(1) White suggests the immaculate purity of character of the redeemed. White signifies perfection; it is not so much a colour as the harmonious union and blending of all the hues, colours, and beauties of light. In the characters of just men made perfect we have the combination of all virtues, the balancing of all excellences, a display of all the beauties of grace. Are they not like their Lord, and is He not all beauties in one ? Here a saint has an evident excess of the red of courage, or the blue of constancy, or the violet of tenderness, and we have to admire the varied excellences and lament the multiform defects of the children of God; but up yonder each saint will combine in his character all things that are lovely and of good report, and his garments will be always white to indicate completeness, as well as spotlessness of character.
TI What a miracle of grace ! Yon clouds that walk in bright- ness beside the noonday sun transformed, transfigured by the marvellous processes of Nature from the briny sea, and the brimming river, and the standing pool, and the swampy meadow, and the foul marsh ; but more marvellous the transformation when those who were sinners once walk in white beside the dazzling whiteness of the King of kings, and before the blaze of that great white throne on which He sits.^
(2) These white robes of victory and purity are also the uniform of service. A uniform usually signifies service ; the soldier's and the sailor's uniform speaks of the particular service in which they are engaged. The nurse's mantle, the scholar's gown, the priest's robes, all speak of special work. These are clothed after a special manner, and their distinctive clothing signifies honourable and responsible service. Their uniform is the sign of their responsi- bility, their clothes are symbols of their high calling. In the very beginning of this book, in its opening vision, which is a revelation of the Head of the Church, the risen Son of Man, even He, too, is revealed as specially clothed in the royal uniform of His Heavenly occupation. He is girt about the breasts with a girdle — that is to say, He is a Priest on active service. He is also a King, ruling from His throne in justice and in truth. He is the risen, glorious,
* 0. H. Spurgeon. « J. Laidlaw, Studies in the Parables, 277.
198 THE NOBLE ARMY OF MARTYRS
acting Priest-King. His clothing symbolizes His office and His work. So, too, do those garments of the saints, those blood- washed garments of white. They mean honour, victory ; yes, but also service. Therefore are they before the throne and serve Him. They are clothed for their Heavenly work. Thus, then, is it with the Church in Heaven, and that, too, is the calling of the Church below. We are called in Christ Jesus to co-operation in His vineyard, to understand His purpose, and to carry out His plans.
U In " Sartor Eesartus " Carlyle lays hold practically of this truth, and with his great imagination on bold wing, and with his wonderful humour coruscating and breaking out into lambent flame, he speaks of many things as clothes, and of the significance of clothes as seen in a great many things, and urges that however a man is clothed, such garments only mean responsibility and service. Eank, and honour, and titles, these are clothes in the thought of the great thinker. Social station, reputation, and privilege, these are a kind of clothing, or uniform, too. The judge's office, the prophet's calling, the king's throne, what are they all but symbols and garments ? And so we speak about men being clothed with honour, clothed with authority, or clothed with power. And going off on the eagle wing of his magnificent imagination and sweeping through great circles of truth, he speaks even of Nature herself — wonderful and glorious Nature — tripping forth in all the beauty of her summer raiment, or austere in her winter garments, as the time-vesture of God. But all such dress symbolizes something, and most of it calls to service and means responsibility. Apply this truth anywhere and you will find it true, but it is especially true in regard to the spiritual calling and honour conferred by Christ on Christian people. We are redeemed, honoured, crowned — for what? For enjoyment, for self-satisfaction, for indulgence, even refined and selfish indulgence in connection with religion ? Never. We are redeemed, honoured, crowned, to serve.^
(3) White is also the colour of joy. Almost all nations have adopted it as most suitable for bridal array, and therefore these happy spirits have put on their bridal robes, and are ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Though they are waiting for the resurrection, yet are they waiting with their bridal garments on, waiting and rejoicing, waiting and chanting their Kedeemer's praises, for they feast with Him till He shall descend to consum-
^ D. L. Ritchie, Peace the Umpire, 162.
REVELATION vii. 14 199
mate their bliss by bringing their bodies from the grave to share with them in the eternal joy.
IF One of Dr. Paton's former students, who took notes of his lectures, gives examples of his teaching on the great themes of the ministry. Speaking of heaven, the doctor said : " Fellowship with God — that is heaven. The full consummation of what we know of heaven will be in heaven only ; but heaven is not to be limited to the future life. Heaven is the perfect development and fulness of what we have the beginning of here. The fulness of joy and service and blessedness of what is in heaven, I know here and now in some measure. In part, but it is a part only. If we haven't heaven here, we shall not have heaven yonder. Christ is now at the right hand of God, and I am walking in fellowship with Him here now. And He has called me, by faith, up into fellowship with Him yonder. I see only darkly, but then I shall see fully and unveiled. The veil gets thinner and thinner day by day. Heaven is simply the perfection and fulness of what I have here. Heaven can give me no more, and I don't want heaven to give me more. It has been a great mistake of evangelical preaching to put all joy in the future world. It is not so. It is not ' the sacrifice of this world to the next.' It is the opposite. It is the great heaven — the eternal world — that has come down to us. Heaven has sacrificed itself for this world. Heaven was in Calvary, or it was nowhere. Sufier with Christ now, and you reign with Him now. The more I sufier, the more I reign with Him now. We are born here into life eternal — and thus into that promised heaven. But heaven is not our due be- cause we suflfer : it is a gracious gift of God." ^