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The Coming of the Bridegroom [4 Sermons].
The Coming of the Bridegroom - 4 Sermons Author:Henry Alford Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III. " While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh : go ye out to meet him... more ». Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so ; lest there be not enough for us and you ; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves."—Matt. xxv. 5—9. |HE ten virgins have come forth, each with her own lamp lit, and burning, to meet the bridegroom. So far we have accompanied them, and so far they are all alike. But last Sunday's meditation informed us somewhat more about them. Of these ten, each, we presume, fair and fairly arrayed, each seen by the equally bright light of her own lamp in her hand, we know that five have brought with them material wherewith to feed their lamps, while the other five have made no such provision. And in the inner meaning of the parable, this. We look overthis or any congregation. We see, or believe we see, a number of Christians who have in their rules of life and belief come forth from the world to prepare for the great meeting with the Husband of their souls. Those souls they have taken in hand, and have received in them the burning and warming and guiding light of God's Spirit. And here they stand, waiting for His coming : waiting for it, whether it arrive to them in its great general world-wide sense, as summoning them to meet Him in the air, or in its private individual sense, as calling them out of this present state to Him. Now of these Christians we know, by the revelation of such a parable as this, that some have been wise, and are storing up and taking with them that grace whereby the light of the Spirit may be fed and maintained; ...« less