The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-04-14

represent those professed Christians who,
because the rewards of faith and righteous
ness, or the opportunities of great moral and
spiritual usefulness, do not appear to be i'm
mediate, are unprepared to embrace and en-
joy them, and so miss the richest blessings
of their religion.
THE WIsE.-The wise or prudent virgins
are represented as having taken supply of
oil to reLew their lamps should they need it
before they entered the place of the wedding
festivities, and so were prepared to join the
procession of the bridegroom when it arrived,
and enter with him into all the pleasures of
the joyful occasion. The two classes, de-
nominated "wise" and "foolish," were de-
scribed by JESUS in a similar connection In
the Sermon on the Mount: Every one who
heareth these words of mine and doeth them,
shall be likened unto wise man; and every
one that heareth these words of mine and
doeth them not shall be likened unto fool
ish Man" wi. "a, 26). The disciples who
neglected to heed the warnings which JESUS
declared concerning the coming of the Son
of man and to be prepared for the described
coming of his kingdom, we're represented by
the foolish virgins; while those who remem-
bered the signs which he announced, and
faithfully observed his admonitions and we're
prepared to accept their deliverance when it
came in the order of Providence, were rep
resented by the wise virgins who kept their
lamps trimmed and burning and entered
with the bridegroom into the joys of his we'd
ding-day.
THE DOOR WAS sHUT.-when the fool
ish virgins arrived at the place of the we'd
ding festivities the door was shut, and though
they asked to be admitted to the wedding,
they were denied on the ground that they
were not known to be invited guests. In the
Sermon on the Mount JESUS declared: "Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord
snail enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Many will say unto me in that day, Lord,
Lord;' and then will profess unto them,
never knew you" (vii. 1928. The pro-
fessed disciples who were spiritually unqual-
flied, not having maintained their Christian
profession by patient and hopeful right
eous character, would find the door of the
kingdom shut again at them when the elect
ones, the faithful and righteous, should be
gathered out of all nations into on spiritual
community and commonwealth, the true
Israel of COP, under the reign of the risen
and glorifed Messiah, the King of Soule,
represented in the Divine authority of the
truth and life of the Gospel. The destruc-
ton of the Jewish nation and the consum-
nation of the Jewish age marked the begin
ming of this epoch in the administration OF
the Divine government of the world pro-
claimed by JESUS. Every similar crisis IN
the progress of Divine providence in human
history imposes similar conditions and is at
tended with similar experiences. The crises
of individual life may be the manifestation
of the presence of the Lord, and only the
spiri tually vigilant aud faithful may be pro-
flied by them. The door of many an oppor-
tunity of Christian endeavor and spiritual
joyousness is shut to those who are unpre-
pared to enter in at the providential time
when it is open to them. The door of the
marriage feast was shut against the foolish
virgins; the door of the Messiah's kingdom
would be shut against the imprudent disci-
pies who should neglect to observe his teach
ings. The door of the marriage feast was
open to admit all who marched in the process
sion of the bridegroom; the door of the king
dom of heaven, which admits to the "mar
rage supper of the Lamb" is open to all
who sincerely follow JESUS, the spiritual
Leader and Teacher of mankind. The door
of heaven itself is always open to the souls
that are prepared for its hallowed bliss. 1t
is the mission of Christianity in the world,
and of CHRIST in all worlds, to prepare souls
for the bliss of heaven. Christianity is des-
tined to triumph in the world, and CHRIST,
who is Lord of all, the dead as well as the
living, will finally draw all men unto him.
self.