O what folly to rest in desires after grace, when even hypocrites have this in that awful day!

III. The disappointment-The godly cannot give: "Not so, lest there be not enough."

1. It is not in their power to give grace. It pleases God to use the godly as instruments, but he has not given them to be fountains of grace: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."-1 Cor. iii. 6, 7. Rachel said to Jacob: "Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead?"—Gen. xxx. 2, 3. So grace is not in the hand of man. Those who receive Christ "are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."-John i. 13. It is in vain, then, that you look to the means to give saving grace to your soul. The axe cannot hew without the hand of the forester. The pitcher that carries water is not the well. It will be in vain that you apply to God's children in that awful day. Go to Jesus now.

2. They have none to spare. The righteous scarcely are saved. Every child of God gets just so much grace as will carry him to heaven, and no more. Even now every child of God feels that he has nothing to spare. He has not too much of the Holy Spirit, helping him to pray-to mourn over sin to love Christ. In time of temptation a believer feels as if he had nothing of the Holy Spirit. He has more need to receive, than any to give away. When Christ shall come in that solemn hour, he will feel that he has none to spare.

Oh, dear brethren! go and buy for yourselves. You that know yourselves graceless, go, before the cry is made, to Jesus, and get grace for yourself. The saints cannot give it you-ministers cannot give it you. All our springs are in Jesus. In him the Spirit dwells without measure. Lord, incline their hearts to run to thyself!

LECTURE IV.

THE TEN VIRGINS.-PART IV.

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut," &c. -MATT. XXV. 10-13.

I. Who are ready? All are not ready. This parable shows that all who make a profession of being Christ's are not ready. The foolish virgins appeared to be ready. They had their robe, their lamp, their wick, and flame: yet they were not ready. It is not all of you that seem to be Christians that are ready. Many of you come to the house of God, and sit down at sacraments, and make a profession of care for your soul, and yet you are not ready. Not all who are anxious are ready. The foolish were anxious now. They had a throbbing heart-they went to buy-their cry was loud and bitter-perhaps they shed bitter tears; and yet they were not ready. Many of you are anxious-going to buy. You have wet cheeks when you go to seek the Lord; and yet you are not ready. If you were to die to-night, or if Christ were to come to-night, you would not be found ready.

1. Those who have the wedding garment. This you see, Rev. xix. 7, 8: "His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." And so Ps. xlv. 9, 13: "Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold." And in Matt. xxii. 11, we find this was the first thing that struck the eye of the king, that the man had not on a wedding garment. This wedding garment is the righteousness of God-the skirt of Jesus cast over the soul the imputed righteousness. This is the first part of readiness to meet the heavenly Bridegroom. Have you been shown your own utter loathsomeness? that you are all as an unclean thing, all vile and filthy? Have you got a glorious discovery of the way of righteousness, by what Christ has done being reckoned to us? Have you lain down under

the blood and white robe of the Lord Jesus? Then you are ready.

Do not mistake. (1.) It is not the knowledge of this imputed righteousness. Many people hear and know a great deal about this righteousness, who never put it on, and are not a whit the better. Knowledge will but condemn you, and sink you deeper. (2.) It is not a desire to have this righteousness. The sluggard desires, and hath nothing. Many have lazy desires after Christ, that are never satisfied, and they are none the better for them-like beggars wishing they were rich. (3.) It is not having it once put over and then something else afterwards. (4.) This fine linen must be granted unto us for ever. It is not that Christ is our righteousness at first, and our own holiness after; but it is Christ to the end. Our wedding garment in heaven must be Christ's blood-washed robe; we must have it granted to us every day-every moment. Happy soul, who daily beholdest thine own vileness, and daily receivest that wedding garment to hide thy nakedness.

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2. Those who have the new heart. Can two walk together except they be agreed? It is impossible that two souls can be happy together if they love opposite things. It is like two bullocks in the yoke drawing different ways. Hence the deep wisdom of the command which forbids God's children to intermarry with the world. What fellowship hath light with darkness? In the same way with Christ's bride. She must be of one mind with him, if she would enter in with him to the marriage.

Suppose one of you who has an old heart was to be admitted with Christ to the marriage. Your heart is enmity to God-you hate God's people-the Sabbath is a weariness -you serve divers lusts and pleasures-the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne would lead you, and God would wipe away tears from your eyes; but you hate God and the Lamb -how could you be happy there? None but God's children (psalm-singing hypocrites, as you used to call them)—could you be happy with them? An eternal Sabbath!-my highest notion of heaven is an eternal Sabbath with Christ-could you be happy? could you enjoy it? Ah, my friends! there shall in no wise enter in any that defileth-any that maketh or loveth a lie. If you are still unborn again, you are not ready. 3. Those whose lamps are trimmed. While the wise virgins slept, they were not ready. True, they had the wedding garment, and the oil in their vessels-but their

lamps were dim-their eyes were closed; but when they heard the cry, they rose and trimmed their lamps, and now they are ready to meet and enter with the Bridegroom. It is not every child of God that is ready. (1.) Is a backslider ready-one that has gathered fresh guilt upon the soul, and not got it washed away-one that is still lying under guilt, and not hastening to the Fountain-one that is standing with his back to the house of God, and his face toward his idol? (2.) Is an idolater ready-one that once loved Christ, and now puts an idol in his place-entangled with some unlawful affection? (3.) Is the soul ready that has left its first love-grown cold in divine things? (4.) Was Solomon ready when his heart went after many wives? or Peter, when he denied his Lord?

Ah! learn, dear friends, to stir up the grace that is in you. Stir up your faith in Jesus-your love to him and to the saints, if you would be ready. Watch! Live among divine things-keep the eye open to the coming glory.

II. The reward of those who are ready: "They went in with him to the marriage."

1. Christ will own them. Christ will take them in with him before his Father, and say: "Behold I, and the children whom thou hast given me." These are they for whom I died, prayed, reigned. At present Christ does not publicly own his people, or put a difference between them and hypocrites. (1.) The world do not know them. The sun shines on the evil and on the good. Worldly men think we are like themselves. (2.) Saints do not know us. Often they suspect us. Often the children of God suspect one another unjustly. They have not this or that experiencethis or that mark of God's children. (3.) Often we know not ourselves. When the war of corruption is strong within-when we have fallen into sin-when grace is low in the soul-"Can I deem myself a child?" But then Christ will own us-put an end to all doubt for ever and ever. scoffing world will then know that Christ loved, us—they will then wish they had put in their lot with us. The saints will see that we are Christ's as well as they-they will have no more suspicions of us. We will have no more doubts of ourselves no more deadness, inconsistency, corruption, darkness, sin. Christ will confess our name before his Father. He will say: "Come, ye blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you."

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2. Saints shall be with Christ: "Went in with him." (1.) The greatest joy of a believer in this world is to enjoy the presence of Christ-not seen, not felt, not heard, but still real-the real presence of the unseen Saviour. It is this makes secret prayer sweet, and sermons sweet, and sacraments sweet, when we meet with Jesus in them. "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." (2.) Often Jesus hides his face, and we are troubled. We seek him whom our soul loveth, but he is gone. We rise and seek, but find him not. (3.) At the best, it is but half bliss to feel after an unseen Saviour. Suppose a husband and wife parted by many seas. It is sweet to have letters and love tokens, and to see a friend who left him well; but this will not make up for his presence. So we mourn an absent Lord; but when he comes we shall be with him. "In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."-Ps. xvi. 11. Here we have drops and gleams of pleasure. Christ could not be happy without us. We are his body. If one child of God were wanting, he would not be complete. We are his fulness. Hence his prayer: "Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me."-John xvii. 24. We could not be happy without Christ. Take us to the golden pavement, the pearly gates, the songs, the thrones, the palms, the angels-we would still say, Where is the Godman that died for me? Where is the Angel that redeemed me from all evil? Where is Jesus? Where is the side that was pierced? "We shall see his face." The Lamb is the light thereof. We shall stand with the Lamb upon Mount Zion-we shall never be parted more.

III. The fate of hypocrites.

1. The door was shut. The door of Christ stands wide open for a long time, but shuts at last. When Christ comes, the door will be shut. Now the door is open, and we are sent to invite you to come in. Soon it will be shut, and then you cannot. So it was at the flood. One hundred and twenty years the door of the ark stood wide open. Noah went forth, and preached everywhere, inviting men to come in. The Spirit strove with men. But they only mocked at the coming flood. At last the day came. entered, and God shut him in.

Noah The door was shut. The