Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-04-20
THE. SUNDAY, SCHOOL.
Notes on. the Lesson for April
22.l" The Ten Vir.
gins"
From. the Chicago STANDARD.

From the Chicago STANDARD
The lesson for the above uats may be found
in the first thirteen verses OF the twenty tlitn
chapter OF Matthew.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Ihen. 1t 10 q small word but worth mo-
ments thought. 1t refers to the time of un.-
versal acknowledgment Men listen to the
paraDles now az pretty storles. In the Gay Ut
our Lords appearing, whether they Wish OF
ton of the application. Some day the lnulf-
ierent world will see the parab,es III u new
light Are you prepared tor the great clear
nszup time? Are you living the Mo@ in vlsw
Oh the Mens
Took their lamps. Lamp-bearers are We
all. Not Christians merely hold lamps alof,;
Jews, greeks, Barbarlans. all OF us have
minded the natural law and provided u Light
for the journey. Coniucius had his lamp; 1t
burned we'll at first Socrates lighted torch,
OF Theodore Parker have lamp, beautifully
embossed 1t has q large base, though a
small burner. 1t looks we'll on the parlor
table in the daylight But all, as for the
night, 1t has not yet been fully tried We
Fi0e ,rere foolish. Five out of ten 1t is d
large proportion. Does it ovo:-estimate the
ratio of lmprovidence to-day! There Is
nothing of significance IN the number STEM"
there Is startling import IN the connected
there is little meaning to be read out of the
word virgin. But the fact that five of them
were sfoolsh," witless, should give us grief.
Look at your circle, in the school, in the So
How many, alas, foolish?
Took no OIL They had not sgrace suffi-
Gent" They had no reserve of goodness
great many people have little glows of piety.
They are drawn for moment toward C>.rlst
and they set their faces toward him, torch i'll
hand But it is not full determination, not
complete conservation. It Is like flash III
the pan. the blaze Of an empty wick They
have taken no oil with them.
Vessels NTH their lamps. 1t was cumber-
some, no doubt. But the extra vessel was
we'll worth the carrying. Lamps of light and
vessels of oil go together. There is too much
OF tendency to let impulse take the place OF
piety, and good resolutions stand for true re-
flashed in upon the mind that they are some-
how on the safe side. Not so. sWork out"
says the Scripture, syour own salvation with
fear and trembling The Christian pilgrim
has burden in each hand
They all slumbered and slept. There was
nothing wrong about that All alike re-
sponded to the demands of tired nature. The
difference lay in the propagation that had
been made. Here is a test; in fact, three
tests in succession. First, the test of wait
waking and its glad call; the foolish had no
fitness beyond the slumbering point Instead
of getting themselves ready for summons
they had only equipped themselves for slun-
Der. The Christian and the wording GO
their way much alike, rising and reclining at
"a cry made" Then note the difference.
| Behold the bridegroom. 1t is the crisis in
mems affairs that brings them to the test.
It It. all looks forward to that grand climax i, IN
brought to Judgment When men are tried
they show what strength they have. 1t is on
the sudden call in an emergency that real
character is discovered. What moment of
last rings OUT!
Trimmed their lamps. That is what tests a
light. Will it stand trimming? If it has oil
it will burn all the more brightly; if not, even
the feeble spark. will tade. There are many
fame it may Be- called Tie score, is, the oil
ls, out and the owner has gone to sleep careless
of the fact. Ah they will not bear the trim
ming. But here is another lamp turned very
low, perhaps, but burning with a strong.
healthy radiance. You. can trim this sort.
Gone out. Just,ab to go out They had
a little life left, but not much; just enough to
make discontinue visible, as they flashed up
and expired. 1t is not necessary for us to in
sist with some that the five were Indifferent
Christians or hypocritical professors. They
were simply people who were aware Of their
privilege and had had some good impulses
as who have not? But they neglected the
better spirit. went their witless way, and
when. suddenly called to account, 10, there
was just enough, light left to show them
where they might have been and what was
| their griewous loss
Not 1,ton us,and for aoM Every man
needs his full store of strength in the hour of
In fact, the grace of God is not some teachers
to the contrary notwithstanding, transferable.
| It cannot be handed down from father to son !;
it cannot be shared by brotherly partition:
Jonathan Edwards and President Burr would
fain have divided their righteous portion, if
enough for both
Buy.t0r yourselves Each man goes straight
to the source for all ne has Of grace. IT the
dogma Of commutable Righteousness taught
might we see something else than folly in the
union Of church, and state. If the continen-
tai doctrine. 80 widely adopted by P@dobap-
fist faiths, OF traditional grace were Scriptural,
then we might look to see the oil in one lamp
availing for another: utpriestly absolution
or cody parentage has saved no man. eCome
Christ q, is' Without Wit money" Yes, but not
without the going and the getting. !,
where n all 1 sre mo- found At GN The Anal ordeaa
who are not already possessed Of the needed
light They are looking for it. They have
gone to buy You see it in the troubled face,
the restless. movements Of the last tho hours lrs.
! "; IL 6uxloCy COulU Save AAouS euOA low
would go unsaved. Many conceal it, but
none escape it. In mind, at least, and to one
mart or another, the expiring soul casts about
as the shadows thicken, for the light o
child of earth, take it now while it is offered.
! Iknow yoa not. 1t was the plain truth.
They had not made themselves his friends
ere the festivities began, and it was contrary
to the laws of the marriage feast that u
stranger should intrude upon the happy COM
| pany. We are given an intimation of the
| Judgment scene. The sentence pronoun ced
| then and there against the finally impenitent
will not be an arbitrary one. 1t will spring
in perfect Righteousness from the very ra--
| tionale of events. sThese will go away" not
as excommunicated, but as untitled. There
is naught of heavens beauty to be recognized
| in them. Their entrance would be tart in
| trusion. The Lord Of grace and 81 DRY knows
| them not.
Watch therefore, That is the conclusion of
the whole matter, Watch not to evade God.
hut to find him and know him; watch not to
escape the sight of the open door, but to be-
hold it and to enter in well. what if the
door be shut, said two of Whittields audit
! ors once in q merry, whispering mood. AM
| other will open." They were pa-plyzed to
hear the 1t-gnided preacher say, the next
moment, anticipating cavil, "Some careless,
| tritfing person may be lightly thinking, What
matter if the door be shut Another will
OPEN Yes" he proceeded, smother mil
| OPEN 1t will be the door of the bottomless