A59665:109
The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied
The parable of the ten virgins opened & applied being the substance of divers sermons on Matth. 25, I-13 wherein the difference between the sincere Christian and the ... hypocrite ... are clearly discovered ... / by Thomas Shepherd ; now published from the authors own notes ... by Jonathan Mitchell ... Tho. Shepherd, son to the reverend author ...The parable of the ten virgins opened & applied being the substance of divers sermons on Matth. 25, I-13 wherein the difference between the sincere Christian and the ... hypocrite ... are clearly discovered ... / by Thomas Shephard ; now published from the authours own notes ... by Jonathan Mitchell ... Tho. Shephard, son to the reverend author ...
London: printed by J. Hayes for John Rothwell, 1660
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. Hence man having lost God, and all good there, seeks for it in the creature, and because he finds not enough in one, digs for it in another, Psal. 4. Who will show us any good? and hence the Soul because it never found that infinite sweetness in God himself, hence lusts after, and delights in the creature for it self, loves pleasure for pleasure, delights in creature for the creature, not for God, why should he, seeing he never found content there? and here the soul of man cleaves night and day, committing spiritual whoredom before the face of God; now if ever any soul hath communion with Christ, it must be divorced from all creatures thus, for Lust is a desire after, and content in the creature for the creatures sake.
3. Hence man having lost God, and all good there, seeks for it in the creature, and because he finds not enough in one, digs for it in another, Psal. 4. Who will shew us any good? and hence the Soul because it never found that infinite sweetnesse in God himself, hence lusts after, and delights in the creature for it self, loves pleasure for pleasure, delights in creature for the creature, not for God, why should he, seeing he never found content there? and here the soul of man cleaves night and day, committing spiritual whoredom before the face of God; now if ever any soul hath communion with Christ, it must be divorced from all creatures thus, for Lust is a desire after, and content in the creature for the creatures sake.
1 Because while the heart is in league with any creature besides the Lord, 'tis at deadly enmity with the Lord,1 James 4. 4. If a man hath a rich commodity, and one comes and offers half the worth of it, he takes it as a contempt; if it be not worth this, it is worth nothing; so the Lord is worthy of all our love, our lives, our souls though we had a thousand of them, and will a man not part with his lusts for him? I tell you the Lord takes himself slighted, contemned, and loathed; if not worth all a mans love, he is worth nothing; now the creature is made a God, because made a mans last end, which is as proper to God, as to make him the Alpha of all. Here the greatest wrath is to give a man his fill of the creature.