But who can express the transports that these wise virgins felt, when they were thus admitted, in holy triumph, into the presence and full enjoyment of him, whom their souls hungred and thirsted after! No doubt they had tasted of his love, and by faith had often fed on him in their hearts, when sitting down to commemorate his last supper here on earth; but how full may we think their hearts and tongues were of his praises, when they see themselves seated together to eat bread in his heavenly kingdom. And what was best of all, “the door was shut,” and shut them in, to enjoy the ever blessed GOD, and the company of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect, without interruption for evermore. I say, without interruption; for in this life, their eyes often gushed out with water, because men kept not GOD’s law; and they could never come to appear before the LORD, or to hear his word, but Satan and his emissaries would come also to disturb them; but now “the door is shut,” now there is a perfect communion of saints, which they in vain longed for in this lower world; now tares no longer grow up with the wheat; not one single hypocrite or unbeliever can screen himself amongst them. “Now the wicked cease from troubling, and now their weary souls enjoy an everlasting rest.”
Once more, O believers, let me exhort you in patience to possess your souls. GOD, if he has freely justified you by faith in his son, and given you his spirit, has sealed you to be his; and has secured you, as surely as he secured _Noah_, when he locked him in the ark. But though heirs of GOD, and joint heirs with CHRIST, and neither men nor devils can pluck you out of your heavenly Father’s hands, yet you must be tossed about with manifold temptations; however, lift up your heads, the day of your perfect, compleat redemption draweth nigh. Behold the bridegroom cometh to take you to himself, the door shall be shut, and you shall be for ever with the LORD.
But I even tremble to tell you, O nominal christians, that the door will be shut, I mean the door of mercy, never, never to be opened to give you admission, though you should continue knocking to all eternity. For thus speaks our LORD, verse 11. “Afterwards,” after those that were ready went in, and the door was shut; after they had, to their sorrow, found that no oil was to be bought, no grace to be procured, “came also the other virgins;” and as _Esau_, after _Jacob_ had gotten the blessing, cried with an exceeding bitter cry, “Bless me, even me also, O my father;” so they came saying, “LORD, LORD, open to us.” Observe the importunity of these foolish virgins, implied in the words, “LORD, LORD.” Whilst in the body, I suppose they only read, did not pray over their prayers. If you now tell them, they should “pray without ceasing,” they should pray from their hearts, and feel the want of what they prayed for; they would answer, they could not tell what you mean by inward feelings; that GOD did not require us to be always on our knees, but if a man did justly, and loved mercy, and did as the church forms required him, it was as much as the LORD required at his hands.