A59665:349
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.
2. This is a setting of God against himself, i. e. to answer himself, and hence Saints in all their straights and sorrows, hither had recourse; I speak not now of Temporal Blessings, but of Everlasting love, and all the Fruits of it, that here it hangs. Now I say you are built in a Rock higher than all powers of Darkness; now a Key is put into thy hand to unlock all Gods Treasure; now thou art in the very lap of love wrapped u• in it, when here thy heart rests: and if not Beloved, the Lord would never let thee lean thus in his bosom: and therefore if this be thus, see it, and wonder his Name hath moved him to love me.
2. This is a setting of God against himself, i. e. to answer himself, and hence Saints in all their straights and sorrows, hither had recourse; I speak not now of Temporal Blessings, but of Everlasting love, and all the Fruits of it, that here it hangs. Now I say you are built in a Rock higher than all powers of Darkness; now a Key is put into thy hand to unlock all Gods Treasure; now thou art in the very lap of love wrapt u• in it, when here thy heart rests: and if not Beloved, the Lord would never let thee lean thus in his bosom: and therefore if this be thus, see it, and wonder his Name hath moved him to love me.
2. You shall find this, if the Lord for his Name-sake loves thee, there is no• any carriage or passage of Providence of him to thee, but he gets himself a Name first or las• by it: for if this be Gods end, every passage of Providence is but a means to this end: hence he will attain this end by every act of his Providence towards thee: hence you shall find that those very sins that dishonour his Name, he will even by them (and if by them, by all things else) get himself a Name: he will be so far from cas•ing thee out of his love, that he will do thee good by them. Those very sins that God damns others for, he will make to humble thee, empty thee. Pharisees persecuted Christ, and lost all for it, Paul was so, and it humbled him all his life, Not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God, and it made him lay up all his wealth in mercy, I was received to mercy,