The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied

For every hypocritical heart hath commonly some humiliation and casting down, which is the first Principle of all his Profession, and hence can tell you of his miserable estate that once he lived in, and for which he was troubled, but it was never deep enough. For as there was before his terrifying, a full power, a fullness of the dominion of sin, his humiliation for sin, never reached, never came to that fullness or measure, so as to deliver the soul from that. For I do not account that true humiliation whereby a mans heart is rent, troubled and tormented with sin, but whereby 'tis rent from sin; not from the being, but from the power, not from the bondage of some, but yet from the power of all. For if rending with sin should be humiliation, then the Devils should be more humbled then any. Then also a man may have too much of humiliation, and of Gods Spirit. If rending from the being of all sin should be humiliation, then no man living ⟨p. 196⟩should be sincerely humbled; unless we dream of an estate of perfection before it comes, and of the day of triumph in the time of warfare. If rending from the bondage of some sins should be humiliation, then a man might be truly humbled for sin, and yet under the power of it. And therefore look as in every one the Lord humbles, there was once a fullness of the reign and power of sin in the full strength of it; so that full measure of Humiliation which the Lord works in his, it ever comes to that height, as to break that power down, Ehud -like, it not only wounds the flesh, but leaves the dagger in the heart of this Tyrant; 2 Cor. 10. 5. The weapons of our warfare are mighty to cast down every thing that exalts it self.

For every hypocritical heart hath commonly some humiliation and casting down, which is the first Principle of all his Profession, and hence can tell you of his miserable estate that once he lived in, and for which he was troubled, but it was never deep enough. For as there was before his terrifying, a full power, a fulness of the dominion of sin, his humiliation for sin, never reached, never came to that fulness or measure, so as to deliver the soul from that. For I do not account that true humiliation whereby a mans heart is rent, troubled and tormented with sin, but whereby 'tis rent from sin; not from the being, but from the power, not from the bondage of some, but yet from the power of all. For if rending with sin should be humiliation, then the Devils should be more humbled then any. Then also a man may have too much of humiliation, and of Gods Spirit. If rending from the being of all sin should be humiliation, then no man living