Thou wilt, reader, find some things once and again spoken to, as the text led him, but in such a variety of phrase that they have much new in them. Had this eminent person lived to have supravised his own notes, he might possibly have added or altered something. We have seen no reason to do it, but given thee his notes as they were under his hand, only when, not able to read some words in his notes, we were forced to add a word or two for clearing the sense.
Now, reader, what shall we say to thee, but only to quicken thee to bless God for this milk from the bottle, when thou canst not have it from the breasts, rod /j,aicapiTov. Thus Dr Manton, though dead, jet speaketh. God give thee and us an hearing ear and an understanding heart ! We have thus line upon line, and precept upon precept ; let us not be barren and unfruitful. We commend these labours and thy soul to God's blessing, subscribing ourselves,
Thine affectionate servants in the work of the gospel,
William Bates. John Collinges. John Howe.
August 1, 1GSL
SEVERAL SERMONS UPON THE TWENTY-FIFTH OF ST MATTHEW.
SERMON I.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. — Mat. XXV. 1, 2.
It was Christ's manner to instruct by parables, partly for the greater evidence and force, while heavenly things are represented to us in such notions as we do best understand ; and partly to teach us the art of holy chemistry, or extracting spiritual advantages out of obvious occurrences and occasions. Now parables are of two sorts — argu- mentative and representative.
First, The argumentative parables are such wherein some notable reason is couched, or ground is laid for some excellent encouragement in our converse with God, by showing what falleth out among men. In these argumentative parables, the parts of the parable are not to be strained, but the scope and parable itself is to be regarded. As in the parable, Luke xviii., of the unjust judge, the scope is to be regarded, but not the parts strained, as if God were to be compared to an unjust judge. And that famous parable, Luke xi. 8, concerning success in prayer, where there is argumentum a minori ad majus, an argument from the less to the greater : ' Though he will not rise and give him as he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him.' And those passages of giving good things to our children : • If ye, being evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him ? '
Secondly, The other sort of parables, which I call representative, yields us a notable delineation of some heavenly matter, by laying the scene of it among earthly affairs ; for God is fain to lisp to us in our own dialect, and speak as we can understand. This and the next parable are of this sort. The occasion of it was thus : Our Lord had been discoursing of the dangerous state of the latter times, and there- fore presseth to watchfulness and timely preparation. This he doth by three parables : First, By the good man of the house watching against the coming of the thief, Mat. xxiv. 42, 43 ; by the parable of
320 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SER. I.
the servant misbehaving himself in the absence of his Lord, Mat. xxiv. 45, to the end ; and now, the third time, by this parable of the virgins. Still, in the close of all, he repeateth his charge of watch- fulness, not so much because of the difficulty of the matter, as because of our dulness. We cannot often enough be put in mind of vigilancy and diligence in preparing for the coming of the Lord ; so great is our sloth and drowsiness, and non-attention to the great affairs of our souls. Now these three parables, though they come to one effect, yet have their special use. The first of these concerns all ; the second, the officers of the church ; the third, the members. First, The good man of the house watching against the coming of the thief speaketh thus much : If men watch to avoid a temporal inconvenience, much more should we watch to eschew eternal destruction. The diligence of the men of the world in worldly things upbraideth and condemneth our negligence in heavenly things. The parable of the unfaithful servant, that put off the thoughts of his master's coming, and there- fore eateth and drinketh with the drunken, and beats his fellow- servants, is a notable warning to the officers of the church, that they do not abuse the power of the keys, and inhaunt with the wicked, and discourage the godly, and blast them with censures, and stir up the displeasure of the magistrate against their faithful and painful brethren in the ministry. A drunkard shall find more favour with them than one that is mindful of his Lord's coming, and would keep punctual to the orders and institutions he hath left before he went. Now, lest the members of the church should want their admonition, besides a warning to the officers in the second parable, here is a warning to the members in this third parable, to watch and be ready, that they be not surprised. In the wise virgins is represented the comfortable fruit of watchfulness ; in the foolish, the sad effects of security : ' Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened/ &c.