A59665:785
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.
SECT. III.
From Satan,1 the ancient enemy of the purity of the Church; he being an unclean creature himself, if he could he would make Heaven it self unclean; but that is beyond his reach; hence he seeks to make Heaven on earth unclean; hence he will get into Paradise, and if he cannot come in the shape of a man, yet in that of a Serpent to beguile and pollute innocency there: He will follow Christ into the wilderness, and tempt him there, and hence will seek to get into Churches, to pollute them. And if he cannot pollute the Church by unclean Ordinances, he will then seek to defile it by unclean persons, Mat. 13. 25. The Tares be in Judea like the Wheat, yet indeed annoy the Wheat: And how come they there? They are sown there, i. e. hid for a time, and mingled, and die there too, Who doth this? Why the enemy did it, so that Satan will do it. If there be a Devil in the Church, he will sow his ta•es.
FRom Satan,1 the ancient enemy of the purity of the Church; he being an unclean creature himself, if he could he would make Heaven it self unclean; but that is beyond his reach; hence he seeks to make Heaven on earth unclean; hence he will get into Paradise, and if he cannot come in the shape of a man, yet in that of a Serpent to beguile and pollute innocency there: He will follow Christ into the wildernesse, and tempt him there, and hence will seek to get into Churches, to pollute them. And if he cannot pollute the Church by unclean Ordinances, he will then seek to defile it by unclean persons,