They that were ready went in with him to the Marriage and the gate was shut Now followeth the effect of their readinesse some were admitted and went in some were excluded As a Bridegroome in solemnizing his marriage hath just reason to take notice of them that tooke notice and prepared for his comming and without regard of others stoppe all wayes for their admittance So shall our Lord in his comming take into his owne company and fellowship them that loved and longed for his comming 2 Tim 4 8. where wicked men shall not come in the assembly of the righteous Psal 1 5. 2 Thess 1 9. but shall bee banished away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power After judgement is the Marriage betweene Christ and his servants who in this life stand espoused unto him by faith and truth and waite for the joyfull meeting after which they shall not be longing in love nor separate for a time but shall enjoy his blessed presence and company and as husband and spouse love and live together for ever Gods Saints acknowledge this for they finde the experience of sorrowes that they have in their spirituall love for they sigh and are burdened with sorrow 2 Cor 5.4 6. because they are absent from the Lord But at Christs comming they shall rejoyce and be glad crying with glory unto God The marriage of the Lambe is come Revel 19 7. his Spouse hath made her selfe ready Our union with Christ compared to a marriage Our everlasting remaining with Christ is compared to a marriage solemnizing First to teach us that then onely beginneth our perfect union with Christ when we are fully delivered from sinne and corruption and restored to righteousnesse and immortality In this life we are one with Christ and Christ with us but the tye of this union is faith and love whereby we desire none but him and hereafter are certaine to be joyned to none other but himselfe It is true that he who joyneth himselfe by love unto the Lord is one spirit with him 1 Cor 6 17. but at the marriage our union shall be such that we shall be declared to be members of his glorious body Ephes 5 30. flesh of his flesh bone of his bone Secondly to teach us if it were possible how great the bond of this union is neere is the conjunction of friendly love yet naturall love is a stricter bond which maketh us to account the flesh and blood of our kindred as if it were our owne But above all the love betweene man and wife must cause to relinquish and quite the society and company of all others that they may shew that all pleasure the world can give
CHRISTS VVATCH-VVORD BEING THE PARABLE OF the Virgins expounded and applyed to these times of security Or an Exhortation of our Saviours to us that we may watch and prepare our selues for the unknowne times of death and judgement MATTH 25.13 Watch for you know not the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man will come LONDON Printed by W. J. for John Bartlet and are to be solde at his shoppe at the signe of the Golden Cuppe in Cheapeside 1630. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD DOCTOR THEOPHILVS BVCKVVORTH by the providence of God Lord Bishop of Dromore my singular good Lord and Patron THE manifold exhortations of Christ and his Apostles considered with the security of these times are reasons sufficient both to command and encourage his servants to be watchfull and to awaken others both by voice and writings that they hold the times of death and iudgement before their eyes yet for mine owne particular J have reasons leading me unto this forwardnesse not onely excusing but also enforceing me to the publishing of this present Treatise First J was not able by writing to satisfie the importunity of those who heard some of it delivered nor of those unto whom upon intreaty some of it was communicated except it had beene published Secondly I considered that the same Scripture was not particularly handled by any either ancient or moderne so farre as J can learne though Commentatours have given briefe notes upon it which moved me the rather to communicate this Exposition or by my rashnesse to stirre up others more learned to give sufficient contentment unto such who by this motion may be set on longing Thirdly the disposition of men requires that in so necessary a subiect they have not onely admonition in words but that there remaine a daily admonisher standing in sight yea they who loathe repetition of one thing yet love to reade often over such things as they finde to move their consciences unto which may be added Saint Peters example who endeavoured not by word alone 2 Pet 1 13. but by writing also to put his heareres in remembrance Lastly J alwayes desired as both my duty first and your Lordships unexpected bounty in the next place tyed mee to render account of my labour unto you and to expresse my thankefulnesse both to God and to the world for your ordinary encouragements of Gods servants your favours in particular to me and your willingnesse to have the flocke of Christ exhorted by these my weak endeavours who are bounden to returne prayers to God for your Lordship onely for whatsoever benefit they may reape reape hereby J dare not as building a stately gate for lowly cottages invite the Readers with goodly promises seeing I am conscious of mine owne weaknesse and unability to performe neither need I intreate the zealous Christian seeing the title the subiect and his owne desire to Gods word are incitements sufficient unto him And I doubt not but the countenance of you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who in name Luke 12 35 c 17 24. c 21 17. c. honour and religion are the same with that honourable Christian to whom this subiect was commended by S. Luke at the beginning will make it to have better acceptance at all their hands who are according as your name imports the friends and lovers of God So praying God long to continue you an instrument of his glory I take leave acknowledging my selfe ever Your L pps most bounden Chaplaine THOMAS IOHNSTON AN EXPOSITION OF THE FIRST PART OF THE XXV CHAPTER OF SAINT MATTHEW Being an exhortation of our Saviour to vs that we may watch and prepare our selues for the unknowne times of death and judgement OF all Doctrines to be Preached that great and fearefull day of account ought never to be forgotton when the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heaven Our Saviour his Messengers have been carefull to remember the trumpet that shall call vs to iudgement 2 Thess 1.7 with his mightie Angels In flaming fire rendring vengeance to them that doe not know God and which obey not unto the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ which shall bee punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his power Whosoever beleeveth and remembreth the terrour of the Lord and the strict account that he must make will be carefull to walk the more honestly and so frame his life as he wishes to have favour in judgement Therefore the holy men of God have beene carefull to remember vs of the fearefull sound of the Trumpet calling vs to judgement Ecclesiast 11.9 Salomon sounds this Trumpet in young mens eares saying Remember for all this that God will bring thee to judgement He sounds it in the eares of all men Chap. 12.14 that God will bring every worke to Iudgement and every secret thing whether it be good or evill Saint Paul is a fearefull sounder of it to the Corinthians and Thessalonians when he considered of it he trembled knowing the terrour of the Lord. 2 Cor 5.11 In Reg. Monach. Cap. 30. Ierome said that whether he eate or dranke or whatsoever he did he thought that he heard this Trumpet sounding in his Eares Rise dead and come to Iudgement And the Church of God hath laide before vs in our Creede to be said every day that Christ shall come againe to iudge the quicke and the dead Most of all our Lord Iesus Christ who best knew both our danger and remedy is carefull to put us in remembrance of it who in this sermon preached it three times twise in the former Chapter and proved it by the example and experience of the world in the dayes of Noe vers 42.44 and of the common carefulnesse of men in lesse dangers Vers 43. for who would sleepe and suffer his house to bee digged through Now because it stands every one vpon the damnation of his soule that labours not to prevent it and men are carelesse of unseene and unfelt dangers therefore our Saviour preacheth it the third time and labours to imprint it in our hearts by the comparison and successe of wise foolish Virgins But why doth he repeate this matter so often and insist in it so much Barnard Serm. 1 super Missus est Credo quia noluit nos negligenter audire quod tam diligenter studuit enarrare I beleeue it is because hee would not haue vs carelesse to heare that which he is so carefull to set downe and that we may know Idem cap. 2 meditat quanto diligentior est Deus admonendo tanto strictior erit judicando si neglexerimus that the more carefull the Lord is to admonish vs the more severe shall he be to punish vs if we neglect This Chapter is the History of Christ his second comming comprehending in it Division of the Chapter First his vnexpected comming in the Parable of the Virgins Secondly
consider the foolishnes of the damned and the wisedome of the elect because Christ sets out the foolishnes of the one to be in two particulars that they did not rightly weigh how much oyle or grace they wanted neither did equally and proportionably provide for what they knew they did or might want these must be urged that wee may know how much oyle to carry in our lampes and how much to provide in our vessells besides Manifold are our miseries by nature sinne death and iudgement That I speake not too mystically lest the miseries of our soules be not beleeved for few beleeve our report I will set downe our miserie as the most ignorant men either sensibly feele or by naturall inclination doe feare Bern. Meditat. cap. 2. almost set down word for word We are come of such parents qui priùs fecerunt dānatos quā natos by whom we were sooner condemned than brought into the world and if wee consider the first stocks from whence wee all sprung we may say to them as the same Father saith Idem Ser. 2. super Missus est ut fuistis parentes ita omnium fuistis peremptores as you were the bringers out so you were the destroyers of all et quod miserius est priùs peremptores quà m parentes and which is more miserable sooner destroyed than brought us forth into the world sinners have begotten us sinners and in sinne have nourished us miserable creatures have led us that are miserable into this miserable light of whom wee have gotten nothing but sinne misery and this corruptible body wee beare about us which as they have brought them into dust and corruption at last so doe they drive us forward to follow them when we looke into their graves wee see nothing but ashes wormes filthinesse and feare as they were so are we now as they are so shall we shortly be conceived we were not without them yet without their knowledge with weeping and sorrow are we sent out to be banished in this world in which we stay full of iniquities from which banishment wee are in a haste apprehended and presented to give a strict account of all wee have done when it shall be said Behold the man and his workes with what fearefull and shamefull countenance shall wee looke or speake when without speaking our conscience and countenance shall utter so much as might condemne a thousand and how long soever the Lord deferre this that wee may amend the more strictly and severely shall he judge if we neglect it notwithstanding the longer we live our sin growes greater this debt of judgement increaseth Hitherto St. Bernard I need not urge this any more he that least beleeveth it shall feele it most Mat 24.51 his portion saith Christ shall be with the unbeleevers and hypocrites But as Augustine saith Epist ad Hieron if one see his brother in a ditch and aske how he came thither his best answer is For curing of which all the faithfull finde Christ a sufficient salve that he thinke not so much how he came thither but how he may be relieved so my best describing of our miserie is not to discourse that man is so or how he became so but how I may cure or comfort him or get oyle to powre in his wounds or to suffice his Lampe Whilest by Oyle we understand all grace needfull to salvation we know where to finde it Coloss 2.9 even in Christ Iesus for in him dwelleth al the fulnes of the Godhead bodily and we are compleate in him he hath the Oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes Psal 45.7 His head is anoynted meeting vers 6. etc. The preparation is set down of all the Virgins first in similitude then in dissimilitude In similitude all prepared their lampes but in this they were unlike for the foolish prepared no oyle for the darkenesse of the night the wise filled their lampes because they feared the length of the night and long tarying of the Bridegroome they filled their vessells also First then that I may speake of their lampes we must remember somewhat spoken of before that this life is the time and place in which some professe that they are meeting Christ and others are truely upon their journey looking and longing for his comming either by their departure to him or his comming to them by iudgement It is therefore agreed vpon by the consent and practise of all both the servants of God and the servants of sinne that lampes are needfull to be prepared for their journey to inlighten them in this world untill Christ who is the true light appeare when wee shall not need Sunne Moone lampes nor candles to direct vs. As the maides of the holy Land even the unwisest of them had this wit that for celebrating a wedding they had need of a lampe that the Bridegroomes should according to custome come in the night-time the naturall darkenes of the Creatures So all the Virgins The practise almost of all men sheweth that our way to heaven is dark I meane all that are called by the name of Christians doe shew by their actions that our journey and way to meet Christ is naturally darke and that we have neede of some light to shew vs the way But that I appropriate not this truth only to true Christians who best know how darke this way is I finde all except them that are truely Atheists to pronounce the same and by their deedes shew that nature doth darken vs in some errand which the soule of man of it selfe naturally intendeth Our profanest sort of professed Christians prove it who have taken and professed Baptisme and all the conditions of it they avouch that Christ appertaineth to them so much as to any they say that Gods word is true and that of their owne knowledge they knowe well enough both what it and the Minister can say these therefore doe confesse the darknes and imperfection of Nature in this businesse and to have taken Lampes Pagans also have espyed this for to what purpose should Turke or any Savage cary the love of any Religion with him if hee thought not that common naturall knowledge were imperfite herein and that it were not able to direct and conduct the soule so farre as it is to goe for he that would onely live and dye with this life needes not any sort of Religion at all But none of all this kinde are so blinded but that they scorne to remaine content with the light of nature and therefore will take one sort of Religion or other by the end as a lampe to direct him some way he should go but he knowes not whither Onely the Atheist that is sure as he conceives that there is no God neither seeketh or professeth any Lampe because he hath none that made him to whom he should goe except Nature with whom he already remaineth of all men his case is the strangest for hell which is
would try whether the oyle that you have be good or how we may know it in time to come the properties of good oyle are three 1. That it be new and fresh Gods gifts must be daily renewed by prayer and meditation 2. That it may be easily powred out what good we doe must be willingly and cheerefully done Senec in Proverb Beneficium qui citò dat indigenti bis dat One good deed done in season is a double kindnesse Thirdly that it be not earthy or mixt with slime so true graces must not be defiled with ostentation and worldly glory The foolery of the Templaries I must not omit the foolishnesse of some who have by practise shewen how they expound this verse the Romish Leigers at the Sepulchre in Ierusalem Musculus in lacum have made it a materiall businesse in their preparation to heaven-ward to have lampes in that Church continually burning and maintained with oyle The Greeke Church follow the same superstition but increased more than the former who comming in multitudes to the Sepulcher Sandes travell pag 173. compasse it often and in the end following an Aethiopian Priest and some of their owne Bishops rush in confusedly to get fire to lighten their lampes which remaine unlighted with other fire untill that day twelve-moneth This folly more heathenish than Christian-like deserveth more pity than refutation VERSE 5. Now while the Bridegroome tarried long all slumbred and slept HItherto hath beene their preparation for this great Wedding now the Bridegroomes comming is to be considered of and their meeting of him But that we may be the better prepared to meet Christ he tells us that we must be watchfull to attend his pleasure and appointed time As the Virgins of Israel attendants on their Marriages knew certainly that the Bridegroome would come but were uncertaine at what precise houre he should come So we are certaine that Christ shall come but what yeare moneth or day we cannot imagine Therefore wee are to provide for his staying as well as his comming This Verse containeth Christs stay and the effects of it the Verses following have his comming and effects thereof Christ in his comming is said to stay long Christ seemeth to stay long 1. In respect of his Saints first in respect of his Saints who in the miseries of this world and desire of eternall life are ever crying Come Lord Iesus and knowing that the day of his comming to judgement is the first day of their true perfection both in body and soule they sigh in themselves Rom. 8 23. waiting for the redemption of their body and this Christian Religion teacheth us that we waite for that blessed hope Tit 2 13. and the practise of the Saints Iob 14 14. the soule of Iob in glory is still waiting till his renewing doe come and not Paul onely shall receive the Crowne of glory but all that love Christs appearing 2 Tim 4 8 Now because hee commeth not so soone as they desire rather than faile his servants in this life would take up the matter with the day of their death Philip. 1.21 and wish to bee dissolved to bee with Christ 2 In respect of wicked men Secondly the stay of Christ is thought long in respect of wicked men both by the opinion of Gods servants and their owne opinion Gods servants doe wonder that God should suffer the Sunne to give light the ayre to give breath or the earth to beare his enemies and that he suffereth Satans Kingdome to be so long without finall destruction Rev. 6 10. their bloods and oppressions to be so long unrevenged with the infinite wrath of God And in the opinion of wicked men Christ stayes long from judgement for some will not beleeve it 2 Pet 3 2. but mocke to heare of it others as Salomon saith put the day of evill farre from them Mat 24. and doe plainly resolve that their Master doth deferre his comming to judgement and that their life is for many yeares and therefore they play the tyrants and doe what they list but the Master shall come in the day when they look not for him and at the houre that they are not aware of if many thought the day of their death was so neere or judgement presently to follow they would not live as they doe 3. In respect of the creature 3. Christs coming is thought longby the instinct nature of the creatures though they be not chained to sinne as we are yet they are sometimes partakers of the punishment of our sinne that the heaven is sometimes hard as brasse for want of moysture Deut 28 23. other times the sea seemeth to be above because of raine and waters all times the heavens waxe olde as a garment Psal 102. the powers of it grow weake that in stead of distinguishing they often confound the seasons now they are subject to change and weaknesse but the day of Christs comming shall releeve them and restore them to the liberty of Gods children which is both to be free from sinne and corruption the punishment of sinne and the creatures seeme to travaile in paine being subject to vanitie Rom 8 20 21 22. desiring to be delivered from that bondage unto the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God What is the meaning of Christs stay Long staying may be either in respect of appointed or expected time although the time of Christs comming is not set downe yet because there were certaine marks given before he come which some observing others mistaking yet most of all inquirers could never imagine that he should have stayed so long therefore not comming as he was expected hee is thought to stay long In all the times when the Gospell flourished When Christ was expected and the curious fouly deceived there were some that enquired for it and some concluded the time which came not to passe the Lord thereby shewing the folly of their curiositie In St. Paules dayes as the Grecians in all manner of learning were curious so at Thessalonica especially they began to beate their braines about this and because St Paul had written in his first Epistle chap. 4. vers 15. For this I say by the word of the Lord that wee who live shall not prevent them that sleep they presently concluded that his comming was at hand for repressing of which opinion Paul wrote his second Epistle unto them 2 Thess 2 1 2. some said that they knew it by revelation others avouched that they heard it from Saint Paules mouth others that they could shew his letters for it A little after the Apostles dayes it was a common opinion among unconverted Gentiles August de Civit. Dei lib 18 cap 53. that the world should stand 365 yeares About the yeare of Christ 250 Cyprian writeth to a friend of his Epist ad Fortunatum that the common opinion was that the end was at hand and
in another letter saith his owne minde with application of it Ad Cecili lib 2 Ep 3. Et quia jam secundus adventus nobis appropinquat magis ac magis benigna ejus dignatio corda nostra illustrat c And because his second comming commeth neere Instit lib 7 cap 25. c. In the yeare 317 Lactantius saith that all expectation was of no more time than 200 yeares at most After the yeare 400 Augustine and Ierome say that many were of Lactantius minde that even in their owne time Christ would come to judgement and that St. Ierome was of this minde appeareth by his fearefull words In Regist Monach cap 30. Sive edam sive bibam aut aliud quid agam semper insonat auribus vox illa horrifica Surgite c. Whether I eate drinke or whatsoever I doe that fearfull voice sounds ever in mine eares Rise dead and come to Iudgement Hesichius a Bishop wrote to Augustine that Christ should come in the yeare 700 because of Daniels Prophecy of 70 weekes which was onely concerning the first comming of Christ Augustine answereth him in the words of Christ that of that day knoweth no man nor the Angels but onely God himselfe All these expectations and conjectures proving false Christ is said to stay long I have further observed diverse who being curious to know and determine the time of the great Iudgement were sodainly themselves taken away by death Wherefore wee are to retaine onely the signes and that modesty to be beleeved and daily expect it But seeing many have beene deceived even by mistaking the signes themselves it may be asked Which of them may wee take holde of as a marke and not to be mistaken concerning his comming I answere The plainest and surest marke of Christs coming the surest of all is the conversion of the Iewes But when shall this be I answer they are letted by Daniels Prophecie chap. 2. for seeing the Roman Empire as yet stands in the Pope they cannot beleeve that Messiah is come and therefore untill this power of his be beaten to powder they cannot see how the King of Kings can reigne and whosoever doth this as they thinke is their saviour and deliverer then shall their hearts be turned to the Lord and be opened to see the hardheartednesse of their forefathers in crucifying the Lord of glorie and their owne blindnesse that so many hundreth yeares could not espie the day of salvation What doe the Iewes see in the Christian Churches The many thousands that are tributaries in Rome Naples All this mischiefe is set downe particularly in Muscul com plaâ— de Ministris verbi under the name of Nundin Pont. Venice Spaine and other places see that they directly stand against the holines of Gods law in commanding publike Idolatry dispensing with blasphemies treasons rebellions murthers and sometimes commanding and authorizing them in countenancing incests adulteries fornication receiving rent for stewes selling soules and bodies and making lawfull and unlawfull what they will commanding people to beleeve and yet they may not enquire what The bookes of Corn Agrippa Ioan. Baptistae poreae Iohan. Tâ—itenemius de occult Scripturis doe plainely shew this and chiefly this last author who upon his salvation protests the said booke may bee used with a safe conscience c In Prafat 〈◊〉 finally admitting Iewish superstition to be mixed with their own permitting witchcraft and conjuration which is the invocation of Satan to be accounted so lawfull as either of them Whilest this Babel and kingdome of confusion doth stand how is it possible that a Iew should be converted or beleeve that these are the true servants of God As for such Iewes as are in Germany or other places neere the reformed they see few visible Churches and know that all of them are farre from the large extent spoken of Dan. 2.35 But when once this is taken away and they converted their learning and devotion shall be the riches of the world that the secure and carelesse shall by their example be pierced with sorrow and turne unfeinedly unto the Lord after which time both they and other Nations shall fall in a dead security and lose the power of religion that Gods particular punishments nor the cry of Preachers shall be little able to awake or make them looke about them Then on a sodaine shall the Lord come the heavens goe away with a noise the elements melt with heate the earth fall a burning the quicke and dead mount up to meete the Lord in the ayre But when shall those things come to passe It can not certainely be knowne but if it be asked When to come to passe unknowne yet as appeareth by example may soone come how soone all this may be I pray you consider what alteration the Lord hath made in Christendome since Luther was taken notice of but 112 yeares agoe especially what God hath done in Great Britaine in lesse time turned out the Prince of Babell indued olde and young with knowledge and other gifts of God especially inflamed their hearts with zeale that they were readier to suffer torments than their enemies were to impose them upon them filled all with knowledge that none were hidde from the sound of Gods word and finally hath cast them into such a security that most have lost the power strength of religion that no sinne wants actours no wickednesse but it hath excusers patrons and defenders hundreds of Preachers are become dumbe and these best heard and befriended that either cannot or will not speake a word in Gods name and these who forewarne men of this state never taken notice of what they say or command O what a security is this Certainely if the great Iudgement day were farre off God could not suffer this so long He therefore that considereth how God hath wrought these things in so short a time may easily see how soone the Lord can bring all the aforesaid to passe and hasten the Iudgement day Now we are to make use of this Death and Iudgement go together I cannot think or speake of this great day but I must needes continually thinke of death and therefore if any say that it is neare at hand then I answere that death must bring him thither If he say that it is farre off and shall not be these many hundred yeares I answere that death shall presently apprehend him and pull him unto Iudgement The world may stand long but how knowest thou but thou maist fall before to morrow the great judgement may be farre but thy judgement may be this night and as death leaveth thee the great judgement shall finde thee Death a prophecy of iudgment Finally so oft as thou seest one die so many prophecies the Lord shews thee foretelling the ruine of the whole world in which the heaveÌ„ which is the light of the world shall goe away with a noyse 2 Pet 3. in death Vitaque
them for defacing his wives Image Chrysost hom 15 ad Popul Antiochen the whole Citty seemed rather to be religiosorum Coenobium quà m congregatio Civium an Abbey of religious people than a meeting of Citizens So if the terrour of death and the judgement day goe to our hearts it will worke strongly against sinne and make us shew another manner of life ☞ Of Afflictions HItherto is shewen the stay of Christ from death and judgement Let us now consider another stay of this spirituall Bridegroome Every faithfull soule hath his meetings with Christ both in this life and after in this life he is to expect that Christ should come as a visiting Father to correct him for faults hee hath fallen into or to bestow his blessings and gifts upon him The first is one of Gods favours shewen to his children God visits his servant here with corrections Heb. 12 6. for he chasteneth every sonne whom he receiveth and where the Lord doth promise blessings this is one that of all he most accounteth in King Davids graunt 2 Sam 7. Psal 89 31 32. this promise is mentioned If thy children forsake my law I will visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with strokes for they are chastened of the Lord 1 Cor. 11 32. lest they should be condemned with the world Iob. 33.16 Elihu giveth a reason that when the Lord doth often exhort us yet our eares are sealed untill the Lord use the last remedie which is to open them with his corrections It is a marke to spie out the men whom God hateth that they * Psal 73.4 5 are not in bonds like other men and certainly they are most punished when they feele themselves not punished at all for then they are given up to the desires of their owne heart to live so wickedly as they list It is both doubtfull and dangerous for Gods servant to be without the use of the rod for looke and thou shalt finde that all Gods Saints saith * Quis Sancto rum sine certamine coronatus est Abel instus occiditur Abraham uxotem periclitatur amittere ne in immensum volumen extondā quaere et invenies sanctos omnes adversa perpessos solus Salomon in delitiis perpetuo fuit forsan ideo corruit Hieron ad Eufloch Ierome suffered adversity onely Salomon lived continually in pleasures and therefore it so proved with him Now whilest God suffereth his children to fall and to be long uncorrected this is his delay as when David without a checke for three quarters of a yeare continued in his sinnes of Adultery Murther and Hypocrisie Mora hec Domini longanimitas est quia non statim et è vestigio poenam imponit In Mat 24. As Salomon Eccles 8 11. Bern in Cant. Ser. 42. This stay of the Lord saith Theophilact is his long-suffering when he apprehends not the sinner in the fact nor sodainly inflicts punishment Misericordiam hanc nolo God deliver me from this mercy by which the Reprobates without bit or bridle spurre on to eternall destruction Try therefore your selves if you be thus acquainted to meete your Master and consider all the children of God and finde out but one sonne Heb. 12 7. that our heavenly Father chasteneth not If wee thus expected the comming of our Lord we would beleeve this to be true of every Christian August de Past Si exceptus est à passione flagellorum exceptus est de numero filiorum That he who is freed from suffering the rod is blotted out from the number of Gods sonnes and be rather afraid to be cast out of our heavenly inheritance than to be a sufferer of profitable correction And sometime with temporal blessings But lest the feare of Gods heavie hand should be a thraldome to Gods servants hee visits them in this life with gifts comfortable both to soule and body David who the most time of Saules reigne was a sufferer looked for this favour that God would yet at length give him some ease and visit him with some worldly comforts and therefore waited when God would be pleased to come unto him Psal 101 2. But because his servants are not to expect their felicity to be here of a certaine they must looke for sorrow and trouble Psal 34 10. and for prosperity onely so much as may ease them a little and as God in his wisdome knoweth to be for their good All slumbered and slept Now followeth the effect of the Bridegroomes staying even all slumbered and sleeped As the time for solemnization of a marriage is deferred and proposed unto a nominate time to this end that all who are bidden may be ready for the meeting But if fooles were invited they not understanding what concerned their profit and honour would neither prepare nor expect the appointed time or others though wise enough to provide and yet with watching and expectation should be weary heavy and so slumber and sleepe the Bridegroome should finde them all short of their intended readinesse So when our Saviour commeth to his judgement many shall be altogether unready and even of his deare servants some shall be weary and heavie and those that are dead found sleeping in the dust And therefore where God is liberall of time some are carelesse some faint in it most men are prodigall of it Herein we see the right use of the time that God lends us The right use of time and the abuse unto which the sinfulnes of men turnes it Our time is bestowed upon us that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome Psal 90 12. that we may recover out of that weaknesse Psal 39.13 whereinto sinne hath cast us 2 Pet 3 9. 2 Cor. 6 2. and that we may come to repentance and make it the day of purchasing salvation It is not for small consequence that daies moneths and yeares are bestowed upon us seeing that all the worth and friendship the world can afford cannot procure one weeke or a day to be added to make up a mans life to be the full summe of an hundred yeares The heavens serve for the framing of time and God giveth life that wee should not lose the use of it The Philosophers searching out what time was found it to be numerus motus the counter of celestiall motions Arist Phys acro lib. 3. so the Lord accounteth the time of our life not the time of his lingring from judgement but of his stay that all may come to repentance so to number their dayes that they may finde them so many steps of our motion heavenward And thus Hilary tels us what is the stay of the Bridegroome Mora sponsi tempus poenitentiae est even the time of repentance And this blessed benefit doth the Lord bestow upon his servants so much as needes for their spirituall preparation and upon the reprobate as may make them inexcusable and a measurer of the
yet they might feele having this ability in every joynt of the least member but such shall this security be that as a man fast on sleepe hath his life and all his senses yet is as an Image that neither sees feeles heares nor smells and hath no part of a living man in use excepting onely his breath so this finall security shall be such that though it were no wonder that most men neglect to heare their danger and oftentimes neglect to see unavoidable evills before their eyes yet shall they not be able to perceive and feele these burthens under which they groane That those things shall so be all prophecies of the last judgement have confirmed with manifold exhortations unto watchfulnesse for death and judgement And though wee have heard of divers examples of wonderfull security yet if we consider the great light of the Gospell which shall shine more and more towards the end it maketh security to shew it selfe the greater He that in this light of the Gospell hath this lethargie let him know that his destruction is hard at hand when the Lord cast Adam into a dead sleepe it was to take a rib out of him the sound sleepe of Sisera was that he might not feele the naile entring into his temples and Physitians thinke that this dead sleepe is onely fittest to cut away a leg or an arme from a man and hee not to feele it Certainly there are too many neere destruction by this marke that every day gives us example that security is onely fit to make them feele their paine whom no meanes in the world besides could perswade to thinke upon their perill God can and will provide meanes to save his elect from security What shall we now say of the elect that they likewise shall be senselesse and carelesse of the wrath to come God forbid Saint Peter gives vs a comfortable instruction herein that if we appertaine to God this securitie that goes before destruction cannot be able to chaine us in his words are 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished Hee brings in two examples when all were past feeling before the Flood yet the Lord saved Noah and some others and quickned his Spirit that hee preached the way of righteousnesse to the rest when Sodome was to be made example to all generations for an ungodly secure life hee so sanctified the heart of Lot that hee was grieved and mourned for their wickednesse Likewise our Lord Iesus when he sheweth his Disciples of this fearefull security and threatneth that it shall be punished with his fearfull and hasty comming Compare Mat. 24.42 43. with Luke 12 38. hath in his threatning enfolded a secret comfort for his servants hee saith You know not at what watch he will come Souldiers camping or keeping upon life and death divide the night into certaine watches that although all the army be asleepe yet are the Sentinels and watchers awake who by usuall notice of the howers from one another keepe many awake raise some from sleepe and cause numbers to be in readinesse at all times So God who best knoweth the dangers of his owne doth raise up his zealous servants and makes their voice effectuall to adde into and keep in the Church from day to day such as should be saved Acts 2.47 their voice though not heard by the deafe and secure world is yet the voice of a cryer in the wildernesse Revel 14.3 Math. 3. to forewarne others to fly from the wrath to come and as the voice of a trumpet sounding terribly in the silent time of sleeping Esay 58.1 And so the Lord that hath his eyes on them that feare him watcheth his owne in all such dangers that hee may save them they awake to prevent their destruction Thirdly the Scripture useth to call the death of his servants yea and of reprobates a sleeping and thus you shall finde at Christs comming the most of Gods Saints will be in the grave or as Daniel saith sleeping in the dust and so Augustine expoundeth this place of bodily death Dan. 12 2. Epist 120. ad Henoratum The Fathers say thus concerning the wise Virgins Dormicrunt quidem sed suavâ—ter in Domino They sleept indeed but sweetly in the Lord Bernard in locuÌ„ and therefore expectantium somnus Hilarius in locuÌ„ Dormire est mori dormitare est languescere quia per pondus aegritudinis pervenitur ad somnuÌ„ nortis Greg. in Evang HoÌ„ 12 Hieron in locum credentium quies est the sleeping of those that waite for him is the rest of them that beleeve in him And justly is death by the Scripture called a sleepe because at judgement the dead shall be awaked as men out of sleepe Consequenâ—er dicitur dormierunt quia postea suscitandae sunt For good reason is it said that they slept because that afterwards they are to bee awaked againe Indeede the Fathers have herein spoken truely but they have not fully answered the question for the Lord shall have his Saints at his comming who in stead of death shall be as Henoch and Elias were changed and so meete the Lord in the Ayre who cannot be found sleeping in the grave Christ saith that all slept that every one may tremble prevent it And therfore to answer this question we must consider that the Scripture nameth the word All for the greatest part of men as in these like places 2 Cor. 5.17 Coloss 1.20 Iohn 12.32 Esay 40.4 Ambros de Vocat Gent. lib. 1. cap. 2. Ioel 2.28 Sicut etiam cùm de impijs sermo est ita loquutionem suam divinus stilus ordinat ut ea quae de quadam parte dicuntur ad omnes homines pertinere videantur In like manner when speech is made of wicked men the holy stile is so framed that the things which are spoken of a certaine part doe seeme to pertaine to all men generally as Ioh. 3.32 Philip. 2.21 In like manner Christ saith All slept because few would be found otherwise the dead that died in the Lord would be found in their graves most of men alive would be senslesse of the wrath to come the godly minished from among the children of men and those that were so would be as eight persons saved of a whole world as Lot and three more of fiue flourishing Citties as a very small remnant like as when the Iewes in Iudea were carried away to Babylon Esay 1.9 or as the number of Christian Iewes in St. Paules dayes Rom. 10 5. All which considered wee understand that Christs words are meant universaliter in toto non communiter in singulis universally of all men that all slumbered and slept not commonly of every particular man for the Lord knowes how to awake and save his owne and of all committed to Christ not one can be lost
except he be a child of perdition Finally our Lord said All slept few doing otherwise that all may tremble and feare lest the Lord come upon them by death and judgement as a thiefe in the night Tremble therefore before death that you tremble not in it watch for that houre lest it watch for you and finde you asleepe make ready for judgement for feare it be heaped up for you examine your selves if you be some of them whom Christ saith are now asleepe and consider the fearefull taking you would be in if in this instant death should apprehend you and bring you to judgement as who knowes but it may or at some other time when you are as unresolvedly prepared found carelesse of heaven fearelesse of hell slacke in religion dead and buried in wickednes all that are thus found shall a thousand times curse father mother friends and acquaintance the world and all that were their helpers and comforters in this mortall life VERSE 6. And at midnight there was a cry made Behold the Bridegroome commeth goe out to meete him NOw followeth this solemne meeting and the marriage day which beginneth with a Proclamation containing a publike notice a general command Go ye c. As it concerns the honor of the married that so honourable a work should be accordingly performed to the degree and estate of the parties espoused So seeing Iesus Christ who is Lord above all blessed for ever is the Bridegroome it standeth with his honour that his comming personally and bodily should be with the fight of Majesty voice of heavenly Heraulds and attendance of all his creatures which with the time wee are now to consider of And at midnight As Christ when he speaketh of the time of his comming usually doth it by the signe so here when hee saith at midnight hee continueth the Parable according to the former particulars because it is the usuall time in which all men betake them to their naturall rest and are found asleepe in their beds So that Christ meaneth not hereby to point out any time in an age yeare or naturall day at which he would come but thereby doubleth his former words to shew that the security of the world at his comming shall not be as an ordinary sleepe but as the dead sleepe in the night in which many are according to their owne confession so without sense that you may beat drums by them and cary them whither you will Gods word hath not set downe the time of Christs comming As for knowledge of the time of Christs comming the word of God hath shewen us nothing which may make us certaine of the age yeare or day Christ giveth a reason to his Apostles because it doth not concerne you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non est vestrū c. Acts 1.7 or it is not profitable for you If every mans death or the generall judgement were knowne to be farre off it would make his servants faint and weary and wicked men would be more dissolute and ungodly The reason hereof who for all their conterfeiting are often compelled to tremble Vigilate quia nescitis diem neque horam c. Crebro id repetit ut ignorantiam exitus ab hac vita utilem esse ostenda◠Chrysost in Mat. Hom. 79. doubting the fearefull approach of that day If these times were knowne to be neere his servants would be troubled with naturall feare of death which is a greater paine when we feare it than when we feele it wicked men would be tormented with desperate feare of worse than a thousand deathes which would make them leape into hell sooner than need were Our Saviour as he said in the forenamed place that the Father had put up the times and seasons in his owne power so he had answered this question to his Disciples before Admonet ne discere tentent quod Angeli ignorant Theophilact in Mat 24 36. Marke 13 32 as unwilling to shew it and unwilling that either they should thinke it possible to be knowne or fitting ever to be demanded of againe For of that day and houre saith he knoweth no man no not the Angels of heaven neither the Sonne but the Father It is certaine that Christ knew it Pet Mart in 1 Cor 10 11. although not as he was man but as his divine nature shewed him but he saith he knoweth it not Theophilact in Marke 13 32. even as a loving Father unwilling either to deny his childe or to grieve his tender heart when hee is asking some thing which the father will not give he hideth it in his hand and afterwards sheweth him his empty hand for satisfaction so Christ hideth it from his Apostles and us with a reason that we grieve not because wee cannot know it seeing the Angels in heaven know it not and yet are not the lesse blessed because they doe not know it nor the blessed humane nature of Christ lesse glorious though nature hath not affoorded the knowledge thereof unto him And though Christ in this Parable name midnight yet it cannot be to point out the time seeing every place in the world as it differeth from other in scituation east or westward differeth also in houres there can no houre be given which is the same in halfe a quarter of the earth Exod 12 29. Traditio ludaeorum est c. Vnde reor traditionem illam permansisse ut in die vigiliarū Paschae ante noctis dimidium populos dimittere non liceat expectantes adventum Christi Hieron in Matth. 25. See more of the time upon Verse 13. and though the destroying Angel came at midnight among the Aegyptians yet was it an idle tradition that the convert Iewes in Saint Ieroms time had that Christ should come at midnight Onely I wish that wee were so of this conceit that every day past were the last of our life then would we enter our bed as wee would wish to goe to our grave for many goe sound to their bed as wee commonly say who are found dead in the morning and it is certaine that it must be midnight in some part of the world at Christs comming By these things we should learne how unprofitable their curiosity is We ought to leave curiosity in searching of it that labour to know this day of judgement and how blinded wee are in neglecting what is set downe and profitable for us and to hunt with sorrow and trouble for the thing that is not to bee had Saint Augustine said truly Prophetiae citiùs implentur quà m intelliguntur That Prophecies are sooner fulfilled than understood And therefore we are not to enquire for that day but how ready we are for it and as wee perceive by signes the approaching of that wrath so we may call to the mercifull God to be delivered from the terrour of it Our Saviour by naming the time of his comming midnight teacheth us two things First Security a forerunner of
of common light Math. 8.12 Math 22.13 for they shall be cast into utter darknesse insteed of quicknesse for motion they shall be bound hand and foote and the soule clogged to the body and lastly their bodies and soules are capable of nothing but sufferings and torments Mar 9.44 for their worme dyeth not and their fire never goeth out So when all arise the godly and wicked shall differ more then the blacknesse of a blackamore from the brightnes of the Sunne Consider these things and so behave your selves as you wish in the Resurrection to be a vessell of honour or dishonour according as you shall to your unspeakable joy or sorrow finde it in that fearefull day And trimmed their Lampes Lest Virgins appointed to be attendants at mariage be unfitt for the honour that becommeth their place it is requisite that they be adorned with wedding garments furnished with lampes or wedding Torches for preparing whereof they have an appoynted and competent time So the Lord hath granted unto us such competency of time as in his wisdome he knoweth is sufficient for our preparation to meet him when he shal call by death or the last judgement Now when the Bridegroome is coÌ„ming and the Virgins on foote to meet him it onely remaines that they trimme their Lampes as they are in meeting of him So when in death and judgement we are meeting the Lord we shall turne our mindes to the consideration of what state our soules and bodyes were in and whether in our life time we were prepared for meeting him or not this is the meaning of trimming their lampes aptaverunt lampades suas id est rationes reddendas operum which is August de Temp. Ser. 23. that they were to addresse them to give account of their works This is the busines that every one shall take in hand both after death and the Resurrection Our lampes for this spirituall and everlasting imployment are our soules and bodies which are never knowne how ready they were untill they bee brought in examination and tryal before the Lord reade Math. 22.11 which must be in death when we goe to the Lord or in the generall judgement when he commeth to us in both which this trimming and addressing our selves to account shall be used In death Heb. 9. â—9 the soule must be brought to this account for after death commeth judgement after it hath left the body then doth it call it selfe to account how it may answere at the tribunall seate of Gods justice unto which it is then conveyed In the great Iudgement both soule and body doe joyntly returne to consider what they shall answer to the great and fearefull reckoning they shall be charged withall For we must all appeare before the judgement seate of Christ 2 Cor. 5.10 and give account of whatsoever we have done The prodigall Sonne was long before he studied an answere and account of his life yet he did it when he was to meet his Father All this doctrine may be read as it is set downe in Esay 29. vers 15.18.19.20.21.22.23.24 so though men be now coÌ„tent to forget their owne experience and to counterfeit the ignorance of their owne knowledge in all things that concerne themselves yet when they are comming to the judgement seate of Christ they shall search for some answere which may prove most currant for their delivery This shall be done by two helpes first all men shall examine themselves how prepared they were when they were in this world and that this may the more truely and speedily be performed Revel 20.12 the booke of the conscience shall bee opened wherein is written all that ever men have done for as men have bookes to this purpose that they put in them the treasury of things which the memory cannot containe so shall the consciences of all men shew at one fearefull sight unto every man Math. 12.36 the Legend of their life and actions with all the circumstances of them every idle word shall be remembred Ecclesias 12 14. and every worke shall bee brought to judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evill then shall this power of Conscience Rom. 2.15 shew it selfe either in accusing or excusing all eyes shal be opened to see if they be naked or clothed in the sight of God Our sinfull actions in this life are they which make up this large booke of reckoning against vs for both it is our owne actions and it shall be our owne knowledge and memory that shall witnesse against us If therefore this debt of ours doth daily increase with which we shall accuse our selves in Gods presence let us like wise debters looke our count booke often and be ever discharging some by often examining what our conscience can witnes against us when we finde our faults cry according as our Saviour instructed us Lord forgive us our debts if we doe thus often our conscience shall have the lesse to accuse us of and the more easily shall our lampes be trimmed in the judgement day Secondly the servants of God had other lampes in this world then wicked men had and therefore they shall finde it in trimming and addressing themselves to give account Gods servants for their lampe vsed their soule and body which they offred as a quicke and lively sacrifice unto God Rom 12.1 and therefore in the Resurrection they find them ready to give account for which they laboured so much all their life time and are found ready to goe in with the Lord of glory into his heavenly habitation as will appeare verse 10. Reprobate men in their life labour only wearying theÌ„selves in the wayes of wickednes some are so sensuall that they distast all things except pleasure untill they surfet of it and by bodily weakenes their mindes grow queasie as formerly their stomacks were Dissidet ambiguis semper mens obvia votis Nee voluisse homini satis est optata recusat Auson Elyâ— 15. others for their lampes are enamoured with the lustre that the deceiving world hath and toyle as much to fill the belly of their chests with trash as the sensuall do to stopp their belly full of detestable doung Both these kinds of men of which kinds most Reprobates are have mistaken their lampes and insteed of making soule and body ready for account labor to fatten and make delicate their body to feast wormes withall or to fill all their stores with riches which proves often times fewell to unexpected fire a sword for robbers to kill them withall but sure in the end a barre to shutt them out of heaven and to hinder them from preparing for judgement and therefore how can these bee ready who never prepared themselves Thirdly by trimming of their lampes is understood the framing of them to that readinesse they were in when they layd them downe to sleepe So when all men shall addresse them to goe to judgement
the Lords deniall of all favour unto the damned after death and judgement And to make us assured of it he hath not spoken it onely without further confirmation but added an oath Verily I say unto you The word verily is often used by Christ in the Greeke it is Amen which Christ taketh to bee his owne name These things saith Amen Revel 3.14 the true and faithfull witnes for he is the way the truth and the life As if he had said as the truth is truth I say unto you and so having no greater to protest witnes and seale this doctrine with then himselfe Verbum confirmationis praemittitu magnum noveris esse quod sequitur Bern Declamat confirmeth it with his trueth Wheresoever this word is used in Scripture it sheweth a vehemency and earnestnes of the affection of him that speaketh and doth import some great consequence So that wheresoever it is pronounced by Christ it should be unto us as a marke vpon that Scripture to move us to consider the weight of it because hee would not have us negligent to heare that which he is so carefull to teach Now he saith verily to shew that as he is true this is the answer they may looke for I know you not If words were taken hold of and beleeved the Lord needeth not thus to add an oath for confirmation We will hardly beleeve any thing to hurt us and because we will never beleeve any thing that will hurt vs the Lord ingageth his truth that so it shal be if we labour not to make our acquaintaince with him in time and all this is to drawe us out of the snare of presumption that we passe not our life so idly Examples or according to our owne phantasie that we looke for favour after death when none is to be had How apt we are to conceive so appeareth by divers experiences the coÌ„mon voyce of the ignorant is This is the hope of Papists to be released out of Purgatorie by the prayers of the living that sure God will be mercifull unto all men and it were a sinfull conceite to thinke otherwise Others more grossely have laid it as a ground to all their hopes that when the paines of hell have taken hold on their soule that then others may knocke at the gates of blisse for them Theophilact in Math. 25.46 Setteth downe this errour of the Originians contrarie to Christs owne words and like to this is the Papists deliverance from Purgatorie both smelling of the Stoicks conceits of which Cicero Neither the soules in â—unc lo um nisi multis exagitati seculiâ— reveruntur in Som. Scip. and that after they regarded not to heare the Lord all their life time yet he will heare others for them and recall them for their torments they suffer And because errour hath no bridle to it nor end at which it doth determine even mercy hath been preached by some to be granted to the Divells and other damned Spirits after that the world doth end and they have suffered the torments of hell a little after So that all these onely give leave that men may leade what life they will or never expect to have or see heaven open whilst they are in this life and have occasion to have it open wherefore all these give no credit to this protestation that Christ maketh Verily I say unto you I know you not I knowe you not As Christ hath forewarned us in this Parable what part Reprobates shall haue in his favor The meaning and truth of the words so in other places he tells us that wheÌ„ the matter shall come to open triall in judgement when they shall claime familiaritie and acquaintance with Christ saying Lord Lord open to us Luk 13.25.26 and he shall answere and say I know you not then shall they say we haue eaten drunken in thy presence Math 7.22.23 and thou hast taught in our streetes By thy name we haue prophecyed and cast out Devils and done many workes Notwithstanding all this Theophilact in Math. 7.23 Christ will professe say unto them I never knewe you Neque tunc quando miracula faciebatis diligebam vos even then when you preached and did miracles in my name I loved you not by which appeareth the same is the truth of God for ever This concernes all that are in Gods imployments to consider for all that they doe if the Lord hate them or if he be preparing eternall wrath for them He makes wicked men to doe him good service Ioh. 6.70 Iudas preached saluation to others and ouercame the power of Sathan in them who was no better than a Diuell himselfe He calleth Nebuchadnezer his servant Ezech. 29.18 Esay 44.28 and Cyrus his Sheepheard and many other to doe him service whom he will protest in the great day that he never loved The words have a reason in themselves The foolish Virgins desire him to open heaven unto them his answere is I know you not according to the rest of this Parable for at solemne feasts they that desire entrance but ought not to be admitted the common answere is I know you not and therefore there is no reason I should open unto you Especially this is the reason of the uncharitable who being by the command of God to open their dores to strangers they doe no good except they know well to whom and to the poore and distressed they answer I know you not Even so shall their answer be from the Lord as they answered others and as they did good to none but whom they loved so the Lord will not heare them because he never loved them The meaning of the words I know you not is I will take no notice of you for as these that are promoted to honour when their olde acquaintance would claime interest in them The elect reprobate known to God but diverse wayes use to say I doe not know you So Iesus Christ in the great judgement when Reprobates would claime some interest in him shall say the like I know you not that is I will have no commerce nor fellowship with you August de verb. Dom Ser. 22. Quid est Nescio vos Est improbo vos reprobo vos What is I know you not It is I refuse you I cast you off The Lord knowes both the godly and reprobate but after diverse manners love is joyned with the knowledge of the one and hatred with the knowledge of the other Of the elect it is said The Lord knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2.19 Rom. 8.29 and Those that he had knowne before he elected to salvation And of the Iewes Rom. 10.2 that hee knew them before that is he loved them before and in this respect it is true that the Lord knoweth not wicked men for he loves them not But otherwise he knoweth all their thoughts and deedes happy were they if they knew themselves in some
Revel 3.3 If thou wilt not watch I will come on thee as a theefe and thou shalt not know what houre I will come upon thee This comming of Christ we expect and are certaine of yet we are not afraid nor watch because we see not the glory of that power which others feele which commeth and dispossesseth them of life The other comming of Christ to judgement even the very word of it is terrible because of the fearefull sights we shall see and the glory which Christ shall shew that reprobate men shall feare nothing so much as the presence of him who sitteth upon the throne This comming of Christ is chiefly meant of by Christ as appeareth by the purpose of this and the chapter going before But seeing that death and judgement doe goe together and that the preparation for the one is for both let us take consideration of that which commeth first Of all things onely death is certaine Psal 89.48 In Psal 38. in Hebr. 39 11. surely every man is vanity The certainty of Christs comming by death is the onely thing that we are all sure of Who is hee saith Ethan that liveth and shall not see death Or what is sure saith Augustine in this life except death Consider all whether good or bad things of this life righteousnesse or iniquity what is certaine except death Hast thou profited well what thou art to day thou knowest what thou shalt be tomorrow thou knowst not Lookst thou for money it is uncertaine to come Thou lookest for a wife this is uncertaine or what an one thou shalt have thou hopest for childrē they are uncertain to be born are they borne their life is uncertaine if they live their thriving is uncertaine Whatsoever way thou turnest thee all is uncertaine except death Art thou poore it is uncertaine if thou shalt be rich art thou unlearned it is uncertaine if thou shalt be learned art thou sicke it is uncertaine if thou shalt recover art thou borne thou art sure to die This is the enemy that as the Prophet saith Esay 28.15.18 wee make a covenant with making falshood our refuge and hiding our selves under vanity which notwithstanding is and must be disanulled as all experiences doe confirme An Archer shootes sometimes beyond the marke sometimes comes short of it now on the one side then on the other but though hee misse the marke for a time at length hits it so we see death strike at great ones above us sometimes at children and servants under us on the right hand it taketh our friends on the left hand our enemies shall we thinke to escape seeing he hath so long aimed at us We are al entring into death and this is the difference onely who shall take the way every one whom he taketh leaveth the Wisemans counsell unto us Remember my judgement so shall thine be to mee to day to thee to morrow Ecclus. 38.22 Make use of this certaine misery O man remember thy end August in spec hum mis remember what thou shalt be and when thou shalt goe out of this life Naked camest thou out of thy mothers wombe and naked under the earth shalt thou goe wormes shall consume thy body why should the flesh rejoyce which is prepared to be wormes meate rejoyce not to day lest thou dye to morrow why labourest thou to stretch out the belly with variety of dishes thinke I pray thee for whom thou doest prepare this fatnesse seeing as a bagge thou shalt be cast out to the wormes Why gloriest thou that thou art a precious vanity compassed with golde and precious stones and so despisest others The day shall come when thou shalt therefore if we know not but he may come within a day or an houres space much lesse are wee certaine that he shall stay a moneth a yeare or more yeares before he come I suppose that whosoever knoweth Gods word will acknowledge these to be true in doing of which they cannot but utterly condemne their curiosity who labor to determine or know when Christ shall come to judgement being quite contrary to his word and intent of doctrine and now a knowne foolishnes in many learned and godly men among the ancient Fathers Quae sermone omnium celebratur Astrologia stultitia multo labore constans Basil in Hexam Orat 1. The foolery I neede not the counsell of judicious Astrologians to know the truth of our ignorance herein their much admired labour and fooleries are contrary to the studie of Christians we are forbidden to meddle with secrets which only belong to God especially with the knowledge of the times for God hath put them in his owne power but wee are commanded to provide for them which at all times expect us we should desire to be of Gods Court but not presume to be of his Councell they on the contrary strive to be of his Councell and not of his Court labouring by all meanes to know the particulars of Gods providence and time of their death and punishment of Astrologians The Lord gives just reward for their presumption for we may observe that when they have obtained as they thinke some knowledge hee crosseth them in what they desire most If they finde out a long life they rejoyce but the Lord never commonly suffers that to be performed which the starres promise them but takes them away in some hasty and visible judgement If they finde death at the doores and appoint a day for the approach of it these are fearefull newes which the Lord brings commonly to passe upon them for a recompence of their errour It remaineth therefore that we remember that death tarrieth not and that the covenant of the grave is not shewed thee Ecclesiasticus 14.12 And seeing the first comming of Christ is revealed unto us for it concernes us to know the day of our visitation that we labour that his second coming be not at unawares on us or as a snare that we never looked for by making profitable use of his first comming to make our salvation sure and for his comming by death or judgement to watch for we know not the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man commeth Secondly to the end that we may continually watch for the time when our Lord Iesus shall come he saith not you know not the yeare Our life-time is measured out unto us by daies hours but you know not the day nor the houre teaching us thereby that our lives are measured out by dayes and houres and not bestowed at randome upon us or squared out by the great but are numbred out by little and little unto us Iob 14.5 Are not the dayes of man saith Iob determined the number of his moneths are with thee thou hast appointed his bounds which he cannot passe When God set the time to Noah that hee would destroy the world with a flood he measured it out by dayes Gen. 6.3 The dayes of man shall be an 120
how and in what holy exercises they spent the day onely for the good of the soule accounting the necessities of the body to be supplyed and cared for rather in the night which customes being used in other places in processe of time they divided the night into severall watches of which I will speake hereafter by all which appeareth how carefull the true servants of God have beene to count and employ their time But ignorance being the mother of presumption it appeareth that this is one of the markes of reprobate men because they know not how precious the time is to make a count of many yeares but care not how they bestow them If God gave time according to their desire they would at least choose the yeares of Methusalah The rich man counted not his life by dayes but counted a part of his life to be the summe of many yeares Luke 12 19. and it is the property of an evill servant to say My master doth deferre his comming Matth 24 48. As they count their time lightly gotten so they intend to bestow it lavishly in feasting gameing and sleeping but most of them with the evill servant to commit all manner of violence and oppression and because they never counted their time by dayes and houres they ever finde Christs promise true that their master will come in a day when they looked not for him and in an houre that they are not aware of Learne therefore to number your dayes and as the Wiseman saith Ecclus. 14.14 Be not disappointed of the good day but so employ it that the time be not lost without some fitting gaine to soule and body according as the times are convenient This is verbatim out of Suetonius in the life of Tit. Flau. Vespas Augus Sect. 7. It is a memorable example of an Heathen Emperour Titus Vespasian who calling to minde one time as he sate at supper that hee had done nothing for any man that day he uttered this memorable and praise-worthy Apophthegme My friends I have lost a day O what lost time have we to answer for wherein we have neither done good to others nor our selves Let them that love glasses to see their faces in looke also upon houre-glasses to see how their time goes away and comes not againe Watch therefore for you know not the day nor the houre c. Lastly followeth the charge Seeing we know all these things how carefull should wee be that death and judgement overtake us not when wee are sleeping in sinne and without thought of heaven or hell Better it is to watch and to be saved than sleepe and be destroyed We have herein to be considered three things 1. The meaning of the word Watch. 2. The persons to whom this watch is spoken 3. What is required for performance of it The word is used from warfare in which the armie ever count themselves to be in danger if the enemie be not certainly knowne to be farre off and therefore adventure not to sleepe without spies appointed and set in the most convenient places to perceive the approach of the enemy and with a loud voice when danger is at hand may sound an alarme to awake others to stand to their defence So soone as any lessons of military discipline were given this was accounted one most necessary of all And for the better performance of the charge which stood them all on their lives it was counted dangerous to trust a whole nights watching to one man they divided the night into foure parts by the name of watches though in these parts of the world it was necessary that the watches be changed oftner than foure times This constitution hath been long used for it is written that Gideon came upon the host of the Midianites in the beginning of the middle watch Iudg. 7 19. 1 Sam. 11 11. and Saul upon the Ammonites in the morning watch From hence it came to be used as a common division of the night David saith He waited on the Lord more than the morning watch did for the morning Psal 130 6. Mat 14 25. Christ came walking on the sea in the fourth watch and useth the same division in this exhortation in these words Watch therefore Mark 13 35. for ye know not when the master of the house will come at even or at midnight at the cocke-crow or in the dawning This exercise was used by holy people in religion 1 Sam 2 22. Pet. Mart. in Iud. 7 19. In vita HilarioÌ„ as by those women at the Tabernacle which the sonnes of Eli abused And Ierome reports of the watches kept in his time whole nights at the graves of holy men which being intended for holy conference meditation and praising of God by continuance in the time of darknesse caused much intemperance and gave way to lascivious persons for diverse sorts of wickednesse whose effects are to be seene in the Wakes observed in some places which are the fruites of the former superstition Of which I say thus much though they were used as first intended to the remembrance of holy men that their life and actions might relish the better for imitation yet with the Apostle that bodily exercise profiteth little 1 Tim 4 8. and how little profit this kinde of exercise hath done to the Church appeareth by the effects of it which have beene no better than those among the Gentiles Of Ianus is said Quam multas matres fâ—cerat ille Deus Ovid. Trist lib. 2. Ioseph Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 4. in which diverse fornications and adulteries have beene committed and fathered upon the Idols as one which Iosephus named with a Gentlewoman in Rome had beene put and reputed to the kindnesse of the god Anubis and the woman with her husband Saturnius very thankfull to the Idol and the Priests of it if Decius Mundus who had abused her had kept his owne counsell and not cast it despitefully in her teeth A French man hath in this particular unmasked their wickednes to the world Certainly if a rabble who are canonized for Saints by the Romish Church whose mothers were Nunnes were duely enquired of they shall be found according as their friends and Confessours of their mothers avouched it to the world to be the children of Ghostly Fathers indeede But omitting these abuses our watching for Christ is onely our Christian preparation by a holy carriage and often remembrance yea and longing for his comming which is better understood by practise than preaching Now for the persons that should watch No man is free from this charge and lest any should conceive immunity our Saviour tells us Mark 13 37. That which I say unto you I say unto all Watch. From the highest to the lowest none can have liberty to thinke himselfe out of danger for the destruction of the soule or preventing it lyeth upon watching What persons should watch There are foure sorts of persons in this world
common-wealth florished Iansenius in hunc locum Mat. 1. that the parties to be maried were by promise and oath bound each to the other as we reade that Ioseph and Mary were betrothed and the Mariage at more convenient time to be solemnized which was done most in the night the fittest time for mirth and banketting as St. Paule saith Rom. 13.12.13 Now while the Bridegrome was at hand the Bryde with a company of virgins met him with lamps torches who all entred into the mariage-house with the Bride Brydgrome Whē David prophesieth of the mariage betweene Christ and his Church he describeth it in the foresaid manner saying Psal 45.14.15 The Bryde shall be brought unto the King in rayment of needle worke the Virgins that follow after her and her companions shall be brought unto thee with joy gladnes shall they be brought and shall enter into the Kings Pallace Thus much for Historie In which we are to consider the Bridgrome the Virgins their lampes their oyle their going out and meeting the Bridgrome of which particulars some appertaine to the second part of the Parable But for the comparison obserue that Christ saith it shall be likened In Math 22.2 he saith it is like unto a wedding where servants were sent out to invite guests in this Parable he saith It shà ll be so likened in this there is no diversitie Gods Kingdome according to diverse states and times may have severall comparisons in this life God is preparing these things for vs This life is only for preparing our selves and by his word and servants inviting vs vnto this Mariage but in the life to come it shall be like unto another comparison to a mariage in the solemnizing that is all time and meanes of preparation shall be past that they who lose this day of Salvation shall be as foolish virgins and said unto that the Lord knowes them not The Bridgrome and Virgins Who is the Bridgrome SAint Iohn Baptist sheweth vs who is the Brydgrome in these words He is the Brydgrome that hath the Bryde the friend of the Bridgrome is he who heareth his voyce Iohn 3.29 and rejoyceth greatly But who is this that hath the Bride St. Paul tells the Corinthians 2 Cor. 11.2 I have betrothed you to one man to present you a pure virgine unto Christ. And by the other marke Christ is the Bridegrome for all his servants shall rejoyce to heare his voyce at the great day at which Iohn 5.28 Who is the Bride the dead shall come out of their graves The Bride must bee these Virgins that go out to meete him Observe by the way that where certaine virgins did present themselves in one company to the Bridgrome that mariage is then most honorable in the fight of God and men When is mariage truely honourable when it is of such as have beene Virgins that is to say have for their actions ben honest Heb. 13.4 for their cariage modest and shamefast Paul saith that mariage is honourable among all and the bed undefiled but whooremongers and adulterers God will judge besides the weight of this judgement of God the mariage is greatly dishonoured when it is of shamelesse unhonest persons And although mariage be a preventing from sinnes of that kinde to come therefore in that case is honourable among all yet it is not a pardon for wickednes past before mariage but as Iacob said of his sonne Reuben for this fault so doth God esteeme of others that fall in the like Gen. 49.4 that their dignitie and excellencie is gone because they darken the honour of their mariage-day The Divell who is a lyar from the beginning hath blinded the eyes of many young persons to esteeme these trickes of their youth which by God are condemned and by all civill and honest men abhorred and it hath so prevailed that the men cannot be securely received into mariage who have not approved their abilitie in begetting Bastards Whooremongers and adulterers God will judge O when God shall either judge or punish this no Crosse can prevent it no Priests Commission absolve it nor holy water is able to wash it away Remember Christs Spouse is a Virgin If you demand why these that are to meete Christ are called Virgins I answer because this is a comparison of Marriage in which onely Virgins chosen and appointed went out to meet the Bridegroome But if you aske which of all them that shall meete Christ is his Spouse I answer Who is the Spouse of Christ Every soule that hath in this life washed himselfe from sinne by repentance and calling on the name of the Lord and prepared himselfe with a confidence in the sweete love and mercy of God shall be the spouse of Iesus Christ But to speake as the Scripture doth all the Elect servants of God who agree in unity of one faith and love to Iesus Christ are his one and undivided Spouse from which notwithstanding we may not conceive an equality of dignity and love to be in the Church to be worthy the uniting unto the glorious God who for worth is Lord of heaven and earth and of love beyond all comparison Ioh 15 13. for no man can shew greater love for his friend than to give his life for him Christ shewed greater Rom. 5.10 in giving his life for his enemies And though all the faithfull cannot bee sufficiently meet for to be his Spouse yet are they counted worthy Philip. 3 9. when they are considered as joyned to Christ and one with him and are seene of God not with their owne righteousnesse but cloathed and overshadowed with the worth and righteousnesse of Christ We are to observe two things 1 Christs servants called Virgins that the faithfull soule is called a Virgin Christ a Virgin the Sonne of a Virgin will have a Virgin to his Spouse But what kinde of Virgin Hieron in Epist Virginis definitio est sanctam esse corpore mente A Virgin is one that is holy both in minde and body in minde because the Lord doth in this Parable condemne the corrupted mindes of the foolish Virgins whose bodies were not corrupted in body 1 Cor 6.15.19 because an uncleane body cannot be the Temple of the holy Ghost nor member of Christ But if wee consider why Gods Church was called a Virgin wee shall the better understand what is here meant by a Virgin God from the beginning ever shewed himselfe unto the people that were his as if he had beene their husband or spouse unto the Iewes he shewed himselfe as a husband unto the Christian Church he shewed himselfe a spouse the Iewes he tooke to him when their fathers were Idolaters Iosh 24.2 and themselves too hee married himselfe to them who by Idolatry had lost their Virginity who notwithstanding after they came to serve God fell to Idolatry many times againe provoked him to wrath
wrath they have heaped upon themselves his elect have an acceptable time a day of salvation the reprobate a time to disobey his voice to harden their hearts and so spend forty yeares or more as in the provocation and day of temptation in the wildernesse this is the abuse of time which of all things that are consumed should be most grievous unto us Here 's si scires unum tua tempora mensem Rides cum non sit forsitan una dies Th. Mor. if wee knew how precious and short it were Hee that were certaine to live no more but a moneth or at most a yeare would be sure to spend his apparell in mourning and yet it may be his life prove not so long as the length of a day As God gave Iezabel the meanes of repentance 1 Kings 21 23 by the preaching of Eliah so as a speciall benefit hee gave her time to repent even fourteene yeares after the death of Ahab but she would not and therefore the promised wrath of God lighted upon her Christ in his Epistle written from heaven unto the Church of Thyatira Revel 2 21. desires them to consider her fearefull example in abusing the time When God taketh account of all he reckoneth for the time too and therefore beloved strive to buy time by all labour and industry and for what we have or may lose let vs redeeme by making double use and profit of it But such is the miserable estate of our sinfull nature that our eye is evill because God is good We abuse time as we do other blessings in our actions we are prodigal because God in bounty is liberall God giveth good things cheerefully we receive them grudgingly use them cursedly And although all his benefits be good yet wee cannot use them so for all our imaginations and intentions are evill and therefore this great benefit in sparing us and giving us time of repentance and preparation for death and judgement brings by our crossenesse a contrary effect as appeareth by example both in elect and reprobate men Gods long-suffering from correcting of his owne servants causeth them to be slacke in his service what shall wee then thinke of others If for a few yeares wicked men goe uncurbed they say the words of the Psalme God neither seeth Psal 10.11 neither is there knowledge in the Almighty and how farre Gods children goe astray may appeare in the behaviour of that sometimes flourishing Commonwealth of Israel in every time when they had most of Gods temporall blessings of whom Moses in his death-song both by experience and prophecy said that when they were full Deut. 32 15. they waxed wanton and Davids fearefull fall and Salomons idolatry sheweth the danger of his children when God stayeth long from correcting them But seeing in this sleeping and slumbering the blessed or miserable estate of these Virgins is set downe we are to consider how farre faulty each of them shall be found at the comming of Christ for the Parable saith generally all slumbered and slept which is to be considered as the Scripture doth take the name of sleepe either for sinne security or naturall death ☞ Of the daily increase of sinne and the fulnes thereof at Christs comming FIrst the Scripture useth the word sleeping for sinning 1 Cor. 15 34. Rom. 13.11 as in these places Awake truly out of sleepe and sinne not The houre is that wee should rise from sleepe where the Apostle expoundeth it of sinne and in Eph. 5.14 it is named for sinne which is also there called a death as 1 Tim. 5 6 to teach us Esay 59.2 that sinne separateth us from God who is the life of the soule And that as he that sleepeth wanteth use of his senses and is not capable of the actions which concerne reasonable men to doe so the sinner The abundance of sinne before the great day may appear by the daily increase of it untill he be awaked by repentance is not able to doe these things which God requireth of an understanding man In sleep the senses leave their proper use but then the naturall powers are busiest as appetite digestion of meate concoction and feeding of the body so in sin the soule is made without feeling of God or its owne state but for the powers of corrupted and sinfull nature they receive strength and are busie to fulfill the sinfull lusts of the flesh And thus we finde that Gods servants doe often slumber but after they be effectuallly called seldome doe they sleepe in sinne but so soone as they slumber they are affrighted by Gods angry threatnings and awaked by repentance As for the Reprobates God giveth them over unto the spirit of slumber Esay 29 10. 6 9. without feeling of what they doe or being able to heare any call of God for their awaking because the Lord intendeth to destroy them 1 Sam 2 25. as is evident in the sonnes of Eli. Therefore in Christs Church immediatly before his comming his true servants shall as men possessed with a sleepy heavines wrastle against the heavines and importunity of naturall concupiscence and continue the battell betweene the spirit and flesh as all the godly before them have done in the dayes of their flesh But for the Vessels of wrath as in the olde world they waxed worse and worse more cruell beastly sensuall and profane and the Sodomites wickednesse for guilt reached heaven yea and in the end they offered shutting eares eyes bookes shunning the company of them who are likeliest to mark or admonish them like those who affect to be sleepy indeed to shut doores windowes avoid noise and company and finally draw curtaines over their eyes and commit their heads to the company of a pillow untill God from heaven reade their dreames with a hasty mischiefe Wee see many to have particular experience of this and it shall be the awaking at the last day for men shall bee playing the Epicures Luc 17.26 27 28.30 2 Pet 2 7 8. 1 Thess 5.3 as in the dayes of Noah vexing the few righteous as the Sodomites did Lot crying peace peace when on a sodaine in the twinkling of an eye God shall send the flood of his wrath fire from heaven and eternall destruction to bring all foregone conceited pleasures to nothing No age of the world wherein religion flourished hath beene free from this sleepinesse of security except the rodde of persecution or affliction were above them to teach them how dangerous their state were if once they slumbred but above all the security that shall generally be at the last day could never be exemplified in any former experience for all their senses shall be bound and without power of feeling the force of religion or understanding the terror of Gods wrath therefore our Saviour compareth this deadnesse to sleepe for if men were awake there were hope that though they were blinde yet they might heare if they wanted both senses
it shall bee by calling before them the state they were in when life left them for as life leaves us in the same state judgement findeth us When men awake from sleepe they betake them to their actions labours they were in when they lay downe and beginne where they left off so shall we do in the Resurrection Happie therefore is that seruant Math 24. whom in his death his Master shall find him so doing that he may be prepared to goe into glory with the Sonne of man Numb 23 10. Balaam or any wicked man may well wish Let me dye the death of the Righteous and let my last end be like his But we see besides their wicked life how many dye drunke and loose their lives in quarrels of robbery extortion of pride and vaine glory and so sacrifice the last day of their life to most abominable courses In what fashion can these in their death or in the great judgement addresse themselves for account And therefore in that day the trimming of their lampes shall only be that they would prepare themselves but shall be altogether unprepared for it followeth in the text VERSE 8. And the foolish said unto the wise Give us of your oyle for our Lampes are out AS Virgins that had neglected the time for preparation untill the last momēt of time wherin it was too late to prepare should for shame complaine of their owne unfittingnes and cry unto others for help So when reprobates shall rise again from the dead they shall shew their shamefull and sorrowfull complaint and wish that it were possible for others to help them Notwithstanding they shall not at that time speake unto the true servants of God or thinke that they can help them neither can wicked men hope that counsell or help can be stedable but they shall rather seeke help at Mountaines and hilles if it were possible to hyde them Therefore we must remember as I sayd before that all the words of a Parable cannot be literally or historically applyed neither are propounded so to be made use of but some parts must be added for amplifiyng and adorning the comparison I doubt not but among the Iewes it hath fallen out that in meeting the Bridegroome some have proved foolish Virgins in not providing so as was expected of them and upon the instance of service have craved help from others that could not spare it have with shame been expulsed the place of solemnity as not proving of the acquaintaince and friendship of the Bridegroome so that these wordes of the foolish unto the wise and their answere againe agreeth well with the rest of the Parable and likewise for our application they are rightly placed to be considered of after the addressing of all to judgement because that wicked men never see their folly till then and also Christ would teach how willing and desirous they would be to amend if they might get time and occasion For the first it is alwayes the propertie of fooles to be wise behind hand serò sapere verò stultorvm est and it is the wretchednesse of wicked men never to call for grace untill the day of vengeance be fully come and then like fooles they learne the wit to call therefore the houre of death and day of judgement are the times to make mad men tame and the foolish wise who before in this world could not be ruled with bit or bridle Prov 27 22. Psal 92 6. nor made wise when God grinded them in the morter of affliction but an unwise man doth not know this and a foole doth not consider this Quis autem sit sapiens quis stultus audi cave tibi Insipiens est quise c. Bern. in spec peccat who is a wise man and who is a foole heare and beware of thy selfe that thou be not a foole he is an unwise man who considereth not that he is a stranger from heaven and as it were a banished man in this world He is a foole who though he know these things yet laboureth not to be delivered from this misery he is an unwise man who beleeveth not the eternall state of men either in glory or in misery he is a foole who beleeving these things yet laboureth not to be freed from the one and obtaine the other Psal 49 10. and therefore the Scripture hath well said that both the ignorant and foolish shall perish together Secondly Christ hereby sheweth us how willing and desirous damned men would be to amend and come to Gods favour What paines would the rich Glutton take if he could be released what sorrow would he make what almes would he give what labour and fasting would he undertake If Sodome were as yet undestroyed they knowing now what they know can wee thinke what meanes they would make to escape the eternall torments of fire and brimstone But it is too late they spend their eternity of time in repentance and teares all is in vaine they are in the harvest of sorrow and teares wee are in the springtime they may lament but their teares are fruitlesse God will never be moved nor take notice of them but now if wee sow in teares Psal 126.5 6. and turne to the Lord with all our hearts we shall afterwards reape in joy and bring the eternall sheaves of it with us when the irrevocable wrath of God shall seize upon others for ever Hee is both happy and wise that can take good counsell in seasonable time Tempus in quo peccata fugere non licet semper cogitare debemus dum peccata fugere licet and this counsell and instruction I recommend to all that while we have time to fly from sinne we ever consider and thinke upon the time when we cannot fly from it Give us of your Oyle As it were folly for one to demand that which another hath for necessitie and present use So shall it be to no purpose that at Christs comming wicked men shall wish for that grace which cannot be had but seeing necessity makes the beggar their Lampes are out and therefore they must begge Oyle Wherein wee may observe the strange alteration which the Lord brings upon wicked men The punishment of the hard-hearted and how they are forced to seeke and wish for helpe of them whom they hate most In this world wicked men if they know the man that feareth God of all men they will have least concourse or intermedling with him they have a hundred reasons whereas their owne conceit is cause enough to hate him If Iohn Baptist had lived a delicate and licentious life his time had beene spent in Kings pallaces But specially if they be driven to begge of them Give us for Gods sake of your oyle meale or corne scarce will they bestow the words of this Parable on them Goe to them that sell but stand afarre off and look over the other shoulder The rich Glutton starved Lazarus at
great labour yea when it is bought it is freely bestowed It is a Iesuite who writeth thus if he had or if others would consider the words they should have litle reason to name the word of merit any more 2. While the Lord calls us buyers it is a great honour and comfort unto us David bestowed much upon the building of the Temple 1 Chron. 29.14 but who did owe the silver and gold David said he had given to God that which was his owne so whilst we are bidden buy that wherwith we are bidden buy the Lord lends us for we cannot have so much as a good thought of our selves 3. When we pay in any thing to the Lord quod datur melius nobis retinetur that which we give is kept in store for us Gen 42.25 and the price is returned unto us againe with profite as Ioseph returned his brothers monyes in their sacks againe 4. Whatsoever wee pay the Lord it is rather an increase then diminishing of our substance the Widowes Oyle increased the more she gave to Eliah of it 1 King 17.16 Who can say that he is poorer for any thing he giveth to the poore or that hee loseth so much of his life time in which hee tendeth the service of God yea or rather is not that day multiplyed that is bestowed on the Lord When we count all that we can all that we haue the Lord giveth us freely yea when we bestow it upon the Lords service hee returnes it with profit into our bosomes againe So much for the sellers Seeing many who are foolish in spirituall matters obtaine praise enough for their wisdome in the world Worldly applause shall be no comfort in the feare full day we must consider with whom they traffique in their liues and actions These wordes goe to them that sell are onely a reproach to reprobate men and therefore their miserable comforts in the day of the fearefull account are no where to be found I observed upon verse 4 that if the foolish Virgins had any oyle they had it in their Lampes exposed to the view of the world but the wise who had Oyle sufficient put it in their vessels untill they had neede of it So that if wicked men doe any good actions it is to make flatterers bestow praise enough upon them and to gaine that favour of men to be tossed up and downe in the ayre as children blow bubbles and to be accounted to have some happinesse in themselves whose felicity hath onely the dwelling in the braine or wandreth up and downe with the opinion of others The speciall respect that such men have in all their doings is that to use their owne words the world may give expect or are least prepared The day that Adam brake Gods command it was said thou shalt die the death to dust shalt thou returne yet though he lived 930 yeares after hee could not conclude that his life should be crowned with immortality Methusalem who lived longer yet at last met the Bridegroome And to be briefe Who is hee that liveth Psal 89 48. and shall not see death So then let us deceive our selves as wee will and make a covenant with life and death once wee must meete the Bridegroome nay rather twice we must meete him at our death and when hee commeth to judgement to take account of all men together They that were ready Concerning the second which is the readinesse of the Virgins the day of examination and tryall doth declare it the wise were found ready the foolish began to prepare for then they went to buy Seeing we are to use traffique for obtaining salvation wee may understand that the readinesse of Gods Saints to meete the Lord stands in this that wee doe account and discharge whatsoever may hinder us and provide for whatsoever wee neede We have a reckoning with God that wee be not unready when we should meete him and another with the world lest it should detaine and hinder us Wee must reckon with God for our sinnes We must account with God for our manifold debts of sinne which for payment require our everlasting damnation or else some satisfaction which is infinite in price to countervaile the infinitenesse of time which justice requireth in our punishment for offending an infinite God But to the end that we may have the meanes for this satisfaction our mercifull God hath set before us the death and sufferings of his owne Sonne equall to himselfe in majesty the worth of whose sufferings doth in justice make more than equality to whatsoever we can be charged withall The Lord having made so easie a way for our discharge now laieth the charge upon us that we count and summe up our misdeedes in his presence and when we have so done to present in stead of our personall satisfaction the satisfaction that his Sonne in whom onely he is well pleased made to obtaine a pardon and discharge unto us First then wee must call our selves to account before the Lord If wee iudge our selves wee shall not bee iudged of the Lord. and truely without hiding from him any thing to whom nothing can be secret and bewaile our estate before him otherwise we can never be ready The wise man counselleth us As we take physicke to prevent sicknesse so we ought to examine our selves before wee be judged that in the day of visitation we may finde mercy Ecclesiasticus 18.18 19. And Saint Paul assures us that if we judged our selves 1 Cor 11 31. we should not be judged of the Lord. Now because most men neglect to take this course the Lord entreth into judgement with them Psal 50 21. layeth their misdeedes in order before them chastneth some in this world and be so respective From Pithagoras many learned thought the wisest man to be he who iudged himselfe every day Vir bonus et sae pieas qualem vâ—x repperit vnum Millibus emultiâ— hominuÌ„ consulius Apollo Iudex ipse sut etc Sic dicta facta per omnia Ingrediens ortoque a vespere cuncta revoluens Offensus pravis det palmam praemia rectis Auson Edyll. 16. What is required in a Iudge Cic. Offic. lib. 3. to repent and amend every particular fault done to our neighbour how carefull should we be that no sin which we can know of passe unreconciled for with our heavenly Father we finde the proverbe true That oft reckoning keeps long friends but there is no meanes to obtaine or be sure of Gods friendship except we make often account with him for them As we must respect the times of examinyng our selves that we use it often so must we the manner If we would free our selves from accouÌ„ting with the dreadfull Iudge we must be judges of our selves that is as wee make a partie in reckoning our sinnes so must we be as judges in calling our selves to account in receiving the reckoning in justlie condemning our selves who are
better the Scripture hath laid lessons in our way which we stand in neede of by seeking of which wee may finde somewhat for our eternall comfort The duties required of man and wife may be learned by the actions of God his Church the love of the man to the wife is taught by the love of Christ to his Church Ephes 5.22 23 c. when he gave his life rather than it should be lost how tenderly they should shew themselves in all their actions is taught by Christs nourishing and cherishing the Church And on the other part the subjection and reverence the woman ought to have towards her husband is taught by the subjection of the Church unto Christ who onely hath an eye to him and desireth to be governed according to his direction It is an heavenly patterne so to governe our selves as we have Christ for an example and on the other part we wrong our selves in mariage when we bereave our selves of this heavenly comfort for this is onely the way to make our mariage comfortable and heavenly often to call to remembrance the union of Christ to his Church and especially to our soules and according as we are dealt with and behave our selves in the spirituall mariage so to frame our lives and actions in the duties of mariage according to the same example I dare boldly promise in the name of God Gal. 6.16 that he who sanctifieth his mariage in walking after this rule peace shall be on him in this life and mercy shall be his portion in the life to come in being admitted to that society of mariage with Christ in heaven which hee so much loved and imitated whilest hee remained upon earth If I should take a survey of many maried persons and enquire if they learne and practise any thing according to the rule of Christ and his Church I should finde them of another spirit that where Christ appointeth their life according to the rule of heaven they live in imitation of hell as if they were bound together to be tormenters one to another The unquiet lives of many doe shew that Satan hath gotten power to curse them and when all things else doe pleasure both they finde want of nothing but love and quietnesse Is the God of peace and love dwelling with such a couple No sure it is the enemy of peace Or can we exhort them to love their neighbour and be tender-hearted to him when they hate and torment their owne flesh Love is a marke of Christs scholler and it is certaine that he must be taught and led by Satans overruling hand that beginneth hatred so neere home as to be enemie unto their heart which God hath appointed to lye in his owne bosome No fault but it can pretend just ground and married couples can pretend reason too But will a man be angry if the one hand cut the other seeing they are both alike his owne and should hee be angry though faults happen among them must he fall at variance for every fault What should become of him if the Lord should for every fault shew his wrath against him Or if there were cause given should hee then be angry and shew hatred This is not the example of our Saviour who loved every member of his Church and gave his life for them even when they were enemies and did what they could to offend him If the fault be in the wives carriage St. Paul counsells Col. 3.19 yet to love them and be not bitter unto them alwayes remembring the example of Christ who laboured to cleanse his Church and to make it without spot or blame Eph 5 26 27. If the fault bee in the men and they be untoward Saint Peter counselleth the women 1 Pet. 3.1 that by all meanes they subject themselves to their husbands that though they were infidels yet they might be wonne by the conversation of their wives There is no place for contention betweene man and wife all should be love and if the maried would take care to behave themselves like Christians in their houses towards themselves wee should not see or heare them so often in the streets behaving themselves like Turkes towards others nor suffer Satan to goe betweene them and the blessing of their mariage ☞ Of the joyes of heaven it is said They that were ready went in with him to the Mariage THE mariage entertainment is now to be spoken of whereof all the prepared Virgins shal in the glorious day of Christs comming be made partakers True it is that Gods servants after death shall be followers of Christ into the glory of heaven and there are in blisse glory and joy which is not possible to be conceaved But in this Parable I must direct my speech unto that felicity which we are to have both in body soule after the day of judgement because the text tendeth that way and Christ in it respecteth the question that was propounded unto him concerning his comming Math. 24.3 and now applyeth and in this Parable concludeth the doctrine of his comming with an exhortation to watching Notwithstanding whatsoever can be said of the glory both of body and soule miseries there Math. 6.20 so saith the Scripture that in heaven neither the moth nor canker corrupteth neither theeues dig through nor steale Revel 21.4 and God shall wype all teares from their eyes there shall be no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither any more paine for the sorrowes of this world shall be gone In manner of excellency when wee see any thing good comfortable profitable or honourable for us we straight conclude a greater excellency of all such things to be desired are in heaven the onely seate of felicitie Quotiescunque saith Hierom. te vana seculi delectabit ambitio Ad Eustoch quotiescunque in seculo videris aliquid gloriosum ad paradisum mente transgredere Whensoever the vaine desires of this world doth delight thee whensoever thou seest any thing in the world glorious then let thy minde mount up to Paradise and in this kinde excellent things are spoken of heavenly Ierusalem Psal 87.3 The thing that all men account best and sweetest is life therefore the Scripture hath promised us a life in heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for excellency whereof it may be justly sayd to us Cic. in som Scip. Vestra verò quae dicitur vita mors est that our life is but a death Nothing more comfortable to them that liue then assurance of long life from whence we conclude that in heaven which hath fulnes of all comfort we shall haue eternall life The most profitable life that we can desire is to have all things that can make us happie of which we finding some things in this life for our comfort and refreshment wee conclude that in heaven are all things that need to make us perfectly blessed the greatest honour this world hath is to be head of one
the third time and by a common comparison labours to imprint it in the mindes of his hearers Iob 33 14.29 30. The Lord saith Elihu speaketh once or twice and a man perceiveth it not yea and being abundant in compassion will labour twice or thrice with a man that he may turne backe his soule from the pit to be illuminate in the light of the living As a carefull Captaine before hee betake him to rest considering the great danger of his army if they become sleepy and carelesse will give charge that the watches be placed and not contented with direction and intreaty will goe in person to see his owne satisfaction and their security So our Lord Iesus Christ being to leave this world and considering the watchfulnesse and labour of our spirituall enemies seeking to devoure us which may hastily be done if once we be taken at unawares he often exhorts us to stand to our guard and at last in his owne person sets the watch and seales it with a charge of punishment to be inflicted upon those that neglect And as a man going into a strange Country and leaveth his house Marke 13 34. giveth authority to his servants and to every man his worke and commandeth the porter and all to worke and watch that upon his uncertaine time of returne they may be upon an instant ready to give account of their charge So our Lord before his going into our heavenly Country prescribed and delivered to every man his charge and because not onely the Disciples but every other soule standeth at the gate of heaven untill it be open and our Saviour meet us he therefore gave charge and exhorted all to watch lest they be found sleeping and negligent Matth. 25.30 and with the sloathfull servant be cast into utter darknesse where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Consider how carefull Christ is to preach and beate this doctrine into our eares and make use of it for the more carefull the Lord is to give us warning the more severe shall he be in judgeing if we neglect This exhortation Watch therefore springeth from many rootes each wherof leadeth us to this fruite even from every maine particular in this Parable which proceeding along by the uncertainty of time are as so many motives and counsellers that wee watch and awaite for the comming of Christ to us The great River Nilus receiveth water and strength from many springs all which concurring overflow much of Egypt and causeth fruitfulnesse So the former doctrines of this Parable all concurre in one and taking their current through the uncertainty of our life or Christs comming doe overflow the soule and make it fruitfull causing us to walke worthy of our calling and to watch for Christs comming The greatest argument to move us to watchfulnesse and carefulnesse of a Christian life is the uncertainty of our life and the continuall danger we stand in to be arrested by death and so brought presently to a fearefull account He that feareth the thiefe to come at every houre of the night will be sure to spend the whole night in watching Wee are ever in danger yea in the midst of life we be in death and therefore while we live our soules should continually watch for the time that our Lord Iesus shall appeare for our deliverance out of this mortall life Therefore when our Lord exhorteth us to watch he giveth this for a reason We know not the day c. And because of all the foolishnesse and miserable estate of the foolish Virgins this is most lamentable that beginning and labouring for the marriage they should notwithstanding allow a purposed prodigality to consume an uncertaine time and so be taken at unawares in carelesnesse lose their expected credit and benefit to their great shame and confusion so should we stand in awe and watch lest that day come upon us as a snare when we least thinke of it For we know not the day c. And this is the particular that Christ urgeth out of this Parable and which hee maketh expresse use of But seeing there are many other circumstances in it which doe urge this exhortation and by good consequence conclude the same doctrine it is not unfitting to set them downe as so many hands laying one and the same burthen of necessary watchfulnesse upon us but so as they may be linked with this maine reason of the uncertainty of the time to give greater strength unto them When all our reasons are seasoned and salted with the uncertaine time of death they give no other relish nor bring out any other effect in an understanding soule than warinesse and watchfulnesse in all things according to the wise mans saying Remember death and thou shalt never sinne Ecclesiasticus 7.36 There have been six principall doctrines in this Parable which all concurre to teach us this exhortation These reasons I have set down thus for brevities sake which may be easily drawne into syllogismes From the first Verse Heaven is our native Country for which wee are brought up now we are children of the kingdome and are pilgrims in another Countrey and have no certainty when the Lord will translate us from this miserable estate to receive our mercifull expectation and therefore wee should watch seeing we know not the day c. From the second Verse We heard that few were to be saved and the power of damnation is an equall enemy to all and at all times ready to take holde of us therefore we should be watchfull seeing we know not c. From the third Verse We finde it true that most of men content themselves with a shew of grace and preparation and so labour with cunning and industry that they may be damned and with this shew consume the time which they neither know nor have power of and therefore we should give labour that we prove not of this gracelesse number but watch for we know not c. From the fifth Verse The time of our life and of Christs stay is bestowed upon us to the end that we may make ready against he come which if it be within a day or an houre we know not and therefore we should watch seeing we know not c. From the fift and sixt Verses Security is a common forerunner of danger and the usher which maketh way to destruction which is commonly nearest when it seemeth to be furthest off but when it comes is uncertaine but ever doubtfull and therefore we should be ever upon our guard and watch seeing we know not c. From the following Verses is by reasons concluded that there is neither time to provide and prepare nor any helpe to be hoped for from God or man after the day of death which is ever waiting to carry us to judgement And therefore we should ever prepare and watch seeing we know neither the day nor houre when the Sonne of man commeth Now we are in particular to consider the main reason
we know not the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man commeth Secondly as a conclusion to all this Parable to expound and urge this exhortation Watch. The reason imports two things First the certainty of Christs comming secondly the uncertainty of the time to our knowledge The first is taken as granted beleeved being promised by Christ oftentimes before The second on which we presume most though wee know it least is proved by this comparison in the unexpected coming of the Bridegroom in the chapter before by the example of the sodaine overtaking the world by the flood not looked for even untill the day that Noah entred into the Arke and by the sodain destructiō of Sodom Gen. 19.23 not likely nor looked for an houre before it came for the Sunne shined brightly upon it And lastly in all the said places our Lord promiseth that his comming shall be for sodainnesse in the same manner that as the world had not a dayes knowledge of the flood before it came nor the Sodomites an houres warning of their destruction before it came so no man shall know the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man shall come When the Sonne of man will come This is a name of comfort unto us In the way let us comfort our selves amidst this fearefull doctrine wherein though Christ doth preach of death and judgement yet to his Disciples and us who have laid all our hopes of comfort upon himselfe he hath interlaced a word of comfort in preaching of generall judgement to others he preacheth particular mercy unto us He calleth himselfe the Sonne of man to remember us of the interest wee have in his nature his person his deedes and sufferings and by this name of humility and affection to mankinde we may be incouraged to draw neare to him who is so neare to us and to put our trust in him whose love we are so assured of As this name Sonne of man is comfortable to us so is it a name of instruction for us And a patterne of wonderfull humility for in it we see a wonderfull humility It was the common name that Christ continually called himselfe by Christ never called himselfe Sonne of man after his death reasons in all his teaching before he suffered But we may observe that after his death hee never called himselfe by that name First because as the Apostle saith by the resurrection from the dead he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God Secondly Rom. 1.2 after his resurrection he was not any more subject to humane infirmities but was as a glorified soule and body Examples are in Luke 24.16 Ioh 20 14. 21.4 though by his power he held the eyes of all that beheld him that they should onely see him as a man conversing upon the earth Thirdly and lastly because hee was to converse no more as a mortall man but onely by his actions Acts 1 3. hee vouchsafed to doe these things which might assure us of the truth of his resurrection and therefore when Mary Magdalen would have fallen on his feete as shee used before his death hee saith Touch me not but when Thomas distrusted Iohn 20.17 27 he bid him feele his hands and his side Wee never reade that the Apostles called him Sonne of man for questionlesse they were astonished at this name of wonderfull humility When the Lord had shewed his glory to the Prophet Ezekiel hee called him ever after Son of man Marginal note in Ezek. 2 1. to remember him that he was dust and ashes and so to humble him ever when hee remembred his owne estate and Gods grace But after the Lord had witnessed from heaven in the hearing of Iohn and his followers that he was his welbeloved Sonne in whom hee was well pleased yet ever after would call himselfe the Sonne of man as professing himselfe to be come of the mortall and corrupted stocke of Adam as miserable men were yea and to descend lower he thought it no disparagement that he was not equall in state and condition with others though above all by nature but framed himselfe to the forme and fashion of a servant to serve Ioseph and Mary and his Disciples to claime no higher honour in this world than to be called the Sonne of man that is by nature bound a servant to man for though the sonne differ from a servant in this Gal. 4.1 that he is heire of all yet so long as he can be called a sonne both nature and Gods law bindes him service and obedience Bern. Ser. 1. super Missus est O wonderfull example of humility hee went saith the Gospell to Nazareth and was subject unto them to wit to Ioseph and Mary choose of both which you will wonder at either the bountifull vouchsafing of the Sonne or the most excellent honour the parents have both amazefull both wonderfull that God should become obedient unto men an humility beyond all example that men should be commanders of God an highnesse beyond all comparison Idem Ser. 3. Advent Certainly the Angels are amazed at this to see him so farre lower than themselves and yet crowned with such glory and worship that he is God above all blessed for ever and doe now manifestly ascend and descend unto the Sonne of man Vbi superius Disee homo obtemperare disce terra subdi c. O man learne to obey O earth learne to be subject Of thy Maker the Gospell saith he was subject unto them be ashamed O dust God humbleth himselfe and thou exaltest thy selfe hee makes himselfe subject to men and thou desiring to have rule of men settest thy selfe to take place of God Learne of Christ Matth 11. that he is meeke and lowly in minde doe you the like and you shall finde rest in your soules Having now heard a wonderfull example of Christs humility let us now returne and take a view of his glory If any wonder with Caiphas that a man of so meane estate can be the God of glory let him receive Christs answer I am he Marke 14.62 and ye shall see the Sonne of man sit at the right hand of the power of God and come in the clouds of heaven The glory of Christ in his comming according as he meaneth in this text is partly invisible partly visible When he calls us to death and particular judgement his person is not seene with our eyes though his power be felt Acts 3.15 Revel 1.18 so that he who is Lord of life and death worketh in us Gen. 28.16 and wee may say with Iacob Surely God was in this place and I was not aware That our Saviour doth in this exhortation meane also of his comming at the day of our death appeareth by example for unto the Church of Sardis he sendeth the meaning of the same words in which he punished many by death and temporall punishments his words are these
it rooteth out all the buds of vertue and maketh sinne flourish in stead of them These dangers we have in us either to lose the grace of God given us or to have it burnt and choaked by Satans cunning and therefore no meanes to prevent and disappoint him but to watch and resist him and the occasions of sinning Our Saviour giveth this same exhortation of watching with the same reasons of his sodaine comming and our carefull looking that sinne surprise us not and sheweth his blessednesse that doth accordingly in these words Behold I come as a theefe Revel 16 15. blessed is hee that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walke naked and men see his filthinesse Thus as a Commander chargeth all under his government to watch and stand to their guard under the paine of losing their life honour and all So our Lord Iesus Christ who knowes our danger hath given us charge to watch or else wee shall undoubtedly perish wee are ever assaulted for our soule and when our life shall be called for we know not Horat. Horae autem momento aut certa mors venit aut victoria laeta and in a moment either commeth certaine death or a joyfull victory Now though every one be here charged to watch for themselves The great charge of Ministers of the Church that they may he prepared to stand before the Lord in his comming yet there are some that are both to watch their owne soules and the soules of others even those who are both to watch ex officio by charge and calling unto it and who have received their names to put them in remembrance of their charge the Watchmen of Israel Ezek 3 1. 1 Sam 9 9. Ezek 34 2. Acts 20 28. Seers Shepheards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishops or Overseers of the flocke which God hath bought with his owne blood Of all others their charge is heaviest in this watching their account shall be most sharpely exacted and as Christ lost not one of all them whom the Father committed unto him so they shall be charged with every soule that perisheth by their negligence The Lord chargeth Ezekiel to be a Watchman upon this perill Ezek 3 18. that if he gave not warning to the wicked man he should die in his iniquity but his blood should be required of him To whom much is committed of him much shal be required and when the Lord gives each one according to his workes most severe judgement shall be unto them that are set over others Wisd 6.5 And therefore Church-men are to consider what danger both their own and the soules of others are in if once they grow carelesse or sleepe in sinne without awaking and if they be not ever careful to watch in prayer and declare to their charge by crying and admonition what danger they foresee them in and by their example leade them the way by which they may escape the snares which Satan hath laid for them Now if they faile in their watching they may see their danger by example of others whose charges are lighter Their danger in unwatchfulnes to be seene in the examples of Of all sorts of men sleeping is most dangerous in three Shepheards Pilots Watchmen of townes or those who keep Gates First it is dangerous for a shepheard to sleepe 1 Shepheards because theeves are ever watching opportunitie and when others betake them to rest ut jugulent homines surgunt de nocte latrones then theeves betake them to their occupation The flocke is also subject to be devoured and dispersed abroad by wilde beasts wherof are numbers of diverse sorts for when it is night Psal 104 20 all the beasts of the forrest creep forth and hunt after their prey If therefore the shepheard sleepe though while he wake he be as watchfull as Argus yet he may lose some of his flocke and his owne life too and though in body he escape danger yet having a charge whatsoever is lost he must make it good Iacob said to Laban Whatsoever was torne of beasts Gen 31 39. I brought it not to thee but made it good my selfe of mine owne hands didst thou require it were it stollen by day or by night In like manner when the shepheard of soules falls slacke or negligent over the flocke then doth Satan fall on worke beginneth to roare after his prey some he drives before him in the way of all wickednesse because there is none to rescue them nor to turne the sinner from his evill way others he bindes up in the bundell of ignorance because there is none to holde out a light unto their feet nor a lanterne unto their steps and to make all sure he smites the shepheard and then takes his time to gather the remainder and makes the place where once Gods name was called upon to become a denne of theeves the valley of darknesse shadow of death Miserable experience had the Iewes of all this proceeding before they were carried to Babylon and the Christian Church when their watchmen fell to sleep Satan came out among them and raged many yeares This is at large proved by the table of taxes in Muscul com plac Nundin Pontif 〈◊〉 de Ministris verb. Dei filled the world with olde wives fables ghosts and apparitions and made such way for his kingdome that he obtained the Visible Christian Church to be disposers of liberty for every kinde of sinne Blessed be God who hath delivered us from the open power of darknes and hath not left our salvation in the dispose of the confederates of darknes We are therefore to beware that he overcome us not againe we are not ignorant of his practises how he laboureth in every private Congregation Rev. 2 13. hee had a throne in the Congregation of Pergamus and in processe of time obtained all Mat 24. Who is that faithfull steward whom God hath set over his house to give them moate in due season let him heare the last exhortation which Paul gave to Timothy a little before his death But watch thou in all things suffer adversity 2 Tim 4 5. doe the worke of an Evangelist cause thy Ministery to be truly liked of according to his owne example by which hee exhorteth the Elders of Ephesus Watch and remember Acts 20 31. that by the space of three yeares I ceased not to warne every one both day and night with teares Secondly 2. Pilots it is dangerous to have a sleepy Pilot in a shippe whose negligence may be the overthrow of many others It is all one to be without a Pilot as to have one that is not watchfull but to be without one is to want the ordinary meanes to be saved Acts 27 31. according as St. Paul said to the Centurion Except these abide in the shippe you cannot be safe But if like Ionas he be heavy and sleepy in time of danger Prov. 23 34. as it were in the Sea