Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-11-17

course, Of course. of course, The
home OF my youth was Christian
home. | nm n child OF the covenant
My father was Il good Christian man
My mother prayed over me from the
time | was born until she died Why
should I not go where they are?'
Oh yes, my friend, you would Ger.
tainly go to heaven upon the borrowed
capital Of your fathers and mothers
lifelong conservation If they had any
power to take you there. But the diff
Guilty is that your fathers and moth.
er's spiritual power is limited. From
the time you were born your parents
lived Entirely for you and your broth.
ers and sisters. Every pleasure and
every Indulgence they had they shared
with you.
But there is one blessing your moth.
er and father have that they cannot
divide with their children. They can.
not divide with you their oil Of spirit.
usl life. They could lead you to the
rock Of Calvary, where. In the blood Of
Jesus, you might see how your sins
might be cleansed. but you must your.
self seek an interest in his atonement
They could tell you Of the Holy Spirit,
whose illumination could scatter your
spiritual darkness, but the oil Of his
divine influence you must implore for
yourself They could compel you ns
child to go and sit in the church pew,
but they could not compel you to re-
ceive Christ as your Saviour That is
u matter simply between you and Je.
sus. They could introduce Christ TO
you ms their very best friend, but they
could not force you TO make their
friend Jesus your friend. He will never
become a part Of your life unless you
yourself open to him the holy OF holes
Of your heart to let him in. Neither
will Christ receive you az one of his
own unless you truly come to him with
the countersign of the cross.
borrowed Spiritual Oil.
And yet many people expect ulti-
mateiy to reach heaven on account Of
the borrowed spiritual oil of u con
secrated Christian ancestry. "Oh,"
said a minister's daughter to me some
time ago. II know l am not living as
l ought, but / am all right have no
fear about the future. | have made
my husband promise to bury me at the
foot of my fathers grave. When the
archangers trumpet sounds and we all
come up am going to cling to my ia
Tiers hand. l know Christ will let me
in If | am 10y his side | know It, be-
cause my father was such a 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 splr-
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 Christs banquet hail.
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 kind of
fetch. We read that during the dark
ages the Catholic devotces used to buy
"plenary indulgences,' which would
absolve them from their future sins.
yI-bi q n nj 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 DecaloSue If they are only church
members In good standing. They seem
to think that the crucial essential of
Christianity is a 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 If
they can only repeat this sentence as
they go; II believe in Jesus. | believe
In Jesus. Yes, | believe in Jesus"
Now, Christ, 10y the parable OF my
text, says that Il mere mental faith in
him, unaccompanied by surrender OF
the heart and life, IS not faith at all
The faith that saves is q faith that
transforms the life, a faith that takes
complete control of man. The nomi-
nal church members must have con-
secration OF heart and pure life as
we'll AZ perfect gospel creed. | be-
lleve that Chrlst's fuller teachings af
Arm that he is more willing to forgi e
the sins OF An out and out enemy who
once blasphemcd him. but rcpents Of
his sin, than he Is willing to forgive
n Judas who never denied him publ
ly, but who In private life betrays him
with a kiss.
Christ's Forgiveness of Peter.
How about Peter? Did not Christ
gladly forgive him his three denials
when Peter repented after the cock
crowedT The most powerful pulpit
description OF any Bible scene ! ever
read or heard was that delivered by
Joseph Parker Of Peters Three De-
malls" In the first place. the great
preacher described the scene OF Judas.
hypocritical Judas, stealthily approach
ing Christ and planting a betraying
kiss upon the Saviour's cheek. Then
came tho tramp OF the Roman soldiers
Then the lines were formed rs the
prisoner was being marched back to the
capital. In olden times. rs now, whci
tS..l II