The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-20
"None That Doeth Good

the wedding procession on the night that
the Bridegroom cometh.
"None That Doeth Good"
Is this true? VIII Christ allow any one
to ioin the wedding procession who comes
to him merely with the lamp OF good
works" in his hand? Oh, no! For II we
are honest with ourselves we know there
is none that doeth good,no not one we
know that many of the acts for when
the world praises us we have done with
the most selfish desires and the most
corrupt motives Some of them have
been done to win popular applause, some
to secure the good opinion of the church
and the world For these we have re-
ceived 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 desires 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 thelr past
and what they have done. John Church-
ill., the first duke Of Marlborough, Wheh
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 Malpaquet battlehelds
were the successful elimaxes. When a
particular move was described, on which
the success of the English armies turned
as upon a pivot, the old dukes eyes would
flash as he raised himself and said:
Wonderful Wonderful That was mas
terly movement. How did / ever exc
cute it," He would glory in and praise
his own deeds, even as aged Dean Swift
would glory in the works of his youth
/ ref
have had when I wrote that''
AS Sands of the Sea.
But. though the duke Of Marlborough
glorihed in the military strategy of his
past life, there is not one of us from a
gospel stand point, who can truly glory in
the good works" we have done, Our
wasted opportunities are as the sands OF
the sea. The good deeds we might have
done and which we have left undone COM
pletely overshadow the little good we have
been able to do. No, no. No man can light
his way to the wedding banquet hall
with the empty lamp of "good works
When the Bridegroom coeth it will Their
be for us as dark as midnight unless We
| prepare our spiritual oil in Christs owr
way Faith without works is dead
work without faith" In the sight Of
| the Divine Bridegroom, Is also as blacl
as the tomb. If we find our gospel med
icants among those who are depending
upon their mothers and fathers conse
Grafton we also find them among thos'
who would call upon the name of jesus
| Christ as a fetch and those who are de
pending entirely upon their good works.
! think, however, that the majority Of
spiritual beggars can be found and al
ways will be found among those who
expect some day to consecrate their lives
to Jesus Christ but keep putting Off the
acceptance week by week and day by
day and hour by hour until suddenly the
cry is taken up, "Behold the Bridegroom
cometh: go we out to meet him. and
they will be called unprepared. l do not
believe that all of these foolish virgins
deliberately intended TO be unprepared for
the coming of the Bridegroom They in
tended to go and get the oil which is the
symbol of the spiritual llfe But they
kept saying to each other. "Oh, we will
go tomorrow" or I'VE will go next
week" or I'VE will go next month. There
| Is plenty of time; do not worry"
These gospel mendicants can find their
exact symbols in the financial lives OF
every man and woman who live day by