The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-02-24
EACH HIS OWN LAMP.
The Individual Responsibility Which
Marks the Relations Of
Men to God.

One OF the most serious thoughts about
lie is It's individuality. ST. Paul puts
it in a sentence when he says: Each
man shall bear his own burden" We
are in danger OF forgetting this truth.
We think so much of our lives In their
mutual relations that unless we are
careful, we lose sight Of our individual
responsibility. The duty OF helping
each other is so impressed upon us that
We sometimes forget that in the deepest
experiences Of life We cannot help each
other, nor can We receive help from 9TH
ers. Each has to stand for himself.
Each one should think Of himself as an
individual, standing alone before God,
having no companlonship in the most
vital affairs of life and should seek to
realize the responsibility Of this posi-
non.
When we think Of It, the truth read
ny becomes apparent No one can
choose for us; each one must make his
own decisions We must take our own
place before God and meet our own re-
sponsibllities. No one can believe on
Christ for US. Others can intercede for
us when we have sinned, but until we
ourselves, in penitence and contrition,
repent, confess and seek forgiveness,
forgiveness will not come TO us. -Four
men carried a paralytic TO Jesus, and we
are told that when Jesus saw their faith
lie forgave the mans sins and then
healed him. But we know well that the
sins were not forgiven because OF the
faith OF the four friends who carried
the man. There must have been in his
own heart sense Of unworthiness, a
confession Of sin, cry Of forgiveness,
or Jesus would not have said to him:
"Thy sins are forgiven thee" No one
but ourselves can consecrate our life
20 God. No one can obey the COM
mandments for MS. No one can do our
duty. All about us may be those who
are busy and active in Gods service,
keeping his commandments and dong
His work, but this ayails nothing for
us we must do Gods will for ourselves.
Each one OF us must get the love and
mercy Of God into his own heart by
personal faith in Christ Each Of us
must have lamp OF his own and must
have Il filed and burning, says ]. r.
Miller, D. D.. in Northwestern Christian
Advocate. No one can walk in the light
OF anothers torch. No matter how
holy a wife Is, how earnest she Is in her
prayers, how full OF Gods love her heart
IS. her husband cannot stand in the light
OF her lamp; he must have his own
lamp or walk in darkness. In our Lords
parable, five Of the ten virgins had a
reserve Of oil and their torches blszed
out brightly on the midnight darkness.
Why could not the other five have
paired with these. two walking beneath
each torch? But each one must have
her own light, OF be left outside the
shut door. In the parable. the foolish
virgins, in their hour OF need. cried to
the wise: Give MS Of your oil; for our
lamps are going out" But the answer:
"Peradyenture there will not be enough
for US and you" Perhaps II seems to
us that the wise ought to have given
part OF their oil to the poor, foolish
ones.
There Is said to be in a private gal
lery in Boston a fine representation Of
this scene in marble. A wise virgin IS
kneeling, trimming her lamp. A fool
fish virgin, with a most pathetic ex-
preston, is begging oil from her sis
ter. The wise however, with inexpress-
ible sadness, lifts up her hand as II say
ing: Not So" Il Is related that
great literary man, standing before this
group said: She ought to have given
her the OIL" Perhaps many Of us have
felt as we have read the parable, that
the wise virgins ought to have shared
their supply. Does their refusal seem
ungenerous? Our blessed Lord every
where in His Gospel teaches US that We
should give 10 everyone that asketh Of
MS. that the strong should bear the bur
dens Of the weak. Why does He repre-
sent the wise virgins as seeming so un-
pltlful?
A deep moral truth lies In this part
OF the parable. The grace Of God is
something which cannot be given by one
TO another. There are points in life at
which no one can help his friend.