Lecture IV: The Ten Virgins, Part IV
’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and ^ej that war* ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shat,”* &e. — Matt. xxv. 10-13.
I. Who are ready? All are not ready. This parable shows that all who make a profession of being Christ’s are not ready. The foolish yirgins appeared to be ready. They had their robe, their lamp, their wick, and flame: yet they were not ready. It is not all of yon that seem to be Christians that are ready. Many of you come to the house of God, and sit down at sacraments, and make a profession of care for your soul, and yet you are not ready. Not all who are anxious are ready. The foolish were anxious now. They had a throbbing heart — they went to buy — ciy was loud and bitter — perhaps they shed bitter tears; and yet they were not ready. Many of you are anxious — going to buy. You have wet cheeks when you go to seek the Lord; and yet you are not ready. If you were to die to-night, or if Christ were to come to-night, you would not be foond ready.
1. Those who have the wedding garment. This you see Rer. XIX. 7, 8: His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” And so Ps. xlv. 9, 13: “Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.** And in Matt. xxii. 11, we find this was the first thing that struck the eye of the king, that the man had not on a wedding garment. This wedding garment is the righteousness of God — the skirt of Jesus cast over the soul — the imputed righteousness. This is the first part of readiness to meet the heavenly Bridegroom. Have you been shown your own utter loathsomeness? that you are all as an unclean thing, all vile and filthy? Have you got a glorious discovery of the way oi Vj CiVsM*. has done being reckoned to ual the blood and white robe of the Lord Jesus? Then jou are ready.
Do not mistake. ( 1.) It is not the knowledge of this imputed righteousness. Many people hear and know a great deal about this righteousness, who never put it on, and are not a whit the better. ‘Knowledge will but condemn you, and sink you deeper. (2.) It is not a desire to have this righteousness. The sluggard desires, and hath nothing. Many have lazy desires after Christ, that are never satisfied, and they are none the better for them — like beggars wishing they were rich. ( 3.) It is not having it once put over us, and then something else afterwards. (4.) This fine linen must be granted unto us for ever. It is not that Christ is our righteousness at first, and our own holiness after; but it is Christ to the end. Our wedding garment in heaven must be Christ’s blood- washed robe; we must have it granted to us every day — every moment. Happy soul, who daily beholdest thine own vileness, and daily receivest that wedding garment to hide thy nakedness.
2. Those who have the new heart. Can two walk together except they be agreed? It is impossible that two souls can be happy together if they love opposite things. It is like two bullocks in the yoke drawing different ways. Hence the deep wisdom of the command which forbids God s children to intermarry with the world. What fellowship hath light with darkness? In the same way with Christ’s bride. She must be of one mind with him, if she would enter in with him to the marriage.
Suppose one of you who has an old heart was to be air mitted with Christ to the marriage. Your heart is enmity to God — you hate God’s people — the Sabbath is a weariness — you serve divers lusts and pleasures — the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne would lead you, and God would wipe away tears from your eyes; but you hate God and the Lamb — how could you be happy there? None but God*s children (psalm-singing hypocrites, as you used to call them) — could you be happy with them? An eternal Sabbath! — my highest notion of heaven is an eternal Sabbath with Christ — could you be happy? could you enjoy it? Ah, my firiends! there shall in no wise enter in any that defile th — any that maketh or loreth a lie. If you are still unborn again, you are not ready.
3. Those whose lamps are trimmed* While the wise virgins slept, they were not ready. True, they had the wedding garment and the oil in their veaa«la — W^ >^^v.
4S8 LECTURE IT.
lamps were dim — their eyes were closed; but when they heard the cry, they rose and trimmed their lamps, and now they are ready to meet and enter with the Bridroom. It is not every child of God that is ready. ( I.) Is a hack- •lider ready — one that has gathered fresh guilt upon the soul, and not got it washed away — -one that is still lying under guilt, and not hastening to the Fountain — one that is standing with his back to the house of God, and his face toward his idol? (2.) Is an idolater ready — one that once loved Christ, and now puts an idol in his place — entangled with some unlawful a£fection? ^3.) Is the soul ready that has lefl its first lore — grown cold in divine things? (4.) Was Solomon ready when his heart went after many wives? or Peter, when he denied his Lord?
Ah! learn, dear friends, to stir up the grace that is in you. Stir up your faith in Jesus — your love to him and to the saints, if you would be ready. Watch! Live among divine things — keep the eye open to the coming glory.
II. The reward of those who are ready: “They went in with him to the marriage.”
I. Chrut will own £em, Christ will take them in with him before his Father, and say: ‘Behold I, and the children whom thoa hast given me.” These are they for whom I died, prayed, reigned. At present Christ does not publicly own his people, or put a difference between them and hypocrites. (1.) The world do not know them. The sun shines on the evil and on the good. Worldly men think we are like themselves. (2.) Saints do not know us. Often they suspect us. Often the children of God suspect one another unjustly. They have not this or that experience — this or that mark of God’s children. (3.) Often we know not ourselves. When the war of corruption is strong within — when we have fallen into sin — when grace is low in the soul — “Can I deem myself a child?” But then Christ will own us — put an end to all doubt for ever and ever. The scoffing world will then know that Christ loved, us — they will then wish they had put in their lot with us. The saints will see that we are Christ’s as well as they — they will have no more suspicions of us. We will have no more doubts of ourselves — no more deadness, inconsistency, corruption, darkness, sin. Christ will confess our name before his Father. He will say: “Come, ye blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared ioi ^oll.”
liT-CTURE IV. 459
2. Saints shall he with Christ: ‘*Went in with him.” (1.) The greatest joy of a believer in this world is to enjoy the presence of Christ — not seen, not felt, not heard, but still real — the real presence of the unseen Saviour. It is this makes secret prayer sweet, and sermons sweet, and sacraments sweet, when we meet with Jesus in them. “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (2.) Often Jesns hides his face, and we are troubled. We seek him whonr our soul loveth, but he is gone. We rise and seek, bat find him not« (3.) At the best, it is but half bliss to feel after an unseen Saviour. Suppose a husband and wife parted by many seas. It is sweet to have letters and love tokens, and to see a friend who left him well; but this will not make up for his presence. So we mourn an absent Lord; but when he comes we shall be with him. “In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.** — Ps. xvi. 11. Here we have drops and gleams of pleasure. Christ could not be happy without us. We are his body. If one child of God were wanting, he would not be complete. We are his fulness. Hence his prayer: “Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me, be with me -where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me.” — John xvii. 24. We could not be happy without Christ. Take us to the golden pavement, the pearly gates, the songs, the thrones, the palms, the angels — we would still say, Where is the God-man that died for me? Whiere is the Angel that redeemed me from all evil? Where is Jesus? Where is the side that was pierced? “We shall sjee his face.” The Lamb is the light thereof. We shall stand with the Lamb upon Mount Zion — we shall never be parted more.
III. The fate of hypocr ites.
1. The door was shut. The door of Christ stands wide open for a long time, but shuts at last. When Christ comes, the door will be shut. Now the door is open, and we are sent to invite you to come in. Soon it will be shut, and then you cannot. So it was at the flood. One hundred and twenty years the door of the ark stood wide open. Noah went forth, and preached everywhere, invitin’g men to come in. The Spirit strove with men. But they only mocked at the coming flood. At last the day came. Noah entered, and God abut him in. The dooi via lx.. ^V^ flood came and carried them all away. So it will be with many here. The door is wide open now. Jesus says: ^I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall besayed, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Christ does not say, I was, or I will be, but, I ain the door. At present anj man may enter in. Soon Christ will come — like a thief-like a snare — like travail on a woman with child — and joa shall not escape. Enter in at the strait gate.
They will pray in that day: “Lord, Lord, open to us.” At present hypocrites do not pray, or not in earnest. They hare a cold, formal, dull prayer; but in that day they shall cry in real earnest. At present many of you would he ashamed to be seen in earnest about your soul — weeping, or praying, or going to a minister; in that day you will lose all shame — you will weep and howl, and run to Christ*s door in agony of spirit. At present many of you are sought aft» by Christ: “He is come to seek and to save that wMch was lost.” He is the shepherd seeking the one sheep that was lost. He stands at your door and knocks — stands and cries: “Unto you, O men, I call* — “Turn ye, turn ye” — Sinner, sinner, open to me. In that day it will be the very reyene. You will seek after the Sayiour in that day, and not find him — you will stand and knock at his door — you will exert your voice, and cry, “Lord, Lord, open to me.” What a scene this parish will present in that day! Those who come not to the house of God — old men and old women, grey-headed in carelessness and sin — young persons, mad upon pleasure — children who live without Christ — you will be all in earnest on that day. May this not rebuke some of yea that pray not, or pray in a cold, dull manner, or in a form? Ah! you will pray in that day when too late. Why not antedate that anxiety, and begin to pray now?
3. The disappointment: ^^1 know jovL not,” Christ will own his own people: ^’ I know them.” The poor despised he* lieyers he will own. Though the world knew them not, Christ will know them. Not one shall be passed over in that day. But not so with the foolish yirgins, who haye no oil in their lamps. Christ will not own them. Ah! it will be a fearful thing to be denied by Christ before his Father and the holy angels. “Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh.” See that ye haye true g;raLee m ‘^^ixa Vfe«sV”^ — W. Christ is your righteousneaa — tlxat yout ftwA la ^v«^«