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A52172 The midnight cry a sermon preached on the parable of the ten virgins / by J.M ... Mason, John, 1646?-1694. 1692 (1692) Wing M918; ESTC R32054 17,923 30

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and every Eye shall see him Happy they that can say This is our God we have waited for him A little before this all will be sensible of it there will be a loud Cry at Midnight Behold he comes This will be no Notion then Watch therefore for you know neither the Day nor the Hour when the Son of Man cometh Watch in a way of Expectation and in a way Preparation that he may come to you as a Friend in the Day not as a Thief in the Night Having said this let us go to the Parable Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened to Ten Virgins c. Here is a manifest Allusion to a Wedding When Christ comes to set up his Kingdom the first thing is the Conversion of the Jews which is called a Marriage in several places Here is a Representation of a Slaughter of Christ's Enemies which is not usual at a Wedding but at the Entrance of a King into a Kingdom it is They go together He comes as a King and as a Bridegroom The Jews Weddings were kept in the Night the Bride stays at home the Bridegroom goes to fetch the Bride then the Bride-maids go forth to meet him and it being in the Night they have lighted Lamps in their Hands and so go in with him to the Marriage-Feast The Bridegroom is Jesus Christ the Bride is the Church of God What is that Why you 'l say all the true-hearted People of God It is true all God's People are the Church But if you make this to be the Bride who are the wise Virgins Are not they the People of God too For this and other reasons I conceive that tho the whole Church is Christ's Spouse yet here is meant a particular Church by the Bride therefore we understand the Church of the Jews There is a great deal Scripture for this in Psal. 45. in the Book of Solomon's Song especially Rev. 19. 7 8 9. Let us be glad and rejoice for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Wife hath made her self ready c. In this Chapter we read of the judging the great Whore there is Hallelujah for that then another Hallelujah that the Lord reigns His Marriage is come which is the Conversion of the Jews His Wife hath made her self ready How could she make her self ready Why ver 8. To her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Linnen clean and white The Book of the Revelation is a Book of Prophecy that sets down things that happen orderly one after another When Rome is fallen then Christ appears for the Conversion of the Jews They put on the fine Linnen clean and white for the fine Linnen is the Righteousness of Saints i.e. the Righteousness of Christ put on by the Saints But why is this understood of the Jews For this see Rev. 21. 9 10. Come hither and I will shew thee the Bride the Lamb's Wife And he shewed me the New Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God This is not Heaven but something descending out of Heaven And observe what was written on the Gates ver 12. The Names written thereon are the Names of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel as a Man's Name is written on his Gate Ver. 14. And the Wall had twelve Foundations and in them the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. Now the Jews are grounded on the Doctrine of the Apostles so they are the Bride Now chap. 19. 9. Blessed are they which are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb i.e. the Bride-maids In the Parable the Bride doth not appear for therein is represented the State of the Gentiles and something that will happen to them before the Conversion of the Jews The Jews are now in their Synagogues blaspheming but the Lord is coming to call them and here is an Alarm to awaken the Virgins The Lord is coming Quest. Who are these Virgins Answ. 1. They are Gentiles 2. They are Christian Gentiles They go forth to meet the Bridegroom they have respect to Christ so they must be either Protestants taking the Word in a large Sense or Papists Now 3. These are Protestant Gentiles Compare this with Rev. 14. 4. These were not defiled with Women for they are Virgins It was spoken of the 144000 redeemed from Popery Now see Rev. 17. 5. Mother of Harlots Rome is the Mother of Harlots Popish Churches are Harlots and Protestant Churches are Virgins Now these are of two sorts 1. Carnal graceless Protestants 2. Spiritual gracious Protestants These make up the wise and foolish Virgins some have only a Lamp of Profession some Oil of Grace These go forth to meet the Bridegroom This was I suppose when Protestancy became the Religion of Kings and Nations and was visible in the World Rev. 14. 12. Here is the Patience of the Saints here are they that keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus i.e. the Protestants a People that cleave to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament called the Commandments of God and Faith of Jesus Now here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Expectation of the Saints i.e. the time of their going forth to meet the Bridegroom These Protestants fall asleep While the Bridegroom tarried they all slumbred and slept There they lie slumbering and sleeping till there came a loud Cry at Midnight and then they look for their Lamps and happy they that have Oil This speaks to us all Two things I take notice of 1. Their slumbering The Virgins are asleep 2. The loud Cry that is then made They that are under the Midnight-Slumber will be awakened with the Midnight-Cry Doct. 1. The Virgins are asleep It were well if it were not so but it is so go where you will and you will find it so Congregations Towns Villages particular Persons they are all asleep People should be watching and praying and they are asleep You 'll say we are not asleep Ay but your Hearts are asleep and 't is a Midnight-Sleep which is the fastest the World is in a deep Sleep These Days are compared by Christ himself to the Days of Noah and Lot Luke 17. They ate they drank they bought they sold they planted they builded Why is there any hurt in these things No but they minded these things and nothing else People are eating and drinking c. i.e. carnally secure they mind their worldly Business but where is the Sabbath-keeping and Sense of a God They pay respect to others but where is their respect to God and his Worship O what a dead Sleep is on the Hearts of poor Creatures We are got to the Lees of the Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 1. To the Angel of the Church of Sardis Write Thou hast a Name that thou livest and art dead this means us Not our Fore-fathers nor them that come after us but us that stand here before God It 's spoken of England and this Country and this Town and Congregation This is a