our long home. Did we see that our feet stood in such slippery places, that in the midst of life we are in death, not a hand's breadth between us and the grave, even while we are in our best estate; “what manner of persons should we be, in all holy conversation and godliness? doing whatever our hands find to do, with all our might, lest coming suddenly, he should find us sleeping?"

The propriety and aptitude of this means are obvious upon the slightest reflection. Make conscience of using it as you would not,

(1.) Bring a reproach upon the Redeemer's name and cause. Religion is wounded by the unwary and uncircumspect deportment of its votaries, and if we have ingenuous spirits, it will touch us to the quick to think that the good ways of God are blasphemed upon our account. When a Christian's love appears to be waxed cold, by his growing weary in well doing, when there are spots in his life, who should be blameless, harmless, and shine as a light in the world; these things bring up an evil report of the master and the work he has chosen. Men who have never experienced its power, will say that there is nothing in religion, and that such tire of it, who have made the utmost trial; and when he comes to have conscience thoroughly awakened, this will prove to the Christian as an iron that enters into his soul. Guard against this inconvenience, by inuring the mind to a daily looking for Christ.

(2.) Fall in with this advice, as you would not perplex and embarrass the affairs of your soul. By giving way to a spirit of slumber, you not only injure religion, but greatly hurt yourselves. You cannot tell where this will stop; though of this you may be certain, it will cost you very dear before you are restored whence you have fallen. You shall find it an evil thing and a bitter, that you looked cold upon God, or behaved in his work as though you were to serve him for nought. Now did any man ever yet hate his own flesh, and not rather nourish and cherish it? If you would avoid his punishment, keep yourselves clear of the slumbering Christian's guilt; and if you would be innocent of this great transgression, accustom yourselves to the thought, and live in the expectation of Christ's coming.

Blessed is that servant, whom when he comes, he shall find in such a posture. He will publicly applaud his vigilance and fidelity; make him ruler over much, who was faithful over a little, adjudging him to enter into his master's joy. But if a pretended servant of his shall say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming; and presuming upon this, shall ̈ abandon himself to libertinism and excess, "the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looked not for him, and in an hour which he is not aware of, and shall cut him in sunder, appointing him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

SERMON III.

WHEN WE THINK not, the LORD COMETH.

You have seen, that the presence of sin may consist with the truth of grace; that the wise virgins have their slumbering seasons as well as the foolish; and that the bridegroom's tarrying is abused both by the one and the other, as an occasion of, and temptation to, this particular sin.

These heads comprehend all we aimed at under the second proposition. We go on to the III. Prop. mentioned from these words, which was this, viz. That Christ often comes to our particular judgment, at the time wherein he was least looked for.

I gather this from what occurs in the sixth verse of this chapter, where the words are these, viz. At midnight there was a cry made, behold the bridegroom cometh! go ye out to meet him."

It is plain that our Lord pursues the allusion to the Jewish custom in their marriages, of which I took notice when we first entered upon this parable. The bride elect continued in her father's house, and made not the least advance towards her spouse;

this would have been reckoned an indecent forwardness, and a forfeiture of the woman's modesty; but upon notice given of his approach, the virgins who were in waiting, went forth with their lamps, to conduct him to the house, where she expected his arrival. He came early in the night, but we are told that in this case the usual time was passed, and all thoughts of his coming at an end; they indulge in slumber and sleep, and at this very juncture are roused with the cry, "behold the bridegroom cometh!" at midnight, when they had done watching and expecting, and concluded that they might safely venture to sleep on and take their rest; in the hour of which they thought not, he

cometh.

Some will have the coming of Christ, which is here spoken of, to be his appearance in the last judgment. They make this midnight cry to be the alarm that shall be given by the voice of an archangel, and the trump of God, for such as are in their graves to come forth. They refer to that description of the apostle Paul, which he gives 1 Thess. iv. 16. Admitting this passage to be capable of such an interpretation, yet it breaks not in upon our Lord's design, to suppose that he points in these words at his coming in the article of death, to end our state of trial, and enter us into the world of recompenses and rewards. His coming to us at death, is in a great measure equivalent to his coming at judgment; for then are we happy or

miserable, according to the different qualities of our past actions in life, though at judgment our state is publicly and unchangeably fixed, and we shall experience an increase of pleasure or pain upon the resurrection of the body: so that nothing forbids our attending to our Saviour's words, as looking this way in the purport of them: I mean to his coming by death to our particular judgment.

That this particular judgment is no farther off than the time of our death, is sufficiently intimated, when the Scriptures mention our being present with the Lord, as what is immediately the Christian's case upon his being absent from the body; and add his lifting up his eyes in hell, as what immediately followed upon the wicked man's death. Compare 2 Cor. v. 8. with Luke xvi. 22, 23.

I shall therefore pursue this as the subject contained in this part of the parable, viz. that Christ often comes by death to our particular judgment, when we are least thoughtful of his coming.

In prosecuting which, we will attend to this method:

1. Endeavor to support this remark, by showing you what foundation it has in the Scriptures.

II. Inquire whence it comes to pass, that unthoughtfulness of death is so general a failing. III. Expose the folly of growing thoughtless and secure in this instance.

We will then improve this part of the subject in a practical way.