1. They will put on all the confidence they can, they will trick and trim up their profession, and adorn it with what bravery they can. Thus the foolish virgins sought to enter in; they did trim up their lamps, made themselves as fine as they could. They made shift to make their lamps to shine awhile; but the Son of God discovering himself, their confidence failed, their lamps went out, the door was shut upon them, and they were kept out. (Matt 25:1-12)
2. They will seek to enter in by crowding themselves in among the godly. Thus the man without the wedding garment sought to enter in. He goes to the wedding, gets into the wedding chamber, sits close among the guests, and then, without doubt, concluded he should escape damnation. But, you know, one black sheep is soon seen, though it be among a hundred white ones. Why, even thus it fared with this poor man. "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man that had not on a wedding garment." He spied him presently, and before one word was spoken to any of the others, he had this dreadful salutation, "Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having on a wedding garment?" 11
"And he was speechless"; though he could swagger it out among the guests, yet the master of the feast, at first coming in, strikes him dumb; and having nothing to say for himself, the king had something to say against him. "Then the king said to the servants," the angels, "Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt 22:11-13)
3. They will seek to enter in by pleading their profession and admittance to the Lord's ordinances when they were in the world. "Lord, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets"; we sat at thy table, and used to frequent sermons and Christian assemblies; we were well thought of by thy saints, and were admitted into thy churches; we professed the same faith as they did; "Lord, Lord, open unto us."
4. They will seek to enter in by pleading their virtues; how they subjected [themselves] to this ministry, how they wrought for him, what good they did in the world, and the like, but neither will this help them; the same answer that the two former had, the same have these—"Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt 7:22)
5. They will seek to enter in by pleading excuses where they cannot evade conviction. The slothful servant went this way to work, when he was called to account for not improving his Lord's money. "Lord," says he, "I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed, and I was afraid," &c., either that I should not please in laying out thy money, or that I should put it into hands out of which I should not get it again at thy need, "and I went a hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast that is thine"; as if he had said, True, Lord, I have not improved, I have not got; but consider also I have not embezzled, I have not spent nor lost thy money; lo, there thou hast what is thine. (Matt 25:24-28) There are but few will be able to say these last words at the day of judgment. The most of professors are for embezzling, misspending, and slothing away their time, their talents, their opportunities to do good in. But, I say, if he that can make so good an excuse as to say, Lo, there thou hast that is thine; I say, if such an one shall be called a wicked and slothful servant, if such an one shall be put to shame at the day of judgment, yea, if such an one shall, notwithstanding this care to save his Lord's money, be cast as unprofitable into outer darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, what will they do that have neither taken care to lay out, nor care to keep what was committed to their trust?
6. They will seek to enter in by pleading that ignorance was the ground of their miscarrying in the things wherein they offended. Wherefore, when Christ charges them with want of love to him, and with want of those fruits that should prove their love to be true—as, that they did not feed him, did not give him drink, did not take him in, did not clothe him, visit him, come unto him, and the like—they readily reply, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" (Matt 25:44) As who should say, Lord, we are not conscious to ourselves that this charge is worthily laid at our door! God forbid that we should have been such sinners. But, Lord, give an instance; when was it, or where? True, there was a company of poor sorry people in the world, very inconsiderable, set by with nobody; but for thyself, we professed thee, we loved thee, and hadst thou been with us in the world, wouldst thou have worn gold, wouldst thou have eaten the sweetest of the world, we would have provided it for thee; and therefore, Lord, Lord, open to us! But will the plea do? No. Then shall he answer them, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these" my brethren, "ye did it not to me." This plea, then, though grounded upon ignorance, which is one of the strangest pleas for neglect of duty, would not give them admittance into the kingdom. "These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."
I might add other things by which it will appear how they will seek to enter in. As,
1. They will make a stop at this gate, this beautiful gate of heaven. They will begin to stand without at the gate, as being loath to go any further. Never did malefactor so unwillingly turn off the ladder when the rope was about his neck, as these will turn away in that day from the gates of heaven to hell.
2. They will not only make a stop at the gate; but there they will knock and call. This also argueth them willing to enter. They will begin to stand without, and to knock at the gate, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. This word, Lord, being doubled, shows the vehemency of their desires, "Lord, Lord, open unto us." The devils are coming; Lord, Lord, the pit opens her mouth upon us; Lord, Lord, there is nothing but hell and damnation left us, if, Lord, Lord, thou hast not mercy upon us; "Lord, Lord, open unto us!"