power;" St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, he which stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." And St. John, declares to believers +"the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie," and even as it hath taught you, “ye shall abide in him.” As these passages prove that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is compared to anointing with oil, we may well consider that the oil, which the wise virgins had in their vessels represents to us the divine influence of the Holy Spirit, of which the foolish virgins were destitute. They, as well as the wise, might use the means of grace, but they did not grow thereby; they were as unprofitable to them, as food to a dead carcase there was no life in their soulstheir religion was cold and heartless; as different from the sincere and warmhearted religion of the true servants of God as darkness from light or death from life. And how different was the concluding scene of their mortal career, when * 2 Corinthians, i. 21, 22. † 1 John, ii. 27. they were all roused from their slumbers by the sudden approach of the bridegroom, "and rose to trim their lamps," the foolish found that their lamps were gone out, and they had no oil to light them. But the wise were ready to meet their Saviour, and, perhaps, their lamps burned with a brighter lustre than ever they had done in their days of health and prosperity; they passed "through the valley of the shadow of death" with hope and comfort, and were received into the joy of their Lord. The same door which shut out the foolish virgins for ever, from light and happiness; shut out for ever from the wise, sin, and sorrow, and death; for they were admitted into that happy kingdom,* "where God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; where there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:" +"for they shall stand before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell among them." "Their sun shall no more go down; neither shall their moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be their everlasting * Rev. xxi. 4. + Rev. vii. 15. Isaiah, lx. 20. light, and the days of their mourning shall be ended." Let us make the application of this parable to ourselves; it sets before us the different ends of those who had only the form of godliness, and those who had also the power of it; and it points out to us the different paths which they pursued. Let us all compare ourselves with the word of God, that we may know to which class we belong; that we may know whether we are among the cold and heartless professors of Christianity, or among those who are earnest, sincere, and zealous in the service of God. Those who are among the wise, I would remind that they were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures;" I would, therefore, urge upon them the exhortation of the apostle St. Paul to the Ephesians, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise," "redeeming the time, because the days are evil." To those who are still foolish, I would say in the words of wisdom herself, I "Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding." Study the § Holy Scriptures, which * Titus, iii. 3. * 66 + Ephesians, v. 15, 16. F are able to make you wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus," for they reveal to you how your sins may be pardoned, and your souls be sanctified: obey the advice of God's word as contained in the Epistle of St. James, and you shall surely experience the fulfilment of its promise. *If any of you lack وو wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.' May the Lord make us all wise unto salvation, for Jesus Christ's sake.-Amen. * James, i. 5. SERMON VIII. "Go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves."MATTHEW, Xxv. 9. On the first hearing of these words they seem to favour that self-righteous and unscriptural doctrine, that we have something in ourselves that can earn the favour of God, and purchase the salvation of our immortal souls. It may, therefore, be profitable to us to give them an attentive examination, lest we should wrest the Holy Scriptures to our own destruction. For there is no sin more damning than self-righteousness;— there is no sin that was more frequently and severely condemned by our blessed Saviour while on earth; and yet, perhaps, there is none to which our corrupt nature is more strongly inclined. Many of us would cut off a right hand, or pluck out a right eye, if we could obtain heaven 281303 |