Ten virgins - Shepard - X - Chapters 20 & 21

Required reading
Ten virgins by Thomas Shepard (Available from Amazon or free here).  Read Chapters 20 and 21.

My summary
We continue looking at the difference between the wise and foolish virgins: they took no oil in their vessels for their lamps.

Today Shepard gives us his third doctrine on the subject: 'That there is a certain plenitude, fullness, or full measure of the Spirit of grace in the hearts of the faithful, which the most glorious, yet unsound professors of virgin churches want, and have not in their vessels, but fall short of. '

We are then taught what Christians are full of as opposed to what the non-Christians are full of:
(i) fullness of humiliation under sin, opposite to the fullness of sin;
(ii) fullness of illumination in the room of darkness;
(iii) fullness of faith in the room of unbelief;
(iv) fullness of the Spirit in the room of Satan;
(v) sanctification in the room of self-seeking;
(vi) fullness of the Spirit of glory in the room of the world.

What grabbed me
Shepard made a good comment about how Christians have a great assurance even when they experience trouble: 'Saints' hearts are no sooner raised up, but their weights grow heavy and press them down; no sooner do they walk in the way, but they begin to fall off; but when I say so, I say three things. 1. Their whole heart never departs. 2. They do not depart forever. 3. Though they do depart from the Lord, yet the Spirit does not depart from them; as it is in common reason, the same thing may go either in a straight or crooked line to the same point ; as a river may run in a straight or crooked line to the sea.'

As Christians we do have crooked times.  But if we are indeed Christians, God will make sure we will arrive safely home.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 22 of Part 1 and Chapters 1 & 2 of Part 2.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.