ness of His wrath and your destruction come as a whirlwind; then shall the chariot wheels of pleasure drive heavily, then shall that very long-suffering which you have despised overwhelm you, the sea of woe which has been withheld, shall return to its strength when that morning comes. Turn you now at His reproof, seek forgiveness through Jesus, flee for refuge while you may, lest He swear in His wrath, "They shall not enter into My rest." Then shall it be too late to knock, when the door shall be shut, and too late to cry for "Be mercy, when it is the time of justice." wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling, kiss the Son, lest He be angry and so ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.'

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1 Psa. ii. 10, 11, 12.

XXI.

THE MIDNIGHT CRY.

ST. MATTHEW XXV. 6.

"And at Midnight, there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him."

"Then

How happily does the Parable open!1 shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom;" all with their lamps, all going forth to meet the Bridegroom-alas! it only describes the outward appearance, it descends no deeper than the garb of profession, which each and all wore. The next verse tells of a division, as seen by Him, who trieth the reins and the heart: "Five

The circumstances of a marriage amongst the Jews, supply the groundwork of this Parable. The Bridegroom, attended by his friends carrying lamps and torches, (marriages in the East take place at night,) goes to the house of the Bride, and conducts her,accompanied by her companions, to his own home, where the bridal feast is prepared for the guests. After the entrance of the Bride and Bridegroom and their company, the door would necessarily be shut, to keep out the crowd of mere spectators.

of them were wise, and five were foolish." Yes! awful is the thought that the unawakened, self-deceiving soul, is now mixed with the children of God, is not distinguished from them by the eye of man; but yet there is One Who cannot be deceived, Who saith of such, "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting;" wherein consists the difference? what is it that separates now, and shall for ever separate, the one from the other? "They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." The abiding principle of life-life spiritual— life eternal-this was the distinction between the wise and foolish virgins; a dead faith in these might throw out for a time the phosphoric glare of false profession, a living faith in those maintained the steady light of a holy walk, "shining more and more unto the perfect day." "While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept," one after another were gathered to the grave; all must sleep the sleep of death, and as each leaves this life, so are they found at the Bridegroom's

1 To imagine that this expression means that all, the wise and foolish, were alike careless is most contrary to the very scope of the Parable.

"He

coming, with, or without oil in the vessels of their lamps. "And at midnight, there was a cry made, Behold the Bridegroom cometh! go ye out to meet Him." This is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ, for whom the Church (His mystical body) is being prepared, as a Bride adorned for her Husband; comes to be glorified in His saints, and admired in all them that believe." But He comes, also, "to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." His coming shall be the signal of confusion to His enemies, and of joy to His expecting people. All shall arouse themselves at His appearing; "they that are ready shall go in with Him to the marriage," and against all others "the door shall be" for ever "shut." (Read from verse 7 to verse 13.) "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day, nor the hour, wherein the Son of Man cometh."

Let us dwell on some of the awakening circumstances connected with the coming of the Lord, set forth in this Parable. Take to your hearts, brethren, first of all, this solemn truth,

I. THERE IS A CRY THAT ALL MUST HEAR: "Behold the Bridegroom cometh! Go ye out

to meet Him." The dead must hear that cry; they may have long mouldered in the dust, the stone, or swelling turf may no longer mark the site of their remains, or, it may be, but yesterday the body was committed to its kindred dust, but each and all must hear that cry and awake; the living shall not be inattentive to that summons, the Heavens shall utter it, and earth's remotest bounds shall take it up; from hill to hill, from shore to shore, with lightning's speed shall it spread; all that “remain unto the coming of the Lord,” must hear that startling cry. Look up and rejoice trembling believer! thou that art waiting for that eventful hour,-waiting, and yet whilst thy light burns brightly to others, art thyself fearful lest thou shouldst prove a castaway; thou shalt hear that cry, and it shall dispel thine every doubt, thou shalt know them no more for ever. Break forth into singing, hopeful and assured believer! Thou by whom the promises of God are received, as all "yea and amen in Christ Jesus" thou who art "strong in faith giving glory to God," thou singest "the Lord's song" now “in a strange land," with what full and blessed strains shalt thou sing it, to that well-tuned harp of God, awaiting thee in thine everlasting home! But