THE WISE AND FOOLISH VIRGINS.
By the late Rev. George Whitefield, B.A., of Pembroke College, Oxford.
Preached at Moorfields and Kennington Common in 1739.
“Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh.”—MATTHEW xxv. 13.
(Concluded from page 376.)
OBSERVE, further, the impudence, as well as importunity, of those other virgins. “Lord, Lord,” say they, as though they were intimately acquainted with the holy Jesus. Like numbers amongst us, who, because they go to church, repeat their creeds, and perhaps receive the sacrament, think they have a right to call Jesus their Saviour, and dare call God their Father when they put up the Lord’s Prayer. But Jesus is not your Saviour; the devil, not God, is your father, unless your hearts are purified by faith, and you are born again from above. It is not the being baptized by water only, but by the Holy Ghost also, that must purify and perfect your fallen nature. And it will do you no service at the great day, to say unto Christ, “Lord, my name is in the register of such or such a parish,” unless the laws and image of Christ are written and stamped upon your hearts. I am persuaded the foolish virgins could say this, and more. But what answer did the blessed Jesus make? He answered and said (verse 12): “Verily, I say unto you”—He puts the word “verily,” to assure them He was in earnest—“I say unto you,” I who am truth itself, I whom you have owned in words, but in works denied, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” These words must not be understood literally; for whatever Arians and Socinians may vainly say to the contrary, yet we affirm that Jesus Christ is God, God blessed for ever, and therefore knoweth all things. He saw Nathaniel when under the fig tree. He sees, and is now looking down from heaven, His dwelling-place, upon us, to see how we behave in these fields. Brethren, I know nothing of the thoughts and intents of your hearts in coming hither, but Jesus Christ does. He knows who come like new-born babes, desirous to be fed with the sincere milk of the Word; and He knows who come to hear what the babbler says, and to run away with part of a broken sentence, that they may have whereof they may ridicule or accuse Him. This expression then, “I know you not,” must not be understood literally. No; it only denies a knowledge of approbation; as though Christ had said, “You call me Lord, Lord, but ye have not done the things that I have said: you desire Me to open the door, but how can you come in hither, not having on a
wedding-garment? Alas! you are naked as you came into the world. Where is My outward righteousness imputed to you? Where is My inherent righteousness wrought in you? Where is My divine image stamped upon your souls? How dare you call Me Lord, Lord, when you have not received the Holy Ghost, whereby I seal all that are truly mine? Verily I know you not. Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
And now, “he that hath ears to hear let him hear,” what manner of persons these were whom Jesus Christ dismissed with this answer.
Remember, I entreat you, remember, they are not sent away for being fornicators, swearers, Sabbath-breakers, or prodigals; no, in all probability, as I observed before, they were, touching the outward observances of the moral law, blameless; they were zealous maintainers of the form of religion; and if they did no good, yet no one could say they did any one any harm. That for which they were condemned, and eternally banished from the presence of the Lord (for so much is implied in that sentence, “I know you not”), was this: they had no oil in their lamps, no principle of eternal life, or true and living faith, and love of God in their hearts. But, alas! if persons may go to church, receive the sacraments, lead honest moral lives, and yet be sent to hell at the last day, as they certainly will if they advance no farther, where wilt thou, O drunkard? where wilt thou, O swearer? where wilt thou, O Sabbath-breaker? where wilt thou that deniest divine revelation, and even the form of godliness—where wilt thou and such-like sinners appear?
I know very well where you must appear, even before the dreadful tribunal of Jesus Christ. For, however you may, like Felix, continually put off your convictions, yet you, as well as others, must arise after death, and appear in judgment. You will then find to your eternal sorrow, what I just hinted at in the beginning of this discourse, viz., that your damnation slumbereth not. Sin has blinded your hearts, and hardened your foreheads now. But yet a little while and our Lord will avenge Him of His adversaries. Already, by faith, I see the heavens opened, and the holy Jesus coming, with His face brighter than ten thousand suns, and darting fury upon you from His eyes. I see you rising from your graves, trembling and astonished, and crying out, Who can abide this day of His coming? And now, what inference shall I draw from what has been delivered? Our Lord, in the words of the text, hath drawn one for me: “Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
“Watch”—that is, be upon your guard, and keep your graces in continual exercise; for as, when we are commanded to watch unto prayer, it signifies that we should continue instant in that duty; so, when we are required to watch in general, it means,
that we should put on the whole armour of God, and live every day as though it was our last.
And O that the Lord may now enable me to lift up my voice like a trumpet! For had I a thousand tongues, or could I speak so loud that the whole world might hear me, I could not sound a more useful alarm than that which is contained in the words of the text. Watch, therefore, my brethren, I beseech you by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus, watch—be upon your guard. “Awake, ye that sleep in the dust; for ye know not the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Perhaps to-day, perhaps this next midnight, the cry may be made. For in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the trump is to sound. However, supposing the final day of judgment to all may yet be a great way off, yet to us it is certainly near at hand. For what is our life? It is but a vapour—it is but a span long; so soon it passeth away, and we are gone. Blessed be God, we are all here well; but who, out of this great multitude, dare say, I shall go home to my house in safety? Who knows but, whilst I am speaking, God may commission his ministering spirits immediately to call some of you off by a sudden stroke, to give an account with what attention, and to what intent, you have heard this sermon? And it is chiefly for this reason that God has hid the day of our death from us. For, since I know not but I may die to-morrow, why, O my soul (may each of us say) wilt thou not watch to-day? Since I know not but I may die the next moment, why wilt thou not prepare for dying this?
You know, my brethren, some such instances have lately been given us. And what angel or spirit hath assured us that some of you shall not be the next? “Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
May such reflections as these, my brethren, crowd in upon my mind. At present, blessed be the Lord, who delights to magnify His strength in a poor worm’s weakness, I am at a stand not so much about what I shall say, as what I shall leave unsaid. My belly, like Elihu’s, is, as it were, full of new wine; out of the abundance of my heart my mouth speaketh. The seeing so great a multitude standing before me—a sense of the infinite majesty of that God in whose name I preach, and before whom I, as well as you, must appear to give an account—and the uncertainty there is whether I shall live another day to speak to you any more; these considerations, I say, especially the presence of God, which I now feel in my soul, furnish me with so much matter that I scarce know how to begin, and where to end, my application. However, by the divine assistance, I will address myself more particularly to three sorts of persons.
And, first, I would remind you that are notoriously ungodly in the land, of what our Lord says in the text. For, though I have said that your damnation slumbereth not whilst you continue in an impenitent state, yet that was only to set you upon your watch
to convince you of your danger and excite you to cry out, What shall we do to be saved? I appeal to all that hear me whether I have said, the door of mercy shall be shut against you if you believe in Jesus Christ. No; if you are the chief of sinners; if you are the murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers; if you are the dung and offscouring of all things—yet if you believe on Jesus Christ and continue to cry unto Him with the faith of the penitent thief, “Lord, remember us, now thou art in thy kingdom,” I will pawn my eternal salvation upon it if He does not shortly translate you to His heavenly paradise. Wonder not at my speaking with so much assurance, for I know “this is a faithful and true saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save all believing sinners;” nay, so great is His love that I am persuaded, were it necessary, He would come again into the world and die a second time for them on the cross. But, blessed be God, when our Lord bowed down His head and gave up the ghost, our redemption was finished. It is not our sins, but our want of a lively faith in His blood, that will prove our condemnation. If you draw near to Him now by faith, though you are the worst of sinners, yet He will not say unto you, “Verily, I know you not.” No; a door of mercy shall be opened to you. Look then, look by an eye of faith to that God-Man whom you have pierced. Behold Him bleeding, panting, dying upon the cross with arms stretched out ready to embrace you all! Hark, how He groans! See how all nature is in an agony! The rocks rend, the graves open, the sun withdraws its light, ashamed, as it were, to see the Saviour suffer! And all this to proclaim man’s great redemption! Nay, the Holy Jesus, in the most bitter agonies and pangs of death, prays for His very murderers: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” What, then, if you have crucified the Son of God afresh and put Him to open shame, yet do not despair—only believe, and even this shall be forgiven you. You have read, at least you have heard, no doubt, how three thousand were converted at St. Peter’s preaching one single sermon after our Lord’s ascension into heaven; and many of the crucifiers of the Lord of glory undoubtedly were amongst them. And why should you despair? for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. The Holy Ghost shall be sent down on you as well as on them if you do but believe. For Christ ascended up on high to receive this gift even for the vilest of men, for His greatest enemies. Come, then, all ye that are weary and heavy laden with a sense of your sins, lay hold on Christ by faith and He shall give you rest. For salvation is the free gift of God to all them that believe. And though you may think this too good news to be true, yet I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not; this is the gospel, this is the glad tidings which we are commissioned to preach to every creature Be not faithless, then, but believing. Let not the devil lead you captive at his will any longer; for all the wages he gives his
servants is death, death often in this life, death always, everlasting death in the next. But now the free gift of God is eternal life to all that believe in Jesus Christ. Pharisees are, and will be offended at my coming here and offering you salvation on such cheap terms. But the more they bid me hold my peace the more will I cry out and proclaim to sinners that Jesus, the Son of David as He was man, but David’s Lord as he was God, will have mercy upon all that by a living faith truly turn to him. If to preach this is to be vile, I pray God I may be more vile. If they will not let me preach Christ crucified and offer salvation to poor sinners in a church, I will preach Him in the lanes, streets, highways, and hedges; and nothing pleases me better than to think I am now in one of the devil’s strongest holds. Surely the Lord has not sent me and all you hither for nothing; no, blessed be God, “the fields are white, ready unto harvest,” and many souls, I hope, will be gathered into His heavenly garner. It is true it is the midnight of the Church, especially the poor Church of England; but God has lately sent forth His servants to cry, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh.” I beseech you, O sinners, hearken unto the voice; let me espouse you now by faith to my dear Master, and henceforward watch and pray that you may be ready to go forth to meet Him.
Secondly.—I would apply myself to those amongst you that are not openly profane, but, by depending on a formal round of duties, deceive your own souls, and are still as the foolish virgins.
But I must speak to your conviction before I can speak to your comfort. My brethren, do not deceive your own souls. You have heard how far the foolish virgins went, and yet were answered with a “Verily, I know you not.” The reason is, because none but such as have a living faith in Jesus Christ, and are truly born again from above, can possibly enter into the kingdom of heaven. You may, perhaps, live honestly, and outwardly, moral lives; but if you depend on that morality or join your works with your faith in order to justify you before God, you have no lot or share in Christ’s redemption. For what is this but to deny the Lord that has bought you? What is this but making yourselves your own Saviours, taking the crown from Jesus Christ and putting it on your own heads? The crime of the devil some have supposed consisted in this, that he would not bow to the name of Jesus when He came into the world as man, when the Father commanded all the angels to worship Him. And what do you less? You will not own and submit to His righteousness. And though you pretend to worship Him with your lips, yet your hearts are far from Him. Besides, you in effect deny the operations of His blessed Spirit, you mistake common for effectual grace. You hope to be saved because you have good desires. What is this, but to give God His word and all His saints the lie? A Jew, a Turk, has equally as good grounds whereon to build His hopes of salvation. Great need, therefore, have I to cry out to you, O foolish virgins,
watch; beg of God to convince you of your self-righteousness and the secret unbelief of your hearts or otherwise, whensoever the cry shall be made, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,” you will find yourselves utterly unprepared to go forth to meet Him. You may cry, “Lord, Lord,” but the answer will be, “Verily, I know you not.”
Thirdly.—I would speak a word or two by way of exhortation to those who are wise virgins, and are well assured that they have on a wedding-garment.
That there are many such amongst you, who, by grace, have renounced your own righteousness, and know assuredly that the righteousness of the Lord Jesus is imputed to you, I make no doubt. God has His secret ones in the worst of times; and I am persuaded He has not let so loud a gospel cry be made amongst His people for nothing. No, I am confident the Holy Ghost has been given to some on the preaching of faith; nay, has powerfully fallen upon many whilst they have been hearing the Word. You are now then no longer foolish, but wise virgins; notwithstanding I beseech you also, suffer the word of exhortation; for wise virgins are too apt whilst the Bridegroom tarries to slumber and sleep: watch, therefore, my dear brethren, watch and pray at this time especially, for perhaps a time of suffering is at hand. The ark of the Lord begins already to be driven into the wilderness. Be ye therefore upon the watch, and still persevere in following your Lord even without the camp bearing His reproach. The cry that has been lately made has awakened the devil and his servants—they begin to rage horribly; and well they may, for I hope their kingdom is in danger. Watch, therefore, my brethren; for if we are not always upon our guard a time of trial may overtake us unawares, and instead of owning, we may be tempted, like Peter, to deny, our Master. Set death and eternity often before you. Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, and consider how little a while it will be ere He comes to judgment and then our reproach shall be wiped away; the accusers of us and our brethren shall be cast down, and the door being shut, we all shall continue for ever in heaven with our dear Lord Jesus. Amen! and Amen!
Lastly.—What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. High and low, rich and poor, young and old, one with another, of whatever sect or denomination, for I regard not that, I beseech you by the mercies of that Jesus whom I am now preaching, be upon your guard. Flee, flee to Jesus Christ, that heavenly Bridegroom; behold, He desires to take you to Himself. Miserable, poor, blind and naked, as you are, yet He is willing to clothe you with His everlasting righteousness and make you partakers of that glory which He enjoyed with the Father before the world was. O, do not turn a deaf ear to me; do not reject the message on account of the meanness of the messenger. I am a child, a youth of uncircumcised lips, but the Lord has chosen me that the glory
might be all His own. Had He sent to invite you by a learned rabbi, you might have been tempted to think the man had done something. But now God has sent a child that cannot speak, that the excellency of the power may be seen to be not of man but of God. Let letter-learned Pharisees, then, despise my youth: I care not how vile I appear in the sight of such men, I glory in it; and I am persuaded if any of you should be set upon your watch by this preaching, you will have no reason to repent that God sent a child to cry, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” O! my brethren, the thought of being instrumental in bringing some of you to glory fills me with fresh zeal. Once more, therefore, I entreat you, “Watch, watch and pray;” for the Lord Jesus will receive all that call upon Him, yea, all that call upon Him faithfully. Let that cry, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,” be continually sounding in your ears; and begin now to live, as though you were assured this was the night in which you were to be summoned to go forth to meet Him. I could say more, but the other business and duties of the day oblige me to stop. May the Lord give you all an hearing ear and an obedient heart, and so closely unite you to Himself by one Spirit, that, when He shall come in terrible majesty to judge mankind, you may be found having on a wedding-garment and ready to go in with Him to the marriage.
Grant this, O Father, for Thy dear Son’s sake, Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen! and Amen!
LITTLE do we know what times may befall us. There is danger abroad and, we have cause to fear, not far from us. It may be the clouds even now hang over our heads. Oh, if we would be hid in the day of the Lord’s wrath, and have no evil come nigh our dwellings, let us, above all things in the world, make sure our interest in Christ and title to the promise. We should seek to know God more, and then we would trust Him more. “They that know thy name will trust in thee,” saith David. “I will be unto them a little sanctuary in all places,” saith God.—Richard Sibbes.
How fast approacheth that solemn period, when I shall stand on the shore, and see nothing before me but the sea, the ocean of eternity! Let Jesus’ Everlasting Righteousness be mine; and Eternity shall be my glory and joy. O Eternity, it is thine to crown the joys above, to knit the bundle of life together.—John Brown.
No sooner was I naturally born, than launched into the sea of a troublesome world: no sooner spiritually born from above, than launched into a sea of new trouble from Satan, and a wicked heart: no sooner shall I be gloriously born in death, and the resurrection, than launched into eternal depths of perfect felicity.—John Brown.