fcience, and therefore they cannot repent ofany thing, but that they have made themselves miferable. Whilft the wife Virgins lived in a continual hatred, and fhunning of all Sin great and fmall, and never committed it but upon fome furprize, or very strong Temptation coming fuddenly on them, and never continu'd in it after they difcern'd it, but went mournfully all their Days because of their Folly in confenting to it. And therefore now find it eafy to trim it up, by fome few fevere Reflections on their Life past. They would fain now find the Love of God in their Hearts, but no fuch thing can they find, whatever they had of it,it is gone out. They find plainly,that they ne ver loved him at all, but in truth hated the Thoughts of him, and would gladly have been rid of his Government. And when they came to worship him, it was either for fear only, or for Cuftom and Fashion's Sake in a meer Formality, or for fome carnal and Worldly Ends, and not in pure Love to him. They cannot find that they were willing to lofe any thing for him, or do any thing, tho' never fo hard, to pleafe him, nor would leave off the practice of their Follies and Vanities for his Sake, nor that they laboured to do every thing to his Honour and Glory, or were well content to be in any condition rather than difplease or difhonour him. And now they cannot love him, but fear him as a Righteous Judge. Whilft the wife Virgins having fet their Affections all along upon God, have now nothing to do but to trim up their Love, by feeding it with the comfortable Thoughts of God's Goodnefs, both in himself and to them. Finally, They would fain find that they had fincerely obey'd the Gofpel of Chrift, and adorned it with a holy Converfation; but no fuch thing can be found, but that they have delighted in the Works of Darknefs, which had no Agreement with the Light of the Gofpel. And now the Night is come, and they can work no more, and fo cannot perform the Obedience to Chrift, which he will accept. And thus their vain Hope, wherein they comforted themselves all their Life long is quite gone out, having no fincere Obedi ence ence to feed it, no purifying of themfelves as God is pure, on which their Hope fhould have depended. Whilst the wife Virgins having fincerely endeavour'd all their Days to obey the Golpel, have Hope in their End, only they are now to trim their Hope by confideration of God's fure Promises to the Pure in Heart; and to confummate their Obedience, by patiently Bearing their laft Sicknefs, and cheerfully leaving all to enjoy God. This will certainly be the condition of every confidering Man when he is about to die. And now let us think of it in time, whether it be not good for us, if it be poffible, to prevent our coming into fo hopless a ftare: And there is no way in the World to prevent it but one, and that is, to ger Oil enough in our Veffels, and never to fuffer our Lamps to go out, fo long as we live. Be always examining and trying them, and as we can find Opportunities of triming them, lay hold on them. For confider, 4thly. How the Foolifh begin to beg Oil of the Wife, they faid unto them, give us of your Oil. Obferve here, 1. What an alteration the prefent apprehenfion of Dying will make in Men's Judgments. Whilft bad Men are in good health, and in a profperous ftate, they are not easily brought to think hardly of themfelves, nay, they are generally very wife in their own Conceits, and think all Fools, that are more Religious than themselves. But when they look upon themtelves as Dying Men, they begin to be of another Opinion, and acknowledge thofe to be the wifeft Perfons, who provided in time against an Evil Day. O how could they now wifh, that they had taken as wife a Courfe as they did, whom they were wont to deride for it. It is plain, that ill People make little ufe of their reafon till they are forc'd to't, for that would Judge always aright, would they give it leave always to Judge for them. But it is their Lufts by which they are governed, and now they Judge of every thing, commend or condemn it, as it agrees or difagrees with their Lufts. But when the approach of will fufter Lufts Death to be no longer gratified, then reafon is fet at-Liberty, Ff4 and and gives its Sentence freely and impartially, as the Wife Man expreffeth it, Wild. 5. 3. 4. This is be whom we had fometimes in derifion, and a Proverb of Reproach. We Fools accounted his Life madness, and his End to be without Honour: How doth the approach of death change the Scene? Then what would he give, that he had been but as wife, as he whom before he counted mad? 2. What pitiful Shifts ill People are put to when they come to die, to ftill and quiet their troubled and troublesome Confciences. They beg where nothing is to be had Give us, fay they, of your Oil, when they know that no fuch fhift can be made. When they might have received good by them, they would not accept of it. Good Advice and feafonable admonitions they were ever ready to give them,fuch, as if followed, would have prevented all their prefent trouble : But this was rejected, and it may be fcorned, and even their good Prayers for them despised and laughed at. But now 'tis, Give us fome of your Oil. Help us now, or we are undone. O what a confufion are fuch Sleepers in, what a Lofs are they at; any thing now to make them fleep again, to give them a little eafe and quiet of mind; how welcome would it be! This in the Church of Rome is much prevented to very ill purpose. Poor People are deluded with a little Superftition, instead of fincere Religion and Piety. Tho' one be guilty of grofs Immoralities, yet Confeflion to a Prieft, and Abfolution upon it, and a little eafy Penance, will atone for all. Maffes will go a great way, and to have the Body of God, and extream Unction, is thought enough to make one die in Peace, and the Conscience of his Sins need no more trouble him. Here, faying, give us of your Oil prevails, 'tis granted, and all 'tis hoped, is well. Some fuch Arts there are too among Proteftants. Perfuade the Man to believe he is Elected, and then Ged (as he is to believe too) will fee no Sin in him. Shew him by fome Signs that once he had Grace, and then he must believe he could never lofe it. And they And what do the generality of us, but feek for Shifts to go quietly out of the World into Hell. Beg of all to pray for us, fend for the Minifter to do fo too, receive the Body and Blood of Christ, refolve to leave our Sins, when they have left us; and never to live wickedly any more, when we know we must live no longer. Alafs, where the Life hath been spent irreligioufly, all this doth but fhew in what confufion we are in, and that like a Man ready to be drowned, we would fain lay hold on any little Twig to fave our felves. But all this while we forget, that we cannot be faved unless our Lamps be lighted, and they cannot be lighted without Oil, no Shift without Oil will do. And this being spent, and our Lamps gone out, unless God will yet grant us time enough both to provide, and to use it too, we, for all other Shifts we can make, are in a perishing Condition, Matt. XXV. 9. But the wife anfwer'd, faying, not fo, left there T HE Virgins who had been fo negligent, and improvident, as not to bring Oil enough with their Lamps, became fenfible of their Folly when it was too late. They found that when the Bridegroom was at the Door, and they were to go out to meet him, their Lamps were gone out. And no way could think on, but to borrow Oil of their Companions; but their Companions had none to spare them, as appears by the Anfwer they here give them. Give us (fay they) of your Oil, help us in this ftrait, or we are undone. The wife Virgins, we may fuppofe, were fo good natured, that they were very willing to do the Foolish any kindnefs that lay in their power to do, but this they could not do. We have here, 1. Their 1. Their Denial, Not fo, with the reafon of it, Left there be not enough for us and you. 2. Their Advice. But go ye rather to them that fell, and buy for your Selves. 1. Their Denial, The Wife answered, Saying, not so, is, expect it not of us, we cannot if we would, give you of our Oil; and if we could, yet we will not, for a good reafon, i. e. left there be not enough in our Veffels both for us and you: Obferve here, 1. It is not in the power of any one how good foeever, to communicate his goodnefs to another, to make over any part of his Righteoufnefs unto any one. There never was but one Man in the World, who can fave others by his Righteoufnefs, and that is the Man Chrift Jefus, who is God as well as Man, There is no doubt of it, but every good Chriflian is willing to do all that he can for his Neighbour's Salvation, he will afford him all the helps he can, both by his Councel and Directions, and his good Example, and his hearty Prayers for him. Thus good Men may befriend their Neighbours very much, where their Kindness will be accepted, and therefore they will, and ought to do fo. And if they could communicate of their own Righteoufnefs to them, they would think themfelves bound to do fo too, but it is not in their power to do it. They can merit nothing for themfelves by their Righteousness, and much lefs can they merit for others. So that the Doctrine of the Church of Rome is a falfe and deceitful Doctrine, which teacheth, that one may merit not only for himfelf, but for others, and Men, who have lived wickedly, may be profited by the Merits of the Saints. But to fatisfie us, that this is falfe, and that we cannot fafely rely on any Righteoufnefs of another, but that of Jefus Chrift only. Obferve, 2. Good Men are always humble, how good foever they be more than others are; and acknowledge that they have Righteoufnefs little enough for themselves, and none to fpare for others. When they have done all they can do, yea, tho' they had done all that God commanded them to do, yet they confefs |