VER. 12.] The Time is at hand. 835 of our thanks. Here are messages from our home which reach us in a far-off country amidst strife and confusion. Shall we not sometimes turn aside to read them and thank those whose words or writings have brought them to us? 9. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. Those who teach heavenly truths to men will find some souls ready to hang on their words and treat their persons with all possible reverence and love. Their plain duty is to refer these souls to their God from Whom all good comes. They must beware of the great temptation to absorb all the thanks, all the duty, of any soul. We are but God's messengers; He is a jealous God, and will not allow our brethren to worship us. 10. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. Old Testament prophecies often have respect to the distant future, but those of the New Testament are for our use and profit now. One day looking back we shall discern how this world at its greatest, and our own life at its longest, are but for a moment; it would be dangerous to delay the work of our salvation. This pre sent time is all we have; then God will appear to ask how our working day has been spent. II. Ile that is unjust, let him be unjust still and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still and he that is holy, let him be holy still. This grave verse means that human character will soon be fixed. O God, I know that there are few sudden changes, few reversals of character. I know that self-indulgence, and covetousness, and evil tempers, have a tendency to grow, and soon possess the whole soul. I know also that honesty, and love, and patience also grow by Thy mercy. I know all this, and I fear. While I never limit Thy converting grace, yet I acknowledge that habit has a great power. I am making impressions daily on my own heart of good or evil for eternity. 12. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. This is retribution. God's government is righteous, and is based on His principle of rewarding men according to their deserts. But many seem hardly responsible; their trial is decided for them 836 Final Warnings. [REV. XXII. already; they had little chance of knowing or obeying truth. Others again had immense advantages to begin with. Yes, the dear Lord knows all that much better than we do; His infinite wisdom and mercy are able to apportion his due reward to each. 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. This has been thrice repeated. Our God spoke thus in chaps. i. 8 and xxi. 6, and here also; He lifts our minds from this transitory world to Himself, from Whom all things come, Who called them into being, and foresees the whole course of their existence. He reminds us that we entirely depend upon Him. It is salutary, amidst all this world's beginnings and endings, greatnesses and abasements, to look beyond. 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. How many souls have been kindled into love by these glorious promises? They have longed to partake of that fruit and enter into that city, and in such a hope have kept themselves from defilement here. Glory be to Divine mercy for enlarging our horizon. We do not despise any motives to holiness, and, amongst others, we acknowledge gratefully the gracious promises of heaven which our God makes to us. 15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. The impure, profane, cruel, covetous, and false are shut out from heaven. God's Word is so. He plainly warns them of such a possibility. These last two chapters of the Revelation mingle together such grave terrors and such sweet comforts. The golden city is so full of beauty, so winning, so welcome, and yet its doors are guarded by sentences like this. Ah, I think that some whom men admitted and honoured in Christ's Church may be found outside at last, and there are some whom men excluded for whom God will find room. 16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. Past and future join in our Saviour. He sums up the promises, fulfils the longings of old days, and yet His manifestation on earth is but VER. 21.] John wishes for Christ's Coming. 837 as the morning star before the sun rises. It heralds the glories of eternity about to be revealed. Here we are not in full daylight, but this bright star has shone upon us and shewn us how to direct our steps. And let him 17. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. The study of this Book of the Revelation should have awakened in our hearts a thirst for this living water. This thirst means a desire for Christ's coming, a sense of the vanity of life, an impatience of sin, an earnest longing to be better than we are. Such feelings God Himself wakens in our heart, and He will satisfy them. 18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19. and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Let me not superstitiously add to, or profanely take away from, Holy Scripture. God meant me to read it, not keep it unopened on the shelf. God meant me to study its meaning, not rest content with talking about it. He has set there for me great mysteries dimly revealed, heavenly promises, terrible warnings, and has committed all this body of truth to His Church, which sets it forth daily in creeds and prayers. I desire to keep to the old ways and old Faith in which Christians from the beginning have walked. 20. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Let our hearts answer, like S. John's, a ready and willing Amen to Christ's promises. If we have such a Master we should most humbly receive His orders, most willingly execute them, most patiently wait their full accomplishment. John knew what it was to have a Divine and Human Friend; a Heart that was his, and yet was the Heart of God's own Son. What a blessed experience ! May we, after our measure, share it. 21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Holy Scripture ends with a blessing. The apostle desires for us that 838 End of the New Testament. [REV. XXII. gift of grace which alone makes us seek and live for heavenly blessings. Grace is true riches, true peace; it comes into the heart and plants there a joy which all this world's changes cannot wholly uproot. May we who have meditated day by day on the saving words of Christ the Lord and His apostles feel in ourselves this Almighty power, this sweet love, drawing us up out of the world's darkness towards our home in heaven. INDEX TO SOME OF THE CHIEF PERSONS, PLACES, PART OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. Barsabas (2), 104 Beast, the, vision of, 799, 813 Cæsarea, 65, 69, 82, 146, 164, 172 Christ, that Jesus is the, 13, 20, 34, 90, 128 Christ, to spring from the Jews, 237, 264 Church, the house of God, 549, 572 Claudius Lysias, 151, 163 Collection, the, for poor Jewish Chris- Corinth, S. Paul at, 123, 279 Council at Jerusalem, 101 Cretans, character of, 583 DAMASCUS, 58, 399, 411 Day, the first, of the week, or Lord's- Diana, the goddess, 134 Dionysius the Areopagite, 122 Dragon, the, 796, 810 Drusilla, the wife of Felix, 169 Beating, Apostles suffering a, 35, 112, ELDERS (or Presbyters), 78, 99, 104, 552, 151, 897 582 Election of an Apostle, 6 Elymas the sorcerer, 85 Epaphroditus (or Epaphras), 479, 489, Ephesus, S. Paul at, 127, 129, 143 Erastus (1), 133, 580 |