not coming hastily upon us, is that which makes us fo apt to be carelefs. This our Saviour intimates, C. 2.4. 43. If the good Man of the Houfe had known in what Watch the Thief would come, be would have watched, and would not have Juffered his Houfe to be broken up, and v. 48. If the Evil fhall fay in his Heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, and fhall begin to fmite his fellow Servants, and to eat and drink with the Drunken: Some fay, where is the promife of his coming? Hence they walk after their own lufts, 2 Pet. 3. 4. This feeming delay hath this ill Effect, in fome meafure, both on Good and Bad. 1. The Good endeavour to live in a conftant expectation of his Coming, and labour daily the delay of to be prepared for it; but because of it, tho' the Spirit be willing, yet the Flefh is weak. Mat. 26. 41. and because of that they fometimes fleep, do what they can. For they find many Croffes and Troubles, and Patience fometimes grows weak, and will not hold out; they fee their Perfecutors the Wicked, profper while they fuffer; and becaufe Chrift does not come to revenge them fo speedily as they with, this fometimes frets and galls them too much; however they are but Men, and the longer they live, meet with the more Temptations, and fometimes are laid afleep by them; and the Multitude of even neceflary Worldly Bufinefs diverts them often too much from the care they fhould be taking to their ways. An uninterrupted Vigilance is hardly poffible to Mortals. 2. The Bad by the delay of Chrift's Coming to Judgment, harden themselves in their confidence, either that he approves of their ways, because he comes not to execute fome Judgment upon them, or, that all they hear of his coming fignifies fignifies nothing, and that he will not come; of that yet they fhall have time enough, his Coming is not fo near, but that they may have time enough to prepare for it. It will be then time enough to awake out of Sleep, when they think his coming is near at hand: Old Age, or Sicknefs, or fomething will give them warning enough to make ready for him. Thus are Men apt to drive off their Duty, and fleep on fill, as long as they think Chrift: drives off his Coming. And they will think he drives it off, as long they fee him not, because they have a mind he should do fo, and they would fleep quietly in their Sins, and enjoy the pleafure of their idle Dreams as long as they can. This is our great Folly and Madnefs, to put the thing which is of greateft concernment, and requires all the hafte we can make, to the last and most uncertain time of all other. 4. Which is the last thing to be obferved, the unreasonablenefs of Sleeping, because the Bridegroom tarrieth. And this appeareth on this twa fold Account. 1. That his tarrying is no Argument that he will not come. 2dly, That the time of his tarrying is uncertain, and 3dly, That it is quite to a contrary end. 1. The Bridegroom's tarrying is no Argument that he will not come. He hath allured us on the contrary, that he will certainly come, but he never told us, that he would come at fuch a time." Had he done fo, and that time fet by him, had been paft, we might begin to doubt he would not come. We argue well against the Jews for our Saviour's firft coming in the Fiefh: He promifed to come within fuch a time as the Temple was standing, and the Sceptre not quite departed E e 2 from from Judab; but the Temple is long fince de ftroyed, and the Sceptre departed, therefore Chrift is already come. But becaufe he never fet any time for his fecond coming, therefore we cannot argue thus, because he hath tarried till now, he will not come. It is not then fafe fleeping, becaufe Chrift tarrieth hitherto. Nay, yet a little while, and he that fhall come, will come, and will not tarry. Heb. 10. 37. 2. His tarrying is uncertain as to the time of it, he hath hid it from us, and hath often told us fo, that we neither can nor must know it, till it be come. Now how abfurd a thing is it in any one to fleep, and prefume of the Lord's tarrying yet longer, when he hath hid the time of his coming from us, that we might prefume on no fuch thing, but live in a continual expectation of it, as of a thing which may be to day, or to Morrow, or at any other time, for ought we can know of it. 3. His tarrying is to a quite contrary end, as himself hath taught, that is to make us very vigiIant and watchful, to keep us from fleeping; yea, 'tis in mercy to us, and much long suffering that he tarries, that we may have time enough to do our Duty in, not to fleep but to work, to repent of our fleeping fo long, and to redeem the time that we have loft. Now fhould not the Riches of God's Goodness and Forbearance and long-fuffering, lead us to repentance? Rom. 2. 4. Or fhould we sleep on till that day come upon us unawares; and whilst we fleep treasure up Wrath unto our felves, to make it a Day of fierce Wrath and Fiery Indignation to us? Having feen how unreasonable a thing it is to encourage our felves by the Lord's tarrying to flumber and fleep. Let us rouze up our felves at length, tis 'tis late enough, and trim up our Lamps, that we may be ready to enter in with the Lord into Light eternal, Joy unspeakable, and full of Glory. Verse 6. And at Midnight there was a crie made, behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Ere in this Verfe our Saviour gives a timely warning to all Christians what to expect, fhewing us, withal, how dangerous a thing it is to encourage our felves by Chrift's Long Suffe ing and Patience (which we may understand by his tarrying) to fleep on, and grow careless in our way of living. For when we leaft of all think of it, he will come, The Virgins all ilumbered and flept, because of the Bridegroom's long tarrying; yet did not this prevent his coming, but at last he came, a cry was made that awak'd them out of their Sleep, and open'd their Eyes; Behold the Bridegroom cometh, he is at Hand, make haft: Yea, and when they least thought of it, fuddenly at Midnight. These then are the things that we are to learn from this verse, and they are weighty matters of greatest Concernment to every one of us. 1. The Bridegroom, that is, Chrift Jefus will come. 2. The time of his coming will be fudden, when least expected. 3. A cry thall then awake us all to meet him. 1. Chrift Fefus the Bridegroom will certainly come. He is once come to efpoule the World to himself, and being afcended again into Heaven, the Heavens must receive him till the time of Reftitution of all things, which God hath spoken Ee 3 by by the Mouth of his Holy Prophets, fince the World began. Act. 3. 21. i. e. Till all things be fulfilled, which the Prophets have foretold thall be before his return. Before he departed, he told his Apoftles, that he would fee them again, not only after his Refurrection for a while. Job. 16. 16. But faith he, I will come again and receive you unto my felf, that where I am, there ye may be alfo. Job. 14, 3. And, indeed, the work that he hath yet to do, and the promise that he hath made, affure us both that it is fit he fhould come, and that certainly he will come. 1. The Work which he hath yet to do, fpeaks it fit that he fhould come. He hath done but part of his Work as Mediator between God and Man. He hath done the work of a Prophet,in Revealing his Father's Will to the World; he hath done it in Perfon, and he is yet doing it by his Minifters, to whom he hath committed the word of Reconciliation. 2 Cor. 5. 18. Who pray us in Chrift's ftead, that we would by betrothing our felves to Chrift, be reconcil'd unto God, and not receive this ineftimable Grace and Favour of God in vain. He hath done the work of an High Prieft, in offering himself a perfect facrifice for the Sins of the World, and hath reconcil'd us to God by his own Blood, and he is ftill doing it, for being by his Blood enter'd in the holieft of all, even the higheft Heavensthere he appeareth in the prefence of God for And is our Advocate with the Father, ever living to make interceffion for us. 1. Job. 2. 1. He is doing the Office of a King, he hath given Laws to his Church, and is ruling them by thole Laws, and over-ruling his, and her Enemies, and muft Reign, till they all be put under his us. Foor, |