Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-28

some of them considerable of self
sacrifice and humiliation to learn their
| lessons. Such as obtain the oil in time
will join the party that will go in with
the Bridegroom to the marriage feast
Then the door to that High Calling will
close forever.
Thank God that it is not as we once
supposed-that the door of mercy is
| to close, shutting out the foolish Vir-
gins of the Church. together with the
whole world of mankind; and, as we
| once supposed. shutting them into
eternal torment. The parable merely
shows that the closed door will eX-
clude any others from coming into the
Bride class, to be joint-heirs with Mes
siah in his Kingdom. The door will
close because the full number elected
and predestinated to this high honor
| will have attained the necessary char
acterlikeness of Christ and will have
stood the necessary testinSS.
AS no one of the Jewish priests could
ever serve as High Priest if he had a
| supertiuous finger or toe, it is thus
shown in the type that the antitypical
High Priest, the Messiah. will have
| only definite. fixed number of men,
nor one too many. Later on, the fool
| ish Virgins came to the door" but
! found il forever shut They lost the
great prize. They were foolish in that
| they did not give attention to getting
the oil in time; foolish also in that
| they cared too much for he things Of
| this present life; but they were Vir-
gins, nevertheless. They finally got
| the oil, which represents the holy Spir-
| it. but too late! The door was slut!
They could not be of the Bride class.
Inc Master answered know you not.
| l could not recognize you as my Bride.
| In view of this the Lord exhorts that
| his consecrated followers of the
! Church or Virgin class be constantly
on the alert, because they know neith-
! er the day nor the hour of the Mas
ter's coming and of the invitation to
go in to the wedding. The parable
| shows. however, that although the time
| of the Masters coming could not be
known in the past, nevertheless. it
would be known to all of the Virgin
| class lin due time" 1t will be an
nounced, as indicated in the cry The
cry will be so loud that all of the Vir-
gins will hear it, even though the
world will have no knowledge of it.
The Master merely wished us to under
stand that the great event would not
| be foretold in advance.
The parable does not show how the
foolish Virgins, excluded from the
wedding and from membership in the
Bride class, will be treated. Other
Scriptures, however, show that this
foolish virgin class will share with the
| world in great time of trouble, which
will then come to every nation. In
that time of trouble these foolish vir-
gins will suffer severely and Wash
| their robes and make them white in
| the blood of the Lamb" and there
| after be accounted worthy to "serve
| God in his Temple" though not
worthy to be of the Temple. They
will be accounted worthy to serve be-
| fore the Throne. though not worthy to
| sit in the Throne. They will be ac-
counted worthy to have palms of vic
tory. but not be accounted worthy of
| crowns Of glory. The lesson to Gods
| people is to Awake, to hearken. to
have our lamps. the Word of God.
/ trimmed and burning, and to have oil,
| the holy Spirit. in our veSsels-to be
living in an attitude of full consecra-
] ton TO God Revelation vii 9, IA, 15).