The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied

When a man saith to himself, as the Glutton said to his soul, Take thy rest, for thou hast goods laid up for many years; so thou hast repentance, and grace, and peace enough for many years; and hence the soul takes its rest, grows sluggish and negligent. Oh if you die in this case, this night thy soul shall be taken away to Hell.

2. If when men fall from the Lord, and they rise up only in Ordinances, but fall down constantly out of Ordinances without feeling. A carnal heart falls, but he thinks himself is not therefore without all grace, because in an Ordinance his heart sometimes is affected, so they were Ezek. 33. 31. The Prophets Ministry was sweet to them, but their hearts went after their covetousness, their Hogs, their houses, their lusts, their lots; and they joy in the Prophet, but never mourn for that. A precious heart also falls out of Ordinances, but he feels his falls▪ Though he falls from the Benefit of his rising, yet not from the feeling of his fall, But to another man the sweet he finds in Ordinances, is but Music to his meat, or as a man falls from Music to his meat, Mat. 7. 26, 27. He that heareth my words and doth them not, that mans house is built upon a Sand, which falls, and the cause of great falls is this: Look as 'tis with corn-ground, if rain falls upon that, though it be long before any ripe fruit comes; yet it makes it at last come to some ⟨p. 234⟩ripeness: But if it falls on other ground, seed is sown there, but it brings forth Briars, though it drinks in rain, 'tis nigh to cursing, Heb. 6. 7, 8. Look as it was with Saul, God had forsaken him, 1 Sam. 16. 14, 23. and a Spirit of Satan came upon him, yet when David played with his Harp, it stilled the spirit in him, & affected him much; it did not cast out the spirit, for when he had done playing, the evil spirit came again upon him. So 'tis at this day, a man is forsaken of the Spirit of God, and haunted with an evil spirit of pride, world, passion, lust, Libertinism; a man prays, hears, and is made much better; tis stilled, not cast out; for after this a man returns to his old spirit again, and in time he cannot be quieted with preaching, nor praying, no more then he could with his harping.