HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Veni. 1-13.-The ten virgin& I. CimIST INVITES ms CHlJROH TO SHARE ms JOY. Here is a festal occasion, and the joy and splendour of it will not be complete unless tlie virgin-friends of the bride go forth to meet the bridegroom with their lamps illu- minating the gay scene. More than once is the gospel gladness compared to that of a wedding. Under such an image the service and the warfare of life are for the moment forgotten, and its bright, glad side is brought to light. This too is to be seen in the kingdom of heaven, and its happiness is to be el:.ared by Christ's people. II. WE NEED PREPARATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE JOY OP' OUB LORD. The virgins must not only be in wedding a.rray, they must have their lamps trimmed and fed for the illuminated procession. The wise virgins were thoughtful enough to take oil for the further supply of their lamps. The preparation of these lamps was a preliminary work.. 'l'he soul mw;t be prel!&red to enter into Christ's joy by kindling the flame of devotion, and by providing the oil of grace to feed this flame. If there is no grace on earth there can be no glory in heaven. ill IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE INADEQUAT)!: PREPARATION. The foolish virgins had their lamps and lit them. There must have been some oil in them, But there was no further supply. If the bridegroom had not tarried, e.ll would have been well. It was his delay that was so fatal The foolish virgins are like the rocky ground on which the seed sprang up quickly, but on which the green plant only endured for a shol't time. They represent persons of brief, temporary religious experience. These people have no stores of grace to fall back on. Time reveals their shallowness, We may have grace to live passably for a short time, but the requisite is to endure to the end; to be shining in the light of God whenever Christ shall come. . IV. DIIJGENCE IN THE P'UTURE OANNOT ATONE P'OB NEGLIGENCE IN THE PAST. Seeing that their lamps are going out, the foolish virgins apply for help from their wise sisters. But these virgins are too prudent to part with any of their precious oil, Their conduct strikes us as selfish. But it is human, and as such it is a warning against neglecting God's grace and trusting to the tender mercies of our fellow- creatures. .Moreover, in the spiritual region we cannot transfer grace. The wise virgins recommend an impossible course, in ignorance, or as a rebuke, or to relieve tbeillll8lves of the unpleasant importunity of the other five. The course is impossible. The shops are shut at night. Lost opportunities never return. V. ORRIST MUST DISOWN THOSE WHO WERE ONCE HIS PEOPLE IP' THEY HAVE CEASED To POSSESS HIS GRAOE. In their dismay and bewilderment, the foolish virgins clamour for admission to the wedding feast, even though they have not their lamps, for •• the bride!rroom is so sweet." But they are refused. Does the conduct of the bridegroom eeem "'harsh. the punishment too severe? Let us observe that all things are ~ pro- portion. If the offence is sligh~nly forgetting to fill vessels with oil, so also 1B the penalty-only to miss a family festivaL 'l'ranslate this into the spiritual realm, and both .ides become proportionately aggravated. The offence is niigligence as to the cH, xxv, 1-46,] THE GOSPEL AOCORDING TO BT. MATTHEW. 495
exhaustion of grace; the penalty, exclu.,ion from the joy of Christ. Each is neaative. 0 eaoh is serioue. '