The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1873-05-23
BISHOP MARVIN.


. pneefHff ana Whe prouaply waning IN that pe
culiar Wesleyan FIRE and fcrvor which h.
given TO the itinernnt preachers Of this dc
nomination their continental reputation 20
pulpit orntory.
The text Of his sermon was the parable o
the Virgins" NJ given in the 2jth Oh. Matt
lie remarked that Il Is a popularity commol
to the human family 10 attend places Of pub
lie religious worship, oftentimcs more for tn
purpose Of hearing a stranger than to aiten'
10 the subject Of his teaching; but that Il wa
simply his purpose to submit few plain sue
gcstions upon the nature and symbolism Of thi
parable, the literary merit Of which, indepen
dent Of the lesson il teaches, is sufficient b
demand for It a careful reading. lie though
that the chief beauty Of 1.-THE parallels con
sisted in their simplicity; and that the mos
wretched blunders Of Interpretation hav,
grown out Of the efforts Of commentators d
be ingenious in Interpretation; that plain peo
pie Of common understanding almost invaria
bly, discover the lesson that is Taught by then
on first reading lie deprecated the idea and
practice Of attempting to sound the depths o.
parallels only to bring to the surface soms
buried and mysterious meaning. Why IL wa
that the particular number Of TEN was ssed
in this parable, as descriptive Of the number
Of the Virgins, he did not pretend to know
II might have been for the convenience Of the
memory, or because that was about the usual
number who attended AZ brides maids, on orr
entail nuptial occasions. This however, he re-
garded as unimportant-it might be for one
reason or another; the great truth Of the par
able, its marrow and gist, consisted in the les
son II taught-a lesson Of admonition to
watchfulness. Not simply an admonition to
watchfulncss; this is not an exhaustive in
depreciation Of the lesson but an admonition
to watchfulness on the ground, that no man
knoweth when the bridegroom shall come.
lie thought that grave errors had prevailed
among protesting christians, in reference tn
what classes Of people were designated or
ymbolized by the five foolish and the & e
wise virgins. The Interpretation Of some
is, that the five foolish virgins referred to hyp-
ocrits in the church, and the FIVE wise virgins
to the true professors. This he conceived to
be an error Of construction and Interpretation.
According to his view both classes Of virgins
are typical Of the true christian. For evil
dence Of which, he quoted the opening Of the
parable, which says. "dle Kingdom Of HEAVEN
is like unto ten virgins" The phrase King
dom Of Heaven, in different parts Of the
Scriptures, has different meanings. Some
times il refers to that divine government Of
God established in our midst, Of which Christ
is the administrator, but in this particular
instance, itrelatfs 10 the eolSitua,s Of Chrisi's
kingdom on earth-men and womer, consti-
tutng a class Of genuine discipleship. 2nd.
They were all virgins. The very idea con
veyed by this term is innocence and purity.
Nowhere in the Bible Is Il used 10 convey
any other idea than that which is ascribcd to
Il by the common sentiment and testimony Of
the world. 3rd; All had lamps full of oil,
and these lamps were lighted. The word
6gh Is never used in the Holy Scriptures as
typical Of hypocrisy or Of any point Of char
acter which exerts a debasing influence. 4th.
There was a time when both classes Of vir-
gins were equally and fully prepared to meet
the bridegroom. Hypocrites never are pre-
pared for the meeting. II the bridegroom
had come at the time he was looked for, the
foolish virgins would have been prepared TO
receive him; and herein lies the force and
power of the parable. Its admonition to
watchfulness is peculiarly impressive when
considered with reference to this fourth rea-
son. 9th. If the admonition had been to
hypocrites instead Of christians, il would have
been, not watch, but repenii
9th. The difference between these two clas-
ses of virgins is illustrated by the epithets
applied to them. II was not difference Of
purity or innocence of character-they were
all virgins alike-but difference of wisdom.
This wisdom consisted in their prudence,
their thoughtfulness in making provision for
emergencies. From this particular point Of
his discourse, the Bishop delivered a very inn
pressive lecture upon the sin Of thoughtless-
ness; illustrating by incidents common to our
individual experience the evil consequences
which often flow from a slattern course Of
thought and action.
His animadversions upon the christian
people, whose sins Of thoughtlessness and
earelessness crop out in the attempt to get
enough religion at a camp and protracted
meeting to last the year round, were caustie
and searching. And to indulge in a sample
Of teaching by way Of parable himself, he H.
kened them unto the Missouri farmers who,
in the month Of December, kill enough 'hog''
TO make their meat and grease for the next
year.
With the foregoing points, constituting the
body Of his sermon, the Bishop drew inieren-
res in support Of the doctrine of his church,
Ii opposed to some Of the features Of Calvin
SIN, on the kindred subjects Of back sliding
md falling from grace; and as the doors were
barred against the five foolish virgins, though
heir lamps had once been filled and once been
burning, so will the eternal door be closed
lgainst him who had once had his measure Of
'eligion meted out to him, but lost il through |
oolishness or neglect.
Bishop Marvin is preacher Of great aecu-
acy Of speech, selecting without hesitation
he precise word to convey the idea which he |
las conceived. One cannot fail TO observe
hat the influences Of itinerAnt preaching are
till upon him. Though possessing and pre-
CRYING the dignity which we'll becomes his
ecclesiastical station, he occasionally emits |
amt fash Of that weird, hair-rising judg-
nent day eloquenoe, which We observe in
zone save those who have kindled the fires Of
heir religious enthusiasm al the camp meet
ng altar.