Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-11-19

capital. Ia olicn times. as now. when
a man is arrested the crowds of curl
oSity seekers were augmented step by
| step. Peter. when he saw the multi
| tube. became very iluch frightened.
Instead of walking side by side with
Christ. as lie ought To have done. he
followed afar off. When they approach
cd the home of Caiaphas. the high
priest. Peter came into the house and
sat down by Il fire AMI began to warm
himself rs though he had never been
with Christ or seen Christ in his life.
While lie sat there by the fire Il young
| Jewish maiden came up and eyed him
sharply. Then she tapped him upon
the shoulder and said: Are you not a
friend of Jesus: Thou also vast with
Jesus Of Nazareth" But Peter merely
| shrugged his shoulders as he answered.
Il know not what tlou sayest." Pc
ter then gets up and leaves the room
and goes out upon the porch. When
he has gone out another Jewish maiden
| touches him upon the shoulder and
says. This fellow was also with Jesus
OF Nazareth" Then old Joseph Par
ker shook his leonlne head and let out
Il growl as he said. II do not know the
man." For the Bible says. He denied
him with an oath" When the people
began to crowd about him Peter still
more vchemently began to protest his
ignorance with oaths and curses. He
denied Christ. lie denied him once,
twice. thrice. lie denied him in the
meancst. the most contemplate and
cowardly way Yer when Peter re-
rented of his sin Christ forgave him
and restored him to his apostleship.
| Christ is magnanimouS. He will save
tie worst sinner il lie comes to him
in sincere pcnitence. grieving for his
sins and entreating pardon. But for
the man who confesses him with his
lips. but denies him by his life. he has
no word but "woe, woe unto you hypo-
critics.
Not unto every one that calleth,
Lord. Lord. open unto us" shall the
banquet hall OF Christ be opened. Not
unto the nominal church members shall
the Invitation he given to come and
sup with the Divine bridegroom. What
| became OF these fre foolish virgins
who had no oil In their lamps? All the
ten virgins had the same kind OF
lamps. The creed OF man can aptly be
symbolized in the lamp which holds
the oil They all believed in the COM
ing Of the bridegroom. They all be-
lievcd In Jesus Christ. But the oil of
conservation. the purity and devotion
OF life were lacking. II belief in Christ
would suffice. Judas himself might
have been saved. The belief that has
no effect on the life Is not faith at all
and can never brin;; man into spiritual
relation with Christ. Oh. nominal
church members. yDu must have conse-
Grafton OF heart rs. well as perfection
OF creed You must have spiritual oil
for your lamps of faith" else you can
never follow the Divine Bridegroom in
to the banquet hall OF the marriage of
| the Lamb
These spiritual mendicants of my
text represent another class of spiritual
beggars They are the tyT.. of men
and women who are not loafers. as we
call loafers or mere hangers on. They
represent the so called moral and up
right people who expect to go to heav-
en- on account of the mere temporal
good which they have been able to do
some OF their fellow men. They repre-
sent the large class OF people who ex-
pect to bride their way into the we'd
ding banquet because they have given
to some town library or endowed
some college professorship or builded
some hospital or financially helped to
support some church or foreign mis-
sionary. They do not claim that they
have lived for the purpose of honOring
| Christ and conSecrating their lives to
his service. but they do say that on
account of the good they have been
able TO do Christ will invite them to
join the wedding procession on the
night that the bridegroom cometh.
"NOnc That Doeth Good"
Is this true: Will Christ allow any
one to join the wedding procession who
comes to him merely with the lamp
of good works" In his hand? Oh, no!
| For if we are honest with ourselves
we know there is none that doeth
good-no. not ore" We know that
many of the acts for which the world
praises us we have done with the
most selfish desires and the most cor
rupt motives. Some of them have
been done to win popular applause,
some 10 secure tie good opinion of the
church and the world. For these we
have received our reward but Christ
does not reward them. We know that
there IS not one Of us who would like
the thoughts OF our brain and the de-
sires Of our heart to be read by the
most intimate OF our friends as an
open book. | know some people say
they are proud OF their past and Of
what they have done. John Churchill.
the first Duke CT Marlborough. when
a very old man exultantly lived over
the scenes OF his sturdy manhood.
Day by day his secretary used to read
to him the histories OF the military
campaigns OF which Blenheim and
Families and Oudenarde and Malpa
quet battlcticlds were the successful
climaxes. When Il particularly bril-
liant move wcS Described on which the