2. The Bride says, Come. — This is not indeed the heart cry of the whole visible Church ; for in so far as she allows herself to be rocked to sleep by the spirit of this world, she becomes, with all her hopes and wishes, so completely a citizen of this world that she wishes the day of the Lord may long be delayed, until she herself has enjoyed life. Therefore she does not say, or at least does not say from her heart, " Come, Lord Jesus." But the Bride who has given herself wholly to the Lord, who keeps the covenant of faith which she has made with Him, and as His betrothed keeps herself unspotted from the world, who knows full well that the good things of this world are fair but poor and perishable, who knows that by the appearing of her Beloved a time of un-
* Ruskin, The Lor£& Prayer and the Church ( Works, xxxiv. 212). 2 F. W. H. Myer-s, Saint Paul,
REVELATION xxii. 17 417
clouded, endless joy and glory will dawn for her, she it is who says and prays with earnest longing, " Come, Lord Jesus."
^ The Bride is represented here on earth. The Bride is re- presented there in glory :
One family we dwell in Him,
One Church above, beneath; Though now divided by the stream.
The narrow stream of death.
But whether it is here on earth or yonder in glory, still the Bride speaks one language. Wherever you meet with a soul in whom there is the spirit of the Bride, and who belongs in God's eternal foreknowledge to that elect company, you will find one whose life is a continuous invitation ; for, wherever the Bride is, she still seems to say, " Come." ^
3. And let him that heareth say, Come ; that is, let him that heareth with the hearing of faith ; let him who has made his own the glorious prospect opened up in the visions of this Book as to the Lord's Second Coming add his individual cry to the cry of the universal Church. The call is to be taken up and repeated by every hearer of the Book ; not only the Church in her ideal unity, but each individual member of every Christian congregation where the Book shall be read, is invited to demand the fulfilment of the Lord's promise. " The power of the whole gospel," says Bengel, " concentrates itself in this, that one should be able to respond to this Come, and repeat it from the heart."
^ I do not know of a better evangelist than a fresh convert. When the love of God is first shed abroad in our hearts, and we receive the fulness of His first blessing, it is so natural that we should go and tell other people of what the Lord has done for us. About three weeks after a mission had been held in the north of England, the mission preacher paid another visit to the neighbourhood, and asked those who had received benefit to meet him in the school- room of the church. One of the very first to come forward was a little boy. He came forward like a man, and held out his little hand and grasped the mission preacher by his. His eyes were sparkling with joy. " Well, my dear boy, how are you getting on ? Have you been doing the part of a mission preacher ? " " Yes," said the boy ; " and now, sir, we are all of one mind in our house,
^ W. H. M. H. Aitken, QocPs Everlasting Yea, 242. REV. — 27
4i8 COME
mother and brothers and sisters, all except father, and we are hound to have him too" ^
^ All day the caravan had toiled over the hot sand without water. They had thought to find it twenty-four hours before; but when they reached the place where they expected it, the spring was dry. There had been only a few drops of water left in their skin bags then. Now there was none ; and the little girl of the company lay sick in her mother's arms, moaning for water.
" Water ! Water ! Water ! " was her constant cry. Her father could not bear it. He stopped the caravan, and said, "We must find water, or the child will die. We will make a bed for her on the sand and leave her here with her mother, and we will go out and search far and wide until we have found water."
Oh, how earnestly the boy Hafiz hunted ! Every minute his dear little sister's moans seemed to sound in his ears. He clambered over jagged rocks. He searched over barren wastes, and at last he found a spring that gushed up cool and clear behind a pile of concealing stones. He shouted to the rest and waved his arms, calling to them over the desert, " Come ! Come ! Here is water ! "
With all possible speed they hastened to the blessed spring. Each one shouted to his neighbour, who passed the word on. " Come ! Come ! Come ! Come ! " The sound seemed to fill the desert. How they ran to the spot, bringing water skins, gourds, cooking vessels, everything that would hold water !