In the last of the series of Sermons, the author illustrates his fifth proposition,-"That our being left in the dark, about the time of our death, and the Judgment day, when assured of the certainty of both, should be a sufficient motive to our watchfulness, that we may found in peace."

I. The nature of this duty is to be explained.

be

(1.) The watchfulness required, implies an avoidance of every thing, which either as an amusement or incumbrance may make us less ready for our Lord's coming.

1. Good men are in danger of being unready, from an ardent pursuit of the world.

2. An ardent pursuit of the world indisposes the mind for entertainments, which are spiritual and divine. (2.) By their unlawful love of lawful things, have good men been in danger of unreadiness for Christ's coming.

1. We should beware of this unlawful love, because, it obstructs the exercise of our faith.

2. We also lose a relish for what is most important. As we must avoid whatever would unfit us to meet the Saviour, so we must exercise ourselves to whatever may forward our preparation to meet him. We shall acquaint ourselves, so as to be accepted of Christ. 1. If heaven be a place with which we maintain a constant correspondence.

2. If while in this world, we are learning to leave it. 3. If each day of our lives, we keep all accounts clear and balanced between God and us."

The author

II. Shows the force of the reasoning, when this duty is urged from the consideration of Son of man's coming in a day, and at an hour that we know not.

We may suppose our Lord to say,

1. Your unwatchfulness cannot prevent my coming. 2. Your unwatchfulness will deprive you of the comfort of those, whom I shall find ready.

III. The divine conduct in this disposal of things,

is vindicated.

1. God can do nothing but what is best.

2 Obvious inconveniences would attend our knowledge of the time of our death.

3. Taking our situation as it is, we have the most rational motive to continued watchfulness.

IV. Practical application.

1. The wisdom of being truly religious.

2. The folly and danger of security, when we know not what a day may bring forth.

If the Christian properly considers these things 1. His light will shine.

2. His end will be better than his beginning.

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.

They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

But the wise took oil in their vessels, with their lamps. While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him!

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

And the foolish said unto the wise, give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.

But the wise answered, saying, not so; lest there be not enough for us and you but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

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.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, wherein the son of man cometh.

THAT the parable I have read, is a continuation of our Saviour's discourse, and not a new head of doctrine, appears from the manner in which it is introduced. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be

likened to ten virgins, &c. i. e. at the time I have been speaking of. What that time was, may be discerned without difficulty, upon carrying back our views towards the close of the preceding chapter. We find there, that our Lord had not only intimated the certainty of a future Judgment, in respect of the thing itself; but asserted the uncertainty of the day and hour in which the son of man should come, in respect of us. He tells his disciples how advantageously it would surprise such ministers and private Christians, whom this day should find busied, as became the expectants of the Judgment, though multitudes (clothed with both these characters) should abuse its apprehended distance to security and licentiousness: whom death should place at the bar, when they were least thoughtful about it, the day of Judgment being equally near them, as the day of death. This is the time referred to, in the foregoing parable.

The scope of it I take to be this, viz. to press upon his disciples, in the most effectual manner, the duty of watchfulness, which he had been recommending in the chapter foregoing.

Before I enter upon the particular explication of this parable, let me observe to you, that these allegorical discourses being designed to instruct us in heavenly things, by images taken from earthly ones, to communicate some doctrine, or urge some duty explained, or recommended by such allusions, our principal view should be to the scope and drift

of a parable. Many things in it may be inserted purely for ornament's sake, to beautify and complete the allegory; it is not therefore our business. to find a meaning to every minute circumstance, but to attend to the lesson which offers itself to our thoughts from its most substantial parts. Watchfulness, as opposed to intemperance, is enjoined in the former chapter: the same duty, but considered in opposition to security, and as consisting in a readiness to meet with Christ at death, and in Judgment, is enforced upon the disciples, in this.

The parable which is here instituted by our Lord, was the more easily taken in by his auditory, because it proceeds upon a custom of an ancient standing among the Jews, which they observed in their marriage solemnities. I will give you as distinct an account of this affair, as is needful for enlightening the subject.

The night was the usual time observed both by Jews and Romans, for celebrating their marriage rites. The Romans, had their torches, called Teda, from the pitchy kind of tree of which they were made; and the Jews had their lamps. Among the Jews, the bridegroom had a certain number of young men, who attended him to the house of the person he had espoused. These perhaps were the thirty companions which Sampson had to be with him, when he married the Philistine's daughter at Timnath Judges xiv. 11. They are called by our Saviour, the children of the bridechamber, in Matt. ix,