6. Consider, God's eye is ever upon us, and beholdeth all our ways : Job xxxi. 4, ' Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps ? ' Shall we sleep when the great God looketh on us ? How dreadful is his displeasure ! There is no dallying with him.
Thirdly, Means.
1. Pray to God for his quickening Spirit, that he would stir us up to watchfulness. David is ever and anon crying out for quickening grace.
2. We should stir up ourselves. Much of this temper cometh upon us because of our own laziness, and ordinary indisposition : 2 Tim. i. 6, 1 Stir up the gift of God that is in thee;' Isa. lxiv. 6, ' There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee.'
3. We should maintain a lively sense of Christ's appearing, Luke xii. 35. This looking, and longing, and waiting keepeth the soul alive and awake : Heb. ix. 28, ' To them that look for him ;' Phil. iii. 20, ' Whence we look for a Saviour.' Many may talk of that day, but do not look for it.
4. Keep these four fundamental radical graces lively and active in the soul — faith, fear, hope, and love. Faith presents things to us as they are, and puts them in being. Love constraineth us, 2 Cor. v. 14. Fear maketh God everywhere present ; and hope worketh in us a de- sirous expectation of blessedness to come, and this keeps the soul awake.
5. Keep a sense of the love of God upon your hearts. When your
360 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SER. V.
drowsy fits are coming on you, say as they in Jcr. xxxv. G, I dare not ; my Father hath commanded me the contrary. Hath not God forbidden this ? how can I rest in such a temper of soul ?
6'. Improve tire death of Christ for the destroying this sleepy temper. The great design of Satan is to lull us asleep ; now Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, 1 John iii. 8. Now, shall we tie those knots the faster that Christ came to unloose, and tear open those wounds that Christ came to bind up and heal ? Therefore let this evil frame of soul be far from you.
SERMON V.
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And ot midnight there teas a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to meet him. — Mat. XXV. 5, 6.
There is one clause in the former verse that remaineth undiscussed, ' The bridegroom tarried,' which I shall speak to in this verse. Where observe —
1. The time, at midnight.
2. The means of awakening the sleepy virgins, there zuas a cry made.
3. The matter of the cry, the unexpected coming of the bridegroom, behold, the bridegroom cometh.
4. An excitement to their duty, go ye out to meet him. Still the allusion is carried on to the matter from whence this parable is taken. There were virgins with the bridegroom, and virgins with the bride ; and that the bridegroom might be received with esteem, and attended with all respect, some of them were to go before and raise the cry in season, to bring the virgins forth to meet him. So here, Christ sends a cry before him to admonish and exhort the church to prepare and meet him.
[1.] With respect to every particular soul, this cry is to be referred to the voice and importunity of them that are the children of the bride-chamber, or friends of the bridegroom, John iii. 29 ; who all tell us that the Lord is at hand, 1 Peter iv. 7 ; that he will shortly come, Heb. x. 37. And still the faithful ministers of the church do cry aloud, and call upon us to meet the bridegroom.
[2.] With respect to the general meeting of the church in one great rendezvous or congregation, it is meant of the trump of the arch- angel, spoken of in many places, which I shall quote by and by, calling us to come to judgment.
Voct. The bridegroom will certainly come, but at his own time ; and then all shall be called upon to go forth to meet him.
I shall handle this point with respect to the circumstances of this parable.
1. I shall prove the certainty of his coming.
2. Speak of the tarrying of the bridegroom, or the delay of his cominsr.
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3. His coming at midnight, or the uncertainty of the time when he will come.
4. The cry that is raised before his coming. Then I shall give every circumstance mentioned its due weight.
First, Of the certainty of his coming : it is needful to premise that, because the efficacy of the whole discourse dependeth upon it. Eeason saith he may come, but faith saith he will come.
First, Eeason saith he may come : It argueth —