~~;~~1;7:~~~!u~~t~ft1!~~~~~~~e!~:s~~a~~~f~~~~~l"tr ·r~:\~:irt1;:~ their own sm has OlLused. (b) Israel. Special ment16n 1s made of U.em·her~~Jf :w :Zech. xii. It was they" who pierced him." But it is told how they sliaIH'iitterly'mourn wh~ ~~ see him, a&· if they ;mourned "for ap. ~11.ly t,on." ,And. it..11~. be .a godly so!fo:,•i\J Qilgb'"as lt should l:M!~-ifw'UI ,lie heartfelt· 's.nq:' c\eey. . liow ~oiil4~~ ot~r- w1ee 'Yll n they rem~m,bered how ihey: oiighf to baye l'<iCtlived Jesus as· t'he 'Chnstl "·He,i:i,fo..e to his owii -:--~d they were ...his o.wn "~••"a.nd," etc.. They rejected hjm,· 0 rejec#ld. h'i,ril cruell)', persistently, generation after_ generation, age after ag11, and yet the Lord· botji :with them all this time; jnd now they see him-h~ Coining. tQ. help a(\d eave them.. C '.Yell; though they 'pierced hi¥, hung b im U.J.> and crucified h1In,. yet, behold, he comet,h, and not to destroy~ b1,1t tQ"$ave; and the sight of that pr~I! tMm down,~ ~ell it i:nay•. Ah! what tEllirs of penitence will fl.0cw· then! Ye11 I Israel shall ~oll!h~:•' (o)' f!!iespiritU<fl, Isr~the C¥urcll, , The a.n6Jent prophet pla~nly h~f~p~1:n m view as "\'ell .as .the literal Israel. A'.nd will not the Cb,urch of. God wou,.rri at her Lord's coming when· she· thinks what she might have don~ 'lmd .should Ji.ave do~e, 'Qµt didnP.t .doJ It is the one SOJT9W the,~ we sb,all take ~nto t)l.e p~silnce of t4~ ·t.o~ t~t we so· ill. served hiIIl w}io did all for· us., Then)he Ohmen will sl!e, as' now· oftjl'ri. times'i.he is slow t,o 'see, that she is but an·unproµta~le servailt, even when she has do:iie her alt How will the C::\lu~h think then of her apathy'and iiidiffer~nce fo: regard to the masses ·of the ungodly outside her borders; of the ha:! f-hearted service ehe too commonly renders, 'her· pi.embers spending IllQre on their, own luxury and ease :than they surrender for Ohri~t dl!,rlng a•whole 1i_fetiIIlei of the .strange th~nj~ that have been done· in the name of· Christianity, and of the dishotiour ,many so0 cilled Ch~B.till:hs h~ve brought upon tlie h'~ly name t~~.Y ~? , '1'~0c Ph~h, will mourn for these thing&. W O\ild 1t not 'be weU if. sh~. moumaj_ -.vli~ ~!'as.>, lihe:-O,p'olq.~: tl~r.Lord, •ow, and so 1!6t hereelf tQ alter and ,amend h~r Wl,\'yS? (d) Fa1M7iea 0:Je spok,m of sll~n.g in thjs mourning-those whom St. John speaks of as ••an the ~ribe~ of.the e\l.~.bt'ahd Zecba.riali tells of.as "all the families of the land." ·And he 'spec"ially 4welle on this family, household; mourning, naming a nmµber of these :~inilies as re~r~ntative ot all the rest. l;low 11Qggestive :this is to i!.s .!llJ l Fot wha~ver ell¥'. 'we maf'li4fb81 ye.~ a!f_l!l~mber_s_~df '':'6fu.-e family or other: ·Anjl t~is divine,ly a;ppofn~ i~ti~,~tiot(,of;'th'.e fam11s, now 1mrpen~ly po;werful it,ever has been and mtist ~Jw~-s Mfor 'g<>()d,or ill. WJ:i~i ~he fi1milies ai'I! tlie ·nation will be. 'A°'d: aU1id the families- ther.il wHJ ~ 'mourn- ing \then the Lotd"com6s. - ·0oo1y patents~ cannot rou"unaerstan:d 'th'l:s? •"06l y'~ not n~w~.,or w~~d _it. not·~. uc.:\l .. b..e.~ter rq. .Jf you, did,.:~o.imi .over,.,r~~!'.. -~,any du!.~~ regards the ppsitidn Ood has placed you n:x1 How 'i:ptenfycrti'~'on your ... 1f~l!.-il.uieldn' ebil~n~s BeCUl~ good 1. a.~d' so yoi_1· ought to be; but ll.ow little solicltud:e. Y.?l:f 4isplay: that their ypu~g h~tJ 11;1!1;.f J¥ ~~eld~ ~p 'to' tbe L~rd 1 A~d 1:iow •~iilf mof! ":,s:, th?uiht of what t~e wo~~d 11,pd soc1e~1: ~o~d say, ~h~~ ff W;}ia.t ~o~ld ~~~ 'q)mst, m reg11~\'l to the busme!IB,, sooiat,: or ma~g~ relat10n11hq,s i11to wh1~h Yo.11 an,o~!Jd, 'or causijd your :children to l!nl.erl ·' And if'they have lost: thli.ir love for Christ 'triia his bl~ed service,' virhose fai'tlt. is it?' Oh; b,pw will thesll'thi!\gs loolt ill the ~teseti~~i'of yo·.~U..ord'? Tb.en let·tbeµi be. so t,o yo..u now,' and sol~ tli,e~. less .li·'k~~lrood, ol'.• ]Jott···•·r being "ashauiM before hi.m "!Lt his cpi:n,ipg,, (~ ind_ividu.als are ndt i>D!~'i.itihis · e11urueration:. "Every ey~ ,,. means every indiyidual person. There. wiiC be µnit~( for the mo~g. of each OJ1.e; ii~l;ly one,'.separate &11d a ~ ~~;- 'tlia.t ~ejver~·so late and laggard ih coming; to lµl;t!"; 'that ~hen we aid ~ome, ,09 ofyen, for all the service'' w,e:renderoo-him, w'e n.iig~t'al.m~st ali well nave·s~yed if.w_'ay'; that/bur convetslon is.so' impetf~t; 'tb:at sin 'lurks a:no llngers in'~~· ll-na ofte'uJ>t!!IW out .and 'overpowtu,i us even: now: The larig~e of manf~ h~t :w;iu be \'M~.:... ·, · ..·· ••. ' '" ' · " /"·Oli,:.how,l.fear thee,.liviug God, . · With d ~ tetderellt feNII, And ~hip t,hee with bumW.. bQP8. 4nd penit.enW teu!J" ·•.1 · · ·. w~ii'1nll .it be for ns ofte'n to revi11w our own pers6nal li~es1'ui. the 1ight'of \ne'cbuifng.' oUhtt. Lord.. ~ ~ For it will .&elld us swiftly t,o uat "fQuntain opened for all stn~iind: ' , . . 82 THE REVELATION OIi' ST. ''JOHN THE DIVINE. (atL L 1-20.
1'ticleanness." ~hich Zechar_iah tells of in oonne~_tion: ·wit~· 'this' mourning-2.:..tba.t most preo1011s fount.am or ~he 8,9.vioit,;. 'blood. And it will lead iis to pray w'ith, greater fervour and frequency, " Search n:.e, 0 Lord, an4 know my heart; prove· me,• ~ (PS:. cnxiL_ 23):-8. 0. . . . . . . ·