Ten virgins - Shepard - XVII - Chapters 19 commenced

Required reading
Ten virgins by Thomas Shepard (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence Chapter 19 by reading up to the paragraph beginning: 'Ver. 12. I know you not. Words of sense, in Hebrew, bear and signify affection also; the principal affections are love and hatred'.
   
My summary
Today we commence Chapter 19: 'Showing that none shall enjoy Christ hereafter, but those that are prepared here'.

Firstly Shepard looks at 'They that were ready' and observes that 'those only who are ready and prepared in this life for Christ, shall enjoy eternal and immediate communion with Christ'.

Secondly we turn to the fact that 'The door was shut' and observe:
(i) that the endeared love of Christ to His elect does much appear in this, in opening the door of glory unto them, and shutting it against others of esteem and name in the church of God;
(ii) that the door of grace and glory shall be shut against all wicked men living at the coming of the Lord at death or judgment.

Thirdly Shepard expounds verses 11 and 12, 'And afterwards the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us!  But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you'.  We observe:
(i) that after the coming of Christ to death or judgement, then shall those who are most secretly wicked, know certainly that the gate is shut, and their exclusion, and final separation from the face of Christ;
(ii) the earnest cries and prayers of unregenerate men, at death or judgement, are then too late to procure mercy from the hands of Christ.

What grabbed me
I appreciated hearing about one of the signs that helps us discern whether we have the Spirit: 'This Spirit ever keeps a man poor and vile in his own eyes, and empty. Take a man that hath no knowledge nor taste of God's grace, while he finds ignorance, he may pray, and be diligent in use of means, and full of life ; but when he hath got some knowledge, and can discourse pretty well, and hath some tastes of the heavenly gift, some sweet elapses of grace, and so his conscience is pretty well quieted, and if be hath got some answer to his prayers, and hath sweet affections, he grows full, and having ease to his conscience, casts off sense, and daily groaning under sin ; and hence the Spirit of prayer dies, he loses his esteem of God's ordinances, feels not such need of them, or gets no good, feels no life and power by them ; and whereas before he could catch at every word, and mourn where he found the Lord passed by him, and speak never a good word to him; now no such trouble, because he is full. This is the woeful condition of some, but yet they know it not.'

Being kept poor and vile in your own eyes is a good thing.

Next week's reading
Conclude Chapter 19.

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