The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied

Secondly, Those that do acknowledge them, but any power or activity in them they deny; they say there is oil indeed in the Vessel, but it helps not, 'tis no means to make the Lamp to burn or shine; there is the life of Christ, but it is a dead life, they call them the graces of Christ, but they are but fruitless graces. I confess it, if you consider them without the Spirit of Christ, they are no true graces, much less active or living ones; but consider them thus, they have a power, as take the least grain of corn, there is a growing power in it, & fructifying too in it by dying first, though it actually doth not fructify presently, and though there must be rain, and Sun must shine also, and a providence accompanying of it, so it is in the graces of Saints: And hence its called a Law of the mind, there is a power of a Law, as of sing and hence as Christ grew in wisdom and stature, so all the members of Christ are like unto him.

Secondly, Those that do acknowledge them, but any power or activity in them they deny; they say there is oyl indeed in the Vessel, but it helps not, 'tis no means to make the Lamp to burn or shine; there is the life of Christ, but it is a dead life, they call them the graces of Christ, but they are but fruitless graces. I confess it, if you consider them without the Spirit of Christ, they are no true graces, much less active or living ones; but consider them thus, they have a power, as take the least grain of corn, there is a growing power in it, & fructifying too in it by dying first, though it actually doth not fructifie presently, and though there must be rain, and Sun must shine also, and a providence accompanying of it, so it is in the graces of Saints: And hence its called a Law of the mind, there is a power of a Law, as of sing and hence as Christ grew in wisdome and stature, so all the members of Christ are like unto him.

I. The evil of this.

I. The evill of this.