good confession in orderly connection with the common household of believers. They had oil in their lamps; so that their profession was one which had a genuine basis, fed and sustained by a real unction from the Holy One. They maintained their position of waiting for the Bridegroom even through all his long tarrying, and had their lamps lit and burning to the moment that the clamor of his arrival fell on their ears; which proves that they were no more apostates than hypocrites, but persevering and patient Christians, holding on to their profession, in some sort, to the end. But they had no oil except what their lamps contained; that is, they had made no efforts to carry their preparation in holy things beyond the ordinary understanding of what is implied in a Christian profession, and were not careful to aim at the higher and more uncommon degrees of consecration and attainment. When the Bridegroom came, they found that this was not enough to carry them through to the marriage; showing that mere common saintship is not sufficient to entitle to the sublime privileges and rewards of "the Bride-the Lamb's wife"-and to the royalties of the "great in the kingdom of heaven." They were in much perplexity and perturbation, and cast about to replenish their stores, hoping that there might perchance still be time to get ready; showing what stirring and confounding discoveries of our follies and deficiencies the coming of the day of the Lord will have even upon Christians, and how many will be hurried to all sorts of resorts in the last extremity to repair their neg

lects. They went to buy oil, but while they went the Bridegroom came, and the procession passed; showing that it will be vain in the last hour to attempt to atone for the imperfections of a life not thoroughly consecrated to God. True, they got the supplies for which they went, but it was too late for the purposes intended; teaching us that the coming of Christ is not to revoke the means of grace, nor to cut off all further opportunities of repentance and improvement from those who shall then be left upon the earth, but showing at the same time that no penitence or excellencies of attainment after Christ once comes can ever retrieve the losses of not being ready at the time he does come. They afterward came, hoping to be admitted to the marriage, but found the door shut; showing that when Christ comes the number of his elect will be complete, and all further negotiations for the high privileges of the Bride will have been closed. They earnestly prayed to be admitted, and besought the Lord to open to them, but he refused, and would not know them now as having the least claim to the marriage either as a matter of right on their part or of favor on his; exhibiting to us how keen and torturing will be the sense of loss on the part of those Christians who fail to be ready for the high honors to which they have been called, and how inexorable then will be that Lord whose sublime proposals they have treated with such superficial concern and such a feeble consent. They had hoped to participate in the marriage and to be among those who constitute the Bride, but they were too

inconsiderate in their preparation and too improvident in their arrangements to be ready at the time: and the palaces of the first-born they failed to enter. Having foolishly neglected to supply themselves with a sufficient stock of self-sacrificing devotion, they were left to find companionship with lower ranks, and to take their places with those whose works are burned. Their "crowns" others "take." "Reward" they receive not. Though "saved," "with shame" they are made to "take the lowest room." They are not slain with the Lord's "enemies," but they are not invested with dominion, as their better and more faithful fellow-servants. They are not deprived of shelter somewhere in the "many mansions" of the "Father's house," but a place on that high mount where "the hundred and forty-four thousand" first-fruit "virgins" stand before the throne of God, they never reach. Though children, and not wholly disinherited, they belong to the congregation of the after-born, whose portion is but onehalf that of the rest and is attended with no rights of rulership and no priestly dignities. The inheritance of the one class is co-heirship of all things with Christ; the inheritance of the other class is simply salvation, with none of the princely distinctions and sublimer beatitudes with which a meek and faultless life and a proper investment of holy deeds and activities for Christ can adorn it. They reach the plain of "the common salvation," (Jude 3,) but they are not permitted to ascend the mountain-summits of exaltation and glory which spring from that plain into higher heavens.

It occurs to me to remark, here, that it has been suggested whether this view of the case might not rock the cradle of carnal security, and tend to quiet some people into contentment with inadequate preparation for heaven. It has been thought that it might perhaps encourage some to say,-as many are already too prone to say, "Well, we know that we do not live right; but, if foolish virgins are saved, there is hope for us, and we need be no further alarmed." But I submit it whether there is any thing in this explanation tending in the least to beget in you such feelings or conclusions. I do not believe that it is possible to make such inferences from what I have been saying, except by gross perversion of my words, -for which I am not responsible. I have not let down the conditions of eternal life one single jot. I have all along been insisting that these improvident virgins were Christians,-real Christians, Christians of a very decided character, Christians who had and did and experienced all that is written of their wiser comrades, except that the amount of oil they had was not enough to carry them into the marriage. Not a word have I uttered to give the impression that salvation is to be had on any other terms than those of a true, sincere, and heart-renewing Christianity. This parable shows nobody saved but "virgins;" by which I can understand none other than really pure people,-people in whom the true faith of the gospel has become living and practical,—people who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and beautified by his heavenly grace. If any are in a condition lower

than this, they are not "virgins," and can find no hope or comfort from this or any other portion of Scripture. Instead of reducing the requirements so as to make men think they can be saved by less activity, watchfulness, and consecration to God, the whole tenor of my remarks, as the whole object of this parable, has been to show that unless we all put forth more earnest efforts, and set ourselves to exhibit more of that apostolic spirit which lays every thing on the altar of Christ, our places in the kingdom, if we get there at all, will be those of "hewers of wood and drawers of water" (Josh. ix. 19, 20) rather than those of kings and princes. The whole strain is one of the most awakening sort, as the Savior meant that it should be. It is to show us that we do vainly dream of inheriting the judgeships and princedoms of the world to come, without a corresponding depth of devotion and completeness of consecration to our Lord. The word is, not that we can reach heaven with less, but that we can only rise to the rewards and honors of heaven by more. An honest filling out of the common Christian profession may save us, but it will not put us into "the Church of the first-born," nor fit us to go in to the marriage when the Bridegroom comes. It is only hard service that brings reward, and a real bearing of the cross that secures the crown. The men of easy Christianity, whose religion costs them no pains, no self-denial, and no sacrifices, may perchance get to heaven; but they shall never reign as kings, and they are not such as shall be present