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

denied Christ. lie denied him once.
twice. thrice lie denied him In the
meanest, the most contemplate and
cowardly way. Yet when Peter re-
pentcd Of his sin Christ forgave him
and restored him to his aposteshlp
Christ Is magnanimous He will save
the worst sinner If he comes to him
In sincere penitence. grieving for his
sins and entreatlng pardon. But for
the man who confcsses him with his
lips, but denies him by his life, he has
no word but "woc, woe unto you hypo-
Crites!'
Not unto every one that callcth,
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 md
sup with the Divine Bridegroom. What
became of these Ave 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-
lleved IN Jesus Christ. But the oil OF
conservation. the purity and devotion
OF life were lacking. If belief In Christ
would suffice, Judas himself might
have been saved. The belief that has
no effect on the life Is not faith OF all
and can never bring man into spiritual
relation with Christ. Oh, nominal
church members, you must have conse-
% f..r,
of creed. You must have spiritual oil
for your "lasnps 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 type OF men
and women who are not loa fers, as We
call lonfers. 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 10
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 70
his service, but they do say that on
account Of the good they have been
able to do Christ will invite them 10
Join the wedding procession on the
night that the bridegroom comcth.
"None That Doeth Good"
Ia this true? VIII 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 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 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 to secure the good opinion Of the
church and the world. For these we
nave 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 rs an
open book. | know some people say
they are proud of their past and OF
what they have done John Churchill,
the first Duke of Marlborough. when
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 Blenhe,m and
Families and Oudenarde and Malpa-
Duet battlchelds were the successful
climaXes. When a particularly bril-
liant move was described. on which tie
success Of the English armies turned
ms upon pivot. the old dukes eyes
would fash as he raised himself and
said. Wonderful. Wonderful That
was q mastery movement How did
ever execute itT' He would glory in
and praise his own deeds. even rs
aged Dean Swift would glory in the
works OF his youth when he said,
what genius | must have had when
I wrote that"
A. Sands of the Sea.
But. though the Duke Of Marlbor-