lies in outer darkness; I cannot see through the
veil, and tell the specific sufferings that lie beneath it. My Lord has
told me that it is in outer darkness; but he has covered it from my
sight. He hath done all things well. He often warns us that the wicked
shall be cast away; but he never tells us the particulars of their
torments. For teaching about this terror let me listen to his word; for
safety from it, let me hide in his bosom.

THE TEN VIRGINS AND THE ENTRUSTED TALENTS.

MATT. xxv. 1-30

Both historically and logically the two parables, of the ten virgins and
of the talents, are connected and constitute a group: in place they are
contiguous, and in nature they are reciprocally complements of each
other, making together a complete whole. De Valenti has by a happy
generalization placed their relations in an interesting and instructive
light. He points out that there are two kinds of almost-Christians, the
bustling labourers, and the mystic-dreamers. One class tries to live on
works without faith, and the other on faith without works. From opposite
causes both efforts fail. The parable of the ten virgins addresses its
warning to the Almost-Christianity which is all body with no spirit; and
the parable of the talents addresses its warning to the
Almost-Christianity which is all spirit with no body.

These constitute a pair; or rather they are the right and left sides of
one living lesson. Both represent the character and condition of the
Church and its members, while they wait for the coming of the Lord; both
apply decisive tests to a seemly profession, and thereby separate
between the true and the false: but they differ in that the first
searches the heart, and the second examines the life. The first test
detects the want of secret faith; the second the want of active
obedience. The parable of the ten virgins prepares and throws into the
mass of Christian profession a solvent which serves to determine whether
and where there is life _in_ the Lord; the parable of the entrusted
talents prepares and throws into the mass of Christian profession a
solvent which serves to determine whether and where there is life _for_
the Lord.

These two,--the inward grace of faith and the outward life of obedience,
constitute the two sides,--the right and left of the new man. To that
new man as a whole both parables alike refer; but the one touches him
for testing on the right side, and the other on the left. The first