12). 2. The eye is c7ear. 8. The atmosphere is clea1·. (Eph. v, 8.) 4-. ~ objects of choiot Me clear. In time; in eternity. 5. The clioice of means i.s clear. All the pre~ent ie subjected to the future. Herein lies ever true wisdom. II. 'l'HEIR SHTh"ING. Perbe.ps t-he text refers mainly to the shining of immortality, We me.y bear in mind that the shining of the clear--seelng saint-of the saint who ie indeed a seer-is not a question of time or place, of mone or wol'lds, but one of character. 'l'he shining will then be here as well as there. How, then, does the eaint shine? Of what sort ie the radiance of the open day-sky P The liaht of the sky is: 1. Brilliant. No li!!:ht in 11.ll the landscape can exceed the brillianc~ of the sky. No light in all the world of intelligence and morals can exceed thnt of saintliness. 2. &ft. No element of p&in in it.. 8. Diffwed. 4. Victo1·ious. Clouds may dim the face of the sky. So calumnies, misunderstandings, imperfections, failings may obscure character. But the light shines through the cloud, and continues after the cloud has passed away. 5. Minu;tering. The sky is like an angel of God in the sweetness and beauty of its service. What reUef to the sick and to the nursing, who out of their lattices watch for the morning I What ch«r to the strong I Wbat health I Sunlight is health. The sun arises with "healing in his wings." So the "Sun of Righteousness." So they that are like him. What power to work I 'l'he ~ky holds, as it were, the candle to every worker on earth. How wo value dying daylight/ So wistfully watch we the expiring radiance of the saints we love. 6. Borrowed. Not its own, but the sun's. So the light of the saints is not theirs, but God's. , III. THE OONVERTING. In order to preach truly and intelligently from this passage, the following points should be observed : "They that tum to righteousness" is the translation of a single word in Hebrew-a verb, of the bipbil conjugation, participial form, plural number, construct case. The verb means "to be right or righteous;" in the hiphil conjugation, "to make one right or righteous." Here, then, we have the activity of tile saint, going forth in this form of instrumentally making men righteous, implying a turning away from wickedness, and doing this in the case of "many." Turning the sinner to God, so as to be" justified by his grnce," would not exhaust the meaning; it goes beyond that, to the securing at least the elements of personal righteousness in him. Bow can we instrumentally convert? 1. By luminosity of life. 2. By word from the lip. Not necessarily a pulpit-word or a class-word, but a friendly word, and that of the simplest kind. 8. By unconscious co-operatioo with others. Henry Martyn never knew that he was the means of converting a single soul ; but he translated the Bible into Persian, and prepared the way for others. "They that sow, and they that reap, shall rejoice togeLher." 4. By prayer. 5. By gifts of money sustaining the labours of ot?iers. (Some. s1.1:ggestions and illustrations of a useful character may, perhaps, be found in a characteristic sermon by Dr. Talmage on the text, in the first series, published by Nicholson and Sons, Wakefield.) IV. THEIB BRILLIANCE. ".AJJ the stars for ever and ever." Here we have some of the ideas we had before, but with variations, additions, and enlargements. Without becoming pedantic, we make use legitimately of the richer knowledge astronomical of our time. In the destiny of the active aggressive worker we have: 1. An inteMe brilliana:. Strictly, daylight is more bril_liant than the light of stars;_ for it ?bscures it by day, or rather outshines it. But this would not be the popular 1mpress1on, ancl on that this Bible-text is based. 2. A diversity of splendour. "One star differeth," etc. Not only the most eminent workers are to sh~e, but otb~rs_ in. their proportion and degree. 3. A distinguishing aeparateness. Thmk of the _d1stmctive glory of each worker. Here it is not difference of cegree, but of type and ktnd; e.g. Martm Luther, George Fox, Madame Guyon, Elizabeth Fr,v:, etc. 4: Yet oft a cluster~ glory. In appearance the stars congregate in clusters;_ lil actuality are marsball_ed mto. syste~s. The fellowships of earth, of heaven. A umty of power. 6. A. growing radi'.Ince with 1,earness of view. "'Tis distauce lends enchantment to the vie1v" has no application Lere. The stars are suns, whose magnificence dawns with our approach. So with the glorified and consecrated in the Church. 6. .A minutration of light and heat and lif~ 7. .d eubservient 1plendour. "For ever singing as ihey shine, The hand that made UB is Divine." OH. XII, 1-13,] THE DOOK OF DANIEL. 817
B. A brilliance unlilce tl,at of the stars. Their light does now oft go out. The ligl,t of all may fade and die. Dut these saintly workers shine on" for ever e.nd ever." Many motives to Christian service may be urged; but here behold itH supreme aetractiveneu I Contrast with this that other destiny (var. 2), "Shame and everlast- ing contompt."-R.