A59665:1373
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.
Tis with the soul, as 'tis with two Rivers, both run with all their strength to the Sea, but the great River is bigger, and runs faster, yet the others stream is wholly carried thither. So some men may be more full of Faith then others, yet both run to the Sea, and as Rivers, they run in their Circles, this way and that way, and are sometimes dammed up, ye• end there: So the souls of all Saints run to this and the other creature, yet they end in the Lord at last. As Peter and John that ran to the Sepulchre, though one out-ran the other, yet they came both to the Lord at last; when both of them had for a time forsook him, though all the world draw the soul back, it cannot live without the Lord; nay, though the Lord beat away the soul from him, yet it follows after him.
Tis with the soul, as 'tis with two Rivers, both run with all their strength to the Sea, but the great River is bigger, and runs faster, yet the others stream is wholly carried thither. So some men may be more full of Faith then others, yet both run to the Sea, and as Rivers, they run in their Circles, this way and that way, and are sometimes dammed up, ye• end there: So the souls of all Saints run to this and the other creature, yet they end in the Lord at last. As Peter and Iohn that ran to the S•pulchre, though one out-ran the other, yet they came both to the Lord at last; when both of them had for a time forsook him, though all the world draw the soul back, it cannot live without the Lord; nay, though the Lord beat away the soul from him, yet it follows after him.
5. 'Tis to the Lord for himself, for John 6. some came to Christ for loaves, and could have been glad if Christ had been King for it, but did not care for himself: And hence vers. 27. he points and turns them to himself; some came to him for higher ends, therefore were his Disciples, that is, for life from him. But when he told them, There is no life, unless you have the Son, And eat and drink his flesh and blood, or else you die, it was a hard saying, they could not understand nor see what that meant, and hence forsook him, but when they come and receive him himself; now life is indeed theirs.