The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied

Oh lay not the fault on the Lord, but on thine own careless heart, and lament over it, and say, this hath been the cause of all my complaints and woe. Oh I remember what the Lord by Jeremiah speaks! Go into the strong Holds, for the Lord hath poured upon us the Spirit of deep sleep, and given us the waters of Gall to drink. I confess the Lords choicest servants have their complaints, their sighs and groans unutterable, they have their fears, temptations and tears; Who more abundantly? Yet Beloved, methinks 'tis with them as 'tis with Passengers and Travellers towards their home, that they see it Twenty Miles off sometime, when they be on the Top of an Hill, after they have gone a little farther, they come into a Valley, and then they complain they have lost the sight of it, and cannot see it again scarce till they be upon i•; yet they sit not down in their Valley, but are going towards it. They go from strength to strength, ⟨p. 156⟩though they come tired thither; as Psal. 84. 7, 8. They pass from strength to strength till they come to see God in Zion. They rest not in their complaints, but get on; and the star before them, the Means that lead them to that end, make them (as Mat. 2. 10.) rejoice with exceeding great joy. I confess they may for a time give way to their sloth, and sit in their valleys, and turn day into night, and sleep out almost the season of means; yet you shall ever find this, if ordinary means awaken them not, terrible Flashings and Lightnings of wrath do; and in their afflictions and terrors and wounds of Conscience, Hos. 5. 15. they shall seek the Lord early. Ponder therefore of this cause, and in a time of sorrow they shall complain for something, viz. for their sloth. This may be the greatest sin of some, they live in no sin, but complaint, thy complaints may be fruits of sloth in not using means, and this may be thy great sin.

Oh lay not the fault on the Lord, but on thine own carelesse heart, and lament over it, and say, this hath been the cause of all my complaints and woe. Oh I remember what the Lord by Ieremy speaks! Go into the strong Holds, for the Lord hath poured upon us the Spirit of deep sleep, and given us the waters of Gall to drink. I confesse the Lords choicest servants have their complaints, their sighs and groans unutterable, they have their fears, temptations and tears; Who more abundantly? Yet Beloved, methinks 'tis with them as 'tis with Passengers and Travellers towards their home, that they see it Twenty Miles off somtime, when they be on the Top of an Hill, after they have gone a little farther, they come into a Valley, and then they complain they have lost the sight of it, and cannot see it again scarce till they be upon i; yet they sit not down in their Valley, but are going towards it. They go from strength to strength,