that they first acquire a
spiritual significance. The whole group represent that portion of any
community who hear the Gospel, accept its terms, and profess to be the
disciples of Christ. The sincerity and depth of their profession will be
tested afterwards; but in the meantime, both in their own opinion and
that of their neighbours, they are all alike Christians. The structure
of the parable required virgins in this place, in order that the picture
might be true to nature; in the customs apparently of all times and all
countries, this position at a marriage feast is assigned to young
unmarried women. The ancient practice of the East is, in its essential
features, reproduced among ourselves from day to day in the troop of
virgins, dressed in white, who attend the bride on her bridal day. I
cannot acquiesce in the view of those who see in the special condition
of these watchers a symbol of the purity which becomes the followers of
Christ, for I find, as I read onward in the parable, that while the ten
were in respect to condition all equal, in as far as they represent
spiritual relations, five are symbols of sincerity, and five are symbols
of deceit. The condition of virgins which was common to all, cannot,
without complete confusion of ideas, be made, within the compass of the
same allegory, to signify both the true and the false. From the
procession of virgins, therefore, I obtain no more than I would have
obtained from a procession of men or matrons, if the habits of society
had permitted such a representation to have been made.[51]

[51] Lange's view on this point seems sound and consistent; while
both Olshausen and Stier endeavour with much pain but little fruit,
to prove that the foolish represent true but defective disciples.
"One part of the Church is living, while the other lives only _in_
appearance, because it lives only _to_ appearance."--_Lange_.

They took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom; this
represents an open, intelligent, and seemly profession of faith in
Christ. As all the lamps burned at first with equal brightness, and no
suspicion of a defect occurred either to the wise or the unwise, we
learn that the profession which never had life may appear so well
favoured for a time, that neither the false professor nor his converted
neighbour may be aware of its shallowness.

"To meet the bridegroom;" the parable and the discourse which precedes
it, bear upon Christ's second comi