Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-11-18


put they could not compel you TO re-
ceive Christ as Your Saviour. That IL
matter simply between you and Je-
sus. They could introduce Christ 70
You Gs their very best friend. but tbev
could not force you TO make their
friend Jesus your friend. He viii never
become part OF your life unless Won
yourself open to him the holy of holies
of your heart 20 let him i'm. Neither
will Christ receive you as one of his
own unless you truly come TO him with
the cOuntersign of the cross.
borrowed Spiritual oil.
And vet many people expect ulti-
mately TO reach heaven on account OF
the borrowed spiritual oil OF con-
secrated Christian ancestry. "Oh."
said a minister's daughter 20 me some
time ago, II know 1 am not living as
/ ought. but am all right have no
fear about the future. have made
my husband promise to bury me Mt the
foot of my fathers grave. When the
archangel's trumpet sounds and we all
come up l am going to cling 10 my IA
TIERS hand. l know Christ will let me
in IL am by his side. l know it, be-
cause my father was such good man.
know Christ would not refuse my
father anything" She said this half
in jest and half in earnest. Many OF
US have the same hope and say the
same things, not half in Jest, but In
dead earnest. No. my friends, when
the Bridegroom cometh on that great
day of resurrection your father and
mother will have no spiritual oil to
spare. Then we cannot follow the Di-
vine Bridegroom with our parents spir-
itual light. We must have our Own
lighted oil to become part of the we'd
ding procession OF the redeemed or for
ever stay out OF Christ's banquet hall,
enveloped by the impenetrable and
crushing darkness of the eternal night
These Eve foolish virgins represent
another class. They represent the
nominal church members. They repre-
sent the men and women who look up
on church membership as n kind of
fetch. We read that during the dark
ages the Catholic devotees used to buy
''plenary indulgences," which would
absolve them from their future sins,
which they were about to commit in
tentionally. So some people who are
nominal church members seem to think
that they can lie and steal and cheat
and commit all the forbidden sins Of
the Decalogue If they are only church
members in good standing. They seem
to think that the crucial essential of
Christianity is Il perfection of creed
for the head and not absolute conse-
Grafton for the heart. They seem to
think that they can walk hand in hand
with sin and continue to SO walk II
they can only repeat this sentence as
they go: 81 believe in Jesus. 1 believe
in Jesus. Yes, 1 believe in Jesus"
Now, Christ, by the parable OF my
text, says that a mere mental faith I'm
him, unaccompanied by n surrender OF
the heart and life, is not faith at all.
The faith that saves is a faith that
complete control of n man. The nomi-
nal church members must have con-
secration of heart and pure life as
well rs a perfect gospel creed. 1 be-
lieve that Christ's fuller teachings af-
firm that he is more willing to forgive
the sins of an out and out enemy who
once blasphemed him, but repents of
his sin, than he Is willing to forgive
Judas, who never denied him public
~. but who in private life betrays him
with kiss.
Chrixi's Forgiveness OF Peter.
How about Peter? Did not Christ
gladly forgive him his three denials
when Peter repented after the cock
crowcd? The most powerful pulpit
description OF any Bible scene l ever
read or heard was that delivered by
Joseph Parker OF Peters Three De-
mails" In the first place, the great
preacher described the scene of Judas.
hypocritical Judas. stealthily approach
Ing Christ and planting n betraying
kiss upon the Saviour's check. Then
came the tramp or the Roman soldiers
Then the lines were formed as the
prisoner was being marched back to the
capital. In olden times. as now, wnen
man is arrested the crowds of curl
osity seekers were augmented step by
step. Peter, when he saw the multi
tude, became very much frightened.
Instead Of walking side by side with
Christ, as he ought to have done. he
followed afar of. When they approach
ed the home OF Caiaphas, the high
priest, Peter came into the house and
sat down by fire and began to warm
himself as though lie had never been
with Christ or seen Christ in his life
While he sat there by the fire a~young
Jewish maiden came up and eyed him
sharply. Then she tapped him upon
the shoulder and said: Are you not a
friend OF Jesus7 Thou also vast with
Jesus OF Nazareth" But Peter merely
shrugged his shoulders as he answered,
Il know not what thou sayest." Pc
ter then gets up and leaves the room
and goes cut 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 leonine head and let out
growl as he said, al 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 vehemently began to protest his
ignorance with oaths and curses. He
denied Christ. He denied him once
twice, thrice. He denied him In the
meanest the most contemplate and
cowardly way. Yet when Peter re-
pented OF his sin Christ forgave him
and restored him to his apostleship.
Christ is magnanimous. He will save
the worst sinner If he comes to him
in sincere penitence, 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-
critesw
Not unto every one that calleth,
Lord, Lord, open unto u.s. shall the
banquet hall OF Christ be opened. Not
unto the nominal church members shall
the invitation be given to come and
sup with the Divine Bridegroom. What
became of these five 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