The bride-groom means Je-sus, who is to come at the last day. The ten maids are those who claim to love him, and who set out to meet him on that day. The oil is the love in our hearts, which burns and keeps our faith bright. We are to watch and wait for him, for we know not the day nor the hour when he will come. [Illustration: THE FOOL-ISH VIR-GINS.] Je-sus came to the town of Beth-a-ny, and they made a sup-per for him there. In those days they did not sit at their meals on chairs as we do, but lay down on a couch, or lounge, as high as the ta-ble, so that they could rest on the left arm, and have the right hand and arm free to use. Mar-tha, Ma-ry, and Laz-a-rus were there, and while Je-sus sat at meat Ma-ry came with a flask of rich oil, that was worth a great price. And she broke the flask and poured the oil on the head of Je-sus. And there were some there who found fault with this great waste, and Ju-das--one of the twelve--said that the oil might have been sold for a large sum that would have done the poor much good. Je-sus said, Blame her not. She has done a good work on me. For the poor you have with you all the time, and you may do them good when you choose. But you will not have me al-ways. Then Ju-das went to the chief priests and said, What will you give me if I bring you to the place where Je-sus is, so that you may take him? They said they would pay him well. And from that time he was on the watch to catch Je-sus a-lone. Je-sus said, There was a rich man, who wore fine clothes, and had great feasts spread for him each day. And a beg-gar named Laz-a-rus lay at his gate, full of sores; but the rich man gave him not so much as a crumb. And the dogs came and licked his sores. The beg-gar died, and was borne by the an-gels to A-bra-ham's bo-som. The rich man died and was laid in the ground. And while in the pains of hell he raised his eyes and saw A-bra-ham with Laz-a-rus on his bo-som, and he cried and said, Fa-ther A-bra-ham, have mer-cy on me, and send Laz-a-rus that he may dip the tip of his fin-ger in wa-ter and cool my tongue, for this flame tor-ments me. [Illustration: THE RICH MAN AND THE BEG-GAR.] But A-bra-ham said, Son, thou in thy life-time had thy good things, while Laz-a-rus was poor and had a hard lot. Now he has ease from all his pains and thou art in tor-ments. And be-tween us and you there is a great gulf; none can go from here to you, nor come from you to us. Then the rich man said, I pray thee then send him to my fa-ther's house, for I have five breth-ren, that he may speak to them, so that they come not to this place of tor-ment. A-bra-ham said, They have Mo-ses and the proph-ets, let them hear them. And the rich man said, Nay, fa-ther A-bra-ham; but if one went to them from the dead they will turn from their sins. And he said to him, If they hear not Mo-ses and the proph-ets they will not turn from their sins though one rose from the dead.