The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied

Answ. 1. Ignorance of those sins which may hurt and ruin it. There are common infirmities which all the faithful have in common, for which the Lord pities his, but there are some that are proper and personal to some particular persons, Psal. 18. 23. for which the Lord is angry even with his own; so there are some sins which are common Church-infirmities, for which the Lord will not cast off his people, but there are sometimes in several Churches proper Church sins. Now the Rule here is, if these be not seen and lamented and removed, if the Lord be angry for these (as verily he will) and yet they do not so much as know all this while what it is that hurts them, these sins will canker the roots, and blast the most flourishing Churches. Ephesus, Rev. 1. 4. had her sin; Sardis, Rev. 2. 1. had her sin. Laodicea had her sins, Rev. 3. 16. Now what if they never know these, nor repent of these, you know then Ephesus Candlestick must be removed, and Laodicea shall be spued out of Christs mouth. Oh this hath been the bane of Churches, while they enjoyed their liberties, they could not, nay (in truth) would not know their ail, in the day of Christs visitation of them, and hence came their ruin, the cause of which they saw not; only it may be the remnant that escaped, to whom the Lord showed mercy, could read their sins in their plagues. It is a lamentable spectacle to behold the ruins of Germany, and that after such great slaughter and effusion of blood, they cannot tell the thing that hath hurt, and doth still wast them.